Though it does not currently appear to be the case, it should occur to all April 28 competitors that among the voting population there now resides a large cohort of adult folks who consider election promises to be dispensable fluff unless a clear path to achievability is offered.
This is defiant of even stubborn traditional
loyalties and punishable by rejection of the entire system of electoral selection.
Survey first and second-time eligible voters and see what I mean.
They, more than others, see that the
penalty for not paying close attention to the “hows” of the numerous “whats” is
the pain we repeatedly endure each time campaign dust settles and we begin
going about our business in the expectation that some critical features of our
lives will change ... for the better.
Among the common threads is the notion that
the achievement of modernity in the conduct of public business has the
potential to assure better outcomes. For the digital generation, this is an
indispensable pre-requisite for deeper personal engagement.
For this group, an efficient,
technology-driven government is not a luxury - it is a necessity. They view
digital transformation as a prerequisite for deeper civic engagement and trust
in leadership.
Let’s face it, there exists no fundamental
ideological differences among the several contestants. There is no one on the
national stage, for example, suggesting that the state should withdraw substantially
from service delivery in key areas including public health, education, social
infrastructure, and Eric Williams’ 1973 direct
and indirect control of the “commanding heights of the economy.”
Today, there is the challenge of engaging,
even within the context of these longstanding philosophical commitments, the
task of dragging the country, seemingly kicking and screaming, into the realities
of vastly changed times.
This space has been used too many times to
remind us that the digital economy is no longer a matter of choice and that hesitation
on this matter is costing us dearly, inclusive of the psychological detachment
of the young.
These people know that the resolution of
challenges goes beyond the mere acquisition of the available technological tools
and resides in the mindset that drives receptivity or rejection. There are
numerous examples of where we lag significantly behind.
Every single political party, for example,
has lamented difficulties regarding the “ease of doing business.”
The tech experts are meanwhile unanimously
declaring that among the major obstacles is the fact that both private and
public sector lethargy has contributed substantially to the current state of
affairs and that the challenge exceeds the requirements of regulation and
legislation.
Online government services are unreliable
and the slow private sector embrace of appropriate technologies - through employment
of digital façades to mask manual backends – has meant that things are almost
purposely meant to proceed slowly and inefficiently.
No! An “online” transaction does not end in
the ability to download a PDF for completion before emailing back to the
agency! My online payment should not take days “to process.” You’re doing it
all wrong because you do not truly trust it. It’s not paper and signatures and
flesh and blood at a counter.
Until I see battalions of under-30s in the
frontline of the required progress, I will remain sceptical about any real commitment
to change. So don’t come to me with this “ease of doing business” bellyache
without telling me how you propose to make the promised changes through readily
available technological solutions that render transactions more cost-effective,
seamless, and with the impact of lowering (not increasing) the cost of doing
business.
Additionally, a brief word on the so-called
“cashless economy” – an admirable objective that does not deserve casual, ill-advised
rejection. All change involves real and/or perceived risks.
Cashless transactions, depending on how
things are arranged, can in fact come up against privacy and other issues if we
do not learn from others. But the wider, undeniable benefits of security and
convenience demand that serious attention be paid to proper execution – if we
ever reach that point.
A visually impaired beggar in India was
recently photographed seeking contributions via a QR code on his t-shirt activating
a phone cash transfer! The latter practice is widely employed throughout Asia
and parts of Africa.
Speaking (embarrassingly) of which, we are
among the last few Caribbean states to move to implement online Arrival Cards
for incoming passengers. The story behind this goes beyond the availability of
the technology and resides deep within negative mindsets.
There are loads of other things for voters
to think about. These include words and behaviours that have served to
jeopardise electability. Get past that and this country’s embarrassing digital
lag needs to be among the top tier issues for decisive consideration.