Gilbert wrong on race in TT says NAR

ARCHBISHOP Edward Gilbert’s assertion that everything in Trinidad and Tobago is seen through race is “totally mistaken,” according to the political leader of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) Lennox Sankersingh. He made the comment at a media conference held yesterday at the NAR’S Headquarters, Victoria Square, Port-of-Spain. “To the vast majority of the population, race is not an issue and there is a tremendous amount of respect for each other. There is general acceptance in our society of our people of different races, ethnicities, religious and cultural practices and we have all come to accept this,” said Sankersingh.

He said the Archbishop was using “the charade that takes place in Parliament” as symptomatic of race relations in TT. “Politics to them is only the process of finding the enemy and the enemy is always the other side,” he said. On the matter concerning the Chief Justice and the Government, Sankersingh said the party wants to ensure that the proper procedures are followed and that everything is done above board and in a fair and transparent manner. Concerning the recent call by the Government for Tobago to be given an extra electoral seat, he described this as “preposterous” for the Government to do.

“It’s also totally unbecoming for an existing Government to call for an additional seat in Tobago when you have an independent body like the Elections and Boundaries Commission to look into this matter and come up with reports and recommendations regarding electoral boundaries and the number of seats,” he said. On the controversial alumina smelter which, he said, was initially earmarked for Union Industrial Estate in La Brea, Sankersingh said it now sits on 2,000 acres of land in the Cap de Ville/Chatham area.