TWO new studies by prestigious international agencies give sharp insights into the dark state of Trinidad and Tobago.
The measured reports paint T&T as a place of personal dissatisfaction and widespread corruption.
The United Nations-backed Sustainable Development Solutions Network did not list T&T among its 138 happiest countries in the world, a dramatic fall from 38th place in 2018.
The authors considered a range of factors, including the state of public institutions, employment, social support, personal well-being, the economy, rule of law, health services, community life, schools, and the environment.
And they interviewed a lot of people.
The historic 2018 status had sparked excitement by the authorities, with State agency InvesTT touting it to the world.
The report, issued on the eve of the UN’s World Happiness Day on March 20, saw several unstable countries on the list – ahead of T&T.
This may surprise some in the land of the Mother of all Carnivals who delude themselves about the national peace of mind.
Finland, named the happiest country for the sixth year, is acclaimed for its low crime figures and outstanding public services.
T&T, by the way, sits in sixth position per capita, with respect to crime statistics, according to the World Population Review.
Then, the just-released United States Department of State’s 2022 report on human rights in T&T says corruption is “a problem at many levels of government.”
The Americans tell of “credible reports of government corruption” and that relevant laws are hardly enforced.
As a result, “officials allegedly engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.”
There are “opaque public procurement processes,” a clear reference to the half-baked legislation and absence of authority by the toothless procurement regulator.
Also, public contracts are granted to “well-known gang members.”
There are “credible reports of government ministries and public companies manipulating or bypassing established procurement procedures to favour specific vendors unfairly.”
Nepotism and corruption are “commonplace,” according to the US report.
In addition, there is “corruption, bribery, and extortion of immigration, police and coast guard officials by human traffickers and corrupt immigration officials.”
The report said that police officers “accepted bribes and payments for assisting criminal enterprises.”
The Americans also referenced the slow pace of justice, horrible conditions behind bars (“five to nine prisoners shared a nine-by-six-foot cell”), human trafficking, and sexual abuse of women and children seeking asylum.
Neither report generated any analyses in the current feeble and distorted national discourse.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley recently arbitrarily okayed a further $66.3 million in his eight-year hunt for presumed racketeers of the previous regime.
As for current white-collar crime, Rowley – quizzed by a journalist last week – offhandedly threw blame on the country’s “system.”
Relevant agencies, such as the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau, are not known to be probing any crooks alluded to in the American report or the subject of hush-talk talk around the country.
There is no public outcry on wrongdoing with the public purse, with some stakeholders, like Transparency International, being emasculated, and others terrified of the Prime Minister’s authoritarian manner.
It’s all happening in this sad and corrupt land!
