The cost of incompetence

THE EDITOR: Less than two months before Carnival and in the middle of Tobago’s peak tourism season, all of the major media around the world are reporting that TT has instituted a state of emergency (SoE).

Gangs are running wild and the government has its back up against a wall. After eight years in government, the Prime Minister is baffled at the number of murders in 2024.

As Prime Minister with oversight over all other ministers, including the Minister of National Security, as head of Caricom’s security unit, head of TT’s National Security Council (NSC), which meets directly with the line minister, Commissioner of Police and senior police officials, the Prime Minister is "baffled."

The fact that crime has gone largely unpunished for over a decade, with criminals not knowing that there is a penalty for breaking the law, therefore offending repeatedly, with rising murder statistics reaching over 620 in 2024, the Prime Minister is suddenly "disappointed."

Now TT, already haemorrhaging financially as our annual revenues have reduced, while our expenses, debt to public servants and borrowings have increased, will feel the cost of further lost revenues from our 2025 Carnival and Tobago tourism.

It is the cost of incompetence. It is what happens when those responsible fail in executing their prime responsibilities.

Yes, the SoE is a radical response to the runaway violence, and yes, some can argue it is necessary as a last resort, but it is really years of incompetence* culminating in and masked as a crisis caused by criminals.

Violent crime, abuse of women, guns and drugs have increased year on year under the noses of those responsible, and now, "surprisingly," there is an emergency in our state.

It has occurred for the same reason that public servants have not had fair and timely salary increases over the years; the inability of government to earn additional revenues to be able to pay our people.

Our people are asked to accept wage increases that are less that the cumulative inflation rates because the people with prime responsibility have not done their job of diversifying the economy and finding alternate sources of income.

There are virtually no road repairs and infrastructural development. Incompetence is masked as a national economic challenge, and as "well we don’t have enough oil."

The small people in Tobago who rent rooms, drive taxis, sell pawpaw candy and show the reefs and turtles will feel the pinch. In Trinidad the small masmen and women, the flag and banner producers, the soca artistes and snow-cone vendors will feel the pain. In the end, the ordinary people always pay the price for incompetence, whether overt or cloaked.

Crime and economy are our two emergencies.

*Incompetence: the lack of skill or ability to do your job or task as it should be done (Oxford Dictionary).

HAYDEN KUBLALSINGH

via e-mail