A blue Christmas looms for many Trinbagonians, as intense rainfall over the past week caused severe flooding, rivalling the devastation of 2018. Instead of planning for family get-togethers and getting presents for the nice children on Santa’s list, many citizens are seeking to get their names on the list for relief grants from the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services. Relentlessly, the continuing crime wave swept on unabated by the rising floodwaters with the highest national murder mark of 550 being breached with all of December to go in 2022.
In areas such as Bamboo Number 2, Spring Village, La Paille Gardens and Madras Road, St Helena, the floodwaters were as high as seven feet. Houses and vehicles were nearly entirely submerged and boats had to be used to rescue people, carry food, medicine and water.
There were landslides in Arima, San Fernando, Grande Riviere, Gran Couva, Belmont, Caparo, Brasso Venado, amongst others. Residents were ready to inform on the individuals and activities responsible for flood exacerbation. Some perpetrators given ranged from substandard maintenance works conducted by the Ministry of Works to residents themselves infringing on the water courses for their own selfish leisure or business pursuits.
Recipient of a significant acreage of very valuable property from the People’s Partnership government, as well as a supporter of the PNM in their 2015 national election campaign, Inshan Ishmael, was most vociferous when both Ministers Al-Rawi and Sinanan visited Bamboo Number 2. He blamed a contractor hired by the Ministry of Works for poorly executed maintenance of the Caroni River, suggesting it was just a moneymaking venture for friends and family of the PNM. It has also been alleged that the Manzanilla/ Mayaro floods, which caused parts of the road to wash away, was caused by the diversion of the Ortoire River away from the property of a Government official. In the public interest, that official needs to respond to the viral aerial footage which purports to back up the claims.
The Government has allocated $40 million to flood relief, but getting all site visits and assessments completed before Christmas would be Herculean. The frustrations and lamentations expressed by flood victims exposed their weariness and hopelessness. Many never recovered from previous floods nor government’s insufficient response. Thank God for NGOs and humanitarian support from private individuals and organisations. Some may feel that only Noah’s Ark can save them.
Fed up with the powerful for not preventing their suffering, many citizens, flood victims amongst them, would have been amused to hear the fake news of the firing of Minister Fitzgerald Hinds. Some might have been shocked to know that there was a sitting National Security Minister, anyway. Others may even consider him a “sleeping” Minister, as his apparent narcolepsy has been captured even during live press conferences. Last Friday, a motion was passed in Parliament to appoint a new acting Commissioner of Police with the current one giving himself a B+ grade. The citizenry would not agree with his self-evaluation, I’m sure, and instead ask how another acting appointment was going to help get the port scanners working, reduce home invasions and gang warfare. National Security remains a misnomer.
Last Thursday, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert announced that the country had achieved a fiscal surplus for the first time since 2007/2008, to the tune $1.08 billion. The inflated gas and other hydrocarbon and petrochemical prices caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is to be thanked for this windfall. Energy Minister Stuart Young did as much in his interview with Richard Quest on CNN in May, when he said “we’ll be paying our bills” with the windfall and maintained that the Trinbagonian population “quite frankly, have a good life”.
The attendance of Ministers Al-Rawi and Hinds to the San Fernando Mayor’s Ball last Saturday night to strike haute couture poses in front of a 360 degree cam, as found on the red carpets of the Oscar and Emmy awards, was indeed indication of that “good life.” While the ministers galavanted, many Trinbagonians were floating up to their galvanised roofs in floodwaters. Minister of Rural Development and Local Government, Faris Al-Rawi, must have been aware of the adverse weather and rising waters, requiring him to at least act like he was concerned.
Ball attendee, Minister Hinds, responded to rumours of his removal, following the crossing of the national murder record, by posting some photos of himself posing some more, this time next to a large stack of papers and then next to a large portrait of PM Rowley. Regardless, the reality remains that Hinds holds on to his portfolio. His helming of the Ministry of National Security has had no impact on the murder record nor crime rate. It is hoped, however, that the US$200,000 donation and US$40 million loan from CAF will have the impact of preventing future climate change devastation at home.
We have definitely reached a turning point where the leadership legacies of both Prime Minister and Opposition Leader have become insipid, useless and wanting in the grand scheme of things.