Dirt poor getting poorer, filthy rich getting richer

THE EDITOR: Kindly allow some space for this letter in your daily newspapers. It may help to arrive at a judgment concerning who is filthy rich and who is dirt poor. Some days ago it was reported in the press and aired on television that a minister of government used the phrase “filthy rich and dirt poor” in casting blame for the floods which created havoc in the Maraval area and other parts of the country.

According to the report the minister said that the floods were caused by the developers, who were eroding the hillsides, and the squatters, who were illegally occupying mountainous terrains. He referred to the developers as filthy rich and the squatters as dirt poor. There is no quarrel with the minister’s version of how he may classify people. However, there are some consequences for those who classify and for those who are classified as filthy rich and dirt poor. If a politician categories people as filthy rich and dirt poor, he or she may not get the support of both the rich and the poor when it is needed at election time. The term filthy rich is insulting to those who have acquired their wealth by honest means. The term dirt poor is insulting to those who are poor because of bad management of our nation’s resources.

The adage “the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer” aptly fits our society. The dirt poor people are getting poorer and poorer every day. They have to pay more for foodstuffs, vegetables, travel, education, medicines, clothes and many more necessities. In addition they must endure hardships like floods, no pipe borne water, poor transport, telephone and electricity services, traffic jams, far away school places for their children and a host of other difficulties. A prominent politician, who was owing the courts and could not pay, appointed a very close relative to a high paying position. His family now enjoys an income that is higher than that of scores of families put together. This is a moral sin against humanity in a country where thousands are living below the breadline. This amounts to abuse of power entrusted by God, by a self proclaimed born again Christian. Is he now filthy rich and has he paid his debt to the nation?

It is the work of politicians and especially ministers to alleviate the problems of the population especially the poor and downtrodden. Their duty is to provide infrastructure that will eliminate flooding, land erosion and blocked water courses. They must help to lift the burdens instead of finding scapegoats for them. Politicians must also be involved in giving a better life to the less fortunate among us. Too many persons are crying over flood- damage, landslide damage, fire damage to their homes caused by neglect of waterways, erosion and the absence of fire stations in rural places. Many poor persons are sleeping on the streets and eating out of dustbins while our politicians are living in luxury and enjoying meals provided by professional chefs and paid for by the dirt poor taxpayers.

Politicians must practice humility, caring, loving, sharing, giving and have flowing in their breasts the milk of human kindness. They must blame themselves for the calamities confronting the population who have given them the responsibility to be in charge of our nation. They must refrain from describing people as filthy rich and dirt poor as it could backfire on them. It must be pointed out that there is a parable in S Luke’s Gospel entitled “The rich man and Lazarus” (St Luke 16: 19-31) which has some bearing on the filthy rich and dirt poor episode. In the story there are two characters, a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury and a poor man name Lazarus, who was covered with sores, and who was brought to the rich man’s door, hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man’s table.

The rich man’s dogs would like the poor man’s sores. The rich man had all the good things of life while Lazarus had all the bad things. The rich man never lifted a finger to help Lazarus. The rich man was bathing in wealth while Lazarus was miserable in poverty. Well, the rich man died and went to hell. Lazarus died and went to heaven. This means that the rich man became dirt poor and Lazarus, the dirt poor man, became filthy rich. The tables were now turned in the eternal kingdom.

THE REV ARTHUR YORKE
St Augustine