Youth and the Public Service

Traditionally, a job in the public service was coveted by the young, educated and highly motivated. The post of civil servant was prestigious; it meant a steady salary with good benefits, decent hours of work and the near impossibility of being fired.  Great deal, right?

For those locked out of the business and banking community, the public service provided an opportunity for social mobility and financial security. But do young people still view the civil service the same way today?

I’d say most definitely not. Being a civil servant is certainly no longer ‘sexy’. The Black Power Movement, increased access to post-graduate education, the oil and gas and consequent manufacturing booms has blown open the range of employment opportunities for young people. Simultaneously, our generation became wise to the ways of business, financing for small and medium sized entrepeneurs became more accessible and business schools brought business plans to life. Being an entrepreneur is no longer considered unachievable.

Unfortunately, there was no concurrent revolution within the civil service. Instead, a government job became synonymous with low paying salaries, angry supervisors that would never be promoted or transferred to another department and an eternal state of career inertia and frustration.

Yet still the importance of the work carried out by the public service is undiminished. The policies and structures fashioned within public institutions is what keeps us running. The roads on which we drive, the schools in which we learn, the hospitals that treat us and the laws by which we abide are all put in place by the men and women of the public service. Professionals and businessmen tend to think solely in terms of the bottom line and increasing profit to the shareholder. A nation cannot be built on those motivations alone. We need public servants.

Unfortunately however, the Ministries have failed to operate like our well oiled private sector machines such as Ansa Mcal, Bermudez and SM Jaleel. Every day interaction with the public service for a license renewal or health centre visit can prove to be a painful process. Delays, inaction, inaccessibility and reams of red tape can make any process involving public entities less than pleasant.

Our generation can help fix this. No one understands generation now’s need for speed and efficiency like we do. We are the generation of facebook and bbms, instant communication and technology at your fingertips. The energy and dynamism which we bring to any situation can be revitalizing and provide the momentum for change and action. Furthermore, who better to predict the expectations of generation next than us? An integral element of public service is policy formulation, ensuring that those who come after us are adequately provided for.

As a trade consultant I have had many varied experiences in the public service at the national and CARICOM level. New faces with novel ideas are not always welcome within those hallowed walls. Established personnel eager to secure their incredulously self serving fiefdoms tend to find creativity and spontaneity threatening, giving rise to schisms between the experienced and the new, and diminishing the appeal of ‘making a difference’. Outdated human resource systems then make these said novel ideas holders moving targets….Ouch!

But it would be unfortunate for us to all become businessmen and bankers with minds focused solely on making money. All societies need their technocrats to analyse gaps in the social system and address them in an innovative manner. Without the civil service there would be no society from which to profit. And without young civil servants the civil service will lack innovation and currency.

So then, what can be done to make the civil service attractive once more?  

Just a few of my thoughts:

• A highly transparent human resource management system. Where technical staff is concerned, the ‘big stick’ mentality is less than effective. University graduates are keen to be treated with a certain level of respect and to be consulted on their future within the institution and their career development. As such, staff should be evaluated by a team of personnel, ensured of certain training opportunities and those who have resigned should have exit interviews to assess room for HR improvement.
• More competitive compensation packages. It is a fact that Caribbean public service coffers do not run deep especially considering the present global economic crisis. However, there are ways to structure compensation packages to make them more attractive such as monetizing vacation leave so that you can cash in your days if they are not used. Additionally, salary structures can be organized so as to facilitate personal, travel, clothing and entertainment allowances (tax free) which make up for a nominal base salary.
• Flexible working arrangements. Many organizations have now implemented work from home and flexi-time to combat our present traffic situation. While this may not be convenient where the job involves day to day public interaction, in other areas it can provide fluidity that is attractive to staff who have no interest in battling our horrendous traffic jams or paying exorbitant rental fees to be close to work.
• Independent institutional auditing. This will reveal certain cracks in the system, which tend to leave young persons disillusioned such as nepotism and misallocation of funds. Where human resources are concerned these audits will review the system which is in place for staff development including training and succession which will assure that institutional memory is preserved. Importantly, the fact of these audits will instill a certain level of confidence in prospective employees.
• Greater public interaction. The public service is here to do exactly that serve the public. What better way to assess the work that is being done but to have it critiqued and built upon by the public by way of public forums, institutional blogs and other forms of viral and personal interaction. In this way an employee will not feel like the work is being undertaken in a vacuum but that it is valued and valuable.

I don’t have all the answers but in this space we can feel free to vent our opinions on the public service. Challenge yourself with the questions raised and let me know….can young people really make a difference within the public service?

Defeating the Politics of Race

Where politics is concerned, some believe that the electorate chooses their candidate based solely on what that person looks like. While in homogenous societies that may mean the person is good looking, older/younger, male/female, in societies such as our own the criterion is race. Believers would have us think that the candidate’s moral standing, record of community service and educational background mean less to the voter than the texture of their hair and the complexion of their skin. In Trinidad and Tobago there can be no political discussion that does not involve race, but to what extent do we let race determine the way we vote?

Recently, the politics of race became an internationally debated topic when Barak Obama ran for President of the United States. His campaign constantly referenced the fact that he was African-American (father and wife) but also Caucasian (mother) and also ‘Other’ (Indonesian – step father and half-sister). It was felt that an increasingly multi-racial America would identify with Barak’s multi-ethnic experiences and thus vote for him. To an extent the Republicans also relied on President Obama’s background hoping that it would frighten their conservative support base and others who were on the fence, but feared change. Again President Obama’s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor became a political ‘hot potato’ because she was the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants who had made a few controversial rulings favouring minorities. Less was said about her competence and more about how the Republicans would handle her nomination considering they were already losing support in the Hispanic community.

In 2010 it was our turn. On April 8th, 2010 Trinbagonians were unexpectedly thrown into election mode and immediately tongues began to wag about how the opposition would handle this ‘snap’ election. There was no way the predominantly East Indian UNC could beat the PNM in its then format, they needed help. The People’s Partnership took a different approach to the usual formula of *Black candidates where mostly Blacks lived, Indian candidates where mostly Indians lived and ‘Mixed’ persons in the marginals. The Partnership presented diverse candidates who had long standing ties to the community and who were intellectually respected in their field. Instead of constantly promoting one leader the Partnership billboards, rallies and advertisements would show an amalgam of leaders. Quite often you would see Persad-Bissessar, Jack, Mc Leod, Dookeran and Daaga sitting around the table in unity discussing that which is most important - the country’s business.

What did the results show us? We voted based on the issues. Indians would have voted for Black candidates, Blacks would have voted for Indian candidates and importantly in Diego Martin West both Blacks and Indians would have voted for a ‘White boy’. Cut it anyway you like Rocky would have had to have garnered massive support from persons who looked nothing like him in order to be only 755 votes from victory over Diego’s beloved Dr. Rowley. So to with our Minister of Parliament for Chaguanas East, a ‘Spanish’/’Trini White’ who would not have entered politics at all had it not been for the heinous murder of his Black employee, which he could not get past. Mr. Cadiz successfully faced the polls in a marginal constituency formerly held by the PNM and won by 4,080 votes. In the East, an East Indian candidate comfortably won the La Horquetta/Talparo seat which means that the predominantly Black neighbourhood of La Horquetta lent him their support. Not to mention the Partnership’s weapon of mass destruction; Mr. Jack Austin Warner, a Black candidate in a predominantly East Indian constituency. As a candidate, Mr. Warner recorded the most votes of the entire election, a whopping 18,767.

And what of our choice for political leader? Despite each party’s attempt at presenting a mixed cast of candidates the political leaders were quite clearly Black and Indian. Trinbagonians chose the latter. Although many votes came from the heartland and other UNC strongholds there were thousands of voters who were non East Indian and voted for non East Indian Partnership candidates knowing that the leader of the Partnership is East Indian. This was because Patrick Manning had found a way to rise above race. Mr. Manning’s strange and inexplicable behaviour, his dictatorial tendencies, his unwavering arrogance and his unfortunate link to the questionable Calder Hart alienated Trinbagonians regardless of their ethnicity, religion or political affiliation. The people were concerned about the PNM’s inability to control its political leader and were moved by the Partnership’s promise of coalition, consultation and change.

Politically I consider myself to be an Independent. I vote in accordance with what I believe is best for my country and I am certain that over the course of my life this will change as alliances and personalities do. What is important is that I consider the issues, I follow the political rallies, I listen to the social activists and the political analysts, I read the manifestos cover to cover and I research my candidates. Most of all, like many in the East/West corridor, I voted last week based on crime, corruption, health and traffic and not based on the complexion of Tesheira’s skin or the texture of Anil’s hair. I did not vote out of fear of being persecuted by persons in power who did not look like me nor was I swayed by the racial fictions surrounding supporting one party over the other.

Fact - we live in a country with a mixed population. Fact – we live in a country with a highly educated population. Fact – we confidently slew the ‘divide and rule’ giant. It is now time to focus on the task at hand, namely continuing to build the nation and healing from the brutality of a hard fought election. In the words of our nation’s first female Prime Minister, “...let this be a defining moment in our nation’s life, a time of personal commitment as we all, you and I, begin the work anew towards the change we all need, to build a better country for our children and their children.” The politics of race belongs in the same dustbin as the politics of fear, exclusion and diversion. Hopefully, we have placed it there for good!

* I have deliberately used the word Black instead of Afro-Trinidadian because I believe that word truly represents persons of African descent in this country since they are quite mixed and cannot properly be called African.

caribbeanfutures@gmail.com
http://www.outlish.com/opinion/189-leaders-who-look-like-us-the-politics-of-race

The Schengen Shenanigan

In the past couple years I have travelled, studied, worked and lived throughout mainland Europe. I partied, dined and saw the sights in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Lyon, Geneva and Zurich, but as intriguing as this may sound; accessing these European countries was the most painstaking, nerve wrecking, poverty inducing process ever.

Generally, travel within Europe (thanks to Eurostar and Easyjet) is amazingly cheap and convenient. The inconvenience, therefore, exists solely in the requirement for a Schengen Visa.

In 1995 the Schengen Agreement was implemented by several European Countries thereby removing internal border controls within the Schengen Area. Presently, twenty-five European countries including destination favourites, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Greece are party to the agreement. The Schengen system enables Europeans to travel freely within the Schengen Area without the restriction of onerous visa applications. Several other countries have signed Schengen waiver agreements and as such their citizens are also able to travel without a visa.

For developing countries however, the prognosis is grim. For most of us, even a two (2) day business trip to Switzerland requires a Schengen Visa. This is a fairly simple process. NOT. Furthermore, if you are already based abroad the process is positively painful. First, you are required to call the Embassy to book an appointment. This can be done by calling the Embassy and using their automated service which costs £1 per minute and takes about 10 minutes to reach the booking stage of the phone call. In all, you may find yourself spending about £15-£20 and getting an appointment for 1 month later. Then you have the pleasure of filling out a detailed 3 page application form, taking 3-4 passport size photographs, providing a bank statement for the past 3 months demonstrating sufficient means, a hotel booking, a plane or train booking, travel insurance, a job letter or enrolment certificate, passport and the non-refundable visa processing fee of £53.00. All this documentation must then be submitted to the Embassy to be kept for processing for as much as 2 weeks.

Sounds annoying, time consuming, humiliating and expensive? Well it most certainly is. Furthermore, although it is possible to be issued a 3 month multiple entry Schengen Visa enabling you to travel indiscriminately in and out of the Schengen Area, this is a rare and arbitrary occurrence. Instead, you are more likely to be issued a single entry visa for the exact period within which you are booked to travel, exclusively for that single European state. Therefore, if you were planning to visit multiple cities on that visa you can forget it, since it would be impossible to get another appointment in time.

In the space of 18 months I was issued no less than 6 separate Schengen Visas and spent approximately £1000.00 to facilitate travel to Europe. None of these applications were easy. For example, when I needed a 6 month Schengen Work Visa for a posting in Switzerland I was stranded in Barbados for 2 weeks while my passport was sent to Caracas. When the passport was returned, all I received was a 3 month single entry Visa. That means that once I was in Switzerland I could not leave the Schengen Area because I would be unable to return. Furthermore, the only thing standing between me and the 6 month Visa was a police report since the placement letters from the ITC and WTO were insufficient to vouch for my character.

In another ridiculous Schengen story; my friend, a young professional resident in London, decided to surprise me with a visit while in Switzerland. She had gone to Germany the week before so she had two Schengen Visas in her passport. When she left Germany the passport personnel erroneously stamped the Visa for the Swiss visit, which was brought to her attention when she was about to board for Geneva by the airport personnel who debarred her from getting on the flight. My friend was immediately escorted out of the departure lounge even though the dates and destination stamps on her passport would have revealed the nature of the misunderstanding. There was no financial compensation available for the lost Visa processing fee and plane ticket.

Many people would ask why not just go elsewhere? They will say that there are many other beautiful countries to visit which don’t require such a hazardous visa application process. I agree and I also chose that option many times, but to be fair, when based in London or Europe next door is where the best spontaneous limes occur. In fact, it is part and parcel of the European culture. Therefore, as a ‘Trini’ you feel very left out at Wednesday’s coffee break when you have to explain to your workmates that you would have had to apply for your visa about 6 weeks ago, in order to join them at this weekend’s getaway to Nice.

I agree that European countries cannot be prevented from exercising their sovereign right to regulate visitors. However, using the present system as such a tool is like using a sledgehammer to kill an ant. In the end you kill the entire ants nest and tree on which it rests. As Caribbean people, we cannot speak about bettering relations between ourselves and Europe when we encounter such a complete hassle to travel there. Currently, 4 Caribbean States (Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and St. Kitts and Nevis) have successfully negotiated Schengen waivers for their citizens. However, considering that these countries have notably small populations that enjoy a comparatively high standard of living, the chances of a waiver for countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Guyana are exceedingly slim.

Well then if not a waiver, perhaps the creation of other categories of the Visa. For example, a 1 or 2 year multiple entry Visa for University students who wish to travel to Europe frequently during the course of their study and/or a fast track application process for businessmen and technocrats who need to access Europe at the spur of the moment to complete important business. If I can be granted a 10 year multiple entry Visa to the US, a country to which ‘gazillions’ of Trinidadians illegally migrate every year, then neither of these propositions are farfetched.

For students and foreign based professionals the ability to move freely within the Schengen area is integral to building strong relationships with European counterparts while experiencing a new and alternative way of life. Therefore, in order to move forward positively, we must massage the Schengen discourse by concentrating on finding solutions to problems like illegal migration while facilitating positive initiatives such as business and cultural exchange. Presently, the system operates as an extraordinary disincentive and is out of place in this global world. As affected persons it is important to voice our discontent.

caribbeanfutures@gmail.com