Dear Editor,
Perhaps, we lesser mortals identified for the sacrifice inherent in the altruism of public appointment ought to expect antipathy from some quarters. In so doing, we must endure the reactions of the self-inflicted imperfections and inadequacies of the civic and political epigone, some of whom are luxuriating in current media houses and the general consensus is that these latter are staffed by a less than proficient cadre of reporters, and sometimes, editorial expertise. This is not surprising, given the standards prevailing at the public examination level and the rush to give equality of opportunity a public face, without the concomitant rigorous demands for appropriate skills.
Evidence of this national ailment is not confined to the media and it would appear to have afflicted a greater percentage of the social and commercial sectors and, most of all, the legal profession. One only needs to scan the reports of court decisions pronounced by some magistrates to confirm the dearth of learning and expertise infecting the present Bench.
In my fifth decade as a professional lawyer, it is now virtually impossible to recall the weekly intervention of the Chief Justice in relation to the grant of bail. This is the more distressing since this needful exercise addresses an enshrined fundamental right of the personal liberty of an individual. It has become a constitutional cottage industry, humorously referred to as the CJ’s “Happy Hour on Friday.” Had magistrates been more sensitive in the discharge of their duties this extra burden could have been obviated.
Perhaps, with the appointment of an appropriately qualified Registrar of the Supreme Court in place, the administrative status quo ante would be restored.
This experience manifests itself at most, if not all, levels of the burgeoning infrastructure we encounter in our daily interactions. An expectation of improvement is the only option and this is surely dependent on an immediate scrutiny and sanitization of the ill-equipped bureaucracy responsible for training and certification of the community at large. Herein lies the revolving door of literacy and numeracy, or rather, the lack of them both.
A major nub of discomfort, if not discontent, with respect to the public dissemination of information is the motley collection of broadcasting agencies which provide the avenues for elocution by way of a variety of programmes, both audio and video. Skilled and experienced professionals need to implement and oversee the current corps of personnel selected to discharge these mundane yet important functions. This training exercise by the former must seek to firstly, identify and then, transform the patina of competence, if not eloquence, of the latter in a significant way for the building blocks of progress to produce expected standards. It may be moot whether the prime centralization of these efforts would achieve the desired elevation envisaged, and major consultation must be undertaken for the results to become universal.
Tradition cannot now be relied upon to provide the complement of ideas nor can it be summoned to perform this most important task. Broadcast-material aspirants ought to have, at a minimum, a tincture of versatility in diction and general savoir-faire so that, with further exposure to the requirements of the profession, incremental improvement will be fashioned by on-the-job training.
The experience will manifest itself in a graduated way and supervisory oversight will commensurably diminish, inexorably. It is fair to state that notions of justifiable elevation beyond the point of entry can only be sustained by intense dedication of the assigned beneficiary of the programme of education. An axiom of commonsense is an acknowledgement that not every person who wears a suit is suitable for the position he seeks and, God forbid, is allowed to occupy. In the unenlightened eye of the aspirant, this self-evident adumbration may become a source of contention and possibly, discontent. Contaminants in the system must be resolutely flushed out in the interest of the public weal.
However, with equal embrace, one must lend acceptance to the notion that it is never too late to commence the journey of improvement and reconstruction.
Be that as it may, and now that the problem has been essentially identified, a solution must be found to meet its exigencies. The answer may very well lie in social engineering in much the same way that an engineer seeks to resolve the difficulties encountered in the use of second hand or in a Guyana context, reconditioned machinery. With the skill he possesses there is an expectation that the efficiency of that machine would be once again optimized over a graduated period by his dedicated and practical servicing. As the sound of the machine improves there is a noticeable incremental increase in its production and, once comparable maintenance is undertaken apace, its proficiency will attain the desired constancy. In essence, the workforce must aspire to recognize that knowledge is the chief currency and premature acquisition of easy money matters little, if the global expectations are to be achieved.
This form of social transformation may yet provide the springboard for a contented community and, until the ideal is attained, the benefits to the service provider in the interregnum must be allowed to grow in an evolutionary manner. With appropriate planning and management, our vast human resources of experience, skill, technical knowledge and untapped goodwill homegrown or acquired overseas, can be translated into an enduring wellspring of national transformation from its potential to the hitherto elusive reality.
Yours faithfully,
Justice Charles R Ramson SC
(Attorney-General and Minister
of Legal Affairs (rtd))
