Address by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago

The Honorable Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Indian Arrival Day celebrations

May 30th 2010

On the occasion of the 165th Anniversary of the Arrival of our

East Indian ancestors to our shores, I am delighted to join my
fellow citizens in paying tribute to those pioneers who put their
fears aside and in search of a better life made the perilous
journey across the kala paani to arrive in an unknown land
establishing spiritual and material foundations that have blessed
us all as a people.

The history books are replete with the struggles, the ostracism,
the callousness and the hardships which all of our ancestors faced
be they Indian, African, Chinese, Syrian or Lebanese.

The history books must also record that none of these challenges
succeeded in diminishing the spirit of the ancestors to realize
their dream of a better future. If we must learn anything as a
people from our East Indian ancestors, it must be that we must
never lose sight of our vision, nor must we allow the
circumstances of the time to defeat us.

We should be forever like them, masters of our destiny.

I have often wondered about the indomitable spirit and resilience

of our ancestors of both East Indian and African descent, the
latter of our brothers and sisters who were brought here
involuntarily and who suffered even greater indignation at the
hand of the slave masters.

Page 1 of 8
This spirit that could not be broken had to have come from a
strong belief in God.

We are told that when our East Indian ancestors came here they
brought with them the Ramayan, the Gita and the Koran. The
desire for a better material quality of life did not destroy their
attachment to religion and religious values.

MINISTER TO DEAL WITH CIVIL SOCIETY

Today, for all groups in our country, the bedrock of our society
continues to be a strong attachment to religion and a life guided
by the best human values.

We must continue to nurture this if we are to succeed against the

negative values that now threaten to engulf the nation and
particularly our young people.

In this regard, I have within the Prime Minister’s Office appointed

a Minister to deal specifically with Civil Society since I believe that
civil society has a defining role to play in the development and
sustenance of human values and therefore must be supported by
Government.

When I think of the strength of our ancestors and their ability to

overcome challenges and difficulties, I am reminded of a scene in
the Holy Text, the Ramayan.

It is a scene where Rama, the son of the King of Ayodhya is

about to leave for the forests to serve a period of voluntary exile
so as to ensure the integrity of his father and his family value for
truth.

The father is distraught that his son is being exiled. The son
recognizes this.

Page 2 of 8
He turns to the father and said,

“My dear father be not depressed at heart that I leave

the luxuries of the palace for the frugality of the
forests. Please know that in the forests, I now have
the opportunity to do that which I have not been able
to do for a long time. I will be able to converse with
the sages and saints on matters that will grow me
spiritually.”

Had our ancestors not kept focused on the opportunities amidst

the challenges, they would not have survived.

I feel sure that it was this attitude of focusing on the

opportunities even in the face of challenge, that resulted in our
ancestors overcoming their difficulties and thus being able to
leave the material and spiritual foundations which have inspired
our lives.

Today we remember with gratitude our ancestors. This

remembrance though should manifest in our commitment today,
to also bequeath to the future a value added legacy that reflects
the results of honest hard work, integrity and selflessness.

I know many of you in this audience will take great pride that a
woman of East Indian decent is today the Prime Minister of
Trinidad and Tobago.

But while I acknowledge the right for such a perspective to exist

may I humbly say that I would rather the nation feel the pride
that one of the descendants of our collective experience of
hardship and sacrifice today represents their realisation and
longing for a better life and for freedom.

Only then will we truly pay tribute to the tribulations of our

ancestors and make it all worthwhile.

Page 3 of 8
Such a broader perspective of what it means to be of East Indian
ancestry living in Trinidad and Tobago should provide a more
holistic understanding of our need for integration into a society
made up of so many peoples.

And this takes nothing away from the proud individual strands
that preserve our history, religion and culture. It simply adds to
it all.

CARICOM CULTURAL AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINAIRE.

And today I would like to recognise those before me who

struggled for this recognition and equality. The Capildeos and the
Pandays and the Butlers, the Daagas, the original freedom
fighters of our nation.

I am the inheritor of their courageous, inspired battles. I am the

heiress of the freedom they claimed in our name, the future
generations.

And I am proud that today I can say that Makandaal Daaga is one
of the leaders of our People’s Partnership government and will be
appointed as this country’s Caricom Cultural Ambassador
Extraordinaire.

Chief Servant Daaga has spent decades working without

recognition and help in the cause of promoting the ideals of
poverty eradication and giving people, especially young people, a
sense of purpose through sports and culture.

He is a selfless, patriot whose service we are so fortunate to still

have among us today. And today on Indian Arrival Day we salute
him and his lifework.

Page 4 of 8
MINISTRY OF THE ARTS AND MULTICULTURALISM

For a long time now, the discussion about a policy on

multiculturalism has been taking place.

I believe that we have arrived at a point in our social history

where we must courageously and in the interest of national
identity and unity adopt a policy on multiculturalism.

That we are a plural and diverse country is obvious. That we need

to allow all our cultural streams to flow unimpeded so as to allow
for free expression is now a must.

You will never develop a nation, you will never unite a society,
you will never bring to an end perceptions of discrimination until
you courageously put in place policy framework that
makes every group feel secure, appreciated and celebrates
their contribution to nation building.

We have had too much quarrelling for cultural space. We should

instead be inviting each other into the cultural space we each
occupy. The physical barriers and the psychological boundaries
between the cultures must be removed through the promotion of
both the uniqueness as well as similarities of each culture.

When this is done, fears of cultural domination will be diminished

and commitment to nation will increase.

The national culture is truly an amalgam of the many different

steams of culture which we have as a people.

Our country is blessed to have many streams of people and

cultures, of religion and traditions, giving us the rare opportunity
not only to experience the enrichment that comes from diversity,
but also to share the best from each others’ practices and
traditions, thus enhancing the whole that is our nation.

Page 5 of 8
For too long we have lived separately.

The time has come to live together.

We have seen over the past decade a greater sharing of our

national festivals. We need to share even more.

This does not mean giving up that which we are in terms of our
diversity. What it means is that we should enter without fear the
cultural space of each other to promote a deeper appreciation of
each other, the kind of appreciation that would celebrate and
unite us as one people.

For far too long, there have been claims of cultural

marginalization by one group or the other.

This perception must be removed.

There is no reason to fight each other for cultural space. There is

no reason to push one culture or the other or one group of our
citizens or the other into a corner.

Instead, let us strive to make mental space for each other as we

partner each other in the collective task of rebuilding our country.
We all belong to this country.

This is our land and we are all equal. My government will be

a government of equal vision to all our peoples and cultures.

The cultural stages have seen the creativity of our people in the
way they have merged aspects our cultural traditions.

The fusion of the rhythm of the tassa and the African drums,
symbolizes the energy of our people when they come together.
Our East Indian and African dancers have shown us that the
Ganges does meet the Nile here in Trinidad and Tobago.

We must not lose sight of where our people are going.

Page 6 of 8
As a Government, we must provide cultural policies and an
environment that promotes the will of our people, and allows all
cultural streams to flourish.

For this reason the Ministry of Arts and Culture will be redesigned
to become the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism in order to
give greater voice to the diverse cultural expressions of our
common desires for individual and national identity.

There will be a realignment of policies including resource

allocation, to allow for a more equitable recognition and fulfilment
of the needs of the diverse proponents of our culture.

To quote Gandhiji, “A nation's culture resides in the hearts

and in the soul of its people.”

Today is a day that is more than a celebration.

It is a day of gratitude and remembrance, gratitude to our

ancestors for their contribution to nation building, by empowering
our lives through their vision and sacrifice.

It is a day of reflection and learning, reflection about the

conditions which they faced, but which could not daunt their spirit
for survival and growth.

It is a day of rededication to the values which they lived, values

of hard work, love, care, compassion and neighbourliness, the
jahaji bhai culture.

It is a day in our annual calendar when we take the time to recall

and to be inspired by the courage, dedication, fortitude and self
belief of our ancestors, qualities which ensured that even amidst
a most challenging environment, they built spiritual and material
foundations upon which we their descendants have been able to
fashion our individual as well as our societal growth and
achievements.
Page 7 of 8
Side by side we stand!

Today, I pay tribute to our East Indian heritage, even as I

celebrate the contributions of all the other groups. I urge you to
demonstrate love and respect for each other.

One hundred and sixty five years ago our East Indian ancestors
placed great faith in themselves and risked the “Kala Pani” to
come to our shores, a land unknown, a destiny that needed to be
shaped.

They brought with them the Gita, Ramayan and Koran. With faith
in God, they built their lives and bequeathed to us their
descendants a rich legacy. They came here with fear but with
determination and they succeeded.

On May 24th 2010, citizens also made a leap of faith and gave
me the opportunity to be Prime Minister and to lead the
Government.

Our citizens also did so with courage. I shall not betray that
trust placed in me.

The People’s Partnership government will create a nation where

everyone is comfortable, secure and where any remnants of
alienation is removed.

Together we will do everything possible to ensure inclusiveness of

every citizen and every group. When every creed and race finds
an equal place, then we can say we have truly arrived and paid
deserving tribute to our ancestors from wherever they came
seeking a better life.

May God bless you all and May God bless our nation.

Page 8 of 8