The recent announcement by Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar to rename Nelson Island to reflect its strong ties with Indian indentureship was met with an immediate reaction by Professor Bridget Brereton. The Prime Minister did not suggest any new name for the islet but Professor Brereton offered one – Arrival Day.
Historical records reveals that Nelson Island was named after Thomas Nelson, a British landlord. It was also developed as a military base and outfitted with canons and other walled defenses. Of historical significance was the use of Nelson Island to detain Uriah Butler during the Second World War and in the 1970s to imprison the rebels who attempted to overthrow the government in the Black Power Uprisings of 1970.
My question is this-why is there always strong opposition whenever an effort is made to name a public building or place after an Indo-Trinidadian? Much objection was raised both in and out of parliament when the call was made to declare Indian Arrival Day (May 30) a national holiday. Several prominent historians who were expected to lend their support to this call, vehemently objected.
In more recent times King George V Park in Port of Spain was renamed Nelson Mandela Park. The government consulted no one for that name change. No objections came from the public, and, more so, the Indo-Trinidadian community. The statue of Christopher Columbus was removed from Columbus Square in Port of Spain, again without consultation with the public.
The most unique and significant event that took place at Nelson Island was the disembarkation and quarantining of more than 144,000 Indian indentures between the period 1845 and 1917. This migration was a major social event that transformed significantly not only the demography of the country but also the diversification of the economy and its culture including language, dress and religion. Any renaming of Nelson Island must take into consideration this impact that the Indian indentures had on the island. Had the Indians not been quarantined at Nelson Island, would it be of any historical significance today? Also, prior to the Prime Minister’s pronouncement, none had any plan to highlight Nelson Island.
Ellis Island of the US is today a major historical site where tourists can relive the experience of the tens of thousands of migrants who came from different parts of Europe searching for a brighter future. Nelson Island can serve as our Ellis Island to relive the indentureship history. This project can be developed into a major tourist hub with significant inputs from the Trinidad and Tobago government.
Indians are the largest ethnic group in the country. Despite this their presence is not reflected in public places. Our major road ways are named after non-Indians: Churchill-Roosevelt, Solomon Hochoy, Uriah Butler, Claude Noel, Rienzi- Kirton. (Interestingly, the Rienzi-Kirton Highway is shared between Rienzi and Kirton and that highway is very short in length-less than five miles). Of note, a letter writer has made an appeal for the Butler Highway to be renamed the Butler-Rienzi Highway, given their shared struggle to improve the social condition of the working class.
Kamaluddin Mohammed, founder and deputy political leader of the PNM and cabinet minister, contributed significantly to the development of Trinidad and Tobago and to date there is no public building or place name after him, not even a block at the Eric Williams Medical Complex under whose watch this massive hospital was constructed. Insulting to the Mohammed family was the offer by the government to name a round-about north of Divali Nagar in Chaguanas after him, which the family turned down.
Why has no public building named after Bhadase Sagan Maharaj? He was the first political leader of the People’s Democratic Party and first opposition leader. He also won the Federal Elections defeating the PNM 6-4 and also the 1959 local government elections.
Nobel Laureate V. S. Naipaul and former PM, Basdeo Panday, are yet to be recognized by the government and the people in a significant and meaningful way. And the same can be said for CLR James, a brilliant son of the soil, who was not only a historian and cricket commentator but also a major player in the shaping and development of the Pan African Movement that inspired the liberation of the African continent from colonial rule.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has a significant mandate from the electorate and she must act accordingly. Just as the PNM implemented name change of places so also PM Kamla Persad – Bissessar must act boldly to name places to reflect our diverse cultures and history.
We must protest the deliberate truncating of our historians and journalists when they hold their pens to write the history of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The Indians are generally pushed to the margin or ‘chapterized’ while others who have exploited and bled this nation are given pride of place. Nevertheless, despite these biases in the academic world, the likes of Bhadase Sagan Maraj continue to prevail in the roles they have played in the development of the nation.
As for the renaming of Nelson Island this should be guided by the most significant events in the island and by far, the landing and the quarantining of the 144,000 Indian migrants stand out in comparison to the other few activities on the island. Therefore, any renaming of Nelson Island must reflect that impact of the Indian indentures on the island between 1845 and 1917. And if I may, Jahaji Island may be a good choice.