Rainy days in the House

We are thankful the damage suffered in the wake of Tropical Storm Bret was not as bad as the kind of devastation which other countries have often endured in the wake of storms. We did not see hundreds of fatalities, and the basic infrastructure of the country remained intact.

However, to say this is not to deny the profoundly distressing flooding which unfolded in the aftermath and which affected south, central and east Trinidad.

All parties should unite to properly respond to incidents like this. When people have had homes flooded and crops destroyed and are in need of basic shelter and supplies, it is not the time to engage in foolishness.

Instead of the matter being soberly dealt with, the Parliamentarians have served us a foul stew, with nebulous allegations and counter-allegations of racism.

Make no mistake: both political parties depend on race to ensure their survival. But no party must ever seek to serve the interests of only one segment of society.

This country is a democracy and all must be allowed to have a say and to be heard in the corridors of power and beyond.

So MPs need to realize the election is long over and it is time to work to serve the people, no matter their geographic location, their party allegiance, their race, their age, their religious belief, their sexuality, their class, their educational status.

If the Parliament wants to talk about race then it should have a serious discussion about racism, how it is masked by the veneer of politics, how people suffer micro-aggressions on a daily basis, how our political systems have failed to be more proportionate and inclusive.

But until then, get on with the work. Friday was a missed opportunity for both sides to get together. It was also a chance for the Government to review its allocation of $25 million to fund flood relief in the wake of Bret. While that allocation is welcomed and while we are in difficult times, the sum appears relatively small. The Government will need to listen carefully to MPs to gauge if more funds should be allocated.

That is, assuming they stop the idle bickering. Another distraction seems on the cards in the form of a no-confidence motion in Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George, which the Opposition has a right to file by which does not seem to have much of a chance of passing if debated.

As more rainy days are upon us we hope MPs get their act together. Perhaps all should use their downtime in-between protests and walkouts and irrelevant cross-talk to engage in some quiet reflection on the role of Parliamentarians.