In search of leadership

WAYNE KUBLALSINGH

HOW DEEP is the leadership crisis afflicting TT? Between August 19 and October 8, I conducted a search for a potential ministerial group to lead the nation. On my Facebook banner, at intervals of three to four days, I published 15 posts. Each post asked FB users to suggest a minister to manage potential ministerial portfolios. Each post was compressed into an average of 25 words. The following are the posts and a summary of responses.

Can someone recommend a solid Central Bank governor? One to stand for strict fiscal and monetary order, to protect our dollar, coffers, pockets? Respondents [20 likes, 21 comments]: Jwala Rambarran, Dr Euric Bobb.

Suggest a minister of finance who could housekeep the State's bills/finances, protect our dollar, grow capital, so as to free government to invest in its development programme. Respondents [14 likes, nine comments]: Kevin Ramnarine, Winston Dookeran.

Suggest an attorney general to housekeep the State's legal business, reform the criminal justice system. And alter laws to swiftly arraign and sack corrupt public officials. Respondents [23 likes, 20 comments]: Emir Crowne, Martin Daly.

Suggest a minister of national security whose demeanour, drive and use of the most diverse and prodigious state apparatus available, shall expunge criminals high and low. Respondents [16 likes, 18 comments]: Renee Cummings.

Suggest a minister of education to revolutionise education for performance excellence in reading, math, tech, and array of skills to meet demands of the global economy. Respondents [28 likes, 21 comments]: Prof Bridget Brereton.

Suggest a minister of trade to support and unleash the investment capacity of our myriad sectors, build financial capital, roll back predatory global "investment." Respondents [18 likes, six comments]: Kevin Ramnarine, Mariano Browne.

Suggest a minister of energy to shift the energy equation, legalise off-grid production and consumption, and pioneer a manufactory for a Caribbean solar cell and storage. Respondents [14 likes, 14 comments]: Kevin Ramnarine, Mala Baliraj.

Suggest a minister of food production to alter taste, diversify and optimise our food production and distribution systems, maximise export GDP, lead a horticultural revolution. Respondents [18 likes, 38 comments]: Omardath Maharaj, Wendy Lee Yuen, Narada Latchman, Ayoub Mohammed, Stacy Barran, Ramash Ramsumair, Riyadh Mohammed, Ramesh Mahadeo.

Suggest a minister of sports to build a total sporting nation, professional and amateur, from pre-school up. Investing in global best practice programmes, coaches, facilities. Respondents [27 likes, 19 comments]: Surujdath Mahabir.

Suggest a minister of welfare to establish a sustainable system of national volunteerism, inclusive of religious bodies, NGOs, state sectors, to serve the indigent. Respondents [11 likes, five comments]: Hulsie Bhaggan.

Suggest a minister of tourism to identify and secure sites, events, trips of historical, cultural and ecological wonder, and build local mindset and global campaign for mass tourism. Respondents [18 likes, nine comments]: No suggestions.

Suggest a minister of communication to advocate and clarify the Government's transformational message, and explain and inspire support for the mandates of ministries. Respondents [six likes, five comments]: No suggestions.

Suggest a foreign minister to advocate non-alignment, steer Caricom to join BRIC, and use high commissions to build global infrastructural outlets for local goods. Respondents [ten likes, four comments]: Shyamal Chandradathsingh. Gary Griffith, suggested by the same person who suggested him for the role of PM, below.

Suggest a PM with the will, vision and capacity to lead TT into an era of peace and prosperity. Honest. And to inspire ministers and citizens to fulfil their given mandates. Respondents [12 likes, 16 comments]: One respondent wrote, “The ONE and ONLY Gary Griffith.” This comment brought forth sharp rebukes by four people, in the main, the ruling party faithful.

Other names mentioned were “Karen,” likely Karen Nunez-Tesheira, and in a separate post Arthur Lok Jack, Brian Lewis, Gregory Aboud, Mickela Panday and Penelope Beckles.

Other comments were: “None can be ready, the ELITES in control…” And, “Nobody in TnT. Everyone is a set ah crooks…” And, “What TT needs the citizens do not want…” And, “The people of TnT are destroying themselves in every agency. The mind set is in need of change.” And, “Too many occupying reality distortion zones.”

Optimal leadership: Do we need 41 MPs? Why not 21 dedicated ministers and 41 dedicated constituency chiefs independent of each other? Respondents [15 likes, 12 comments]: Most comments agreed that the ministerial load is “top heavy.” Two people commented on the word “dedicated.” “Dedicated to whom? The country? The people? The party? Themselves? SMH.”

Another comment: “I do not understand what you mean by dedicated ministers.” By dedicated, the post meant to say that the constituency chief would not suffer from the plethora of duties overburdening the MPs: service to Parliament and its sub-committees, their party, ministries, constituencies, etc. The chief would have time to focus almost entirely on the business of the constituency.

This experiment was the beginning of a search, not a survey. The search showed that the narrow range of people targeted were at pains to find, except for two or three instances, fit candidates.

Responders focused on critiquing our politics and politicians. They felt that the people known to them, those in the public or parliamentary limelight, are unfit.

Most people felt cynical about leadership and our politics. But this is a start! I have no doubt that such a potential ministerial team does exist. We must search the rest of our society.