When I saw the headlines this morning, I became a worried Jumbie. A very worried man indeed. Food prices are going up rather drastically, and the minimum wage is set to go up. Combined, the makings of a recession in Trinidad is already in the pot so to speak. Once the minimum wage goes up, then prices will be driven up further; a Catch-22 if I ever saw one.
I am worried because like many other migrants, I have left family and friends behind. I often hear worrying complaints from relatives about the high cost of living. Some do not have the option of leaving, and I can tell you, quite a lot of people I speak to in Trinidad will leave if presented with the opportunity.
Flour prices went up, chicken prices went up, milk prices (including baby formula) moving up, transport cost going up. Where will it end?
Pa-trick and his cohorts who enjoy the high life may well find themselves ruling the empty nest.
