A Douen Society

Many good things, but many bad things too.” Douen. A douen is described as “a folklore character, the unbaptised souls of children that live in the forest, neither male nor female, with large straw hats on faceless heads, with feet pointed backwards.” (John Mendes, Cote ce Cote la, A Trinidad and Tobago Dictionary, 1986). Of course, our prolific artist, Leroy Clarke, also had some things to say about the douen idea.

For me, the interesting description is the douen facing one way and the feet the opposite way. It is as if it doesn’t know whether it is going or coming. And sometimes I think this is how this relatively small, ethnically alive, still rich country behaves. Many good things, but many bad things too.

Now there is widespread agreement that the society has become plagued by excessive lawlessness, broken institutions, political misconduct, high class greed and even disguised discrimination — while our GDP had kept rising.

That is why a lot of us were supportive of new Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s conciliatory and unifying remarks soon after his installation. “I am a Prime Minister for all the people,” for example.

And this, coming soon after the most brutal and bruising election this country has ever faced, according to Elections and Boundaries Commission chairman, Dr Nobert Masson.

We really went backwards.

To turn the country around will require more than money.

In fact, we have to be careful that we don’t use “lack of foreign exchange and depressed oil prices” as the all-covering excuse for bad behaviours. And incidentally, does anyone really know what the true economy is like? The financial and economic data from the Central Bank, and moreso, from the neglected Central Statistical Office (CSO) is based on the formal economy — that which is formally, officially reported. But we have a thriving underground economy, a black-market type which has money circulating far beyond what the official figures say.

We base our policy decisions on the formal balance sheet while in reality, with drug-trafficking and undeclared assets, for example, the economy remains alive with underground energy. Yes, oil prices are down but still real estate prices are high, even going up and up, and so many people buy and buy.

Our economy is not yet properly explained by formal, orthodox economic thinking — whether onshore or off-shore. Cote ce Cote la means some good, some bad. This is Trinidad and Tobago.

The country needs the uplifting initiatives of Dr Rowley and his ministers — as a leveraging process for social reconstruction. Some of that happened last month. For example, when Labour Minister, Jennifer Baptiste-Primus said there will be no political appointments to the Industrial Court, that was forward-looking. Some patronage is inevitable to help support the multi-party system, but it is now quite evident that abuse subverts Section Four of the Constitution and insults the oath of office which the prime minister and ministers so solemnly take.

When Local Government and Rural Development Minister Franklin Khan said his Ministry is determined to end illegal squatting, that was forward-looking.

Linked to government housing policy and the inefficiencies of the Land Settlement Agency, squatting has unwittingly contributed to environmental hazards, lawlessness and institutionalised poverty. When former Mayor Tim Kee moved to clear the streets, that was forward-looking. When Attorney General Faris Al Rawi told the country that Prime Minister Rowley repeatedly told his Cabinet that there should be no racial discrimination through government policies, that was forward-looking and constitutionally correct.

For many years now, the society has moved backwards in these respects — mainly for extravagant, populist, vote-catching purposes.

The Government and various interest groups need to move forward.

And a lot of renewed hope now rests upon Dr Rowley and his Cabinet.

Having said this, and as a note of caution, a few ministers have begun to behave in douen-like fashion, seemingly forgetting what their oath of office said. There will be a price to pay as the last regime learnt. Five years is a short time.

Political perceptions, easily shaped, are difficult to refurbish. What Ms Baptiste-Primus, Messrs Franklin Khan and Al Wari promised is a step forward. Let’s hope we don’t take two steps backwards.