Planting peas and hoping for corn.

This article was published in TT Guardian on 2021 09 06

Planting peas and hoping for corn.

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go but ought to be.” Eleanor Rosalynn Carter

The current prime minister and his predecessor have at times described themselves as CEO’s of TT. Finding a CEO to manage a company is a much easier undertaking than finding a leader to run a country. First, the population of CEO’s is much larger than would be prime ministers and the expertise required more clearly defined. Second, candidates would have managed more than one company, and have practical experience which is transferable. ?Third, they understand and are accustomed to working with performance targets and measurable deliverables. Fourth, they understand that success is associated with meeting goals and that failure to meet those goals will result in termination. ?It is also easier to fire a CEO.

A country is not a corporation and the skills required to manage a corporation are not always the skills required to run a country, though some of those skills are the same. Managing a country is more complicated than managing a company as there are more variables and the deliverables are opaque. Further, a country is run on more general, prescriptive, principles than the narrowly focused strategies of a corporation. Selecting a prime minister is also a more complex process. Since the welfare of the nation is at stake, not simply profits, what type of experience should a prime ministerial candidate have and what are the key selection criteria?

The constitution is not very helpful. The relevant sections 47,48 and 76 set out minimal criteria.

Under S47 to qualify as an electoral candidate one must be a citizen of TT, over 18 and must have lived in TT for two years before the date of nomination. S48 debars ?a person who is bankrupt, owes allegiance to another country, is mentally ill, or under a sentence of death imposed by the court, or is disqualified from any other law currently in force. S76 provides that the prime minister must be an elected member?representative and?the leader of the party which controls the majority of elected members of the House. Alternatively, where there is no majority, the President will appoint as prime minister the person who, in the president’s view, is most likely to command majority support in the House and is willing to accept the position.

The prime ministers of TT have come from varied backgrounds, history, economics, law geology and volcanology.?Dr. Williams was a university professor and scholar, George Chambers a legal clerk, Robinson, Panday, Persad Bissesar were attorneys, Manning was a geologist and, Rowley a volcanologist. Williams had no experience of office and would have had to learn on the job. Every other prime minister held ministerial office and served time in opposition before becoming prime minister. Of them all Patrick Manning would have served a long apprenticeship under Williams.

The primary filters are the party mechanisms. There is enough evidence suggest that these are not fool proof. There are no minimal education or professional standards or qualifications to become a prime minister or minister. Those play a role in the choice of candidates by political parties in determining the potential candidate’s “electability”. Since every prime minister so far had ministerial experience before being elected political leader, their popularity within the party as demonstrated by success in internal elections is clearly a major factor. ?Therefore, we can surmise that the choice of political leaders reflect the prevailing mood, ethos, and morality of the majority, within the party and the party reflects the electorate. What is the position when a party is perceived as being dominated by one ethnic group?

How do we know that the leader will do a good job if elected? Rather than their educational accomplishments or the number of positions that the candidate has held, does the candidate have a track record of achievement? Are those achievements useful indicators of how the person will perform in the highest office? How do we know that the candidate will do what is in the best interest of the country and not the party or personal self-interest? On what basis will the ministerial team be selected?

The answer is that we do not know how those elected will turn out. We are asked to trust in the electoral process and hope that those elected will work in the best interest of the country. Also, that there is an appropriately trained professional public service will provide the accumulated wisdom and guidance in the development of policy and the execution thereof.?Mistakes will be made as no one, and no process is perfect.

But if electors do not pay attention to the detail, it is unlikely that they will be able to get the leader they need. Performance, not popularity, is the key determinant of a country’s success. Therefore, the critical part of the process is to ensure that the political parties are efficient and well run. And we know the answer to that question.