A scathing critique of Trinidad’s public service operations has emerged through a citizen’s letter to Newsday, highlighting severe systemic failures at the Licensing Office in San Fernando. The correspondence, submitted by Gordon Laughlin via email, paints a picture of institutional neglect that extends beyond licensing to immigration services, banking, and transportation infrastructure.
The core issue identified revolves around chronic mismanagement rather than procedural penalties. Citizens reportedly face financial penalties for delays directly caused by institutional shortcomings, including critically understaffed offices, inadequate planning, and obsolete operational systems. The author describes a scene of profound dysfunction: a single cashier, one photographer, and merely one teller attempting to serve thousands of citizens.
This operational crisis creates substantial economic repercussions, wasting valuable time, financial resources, fuel, and overall productivity. The letter argues that such systemic inefficiencies directly hinder national economic improvement and development. Rather than representing governance focused on progress, the current situation exemplifies what the author terms ‘management by neglect’—a pattern of administrative failure that permeates multiple public service sectors.
The critique suggests that the fundamental problem stems from insufficient resource allocation coupled with a concerning lack of urgency in addressing these longstanding issues. The situation at the San Fernando office, documented photographically last Friday, serves as a microcosm of broader national service delivery challenges.