Mature Self-Governance After 49 Years Of Independence: Are We There Yet?
On August 31st, 2011, Trinidad and Tobago will be celebrating its 49th Year as an Independent Nation and the Chamber would like to use this milestone as a moment to reflect on the state of our self-governance.
Many citizens among us will remember that proud day in 1962, when we celebrated with our first Prime Minister, the inaugural day of our Country’s Independence from Great Britain, hoisting our National Flag for the first time, the music of our newly-penned National Anthem, and revealing our brand-new National Emblems.
Since that time, we have made strides by developing a relatively stable political system, with free and fair constitutionally held elections, and our elective process is by and large characterised by its peaceful nature. Undoubtedly, this political environment has augured well for our international image and allowed for significant foreign direct investment opportunities.
Additionally, the year 2010 brought a new first in our history as an independent nation – the first female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. This is clearly a very progressive step towards achieving the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal 3.3, which speaks to an equitable proportion of seats held by women in national parliament.
However, independence and self-governance brings with it a grave sense of responsibility and there is still some work to be done for us to become a mature society.
While we recognise that our political leaders have had the foresight to develop our energy sector, our economy has become precariously over-reliant on oil and gas revenues. To date, we have been unsuccessful in implementing a national plan which will foster innovation and entrepreneurial enhancers geared towards stimulating the non-energy sector. This despite promises by government and fervent calls by the Chamber to diversify and develop a knowledge-based, entrepreneurial and research-driven economy. A troubling thought considering that T&T continues to be ranked quite low in international competitiveness.
The growing concern with the level of corruption– bolstered by our low score (now 3.6 / 10) in the global Corruption Perceptions Index – shows that although we have identified that the problem exists, there seems to be no forthcoming solution.
We have also squandered the opportunity, particularly during this current sustained period of social unrest, to re-establish a Social Partnership agreement which would indeed usher in a new era of governance. This agreement would give some formal structure to govern continuous collaboration between the public sector and trade unions, and encourage a new form of administration based on consultation and participation. This proven model for participatory democracy would indeed be ideal for any sector to always place first the national interest and cause, rather than sectoral interests.
These are just some of the issues that we believe are holding us back from true autonomy. On our nation’s 49th birthday, we recognise that although we are a relatively young democracy, we have made substantial strides. But we can no longer rely on “youth” as an excuse for not yet attaining the status of a mature democratic nation. We need a re-birth of our national pride in being a self-governed state – before another 49 years has passed. It is only through proper governance that we can recognise our nation’s full potential.
The Chamber wishes a Happy Independence Day to all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
