Our Prime Minister, the first woman PM of Trinidad & Tobago broke our hearts.  2010 made us proud that a woman had taken over the leadership of the country and provided a moment for us all to dream of equalling this achievement in other areas.

The hallmarks of her leadership have been disputes and confusion.  4 years and 5 months later, she is mired in controversy of every kind: from corruption and bribery allegations to the callous response to Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh’s hunger strike.  I expected by now that she would have reached out in some way to put action behind her rhetoric that she will “serve the people, serve the people, serve the people”.  Instead there was the token 2-minute visit with her Minister of Health.

This has been followed by several attempts to discredit the “Hunger Strike” and suggest that Dr. Kublalsingh is not exhibiting signs of a person in crisis.  On each occasion that the PP Government has come up against any formidable opposition, they have used a similar strategy – to discredit the person, in the full confidence that some mud will stick and eventually doubt will be created about the issue.

In this case, the PM’s intention is to change the conversation and divert attention away from the Armstrong Report.  Here are 3 critical recommendations:

1. It is recommended that no further work be undertaken on the Highway site until all of the conditions contained in the CEC have been fulfilled, including the need for all plans specified in the EIA to be submitted to the EMA, and for approvals to be obtained from the relevant agencies. This includes the Storm Water Management Plan and the Water Management Plan, consideration of which involves stakeholder consultation and feedback via the Working Group which is required to be formed as part of the CEC conditions.
2. In accordance with the TCP Act no further construction work should be carried out on the site until all of the conditions attached to Notice of Grant of PP referenced T7M: 0440/2007 and Notice of Grant of PP referenced T8N: 0443/2007 have been fulfilled.
3. No further engineering operations are to be undertaken on the land at Petit Morne, St. Madeline on which it is proposed to relocate persons residing in the path of the alignment until all necessary approvals are obtained from the relevant agencies.

The HRM has received a fillip from some non aligned youths who have joined the struggle and are conducting their own fast for 40 days.  I am inspired to see young people participating in our democracy and wish that they attract many more from their cohort to occupy the HRM camp opposite to the Prime Minister’s Office.  Dr. Kublalsingh has done his part, it’s now time for us to support him. 

Madame PM, as your term in office comes to an end, please honour your promise to serve the people and come to the table with Civil Society and the HRM.  History will NOT absolve you!

What makes societies change for the better? First, someone must take a stand against injustice and wrongdoing – Sir Thomas Moore, Rosa Parks, Ghandi, Malala.  Second, others must have the courage to join in challenging those in power.  Successive governments in T&T are testimony that “power corrupts and absoluter power corrupts absolutely.”

Every day in T&T, politicians serve themselves instead of the people and the only weapon we use against them is picong and jokes.  We fail to use the power we have in a democracy.

Our political system comes from the UK.  Kings and Queens of England used to chop off the heads of those who did not agree with them.  Now the Queen answers to Parliament and when politicians misstep, they resign immediately.  Why?  Not because they are any less greedy and selfish, but because they know they will be publicly shamed and humiliated for wrongdoing. The people – with the press leading the way – hold them accountable.

In T&T, the reverse happens. Politicians humiliate those who challenge them – usually by saying they are mad. Because news in T&T focuses on what politicians say, they need only keep saying this for their self-serving opinion to become accepted.

One man has ruined his health and now places his life on the line again to hold the politicians accountable. All he asks is that the politicians stop and consider before continuing with a possibly unnecessary section of a highway that will destroy 13 communities and their livelihoods, and could destroy the environmental balance in the South West peninsular – perhaps leading to regular floods as in POS since the reclaiming of the swamp.      

Politicians only account to the people when enough of us demand this. Wayne Kublalsingh and the people living under a bulldozer have given us a golden opportunity to reshape our politics. If you wait until the bulldozer is outside your door, it will be too late. 

Paula Lucie-Smith

Hummingbird Gold, Caribbean Award for Excellence

There is public outrage that the Trinidad Express has endangered the lives of the beneficiaries of the estate of the late Dana Seetahal by publishing the details of her will.

I am more concerned by the last few lines of the story:

“Dana Seetahal, SC, was shot dead on May 4 while driving her Volkswagen SUV along Hamilton Holder Street in Woodbrook.   She had just left the popular Ma Pau Casino nearby, when gunmen opened fire, shooting her five times.   No one has been arrested for her murder.  At the time of her murder, Seetahal was one of the prosecutors assigned to the Vindra Naipaul-Coolman murder trial, which is still ongoing”.

Would people have been so vociferous if they felt safer in our society?

As the days pass and the likelihood of laying charges against the perpetrators of this crime recedes, I wonder how our first female Prime Minister feels.  Is the Prime Minister now numb to the callous murders which occur daily or does she see them as just hard luck.  I wonder if images of Dana float through her mind as she drifts off to sleep.  Dana must not simply be another statistic.  The popular view is that this was a planned hit, designed to snuff out a voice of reason. 

The outcome was not simply the assassination of a fearless attorney, it was another assault on our state and indeed on our democracy.  When our mistrust of the state and the institutions designed to     protect us is eroded, we are near to anarchy.     

Prime Minister Kamala Persad Bissessar  … if you are waiting for the right time to intervene and therefore win the sympathy vote by showing your compassion, then that time is now!  You are dancing with his death.  Be assured that when he dies you will “tote Wayne Kublalsingh’s ghost”!

“We listen, learn and lead” – so said the Prime Minister during the debate on the constitutional change to the “run-off” system. She caught my attention then only to dash my hopes for the “umteenth” time.  Despite popular objection, the Government manoeuvred their way and got the Independent bench to support this unpopular change to the constitution.

Why has the government not listened, learned and led in the case of the HRM?  Re-routing the highway is a reasonable request by a credible group of activists which has come together under the leadership of the PM’s one time friend Dr. Wayne Khublalsingh.  I salute this man who is prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in defence of the environment.  No matter how this hunger strike ends, his blood is staining the hands of each member of the PP Government.

It is just a few years before each member of the PP Government will experience their twilight years, away from the headiness of power.  Lurking in the background will be the emaciated figure of this patriot.  The question will cross their minds – how could I have led differently?  The PP government still has time to change the election game. Some financiers will suffer but more people will be happy.

Coaching persons to speak is one thing, actually delivering a speech is another. Thanks for the opportunity.

The folklore at a factory I worked for is that a former General Manager frequently dispensed doses of cod liver oil to workers and they had no choice, either drink-up or find a new job. Maybe he was onto a good thing because good health is at the core of profitability. Of course he was acting in his own best interest with the underlying assumption that a healthy work force would be productive and contribute to larger profit margins for the owners of the business.

This memory popped into my mind recently when I came across the following definition of Corporate Social Responsibility in the publication Making Good Business Sense: “Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large … “

Any review of CSR brings 3 concepts to the fore – People, Planet and Profit.
I contend that the “bang for your buck” notion is people and this is where CSR has to focus in order to make a difference.

With obesity and life style diseases on the rise and fast food outlets mushrooming, we know that the overall health of our nation is in jeopardy. We know that our children need more wholesome food in order to be healthy. We know that our sedentary lifestyle is killing us. We also know that hundreds of children experience the daily pangs of hunger throughout our nation.

Two helpful questions companies need to ask as they engage the strategic planning process: How is my business impacting the children of my workers? What can we do to improve the lives of these children? I can just hear the howling and screaming objecting to the notion that employers need to be concerned about the children of employees but think of it, the only future we have is the future that today’s children will deliver. If we improve their capacity, we will amplify their impact. Today’s children represent the future markets for our goods and services.

If I had the power to change the way we do business, here are a few things I would do:

• I would ensure that each employee male and female learn about healthy eating and how to prepare a healthy meal even if this means teaching my employes how to develop a budget, make a grocery list and how to cook a meal.
• I would make it a requirement for my employees to engage in an exercise programme where they log and report on their progress including weight gain and loss.
• I would make it a requirement for my employees to spend quality time with their children and significant others and find a way to track this activity.
• I would make it a requirement for my employees to adopt a person in need and nurture a long term relationship to help that person improve their position.
• I would build in 2 “thinking” breaks to the work schedule of each employee.
• I would ensure that employees take their vacation leave when it is due.
• I would start these activities with the leadership of my company including my shareholders.

This daydream of activities may seem trivial but they all focus on the people pillar of CSR. Without healthy, vibrant people, the profit part of CSR will not exist because companies leverage people in order to provide profits for their shareholders.

We seem detrimentally wedded to notions of mediocrity and underperformance which have resulted in a high level of apathy and chaos in our society. Radical change is required to dislodge this apathy. Companies which promote CSR have a real opportunity to take leadership and make CSR more real and “in your face”.

CSR needs to focus on the people plank in order to make the big difference we are hoping for. The business community is the logical place to lead the charge in changing the way we do business but the change must be built form the ground up. The change must be people centred and honest. An organization which increases its focus on the people pillar automatically increases its attention to the planet and profit pillars of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business Review provides this insight:

“Companies that are breaking the mould are moving beyond corporate social responsibility to social innovation. These companies are the vanguard of the new paradigm. They view community needs as opportunities to develop ideas and demonstrate business technologies, to find and serve new markets, and to solve longstanding business problems.”