Data-driven or politically driven?

THERE SEEMS to be no escape from this gyre of crisis and uncertainty – a pandemic that's put down roots is determined to keep us paralysed with fear and kill those insufficiently terrified by its menace. Covid19 has forced the whole world to rethink what it means to work, learn, play and be human. Still, the pandemic isn't sentient nor does it think – which is a lethal coincidence, because in TT, neither do we.

This column has long hammered away at our responsibility to keep pace with the rapid evolution of the world. Many “misfits” have been banging the diversification gong for 20 years or more, with little interest from governments in their various flawed iterations. Covid19 is another reminder, albeit considerably more extreme, of our devotion to the “uni-conomy” of oil and gas and the intellectual lethargy that keeps us immobile and happy.

TT hasn't been adapting, growing or modernising at the level of the Government and the public sector. If a global pandemic couldn't light a fire under our as--- to grasp the demands of the digital age, climate change, food insecurity and tectonic economic shifts then nothing will.

As the Government announced a further easing of restrictions, many of the measures were either confusing or frustrating for businesses only still alive by the skin of their teeth. For example, it seems illogical to permit the reopening of cinemas without allowing the operation of food concessions in the theatre. All over the world profit margins on movie ticket sales for cinemas are typically low. Revenues actually come from the concession stands.

It isn't clear how much money local cinemas make on ticket sales but a fair portion of their profits come from food, drink and other stuff you never knew you needed, like raisins disguised as chocolate. As such, reopening, presumably with limitations on customer numbers to account for physical distancing, combined with telling theatregoers to walk with doubles or something, doesn't make much sense.

Additionally, restaurants have had their time in purgatory extended while on any given day there are people thronged cheek by jowl outside the social services ministry in Port of Spain. At least the larger restaurants are better equipped and motivated to enforce covid19 safety protocols for in-house dining than the risky and demeaning cattle drive at a government ministry.

The Government keeps using the term “guided by the data.” This is understandable as there's a nice ring to it, concluding in an authoritative tone that dissuades further interrogation among the incurious. But what data? Where is the information showing covid19 infection rates attributed to certain restaurants? Beyond the general understanding of how the virus works, of course. How can we know what is guiding the hand of the Government's response to the pandemic if there is no readily available data justifying decisions that don't inspire confidence in the State's strategy?

It's almost as if some of the recent measures were drafted without any clue of how businesses function. The Government's thought process certainly seems unencumbered by consultation. Guided by the data they say; that's tough to believe. Getting your hands on unemployment statistics, for example, is quite the adventure. Both the websites for the Central Bank and the Central Statistical Office only have data on unemployment for 2018. There's nothing for 2020. So what information are policy makers using to shape our destinies? Or is it government by vaps?

There are a great many citizens falling over themselves rushing to the defence of the Government – defence against common-sense questions that are interpreted as needless pot-stirring. Many of these people are likely public servants or individuals otherwise in the employ of the State whose salaries are fixed and guaranteed at the end of every month – for now.

Covid19 fallout, the ongoing forex drought, economic paralysis – such conditions are only likely to worsen in the short term. It is unacceptable that the country is left to take on faith that the Government is making decisions based on closely guarded or perhaps wholly manipulated data.

Harping on the mantra "No country is getting it right" is cold comfort for ordinary people and business owners facing annihilation. The Government is drip-feeding information and limited statistics that are filtered to support stage-managed appearances that it has gotten a handle on this grim situation. Without full access to timely, accurate data the public can't make a judgment about whether the Government is doing right by us. Well, would you look at that!