THE EDITOR: A senior public servant very rarely gets more than $12,000 a month in salary. The take-home salary therefore would very likely be in the range of $10,000. An average home is over $1 million, so the mortgage would be about $7,000. Groceries, telecommunication, transportation, clothing and entertainment more than exceed $3,000 monthly. Thus a person earning about $12,000 monthly can very likely find themselves in debt.
Consider a person collecting $500 an event for expediting government services like driver's licence or overlooking customs regulations at two events a day and you are looking at about $20,000 tax-free monthly. It is no surprise then that citizens are asked to 'pass change' for services like electrical inspections and a slew of services that should be free to all.
Corruption seems apparent in almost every aspect of one's life. One must give something to the WASA truck driver that delivers free water, to the garbage collection guys to remove the stuff that others place in front of one's property, and the list goes on.
The figures and structures for payment get expansive when one looks at government contracts, as approval for payments may require some level of financial inducement. Many see kickbacks and payments not as corruption, but as a supplement to their salary for survival.
Can simply relying on one's conscience and civic duty be enough to stop corruption that seems to be endemic in TT?
Added to the challenge of corruption is the varying levels of ineptitude that exists in the public service. There are many workers in temporary or acting positions for years, simply because no one wants to bring their files up for review. Many letters for approval, permits and personnel issues are left unattended for years by public servants who see their duty as simply turning up for work and returning home.
Can simply appealing to the good nature of workers solve the problem?
TT is going down a road of self-destruction fuelled by greed, political loyalty based on race, apathy where it is only important if it personally affects oneself, and a more bold-faced display of criminal activity buoyed by an ineffective police service.
Change is necessary. That change must come from a careful examination of the economy and how families are affected by daily increases in the cost of living. It must come from a careful examination of our public service and dealing with resistance to restructuring. It must come with a commitment to the family's long-term well-being and the future of TT. And it must come from structures outside of those that are failing now and and that failed in the past.
There must be a renewal for a better tomorrow. There must be hope.
STEVE ALVAREZ
via e-mail
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