Busting The Bukka Rennie Analysis

27, May 2000
T&T history misread.

No nation can lose as many of its citizens due to migration as Trinidad and Tobago did without experiencing dire social, economic and psychological consequences.

The current economic situation of blacks in Trinidad is substantially the result of flight of African-Trinidadians to England, the US and Canada brain drain.

By Ian D Quan-Soon,
A reader in New York, NY


Bukka Rennie's May 22 commentary, "Urban vs rural, politics vs economics", is based on a fundamental tenet of socialist economic theory which holds that the ownership and means of production in society are the primary determining factors for the direction and development of the society, and the relationship between workers and the capitalist entrepreneurs.

Mr Rennie's wholesale application of the socialist theory to the situation as it exists in Trinidad and Tobago and his exclusion of objective research on the societal relationships and economic development among Afro-Trinidadians have led him to some erroneous conclusions.

Mr Rennie states "colonialism allowed one set of people a close proximity to the centres of political power, all the better for them to eventually capture that power, while it allowed the other economic independence."

This conclusion is in line with the wide acceptance of a universal British colonial policy of divide and rule and, the prevailing belief in T&T that, due to such a policy, blacks were estranged from the centres of economic power and now suffer the consequences of economic disenfranchisement.

The empirical evidence would suggest that, prior to the 1960s, blacks were engaged in all commercial activities in Trinidad. They were small entrepreneurs Ð seamstresses, tailors, taxi drivers, cinema owners, social club proprietors, pharmacologists, farmers, butchers, blacksmiths, shopkeepers, sawmill owners, furniture builders and store owners, building contractors, etc.

There were also large companies owned by blacks Ð Stephens and Todd, Percival Bain of Sea Lots, Colonial Life Insurance Company, Frederick Jones Hardware, to name some of the most notable ones. Dom Basil Matthews and many others founded and established major private educational institutions, among them St Benedict's College in San Fernando and Progressive College in Belmont.

In addition, blacks were substantially employed in the oil industry and as civil servants in the colonial government at higher salaries than that which could be derived from farming and land owning.

Before Independence, the domestic economy was driven primarily by the activities of the local black population. The oil industry was substantially an export industry that primarily benefited its foreign owners.

The economic activities of the relatively small (approximately 12 per cent of the total) local white population, with the exception of the importation of dry goods, was geared to servicing mainly the oil industry and tourism as Trinidad was a major port of call and duty free centre in the Caribbean.

Furthermore, few Africans or Indians could afford their goods or services. The Indian population was engaged mainly in sugar cane agriculture, small crop farming, and as shopkeepers. The Chinese (approximately one per cent of the total population) were largely involved in the retailing of dry goods, restaurants, and the laundering of clothes. A thriving, educated, entrepreneurial, stable black middle class population resided in Point Fortin, La Brea, San Fernando, Woodbrook, Belmont, and many other parts of Trinidad.

The current economic situation of blacks in Trinidad is substantially the result of the flight of African-Trinidadians to England, the US and Canada during the early 1950s, 1960s and 1980s. As a consequence, the nation suffered a massive "brain drain". During the early years, political independence brought major social and economic upheaval and depression that forced many small businesses to close and highly trained and qualified citizens to flee, leaving family, loved ones, friends and property behind. This migration has continued unabated for 35 years.

No nation can lose as many of its citizens due to migration as Trinidad and Tobago did without experiencing dire social, economic and psychological consequences.

Prime Minister ANR Robinson's Government apparently recognised this fact and partially addressed the problem by granting dual citizenship to all our citizens abroad who qualify. Today, we need to do much more.

Our nationals and their offspring continue to thrive abroad: they have attained academic and managerial skills in the countries that have attained the greatest technological and economic advances; they achieve financial success in business and the arts and have established Caribbean culture, foods and style in their adopted home countries and worldwide. Notwithstanding, our governments and local businesses have made no serious attempt to tap into this natural resource. On the contrary, our governments have viewed migration as a relief/safety valve that primarily benefits unemployment.

It is always wise and instructive to examine the past. However, at best, incorrect analogy leads to bad or no policy and, at worse, to ignorance. If we recognise and emphasise our strengths, we can advocate and implement policies that are beneficial to the nation as a whole.

We must change our attitude of viewing our nationals abroad as deep-pocket foreigners and "freshwater Yankees" who should only come back for Carnival. We must implement policies of inducement and encouragement for us to return permanently with our dollars and skills to help further the development of Trinidad and Tobago. Let the debate begin as to how best this can be achieved.