I have a potpourri of issues to comment on today. So many exciting things are happening all at once.
The Budget has passed and many of us might have already forgotten what was said, except for those things that hit us directly, of course, like the garbage tax for instance.
What’s interesting for me is that I have not heard any sectoral reaction to Government’s move to establish a $50 a week buffer fund for child support payments. While I understand the intent, I think the focus of this measure is a quick fix to a complex problem that deserves a complex response.
The measure does not address the need to ensure that the process for accessing the funds affords women a sense of dignity and respect, which removes the feeling that they are begging for child support.
Careful balance
Of all the measures, I feel that perhaps this was the election gimmick quietly couched as a social mitigation measure. We can see through it, Minister Sinckler. Since he used to be my former boss and is also my friend, I want to tell him that there is a careful balance that has to be struck; it might be good to watch the edge lest one falls over.
It was a joy to watch the Minister of Finance face off against Mia Mottley, two of the best political prospects we have thus far. Born to be politicians, they both have a strong development vision and intelligence with heightened political acumen.
The Alexandra School Inquiry is getting exciting. I still disagree with the decision to establish the commission and have doubts about the outcomes. It has started but there has been no clear expression of a process that would lead to definite outcomes. Has there been agreement that all parties will abide by the outcomes? Are the recommendations enforceable?
Every day it continues I grimace at the thought of my wasted tax dollars but I cannot help but be entertained by the reports in the Press. Even if nothing else, the commission of inquiry would have served as a source of amusement for me, at least, and good fodder for the Press.
I cannot help but also write about the recent concerns raised over the trade imbalance between Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the region. The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States has been voicing its concerns for years, at one point actually questioning the benefits for the grouping.
This is another complex situation. I understand the outrage felt because of Trinidad and Tobago’s apparent refusal to allow legitimate exports into the country. It would be interesting to note what percentage of the trade imbalance is based on these kinds of measures.
Questions
This issue presents some interesting questions. It also seems as though we have a grouse with the volume of goods coming from Trinidad and Tobago, for which there is clearly a market. The twin-island republic has a vibrant manufacturing industry that clearly works. We chose sun, sea and sand; that’s not their fault.
Perhaps we need to turn the discussion on its head. Yes, tackle discriminatory practices where they exist, but also examine the extent to which we have become a nation of importers – if not from Trinidad and Tobago, then from somewhere else.
• Shantal Munro Knight is a development specialist and deputy coordinator at the Caribbean Policy Development Centre. Email [email protected]
