The incredible frequency with which dedicated civic-minded citizens are forced to call upon the nation’s foremost sector leaders to “do things right the first time” has become not only increasingly but frustratingly appalling. In my Express column of October 17, headlined “Voice of the people”, it was propositioned that governments can ill-afford sidestepping the views, ideas, opinions, recommendations and advice fed to them by their electorates. Leaders were exhorted to be open-minded: listen, learn and benefit from the renderings.
The assertion was that “Trinidad and Tobago is awash with citizens whose interventions span the widest spectrum”; that “In official settings, administrations engage expertise, appoint task forces and establish commissions of enquiry, ad hoc committees and advisory bodies to study and make recommendations”. Attention was drawn to the fact that, regrettably, through no fault of these bodies, no earth-shattering benefits have accrued from the plethora of commissions of enquiry, defunct advisory bodies like the Economic Development Advisory Board, the National Tripartite Advisory Council, the post-Covid-19 Roadmap to Recovery Committee, nor the three and a half attempts at constitution reform. The reason has consistently been Government’s uninspiring lacklustre attitude toward these institutions.
The foregoing is what brings me to last Sunday’s column in another daily, titled “A fine mess”, rightfully questioning the Govern.