The opposition APNU+AFC coalition has criticised the government’s decision to refuse a flood relief consignment from Trinidad and Tobago and to request pumps in its stead.
“It is patently clear that the Dr. Keith Rowley Government of Trinidad and Tobago heard the appeal from the suffering people of Guyana government for urgent flood relief and in an act of brotherliness kindness and humanity responded by mobilizing such items for the Guyanese people.
“It is clear that the PPP regime, through their bungling Foreign Minister Hugh Todd, and clearly under the direction of President [Irfaan] Ali and/or Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo rebuffed Dr. Rowley’s Government’s offer of such flood relief supplies.
“It is also clear, by the PPP’s own admission, that after rejecting the flood relief supplies which the Trinidad and Tobago Government has offered, the PPP then sought to impose on the Trinidad and Tobago Government what it wanted – pumps,” the coalition said in a statement on Friday in reaction to a report in the Trinidad Guardian, headlined “Guyana not accepting T&T flood relief offer”.
The Guardian report stated that the Trinidad and Tobago government had put together the consignment in accordance with Guyana’s request through the CARICOM Secretariat but added that when it made contact to work out the logistics for delivery, it was told the items were unnecessary.
The report cited a letter from Todd, dated June 18, 2021, and directed to his counterpart in Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Amery Browne, which stated that they needed pumps to remove excess water, but nothing else on the consignment list provided to CARICOM.
It added that Todd, in the letter, expressed “the sincere gratitude” of the Guyanese people in “the face of the severe flooding affected regions on Guyana” but he noted that “the critical items at this time is for pumps to meet the urgent demand for enhanced drainage capacity.”
“Other items have otherwise been adequately covered to date,” he was further quoted as saying.
The coalition statement also noted President Ali’s subsequent comment to Demerara Waves in which he claimed that there was no rejection of the flood relief offered by Trinidad and Tobago and that the country only indicated that it did not need food. “We have that covered,” he was quoted as saying in the report, which also stated that he indicated that Trinidad has asked for the specifications of the needed pumps.
However, APNU+AFC questioned Ali’s claim that food relief supplies for flood victims were “covered”.
“This is a blatant lie. Thousands of flood victims are suffering for basic food items and are getting by day-today through the kindness and generosity of fellow citizens. There is a dire and urgent need for food supplies throughout the flood affected areas, particularly in Region 10 and parts of Region 6,” it said, while calling the government’s stance a “self-inflicted diplomatic fiasco.”
The coalition further called on the government to recant and accept the offer from Trinidad and Tobago, while assuring that the severely flood-affected people are in urgent need of help.
