Dear Editor,
Having heard that there was to be a big celebration over the river at Joe Vieira Park in honour of Indian Arrival I decided to have a look. The weather was threatening and there was only a slight drizzle. The crowds were big but the police seemed to have everything under control.
Speaking to a constable who was standing in some slush as to why he was not wearing regulation boots, he said that they were so stiff and hard that he got corns. He had heard that he could buy boots just like the regulation ones which were soft and much more comfortable and durable. He said that he had given a pair to his friend in the GDF and he had praised them.
He then told me that the boots which he was wearing were made by an Amerindian man who has a factory at Linden producing all sorts and sizes of shoes.
I could not believe this and had to see for myself. Arriving in Linden I was taken to the factory. Everybody was busy, sewing and moulding shoes in different materials, etc. I was fitted for a pair for which I thanked Mr Winter – the owner. They were brown in colour and so comfortable that I wear them daily.
I suggested to Mr Winter that he take a few pairs of different sizes to the head of the GDF as well as to the Commissioner of Police for evaluation. In these days when the government is shouting about and backing entrepreneurship, why are they not helping these, our own hard-working people, instead of the big money businessmen who bring in substandard goods and not only fleece the citizens but build up their already overfilled pockets. Where is the National Bureau of Standards? Do they check these imports?
It should be mandatory for all supplies – shoes, etc – to be bought from local manufacturers who are providing work for so many poor people who have families and schoolchildren to maintain. People should support local businesses; it helps to build the country.
Yours faithfully,
Victor Fitt
