Dear Editor,
As much as Lindeners welcome the newly constructed Bayroc Track and Field Stadium with open arms, its opening should have been more than a photo opportunity or a polished political performance. It should have been a moment of unity, hope, and honest reflection. Instead, President Irfaan Ali’s address felt heavy on promises and light on accountability.
There is no dispute that Linden deserves modern sporting facilities. Our young people possess talent, discipline, and ambition in abundance, and they will make good use of this stadium.
However, infrastructure alone does not change lives. What truly changes lives are clear plans, sustained investment, and policies that place people — not politics — at the centre of development.
The President spoke confidently about economic growth, job creation, and world-class opportunities flowing from this facility. Lindeners have heard this language before, even as unemployment and underemployment remain stubborn realities in the community. Too many households rely on short-term contracts, informal work, or remittances.
What was noticeably absent were the details that matter most: Who will get the jobs? How many? When? And what guarantees exist that Lindeners will be first in line?
At the same time, the cost of living continues to squeeze families in Region 10. Food prices in Linden remain among the highest in the country, electricity and water bills eat into already limited incomes, and transportation costs make commuting for work increasingly unaffordable. In that context, vague references to “spin-off benefits” sound disconnected from the daily struggles of ordinary people trying to make ends meet.
A stadium cannot feed a household. It cannot lower grocery prices. It cannot reduce utility bills or replace the urgent need for decent wages, skills training, and long-term employment.
Development must go beyond concrete and ceremonies; it must reach kitchen tables, pay packets, and school bags.
Equally disappointing was the injection of political defensiveness into what should have been a people-centred event. Linden does not need lectures on progress, nor should it be used as a backdrop for self-congratulation. The community deserves respect, honesty, and genuine inclusion — not rhetoric aimed at dismissing critics or silencing legitimate concerns.
If the government truly believes it is investing in people and not just projects, then let that investment be reflected in transparent plans, meaningful engagement with the people of Linden, and outcomes that can be measured in jobs created, skills developed, and costs reduced for working families. Let it show up in employment that lasts and opportunities that extend far beyond ceremonial ribbon-cuttings.
Lindeners are proud people. We welcome progress, and we embrace development. But we also demand truth. Development is not measured by speeches or stadium lights, but by whether ordinary families experience real and lasting improvements in their daily lives.