Charles: Rowley has accepted defeat
It is now pellucidly clear, after last night’s political campaign interview with Khamal Georges, why we are headed for failed state status under Rowley and the reason is that he judges his Cabinet appointees not on the basis of measurable performance but by “the energy they bring to their jobs”.
How laughable is his uninformed assessment, not supported by data, of National insecurity Minister, Stuart Young.
How insulting to the tens of thousands of TT citizens with CAPE passes, BBAs and MBAs who all know that competence, managerial success and achievement of corporate goals can only be assessed by performance.
How could Rowley give a passing grade to Young who; because he lacks the experience, competence, track record and qualifications; should not have been appointed in the first place?
Data shows that Young, unlike any National Security Minister in our history, has had two consecutive years of murders exceeding 516 with an upward trajectory. It was 516 in 2018. It was 538 last year. This year we seem on target for a national record.
Under Edmund Dillon, the murder rate never reached 500 yet he was fired not on the basis of performance but presumably because he did not bring the “requisite energy to the job”. Dillon should have drunk more energy drinks like “Monster”.
Martin Joseph had a better track record than the incompetent Young. While he has recorded the highest murder rate of 550 in 2008 by the next year it was down to 509.
In Singapore, Minister Young would have been summarily dismissed. In that country all ministers receive a base salary and are given performance bonuses if they exceed measurable targets tied to national development goals.
If Minister Young had in 2017 reduced our murder rate by 5% he would have been given a bonus. A 10 % reduction would have resulted in a higher bonus. If the murder rate had increased as with Young, he would have been summarily fired.
Not so in Rowley’s TT where mediocrity is the benchmark and publicly praised.
Clearly PM Rowley does not know his job as CEO of corporate TT.
Last evening’s interview with Khamal Georges was unabashedly political and therefore did not meet the criteria for government broadcasts. It was politics 101 all the way – justifying government’s non-performance, praising favoured ministers, criticizing others, exonerating Camille yet to satisfactorily explain her source of cash funds, and justifying Young’s retention while unable to explain the firing better performing Dillon.
We cannot take incompetence much longer. We call on Rowley to have mercy on us. We deserve better. He cannot continue to inflict mediocrity on us. We do not know how much longer we can take this pressure of stupidity, non-performance, corruption and plain incompetence.
We call on Dr Rowley to call elections now please. Save us from the torture of having to deal with the inanities, the primary school logic, the absence of intelligence and shameless politicking in the utterance we were forced to endure last evening.
TV 6 was right not to air that political diatribe.