In the past 14 years, Trinidad and Tobago has operated without the collection of property taxes from its citizens, with the last instance occurring in 2009. While recognizing the Government’s need to generate income, I am concerned about the inefficiency and incompetence with which they manage already collected funds.

Media headlines frequently expose instances of public fund mismanagement and wastage, prompting a pertinent question: before adding further financial burdens to citizens, shouldn’t the Government address these issues of inefficiency and incompetence? If you’re trying to keep water in a tank, doesn’t it make sense to repair the leaks first?

So, rather than burdening citizens with additional property taxes, the emphasis should be on ensuring competence; and implementing effective systems, processes, and procedures within the Government.

Of particular concern is the impending burden on the ‘Baby Boomer’ demographic due to the proposed property tax legislation. This demographic, either retired or on the brink of retirement, faces a significant reduction in income. It raises a critical question: why would a government deliberately impose property taxes on assets owned by retirees? Often asset-rich but cash-poor, retirees have dedicated years of hard work to home ownership and should not be subjected to additional financial strain during their retirement years.

Post-retirement, reduced income already places retirees in a precarious position, struggling to meet monthly expenses such as water bills, electricity bills, and home maintenance. The introduction of property taxes to their financial obligations could potentially force many retirees to contemplate selling their homes simply to make ends meet.

Let’s not forget that the children and grandchildren of those Baby Boomers may witness their elders lose the assets, for which they worked decades, to a government that will be perceived as grossly incompetent. Do we believe these intelligent young people will still be ‘red and ready’?

A viable solution to this dilemma is to advocate for ‘axing the tax’, with Baby Boomers leading this transformative initiative. The proactive involvement of the Baby Boomer generation has the potential to catalyze positive change within our country.

The primary focus should shift towards responsible governance, emphasizing efficient resource management and prioritizing the well-being of retirees who have made substantial contributions to society.

Before imposing any financial strain on this vulnerable demographic, it is imperative to address the broader issues at hand. Let us collectively strive for a government that ensures fiscal responsibility and places the welfare of its citizens at the forefront of policymaking.

Archbishop Gordon, you’re right: fairness hasn’t been a strong commitment in T&T, whether at the individual, group, or national level. But if we dig deeper, I’m certain we’ll uncover evidence that our government administrations have been enablers of white-collar crime over time. What’s even tougher to accept is that in many corners of our society, only a handful of people truly champion what’s right. And why should they? It often appears that doing wrong brings rewards, while consequences are absent. It’s as if the template we’ve been handed from the church is totally different from the one being used in everyday life here.

Let’s pause and consider what occurs when a political party wins an election. They don’t act like responsible leaders; rather, they behave like a group that’s “in charge now.” They rapidly hire their own friends and allies while sidelining those from opposing parties, even if those sidelined people are better fit for positions. It’s as if the concept of governing is completely absent from the government.

To me, three specific cases stand out from the current government. The Finance Minister dismissed the former head of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT), Jawala Rambarran. The court deemed this unfair and awarded Rambarran $7.5 million for his 2015 job loss. But why did the Finance Minister not face any consequences?

Then there’s Arjoon Harripaul, once in charge of the Deposit Insurance Corporation (DIC). He walked away with $2.75 million as a settlement for his lawsuit for unjust dismissal.

Another case involves 20 former employees of the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA), who received over $10 million in total for being let go during the Persad-Bissessar regime.

These three cases have cost taxpayers $20 million, yet no one has borne any consequences for this misuse of funds. If good leadership were the aim, there should have been a stronger focus on evaluating these individuals’ performance. Instead, it’s more like, “We’re in control, so we’ll remove anyone who supports the opposing party or voices disagreement.”

Our society suffers due to the unintended repercussions of poor leadership and corruption. In fact, ineffective leadership is allowing criminals easier access to government systems, enabling them to break the rules.

Many believe that knowing the right people lets you escape consequences. Hence, some build homes on public lands, fully aware it’s against the law, but they’re confident nothing will happen. Others occupy old train lines or flout rules as the norm.

For a better society, we must alter our approach. The current leaders have demonstrated their inability to bring about meaningful change. To see different outcomes, we need a fresh strategy. It’s our responsibility to discover our voice and express our concerns in a new way.

So I ask: how can we, as individuals, collectively shape a brighter path forward? The silence facing my question speaks volumes.

Originally published on Wired868 Dennise Demming Sunday 9 July 2023

Congratulations to the Ministry of Legal Affairs (MLA). I received my digital marriage certificate in four days without leaving my home.

Unfortunately, we have to start the process all over because there’s an error. The name of one of the witnesses is incorrectly spelt.

Having gone through the application process I was not required to put in the data—this was done by MLA. In the handwritten (analog) version, the name is spelt correctly. How can the digital version have an error?

I understand human error but what’s the process implemented to correct, eliminate or reduce human error? What’s the system that ensures the product delivered to the customer is acceptable?

Digitization should lead to improved efficiency, better services, enhanced decision-making capabilities, and a satisfied public. What’s keeping us back? Our minds and attitudes are what’s keeping us back.

We talk about digital transformation all the time, but we continue to invest our resources in structuring structures without making sure both structure and people are properly matched.

People are the most important factor to transform our paid-for-with-hard-earned-taxes nation. The tax-paid leadership must communicate the necessary mindset transformation by demonstrating continuous behaviour change.

The only way public sector employees will “buy in” to the significant change that’s needed is if they see their leaders at all levels changing their behaviours. Remember the cliché: “people do what you do, not what you say!”

The leadership must invest in the upskilling of the entire public service to help us all adapt to new technologies and ways of working.

Think of the gains of delivering a certificate quickly, with all the elements involved, which were totally and completely undone because an error was allowed to occur—the supervision process missed the error entirely.

Converting a broken analog system to a digital one is still maintaining a broken system. The world has transformed successfully from analog to digital in the public sector. What’s our problem?

We are still in the mode of “…dah not mih job…” and “…dat good enough…”

Digitization, if done correctly, is a fantastic opportunity to confirm data from the traditional records, and to update or correct them as needed.

It would be lovely to have a reset button to hit to foster a culture of learning and innovation. There isn’t one. There has to be careful, well-advised consideration, and surgical education implemented to repair the problem.

In addition, our leaders must demonstrate the capacity to foster that culture of learning and innovation. It’s time for a new leadership that walks the talk of a changed mindset. We have so much potential but we are stuck. This MLA incident is just one example of our “stuckness” and the decades of failure of our leadership.

It’s easy to say: “Time to move on!” But moving on without properly repairing will ensure that the stuckness keeps us stuck.

Black, Blank, or Blink … the race card has been called within a few days of the announcement of the Local Government Elections.  Leader of the Opposition Mrs. Kamla Persad Bissessar (KPB) knew that the hostility of Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Christopher Rowley (KCR) would be easily triggered by her request for her supporters to fill in the blanks of her speech.  And according to a newspaper article, “Dr. Rowley responded to the comment in a Facebook post at about 1.30 am on Friday, June 9^th when he wrote: “Finally!!! Caught in her frequent disgusting race-baiting she is reduced to repeating inane rubbish to try and lie her way out. Anyone surprised?”

I am surprised that the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (PMoTT) continues this obsolete, disingenuous strategy of racial accusations to move our thinking away from the significant issues which are plaguing our land.  I hoped that KCR was more strategic than that.  It is redundant for our PMoTT to engage in this race discussion especially since the mixed-race population in Trinidad is the highest growing race of people.   A 2003 song released by David Rudder and Carl Jacob commented that “how we vote, is not how we party”  and I refuse to accept that this is still true 20 years later.

Research on “ChatGPT” revealed that the 2011 population census concluded that people of mixed ethnic background account for approximately 22.8 percent of the population while mixed Afro-Indian descent accounts for approximately 7.7 percent.  Interestingly, that census allowed for self-identification.  In other words, the respondents were allowed to choose their ethnicity, and “mixed” was a category.  That was more than 10 years ago so I wonder what a current census will reveal!

Our society is culturally diverse because we comprise people of African, Indian, European, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and Indigenous descent, among others.  Our ethnicity is shaped by colonization, immigration, and intermarriage.  Scratch any of us deep enough and up will pop another race.  The “mustard and ketchup” political parties have continuously disappointed us with their unsettling racial conversations as opposed to focusing on inclusivity, diversity, and equality and the necessary systems, processes, and procedures which could improve our society.  Despite the political commitment to remaining fossilized until the last drop or bubble is removed from our earth, our top three topics for consideration are crime, corruption, and economic diversification. I wonder why KPB and KCR choose not to engage in these conversations with a solution-focused approach!

It is time to reform our governance and get rid of these two grave-digging parties.  It is time for the person in the street, some of whom are the 22.8% mixed-race, to vote for persons who will do better.  It’s time for us to take a chance and vote differently to reset our society. No more colorful voting. It’s time to vote based on the IQ and compassion of the representative, and their proven ability to get things done for their constituents.

We cannot continue to cover our deep societal problems with condiments that are flavourful to some but add little value to our overall health.  Our leaders have a responsibility to change the conversation away from this sickening focus on race and concentrate on what is needed for citizens to thrive so that the phrase “Sweet T&T” will no longer be used in sarcasm.