Good Governance

Reginald Dumas

Participatory Government

-information

-consultation

-participation

-accountability

-control

* Keeping quiet is not an option.

Good Governance

Def’n: when the people are able to control the executive; power to the people

Tobago Youth Council: The Youth’s Definition of Good Governance:

-consultation, public discussion and participation

-accountability

-shared control

-rule of law

-fast and responsiveness

-transparency and lack of corruption

-equity and equality

-do what the people want not what they think the people want

-good listening

-input everyday

-shared decision making

-contributions as a member of the THA

-assemblymen not acting as assemblymen(representatives) but rather as secretaries

-assemblymen overseeing themselves as the executive

-use of traditional and social media

-private sector involvement

Dr Eastlyn Mckenzie

Books to read

A Chronicle of the Tobago House of Assembly -Dr Jeff Davidson

In the service of the Public (1995)- Dr Reginald Dumas

An Analytical History of Tobago- Murvine J Oneil

Susan Craig James Books(two versions)

Act 40 of 1996 THA Act

Act 37 of 1980 THA Act

Act of 1962 THA Act

Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago

Public Political Education efforts should not have politicians involved.

Governance is rules, regulations, policy and customs.

We must emphasise the human element of those who execute the policy and those who are affected by it. They must be competent.

-If I know a man does tief, I not giving him my purse to hold.

Educate them that ideas cannot be changed just so, they need to change the systems and make themselves heard.

Encourage reading.

Leadership lost in the east. (Inspire and motivate them)

Time for New Peopl'e House

Winford James

-Mismanagment

Land title

-Air and sea bridge

-Autonomy-union

-Dependence on Trinidad

-No economic growth

-Weak public officials

-60% THA employment

-No income generation

-Young talent exists the island never to come back

-Poor retention of skills and talent

-Tobago matters ran out of Port of Spain

-Silence of MP’s in parliament.

-Party issues trump constituency issues in parliament.

-The electorate gives up its power to the party and the party then mashes up the place. This results in disenchantment, mismanagement, frustration, corruption and inefficiencies.

-Direct Legislature as opposed to Representative Legislature

O the work of the executive and secretaries must be overseen by the assemblymen

O more emphasis places on the positions of assemblymen and MP’s(elected) as opposed to secretaries and ministers

O our current system places the ministers and secretaries above assemblymen and MP’s and no accountability for the THA executive

O teach them that they own 1% share of their country

O ministers(cabinet) and secretaries should be hired hands and have lower grounds than MP’s( house of reps) and Assemblymen( elected )

O Another house of parliament should be implemented in Tobago(senate)

Data

9% of Tobago public service are ghost gangs

Leaders should not be commiting the same acts they are preaching against.

Institutional Reform of the government

Youths must take up mantle

We must gets the youths interested and keep them informed.

-Community development needs to develop villages. (Remove political barriers and actually reach out the people).

-Politics messed up village councils.

-Involve more equitable share of young on government panels.

Educational volunteerism. Start, don’t wait.

Happy Haven was a volunteer program.

Vanus and Reginald happy to come speak to villages.

Eastlyn happy to speak to schools.

We are operating from within what appears to be a democracy but what in fact in practice is an autocracy.

Impprtance of Civil society

Breakdonw in social values

Apathy

Moving voting age to include students.