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 Tell a friend about this article. A Journey to the Point Fortin Master Plan. (part1)
Yet “the truth be told” the historical development of our communities was as a consequence of the discovery of natural resources in the particular area and in this regard we can refer to our development as accidental. In other words the development of Point Fortin over the years was linked to the British and the Dutch who sought to minimize the “culture shock” experienced by their expatriate workers assigned to drill or refine the oil found in this area. The same is true of Mayaro, Forest Reserve and even Penal and Pointe-a-Pierre. In other words it was in its own interest for Shell to establish a hospital; sporting facilities and an aristocratic suburb as Clifton Hill in Point Fortin since the assigned foreign worker(s) was less likely to be homesick and therefore remained comfortably in this strange but beautiful land while working hard. This rather broad (and some might argue simplistic) overview of our national and community development is deliberate since it stands in stark contrast to the lack of discernible infrastructural development initiated by us as Trinidadians and leaders of Point Fortin in particular. Against this background then is the question of what developmental model is best suited to take us forward given the present set of circumstances and the current awareness of communities that have grown intolerant of tokenism and seeks real development. It must be that any acceptable model must of necessity be non-reliant on the “generosity” of any large company or corporation currently operating in our community. In fact the dignity of our people and the obligation of this generation to the generations of the past must refuse such capricious handouts and begin a focus of deliberate action. There are good indications in the past and present national history to encourage us along this path. Who can forget the green and white planning papers of the seventies during the first oil boom and the deliberate action of the Williams government to build schools, hospitals and highways? In fact only this month Professor Julien was reminding us of the very deliberate action of the government in the development of our energy industry and our gas economy in particular. Moreover, our current attempts at Vision 2020 – never mind the cynics and detractors – is a welcome return to that kind of organized, self-determinant strategic development. If this is translated to the community level, then an acceptable model of development must revolve around the following premises/principles:
These five pillars – if you will – should be the foundation on which we can develop and build our communities for the future. However, these pillars must be “plastered” with the “cement” of integrity and professional conduct in public life and the affairs of the people on behalf of the people, in order to achieve sustainability. A closer look at these five pillars will reveal the following -: Vision. Previous Point Fortin writers (for example R.T. Murray) have very clearly articulated the view that Point Fortin needs its own vision document aligned to the national Vision 2020 documents. There is no getting away from this. A comprehensive document that clearly states for example what industries are best suited for the community should be developed and ratified by the community. Obviously plans by UdeCott, the Energy Ministry and ALNG already exist but these need to be integrated under the umbrella of a Point Fortin Master Plan. The guardians of this master plan must be the representative body of the people that has legitimacy in the eyes of the community. Too many unattached voices in our community today are voicing good ideas and plans that further reinforce the need for a common document. There can be many methods to developing this vision document but whatever the chosen path; there are some specific initiatives that must be part of the process. These include very technical discussions on our geology, our coastal erosion rates, quantitative risk assessments, our transportation routes, return on capital, market sustainability, and acceptable environmental standards to name a few. These discussions must then allow the community to be clear on what are the real possibilities for the future industries and attendant service requirements. There should then be a real discussion on the role of government versus the role of the private entrepreneur or established companies. Further discussion must also focus on quality of life issues such as what role we see for sports, recreation and artistic expression and how do we develop these aspects in relation to the industrial development activities? This may sound like a lot but then only God can create a world in a six days and then rest, mankind needs a lot more detailed and deliberate effort. Resources.To be continued. Fitzroy Harewood. Fitzroy_harewood@yahoo.com.
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There
is an unmistakable and constant bemoaning that characterises our
community and other communities like ours, which basically says that
the gains from the monetisation of the natural resources in our
geographic areas seem to bypass us as a community and eventually are
used to the benefit of others rather than our selves. In fact the
recent laments about profitable KFC outlets and lucrative LNG
contracts are not new but rather constitute a continuation of the
cries so eloquently made by the early labour leaders like Bulter,
Renzi and Rojas et al. Those of us who are old enough would recall
the days of the OWTU shop steward sessions which were virtual
macro-economic workshops and which engaged the population into real
discussion on commanding heights of our economy and redistribution
of a nation’s wealth to a nation’s people.
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