By Caribbean News Global contributor
The announcement by prime minister Dr Keith Rowley that Trinidad and Tobago will endure an additional two weeks of the national shutdown is baseless and must be roundly condemned, as “ yet another chapter in his ongoing incompetent leadership during this global coronavirus pandemic,” opposition leader Kamla Persad Bissessar said.
“Despite liberal use of the words “science” and “data”, the prime minister came to the nation to ask for two more weeks so they can begin testing widely. It is further damning evidence that the government intends to continue to do nothing of substance to combat the COVID-19 crisis, except to ride it out and then declare victory, with a convenient excuse to have free rein over the country’s treasury and rainy day funds,” she said.
The news conference was described as “just another exercise in the Dr Rowley talk shop, copy and paste policy of nonstop, and ultimately useless, public relations gimmickry,” the former prime minister added, “ his response clearly shows that he is removed from the actual circumstances on the ground regarding the devastating suffering of the people. He has bought into his propaganda, at the frightening expense of the population’s physical, financial, mental, and emotional welfare. This is truly a dangerous state of affairs.”
She continued: “The prime minister’s excuse for the latest, punitive extension of the shutdown is that the health ministry needs more time to ramp up testing to declare the country safe to operate under normal conditions.”
The opposition leader said that this is simply unacceptable, given the ongoing failed and sham COVID-19 testing capacity of the health ministry which has thus far been marked by:
- Insufficient, ineffective and deliberate under-testing of the population even though the Dr Rowley government claimed they were prepared for the pandemic since January 2020;
- The questionable completion of only just over 1,400 tests in three months;
- Ongoing flip flop, doublespeak and outright deceitful statements regarding posthumous testing retesting and testing of samples by senior ministry officials and the health minister;
- Continuous delays of numerous promises to ramp up and decentralize testing of the population to health districts across the country;
- Ongoing delays to ensure rapid and efficient testing independent of CARPHA.
“As a result, Dr Rowley cannot validly and credibly use this sham COVID-19 testing policy as an excuse to extend the punitive and devastating national shutdown since it shows that:
- The health ministry has completely failed and can no longer be relied on to give a proper gauge of the true COVID-19 positive statistics and spread;
- Its ongoing failure to adhere to its promises of increased testing cannot be taken seriously.”
Meanwhile, Dr Rowley has admitted that the country is now in dire economic straits as a result of this ongoing shutdown. His baffling decision to now implement a baseless extension of the national shutdown is therefore questionable and completely unacceptable. This, especially since he has once more failed to announce any policy to truly ease this economic crisis. Instead, he stumbled and clumsily tried to avoid answering questions as to how he intends to effectively deal with crucial issues affecting citizens at present, including:
- The widespread national hunger crisis;
- Massive joblessness and loss of income;
- The shutdown of small and medium-term businesses;
- Mass unemployment as a result;
- The increasing threat of homelessness of many citizens who cannot afford to pay their rents;
- The fact that the government’s ‘urgent’ but tremendously insufficient $1,500 social relief grants are still not reaching jobless citizens due to bureaucracy;
- The finance minister’s failed promise to implement urgent and much needed fiscal safety nets for the numerous small and medium-sized businesses affected by the lockdown;
- Government’s withdrawal of $20 billion of taxpayers’ money from the Treasury under the pretense of buffering the financial fallout but no accountability as to how this money is being spent.
The government response to this was an appeal to landlords to “have a heart” and “do your part” and not evict suffering citizens.
“At this time of dire crisis, the country does not need governance by appealing to citizens’ better nature,” the opposition leader said. “The government is duty-bound to ensure legal implementation of existing laws and policy, or amendments of the same to suit the needs of the population as they alter. Dr Rowley’s useless bemoaning of the bureaucracy of the public service as an excuse for his ministers’ ongoing failure to deliver on promises is not governance. It is his callous washing of hands, distancing from his responsibilities, and an admission of failure and lack of will to govern a desperate population.”
Two weeks means life and death to citizens who are starving or facing homelessness. Opposition leader Bissessar called on Dr Rowley to immediately rescind his baseless decision to prolong this national shutdown and instead immediately:
- Responsibly and strategically open back the country to business;
- Implement enhanced health, hygiene, sanitation and occupational safety protocols at all places of business and government offices;
- Simultaneously implement rigid, increased, ongoing COVID-19 testing to monitor the spread;
- Undertake a comprehensive public education campaign to ensure citizens are adequately prepared to modify their personal and social behaviour in the post-COVID-19 world.
Opposition leader Bissessar also requested, “immediate measures to deal with the economic issues affecting citizens and businesses. Failure to do so will only result in an unprecedented economic crisis for Trinidad and Tobago, of which there may truly be no coming back,” she said.
