The art of appearing efficient

Each morning brings reports of yet another murder, rape or act of social violence.

In fact, on the very rare occasion when there is no murder to report, one has the strange feeling that this very fact should be front-page news.

There is obviously something amiss at a very deep level and those with the responsibility for change apparently do not have the capacity to do so.

I read a commentary recently that quoted Lloyd Best who had pointed out that there is something wrong with the very systems that operate in our society.

As reports on inequalities and inefficiencies abound and even pregnant women at Mt Hope are turned away and forced to go to private hospitals for ultrasounds at a cost of $300 to $600, the time seems ripe to ask what exactly is the problem? Is there, indeed, a systemic flaw? Are we so enmeshed in a system of inefficiency that we even put women’s lives at risk during pregnancy? One senior doctor suggested anonymously that patients should be directed to clinics rather than private hospitals. And is there perhaps an answer hidden in this apparently innocuous statement? What are the changes that might effect a reduction in the rate of crime or in violence and disorder or that might provide basic medical care? We recognise that money and power are the dominant forces in all societies and that those who wield power do indeed dictate the processes of society. That is not new.

Nor is it unique. But what is different in Trinidad and Tobago is the deeply imbedded inadequacies at all levels. Yet it is not true to say that money is not spent or that enquiries are not held. What seems to be the issue is that we have mastered the art of appearing to be both efficient and proactive.

The most appalling thing about Trinidadian and Tobagonian society when compared with other developed nations is its failure to put any systems in place to protect the weak.

Instead, bureaucrats spend time and money developing a very unique system of camouflage.

The skill of the Caribbean to mimic and to hide with chameleon-like talent is nowhere more evident than in this.

We have so mastered the art of appearing efficient that in order to get any service, whether it is from the NIS or to get a driving licence (unless you have a friend or godfather) we in TT must take at least a day off and spend all day wasting time, no matter how simple the matter.

This is all done in the name of efficiency.

Even our judicial system in Trinidad seems incapable of providing swift and effective service, despite the fact that prisoners should have the right to a fair trial and due process, which involves a trial “without delay” and “within reasonable time.” Undue delays constitute a breach of human rights.

In Trinidad and Tobago, as was the subject of debate and media coverage not too many months ago, the amount of time that prisoners spend in the remand yard is extraordinary and we all know it. Let us also not forget the “part-heard matters” that are currently making headline news and generating heated debate amongst senior figures in our country.

Perhaps the reason for all these abnormal deficiencies has to do with our focus on the success of a few. In placing administrators, white-collar workers and professionals so far above all others in our communal mindset, we have created an idea that the “smartman” is the true wielder of power within society.

The rights of those who cannot access such authority, by extension, grow weaker with the spread of red tape and administrative structures.

All breed more red tape and more capacity for bobol.

After all, administrators will privilege administration, whether we are talking about hospitals, universities or the courts.

Perhaps all of this has also created a sense within society that might is definitely right and the weak must simply accept their lack of access to true justice and the means to a good life.

Despite all the ole talk and the discussion panels and media coverage, nothing within the actual structures of institutions, that is how people get medical help, or justice or an education, actually changes. This is because delay and camouflage are the true systems that operate in our society. No one is actually interested in efficiency. The Anansi-like nature of our society, where the appearance and the talk of promoting justice prevails, is like a web that ensnares us all. This ability to put on a show while doing nothing is both our greatest gift and our most grievous fault.