In circumstances where fellow Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, not least Guyana, have been accused of compromising the effectiveness of state institutions in pursuit of their substantive responsibilities, Trinidad and Tobago’s Finance Minister, Colm Imbert, according to the Trinidadian Guardian August 14, 2024 report, has been parading his country’s “strong checks and balances for good governance credentials” in a presentation at the recent 4th Dialogue on Governance for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean at the Hyatt Regency (Trinidad) hotel in Port-of-Spain.
The Guardian said that while the Trinidad and Tobago minister gave no indication that he was making a comparison with any other CARICOM member country, it is known that, both in the region and beyond, concerns have been expressed regarding the perceived misuse of state institutions in Guyana to further political ends. In his address, Imbert asserted that while “some may disagree”, Trinidad and Tobago “has a series of strong institutional checks and balances that establish and maintain a solid platform for good governance.”