As a Trini we all have at some point been on the sour or the favourable end of some type of nepotism. Nepotism is so engrained in our culture that we look for a link or hook up before going through the proper channels. Now is this good or bad? And how can it be avoided in a society as small this one?
Now I think nepotism is good to a certain extent. For example I may have a friend who is qualified for a particular job and I may be in a position to ensure that my friend gets hired. But there are instances where favouritism is pushed too far and people are placed in positions that they either have no clue about or are simply not qualified for. I know for a fact that I have benefitted on several occasions and will, without a doubt give someone I know a chance over a complete stranger. But where does it stop?
There are times when nepotism is so bad that it is almost impossible to get something done unless you know someone in the department or agency. Sadly this is usually the case in many government agencies. There are numerous horror stories of persons trying to get their passport or birth paper to no avail. Now I draw the line at nepotism when it comes to the delivery of government services, especially because these services cannot be provided by an external party. Additionally some of these services that are provided by the Government are essential to conduct business in our everyday lives as law abiding, tax paying citizens in this country.
Now nepotism in private entities is a whole different issue. I will use the example of the pre-registration issue in the Carnival Mas Band Tribe. As far as I know Tribe is a private entity and is free to do whatever with their registration process. As a paying client or customer you have a choice not to partake in the provision of their service especially since there are several other options to play mas.
Now I think nepotism is good to a certain extent. For example I may have a friend who is qualified for a particular job and I may be in a position to ensure that my friend gets hired. But there are instances where favouritism is pushed too far and people are placed in positions that they either have no clue about or are simply not qualified for. I know for a fact that I have benefitted on several occasions and will, without a doubt give someone I know a chance over a complete stranger. But where does it stop?
There are times when nepotism is so bad that it is almost impossible to get something done unless you know someone in the department or agency. Sadly this is usually the case in many government agencies. There are numerous horror stories of persons trying to get their passport or birth paper to no avail. Now I draw the line at nepotism when it comes to the delivery of government services, especially because these services cannot be provided by an external party. Additionally some of these services that are provided by the Government are essential to conduct business in our everyday lives as law abiding, tax paying citizens in this country.
Now nepotism in private entities is a whole different issue. I will use the example of the pre-registration issue in the Carnival Mas Band Tribe. As far as I know Tribe is a private entity and is free to do whatever with their registration process. As a paying client or customer you have a choice not to partake in the provision of their service especially since there are several other options to play mas.
Nepotism in our little place called T&T is like many other things, we have to take the bitter with the sweet. When it is favourable to you take it and smile, when it is not cuss as much as you can and hopefully you will get what you want. It is part of we culture and it helps to make us lovers sometimes or haters other times of sweet T&T.
One of the possible side effects of nepotism in both private and public sector is that of mediocrity. Even if the individual receiving favor may be qualified, they may not be the best there is. This can affect the overall performance of an organisation and when the organisation gets to a point where so many of the staff are not the best performers then it is difficult to improve the performance to meet competition or tough economic times. Thereby rendering the organisation (which is filled with qualified but not the best employees) ineffective
ReplyDeleteThank you Jarod. You have raised quite an interesting point that I did not condider. Could this be the reason for the lack of performance in many organizations in Trinidad and Tobago?
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