THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: IS ITS CREDIBILITY IN QUESTION ? For many years, the country was told by Basdeo Panday that there is a small group of un-elected people, who exert influence and make decisions, which are eventually carried out by governments of the day. They were known to be the ones who really ran the country. They were known as the non-elected cabinet and its membership came mostly from the Union Club. They were referred to as the parasitic oligarchy. Following the 1991 general election, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, invited Mr Panday to be its guest speaker. In addressing its membership, Mr Panday lambasted the Chamber for being selfish and not seeking the interests of the wider national community. The Chamber found this stance unusual of a guest. At the end of the meeting, Mr Augiton who was the Chambers head, congratulated and thanked Mr Panday for his forthrightness. More than two decades later, the Chamber continues to be seen as maintaining, a monopolistic position by virtue of its prominence and historical antecedents. It overshadows all civil society organizations. In August this year, the Chamber urged the government to call the local government election. This was a frontish move by the Chamber in attempting to dictate the agenda of the government, when there was a clear commitment to hold the elections on time. The recent inconsistencies between the releases of the Chamber and the subsequent clarification by the Office of the Prime minister merely confirms that the Chamber is trying to over extend itself in to the political domain. Then in June this year,at a time when there was absolutely no need issue a release, the Chamber in commenting on a cabinet re-shuffle, used the opportunity to create doubt in the performance of the economy, when everyone knew that, despite the economic turmoil in Europe and the US, our economy was still attracting foreign direct investment. I look forward to the Chambers future interventions and anticipate that it will demonstrate unequivocally that it can be objective and transparent in its releases.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:02:12 +0000
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