As a citizen, a Senator and the Minister of Labour, Small and Micro Enterprise Development, I feel a profound responsibility to respond to the people of Trinidad and Tobago following our commemoration of African Emancipation this weekend.
African Emancipation Day was forged out of the bloodshed, the countless lives lost, and the unyielding sacrifices of our ancestors who fought for human dignity, justice, and freedom. Their struggle was about liberation from bondage, and moreover, about affirming the equal worth of every human being.
This is a time intended to elevate us, to honour our heritage, and to remind us of the strength that lies within our collective history. I was deeply saddened, therefore, to witness the significance of these observances tarnished by hostility, partisan politics, and racial division.
No citizen, whether a public official, academic, activist or private individual, should be subjected to racial abuse or personal vilification. In that context, I unreservedly condemn the abusive attacks directed at my Cabinet Colleague, Minister Michelle Benjamin, and the disparaging comments aimed at the well respected and internationally recognized Professor Selwyn Cudjoe.
While persons are passionate and emotions may be running high, we must step back from the brink of rhetoric that tears at the social fabric of our Republic. Democracy flourishes through robust debate, thoughtful disagreement and the free exchange of ideas. It is weakened when public discourse descends into personal abuse, racial hostility or attempts to diminish individuals because of their ethnicity, political affiliation or willingness to serve their country.
Throughout my years of struggle for the working class, I learned a fundamental lesson that remains just as relevant today: people achieve progress when they stand together. Our greatest victories have always come through solidarity, mutual respect and our shared commitment to the common good, not through division.
I therefore urge all citizens to reject language and conduct that deepen mistrust among our people. Political differences are inevitable in every democracy, but they must never come at the expense of our national unity or our respect for one another. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, S.C., this Government remains unwavering in its commitment to serve every citizen of Trinidad and Tobago. Our responsibility is not to govern for one group, but to govern for an entire nation, and that responsibility demands that we stand firmly for unity whenever forces seek to divide us as a people.
I urge every son and daughter of this nation to reject hatred and discrimination in all their forms. Trinidad and Tobago belongs to all of us. The future of this great nation will not be secured through fear or division, but through tolerance, understanding, mutual respect and our unwavering belief that we are stronger together than apart. Let us honour the legacy of our ancestors by choosing unity over divisiveness, and by remembering that we are, one nation, one people, one destiny