‘It’s like the last man to cross the marathon finish line expecting a gold medal’
By Alicia Chamely
TOWARDS the end of last week, some ominous figure deposited three goat heads, each in their own little basin, at a busy intersection that I drive through daily. I was intrigued.
Were those poor goats an offering in exchange for a blessing or a sacrifice for a curse? And what happened to the rest of them? Did they end up in a big, delicious pot of curry?
Well after Monday’s Budget presentation I figured it out. Whoever put them there was clearly gifted with psychic powers that allowed them to see into the future. Having early knowledge of what was to come with the Budget, he or she left a warning, an omen of the impending misery that would be laid down in Parliament.
The Budget can best be described as a bullet point budget, quickly highlighted plans with little to no explanation on how current or future problems will be addressed or how these things will be overseen to ensure we are getting our monies worth. I found myself, like most people, with more questions than answers.
Take for example the Housing Development Corporation (HDC). To address the demand for low-cost housing and maintenance of current developments, THREE new companies had been formed within the HDC. These are the TT HDC Construction Company, TT Housing Corporation Facilities Management and the HDC Asset Management Company Ltd… oh three… like the goat heads.
My question is did we need these new companies? What was the HDC doing before? What checks and balances are being put in place to reduce corruption? Who is running these companies? What exactly is expected of them, and have systems been put in place to assure accountability?
I have these same questions for the newly formed Secondary Road Rehabilitation and Improvement company, formed under the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Why was this company needed if we already have the Programme for Road Upgrade and Enhancement (PURE)? Is it that PURE cannot handle more tasks? Wouldn’t it have been more prudent to restructure or enhance the PURE? What is in place to ensure that all new road works under SRRI and PURE are done to international best practices? Have you seen some of the slapdash pave jobs done around the islands? What is being done to make sure this new company just doesn’t become a cash cow for contractors with inflated costs and questionable business practices?
And why hasn’t the highway to Point Fortin been completed yet? I mean seriously.
Another unanswered question was what steps were being taken to balance out rising costs of living that are expected now that the cost of fuel has increased?
Yes, there was talk of increased training programmes and people being employed with the construction of various projects, but none of it seemed sustainable.
There were also plans to help SMEs and other small businesses, but nothing that addressed the endless red tape and bureaucracy that plagues small business owners.
You would think more would be done to modernise and enhance our food production, to help ease our dependence on imported goods. But there really wasn’t much in terms of Agriculture other than building some roads and offering training. Whatever happened to our rice-processing plant that was announced in the 2021/2022 Budget?
And can someone explain to me why the Government is patting themselves on the back and treating themselves like master innovators for FINALLY moving towards digitalisation in the police service, tax services and public services? It’s like the last man to cross the marathon finish line expecting a gold medal. We are so behind in the times the Government should be ashamed it took them this damn long. Imagine police officers still taking reports by hand!
Oh, and another question. What is being put in place to ensure these cashless systems are properly maintained? Will it be a situation where I walk into a government office to be told “the LINX machine not working properly since January last year”?
So many questions for a Budget that lacked innovation and forward thinking. Perhaps our government should find the seer man or woman responsible for the goat heads and ask him or her for a little advice on planning for the future.
Bullet Point Budget
‘It’s like the last man to cross the marathon finish line expecting a gold medal’
TOWARDS the end of last week, some ominous figure deposited three goat heads, each in their own little basin, at a busy intersection that I drive through daily. I was intrigued.
Were those poor goats an offering in exchange for a blessing or a sacrifice for a curse? And what happened to the rest of them? Did they end up in a big, delicious pot of curry?
Well after Monday’s Budget presentation I figured it out. Whoever put them there was clearly gifted with psychic powers that allowed them to see into the future. Having early knowledge of what was to come with the Budget, he or she left a warning, an omen of the impending misery that would be laid down in Parliament.
The Budget can best be described as a bullet point budget, quickly highlighted plans with little to no explanation on how current or future problems will be addressed or how these things will be overseen to ensure we are getting our monies worth. I found myself, like most people, with more questions than answers.
Take for example the Housing Development Corporation (HDC). To address the demand for low-cost housing and maintenance of current developments, THREE new companies had been formed within the HDC. These are the TT HDC Construction Company, TT Housing Corporation Facilities Management and the HDC Asset Management Company Ltd… oh three… like the goat heads.
My question is did we need these new companies? What was the HDC doing before? What checks and balances are being put in place to reduce corruption? Who is running these companies? What exactly is expected of them, and have systems been put in place to assure accountability?
I have these same questions for the newly formed Secondary Road Rehabilitation and Improvement company, formed under the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Why was this company needed if we already have the Programme for Road Upgrade and Enhancement (PURE)? Is it that PURE cannot handle more tasks? Wouldn’t it have been more prudent to restructure or enhance the PURE? What is in place to ensure that all new road works under SRRI and PURE are done to international best practices? Have you seen some of the slapdash pave jobs done around the islands? What is being done to make sure this new company just doesn’t become a cash cow for contractors with inflated costs and questionable business practices?
And why hasn’t the highway to Point Fortin been completed yet? I mean seriously.
Another unanswered question was what steps were being taken to balance out rising costs of living that are expected now that the cost of fuel has increased?
Yes, there was talk of increased training programmes and people being employed with the construction of various projects, but none of it seemed sustainable.
There were also plans to help SMEs and other small businesses, but nothing that addressed the endless red tape and bureaucracy that plagues small business owners.
You would think more would be done to modernise and enhance our food production, to help ease our dependence on imported goods. But there really wasn’t much in terms of Agriculture other than building some roads and offering training. Whatever happened to our rice-processing plant that was announced in the 2021/2022 Budget?
And can someone explain to me why the Government is patting themselves on the back and treating themselves like master innovators for FINALLY moving towards digitalisation in the police service, tax services and public services? It’s like the last man to cross the marathon finish line expecting a gold medal. We are so behind in the times the Government should be ashamed it took them this damn long. Imagine police officers still taking reports by hand!
Oh, and another question. What is being put in place to ensure these cashless systems are properly maintained? Will it be a situation where I walk into a government office to be told “the LINX machine not working properly since January last year”?
So many questions for a Budget that lacked innovation and forward thinking. Perhaps our government should find the seer man or woman responsible for the goat heads and ask him or her for a little advice on planning for the future.