It was an unusual period in the history of the Parliament of T&T. From November 12 to December 1, the Government and the Opposition came together to hammer out legislation which would make a difference to the day-to-day lives of John Public. They collaborated on The Interception of Communications Bill, 2010. The fact that this Act is now awaiting presidential assent is testimony to what can be positively achieved with collaboration. It was for me a period of pride because we were looking like mature people acting in the common interest. It was an example of a bi-partisan approach to solving a problem. For a moment, we saw members of the Government and Opposition working cheek by jowl towards a solution. We even heard talk that the Opposition will support the Government on issues of national importance. For a moment several citizens looked on thinking that this was a platform for building bridges and working in the common interest. Our society is broken in several ways with multiple issues requiring attention. We all agree that the high incidence of crime at all levels is more than troubling. It is our number one problem and deserves more of this collaborative approach to finding solutions.
True to form, my reason for being proud was shortlived, since there was a quick "about face" and the "mark-bussing and mud-slinging" began again. On the face of it, The Interception of Communications Bill was urgent and of national importance so it was not too difficult to get the co-operation necessary to quickly take it through Parliament. The population needs to see more of this kind of co-operation on critical issues. Communications professionals live by the adage "your actions speak so loudly that I can't hear your words." This really speaks to the need for our population to experience collaboration in action at the highest level. People take their cues from the behaviours of their leaders. The more we see our leaders in "fighter mode," the more we validate aggressiveness and violence. The converse is true.
If we see our leaders striving for collaboration and harmony, the message we take away is one of co-operation and togetherness. Of course there are others factors which will come into play, but it is critical for leadership at the level of the government to signal behaviours that are sound, uplifting and co-operative. Parliament continues to be defined on the basis of scoring political points and this has not worked. My evidence is that over the past 20 years, we have changed political parties five times. This suggests that the population is searching for solutions and is prepared to keep changing until we get it right.
Someone has to stop and question the messages we are communicating by the behaviours of our leaders. We cannot expect to have behaviour change in the population without fundamental behaviour change in our leaders. The Parliament Channel has brought the population into intimate contact with our leaders. We experience the disrespect exhibited against each other. We hear the verbal abuse. We see the laziness. The population is simply mimicking the behaviours of our parliamentarians. The fundamental point is that once you have been elected into office, you have a responsibility to be a role model in all aspects of your life. YOU asked the population to vote for you. Those who did have an expectation that you will display leadership qualities of statesmanship and diplomacy particularly while under the public gaze. The population is looking for consistency rather than contradiction. We are looking for solutions rather than the allocation of blame. We are looking for justice where there has been wrong-doing. In the same way that the man in the street wants to be innocent until proven guilty, this must also be reflected in the Parliament. Using the cloak of Parliament to destroy people is wrong and irresponsible.
Our people are crying out for responsible leadership and I firmly believe that the silver bullet to solve the problems is held collectively by our 41 Members of Parliament. Individually, each MP must accept the responsibility to be a change agent and the change must begin on a personal level. Each MP must exorcise his/her demons and become worthy of our respect and support. T&T will change when we can gaze upon leaders who are role models in the truest sense. Your next move, Mr/Madam MP, is to collaborate on a solution to our crime situation. We are on the brink of anarchy and you are ultimately responsible for the outcome.
Dennise Demming
demmingcommunication@mac.com