Faris, help fix 'Bodoe’s bridge'

THIS is a humanitarian cause. It is worth spending a little time considering during Carnival. Man, woman and child have to use a small fishing boat to cross a river to go to work, shopping or school.

The 100-year-old shaky bridge connecting their homes to the outside world collapsed about ten months ago after several warnings.

And despite several pleadings to the various authorities, no real help came. Worse yet, suppose a stranded resident suddenly falls seriously sick.

These mainly poor, distressed residents live in rural St John’s Trace, Avocat Village, Fyzabad – very far from Port of Spain. Out of unattended desperation, a resident, 64-year-old farmer, Sookdeo Premchand, used $16,000 and a resident’s $5,000 to construct a temporary, makeshift wooden bridge standing on drill pipes – only for pedestrians.

Premchand is retired but gave up his time to build the narrow, temporary structure. It was dangerous, he said, for residents to use the boat during the rainy season. Suppose somebody falls, gets injured or even drowns. Who’s liable?

As noble as his effort is, it looks like this makeshift bridge would also collapse under pressure when the Godineau River is flooded. Mr Premchand explained that because of the broken-bridge hardships, several residents have had to leave their homes and seek temporary shelter elsewhere – a sort of Gaza-type migration.

The residents naturally turned for help from mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo’s Siparia Borough Council, yes, a borough now. Not enough money, reportedly said Mr Mayrhoo. They then turned to their representative MP Dr Lackram Bodoe.

Bodoe told me he went pleading to Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Faris Al-Rawi and Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan. No help, except that the Works Ministry cleared the debris left by the collapsed bridge.

Knowing Mr Al-Rawi’s good nature, and as a further means of helping this humanitarian cause, I sent a WhatsApp to him: “Dear Minister Al-Rawi, re-broken bridge in Fyzabad. Can you say what are the challenges in repairing it? Speaking to MP Bodoe too.” No answer yet.

This distressing “boat-people” situation reminds me of calypsonian Shadow’s song “Poverty is Hell” where he sang:

“Poverty is hell and the angels in Paradise,

Driving in their limousines where everything is nice and clean.”

When I inquired from Dr Bodoe, he, expressing his frustration, pointed to the stack of correspondence between the authorities and him piled up since last year. Such apparent helplessness, of course, raises the bigger question of the value of a fairly elected MP, especially one not in government. This, too, needs to be fixed. But more on this another time. Dr Bodoe is among the diligent, highly professional MPs. He reminds me of Tunapuna MP Esmond Forde.

The proposed PNM candidate for the elections, the youthful Mr Kheron Khan (Franklin Khan’s son), should also have a view on this broken bridge in Fyzabad, showing how calypsonian Shadow is wrong. (The 2020 election results for Fyzabad: Electorate 29,886. 18,045 voted, 66 per cent. UNC Bodoe got 10,850 votes, 60 per cent. PNM Solange De Souza 6,888, 38 per cent. PEP's Alice Narine 143, 0.8 per cent. MSJ's Radhaka Gualbance 127, 0.7 per cent)

While Minister Sinanan offered “technical help,” he said, as the Ministry of Local Government advised, the affected land and river fell under private land. Maybe we should check the Municipal Corporation Act again to see how far the moral and legal jurisdiction of the Siparia Borough Council goes with a natural watercourse.

However, there should be an end to all this run-around and excuses to prevent political and legal entanglement. These poor people cannot remain struggling with their small fishing boat, and hoping nobody drowns. What if Al-Rawi does some high-order thinking and calls a joint meeting with the Minister of Works, Siparia Borough mayor, the Fyzabad MP and even farmer Premchand and the “owner” of the land? Resources could be helpfully pooled to reconstruct the collapsed bridge.

This is an opportunity for politicians to show that the real spirit of representative government and democracy can come alive when sorely needed. After all, calypsonian Stalin said, “We can make it if we try.”

Mr Premchand tried. Look, this is a civic challenge for leadership beyond partisan politics. Poor people are suffering from daily hardships. How long are they going to remain in this condition? Al-Rawi, see how best you can help.