Is someone trying to hide the facts and the truth from the people? Is someone trying to fool the people of our country? Is someone lying to the people? Is someone insulting the intelligence of our people?Why has the Debe to Mon Desir Highway Report produced by the Independent Highway Review Committee not been brought into the public domain?
I have read the report. I read it from a newspaper, online. At no point does the report give the Government the green light to continue the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the highway, as stated by the Minister of Works and Transport at a post cabinet news conference on February 14.If I did not read the document myself, I would have been misled into believing what I heard!The Debe to Mon Desir highway issue goes far beyond the people of Debe to Mon Desir.
There are wider principles involved here and this issue directly affects every single citizen of our nation and is therefore, the business of every single citizen.As tax paying citizens we have a right to know how our taxes are being spent, especially if it's going to be spent on controversial multibillion dollar mega projects.The report must be accessible and available to every citizen and in fact should have already been so. What is the keep back?
Dr James Armstrong, chairman of the Independent Highway Review Committee, was interviewed around mid January, 2013, and said that they are on schedule with the report and it would be complete and ready for the first week in February.So said, so done.The report was handed over to the JCC, who in turn handed it over to NIDCO, Ministry of works and the Highway Reroute Movement in the second week of February.
We are now into the first week of March and the document has not been officially released to the public.Why has it not been officially placed in the public domain?I hope that the government and NIDCO know that this document is based on science and in-depth research and is a robust, evidence-based document produced by experienced experts in various fields.
This document represents the truth and transparency regarding the Debe to Mon Desir highway and must not be tampered with in any way.No additions or deletions must be made.This is the intellectual property of 19 experts and is not the property of the government or NIDCO or any other organisation.I ask the people of our country to recognise this document as a landmark document.
Documents like these facilitate the development of guidelines and best practice and improve standards in our country and more importantly, documents like these encourage transparency, accountability and integrity: the principles of good governance. As a citizen of T&T, I want good leaders, good governance and a better nation.I want to be informed of the truth, the facts, the science, the evidence.
Please make the highway report officially available and accessible to all our people, now!
Onika Barnwell
Point Fortin