Aborted bid for Civil Society Board costs $2M

Speaking with Newsday after addressing the opening of what was billed as a training workshop by the Caribbean Policy Development Centre (CPDC) for Commonwealth civil society leaders, Samuel said the fate of the exercise would depend on a Cabinet review.

“I have to take the report to Cabinet,” Samuel said. He said the elections for the Civil Society Board – which were due to take place in late August and early September – saw only 12 percent of organisations attend.

At yesterday’s event, held at the Radisson Hotel, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, Samuel outlined the long process which led to the stalled elections and expressed disappointment over the outcome.

“Civil society needs to understand their importance and not just leave their passion to a few,” Samuel said. “This thing that was supposed to have taken place did not take place. This was not a Government-established board. Civil society did not want it. When the elections came about even though many had attended briefings, they did not turn out to vote for themselves. As a result we found ourselves almost back to square one after years.”

Samuel, however, expressed optimism that the process can be reinvigorated.

“I am hoping that we can do it again; embrace it again and ensure that civil society can have a voice,” the minister said. “The input of civil society is necessary for how a government operates and where a society goes.”

Speaking at the same event, Shantal Munro-Knight, executive director of the CPDC, called for a method to allow civil society groups to have a voice at the regional level.

“There is no mechanism for civil society to engage our regional heads of government,” she said. To this end, she said, work had begun on a Civil Society Consultative Working Group, “to coordinate the voice of civil society sector on key policy issues.” Munro-Knight further stated progress takes time.

“Even though everything is becoming instant, development is not one of those things,” she said. “Our responses can no longer be lukewarm and tenuous.” She called for inclusivity, non-discrimination and social justice, but urged that “the hard work must be shared.”

Richard Blewitt, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative called for stakeholders to be creative. He said he recently lobbied Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar over the ratification of a convention in relation to the rights of the disabled. He also questioned the status of the gender policy.