Welfare and indebtedness are killing the world. The former is driving the latter and putting humanity in distress. More so, indebtedness is now being manipulated to gain political power. The promise of free buses and other welfare schemes have fooled the people of New York into electing Zohran Mandani to power. Now that he is elected, everyone knows including Mandani that his promises cannot be fulfilled. This is compounded with the arrest, conviction and deportation of Samalis in the state of Minnesota in the USA for corruption, that is, stealing funds that was supposed to provide welfare to the poor and vulnerable in the community.
The issue with state welfare is not its intention but the people who are charged with administering the program. Instead of social welfare be administered to lift the poor out of poverty, it is perpetuated so that those who are administering it can steal and fill their pockets. It is, therefore in the interest of these administrators to keep those beneficiaries poor and dependent so that they can continue to exploit them.
URP, and CEPEP were two such programs to provide reliefs to the poor. Unfortunately, the initial plan to equip the needy with skills were never implemented. Instead, it bred a culture of dependency and the number of people in the program increased rather than decrease. To finish work at 9 am and return home at 11 am was the dream career for many. Now that the Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s government has dismantled these social programs, those who have exploited it for personal profits are crying foul.
The Poor Act of 1563 was passed in Britain to encourage the rich to pay taxes to bring relief to the poor. Reviewing the program later, it was concluded that the program promoted ‘squalor, idleness and criminality.’ The eradication of poverty was clearly a challenging task as it was not only about providing relief to the poor but monitoring the personnel charged with administering the program.
The state welfarism that was implemented in the 1970s in Trinidad and Tobago has its origins in Britain after the 2nd World War. Nevertheless, as early as the 1970s British welfare was causing much economic distress to the British economy. Then Prime Minister, Magaret Thatcher, intervened in the late 1970s and 1980s to dismantle this increasing dependency on the State by standing up to trade unions and their demands for huge increases in wages and other social benefits. Tied to a global economy, Prime Minister Thatcher reasoned that any competitive advantage the UK has in the international market would be eroded.
Today the UK is in economic decline as several of its national programs including health care are threaten with collapse. The political divide between Labour and the Conservative and the Far Right is hinged on welfare: how much of State welfare should be encouraged? Today, the Labour government, in its haste to hold on to power, is accused of being more helpful toward the plight of immigrants than born and bred naturalized citizens. The high level of homeless people on the streets of London has prompted the King to raise alarm.
The bling culture has infiltrated most families- clubbing, cruises, brand clothing and eating out. Most interestingly is that this culture is perpetrated by parents who can ill-afford it. Instead of inculcating prudent financial spending, most parents destroy their children by encouraging this lavish life style.
This dependency mindset has also infiltrated the mandir and should be a cause for concern. Not volunteering time or money, many just present themselves, hold out for two hours to enjoy a lavish meal, all free of charge. Devotees must be informed that there is a cost to operating a mandir and most importantly providing sumptuous meals at the end of the service. Putting a red dollar for offering is not only cheap but sacrilegious.
“Nah kam, nah kaia- you don’t work, you don’t eat” was a slogan of a father in my village. This father pounded that slogan into the heads of his children and today all his children are known for their hard work. The poor and the vulnerable must be instructed that there is honor in work. “Work is worship; Duty is God,” said Sai Baba. The law of karma and the concept of yagya should be taught to help all to understand that no one can steal from the universe and walk away a freeman. This pride in work and service to others and all of nature should be the cornerstone of our values if we wish to live a fulfilled life on earth.