Bptt
president lauds NGOs
The Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
10 29 06
BPTT
president Robert Riley said yesterday that Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) can better deal with social
interventions than the Government.
He
made the comment at the launch of the 2007 programme
of United Way Trinidad and Tobago (UWTT) at the
Crowne Plaza hotel, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain.
Riley
said “social responsibility is not best conducted
by government,” adding that “society
is bigger than the government.”
Bptt
was one of the companies targeted by UWTT for the
coming year. UWTT assists NGOs and community-based
organisations (CBOs) in co-ordinating social projects.
It collects funds and distributes the money to various
NGOs and CBOs to aid their work. UWTT also ensures
accountability for the funds it disburses.
Riley
advocated the co-operation of individual and corporate
philanthropy to develop society. He said philanthropy
that creates dependency in a society will not develop
society.
Riley
also stated that businesses and corporations needed
to foster a disposition of selflessness and not
selfishness.
He
did admit that even though they were best equipped
to aid in social problems, there were still limitations
in what business could do. He also admitted that
a full partnership between government and business
was difficult to obtain because of conflicting interests.
Riley
also called on the authorities to reinstate concessions
to philanthropists, citing tax abuse by businessmen
in the past as the reason for the complete removal
of the concessions.
The Trinidad Guardian
Saturday 28th October, 2006
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©2006 Trinidad Guardian. All Rights Reserved.
