What has happened to post-Cabinet briefings?

THE EDITOR: There was a time when every Thursday between 1 and 3 pm I would turn on my television to get a sense of what decisions the Cabinet had taken to improve the country.

The post-Cabinet media briefings were a staple as the country got pertinent information from the Government and gave the opportunity for the media to ask questions of national importance on behalf of citizens.

Over several months there has been a new trend of not having these on a Thursday afternoon after Cabinet meets. In most instances we get very limited or vague information via a press release and no questions can be asked of those in charge.

In the latest round the Office of the Prime Minister on Thursday issued a statement on funding for flood relief and road repairs via a 103-word press release. No doubt the country is happy for this after the devastating flooding we had and the deplorable state of the roads.

But there are still questions to be asked. For example: What progress has been made on the $200 million Secondary Road Rehabilitation and Improvement Company Ltd (SRRIC) that was much talked about more than two months ago? How is this money to be allocated? Has the Government determined a priority worksheet and what were the criteria for each area? Essentially, who’s getting the money and which areas?

Such questions and much more could be asked and answered if the post-Cabinet media conference resumes. People who stand to benefit from these offerings will now be frantic, I am sure, as they do not know what to do to obtain this assistance.

"Details will be made public soon" will be the response from a government official. But why not just give all the information at once?

Given that the announcement was made by the Office of the Prime Minister, it would have also been nice to see him as the country has not since the start to the rains and the flooding.

So I ask, is it that post-Cab has become a rare treat or simply a thing of the past?

RISHI HARRYNANAN

via e-mail