It was a year that awakened the world to the perils of a pandemic, the serious issues of poverty, environmental destruction, and systemic racism. It has swept through our lives with a vengeance showing no signs of sparing the New Year, but mass virus shots should lessen the effects. In its passage, there were moments when ordinary people showed grace, the spirit of generosity, and compassion. Memorable was the kindness of people coming together to help two children who were building a house, brick by brick after they’d lost their parents. Etched in memories are images of singers and musicians performing in their windows and balconies to the delight of their locked-down communities. Everywhere, people showed solidarity with front-line workers; applauding their commitment to healing the sick and saving lives. And, parents had a new respect for school teachers as they were at wit’s end, trying to give their children a sense of the normalcy of schooling during the lockdown.
Endemic poverty became all too evident. The television cameras panned homes about to slip down hills. On matchstick-like pillars, others stood in which Mothers huddled with children doing their lessons by lamp light–no electricity, no potable water.
Grief suffused some of us when our loved ones passed on, alone, like my brother. I had heard his laughter and wittiness one early morning this May not knowing I’ll never hear his voice again. So many have entered a pathway on the journey to a gentler place. May they all rest in peace.
And 2020 will be remembered as a year when the world shrunk so small that people across its length and breadth felt the crushing pain of a police officer’s knee on a man’s neck. The image of the uniformed killer, hands in his pockets, casually carrying out the act cold-bloodedly, symbolised the worst of humanity. The words “I can’t breathe,” didn’t matter. That execution precipitated an outrage across the world by people of every creed and race. Edifices of equally evil people who’d committed heinous crimes against humanity throughout the ages of conquest, adductions and slavery, came crashing down.
The massive shock of COVID lockdown measures tumbled economies into contraction. But there were opportunities for innovative minds to bring their services directly to customers, giving a fillip to enterprises in the distribution trade, and accelerating the growth of digital technology.
It was the year that many would remember how easily COVID measures plunged them into unemployment, homelessness and destitution. COVID reminded us of simple lessons of the ages, save for a rainy day that will surely come and love thy neighbour, treasure family, and don’t hurt anyone as you pass along for you don’t know who will reach out to you in a time of need.
And here, the national elections came and went, with its ugly moments of racism. The post-election racist vitriol by people stuck in their ignorance is not treatable with vaccines. Still, as we looked North to the leader of the free world and its elections, we can take pride in this, our native land.
We reached out to over 16,000 migrants with an amnesty, demonstrating compassion and concern for them. However, as the year draws to a close, there are local and international voices trying to muddy up our country’s neighbourly reputation by blaming us for the deaths of migrants. These voices conveniently ignore the traffickers and agents of death exploiting vulnerable Venezuelans and taking their money for journeys in dilapidated pirogues. These soul-less agents know that every time a boatload of migrants leaves Venezuela’s shores, they may never arrive here, or anywhere else.
Where are the ‘three wise men’ or women in the OAS and the UN advocating for alternative strategies to sanctions that hurt citizens, exacerbating their sufferings and adding to the migrant population? It’s impossible to sanction a government without inevitably sanctioning the country and its people. Governments don’t suffer from starvation caused by sanctions. The people do. The truth is, sanctions have little or no effect on the behaviour of leaders described as oppressors of their citizens. Sanctions don’t bring down popular regimes. More often than not, it is the people who accomplish that with a credible alternative to the status quo, so instead of maliciously jumping on the back of a little twin-island blaming it for migrants’ deaths, why these same voices don’t call for action against the agents of death. Hypocrisy is worse than COVID.
As 2020 storms out humouring the assaults of T&T’s critics, and COVID, we should accept with gratitude, the inevitability of tomorrow, which always brings new hope. Happy New Year.