Letter: The Principles of a lasting Partnership

The PNM has fallen! A new, based-on-partnering-with-the-people, régime is in place!

The PNM fell because of its unbearable misconduct while in office. The prayer is that the People's Partnership's fate shall not follow the PNM's suit.

It won't, once we, the people who brought about the change, understand that the best bulwark against such misconduct will always be a well-informed vigilance by us, the people. Such watchfulness can only be fuelled by a set of sterling principles adopted, uncompromisingly implemented and improved over time. To be implementable, such principles have to be practical. To be practical, they have to be clearly articulated and understood.

Yet, the overarching determinant would must be that they are flexible, as, without that property, they'd not be able to be adapted to the peculiarities of the different situations where, as time evolves, they'd need to be applied. To give examples of these principles, the People's Partnership régime (PPR) must:

1. always abide by the just laws of Trinidad and Tobago
2. formally adopt a written code of ethics with which all of its operatives are familiar and to which they cling
3. construct and issue a clear mission statement
4. introduce laws which make public officials personally liable for the consequences of any decisions they make in defiance of what the law or approved policy dictates
5. adopt and implement policies and procedures to ensure that all conflicts of interest, or the appearance thereof, by its operatives are appropriately managed through disclosure, recusance, or otherwise
6. establish and implement policies and procedures that encourage individuals to come forward with information on illegal practices, or violations of official policies, by public officials.
   
7. this whistleblower policy should specify that officialdom will not browbeat individuals who make bona fide reports, but will protect their confidentiality. The present Integrity in Public Life Act, at Section 32 (2), recites most dire consequences to whistleblowers who transgress in this regard. That needs to be ameliorated as the uninformed why wishes to blow a whistle may be deterred
   
8. establish and implement policies and procedures to protect and preserve all public documents and records, including electronically-generated ones, for such information rightfully is owned by the public
9. make information about the how, when and why of its operations widely available to the public
10. ensure that every public panel includes members with the diverse backgrounds, experience, people and organizational skills necessary to advance the public good
11. except where absolutely unavoidable, not allow any individual to hold more than one decision-making post
12. make public disclosure of the remuneration packages and changing economic fortunes of all public officials
13. make public disclosure of the ties to private enterprise that every public official had in the seven years prior to being appointed to public office

The best bulwark against such misconduct will always be a well-informed vigilance by us, the people. It'd be good, therefore, if others join this conversation. Bless! Richard Wm. Thomas,
5rivers.kid.publik@gmail.com
Five Rivers