BitDepth #1509
Mark Lyndersay
Dear Prime Minister,
It's early days for your new government and your first emphasis is likely to be on establishing its leadership presence. Your first appointments will probably address the hot-button issues of crime and the economy.
The UNC's "minifestos," bullet point summaries of its plans after taking office offer the best guide of your administration's plans for digital transformation after forming the new cabinet.
In those documents, there are both wild generalities, obvious solutions, initiatives already in development by the former government and some misunderstanding about how digital initiatives should inform your new government's plans.
There is a long standing tradition of "new broom" efforts after a change in government, but technology development is a long runway effort, so your incoming government should take the time to assess what's already underway.
While nobody would accuse the outgoing minister of digital transformation of offering a coherent, transparently communicated and routinely updated roadmap of the ministry's work, there are several projects underway that would be needlessly destructive to derail.
Unlike the quick fix of repairing a stretch of roadway that rewards inconvenience with tangible improvement, TT's digital development will be measured in years, a timeline likely to be extended through governance and procurement restrictions.
At least two often referenced, but vaguely articulated ministry projects, the improvement of data interoperability in government and the implementation of an electronic ID are critical pillars of some of the UNC's manifesto plans.
In the UNC's anti-crime manifesto, for instance, the plan to pursue "electronic data access in all police vehicles," only works if there is an efficient capture process for relevant information, a secure system for storing data and a robust data encryption regime for transmitting it.
Digital benefits will come from a commitment to interlocking data systems, which improve efficiency, increases transparency and, eventually, delivers tangible improvements to citizen's lives.
What the technology sector in governance has long needed is a czar.
Professor Ken Julien, operating with the clear blessing of Dr Eric Williams and the long runway of continuous PNM governance fulfilled that role for the energy sector.
Dr Williams did not know how to realise his dream of greater control over the exploitation of this country's natural resources, but he found someone who did.
Julien did not effect that change which led to two major booms in the economy on his own. He gathered around him trusted and knowledgeable lieutenants who guided the planning, oversaw the execution and changed the fortunes of the country.
Hassel Bacchus is no Ken Julien. We'll never know whether he might have been, because he never enjoyed the freedom of action, the scope of control, or the time that Julien had when he re-engineered the extraction of oil and gas in this country.
Bacchus must have wrestled w
