Caribbean news. After a week and a half of continuous appeals, President Anthony Carmona has finally agreed to meet with members of Project 40 to discuss the group’s request for his intervention in the on-going impasse between the Government and the Highway Reroute Movement.
The breakthrough came on Thursday 6th November, after Project 40, a collective of highly concerned young citizens working towards better governance for Trinidad and Tobago, launched its “Red Letter Day” campaign which saw various members of the group hand-delivering personalised letters to the Office of the President throughout the day. Each letter was enclosed in a red envelope.
The group had previously delivered a letter to the President on Monday 27th October, appealing to President Carmona to call for immediate mediation on the matter. While the President had acknowledged receipt and indicated willingness to communicate further on the time-sensitive matter, days passed without further correspondence to the group.
Earlier in the day Project 40 posted a statement to its Facebook followers which stated, “Today we step up our appeal to His Excellency President Anthony Carmona to act in the best interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Throughout the day 40 letters will be hand-delivered by members of the Project 40 movement.
We are asking our President to intervene in the debilitating impasse between our Government and the Highway Reroute Movement by issuing an urgent call for mediation. Our citizenry deserves inclusive, strong, and principled leaders who engage fairly with the people they serve. Perhaps we have been silent for so long that they no longer recognise our voices. Today we are amplifying our call. Will they choose to hear us now?”
It seems the group’s actions have indeed been recognised. At the very end of the day, Project 40 member Gerry Anthony received a call from the Office of the President, informing him that His Excellency had agreed to meet with three Project 40 representatives on Tuesday 11th November.
Appreciative of the President’s response, members of Project 40 stated that they saw this as an encouraging sign that the nation’s leaders would be moved to engage in more genuine interaction with its citizenry once individuals and groups overcame feelings of apathy and fear towards speaking out and taking a concerted stand.
Members reiterated their hope that Tuesday’s discussion would be engaged in the spirit of good faith, and yield a result that was in the best interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Project 40’s Red Letter Day exercise will continue on Monday 10th November, when letters will be delivered to the Office of the Prime Minister.
