Reset Our Business Processes

The money you work for, taken from you by way of taxes, is being used for strange things. Would you approve using scarce foreign exchange for a management programme which allegedly includes training employees to communicate with the dead and self-heal with ‘white light energy’?

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GOTT) is a shareholder in multiple companies and conglomerates, which means the money they have taken from us is being invested in companies that may not be handling their resources transparently.

One example is the Parisot-Potter/Massy Holding issue which led to her resignation as Executive Vice President of Business Integrity and Group General Counsel.  Her resignation may have closed the door on Massy’s opportunity to investigate her allegations, but it does not end the matter. This case extends far beyond Angelique Parisot-Potter and is a powerful reminder of the systemic changes required to begin building a society founded on trust, integrity, and transparency.  Both private and public sector organizations should see it as a prompt to re-evaluate several issues, from the selection of service providers to the allocation of the use of foreign exchange.

The Parisot-Potter/Massy Holding issue can be viewed as a rallying cry which highlights the urgent need to change the way we work in both public and government sectors. We must put procedures in place that have built-in checks and balances to ensure that no chain of events can occur that can’t be later examined in detail. Every step of every procurement must be traceable, with clear evidence of how money or other resources are spent.

The (GOTT), as a major shareholder in Massy Holdings should be interested in the levels of accountability and transparency which are implemented in the organization.  To be clear: GOTT shareholding means citizen shareholding, making it necessary for citizens to understand what happened with Parisot-Potter and what were the key learnings. It is the money of citizens that is possibly being misspent.

Regulatory bodies and government institutions play a pivotal role in this process, establishing and enforcing stringent guidelines that hold organizations accountable for their actions. Companies, too, must proactively adopt ethical standards, conduct regular audits, and engage in responsible business processes.

Calling for a reset goes beyond mere rhetoric; it demands concrete actions and practices. Collaboration between the public and private sectors becomes paramount, to foster a shared commitment to rebuilding a society founded on trust, integrity, and transparency.