JUSTICE Frank Seepersad said the “paradise” his indentured Indian ancestors found when they were brought to “Chinidad” is in peril.
Addressing the Citizen One Foundation (C1F) annual Heritage and Leadership Conference breakfast fellowship at the Passage to Asia Restaurant, Chaguanas, on Indian Arrival Day, Seepersad observed, “Crime is out of control, many are struggling to meet their basic daily requirements and there exists an unacceptable degree of divisiveness, dishonesty and disingenuous discourse.”
On an optimistic note, he told the audience, including Mahindra Maharaj chair of the organising committee, that the paradise was not yet lost. He recommended a number of strategies that can be explored to save his “Papo’s” (maternal great grandfather) paradise.
Seepersad called for reform of the Constitution, a national development plan to stop the pressing of the "reset button" every five years and, the formation of a race-relations committee, asserting that diversity was country’s greatest asset.
“The Constitution needs to be relevant and relatable and the antiquated administrative and electoral processes which currently exists have to be replaced by efficient, effective and practical systems which are designed to reflect our unique plurality, facilitate ease of business, foster economic growth and curb corruption in its many manifestations.
“Let us not delude ourselves, we must stop the pretense that all is well. How we vote, is, with alarming frequency how we now live. We have become, suspicious, unforgiving, mean, irrational and so divided that we are perched dangerously close to a precipitous edge.”
Seepersad suggested that with genuine bipartisan collaboration, “we should elect to formulate a national development plan and stop pressing the ‘reset button’, every five years."
He said the task would have its challenge, but suggested serious thought be given to the formation of a race-relations commission to explore and validate varied backgrounds, understand missteps, identify the correlation between racialised power and inherited colonial status quo and de-escalate the brewing racial tension.
“The commission, if formed, may wish to consult political parties, religious bodies, civic groups, business conglomerates and citizens so as to allay fears, alter entrenched perceptions, address cultural biases and identify the areas of engagement which require greater tolerance, equity and gender inclusivity.
“We have a lot to be proud about as citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, but we have a lot of work ahead of us if we are to truly realise our fullest potential and preserve this paradise which all our ancestors cherished and revered.”
He said, far too often, issues and solutions were no longer addressed or formulated in a rational, logical or methodological manner. Instead, they are fashioned by considerations of class, ethnicity, lineage and affiliation.
“Our indentured forefathers overcame significant challenges, discrimination and prejudices but they persevered and, in one generation, excelled
