IT HAS BEEN exactly a week since last Wednesday's blackout.
Yet, we are no closer to knowing why this event occurred.
Far from bringing about any kind of clarity, the announcement of a committee to investigate the event now allows the authorities to adopt the usual tactic of saying nothing as we await official findings.
What the investigatory committee's mandate is, how long exactly it will take to formulate its report, and what legal powers committee members have - all of that is unclear.
Indeed, though the three-member team was announced in Parliament last week, there is no guarantee the committee will publish its findings in full to the public.
All of this matters because the failings that occurred would appear to extend beyond the systems at the TT Electricity Commission (T&TEC).
A notable aspect of last Wednesday was the apparent vulnerability of other major utilities.
The knock-on effect on telecommunications and water systems was highly unusual, given built-in redundancies which are supposed to prevent such outages. Not even during 1990 did all three of our utilities - power, communications and water - go down simultaneously.
Whatever occurred in relation to the power grid, it is not clear why backup systems for other crucial utilities appeared to have faltered, resulting in a crippling loss of basic amenities and triggering widespread anxiety.
Many questions have also been raised about the response of the police.
Claims last week by government ministers that the police studiously patrolled and maintained law and order were contradicted by reports of criminal activities, some deadly, taking place.
Maxi taxi operators complained about the lack of an adequate police presence at major transport hubs. Anyone who ventured onto the streets encountered in some areas a complete lack of oversight on the roads, with traffic lights at major intersections left unmanned.
Meanwhile, as the nation awaits answers, the Prime Minister has gone ahead with a major, pre-scheduled trip to Qatar.
What we have managed to learn from the Government thus far has been confusing.
Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales was quick to say there was no evidence of Wednesday's event being caused by sabotage - even as the State has appointed a committee to investigate, it is assumed, the causes of the outage.
Mr Gonzales also suggested in Parliament that the State knows enough to say in no uncertain terms that the event was outside of T&TEC's control and, therefore, customers are not entitled to compensation.
Millions in losses were incurred, whether through foregone revenue or lost economic productivity during what is already a time of great economic duress. If we are not told what happened and why, how is business to move forward with any confidence?
The power outage is over, but the blackout on real answers continues.
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