CAL 'nine years late' troubling

THE EDITOR: VS Naipaul once wrote, “Trinidad may seem complex, but to anyone who knows it, it is a simple, colonial, philistine society.” That observation, recently cited in a blog by Prof Rajendra Ramlogan, came to mind after reading reports on Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) in two daily newspapers.

One headline declared “Nine years late,” referring to the tabling of CAL’s 2016 audited financial statements in the House of Representatives. As is customary, the document was referred to the Public Accounts (Enterprises) Committee, chaired by Senator Vishnu Dhanpaul, with MP Colm Imbert as vice-chair – interestingly, their roles are reversed in the Public Accounts Committee.

Both gentlemen have served over the last nine years as minister of finance, the Corporation Sole, and are well acquainted with the principles of financial stewardship. Dhanpaul also served as permanent secretary before his retirement and subsequently as a member of CAL’s board.

That the accounts of a major state enterprise are being presented nearly a decade late speaks not to an isolated oversight, but to a troubling pattern of weak accountability and disregard for statutory reporting obligations.

Such delays erode public confidence, hinder effective parliamentary oversight, and diminish the credibility of financial governance across the public sector. The change of the board and the departure of key executives further expose the farce that is accountability.

One hopes that this episode prompts not wry amusement at the Regency Club among those once responsible for oversight, but serious reflection and corrective action to restore public trust in our institutions.

MOTILAL RAMSINGH

via e-mail