WHAT ABOUT THE FLOODS IN PAKISTAN?

Aug 17, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Earlier this year, it took a strongly worded statement from the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana to wrench a condemnation from the government over Israel’s actions against the Gaza flotilla. It may take another such statement before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes public its reaction to the devastating floods that are now taking place in Pakistan.
While the death toll from this year’s monsoon season no way nears the devastation that took place in Haiti this year, the displacement of persons caused by the flooding of their villages is no less calamitous. International agencies estimate that billions of dollars are going to be needed to rebuild that country and bring relief to the millions who are now homeless.
In the face of such a tragedy, one would have expected by now that both the government and the National Assembly would have at the minimum issued words of support to the people of Pakistan, even if they may have had difficulty getting in touch with that country’s President.
It may very well be that a note expressing the government’s sympathy was sent. If this was the case then this note is being kept as low-key as the presence of a senior government functionary who laid a wreath at the 25th death anniversary celebrations of former President of Guyana, Forbes Burnham.
When it comes to natural disasters and offering words of support for countries who suffer as a result of these disasters, Guyana cannot afford to have a low profile response. The bulk of the Guyanese people live along a narrow strip of land that is below sea level. With climate change wreaking havoc in many parts of the world, Guyana has to be watchful given its own vulnerability to such disasters.
In 2005, Guyana suffered a terrible flood. For weeks, Guyana waited on an international rescue package that never came. Whatever came, arrived in a trickle, even after it was clear that over 60% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product was wiped out as a result of the floods. The government had to bail itself out of the boat in which the floods left the country.
One of the countries which did assist was Trinidad and Tobago. That country itself in recent weeks has suffered from floods that have inundated many homes. Here again, there has been no indication as to whether the government has consoled its sister Caribbean state which has always been generous when it comes to natural disasters within the region, as demonstrated by its response to such occurrences in Grenada, Guyana and Haiti.
Guyana’s economic strategy takes into account the risk of climate disaster. It understands the need to take preventative action to avoid what is taking place in other parts of the world. As such, our foreign policy needs to show greater sensitivity towards these problems.
We should also be attempting to learn from the responses to such tragedies, so that in the event that we should again be unfortunate and suffer another natural disaster, the response would be much better, and lead to less suffering than was experienced in 2005.
Guyana’s trumping of a low carbon development strategy requires a reconfiguration of its foreign policy response to be consistent with this thrust. It demands that the foreign ministry show greater sensitivity toward developments involving climate and the environment.
The old ways of doing things have to be put aside. The art and pursuit of foreign policy requires responses on a wider range of issues than ever before. Foreign policy is not a peripheral issue. In today’s world it is a resource to be harnessed. If properly managed, it can deliver undeniable benefits and protection for the people of Guyana.

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WHAT ABOUT THE FLOODS IN PAKISTAN?

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