A message for TT’s leaders

Act at all times with courage, 1consideration and most of all discretion .

Make decisions based on 1universally established business 1principles with emphasis on fairness 1and equity, not on politics, 1popularity, self-interest or expediency .

Let your work and achievements 1speak for you so that visibility 1is achieved through productivity 1and not PR. Do not 1allow present circumstances or 1past conditioning to determine 1your responses to the challenges 1we face as a nation .

Recognize that our success or 1failure as an individual or a nation 1will ultimately be a product of 1choices and decisions rather than 1socio-economic circumstances 1now facing us. Finally, just get on 1with the job. Take ownership and 1charge of the present situation 1for the sake of the entire country, 1whether you live north or south 1of the Caroni Bridge, east or west 1of the lighthouse .

Citizens are fed-up hearing, ‘I 1met this or that problem’, ‘my predecessor 1should have done this or 1that, but didn’t and now it is too 1big of a mess to clean up’. Guess 1what? It’s your job now, stop the 1whining and excuses .

Assume your role quickly and 1courageously because there also 1comes a point in time at which 1you have to stop blaming your 1predecessor and that time has 1just about expired. Permit me 1to highlight a tale of an Abbott 1who on retiring, called in his successor 1and said, “the job is now 1yours but to guide you along the 1way, here are three letters. Open 1the first when you first need help, 1the second one thereafter and so 1on.” 1Later, the new Abbott found the 1time had come to open the first 1letter which stated simply, “blame 1your predecessor”. He did that 1with great gusto and aplomb but 1eventually. As pressure mounted, 1he was forced to open the second 1letter which advised, “reorganise” .

He did that and it too, soon met 1with short-term success. After 1two years, the Abbott once again 1ran out of options and opened 1the third letter. It read, “write 1three letters.” 1Unfortunately, the present PM 1looks as if he may have already 1passed the second letter phase 1with his recent Cabinet reshuffle 1and could soon be in the third 1letter phase, if he is not very 1careful, particularly with how he 1handles the final resolution of the 1Clico/CL Financial debacle, the 1Public Sector wage negotiations, 1a declining economy, worsening 1foreign exchange and runaway 1crime .

It is important to remind 1our leaders that we live in vastly 1different times. TT is part of 1the shrinking global village the 1world has become. Access to ICT 1is much more easily available 1than in the days of our parents 1and grandparents. Our standards 1must be clear and of universal 1pedigree. We must therefore not 1only strive for goodness we must 1strive for greatness. Happy New 1Year and a word to the wise is 1sufficient .

Peter Permell 1TT Citizen 1