 |
| Garbage at Bus Stop |
Recently we have seen an upsurge in comments and concerns about the indiscriminate garbage dump sites throughout the length and breadth of Dominica. While it is felicitous to lay the blame on the incompetence of the DLP government and it's Solid Waste Corporation,it is equally important to recognize the significance of the apathetic behavior of the media towards the atrocious garbage management system in Dominica.
In March 2017 we wrote an article entitled "MONEY FOR GUYS ON THE BLOCK BUT NO MONEY FOR UBIQUITOUS PILES OF GARBAGE " we reported
on the garbage crisis in Dominica. In February 2017 we found out from the
people on the ground that there was an improvement in the garbage
collection routine during the month of February. Needless to say it was the carnival season and as usual the government needed to create
another smoke screen to hide the garbage embarrassment from the many visitors
to Dominica and so the government threw some NEP employees at the garbage
problem. In addition, the government had received two garbage trucks from the
Japanese government early in the month of February 2017. In spite of the perceived improvement in the
garbage collection, the garbage situation was still a jaw
dropping experience. We saw piles of garbage chocked inside of bus shelters, garbage
piles in towns and villages, along the main thruways to and from the airport,
in and out of the city of Roseau. In one instant we came upon a location right next to a public school where flies
and rodents were feasting on a pile of garbage.
 |
| NEP WORKING NEW TRUCK -NO PPE |
The minatory garbage situation in Dominica has been in
existence for many years; as far back as 2009. Most people will remember
the sudden withdrawal of the Carnival Cruise Line from Dominica in 2010.
According to a very reliable source the Carnival Cruise Line pulled out
of Dominica and identified several deficiencies with Dominica’s cruise tourism
product and among the list of deficiencies was the government’s failure to
effectively contain and manage solid waste. After falsely claiming that the
Carnival Cruise Line pulled out because of fuel cost, the then Minister Of
Tourism Mr. Ian Douglas came back to tell the people of Dominica that the
government needed to put a number of things in place in order to lure the
Carnival Cruise Line back to Dominica. Although several years after the Carnival Cruise
Line did return the Garbage problem went into a tailspin. ( When will this government
get it right)
WHERE IS THE MEDIA AMONG ALL THIS GARBAGE ????
It is one thing to ignore the cesspool of corruption and the bribery
that encompasses the DLP government but to pay a blind eye to an escalating
garbage pollution problem is to show total disregard for life and health.
Garbage pollution is the main cause of a number of bacterial diseases to
include typhoid, malaria, cholera, gastrointestinal disease - just to name a
few. One can well understand why the Carnival Cruise Line was so concerned. It
is mind boggling that with the exception of Matt Peltier's talk show, the other media
professionals in Dominica have remained silent on the matter for so many years
and so far have refused to hold the government responsible for such callous behavior. In a
DNO article last week it was stated that the garbage problem “was brought to
our attention”- Are you kidding? there is an a omnipresence of
garbage piles all over the island -nobody can miss this monstrosity and
health hazard yet someone had to inform DNO of the Garbage crisis in Dominica.
When government is allowed to operate behind tainted windows, red
curtains and closed doors, it plummets out of control and those elected to serve
government becomes unresponsive to the public. How can a responsible media
remain quiet when the government continues to squander public resources on vote
buying schemes whereas the same government can’t fulfill basic functions such
as waste management and health services. The irony of it all is that while the government is showing
such a callous disregard for the proliferating garbage pollution, the health
system is severely lacking and is in no way prepared for an outbreak of viral
disease that may arise from this garbage crisis.
The modus operandi of the Roosevelt Skerrit government is to control
information and dissent and they have done very well in that respect. Mr.
Skerrit and his goons have disemboweled the media in Dominica so much so that
the media dare not call out the government on this garbage crisis. Also, the
people in charge of the institutions of accountability prefer play the part of
Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder in “See No Evil, Hear No Evil.“ The Solid Waste
Corporation (SWC) which is responsible for the garbage collection can only regurgitated
excuses and promises, all to protect a government administration that has not held up to it's responsibility. But what
else do we expect from the Solid Waste Corporation particularly when the key
players are either too busy figuring out how to get In and Out of "Kenya" or they
are too preoccupied with protecting their own interest and that of a political
party.
While the media and institutions of accountability are pretending
to be asleep the ubiquitous garbage sites continue to intensify and the people of Dominica
are staring at potential outbreaks of bacterial diseases. Should there be an
outbreak of diseases let it be known that unlike the people of Egypt (Exodus 12:13) the plague
shall not bypass the homes of those who wave red flags or glorify Roosevelt Skerrit.
In order to keep the Roosevelt Skerrit administration accountable to the
people of Dominica we want to encourage "patriots journalism"- take to social media and
expose the garbage that we get out of the Roosevelt Skerrit administration.
Post a Comment