Trinidad Newsday
David Abdulah, PHOTO BY LINCOLN HOLDER
Plans for the steel band industry and an economic impact assessment of Carnival were among the initiatives by the recently dissolved Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB), reported former member and Movement for Social Justice leader David Abdulah.
"The country will be poorer for that."
According to reports, the Cabinet-appointed EDAB was dissolved by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley who wrote to the members thanking them for their service.
Abdulah in a telephone interview on Friday said it was not clear what was going to replace the EDAB and it was assumed after Farrell's resignation the Prime Minister would have appointed a new chairman or additional members so the work of the board could have continued. He added the board was in limbo and it was not clear what was happening and this was the main reason he had resigned. He said the members did not receive any money and did not wish to be remunerated but it was purely public service.
"The work of the EDAB is necessary. The type of work we were doing will not now be picked up by anybody else. Quite clearly there will be a gap in the strategic and longer-term policy development which the country requires urgently."
Replies
I would like to suggest a rewrite of this sentence.
"The type of work we were doing will not now be picked up by anybody else. Quite clearly there will be a gap in the strategic and longer-term policy development which the country requires urgently."
The rewrite:
"The type of work we were doing MUST now be picked up by OTHER GROUPS, OR INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING OUR UNIVERSITIES AND TRADE ORGANISATIONS. Quite clearly there will be IS a gap in the strategic and longer-term policy development which the country requires urgently." THAT MUST BE FILLED.
Rationale:
For example, there are many good reasons why PanTrinbago, or the new Steelband Foundation should be the right body to put together a working group to undertake the study on the future of Pan. There is no reason why they should be waiting on 'de govanment' to take the initiative. The same goes for all the other 'interest groups'. We have all heard of 'Think Thanks'.