More than 20 years ago I wrote a letter to the editor titled, “A dollar cheese, please”. As a teenager I helped out in my mom’s parlour and we sold portions of cheese—the smallest being $5.
Even at this age, I was appalled that people would come in and ask for $1 worth of cheese when there were others who were buying cars the prices of houses. The gap between the rich and the poor was so apparent.
Fast-forward to 2016. Is it really true that the more things change, the more they stay the same? Looking at today’s news where so many items have become standard-rated, I see that gap becoming even wider.
How can those that were elected to run this country be so unimaginative? Does Dr Rowley really think that taxing basic food and books will improve the country’s balance sheet? How short-sighted is that? The rich will continue to shop at Pricesmart and make it the best performing set of stores in the world.
The rest of us who indulged a bit in the neighbourhood supermarket every month-end and bought a nice brand of non-GMO peanut butter, healthy coconut oil and organic rolled oats, will now have to use generic brands…so much for being able to eat healthy.
The rich will continue to afford to consume healthy food and, when necessary, travel abroad or register in fancy nursing homes for top of the line medical care. The rest of us, well, read the newspapers on the state of the health sector. The gap continues to widen doesn’t it?
Next door to me there is a family of five. Since October 2015, when this administration started firing (oops, terminating) contract workers, the only income earners in the family are a 78-year-old grandmother and a daughter (a single mother) employed in CEPEP. The others, unfortunately, were not public servants who are assured a monthly salary; they were contract workers and regrettably have no unions clamouring to fight for what is due to them.
The CEPEP employee may most likely soon lose her job as well given that the contractors were hired under the last administration. How can a family of five survive on $3000 per month? Especially with increasing utilities, new taxes, increased prices on everything and now increased food prices?
You may say they can look for another job but with the massive layoffs, there are few other jobs and now is the time that many of the rich business owners will underpay those who desperately need work. The gap continues to widen doesn’t it?
Who is collecting the data on the silently rising level of unemployment? Is this government aware of the negative short and long term impacts of a rising level of unemployment especially among youth? The last administration, whether you liked them or not, was able to provide training and jobs for youth and women through numerous programmes. This is not the time to shut down those programmes but to review and streamline.
Dr Rowley, as the Prime Minister, you have accepted the responsibility to take care of all the citizens, not just the rich and the public servants. The rest of us, the contract workers, the new graduates, the unemployed, the CEPEP workers, the retired, the differently-abled, we are citizens also.
You have a responsibility to take care of us as well.
Nisha Singh,
Curepe