The alleged Father of the Nation, Dr Eric Williams, writing in “The History of the People of Trinidad and Tobago” marking the Independence of the country on August 31, 1962, that a nation has been founded, but not yet formed, and the task of nationhood would have to be continued. This has not happened as yet, and would never ever.
And 62 years later, there are no signs of such initiative, despite probably a trillion dollars of revenue, inclusive of the oil bonanza in the 1970s, we are yet to get a clean glass of water to take a Panadol, from WASA, despite our Lake Asphalt, our roads continue to be deplorable, broken bridges, landslides, deficient education system, bullying in our schools, murders, home invasions, kidnapping. national security. financial borrowing locally and internationally as Trinidad and Tobago is no longer surrounded by water from the Gulf of Paria or the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean Sea, but by borrowings/credits, poor government services at all levels of governance, yet we are promised better days ahead, with no money, no leadership. Trinidad and Tobago is no longer the land of the Humming Bird, but the Land of the Hungry Birds, as starvation is now an integral part of our national landscape.
And to further compound the entire scenario, 62 years later after Independence, we are now focusing on changing the Coat of Arms, which was delicately formatted by some of our nation’s top artisans, namely Carlisle Chang and George Bailey, and which was approved by our founding father, Dr Williams, we have got a bomb scare that the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina are not inspiring enough for the nation.
The changing of the Coat of Arms is not a party thing, but a governmental challenge. This means that our country is run from Balisier House, and not Whitehall or Parliament. Why not hold a referendum on the issue, rather than hiding it at NAPA.
Kindly note that Dr Williams as a noted Caribbean historian saw the wisdom in inserting these symbols as part of our Coat of Arms, and was not discriminatory of having these European artifacts as part of our historical development, even though he was sarcastic about European colonialism.
Today, when our nation of 1.4 million people have no jobs, our young people have gone astray, lack of basic infrastructural facilities and support, all of which are essential ingredients for nation building and national development, and are only visible through grandiose promises and ministerial statements. But nowhere to be seen or found.
Today, we have to seek charity from India through cooking oil and rice, and ground provisions form India and Ghana respectively, all of which formed part of our agricultural stocks, and we boast of it profoundly. I remember vividly that in early .1963 Dr Williams and then Opposition Leader, Dr Rudranath Capildeo jointly attested for the formation of a Buy Local Campaign, in order to undermine the food import bill, but this agency was disbanded and thrown in the floods that annually adorn our landscape. We have foreign exchange for Dunkin’s Donuts, but not for business or health purposes.
Where is the authority that Dr Rowley got to tamper with such sacred symbols of our Independence. I have read the PNM Manifestoes and no mention was made to change the Coat of Arms. Why tamper with it when there are serious social, economic, political, civic and cultural challenges adorn our nation, and not a word is said about how to save us from becoming another Haiti.
I read the report of the Constitution Review Committee which is a Government Document. And nowhere it states that there is an urgency or a need to tamper with the Coat of Arms. What it did say was to insert all our national symbols-should be incorporated in our Constitution as a separate chapter, and I do not think anyone would have a problem with that.
This nation would get crazy, worse than Carnival when one considers that all official Government documents—passport, driving permit, currency, national identification card, birth certificate, land deed, security uniforms, among several others—would have to be revalidated at monumental costs and years in waiting in long lines to get new issuances. We must not forget the madness when the currency had changed.
These issues would impact heavily, set some to madness, and the St. Ann’s Madhouse would have to be extended vigorously.
This is the mood in Trinidad and Tobago, 62 years after Independence. What is the Government’s next issue to set the nation mad again.
Politicians do not have the power to change any aspects of governance. It is the people, the national citizenry, who would always have this God-given right. Now and always.
Happy 62nd Independence Day. Trinidad and Tobago.
Parasram (Paras) Ramoutar. HBM. JP. BA.APR.ABC
International Journalist/Consultant
61 Main Road, Caparo. Trinidad.
H:(868)672.8702/C;(868)374.5586
Email: paras_ramoutar@yahoo.com