We were Tomas-watching for most of last week. The US mid-term elections were a blip on our consciousness, even if they were a blow to President Barack Obama. There was also a buzz over a “mis-speak” by Trinidad PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

As we prepared for the storm, we looked to the welfare of our loved ones, and the Facebook “family” went from comforting to comical with one lady complaining that Tomas had “posted” her. Quite a few condemned the bad-minded comments of some troglodytes, about Haiti having disasters because of “wickedness”. I heard Dr Orville Taylor pointing out to one of his callers on RJR’s Hotline that Jamaica had a much higher murder rate than Haiti, so how could they even think that?

Actually, I believe that the reconstruction of Haiti is the big test for us who keep trumpeting Caribbean solidarity. From his reports in this newspaper, it is obvious that former PM PJ Patterson has taken this task to heart – we have to understand that recovery will be a very long process.

The one organisation that is ultimately accountable for the effective coordination of relief and rebuilding is the United Nations, even as we acknowledge that Caricom must play a pivotal role in the entire process. We should ensure that the UN’s noble Declaration of Human Rights gets translated into humane living conditions for the over one million Haitians who had nothing but a tent between themselves and Tomas. The UN may be facing obstacles that we can hardly imagine – we ask them to share these with the media so we can become their partners in pushing the Haitian agenda.

Food for the Poor has appealed for urgent support for Hurricane Tomas relief in Haiti, where they have been running orphanages and infirmaries for the past 24 years. “Right now, Food For The Poor is in a race against time to collect much-needed supplies: evaporated and condensed milk, canned mackerel, canned corned beef, canned chicken, sardines, Spam and Vienna sausages with an expiration date six months or longer; Powerade, Gatorade and Pedialyte,” says a release on their website.

You can visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/hurricane to donate online or you can send your contribution for Haiti to our local Food For The Poor office at Twickenham Park in St Catherine.

After the storm had passed, we checked to see how Barack Obama was dealing with his mid-term defeats and how Mrs Persad-Bissessar was addressing the fallout over her remarks on Trinidad’s hurricane relief. In the US, there have been accusations and recriminations after the Obama-led Democrats lost their majority in the Congressional and gubernatorial elections. In the Caribbean, people were calling for a boycott of Trini-made products.

The savvy leaders are both on Facebook, so we went there for an insight. There was the handsome President Obama and PM Kamla resplendent in a sari, in honour of the Indian Festival of Lights, Divali. Interestingly, President Obama told us he was about to leave for India to Divali – who wouldn’t welcome some light in this dim time? PM Persad Bissessar has an impressive 65,332 people who “like” her page while, as expected, Barack Obama has 15,489,128 fans.

We linked to the US President’s speech at his post-election press conference: “Each time progress has come slowly and even painfully, but progress has always come – because we’ve worked at it and because we’ve believed in it, and most of all, because we remembered that our first allegiance as citizens is not to party or region or faction, but to country …”

The comments on Facebook are very telling:

Gloria Fluker: “Don’t just say the words, do the deed. People want you and your overpaid advisers to create jobs or create the conditions for private industry to create jobs. Move with the same urgency you used to save Wall Street. You and your political party lost control of the House because you failed to create jobs!!!”

Michelle Moore: “Mr President, I am one of the people who fought so hard for you during your campaign and I still have great respect for your ability to get us back on the right track… I voted for you and will vote for you in 2012, but we need you to fight back with some force as the Republicans do every day against you. Please don’t keep COMPROMISING!!! No disrespect intended, but we need you to get tougher.”

PM Persad Bissessar made a no-strings-attached statement as she looked forward to a visit to the storm-battered St Lucia: “I use the Holy Day of Divali to visit the island of St Lucia, to gain a first-hand look at the devastation caused by Hurricane Tomas. Accompanying me will be a team of ministers, military, technical, engineering and partnering organisations. We will stop at nothing in ensuring that our brothers and sisters in …the region receive the level of support required in this, their time of urgent need.”

Comments from Mrs Persad Bissessar’s page:

Kevin Lila: “Ha! I see the PM changed her tune…”

John Smith: “‘Changed her tune’? … Keep up the good work, Madam PM.”

Chris Risk: “I am all for helping those in need! But it must be genuine.”

Gerard Pinard: “Excellent initiative, Madam Prime Minister! Shubh Divali!”

Jamaicans have been making some bitter remarks about the US mid-term elections – makes you wonder why we are so critical of the US, then line up patiently to get that country’s visa. Before we badmouth America, let us consider the words of John Hamre, President of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a prominent non-partisan Washington think tank: “American citizens are speaking. Not all politicians like what they hear, but it is an affirmation of American democracy that we are telling our politicians what we want as citizens.”

America is working on her problems – we need to focus on our own and those of our close neighbour. It was a blessing to be spared the impact of Tomas – let us give thanks by giving to Haiti.

lowriechin@aim.com

www.lowrie-chin.blogspot.com