The most popular and regularly used symbol of democracy in Barbados in recent years has been the so call ‘Town hall Meeting’. The local version of this popular American feature involves a meeting called for 7.00 p.m. on a week night, in a school hall or some similarly uncomfortable and unattractive location – to discuss some complex subject that Government (and increasingly, many of our large businesses) have long since finalized.
These meetings are advertised liberally in the press and are usually well attended – by the officials who are there to sell their case (and who were given time off from work during the day to be available for the meeting). The regular trend, however, is that the general public is conspicuous by their notable absence.
It took Bush Tea just a few such meetings to realize that the whole exercise and approach is a colossal waste of time for the public attending (I walked out of my last one after 18 minutes), however is is very interesting to note that these meetings have remained popular with Government and many business persons.
It is not hard to see why.
The ONLY reason for holding these meetings is to allow these entities to place themselves in a position to be able to say “well you should have attended the town hall meetings and objected then”. They have NO interest in any constructive feedback from the public. There is no coherent structure in place to encourage and collect such feedback, no useful background information is provide to encourage factual, constructive inputs from the public and in fact, these meeting all dissolve into conversations between a few persons there ‘in the know’ (leaving John Doe lost and bored) – or into long and boring speeches from persons with little background knowledge – but who just like to hear themselves speaking.
There have been a few exceptions. Notably when Light & Power attempted to sell their wind turbines to the residents of the north and when 3S had second thoughts about explaining the ABC highway project, after the Association of Professional Engineers developed a public interest in the project. It is notable that in both of these cases there was no subsequent attempt to take concerns of the public on board, in fact, having failed to pull off their ‘selling job’, 3S abandoned the meeting altogether, while BL&P appears to have abandoned the wind project.
Government is in a class all by itself however. Those meetings that I attended were run by mid level civil servants whose role appears to have been to sit through the ordeal and to pretend to be interested. In each case there were so few persons in attendance that 80% of those there seem to be directly involved with the subject issues.
Apparently, the issue of introducing a freedom of information lact is currently making its way through this process….what can Bush Tea say?
Obviously, had these leaders been honestly interested in the public’s opinion – or in giving the public a choice of possible options, they would have done what they always do when the want to involve the public – like;
-Go on a call in show to explain and answer questions.
-Hold a press conference and deal with the issue.
-Invite independent knowledgeable persons to explain the various options in the press.
-Start a blog or other interactive web site
But these are far to simple and obvious options. Probably far too many Bajans would want to have a say, and worst of all, we may come up with different solutions (that may not suit their hidden agendas). So it seems like we will continue to have town hall meetings….. and not one of us will be able to complain when the stuff hits the fan, – cause ‘we should have turned up and made our case’.
….at least we can now have our say on issues of our choosing, and come to understand the facts and the options out there. It is a brand new world – light years away from ‘town hall meetings’ and like it or not, politicians will soon realize that THEY are the ones who will have to come on board with technology -or be tossed to the sharks….
This reminds me of a proposed meeting regarding Flyovers which was supposed to take place at the Parkinson School. The announcement was made around 2 p.m for the meeting which was supposed to start at 6 p.m the same day.
I agree with you BT and I must asked. The last Town Hall got demolished, so you can understand the theatrics regarding Town Hall Meetings.
Wait, Dis blog still goin’..?
Bushman it appears as though like David and others yah don’ get out much.
Serious stuff aside, the one thing that you will notice at town hall meetings of all varieties and type is the absence of people like David Ellis, Dennis Johnson, Tony Marshall and you will only see the likes of Andrew Hatch and Maxine McLean if they are called to sit on the panel. Come to think of it, I have never seen Peter Wickham, Mathew Farley or anyone else of that fraternity, but they will all speak with confidence on any matter that was discussed at the meet. Makes you go hmmm…!
@Bush Tea…
I commend you once again on your BLOG. Do us proud!!!
WRT “Town Hall Meetings”, one thing I have always found interesting is that there is no publicly available outputs from same.
This does not *have* to be the case.
If “those that be, but shouldn’t be” can’t handle the appropriate distribution of information, then the “public” should step up…
Digital records are common and cheap. Most cell-phones can now record ambient audio; many can now record video.
Personally, I never enter a meeting without my handy Olympus DS-30. I tell everyone that I’m going to record the meeting, turn on my unit, and place it in the center of the meeting table.
You’d be surprised how serious everyone suddenly gets…
With regards to Town Hall Meetings, there is no reason anyone from the public cannot bring in a video camera and a tripod, and record the activities.
We’re in a world where everything we do is recorded. There’s absolutely no reason why some of this recording can’t be done by Joe Public…
@ Chris
Your points are all taken – but you are making the assumption that there is a good, positive intent in holding the meeting in the first place – and that it will be worth recording….. WRONG.
The meetings are dis-organised shambles without any structure or background information provided so that attendees can come prepared.
The ONLY intent is PUBLIC RELATIONS PROPAGANDA….. to be able to embarrass any complaints subsequently raised with the brush off that it ‘should have been raised at the THM…
This fundamental motive is what needs to be addressed. THERE SHOULD BE GENUINE INTEREST IN PUBLIC INPUTS.
@BT… your points are also well taken.
However, you might have missed the intention of one of my points…
If the “powers that be, but shouldn’t be” know there’s a chance their performance will be recorded and made public, they might be motivated to get much more serious.
Nothing undermines authority more than laughter….
True Chris, I missed that point.
It is a possible tactic. My problem is that I cannot see any alternative to the current mess.
Where in Barbados does the kind of management exist that will address this situation ?
Some kind of informed national leadership is needed at a very high level if we are to solve these issues.
Since the majority of the people stay away they are only fooling the few that bother to turn up.
Unless it is a grassroot issue, the ordinary man feels he is not qualifed to speak among the intellectuals.
True Bad lucky, but when you stay away they will still waste and steal your money too… and you can’t say a word afterwards – cause they will say you should have spoken when you had the chance.
…and if you go, they will frustrate you with the poor organisation, lack of information, and plain boredom and meaninglessness of the meeting.
dum fooling all o’ we.
If John Public believes that after attending a town hall meeting, he is less informed and more confused, what would prevent him from organizing his own meeting, where informed persons other than the stakeholders, examine and provide illumination on the said issues?
Not a thing prevents John Public General.
In fact, that is EXACTLY what BU and BFP represents.
This is what makes these blogs so powerful and is in fact the BEST way to counter the town hall ploy.
So my point now is that we should all (citizens) turn to these blogs and create our own ‘town hall’. One which is so powerful that the powers that be will HAVE to come on board, and answer REAL questions and REAL issues.
The last Highway Town Hall Meeting I attended had around 23 people. The majority of the people attending were representatives of the Ministry and 3S. I can tell you that only six people including myself were actual people from the area since only four hours separate the announcement and the actual meeting. Town Hall Meetings are just confirmation of the Government’s intentions. Everything have been signed, sealed and delivered, and we could quarrel til’ the cows come home; we can’t change ah ting.
Re the timing of the highway meeting.
It is the Government ie MPT who set the town hall meetings of the highway and they deliberately tried not to publicize them.
Also they denied the outcome of these meetings.
3S always took minutes of what was said at these meetings and these were later denied by MPT.
One such meeting was the pedestrian overpasses ( as opposed to underpasses) that were overwhelmingly preferred ( by a show of hands) by the residents – there were some 30+ people present from the surroundings community.
Only ONE person preferred the option of underpasses yet MPT – and it was reported to the media that the meeting was indecisive.
Wrong RU4REAL. Only about seven people who resides in the area. Six people spoke, three from the area, Kenny Best of St. Michael East and Hamilton Lashley who spoke a role of nonsense on behalf of the Minister of Transport & Works. The other people were followers of the ministers and representatives of 3S and MPT.
This is the same meeting that was originally scheduled for St.Barnabas Church and was cancelled at last minute. It was announced around 2:30 p.m on radio the same day of the meeting which was scheduled for 6 p.m.
Dis is de facts of de issue. Ah lie Mr. PR.
Hey Bush Tea
Happy New Year!
What make you of the news that the flyovers are going ahead with Clico at the helm.The smear campaign against 3S was just to get them out so the PMs buddies can be handed the job on a plate.
What’s so funny about this whole Town Hall Meeting is,you as the persons that has placed the folks in office… Need to step up and stop giving them the rights without you knowing what’s going on. Haven’t ever entered your mind that they was hoping that you didn’t show up? Needless to say they made a decision in any matter even before attending the meeting in the first place. Announcing the meet was as we say only a front; Recording the meeting would make a difference because if it’s shown to the public,the all would see it’s wasn’t all that it was cut out to be; If you don’t show up for the meetings then you have no voice; If you ask any question,and don’t understand the answer.. Then the answer must be simplified before the meeting continues; **STAND UP FOR YOUR OWN RIGHTS** or you will be lost is the shuffle for real;