The Prime Minister said the contributions of the East Indians in this country could be identified visibly in medicine, law, the sciences, engineering, literature, arts, manufacturing, in the successful family businesses in the services sector, and in the highest levels of public service.
He added, “I maintain that there is no contradiction, between a person recognizing his or her ancestral heritage, on one hand, and pledging unwavering support to the nation-state of Trinidad and Tobago, on the other.”
“I believe that, at this point, all citizens need to mobilise and focus on our collective efforts and hopes for a better Trinidad and Tobago. To do otherwise is to be haunted by “ethnic ghosts,” and to perpetuate the agendas of those among us, who refused to see hope — but instead only fear, racial divisiveness, hatred, bitterness, unrest, and dissension.