He has been criticised severely for the past four weeks, but more support is coming for environmentalist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh in a candlelight gathering in St Clair, today. Saying that his hunger strike was not just about the highway, founder of the Adult Literacy Tutors’ Association Paula Lucie-Smith is urging citizens to walk with their candles, deyas or flags to Nelson Mandela Park—between 5 pm to 7 pm—to support Kublalsingh.
With veteran mas man Peter Minshall and 3 Canal expected at the gathering, Lucie-Smith said Kublalsingh’s stance was not political, but one that can make the difference in how citizens and civil society interact with governments.
“I think it will be a reflective mood but also an expression of strength and resilience that we will see this through. This is not about conflict, and it is not about one side versus the other side, because the whole purpose of this event tomorrow (Sunday) is to say let us resolve our differences through dialogue and mediation.”
Lucie-Smith said citizens cannot continue to allow decisions about public resources to be made without proper dialogue and compromise, adding that if T&T is to progress, everyone should support calls for good governance. She said, “It is really incredible, and I am just amazed because you can see he is wasting away, and you know he is not eating or drinking. It is amazing that his mind is clear, his resolve is certain. It’s an incredible thing.
“I think it is something that every Trinidadian should experience, when you have something that is so much bigger than the average that goes into the realm of the extraordinary.” Lucie-Smith likened Kublalsingh’s struggle to her literacy programme, saying that both helps to empower people who feel their voices are not being heard.
She said if citizens take a stand on issues, such as what is now being displayed outside the Office of the Prime Minister, “then slowly those is authority will have to listen if we just never back down.”
Health effects of hunger strikes
Depending on the length of a hunger strike a person can do severe, in some cases irreparable, damage to their body.
The following is a short list of the serious health risks involved in carrying a hunger strike beyond two to three weeks—this information assumes that you are engaging in a water-only hunger strike and you are basically healthy when you begin your hunger strike, also some of these effects are not permanent:
• Damage to muscle tissue (after approximately four weeks)
• Weakening of bones (after approximately four weeks)
• Hallucinations/dementia (after approximately three weeks)
• Potentially permanent brain damage (after approximately four to five weeks)
• Potentially permanent damage to internal organs (after approximately four to five weeks)
• Potential failure of internal organs (after approximately four to five weeks)
• Death (could happen at any time depending on the state of your health)
According to an article on how stuff works, medical practitioners said, “People have gone longer and been fine, and people have starved to death in less time. Being strong and in good physical shape can help you survive longer, but so does having extra body fat. The body stores energy needed to live in the form of fat, carbohydrates and proteins.
The carbohydrates are the first thing to be used up without more food coming in. The fat goes next, which explains why people with more of it can survive longer. Then the proteins go. If you get to the point that your body is using up proteins, basically the body itself, then you’re in bad shape.” It added that climate and metabolism are also contributory factors to how long one survives.
Symptoms if one goes without food for a couple of days are:
• Weakness
• Confusion
• Chronic diarrhoea
• Irritability
• Bad decision making
• Decreased sex drive
• Immune deficiency
Advanced starvation will cause your organs to shut down one by one. People in the throes of severe starvation might experience the following:
• Hallucinations
• Convulsions
• Muscle spasms
• Irregular heartbeat
(Taken from Medic Wiki)