THE EDITOR: Kamla Persad-Bissessar's recent statements reflect a troubling departure from sound, forward-thinking policies that are essential to the socio-economic well-being of Trinidad and Tobago. It is imperative to rebut her propositions with clarity and force, revealing the superficiality and potential dangers of her approach.
Persad-Bissessar’s suggestion of monetary rewards for police officers as a means to combat crime is both impractical and ill-conceived. While the idea of incentivising law enforcement is not new, the implementation of such a policy in TT’s context would be fraught with challenges. Crime-fighting is not a business transaction; it requires systemic reform, robust leadership, and accountability, not just financial carrots. The introduction of financial incentives could exacerbate existing corruption within the police force, rather than motivate ethical and effective policing.
What would prevent officers from manipulating crime statistics to receive bonuses, ultimately eroding public trust in the police? TT faces its own challenges with police corruption, and introducing financial incentives could worsen the situation, diverting attention from the need for systemic reforms, such as those successfully implemented in countries like Georgia, where a complete overhaul of the police force resulted in a dramatic reduction in corruption.
Furthermore, this proposal fails to address the root causes of crime, such as poverty, lack of education, and social inequality. Persad-Bissessar’s approach is a band-aid solution to a deep-seated problem that demands comprehensive strategies involving social services, community engagement, and judicial reform. The emphasis should be on holistic community safety plans rather than simplistic and potentially corruptible monetary incentives.
Persad-Bissessar’s stark opposition to a cashless society is a regressive stance that misrepresents the realities and benefits of digital financial inclusion. Her argument that a cashless society would lead to government overreach and loss of privacy borders on fearmongering and distracts from the potential advantages of digital transformation. In an increasingly digital world, moving towards a cashless economy can help reduce crime, streamline transactions, and increase transparency in financial dealings.
Persad-Bissessar’s stance against a cashless society reflects a regressive mindset that could hinder the nation’s economic progress. In contrast, countries like Sweden, which has embraced digital payments, have seen significant reductions in cash-related crimes and increased financial inclusion. Her fearmongering about government overreach in a cashless society disregards the potential benefits of transparency and efficiency that digital transactions bring. Furthermore, her suggestion to maintain a hybrid system of cash and digital payments fails to recognise the global shift towards digitalisation, which is crucial for economic modernisation and competitiveness.
Her claim that this would lead to a "new level of di
