There has been a systematic breakdown of social structures in Trinidad and Tobago. I would describe the events that lead to the current social situation as systematic since we, as a people, were able to recognise and raise flags at every major experience. The word "major" would seem subjective as I read the headlines recently. More and more people are speaking out about different acts of abuse: domestic violence, mental abuse, buggery to itemise a few. There are also people who simultaneously internalise abuse and believe that it does not warrant an intervention. Unfortunately, the whistle-blowers blow when it's too late. We are able to recognise vulnerability. We are able to highlight and strategise protests on matters of public interest. I've seen the support of dog lovers pouring out at the Queen's Park Savannah in a bid to have the right legislation brought to Parliament.
Social saftey net weak
In last Sunday's Guardian, Prof Bissessar gave useful advice on the Dangerous Dogs Act, but the key substance remains the same-what about enforcement? I've seen the attempts by environmental activist, Dr Wayne Kublalsingh to save the populace from what he considers to be agricultural and environmental degradation at the hands of infrastructural development. The passage of the Children Bill was long awaited; it is definitely another feather in the cap of this government. The social safety net in Trinidad and Tobago has unfortunately weakened over time, broken in some regard.
While the list is not exhaustive, in Trinidad and Tobago we may refer to social safety nets which are funded by the Government as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as comprising:
• Food-based programmes such as supplementary school feeding programmes and food cards;
• In-kind transfers such as school supplies and uniforms;
· Cash transfers–social welfare payments and other grants;
• Conditional cash transfers–flood victims and other distressed persons needing one-time assistance;
• Price subsidies for food, electricity, water and public transport;
• Free access to health care, education and other public goods.
I can say that Government has definitely put the money where our mouth is, but are we getting value for money? Akiel Chambers, Sean Luke and Aliyah Johnson are just a few reasons why there is a clear need for monitoring and evaluation systems to be developed across all agencies. This would ensure that process evaluation, target assessment and impact evaluation are sufficiently and efficiently done. I agree with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to use the phrase, "There is power in the seeds," the largest of trees grow from seeds. We must start somewhere, sometime. A lot of money and effort has been channelled into deliberations on social issues. The PP Government has sought to focus on these issues by the coining of the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development, the Ministry of the People and Social Development, the Ministry of Community Development, the Ministry of Justice and other commissions and committees along that spectrum. The unfortunate demise of little Aliyah Johnson should not be seen as an event in isolation but as an accumulation of issues and circumstances that slipped through the nets.
In his contribution to the Children's Bill, Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh recognised the importance of an empowered family and an empowered community. The pain inflicted from maintaining race and religion as contour lines when we look down on society has pervaded those boundaries.
These horrendous crimes affect us all as a nation. Why have we failed ourselves? Are we not our brother's keeper? In retrospect, the institutional base that served our villages and communities have changed. The family, the school, the place of worship, the workplace, the gang and the Internet for example, fulfil a wider array of roles, if not different. This array implies that any approach to dealing with a single socio-economic problem must be multi-faceted, since the sources of impact on today's individual is more diverse than that which existed in previous generations. I am interested in knowing other demographic and social information which may reveal how Aliyah mother's own family history, schooling, and community interactions have shaped her existence. While we may all seek to pass judgement on the appropriate punishment for such crimes, it is definitely worth understanding what caused the tree to grow in this direction. Did she grow to the light or bow to the dark? Is it that the social institutions, which are heavily funded by the State, have failed? Is it that the family and community dynamic have failed to keep "delinquents" within its fold? Is it that the gang and other structures have welcomed "delinquents" within its fold? In reading the information brought into the public domain on Aliyah Johnson's short life, I noted that her mother was not gainfully employed. This is a common denominator in a lot of domestic violence cases and in other forms of crime and social issues. The list of social safety nets highlighted was all available to this single mother, what's missing?-Sustainable employment. It would be unfortunate for us to say that the Government and NGOs that were to intercept this mother under its ambit have failed, since the annual budgetary allocations are high. Are we then simply putting an expensive plaster on a gaping wound every fiscal year?
Education is the key
As someone involved in the delivery of tertiary education I can say that education is self-actualisation, self-empowerment, and self-reliance. For the younger minds, I will further say that self-education is indispensable. The routine of 'cram and recall' must be cut from a very early age. Using intuition and growing based on your own volition has its rewards at school, but more importantly, in life. I accept that not all persons are set out to be academics, but what do we have in place to allow non-academics to cope? The Government's ingenuity to develop Workforce Assessment Centres is very important in this regard.
At the launch of one such centre at VMCOTT's compound, Beetham Gardens, last Saturday, Ministers Devant Maharaj and Fazal Karim spoke of strategic partnerships between both ministries to involve people in automotive maintenance. This certainly showed Government's commitment to its pillars of sustainable development, namely in this instance-people-centred development, poverty eradication and a more diversified, knowledge intensive society.
In focusing on self, what you achieve is self-sufficiency. The lack thereof, may have led to the death of young Aliyah. The articles narrate a story that Aliyah's mother moved in with a male companion and decided to live in a questionable arrangement under questionable conditions. She must have known that Aliyah's comfort, as well as her own, would be forfeited.
I dare say that the '10 x 10' dwelling room might have been better than where they were before, hence the decision to move. This lack of self-sufficiency breeds a dependency syndrome. Unfortunately, our social safety nets have in fact bred this vicious problem in Trinidad and Tobago. From time to time we see protests; people and groups feeling discriminated against, but below the surface, it can be seen that they feel the State owes them in some regard. The price of a vote?
Urgent need to wean society off Gov't assistance
With these bits of information, I believe we need to promote a different agenda. There is an urgent need to wean society off Government assistance, where possible, and instil the value of self-sufficiency. "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Again, agriculture is important as it plays a lot of socio-economic roles in society by providing employment, facilitating a form of domestic, regional and international trade, acting as a basis for downstream and ancillary industries but ultimately provides income, social safety and self-sufficiency through subsistence to the individual and family. If the decision to move into the small dwelling was based on economic circumstances, we must have policies and programmes in place to save individuals from making such decisions. With respect to agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago, this concept of self-sufficiency is somewhat challenged. Being empowered with the right tools and guidance (extension services) could have made a meaningful intervention in this family's life. An unemployed and uneducated young single mother still had an opportunity for economic independence, if the right programmes and social scope were focused.
As simple as it may seem, being able to grow one's own food is almost a luxury because of lifestyle changes and reduced access to land. With a migration of dwelling habits towards urbanised areas, rented properties normally provide no interest for tenants to keep subsistence gardens. The living arrangement of this family, similarly, may not have provided the scope for such an undertaking. In the circumstances, satisficing strategies are becoming increasingly important as a means of initiating personal growth and development. The new agenda I refer to would cause a change in our approach to education fundamentally. It would see the university and other educational bases diversifying into new areas for training and research, which would become sector-specific. In the case of the Johnson family, the methodology for identifying people in need will also have to be strengthened. The process of agricultural production would have to become more distilled to meet the needs of the chronic poor, the transient poor and those in special circumstances. Social programmes would have to be designed to help its beneficiaries build coping strategies that would eventually allow them to attain independence. This process is by no means exhaustive in my writing but sets a chain of thought that policy-makers may use in building a sustainable economy. All stakeholders in this process will have to be trained, and research has to provide the necessary scientific and empirical basis. The dynamics of agriculture have broadened the tools available to Government and institutions in protecting the vulnerable in society. The words of the Prime Minister are instructive, "Rice planting days keep me rooted." Our PM is an empowered rural woman. I support the move to recognise women as agents of change. With that note, I would like to wish my wife, mother and all women of Trinidad and Tobago, Happy Mother's Day.
Omardath Maharaj
BSc Economics and Finance
MSc Agricultural Economics