THE EDITOR: The Prime Minister needs to be commended for his, albeit late, bold and decisive steps to protect the citizens of the country.
For months the Government has been encouraging the population to be vaccinated against covid19 to prevent the scourge of infections and deaths, but apparently these exhortations have fallen on deaf ears as less than 50 per cent of the population heeded the call.
With infections and deaths surpassing crisis levels, the Prime Minister had to act to protect the public. His choice to public servants to vaccinate or face being furloughed without pay brought about widespread acclaim from right-thinking citizens and business associations.
Not surprisingly, resistance to this move came from the usual suspects - the trade union movement and of course the Leader of the Opposition. It was generally expected that the unions that represent members of the protective services would oppose such a move as it represents a loss of dues and demonstrates their irrelevance in today's crisis. They are certainly oblivious to the fact that their unvaccinated members stand a greater risk of infecting those who they were sworn to protect and serve.
What can one say about the Leader of the Opposition? She once more lost an opportunity to join with the Government in a united front against a common enemy, the coronavirus. The country is in a virtual state of war with increasing casualties that requires statesmanlike behaviour from leaders.
The Opposition Leader should have been taken aback by the grisly announcements of decreasing mortuary space as there is now a pile-up of bodies at funeral homes. She should have been moved by the nightly stories of families overcome with grief as multiple covid19 deaths visited their homes. She should have taken note that the majority of covid19 deaths and infections came from the unvaccinated.
She should have taken note of her responsibility to a significant section of the population, but instead she continued to shirk her responsibility by hiding behind constitutional rights. She seemingly ignored the constitutional rights of the citizens who wish to be protected from the irresponsibility of those who still wish to wreak havoc on the population.
Her reprehensible statements would no doubt contribute to further vaccine hesitancy and the population would really wish that she abstains from saying anything. One wonders for how long the few sober-minded members of the opposition will continue to be misled.
The Prime Minister has stood firm in the discharge of his duties. The Opposition Leader continues to wobble.
RABINDRA MOONAN
San Fernando
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