Crime, poor health services, and jobs continue to be major issues of contention for many citizens.
However, the challenging issue of dealing with youth unemployment is weighing heavily on the minds of citizens in San Fernando and Princes Town, two of the areas polled in the Sunday Guardian VOX-POP this week.
For Lisa Prime, street vendor, the most important issue for her is addressing the needs of the youths.
“It have too much youths on the street straying. Too much of them single mothers not doing anything, and their children in the lower level area doing nothing. We need single parents to get more help than they are getting instead of seeing about petty things. They should leave Rowley alone and attend to the poorer class of people,” she complained.
However, supervisor Yvonne Henry, of Marabella, believes more needs to be done to address the woes plaguing the health sector.
“Even though we are opening this, that and the other, I do not think enough is being done. My husband was sick and we went to the hospital and we had to remain outside for hours waiting on a bed and we still have that situation from however long. It is still there and it is not going anywhere, you are not seeing anything different,” she lamented.
In Princes Town, the complaints were the same. Naresh Samaroo, of Cedar Hill Road, contended that crime is out of hand and a serious plan to address the problem is needed.
“As for crime, when they see it is white colour crime they try to cover it up and when it is a small guy they take them really down. It is really hard when you see that, it is injustice and some of the youths when they see that they will go deeper into it,” he said.
The confirmation that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley have both agreed to meet in a leadership debate was welcomed by many citizens interviewed, especially since they said they are eagerly waiting to hear what both individuals have to offer.
However for one man, who only gave his name as Gordon the biggest issue facing T&T is “poor governance” and he is not interested in the debate.
“All that will be heard is the usual tit for tat, and I am wary and tired of the nonsense,” he said.