National awards: colonial holdover

First, when Governments, as most individuals do, are given an out they take it. Having been told by the courts that the award is discriminatory, Prime Minister Manning can now legitimately claim that he was only complying with the judgement, whatever his own private feelings maybe. Second, Governments restrict national debate far more than they encourage it.

Here was an excellent opportunity, in keeping with the recently announced move to decentralisation in the Local Government process, to involve our citizens in a decision that will have far-reaching consequences. What happens, a few good men (and women) are asked to meet in a backroom and tell us what the award should be.

I propose that a national referendum should be held in the last week of August (This should be well within the capacity of the EBC as Local Government elections have been postponed) to vote on which of the following methods should be adopted to resolve the current situation. Remove the current scheme of National Awards. Government to provide appropriate funding to all registered national stakeholders to issue thier community-based awards Government restricts its awards to excellence in Public Service Monetary value of the award should be capped at TT$ 100,00.00. Retain our National Awards in their present format

Select from three (or possibly) five names as recommended by the committee for the naming of the highest award. Select appropriate symbols to be associated with the awards.

In this way all those who would not have voted would have abdicated; those who would have voted would have seen true democracy in action. Arising out of the results of the ballot, the Government would have until September 24 to revise its process and announce the new/revised scheme for the next year.

Thus the will of the people would have been heard in deciding how to deal with a case of national discrimination and not just the opinions of a few.