‘People’s Assembly might have helped COVID-19 response’

Former COVID-19 Czar Richard Carter believes if the proposed People’s Assembly local governance system was in effect during the pandemic, it could have played a major role in reaching displaced Barbadians.

Carter, a member of the Thorne Commission set up to examine local governance, told Sunday’s virtual town hall meeting that catered to St Joseph residents: “A substantial part of my job as the COVID Czar that few Barbadians saw was dealing behind the scenes with the fallout among individuals who were displaced and needed some social protection support. I think my job would have been easier in reaching the people negatively affected by COVID-19 if we had something like a People’s Assembly in place.”

Carter, who also confirmed he was no longer Czar, noted that despite assistance from Members of Parliament and Government agencies, his unit still did not get to everyone who needed help.

“We ended up getting recommendations from people calling in saying they were in a serious situation; we had people coming through their Members of Parliament, through the Ministry of People’s Empowerment and Elder Affairs and through the Household Mitigation Unit. Despite this, we still missed a number of people,” Carter said.

“The assemblies would have been a good way to identify persons whose livelihoods were negatively impacted, who needed governmental support and to whom we could have reached out to provide support.”

Beyond that, he said, there was also a challenge getting into communities to meet people who, although eligible for the Government benefits, had mobility challenges and could not go to the official centres.

Following on from that point, fellow commission member, Cheryl Hunte, stated: “People in the communities would know the most vulnerable among themselves, so they would have been able to connect and tell the Czar who he needed to reach.”

Hunte also suggested that some of the people who served on the parish committees established during Government’s We Gatherin’ 2020 exercise, which was cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, should offer their services once the People’s Assemblies get underway.

“During We Gatherin’, several committees had projects planned, so I am encouraging the people who served on those committees to offer themselves as representatives and get involved when the parish is selecting members to serve on the People’s Assemblies. Each community in each parish had some good ideas and I don’t think we should shelve them. I think post-COVID we should look at these again,” she said.

Other issues arising out of the meeting included: the minimum age of representatives on the assemblies; the involvement of students from schools located within the catchment area, but specifically those who lived within the area; and that members of the assemblies should, wherever possible, represent all geographical areas of the parish so the concerns of all could get a fair hearing. (DH)