✍🏾 From Posts to Purpose: How Writing for Social Media Sharpened My Thinking in the Age of AI

In this age of automation, what we need most is not more noise — but more intention.
Writing in public — with clarity and purpose — is one of the most human things you can do.

In a time when everyone is talking about content, algorithms, and AI, I’ve been quietly learning something unexpected — writing for social media has been one of the most effective tools for refining my voice, clarifying my values, and navigating uncertainty.

Over the past few months, I’ve committed to writing regularly across at least three platforms. What started as “just posting” has become a deliberate practice — a blend of reflection, strategy, digital experimentation, and real-time sense-making. Each post has challenged me to:

• Reframe my thoughts depending on the platform
• Engage AI and design tools to bring ideas to life
• Write not just to inform, but to connect, provoke, or build community

And along the way, I’ve come to see this process as much more than content creation — it’s a way of thinking.

📘 A Suggestion for Current Learners

If you’re a student or early-career professional, I encourage you to try this as a regular practice — even just once a week.

Here’s why:

1. It Sharpens Your Voice

Each platform teaches you how to communicate with clarity, confidence, and adaptability — skills that translate directly to academic writing, public speaking, and professional development.

2. It Builds Digital Fluency

Using tools like ChatGPT, Canva, Notion, or content planners helps you learn how to co-create with AI — a vital skill in today’s knowledge economy.

3. It Makes You a Reflective Thinker
Social media writing, done intentionally, becomes a reflective habit. You begin to track your own learning, question your assumptions, and clarify your direction.

4. It Helps You Discover What You Care About

The more you write, the more you notice recurring themes — the values you return to, the questions that stay with you. This is how purpose begins to take shape.

5. It Connects You to a Larger Conversation

You stop waiting for the “right time” or the “perfect platform” to speak up. You become part of the discourse — not just a passive consumer, but an active contributor.

🛠 How to Start

• Choose one idea a week — something you’ve learned, questioned, or observed
• Write a short post (100–150 words) in your own voice
• Try sharing it on LinkedIn, Threads, or even as a reflective Instagram caption
• Use AI to help you refine, reformat, or experiment — but keep your voice at the core
• Repeat weekly — not for perfection, but for presence

🎯 Final Thought

In this age of automation, what we need most is not more noise — but more intention.
Writing in public — with clarity and purpose — is one of the most human things you can do.
And in doing so, you may just discover your path while helping others find theirs.

2020 BORDERS CLOSED_IDEAS OPEN

We keep wanting to cancel #2020, nope, 2020 is the game changer. Don't just stand by, DO SOMETHING!

I took this from my Facebook post, June 29, 2020 in response to the many posts and comments that 2020 should be forgotten, so many persons expressed that they wished to advance to 2021. By that time, the world was on already on lockdown. A total of 48 countries implemented partial or full lockdown and among these countries, Brazil, France, Italy, New Zealand, Poland and the UK have implemented the world’s longest and most restrictive lock downs. Spain imposed a state of emergency on 14 March 2020.  (Langton, 2020). This was merely a glimpse of the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, a beginning that morphed into a ‘new normal’ – a phrase that is most likely to most used phrase in every facet of life.

Given the onslaught of negative comments and commentary I felt it necessary to find the positive in the present circumstances, that as human beings, being bestowed with thought and expression that we ought not to simply lift our hands in defeat but as gesture of lifting ourselves out of the doldrums of pandemic lockdown and restrictions. The statement of Barack Obama, then President, whilst addressing the UK Parliament in May, 2011 rings appropriate in the present circumstances: “… In this century, our joint leadership will require building new partnerships, adapting to new circumstances, and remaking ourselves to meet the demands of a new era…” (President Obama Speaks to the Parliament in London: "The Time for Our Leadership is Now", 2020). This statement, in essence captures the mandate for 2020 in the context, Covid-19, the Pandemic.

My sentiment, although was made in general is now pointed to the business community, in response to the belligerent retort to government’s decision to maintain restrictions on specific business entities. Understandably, the effects of the Covid-19 cannot be downplayed; the ‘non-medical’ measures have negatively impacted various sectors, with the service sector being worst hit by the pandemic (Dev and Sengupta, 2020); the global economy is projected to contract sharply in 2020, much worse than during the 2008-2009 financial crisis (World Economic Outlook, April 2020: The Great Lockdown, 2020). Fernandes (2020) highlighted the impact of the Coronavirus on countries dependent on tourism – Greece, Portugal and Spain, to name a few whose GDP will likely fall by more than 15%, likewise in the Latin Americas. The hospitality sector faced losses approximating 24.3 million globally and 3.9 om the USA alone (Ozili and Arun, 2020).

 The words uttered by President Barack Obama during his speech in the UK Parliament, London, United Kingdom, were in the context of renewing ties between two countries of similarly momentous history. The President (then) alluded to the fact that the United States and the United Kingdom share a kinship because their past and their visions. Nevertheless, the statement is equally relevant to our current situation, mainly, our state of disequilibrium, worldwide, being knocked over by the pandemic. There is a need for leaders to ‘remake’ themselves: remake being defined as the action or process of reforming or making changes to something, no doubt, with the onset of the Pandemic, we have had to ‘re-do’ ourselves to adjust to the new normal of pandemic protocols. I dare say, that the first thing that needs to be redone and re-shaped in response to, or in order to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic is to revisit our own response, to face adversity and create opportunities, be innovative. The passive reliance of businesses on governments does not guarantee survival (Bailey and Breslin, 2020).

What is leadership?

There are countless definitions of leadership; good leadership, in particular, means different things to different people (Northouse, 2018). Of the many offerings of what the term means, I find the following to be most apt, for present day discussion and under the current circumstances of Covid-19. Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it and process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives (Yukl, 2019). This definition provides the perfect backdrop for leadership scenarios worldwide, scenarios in which according to Obama, leaders are required to ‘build new partnerships, adapt (to new circumstances) and remake to meet the demands of the new era…”.

Leadership models of the last century have been deemed irrelevant simply because they have been products of top down bureaucratic paradigms suitable for physical production not for knowledge-oriented economy. (Uhl-Bien, Marion and McKelvey, 2007). The advent of knowledge today has birthed the need for a dynamic and interactive framework of leadership to accommodate what Uhl Mien et al (2009) describe as the challenge of the ‘knowledge era’; citing Mckelvey et al 2007, Uhl Mien (2007) indicated that the success of a corporation is now more reliant on social assets, corporate IQ and learning capacity. These suggestions trigger the opinion that the positivity of the pandemic lies in innovation, via transformational leadership. The research by proposes that transformational leadership theory is one of many leadership theories that will likely bring a fresh breath of organisational change.

In her blog entitled Leading the Way (Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning) Shruti Dhupia commented that the Covid 19 Pandemic is redefining leadership narrative, stretching leadership boundaries; the author outlined key features of this shifting dimension in leadership, notably: (1) being ambidextrous – that leaders are required to navigate through the dilemma of decision-making in the face of uncertainty and constrained resources: (2) deeply connecting and aligning with the eco-system – “leaders are responding to this uncertainty and change with a heightened focus on collaboration, building new alliances both internally and throughout their overall external ecosystem” (Dhupia, 2020).

Dhupia’s suggestions echo those of “Regenerative Leadership author, Laura Storm. Laura and Giles (and the five principles) first met three years ago, their shared conversations quickly led them to conclude there was a “missing link” between our inner and outer living systems in the field of how we lead and operate organizations and communities. The term ‘regenerative’ and by extension ‘regenerative leadership’ is not new in the world of business. Hardman (2009) initiated a proposal that this type of leadership was intended and most suitable for sustainability in business, education and community. The theory itself is, according to Hardman (2009) an offspring of sustainability leadership, both a mind set and a process by which leaders engage themselves and their followers in actions that promote environmental, economic and socially sustainable outcomes (Hardman, 2009. Pg. 18). The theory of regenerative leadership as proposed by Hardman (2009) is a fresh response to the demands of currents times: to be applied by formal and informal leaders at all levels of organisations (Hardman, 2009). 

Storm and Giles in developing the theory suggest that we begin the shift in perspective by seeing the organisation as a live entity; that we should see organisations (and leaderships) living systems that are constantly evolving.

Thus far, the reading on leadership in response to Covid and beyond have all the preceding issues and concerns. Reading “Leadership in the New Now”, the author, Freeman advised that empathy and flexibility are two critical leadership qualities for guiding people through (this) uncertainty and into the new reality.

To hone their empathy and ability to adapt, leaders require three elements:

• The head, to envision the future and the priorities required to succeed.
• The heart, to inspire and empower employees.
• The hands, to ensure innovative and agile-execution capabilities. (Freeman, 2020)

(Bailey and Breslin), 2020 point out that organisations need to be resilient to be able to respond to external threats such as Covid-19. The authors further cite Linnenluecke to highlight the need for organisations to develop adaptive business business models in order to accommodate rapid innovation, such as distilleries shifting to producing hand sanitizers; supply chains must build their resilience to maintain global competitiveness and that there must be decisive leadership (Bailey and Breslin, 2020).

The year 2020 most likely marks the shifting of the leadership paradigm once again, adding to the already lengthy timeline of the its evolution. The present landscape of Leadership is tenuous, constantly undergoing tectonic shifts due to learning and development. We would fare better to be flexible rather than unbending in order to mitigate any turbulence such as we are now experiencing with the Pandemic. Akin the sounds of ‘natural disasters’ the warning is brief and requires quick response and agile thinking; that does not come overnight, it must be developed and guided by vision.

 

REFERENCES

Bailey, K. and Breslin, D., (2020). The COVID-19 Pandemic: What can we Learn from Past Research in Organizations and Management?. International Journal of Management Review, [online] Available at:<https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/pb-assets/assets/14682370/IJMR%20COVID%20VI%202020%20Editorial_2.pdf> [Accessed 27 October 2020].

Dev, S.M. and Sengupta, R. (2020), Covid-19: Impact on the Indian Economy, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India. [Accessed 03 November 2020].

Dhupia, S., (2020). How COVID-19 Is Redefining The Leadership Narrative. [online] Harvard Business Publishing. Available at: <https://www.harvardbusiness.org/how-covid-19-is-redefining-the-leadership-narrative/> [Accessed 13 October 2020].

Fernandes, N. (2020) Economic Effects of Coronavirus Outbreak (COVID-19) on the World Economy (March 22, 2020). IESE Business School Working Paper No. WP-1240-E, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3557504 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3557504

Hardman, J. (2010). REGENERATIVE LEADERSHIP: A Model for Transforming People and Organizations for Sustainability in Business, Education, and Community.

Herrington, V., and Flynn, E., (2015). Toward a Profession of Police Leadership. New Perspectives in Policing: Harvard University/National Institute of Justice

IMF. (2020). World Economic Outlook, April 2020: The Great Lockdown. [online] Available at: <https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2020/04/14/weo-april-2020> [Accessed 03 November 2020].

Langton, K., 2020. Lockdown: Which Countries Are In Lockdown? How Many People?. [online] Express.co.uk. Available at: <https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1260709/lockdown-which-countries-are-in-lockdown-how-many-people-coronavirus-cases> [Accessed 27 October 2020].

Northouse, P. G. (2013). LEADERSHIP: theory and practice. Los Angles, Sage Publications.

Freeman (2020). Step Up Leader with Susan Freeman: Leadership In The Now. [online] Available at:<https://www.stepupleader.com/leadership-in-the-now/> [Accessed 12 October 2020].

Uhl-Bien, M., Marion, R. and McKelvey, B., (2007). Complexity Leadership Theory: Shifting leadership from the industrial age to the knowledge era. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(4), pp.298-318.

Yukl, (2020). Leadership In Organisations, Global Edition.

.

 

SOS - AT S.E.A

“… The education system, inherited from British colonial rule was noticeably elitist and examination-oriented, designed to filter, segregate and retain students based on perceived meritocracy, as defined solely by performance in public examinations… with a persistent concern for the fate of “the top 20% of the ability…”

Jerome De Lisle, Harrilal Seecharan, Aya Taliba Ayodike [i]

At this time Trinidad and Tobago is thrown into the ocean of emotions, with the results of the 'Secondary Entrance Assessment' exams, that is, depending on how 'SEA'-faring you are, you swim, float or pray for rescue. Social media and households are abuzz with either congratulatory messages or threats to challenge the 'system'. In the latter case, several parents have already voiced their intentions to transfer ‘the child’, either because “that school ain’t good” or “something ain’ right with the results”. Even in the process of congratulating our children for doing well, success is tiered in rankings from ‘prestige’ to ‘1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd choice”, then there is the consolation that “at least they pass”. There is more to a child's effort than just passing for a '1st choice', 'prestige' or 'not so bad' school. More importantly, there has to be a more sensible measure of performance for primary schools than the number of passes for whatever rank of choice(s). In fact, even the entire process of selecting schools, whether by zoning or by personal [I dare say parent] choice needs to be revised, although that is likely consequential to the necessary changes to be made to our entire system of education. Enter now the discussion of this SEA-sick ride from to primary to secondary education.

Throughout all the definitions of 'system' the keys are 'working together', organisation, structure or relation(ship). Well then, what is the relationship between learning in primary school and preparation for secondary education? How do the present structures of our education system accommodate a working together, or organised movement from one stage to another when so many children, every year, lag behind until age literally catches up with them? On the opposite end, the 'bright ones' continue to shine (naturally) or, thanks to parents who can afford lessons, despite 'free education', these students can overcome the challenges in and out of the classroom. Let me state clearly, I have no issue with lessons or 'bright children' or 'top students' or what(ever) parents do to ensure their children do well. My contention is with the design of our system which creates and perpetuates drop-outs, either because these students are not academically inclined - another discussion - or because our present secondary education institutions lack key social and educational support mechanisms.

I suggest that the change in the secondary school system starts with the choice of institutions being based on academic disciplines, and I don't see this taking away from the distinction bestowed upon the so-called 'prestige schools'.  I anticipate that there would be challenges with these changes but at the very least I think this approach will invite greater options and opportunities for students as they chart their career choices. I acknowledge also, that there needs to be extensive research in determining the extent to which our education system is effectively building human capital in a global context and in the face keen global competition. Perhaps the research should start within this summarised descriptive of our education system, mainly because “the top 20%” is still our focus today with sporadic reporting of “against the odds” stories but what of the 80% then and beyond secondary education?

I boldly make a personal appeal to the Minister of Education, The Honourable Anthony Garcia to embark on an extensive study on current strengths and weaknesses within Government Secondary Schools, with the use of appropriate statistical tools to conduct enquiries into effects of environment on student performance and attitudes. We need Sir, to look beyond the ‘good school/bad school’, ‘bright child/hard-head’, ‘nowadays youths’ stigmata. It is time to shift from the hype of passing for ‘first choice’ to assigning effort to determining what makes a ‘good choice’ – beyond making the required percentage. A child’s (quality of) education and future should not be defined by the school he/she attended but by the quality of education received and that, is way above SEA-level!

---

[i] Turmoil and Turbulence in Small Developing States: Going Beyond Survival” 1th Annual Conference;  March 24-26, 2010, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine – SALISES;

MAKING CRIME PAY_WHITHER THE BENEFITS?

“… The public would be hoping now that once proclaimed, this amended legislation will indeed be deployed in reeling in the increasing number of big fish that have been swimming free in the toxic waters of corruption, drugs and general criminal plunder…”

Trinidad Express: Editorial, August 20, 2014

“… Anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism (/) should not be judged by the laws, competent authorities and regulations countries have in place, but by the use of these laws and the effectiveness of supervision and compliance in reducing the vulnerability of the financial system to illicit finance…”

Commercial Secretary to the Treasury HM: Foreword

Anti-Money Laundering Counter Finance Terrorism Supervision Report 2012-13 (updated)

One year ago I wrote about the Miscellaneous Provisions (Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago and Anti-Terrorism) Bill, 2012. This anniversary coincides with the passing of Miscellaneous Provisions (Proceeds of Crime Anti-Terrorism, Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago) (No. 2) Bill, 2014. The Bill, according to the Finance Minister Larry Howai: “... seeks to make money laundering a stand-alone offence so that the prosecution does not have to wait for a conviction for a predicate offence..." It was unanimously passed in the Senate, as did the Bill of 2012. Notably, just as in 2012, these 2014 amendments have been made precipitously close to our next evaluation. The ability of this country to deal with money laundering and the financing of terrorism will be evaluated in January 2015. This timeline is fraught with anxieties given (1) the current arrangements between the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Financial Investigations Branch and (2) the complexities of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing investigations.

The latest amendment to the Proceeds of Crime Act – Chapter 11:25 removes the conditionality of criminal conviction for money laundering activities (concealing, disguising, transferring, receiving, bringing into or removing from T&T money or other property…} With this in mind optimism is introduced in so far as having persons account for lifestyles and assets that are incongruent with their legitimate incomes. The Finance Minister attributed the poor detection (money laundering) to earlier legislative restrictions: that the prosecution needed to prove that the laundered funds were derived from a specific criminal offence and that there must be parallel charges laid for that offence in order for the money laundering charge to succeed.

But Lord Deighton, Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (HM) points further to the effectiveness of supervision and compliance. These two functions, inter alia fall under the remit of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago. In its analysis of suspicious reports (October 1, 2012, to September 30, 2013), the FIU’s Analytic Division found that the majority of the reports came from the banking or financial institutions. During the reporting period of the analysis the FIU identified a number of significant ML/FT trends, typically:

• Intra-island money transfers – An increase in intra-island activity where individuals in close proximity to each other in Trinidad and Tobago are sending money to each other via MVTS (Money Value Transfer Services)
• Commingling of Accounts - There was a marked increase in the incidence of individuals and private companies commingling accounts and transferring funds overseas.
• Use of cash – Increase in the use of cash for large purchases.
• Layering – Funds moving frequently through Real Property purchases and sales.

Yet the Ministers laments 'low level charges' and 'minuscule amounts' of seized assets. Perhaps this is due to the distinction in the functions of the the Financial intelligence and The Financial investigations Branch. These two agencies reside under different Ministries, each with their share of bureaucratic processes, however, they are inextricably linked in meeting the objectives of combating money laundering and Terrorist Financing and satisfying the recommendations of the (Caribbean) Financial Action Task Force.The question is whether present functional arrangements between the FIU and the FIB add to the challenges of making a significant impact on organised crime in Trinidad and Tobago.

The FIU is the primary institution for the collection of financial intelligence and information and the analysis, dissemination, and exchange of such financial intelligence: this includes information among law enforcement authorities, financial institutions and . The FIB is an investigative unit under the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. Financial investigation is one of many specialist investigative approaches employed by law enforcement when tackling organised crime. Such investigations typically operate within the legal framework of the necessary legislation such as the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), Chapter 11:25 as amended, which contain a number of asset recovery powers, including the use of restraint orders and post-conviction confiscation orders and cash seizure and civil forfeiture/recovery.

The Caribbean is vulnerable to transnational trafficking and trading of drugs and guns, which results in a thriving underground economy, this in turn has the potential to undermine the macro and micro economies. Clearly, research in the areas of money laundering and financial investigations needs to be robust and continuous. Particularly in Trinidad and Tobago, international funding and investments are drivers of the economy, as such, there is a dire need to protect the relevant fiscal infrastructure. Additionally, Trinidad and Tobago is party to various conventions regarding anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism initiatives. Therefore current legislative and law enforcement mechanisms be assessed to determine their effectiveness in meeting the objectives of bringing financial institutions and legitimate businesses to compliance with global anti-money laundering and counter-financing systems. Finally, in accepting the fact that crime will always be with us, the least we can do is to make crime pay.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/Getting-tough-on--money-laundering-272094961.html

http://www.ttparliament.org/publications.php?mid=28&id=705

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Only-four-charged-with-laundering-under-existing-law-271938981.html

http://www.fiu.gov.tt/content/FIUTT%20Annual%20Report%202013.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-money-laundering-and-counter-terrorist-finance-supervision-reports

PARLIAMENTARY MONITORING ORGANISATIONS_A WAY FORWARD

PART 2

How successful have these oversight Committees been in effecting the principles of accountability, transparency, openness and access to information held by public bodies? The answer may lie in the extent to which the following questions can be satisfied.

At the outset, what are the policy aims - how is the policy determined, and was cost a consideration?

What is the strategy for delivering on that policy? Is it clear what it is trying to achieve?

When it comes down to delivery, are the delivery mechanisms chosen likely to be effective, and do they offer value for money?

When it comes to implementation - has this been well planned? Is it implemented on time and budget and in a cost effective way?

Is what you are trying to achieve being monitored? Has the spending actually altered the outcomes, or would it have happened anyway?

When completed, was the outcome a success? How could it be improved in the future? Could this feed back into future similar delivery and implementation plans?

· 

These “Key questions for the different stages of financial Scrutiny” were posed by Mr. Larry Honeysett Head of Financial Scrutiny - House of Commons: Uk Parliament, during a Parliamentary Workshop/training programme at the Hyatt Grand Regency Hotel, Port-of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. This workshop (Wednesday 5 June, 2013) formed the final part of a project designed to strengthen the function of the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago in two main areas of scrutiny (i) the budget and its implementation and (ii) administration of government departments.

Mr Honeysett made salient points at that workshop, he pointed out that it is often easy to reduce Parliament’s financial role to one of simply approving the funds, and looking after the event at how the money has been spent. Mr. Honeysett further observed that “there has been little progress in improving the outputs of the two committees: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Public Accounts Enterprises Committee (PAEC) that neither has produced a report although there are draft reports. Noteworthy was his observation that “There does not appear any other explanation for this lack of output other than a lack of political will amongst the committee members themselves”. 

This is the crux of the matter in Trinidad and Tobago.

One of the four objectives within the “The Strategic Plan of the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago - 2013-2018” (January 20, 2014) is to improve the capacity of Parliament to provide effective oversight. Given the numerous anomalies revealed through investigative journalism, ‘mail-box drops” and leaked emails, it appears that the malaise and “lack of political will” is still resident within the parliamentary chambers. Notwithstanding our robust legislative framework, our various arrangements with regional and international bodies and our being party to treaties to deal with accountability and corruption, enforcement is lacking. Enter external vigilance and public involvement, perhaps we can began with the establishing of Parliamentary Monitoring Organisations.

Parliamentary Monitoring Organizations (PMOs) monitor and assess the functioning of parliaments or their individual members, often seeking to facilitate and promote public knowledge of, and participation in parliamentary processes. This is a model that has been researched by The National Democratic Institute together with the World Bank Institute (WBI). During this research more than 80 national parliaments worldwide were monitored. According to the National Democratic Institute (NDI) PMOs have shown promise in strengthening a number of components of democratic governance, including the accountability of parliaments to the electorate, citizen engagement in the legislative process and access to information about parliaments and their work. Where democratic norms of accountability are weak, PMOs have helped stimulate demand for improved parliamentary functioning and nurtured a culture of respect for the active contribution of citizens in the political process – both during and in-between elections.

The literature is abundant regarding the potential of PMOs, it is a good premise for intellectual discussion and a precursor to further research. Hopefully there will be further discourse soon and as citizens we will be empowered to demand accountability and effective representative. Knowledge is power, the power is ours!

http://www.ttparliament.org/documents/2205.pdf

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmhaff/231/23110.htm

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/PROJECTS/EXTFINANCIALMGMT/0,,contentMDK 21465016~menuPK:3914586~pagePK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:313218,00.html

SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY_GET INVOLVED

Given the recent revelations in matters relating to government expenditure, procurement and programme implementation it is understandable that there is an increase in the demand for public disclosure of decisions, processes and procedures. Clearly there is a dire need for social watchdogs, agencies that are not resident within government. The oversight of the conduct of the nation's affairs has to be external since it is evident that original intent of parliament to “be transparent” has been defeated in several instances in key areas of governance.

For now, independent oversight in Trinidad and Tobago is limited to private organisations and interest groups such as 'The American Chamber of Commerce' (Amchatt), 'Fixin' TT and the 'Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute'. The extent to which these entities can enforce action by government and public officials depends on the level of social involvement and perhaps the level threat of legal recourse and pubilc demonstrations. The following is merely an insight into the importance and effect of social accountability and parliamentary oversight. Hopefully this will act as a precursor to extensive debates among academics and continued public engagement.

Social accountability, according to the World Bank Source Book can be defined as the obligation of power-holders to account for or take responsibility for their actions. In this context power-holders refer to those who hold political, financial or other forms of power and include officials in government, private corporations, international financial institutions and civil society organizations (CSOs). The right to demand accountability is a fundamental principle of democracy, disclosure is therefore a right, not a privilege. Thus far, citizens' right to information surrounding decisions that can impact socially and which affects the public purse seem to be recognised only after robust and legal persistence. Nevertheless, it is a necessary feature of democracy, a key tool in preventing and managing corruption.

The system adopted by Trinidad and Tobago in its fight against corruption involves a framework of domestic legislation, policy initiatives and special institutions, together with international conventions, multilateral and bilateral treaties. This was noted during an oversight visit by a team from the Organisation of American States to Trinidad to Trinidad and Tobago during the period 1-4 October, 2012. It was further observed that there is an anti-corruption framework mechanized by domestic legislation:     

• The Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, Chap. 11.
• The Central Authority of T&T
• The Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act, Chap. 12:04 -
• The Prevention of Corruption Act, Chap 11:11
• The Proceeds of Crime Act, Chap. 11.27
• The Integrity in Public Life Act, Chap. 22:
• The Freedom of Information Act, Chap. 22:02
• The Police Complaints Authority Act, Chap. 15:05 and (at least five oversight bodies)

1. Integrity Commission
2. Office of the Auditor Genera
3. Service Commissions
4. Office of the Ombudsman
5. Ministry of the Attorney General:

Within the Ministry of the AG is  the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB) 

The Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago established the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Public Accounts Enterprises Committee (PAEC) via the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 1998. This amendment enabled the House of Representatives or the Senate to appoint Select Committees or Joint select Committees referred to as “Watchdog Committees” to investigate and report to Parliament on the powers and methods of functioning of, and criteria adopted by:

• Service Commissions in Trinidad and Tobago;
• Ministries and Departments of Government;
• Statutory Authorities; and
• Enterprises controlled by or on behalf of the state or in which public money is invested.

These Committees are charged with the responsibility to examine the appropriation accounts of moneys granted by Parliament to meet the public expenditure of Trinidad and Tobago and to examine the audited accounts of all State Enterprises that are owned or controlled by the State. How successful have these oversight Committees been in effecting the principles of accountability, transparency, openness and access to information held by public bodies? Might the answer lie in our current state of governance and public affairs?

END OF PART 1.

2013-2018 http://www.ttparliament.org/documents/2218.pdf
http://www.ttparliament.org/documents/2205.pdf
http://www.worldbank.org/socialaccountability_sourcebook/PrintVersions/Conceptual%2006.22.07.pdf

RE-ACTIVATED: A RETREAT TO PROGRESS

Almost one year later, I return with cautious optimism. Although unintentional, the break-away was necessary: Far from the madding crowd, a crowd obsessed with self(ies) and materialism and all the frivolities of social media; an inexplicable fixation with the obnoxious and the obvious, the visual and the visible. There is a need to be seen, to be recognised to be validated, to be adored. This is the new crowd. Understandably therefore, there are no more boundaries with behaviour, taboos are passe and the generation gap has closed in enough to blur the lines of appropriate communication and conduct between children and adults, guardians and charges, employees and the workplace. The threshold of tolerance for scandals seems limitless and the boundaries of conscience continuously adjusted to accommodate shifting morals. 

These observations are important in the context of crime and social disorganisation. Crime remains relevant and now requires the urgent attention not only for the authorities for anyone with an interest in effecting positive change. Social disorganisation must be introduced in this discussion if we are to understand to the 'norming' of criminality, the necessity of specific law enforcement approaches and strategies and the implement of particular social programmes. Crime is legally defined as "any act or omission forbidden by law and punishable by state". Notwithstanding our many laws that prohibit a wide range of behaviours - from violence to fraud, it seems that the taking of another life is incidental to the achievement of material gain or status and the achievement of material gain or status is at whatever cost, a life even. Clearly, there is an absence of conscience and remorse with recent crimes - of all types. The policy makers and designers of social programmes should do some intensive reading on 'social disorganisation':

The inquiry into understanding crime from the 'neighbourhood perspective' was first developed by Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay (1942) at the Institute for Social Research in Chicago. Despite many challenges and modifications by other colleagues, the essential truth of Shaw and McKay remains; that communities weakened by structural problems will be fertile soil for the growth of crime. 

"Those with the misfortune of residing in isolated, impoverished, disorganised communities have the double difficulty of being exposed to conditions that might permit criminal involvement and of being less able to anything about crime when it occurs around them..."

Criminological Theory: Past to Present - Essential Readings 4th Ed.

Pt. III: The Chicago School: The City, Social Disorganisation , and Crime

The literature is insightful, it points to the fact that crime is not individual in all aspects, even though individuals are motivated differently. The depth of this discourse means that several criminological and sociological perspectives need to be examined. I hope to pique the interest of casual and academic readers. We need to remain active and involved in our social affairs. Capture this moment with the hashtags #RudeAwakening #ItTakesAVillage!

CHILD ABANDONMENT_SURVIVAL OR VICTIM HOOD?

"... people have difficulty understanding how a mother could reject her own baby. Yet, strange as it may seem, post-partum depression may actually have a rational function, evolved in humanity’s more dangerous past when a new baby, by its demand for additional resources, may have threatened the survival of older children and the mother herself. In this context, post-partum depression allows a mother to commit an act which, were she in her right mind, she could never possibly contemplate..."

Trinidad Express - Commentary: August 2 2013 

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/commentaries/At-risk-mothers--need-our-help-218173732.html 

This article sums up my reflections of the editorial in the Trinidad Express newspapers – dated August 2, 2013. While it is not intended as a precursor to research, the potential for academic discourse should not be discounted, particularly given the coincidence of a recently concluded Criminal Justice Seminar on “Serial Killers”. The choice of topic for the seminar was curious, with several persons questioning the relevance of the subject to Trinidad and Tobago; after all, we don’t have serial killers here! By the close of semester and 31 presentations later, some must have left the room contemplating a review of such an assertion. Now, the topic of abandoned babies and serial killers are inadvertently juxtaposed as a consideration to the psychology of crime and criminality, or at least, gangs. Might it be that what we are experiencing with gang violence and blatant callous killings is symptomatic of and rooted in the abandonment of the young? There is a certain kind of apathy in criminality, manifested by brazen confrontations with law enforcement and reckless disregard to law and order.

The question is not far removed from the attempt to explain deviance via the theory of ‘nature vs nature’ or to explain the psycho/socio-pathology of serial killers with theories of ‘attachment’ and ‘object-relation’. While the consensus on serial killers is that it takes a ‘certain kind of individual’ to kill, repeatedly and to even begin to commit such heinous acts, the nature and aetiology of homicides in Trinidad and Tobago seem to demand similar approaches.  There have been suggestions that there is a strong causal link to the ‘barrel generation’ to delinquency and crime; the generation of offspring who were left in the care of their guardians and siblings by parents who went in search of ‘greener pastures’. The symbols of attachment and attention to these children were expressed through the contents of seasonal barrels filled with ‘foreign stuff’ from ‘away’. This generation – born in the mid eighties, early nineties has since mutated into a class of deportees, stemmed either from the migrant parents or themselves having migrated at an early age. Either way, abandonment has featured one way or another, breeding a genealogical line of castaways. 

There is also a group of abandoned ‘babies’ at the various institutions to consider; the populations at St. Jude’s School for girls and the St. Michael’s School for boys comprise a mixed and complex group of juveniles. A significant number of girls and boys at these ‘schools’ have been admitted for reasons other than delinquency, in fact, even those deemed to be delinquent are often the products of abandonment in the first place. Enter the cycle of survival, sub-culture and social isolation. 

Abandonment of the young is a serious indictment, not criminally – in the main but in respect of the social and moral fabric of our society. The idea of placing our children in the dumps, literally and figuratively, is a desperate call for care and attention to the young and to parenting. The rampage of the gun, the scourge of gang violence and the heady pace of reckless abandon may be indicative of deep-seated revenge for perceived deprivation and oppression. This is not to justify the behaviour, it is a preliminary elucidation of ideas on children who have been deserted by their mothers, where does it begin and end?

SPEECH LESS

"... for far too long, with consecutive governments we have the same faces with the same old philosophies and tired ideas. We need as a nation to engage our young intellectuals..." President Carmona: Ceremonial opening of the Fourth session of the Tenth Parliament at Tower D, International Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain.

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Perhaps it is no coincidence that my blogging spirit remained in a comatose state until the President’s speech. I admit to having suffered a bout of writer’s block; this due mainly to the fact that each time I attempted to pen my thoughts, I felt exhausted – with the political rhetoric being spewed from both sides; with one side ranting and raving about missteps and misdemeanours misconceptions and the other side seeking to explain that the writing on wall remains the same, that it our vision that is deteriorating. While the topics and themes usually revolved around Criminal Justice issues, the intent was to encourage vigilance and discourse over all matters which may affect policy and decision making. To this end a reading of the daily newspapers was necessary, as well as keeping au courant with public sentiment and expert opinion, enter the cycle of the ‘same old philosphies and tired ideas’.

President Carmona in his speech at the Fourth session of the Tenth Parliament referred to the ‘dinosaur legislation’ that no person under the age of 25 can qualify to be a senator in the Upper House – that such legislation lacks vision. Perhaps this is root cause of the sloth that pervades decision making and policy implementation not just with our politics but with governance across all spheres of public service. Academic institutions NOT excluded. It may also explain why, still, across social media there is hardly any meaningful expression of interest in matters related to politics, different from our preoccupation with deriding our leaders. To put the President’s utterances in of an academic setting, it may be timely to revisit all curricula to include public speaking and debating. At all levels, from as early as primary school, core skills in the written and oral expression should be honed. Such skills should not be developed merely as assessment prerequisites but with a view to encourage learning by discovery and research. The art of oratory can be further polished via inter and intra-mural collaboration. Hopefully this will be one way to recruit young(er) minds to the civic and political arenas. 

The affliction of rote speeches in our Parliament is borne out of our pedagogy, it is an ill that pervades all levels of schooling and particularly affects tertiary education where critical thinking is central to intellectual stimulation. At any event, where there is a lack of depth to dialogue brawn steps in and will prevail when the other side is unprepared. This is characteristic of our management styles, throughout and embedded in our methods of delivery of knowledge and instruction. It is time for change and that time is now. “In every generation there comes along an exceptional human being under the age of 25”, so says our President. Truth is, this IS the generation of exceptional human beings under twenty five. Now recruiting, the next generation -new thoughts, new ideas!