Dear Editor,
I am encouraged to see that the public discussion on the economic development of Linden has attracted the attention some. As long as the objectives remain clear, it is likely that some of the questions being asked as to what can be done to advance the town (and Region 10) beyond its present economic dilemma will be answered.
There is no question that for a change in the town’s economic direction to occur there must be a change in the social consciousness of the people; many consider themselves helpless against the pressures they are faced with. My concern as a citizen of the town is that we are not properly prepared to handle the changes that time has brought. The idea of going to school and getting a safe, secure job with the company, was a good one for people a few decades ago. Today everyone needs to go to school so they can get a good job, but they also need to better understand how they can get economic security. This will require us being better informed about how we can utilize what we have to achieve this.
One of the hangovers of the bygone era of Linden is the dependency syndrome, where many things were provided at little or no cost. Maybe the economic up-heavals that we are now faced with, could allow us to bring an end to such an era, and force a creative revolution upon us, where we see economic enterprise differently.
There are people who are already moving forward (Dr Haynes comes to mind), and there are others who are clinging to ideas of the past. I am afraid that people who still expect that their financial future is the responsibility of others will only continue to disappoint themselves. This is why a change in our social consciousness is essential, for only then can Linden begin to see beyond job security and become more concerned about economic security.
In a December 8 letter captioned ‘Linden’s potential is indeed great but has been continuously stymied by the present government,’ Mr Norman Browne asked whether I was sympathetic to the PPP, because unlike him I did not “pluck” two paragraphs from Mr Lincoln Lewis’s letter of October 19 (which I must say was very informative). He would do a much better job than I can talking about the bauxite industry.
In an earlier letter I mentioned that there must be “a more aggressive approach to both social and political activism.” Political activism referred not just to one party but all the parties which were given political space in Linden (and the region), as I believe that the town/region emerged from the 2006 elections as one of the biggest political ironies. One would have thought that after the people of the town/region had broken tradition, and had given their votes to the three political parties, maybe there would have been more political attention paid, especially as it related to the town/region’s economic development.
I am a bit disappointed that Mr Browne would allow his opinion of me (which he is entitled to), to be shaped by someone who he himself corrected. I am no politician, much less in the hierarchy of any party. As a Lindener my only sympathies are for the people of Linden, whose desires are like mine – economic security is what we want.
I hope both Mr Browne and I along with others can work to make economic security a reality for the town/region, where more is required from ourselves and all our politicians.
Yours faithfully,
Sharma Solomon