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The 'Mighty Shadow' died.



It has been some time since I posted, my brain has been in another place. I always felt that this blog was a pressure valve for me. When things seemed unredeemable in the politics or simply in our broken society I would use this medium as my out. Within recent times other things have had me busy thus my tardiness in blogging. What the hell, we all have problems and we always find a way out, which is where I am tonight.

Nikki Minaj has pledged support for the victims of the most recent flooding which the country experienced over the last 10 days. This is great news, we have reached the international news. PM Ralph Gonzalves has pledged $40K US as a token for the flood victims. The PMOTT has said that no help is needed and therefore he is not really willing to accept aid from other Caribbean Governments. The Rock has been at the forefront of aid for many island states and rightly so, we could have afforded it at the time. When your neighbor offers to help one should gratefully accept it. Do not feel 'ah how' and diss the hand.

The entire episode of help and relief for the persons who suffered during the floods just says that the authorities are in no way ready for any emergency. If the citizens of this country were all affected by a hurricane or a devastating earthquake what would have been the position? Who would have been available to assist? If the citizens of the Rock did not get up and get what would the residents of the entire Caroni Basin do? The PMOTT singles out one community, the entire area was flooded, people lost everything. Imagine waking up, if you slept, to having to rebuild your entire life! Everything is lost, besides your worldly possessions your personal belongings, all gone. A flood is like a fire, it destroys everything. Worse, if you have no insurance to cover your losses. How do you even start to rebuild your life knowing that if it happened today, what about tomorrow?

The issue of flooding is wholly and solely a manmade issue that requires a political will to fix! It has nothing to do with rain!

The flood replaced the other happenings on the Rock. Murders, police shootings, Petrotrin, bad roads, poor service from Regional Corporations, the fact that there was a poor result from Government schools with scholarships, the continuing saga of Sandals, no report filed for the exMinister of Sport and the MeToo Movement, A&V oil, the highway to Manzanilla, the ferry fiasco, and other every day issues.

We lost another one this week. The 'Mighty Shadow' died. 'Shadow' was my absolute most favorite calypsonian. Lord Kitchener, Mighty Sparrow, Machel Montano all good! Shadow was special, very special! We have lost yet another person who has contributed immensely to our country and still we have no place to properly recognize and permanently secure the contribution of our people. What is it in our being that we refuse to permanently record our heroes? We want to remove Columbus from our history but replace it with what?  Nothing?

The Rock keeps hurtling towards an unknown future, no direction, very little hope! The official response to the floods this week just says it all! We are so not prepared for anything, natural or political.

So how do we keep the faith? Based on the support from all sectors for the flood victims, known and not known, we are a good people, we have it in us to do the right thing. That is the saving grace, it can happen!

Good night and good luck people of the Rock!

    

 

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