PM Rowley simply passing the buck?

The question is where were the newly appointed Rowley State board members at this meeting? These are the people charged with the responsibility to oversee the performance of the various State enterprises. They in turn are supposed to be monitored by their respective line ministers regarding their fiduciary obligations to the Ministry of Finance.

Indeed, the Minister of Finance appears to be delinquent in the performance of his duties if, as Corporation Sole, he does not ensure that State enterprises fulfil their statutory responsibilities mandated by legislation and regulation. Removed from his duties as chairman of the Cabinet-appointed Finance and General Purposes Committee, the minister is supposed to have a little more free time to at least focus on this element of his portfolio.

The general stagnation in the economy cannot be simply put at the doorstep of the management of State enterprises. The Government cannot absolve itself from its constitutional mandate and responsibility by passing the buck to public and contract officers.

The Minister of Finance and by extension the Government have not informed the public after two national Budgets of income-generating measures to attempt to arrest the economic decline in specific and detailed terms. Instead, various tax increases on the population, from online purchase tax to alcohol tax hike, seem to be the Government’s only method of increasing revenues.

The issue of auditing of State enterprises, however, in fairness, cannot be blamed on any administration or management. By virtue of legislation, most State enterprises are compelled to have their respective organisations audited by the Auditor General. Due to being short-staffed and under-resourced, the Office the Auditor General simply cannot perform its constitutional functions in a timely manner.

Successive political administrations have neglected to address this very important issue. Some State enterprises, however, have been given some leeway by the Ministry of Finance to utilise the services of private auditing firms.

The nation remembers all too well that in the months prior to the 2015 general election, Rowley held retreats with his team, strategising for when they took office. Kamla Persad-Bissessar however asserted during the hurly-burly of the election that the PNM simply did not have a plan for TT .

This assertion appears to be sadly prophetic as the economy is floundering with inertia and atrophy quickly diffusing throughout the Government. This contrasts sharply with the mandate given to all ministers and boards of the People’s Partnership government of “deliver, deliver, deliver” and “serve the people”.

Ministers of the PNM Government appear to be mostly active on social media, even staying away from the mainstream media. The general inaccessibility of the present administration by the media is contributing to the general feeling of hopelessness as there is nothing being told to the population as to what is being done to turn around the economy. Distracting the nation with the Marriage Act amendment from the serious of issues of failures in crime, the economy and healthcare will not work.

Devant Maharaj via email