- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 19/Aug 07:08

Country turned into dump without Cepep

THE EDITOR: The UNC administration has celebrated its first 100 days in office with laudatory remarks about its supposed accomplishments. While the veracity of this claim is still strenuously being debated, the undeniable fact is that the UNC has in one fell swoop turned TT into a large garbage dump, while putting thousands on the breadline. Shortly after taking office, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar terminated the contract of over 300 Cepep contractors. Less attention seems to have been directed at evaluating the contribution of the Cepep programme and how the cuts would affect Cepep workers and the wider society. In particular, no attention seems to have been given to the socio-economic impact of firing the workers. Now the chickens are coming home to roost. In the months following the termination of the programme, the country is seeing first-hand the adverse impact on the environment, the economy and the society, including: i. Emergence of dumps across the country. Garbage and other waste have not been removed in a timely fashion, leading to the emergence of many illegal dump sites across the country. ii. Increased risk of flooding. Drains and watercourses have not been cleared, which will increase the risk of flooding. iii. Deterioration of open spaces. Public spaces and parks have been left unkempt and are no longer pleasant spaces to engage in sporting and other forms of recreational activities. iv. Growing public health hazard. Unkempt grass can lead to an infestation of rats and other vermin which can spread diseases. The uncut grass is also a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which can spread diseases like dengue fever, yellow fewer and chikungunya. v. Loss of income leading to deterioration in welfare of vulnerable households. The loss of employment may have pushed some people into poverty. While the social impact of the job cuts in Cepep is yet to be assessed, overall the workers and their family would have experienced a reduction in their ability to access essential services such as shelter, education, health, transport, etc. The Cepep workers are among the most vulnerable people in the population, with many female workers being the sole breadwinner. Yet, these workers have had to suffer the loss of their jobs, which in some cases is their only source of income, without being provided with a safety net through either alternative employment or public assistance. vi. Fall-off in demand for goods and services. The loss of income has had a knock-on effect on the demand for goods and services. There has been a noticeable decline in spending which has negatively affected businesses (eg bookstores, food, retail sector, entertainment, etc). Interestingly, the action by the UNC government has inadvertently served to highlight the importance of the work that was being done by the Cepep workers. In the wake of the administration’s decision to suspend the programme, we have seen the country transformed into a dump. It is now clear that the Cepep workers, who have been excoriated for being mere grass-cutters, have indeed played a critical role in maintaining public spaces, including roadsides, parks, watercourses, and removing garbage from our streets. They have also played a role in supporting the economy. Given their yeoman service, more must be done to support Cepep workers as the UNC seeks to restructure the programme. CECILA MELVILLE via e-mail The post Country turned into dump without Cepep appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.