Flooding with politics

Flooding. This is described as “an overflowing or influx of water beyond its normal confines, especially over land; arriving in great quantities,” (Concise Oxford).

And so, both water and kindness overflowed. Politics too. In fact the politics, much of it contrived, diminished a lot of the altruism–the selfless kindness, food and materials which so many private citizens, businesses, churches, NGOs provided like good Samaritans.

There was theatre too with cooking, liming, drinking in the three-to-four feet brown water. UNC Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, well booted and cloaked, moved in a boat, “serving the people,” PM Dr Keith Rowley moving from Greenvale Park to Sangre Grande with his “did not sleep a wink” team – tireless Works Minister Rohan Sinanan and National Security Minister Stuart Young.

There were also front-paged UNC Senator Khadijah Ameen floating around in a Coast Guard dinghy in Greenvale Park, Synergy’s TV host and image-building Stephan Reis on patrol, Crime Watch “star-boy” Ian Alleyne appearing scared on floating boat in unknown waters, then here and there were few politicians visibly handing out hampers, mattresses, etc.

Three things here.

(1) Is there a comprehensive report available on the previous flooding (eg storm Bret and last year’s flooding) containing damage, estimated costs, causes, vulnerable areas, response weakness and strengths, risk assessments, etc with recommendations to help deal with our recent flooding disaster? Who compiled this disaster preparedness and response report? Were the lessons learnt and recommendations for improvement strategically used in dealing with the recent flooding? If yes, commendations are deserved. If not, why not? This crying need for an appropriate system of effective decentralisation, quickened co-ordination and equitable distribution is now expressed, for example, by both ministers Sinanan and Young.

Last week, Sinanan acknowledged the serious problems now experienced by allowing unplanned developments. A bigger problem, he noted, is again the lack of law enforcement. What about rampant squatting? Young now recognises the need for “more ODPM staff or outsourcing” for managing calls, and the need for “inland search-boats.” (Guardian, October 24). If there were the comprehensive report I mentioned above, such “preparedness and response-measures” would have been properly in place.

(2) The overflowing kindness and generosity could have been done in a more systematic fashion within a fairly well-prescribed methodology. In particular, a decentralised system of district co-ordination and equitable distribution. After all, all weather reports, especially from Seigonie Mohammed, gave several days warning of the potential enormity of the rainfall.

(3) Given our present political culture, people expect MPs to be visibly active in such times – sometimes unrealistically. During his gift-giving mission in Green Street, Madras Village, Synergy’s Real Talk host, Saieed Ali, heard villagers asking, “Where is Tim Gopeesingh, we have not seen him around, but he will come for elections.” El Socorro’s Chanka Trace residents called for MP Fuad Khan. Hence, you cannot blame some MPs for seeking media limelight.

“We were treated like animals at the Munroe Road Hindu School,” alleged resident Antoinette Jaikaran to which UNC MP Ganga Singh replied, “It was greed more than need.” At Sangre Grande, media reported residents lining up for the food, water, cleaning supplies, etc only to be told to “pose for a picture” or “wait until the minister come, she has to distribute them.” The headline was Pose for bread. Such posing in a disaster situation is “demeaning” and no part of government assistance, explained Social Development Minister Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn (Newsday, October 23).

Before their walk-out during the budget debate, UNC senators criticised Government for not doing enough, and “remaining on dry land.” Front-line minister Sinanan, obviously offended, replied the Opposition “broke the spirit of so many public servants and helpers." He added: “If the water did not break my spirit that contribution by Senator Ameen did.” He added: “My staff and police did yeoman service without sleep away from home. At a time like this we should put politics aside and work together,” (Newsday October 24).

One editorial pleaded: Close political floodgates (Newsday October 23). Nicely said, but when will this population ever realise that our political party system, resisting change, does not, cannot, work that way – a situation which tempts me to describe this society as a “death wish society.”

We are flooded with too much politics even when we reveal the best within us.