On this day 59 years ago, Trinidad and Tobago became an independent nation.
One of the highlights of that first Independence Day was a radio address by the country’s first Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams, in which he detailed what being an independent democratic nation meant.
Dr Williams said it meant, among other things, equality of opportunity in education, in the public service and in private employment; protection of the weak against the strong; the obligation of the minority to recognise the right of the majority; the responsibility of the government to its citizens; protection of citizens from the exercise of arbitrary power and the violation of human freedoms and individual rights; freedom of worship and freedom of expression and assembly of organisation.
Dr Williams gave this country the watchwords Discipline, Production, Tolerance and cautioned that “indiscipline, whether individual or sectional, is a threat to democracy.’”
“The individual cannot be allowed to seek his personal interests and gratify his personal ambitions at the expense of a nation,” Dr Williams said
Today, that message should resonate with all of us in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, where so many individuals are hesitant to take vaccines that are the key to getting back to some sense of normalcy.
That normalcy includes a return to in-person classes for the nation’s children, whom Dr Williams identified as our future.
What would Dr Williams think of this country if he were alive today? Would he see a people grounded in the tenets of discipline, production and tolerance, who understand the importance of our independence, the significance of being a democratic nation and the responsibility that this brings with it? Or have we made fraud and mockery of our democracy by showing intolerance to others?
All those years ago, Dr Williams told T&T that democracy “rests on a higher power than Parliament … it rests on an informed and cultivated and alert public opinion.” It is up to society to stay informed and to keep our parliamentarians in check.
T&T has come a long way since 1962. We have seen highs and lows, including an attempt to overthrow our democratically elected government. Today, we face one of the worse crises in decades. This county is at an important crossroads and without buy-in from the majority, we are destined to fail in our battle against COVID-19. If that happens, then we would have failed as a country at a most critical time.
As we enter our 60th year as an independent nation, we must heed the words of Dr Williams, who told us whatever the challenge we face, we must always place national interests first.
This is also a good time to recall Dr Williams’ statement that the strength of the country depends on the strength of its citizens and commit to being our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. More than ever, putting aside the ethnic, political and ideological differences that divide and defeat us is critical. Let us continue to work towards building a nation that is strong and prosperous, a nation in which we can all be proud.
Have a safe and happy Independence Day.