Teacher Fatima Neptune of North Carolina, USA, is trying to pick up the pieces as she has now placed all her personal possessions from the United States up for sale, and will be leaving this country by month end.
Neptune said after she and her husband decided to make Tobago their home in 2012, items they owned in the US were shipped to this country without problems. However the shipment of their vehicle has seen no end of trouble.
Since February, she has been to the Ministry of Trade and the Office of the Prime Minister without success. Only recently she visited the Ministry of Trade, and again left with more questions than answers.
“My last straw was going, taking a ferry from Tobago to Trinidad and I was standing at the lobby at the Ministry of Trade from 9 a.m. when the ferry docked, until 5 p.m. in the afternoon, and no one assisted,†Neptune said.
After the correct licence was received it was now time for the receipt of the waiver of the demurrage fees, which is rental fees attached daily, for the container in which the family’s car is being held.
Neptune said her family were told by Government officials the waiver clearance was ready. On May 7, via Whatsapp, Minister of Trade Vasant Bharath told the Express the matter had gone to Cabinet and will be sorted out shortly.
However, to date, Neptune’s car has not been received and all her transportation monies dried up. She has had to leave teaching as transportation to and from the institution which she was attached to was becoming difficult.
“We have wasted all our savings that we brought from the States in order to get this car. So at this point I don’t have a job.â€
She said all her personal items are now up for sale, as she remains devastated. Her family torn apart.
“The stuff has been with me for over 30 years. It’s stuff that has been with my mother, is part of my family heritage. It’s stuff that my grandmother had and I have to sell really cheap. I have to give it away in order to leave,†she said.
Filled with only broken promises, she has now vowed never to return to this country.
“This is not fair. You do not treat people this way. You don’t treat return nationals this way. You don’t treat tourism this way. I don’t even understand why they want people come to Tobago or to Trinidad because if this is the way they going to treat people don’t even bother, because you destroying people lives.â€
Neptune said after she and her husband decided to make Tobago their home in 2012, items they owned in the US were shipped to this country without problems. However the shipment of their vehicle has seen no end of trouble.
Since February, she has been to the Ministry of Trade and the Office of the Prime Minister without success. Only recently she visited the Ministry of Trade, and again left with more questions than answers.
“My last straw was going, taking a ferry from Tobago to Trinidad and I was standing at the lobby at the Ministry of Trade from 9 a.m. when the ferry docked, until 5 p.m. in the afternoon, and no one assisted,†Neptune said.
After the correct licence was received it was now time for the receipt of the waiver of the demurrage fees, which is rental fees attached daily, for the container in which the family’s car is being held.
Neptune said her family were told by Government officials the waiver clearance was ready. On May 7, via Whatsapp, Minister of Trade Vasant Bharath told the Express the matter had gone to Cabinet and will be sorted out shortly.
However, to date, Neptune’s car has not been received and all her transportation monies dried up. She has had to leave teaching as transportation to and from the institution which she was attached to was becoming difficult.
“We have wasted all our savings that we brought from the States in order to get this car. So at this point I don’t have a job.â€
She said all her personal items are now up for sale, as she remains devastated. Her family torn apart.
“The stuff has been with me for over 30 years. It’s stuff that has been with my mother, is part of my family heritage. It’s stuff that my grandmother had and I have to sell really cheap. I have to give it away in order to leave,†she said.
Filled with only broken promises, she has now vowed never to return to this country.
“This is not fair. You do not treat people this way. You don’t treat return nationals this way. You don’t treat tourism this way. I don’t even understand why they want people come to Tobago or to Trinidad because if this is the way they going to treat people don’t even bother, because you destroying people lives.â€
