A letter to Vandana Mohit

1532463

Dear Ms Mohit,

All politics aside: I had the utmost respect and admiration for you as a young woman for embarking on a path of ascending politically and using your office to assist and empower others. Now I am very disappointed.

There was a recent post via social media on your personal account where you wrote: “COVID has turned on the PNM. Karma” The post was utterly distasteful, unethical, and irresponsible. We are all human beings. Humans may discriminate, but life-changing situations may not.

I do not stand alone. Others would fully endorse this stance made to respond to such an untimely insult on the threat to human life and security. Let us place emphasis on Trinidad and Tobago being ranked internationally by the University of Oxford in terms of its responsiveness to COVID-19, as the most prepared country in the world having met the guidelines outlined by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Ministry of Health managed imported and controlled cases by making resources available to isolate, trace, and test affected persons. The public would be briefed daily via electronic and print media to spread awareness and exercise extreme caution.

But we have sitting Members of Parliament berating such assiduous efforts made to safeguard us as citizens. Why?

COVID-19 is a global pandemic and affects us all. Families could not bid farewell to their dearly departed because of social distancing procedures and for those abroad unable to travel because borders were closed and yet, COVID-19 is trivialised to mere political innuendos. When you answered the call to serve, it came with the duty to find yourself as you lose yourself in the service of others.

I hope it is not in the reverse where your true self is now manifested as you become out of touch with the roles and functions you were assigned by members of the electorate when you take that oath of office.

In retrospect, I observed both sides of the political sphere rose in your defence when those vulgar images of you were being circulated on social media. I, too, rose to your defence publicly and privately. Collectively, we supported you as a young woman with a dazzling and promising future being subjected to these unscrupulous comments and found it reprehensible.

The action and inaction with those vulgarities being purported were disturbing, to say the very least. Yet, now I see sharp contradistinctions. The rhetoric seems to come from a place where we should see equality and fairness. Now it seems they are a mere figment of the imagination.

You are a public figure and we observe because the electorate vested you with authority to assist in the governance of our affairs. It is our business to openly rebuke or give honour where it is deemed appropriate. Such a callous and flippant statement has dissuaded supporters of your very own political persuasion. The comments are there and openly expressed.

I stand with the public and call on you to apologise to the nation. We are hurting and unsure of when or how the healing begins. Let us focus and pray for our land. COVID-19 knows no race, colour, creed, social status, or political persuasion.