First I listened very vaguely to the radio and television news programmes about Singapore being asked to take over the management of the Port of Port of Spain. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I knew it would be a good thing, in spite of the usual noises being made by the union concerned, the SWWTU. Seems that is the business of all trade unions in this country - opposition of whatever is proposed by any employer, and even moreso the government, without giving much thought to the benefits for the country.
But it was not until I read Sheldon Williams' letter to the Newsday editor last Tuesday, that I realised that I might be the one person in this country to-day who knows what the port of Singapore looks like. For ten months in 1979, I lived on the fortieth floor of the International Plaza at Anson Road, Singapore, and my living room looked directly onto the port and harbour.
Many are the days and nights I would just sit and stare for hours at the Singapore docks as the largest ships came alongside or dropped anchor out in the harbour, noiselessly. The dockside was kept as clean as a whistle. All cargo offloaded and onloaded with great efficiency and neatness. There was neither loud talking from those who worked down there nor did they sit around idly at any time. I often wondered if they had a lunch hour.
It is not that Trinidad and Tobago does not have a plethora of qualified individuals in nearly every discipline that exists, but it is that the average worker/union loves confrontation and has serious work ethic and attitude problems.
Just look back at the opposition, and I do not mean government opposition either, when Powergen came to help us with our electricity. Not to mention when the New Zealanders were brought in to bring our postal service into the 21st century. Today, we are all very happy with the efficiency of the postal service and the men and women who now politely deliver the mail with a sense of urgency.
Please believe Mr Williams' when he tells you that Singapore is an orderly and clean society with very little crime. Also when he says everyone is housed properly and that Singapore airlines is one of the world's best and most profitable. Let me add that couples are not encouraged to have more than two children so there is truly a school place for every child. I do remember a primary school was closed down because there were not enough students to fill its desks.
Vagrancy and deliquents are not the norm in Singapore's society. When the government decided to rebuild one of the largest markets, the vendors protested. "We are moving you to another market for the time being and the rebuilding will go on as planned" was the answer. Same thing happened when some old villages, or kampongs as they are called, were being broken down to make way for better housing facilities. The old people who had lived in those villages protested, they would be separated from their old friends. The government's reply was "you will make friends in the new housing estates to which you are being moved."
And Mr Williams is so right, Singapore is an island which is smaller than Trinidad, and with no oil, mineral or land for agriculture, yet there is no poverty, no lack of housing, not much unemployment, an abundance of food, and a people who have been well-educated, not only academically but culturally as well. The people of Singapore are its greatest resource because above all, their work ethic is excellent. They are busy from dawn to late night.
So maybe the Singaporese showing us how to run the Port of Port of Spain will go a long way to moving us out of the third world bracket in which we seem to be firmly rooted.