KAMLA: ROWLEY’S LAZY ADMINISTRATION IS THE REAL CRISIS IN T&T PUT HEALTH PROTOCOLS IN PLACE TO REOPEN THE COUNTRY FOR BUSINESS

The Prime Minister’s announcement today that this country has to endure an additional two weeks of the national shutdown is baseless and must be roundly condemned. It is yet another chapter in his ongoing incompetent leadership during this global Coronavirus pandemic. 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.

Today’s news conference was just another exercise in the Rowley talk shop, copy and paste policy of nonstop, and ultimately useless, PR gimmickry. 

In fact, his response clearly shows that he is totally removed from the actual circumstances on the ground regarding the devastating suffering of the people.  He has clearly bought into his own propaganda, at the frightening expense of the population’s physical, financial, mental and emotional welfare. This is truly a dangerous state of affairs. 

Rowley’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. 

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
Rowley Government claimed they were prepared for the pandemic since January 2020
 The questionable completion of only just over 1400 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, 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 positive statistics and spread
 Its ongoing failure to adhere to its own promises of increased testing cannot be taken
seriously

In the meantime, 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 $1500 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 really is
being spent.

His only response to this was to 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 Government is duty-bound to ensure that it ensures legal implementation of existing laws and
policy, or amendments of same to suit the needs of the population as they alter. 

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.

The fact is that two weeks mean life and death to citizens who are starving or facing homelessness. 
I call on Rowley to therefore 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 world
 Announce immediate, effective 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