We wake up this morning to a new reality in our oil and gas sector. Petrotrin, as we have come to know it, is being absorbed into new entities as the legacy of the state-owned enterprise is refashioned to prevent a more profound crisis while at the same time giving us hope of a better future in oil and gas.
The bold decision to acquire the assets of the multi-nationals to build a foundation in the oil and gas sector was welcome more than one hundred years ago.
The move was aimed at not just exploring for oil but adding value to our natural resource and creating good high-quality and skilled jobs to build the value of our human resource.
Over the decades, Petrotrin's refinery and associated companies have contributed millions to government's coffers. But over recent years the prospects of continued growth determined that a new and even bolder decision had to be made in the national interest.
The transformation led to the creation of four companies which must now find their footing and deliver on the expectations placed on them.
On the outside looking in will be thousands of workers who, though going home yesterday with financial packages, will still be looking back fondly at the days they spent as members of the Petrotrin family. They will have a new routine as they consider the future.
Spare a thought for those casual workers waking up this morning worrying about when they will get another job soon since they face the Christmas season without the comfort of knowing where the next pay cheque will come from.
But these are an industrious lot who have proven their worth and are sure to do so again, whether it is here or abroad as opportunities open up for them.
Tighten campus security even more
The brazen kidnapping on the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies has raised our worst fears about the safety of the staff and students.
The students rang alarm bells in October in the face of a reported assault, and the subsequent arrest of two students who joined a protest generated mixed reactions.
Since then, the TTPS and UWI authorities consulted, and new security measures were introduced. But this latest incident shows that there is a need for a major overhaul of security arrangements on the campus.
It is evident that the existing guard and gate management is not enough and that more modern systems are required if those who use the campus are to feel safe enough to work and study there.
Increased security is going to cost the university much more than had been budgeted for and money will have to be found for the upgrade at a time when we all know that finance is one of the most challenging items on their list.
But the cost of protection far outweighs any other consideration. After all, the families of those working or studying at the university must not be shocked again by news of attacks on the St Augustine campus.