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The allocation of foreign exchange to Jane and Beharry Public continues to be inequitable and discriminatory. The ordinary citizen cannot get foreign exchange but franchises keep popping up all over the place. Clearly if you operate in the right circles you can get foreign exchange at will.
Who needs another Starbucks, Chucky Cheese, Wendy’s, Porche dealership etc? Why are we importing dried mangoes from Thailand instead of encouraging local entrepreneurship?
I recall that the Couva Children’s Hospital was supposed to bring in foreign currency by attending to patients from other countries but it remains closed. These are just mundane, everyday examples of how our foreign exchange is being mis-allocated.
I came across three cases of citizens who are angry because they cannot get foreign exchange to carry on with their lives.
Case One is of a returning resident who sold his property in England, brought the funds to Trinidad and built a home with the intention of retiring. After 10 years he is so disenchanted that he wants to move on, but cannot get access to the money after selling his newly built house. He is now stuck in a place with money which he can only spend locally.
Case Two is a woman who has been living abroad for 15 years and has been investing in financial instruments which have matured; and she cannot get the funds out of the country now to continue her life abroad.
Case Three is of another woman who emigrated 20 years ago and cannot get access to her retirement lump-sum or monthly pension.
I have had the humiliating experience of having to line up daily to get US$100 in order to carry out some random transactions. Something is terribly wrong with the system. It appears to favour those with contact and access.
Is the reason that the ordinary citizen is experiencing these problems rooted in our corrupt systems, which are based on who you know and not what is the right thing to do?
The population understands that the energy sector has contracted resulting in a reduction in foreign exchange inflows. We also understand that very little has been done to diversify the economy to make up the shortfall, despite decades of experts telling us that we need to diversify the economy. What is clear is that citizens without contact or friends in the right places will continue to feel the pinch.
So if your son, daughter, tanty, etc, ‘in foreign’ need some help, you can’t offer it because you can’t get the foreign exchange to send. For the hundreds of thousands of Trinidadians who have migrated but have funds in Trinidad from pension plans or other instruments, that money remains unavailable, locked away from their access.
This is simply inequitable, unjust and unfair. Additionally, it does not inspire confidence that the system will work in your favour at all times.
Governments must inspire confidence in people by operating even-handedly and transparently so please let us know who are the users and recipients of this scarce resource.
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Dennise Demming grew up in East Dry River, Port of Spain and has more than 30 years experience as a communication strategist, political commentator and event planner. She has 15 years experience lecturing business communications at UWI and is the co-licensee for TEDxPortofSpain. Dennise is a member of the HOPE political party.
Thank you for this article. Something needs to be done urgently, even if we have to boycott these companies that are given preferential treatment. It takes one step to walk a mile. Please don’t let your concern end with this article.
Don’t you know this is why poor Rambaran got fired from the Central Bank? Because he outed the companies who get the foreign exchange? Like Massy, Prestige Holdings, Price Smart. That’s why they fired him and then choose to prevent him from getting other jobs elsewhere. He went to Court against them and won.And now they want to pass Rambaran’s Bill in Parliament but under the prestigious name of Transparency Legislation. I don’t shop at Massy, drink at Starbucks, buy anything at Price Smart and don’t go eat at TGIS or whatever microwave crap they serve at places owned by these business who are the foreign currency vampires. But others do…and it’s these same people who turn around and complain about lack of foreign currency. You know another country that suffers from not having foreign currency? Zimbabwe. Maybe we need to change our country’s name because we are certainly heading in that direction.
Our system is corrupt it has always been but now more than ever we have a new level of organized crime incoming that will cripple us rupture our society is more like it if government keeps doing what it is doing.