Trinidad and Tobago is a country where meritocracy takes the forefront, said Dr Lenny Saith, the Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister. He was addressing a function in his honour at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road, New Delhi, Monday. The function was held by T&T High Commissioner to India, Pundit Maniedeo Persad, and his wife, Rohini. Saith was the recipient of the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award last weekend at the closing ceremony of the eighth Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas conference in Delhi.
He told the gathering T&T was a land of diversity that had to be managed properly and effectively. Saith, an Indo-Trinidadian, said political support in T&T came from the two major racial groups. He said his party's support came largely from the Afro-Trinidadians. He said he was proud to play a role in bridging the gap between the two major races and one way to do so was through a system of meritocracy.
Saith spoke of his days in India when he studied engineering in 1955 and the strong camaraderie he developed with his colleagues in India. Persad spoke at length of Saith's role in politics and his career. Saith's award represented a recognition by the Indian Government of the role he has played as a person of Indian origin in the process of nation-building in T&T, he said. Persad said Saith played a pivotal role as the PNM chairman after the 33 to three NAR victory in 1986 to restructure the party to once again gain office.
