Minister Imbert seems to be one of the more hardworking government ministers despite the fact that many Ministry of Works projects are completed way after the deadline, and most roads remain laden with gaping potholes.

Unlike some ministers, Imbert is approachable, answers questions in a concise and straightforward manner, and readily admits when there is a problem such as a delay or cost overrun.

But in announcing the intention to bus labour from one part of the country to another, he reveals a lack of knowledge of the labour scene from the perspective of those on the ground.

Imbert could not really believe that it would be plain sailing when workers from east Port of Spain arrive by the busload to work on housing projects in San Fernando.

The likely scenario should be similar to what occurred in Ecclesville, Rio Claro earlier this month when the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) brought in “skilled labour” that wasn’t available in Ecclesville to lay pipelines.

As much as they really needed the new pipelines (Parts of Ecclesville have been without water for over 20 years) residents of the area brought the project to a screeching halt with a noisy protest when it was learnt that one person from the area was hired.

Imbert also admitted to problems brought about by a shortage of skilled labour in the construction industry, and a need to look beyond these shores, first to Caricom (where there is also a building boom in progress) and then to North America, Europe, and even China.

The Manning Administration’s plan to soak up excess labour through a government-led construction boom has now revealed a major flaw.

The garrison mentality has taken firm hold on the country’s labour scene, and this would continue as long pockets of high unemployment exist in the very areas which need the new infrastructure.

The Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) and the refurbishment programme spearheaded by the former National Housing Authority (NHA) have served to reinforce the idea that one cannot work in a community unless one lives there.

People linked to these projects have been killed over a real or imagined shortage of available jobs in the projects.

Whatever happened to the promise to make training an integral part of the URP?

While it is standard practice in any country to import skilled workers that are in short supply, shouldn’t there be an accelerated effort to identify those areas in which there are shortages and train local labour to fill those positions?

While government would point at the few training programmes in place, it is not likely that they are tailored to meet the country’s future labour needs.

Of course, an accelerated training programme within the URP that starts turning out large numbers of skilled workers would ultimately lead to a reduction in the number of persons living in desperate circumstances.

This would translate into less people dependent on the government for “a 10 days”, and less dependency in poor communities could lead, God forbids, to electors having the luxury of voting for the candidate of their choice instead of for the party that would start the most projects in their area.

This is why the country’s poorest communities lie in strongholds on both sides of the political fence.

Decades ago, when the dog-eat-dog garrison mentality was just beginning to take root, a former Port of Spain mayor told some of his fellow party colleagues that they should try a different approach: “Perform, just perform, do what is best for the citizens in all circumstances, and the votes will come.”

Many who heard that statement were not surprised that Stevenson Sargeant’s political career was short-lived.