Govt cannot outsource accountability

Mickela Panday

The true test of any government is how it responds to scrutiny.

It is how it behaves when people ask questions.

That is why I have been deeply troubled, not by the Government’s announcement of three Memoranda of Understanding involving artificial intelligence and industrial development, but by the Prime Minister’s response to citizens who dared to ask for more information.

She said it was “amazing” that people would sign a petition objecting to the projects without knowing the details. She went further, arguing that citizens should wait for the companies to publish their proposals before objecting.

A Prime Minister, who gets the relationship between the government and the people completely backwards. If the Government signs an agreement in the people’s name, then the Government, not the private companies involved, has the responsibility to explain to the people.

Private companies were not elected to govern Trinidad and Tobago. They did not negotiate these agreements on behalf of the people. They are accountable to shareholders, and the government is accountable to citizens.

If the Government signed the agreements. The Government made the announcements. The Government must answer the questions. The Government has a duty to explain that agreement to the people. That responsibility cannot be delegated and it certainly cannot be outsourced.

Let me also be clear about something else. This is not an argument against artificial intelligence. It is not an argument against foreign investment. It is not an argument against economic diversification.

On the contrary, Trinidad and Tobago desperately needs new industries. We need to move beyond old economic models. We need opportunities that will keep our young people here, creating businesses, developing technologies and building careers.

If these projects achieve those objectives, I will be among the first to celebrate their success. But governments do not earn trust by asking citizens to celebrate announcements. They earn trust by respecting citizens enough to tell them the truth.

The Prime Minister has since provided some assurances. She has explained that the proposed facilities will use non-potable or recycled water rather than WASA’s domestic supply. She has said electricity and natural gas will not be subsidised by taxpayers and that the projects will operate within Special Economic Zones.

Those answers are welcome. But they are not enough. They answer some operational questions, but they leave the central question of governance unanswered.

What due diligence was conducted before these Memoranda of Understanding were signed? What independent economic analysis supports the projections being made? What environmental assessments have informed the Government’s decision-making? What obligations has the State accepted? What incentives have been offered? What benchmarks must investors satisfy before these projects move beyond announcements and become reality? How will local businesses participate? How will our universities and technical institutions prepare the workforce needed to support this industry?

Most importantly, where is the national strategy that explains how these projects fit into Trinidad and Tobago’s long-term economic future?

They are questions any responsible citizen should ask. And no responsible government should ever make citizens feel they are wrong for asking them.

The Prime Minister’s response became even more troubling when she dismissed environmental concerns by telling citizens to “look at how the country is a dump.” Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago is not a dump.

If our environment is already under pressure, then surely that is the very reason we should demand higher standards, oversight and greater transparency for projects of such a scale. We can pursue economic growth while insisting on higher standards. Responsible governments do both.

We can clean our rivers and welcome investment. We can tackle illegal dumping and embrace artificial intelligence. We can pursue economic growth while insisting on environmental responsibility. These are not competing priorities.

The larger issue before us is governance.

Today, the subject is AI. Tomorrow it may be a port, an energy project, a multibillion-dollar loan or the disposal of a national asset. The issue will change. The principle must not.

Governments are elected to answer questions, not to decide when the public is entitled to ask them. Public accountability is not a public relations exercise. It is not something governments provide after pressure mounts or when private companies decide they are ready to speak.

This Government sought office promising transparency, accountability and a new style of leadership. Those promises were made to the people of T&T. Now is the time to honour them.

If these projects are as transformative as the Government says they will be, then trust the people with the facts. Publish what can properly be published. Explain the framework. Set out the national strategy. Answer the difficult questions before they become public controversies.

That is how confidence is built. That is how trust is earned. And that is how governments demonstrate respect for the people they were elected to serve.

The citizens of Trinidad and Tobago are not an inconvenience to be managed, nor are they spectators waiting for private companies to explain what their Government has signed.

They are the sovereign people of this Republic. They have every right to ask questions. They have every right to expect answers. And no Prime Minister should ever suggest otherwise.

Mickela Panday is Political Leader of the Patriotic Front and Attorney at Law