AS WE bid farewell today with the passing of 2014, the thousands of victims in this and other Caribbean nations afflicted by the horrible chikungunya virus would most likely be disposed to prayer – fully hoping to be spared from another such unwelcome visit.
However, whether readers of this column are preparing to pray or dance into the dawn of New Year 2015, my unauthorised, unsought advice is to pay keen attention to the advisories currently emanating from national, regional and international health authorities to be on guard against the dreaded Ebola virus, the killer disease that surfaced in and has been spreading from West Africa.
Amid mounting deaths, including of doctors and nurses who were mobilised or volunteered to help combat this killer disease, the Caribbean’s public and private health sectors have been alerted to be vigilant in paying heed to advisories originating from the World Health Organisation and the Pan American Health Organisation.
And largely tourism-based economies, such as Barbados, Jamaica, The Bahamas and St Lucia, have already come to appreciate their added responsibilities in dealing with visitors without causing panic.
Regrettably, as if not enough in having to devote more time and resources to be in readiness for timely responses to the Chik-V and Ebola viruses, a number of CARICOM states are currently being compelled to devote more financial, technical and human resources to combat gun-related murders and armed robberies.
Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica are rated among the most afflicted – despite, that is, the apparent missionary zeal of their ministers of national security. Also quite distressing in 2014 were the recurring reports of rape, with the degrading criminal acts too often involving children.
Crime challenge
Battling serious crimes has proven to be increasingly costly for too many CARICOM economies and with the bad news of now having to cope with the implications of declining revenue from falling oil prices.
This unexpected development is a new challenge for both Trinidad and Tobago – CARICOM’s sole primary energy-based economy – as well as all of the Community’s member states that have become beneficiaries of Venezuela’s subsidised PetroCaribe project, an inheritance from the late President Hugo Chavez.
For her part, Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar gave firm assurances in her Christmas Day message that there would be no cuts in public sector wages or decline in subsidies for essential social services.
But, not surprisingly, her traditional political opponents have been more focused in decrying life-size portraits of the country’s first female prime minister on huge highway billboards charmingly wishing everyone “Merry Christmas”.
If non-citizens of this CARICOM state are inclined to wonder about the political fuss, they should reflect on the fact that next year would bring – most likely within the second quarter – scheduled new parliamentary elections.
Incidentally, that would be one of possibly five general elections expected before Christmas 2015, the others being those for Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and St Kitts and Nevis.
While with democratically conducted elections it’s not easy to predict outcomes, I take the risk in forecasting victories for the identified five incumbent governing parties while awaiting the official polling dates amid the challenges and changes confronting our Caribbean region in general.
In contrast to the coming national elections, Barbados seems set to have a much overdue Cabinet reshuffle, more so against the backdrop of recurring publicly stated differences with Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, as articulated by his controversial Minister of Agriculture Dr David Estwick, a former Minister of Economic Affairs. Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist.
