Donna, Walk in the Shoes of Hamper Seekers

“Take off your leather stilettoes and try on the shoes of those lining up for hampers.”

DEAR Minister Donna Cox,

It must be hard for you to understand the plight of those who elected you.

After all you have to be careful you don’t get vertigo when you look down at us humble peasants from the astonishing heights at which you sit.

Like many people I was aghast, if not completely infuriated, by your “greediness and neediness” comment.

You made these remarks concerning the mass of people lining up in the blazing sun to collect food hampers at the South Park shopping plaza in San Fernando.

Reports of more than one person per household collecting hampers seemed to have ruffled your feathers. Rather than exploring why that may be, you attributed it to “greed” and revealed yourself not only for lacking empathy, but being completely unaware of what people are facing, and the lengths they will go to ensure their families can be fed for more than a week.

I fear you have become so separated from the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, especially the less fortunate amongst us, that you fail to recognise the most basic of human instincts; self-preservation, the willingness to survive.

Beginner’s psychology has taught us that humans will do whatever is needed to survive under difficult circumstances.

Imagine you have lost your job, your partner has lost his job, you have children at home who are hungry and you have to choose between keeping the lights on or buying food.

Suddenly, an opportunity comes along for you to receive a food hamper. As gracious as you are, you worry as to how much food you will get and how far it will stretch. You are uncertain as to when you will be able to work again and provide.

So, you and your partner both stand in line, hoping to collect a hamper each. You do feel a slight bit guilty that this may be cheating others out of their share, but the reality is in desperate situations your gut instinct is to protect and provide for yourself and your own.

This Minister Cox is not greed. This is desperation.

People weren’t lining up for a bag of luxury freebies, they were lining up for something many take for granted, they were lining up out of the necessity to survive.

These people, your people, were forced to make the decision to put their pride aside and seek handouts.

It is a shame Minister Cox, that what you saw was “greediness.” What you should have seen is the pain and struggling of your national brothers and sisters, the ones you swore to serve.

What you should have seen is that your ministry’s system of providing relief during the economic fallout of Covid, is not working.

What you should have done instead of making assumptions, is apologised.

What you should have done is go breathe fire down the backs of your Government chums to push for better social support systems during this crucial time.

It’s sad that you are unable to place yourself in the shoes of others.

But then again, neither can your Parliamentary posse.

I am yet to hear of Parliamentarians taking a pay cut. Instead, while people are facing eviction and empty wallets, your buddy Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh shed a single tear.

I work with an NGO, last year during the first shutdown I delivered a hamper to someone who broke down in tears of joy because the hamper had flour and yeast. They cried because they would be able to bake bread.

This person wasn’t a person who lived on welfare grants and scratched ass all day. This was a person who worked in the entertainment sector and had been left jobless. This was a person who provided for themselves and the pandemic took that away from them. This was a person who had to swallow their pride and ask for help.

This person was not greedy. I guarantee you the majority of people collecting hampers, and other relief provided from organizations aren’t greedy either.

Do not insult people. Now is the time to be kind, to be understanding and for you as a leader to work your tail off to ensure those who put you in power are cared for.

So Donna, please do me a favour, think before you speak. Take off your leather stilettoes and try on the shoes of those lining up for hampers. You may then learn what true neediness is and discover that those filled with the most greediness, aren’t the ones lining up.