By Kamla Persad Bissessar MP, SC
Patriotism and putting country first do not mean citizens must give up their rights to ask questions and call on the government to account. However, many persons who do call for this accountability are being attacked with negative propaganda masked as fake outrage and political correctness to silence them.
Many individuals are cowed by this behaviour and betray themselves and the people they claim to represent by choosing to speak and act in ways seem not personally attacked or shamed by fake outrage. Leaders should not shirk their duty for Facebook likes. Leaders must make representations in the best interests of the people.
The United National Congress (UNC) will never be intimidated by anyone into not doing our duty and that entails calling out the government public relations circus which is unraveled day by day. Many citizens gave the government the benefit of the doubt, but after weeks of talking the talk, we now see they can’t walk the walk.
We still don’t have testing of our own. We have test results that then – aren’t the results. Persons can’t access social assistance, and the government’s message flip flops daily:
- “Don’t wear masks, wear masks. Ignore social media, go to social media. ;
- “This virus is mild, this virus is worse than world war three;
- “Let’s release prisoners, then implement ordinances to jail people;
- “We have been planning since January, then we should have a plan by the end of May.”
Many citizens and some media who have resisted capitulation to the fake outrage mob have begun calling out these inconsistencies. Press conferences have now become farcical as the great public relations gimmickry of the past month has been exposed as a copy and paste exercise of what is being said by foreign governments.
To deflect from the UNC government’s incompetence in implementing the measures promised weeks ago, ministers have resorted to fighting with psychics, talking about talk show hosts and battling Facebook hackers. A “health astronaut” has even been brought in by the government to assist them in their messaging.
The ministry has inadequate tests, no one can say when more testing will begin. Test results are unreliable, so we will never know the true statistics, and even if the government gets testing kits, no one is going to come forward to be tested after seeing the horrible nightmares quarantined persons are going through.
Citizens will never know the true accurate statistics of this COVID-19 pandemic because, at the end of this, we will never have tested the majority of the people who suffered from or died with flu-like symptoms.
People are suffering and relief is nowhere in sight. Well-meaning citizens cannot make hampers fast enough to distribute to persons without food. It is heart-breaking to see messages from citizens who are suffering. If the government cannot provide for the people, then the people must provide for themselves. There is no point in misleading the population about government assistance which may never come.
The government’s social response to the COVID-19 pandemic is causing much more damage than the actual virus itself. This is what happens when a government places public relations as a priority over an actual plan.
We cannot be reckless with citizens’ physical and mental health. There must be a balance struck between protecting citizens from the virus and ensuring that they are provided for.
The UNC is, therefore, calling on the government to share their plans on when they are going to reopen businesses as it’s clear that they can’t provide the promised social assistance to the unemployed.
While the UNC is fully supportive of the temporary shutdown, the nation must be told what the next steps are – to allow citizens and businesses to plan the way forward.
People are suffering without food. What are the government’s short and medium-term plans for reopening businesses and the wider economy after the shutdown?
