I voted for a new way, an entirely new way

NOVEMBER 17, 2015 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER LETTERS

Dear Editor, The first six months into a new government usually furnishes a window through which to peer into its priorities, performance, crisis management, and overarching visions. What are some of the areas in which the new administration did well? Not so well? What is in need of urgent attention? Leadership leaves the first lasting impression: get the job done! Implement! Deliver! There is control, but it is from a distance and an elevation, as opposed to the bawling, stomping in-your-face adversarial variety that was so jagged. There is little dedication to micromanagement or the insecurity of self-promotion. Instead, there is displayed an economy with words, an austerity of style, and modesty in creature comforts. There is the sense of significant things on the move, albeit ponderously at times. Rating: B+. Crisis management was called for on at least three occasions in the first half-year: the border, the bridge, and that bonus for the boys. The first two were handled with aplomb, and a blend of firmness, strength, and unflagging conviction. On the other hand, that money matter was premature and called for incubation; it was boosted with plasma wasted, and best reserved for later use. There is another developing that spotlights floor crossings. Wrong people! Rating: C+. Then, there is the determination by the new people to make things right by halting and reversing the financial traumas of decades-long vintage covering from the giveaways to the stashed away. In does not matter whether the beneficiaries are foreign or domestic, peering and probing is now the order of the day; results awaited. Rating: Work-in-Progress. The city that was never cleared and cleaned is now approachable in large swathes, representing the beginnings of rehabilitation. This is comforting to citizens, who had to live in squalor and indignity for the longest while. But what was taxing on the senses before will be taxable to residents going forward. Still, an encouraging start and more is expected not only in the capital, but elsewhere, too. Rating: B-. The GPF must be commended for some major successes in disturbing high-profile crimes. These almost routinely went nowhere before, when the police were supposedly investigating. The force cannot stand still, as the environment is looking how to outwit it and make everyone look bad, if not worse. It must continue to produce results, and improve rapidly at all levels, including the street and stationhouse to earn much needed credibility. If the successes continue, then Crime Chief, Blanhum might be able to lay claim to the “I am The Greatest!” title. Incidentally, I did read that another British Invasion is due for the police. We shall see, for this time the expectation is for more than the Beatles and no Rolling Stones. Rating: B- On the corruption oceanfront, business is tight, and part of the greater scrutiny and oversight that has led many to tuck in their exposed parts. The long awaited confluence of new government, new standards, new anti-money laundering developments, new Ambassador, and new DEA foothold, among other things, has introduced discretion and commercial hibernation by those previously overflowing in green. These days they cry about a river of red. Here is the bottom line: no smashed eggs, no omelet. This is serious business that demand the best of serious men in cleaning Augean stables (like the GPF), but cleaned they must be, even if the required effort is like the other Greek fellow rolling that brick uphill daily. Rating: C+. In terms of individuals, Minister Trotman is the now designated pacifier-in-chief. He is well-equipped and well-positioned too. In the department of fetching bottomless baskets to bathe wayward ducks he stands unchallenged and currently enjoys monopoly rights. Like I said, he is well situated in many respects and on multiple fronts be they oil, timber, or pay hikes. These could be all pluses as time rolls on. Rating: A- Next, Minister Lawrence gets better with her portfolio and in her realm. She keeps delivering, but must avoid the comfort of standing still. Hers must be the works that separate from the norm and the pack. Rating: B. All in all, I say that overall a fair job has been done in these first six months in some areas. Now governments are entitled to a few mistakes, particularly new ones. One was recorded. It must learn; it must listen; it must adjust. This is not weakness, but strength. There is politics, then, there is governance, good governance. Also, there is leadership, then, there is statesmanship. Incidentally, Lil Joe has room to grow; after all Lieutenant Colonels just don’t fall off trees. In terms of transparency, there must be more, especially in the supersensitive area of appointments. And talking about sensitive appointments, the traditional cake needs some more coloring. This is notwithstanding the reality of men who had nothing for 23 years. It must not be today that brown is black. Enough said. Further, the Ministry of Education must move to reduce significantly the phenomenon of lessons. It is killing work ethic, and this includes the children’s. Youngsters are sometimes involuntary conspirators to deceptive practices in the classroom, which erect a platform for continuing the dishonorable conduct now so pervasive in this society. Robust (will cost) inspection programs, principled school heads, and cooperative parents can make a difference. How about some whistleblowing and witness protection in this arena! And then there are those troubling maternal deaths at the GHPC? This is the 21st century, and the failure rate appears to be greater than during the humble age of midwifery from sixty years ago. The new Minister is expected to move on this, or move out in short order. I know it is a legacy issue, but expectations are this high. There is the need for some real drunk driving laws, not the embarrassment that now exists. The victims are real, and so should the penalties for perpetrators and collaborating policemen. Last, there is the need to see tangible developments in constitutional reform, social cohesion, and the construction of a new way. I sum all of the foregoing in this way: When I voted for the first time I voted for more than a new government. I voted for a new way, an entirely new way. GHK Lall