Our democracy cannot be measured merely by elections. It is measured by accountability and by transparency. Above all, it is measured by whether citizens can trust that those elected to govern will honour their commitments.
We have seen under the People’s National Movement (PNM) the issue of “talk shop” and no follow-through. Can we at the Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) say the same for this new United National Congress (UNC) administration when it comes to our business and those of our citizens?
Let me ask it again, as this is not the first time. Where are the reports?
For the last three or four years, the public has been told that investigations would bring clarity, accountability and reform. Yet too often, reports are announced with great fanfare, only to disappear into what appears to be an ever-expanding archive of unfulfilled promises and political gimmick.
TSTT is perhaps one of the most glaring examples. The Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) was assured that a forensic audit would be completed within a matter of weeks in 2022, following discussions with then minister of Finance Colm Imbert.
Four years have since elapsed. Where is that report? If it was completed, why has it not been released? If it was not completed, why was such an assurance given in the first place?
Public reporting at the time noted the union’s repeated calls for the report after the promised timeline had passed.
The same questions arise concerning the so-called “Fit for Purpose” or the “Not so deep dive” review of TSTT undertaken by the Cabinet sub-committee chaired by Ms Camille Robinson-Regis, with the involvement of then minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales.
The committee was established to review TSTT’s future and make recommendations. Yet, the public, and the very union representing the workers whose livelihoods depend upon those decisions, have never been presented with the findings.
News reports noted the committee’s establishment but no defined reporting timeline at the outset. To date, nothing.
Then there is the cyber-incursion report, which attracted significant public attention and political debate.
References have been made over time to litigation affecting its release, while, more recently, the current Minister Barry Padarath has reportedly indicated that the report would be laid. Yet, citizens continue to wait for closure. If circumstances have changed, explain them.
If legal proceedings delayed publication, say so. Accountability requires more than promises, it requires communication.
Most recently, the Government itself has acknowledged concerns relating to the relationship between TSTT and Amplia Communications, including matters that the CWU has raised over several years regarding overlapping functions and employment arrangements.
Whatever one’s view of the merits, the union has consistently argued that these concerns deserved investigation rather than dismissal. That acknowledgement should reinforce an important principle: persistent scrutiny is not obstruction; as a matter of fact, it is often how accountability begins.
This is no longer simply about TSTT, but about governance.
Has the investigation into Amplia started? Will this be another long outstanding report?
It matters whether reports commissioned at public expense belong to governments or to the people. Citizens are entitled to ask; the union is entitled to answers. If public funds were used to commission these investigations, then why are the findings not routinely disclosed?
Who is ultimately accountable for ensuring that these exercises produce tangible outcomes rather than becoming expensive documents hidden from public scrutiny? We openly state that political office is not ownership of the State. It is stewardship on behalf of the people.
Scholars have taught us that “research in public administration and democratic governance has consistently found that government transparency and accountability are closely linked to public trust, while secrecy, unexplained delays and poor communication erode confidence in institutions even where no wrongdoing is ultimately established”.
Trust is built not only by acting properly but by demonstrating openly that public power is being exercised responsibly.
The consequences are profound when governments fail to account for their actions. Citizens become increasingly cynical about public institutions, which is not good.
Confidence declines and public participation diminishes because people believe their voices no longer matter. The public is asking for answers.
If the forensic audit exists, publish it.
If the Fit for Purpose review has been completed, release it.
If the cyber-incursion report can now lawfully be disclosed, lay it before Parliament and the people without further delay.
If there remain legal constraints, explain them clearly and indicate what can responsibly be shared.
Governments earn legitimacy not by commissioning reports but by acting on them or, at the very least, by explaining why they cannot, as in the case of the aforementioned reports. One must always remember that citizens do not work for politicians. Politicians work for citizens on a contract for five years.
Similar to the legal maxim that justice delayed is justice denied, one should also bear in mind that accountability delayed eventually becomes accountability denied.
Time to release the reports to the citizens of T&T.
