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| Business Outlook Conference Mt. Irvin Hotel, Tobago |
If you are familiar with the operations of
any small vendor plying their trade from Tobago, then you must be aware that
they must journey weekly to Trinidad, in order to purchase goods to meet the
demands of their customers. As such, the security risk involved in
doing business is enormously exacerbated.
On Friday, one of
our young Tobago
entrepreneur was brutally murder as he attempted to
purchase goods to restock his business for the coming week. Sadden as I am, the
reality is, there remains a looming danger for every small business person in
Tobago, who must engage in doing business in Trinidad. Because Tobago's
survival depends heavily on Trinidad, small and large business must go through
the added risk of doing physical business in Trinidad
thus, proprietors are exposed weekly to the criminal elements of the sister
isle.
In all this, the Tobago House of
Assembly's (THA) Business Development Unit (BDU) churns out hard cold
cash in an effort to 're-define' Tobago's business environment through
financial assistance and training. However, no one have seemingly informed
these young enthusiastic business owners that safety and security must
remain paramount if they are to enjoy the fruits of their labor. It is
there evident that there is a growing need to educate
these business personnel about security management whether
on the ground, electronic or otherwise. Of-course, THA cannot be
blamed for the death of any recipient, however, if you're 'dishing out
handouts' that range in the thousands, then one must take the responsibility to
educate these said recipients in being more prudent and 'business smart' in an
effort to protect their lives and their businesses.
Furthermore, they must be encouraged
to join together and lobby for insurance and other protection among other
things. Moreover, they should be further swayed in combining similar small
businesses to form associations and partnerships which can result in them
becoming more dynamic and stronger than a single proprietor. This move, by
all means, can reduce the risk of doing business on a single person
basis and can eliminated or minimized the potential of them
being victims of serious crimes.
It is at this stage needless to say
that Tobago businesses and business men remains at a disadvantage. Therefore,
no effort should be spared in affording them peace-of-mind and safety in
conducting their trade. After all, they are the bread basket of our island and
must be protected from these vicious criminal elements.
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