President calls for togetherness

The following is the President’s message:

"The drawings that I have seen of the Fatel Rozack, the first ship that brought our Indian ancestors to this country, portray it with all its sails full blown.

"This is not a ship resting in harbour, but one that is buoyed by the winds pushing it forward on the high seas to a certain destination.

"History records that the journey was a perilous one. Nevertheless, that image of forward movement of the ship stands today as a symbol of the relentless progress that people of Indian origin has made in Trinidad and Tobago and indeed the West Indies since their first arrival here. Iron will and surpassing courage were two of the characteristics that made it possible.

"If only we could get past the competing claims of cultural identity and citizenship, as perceived by some, we would then be free, all of us, to get on with the task of displaying to the world a model of constructive diversity that would be difficult to resist.

"I cannot imagine our country without the varied manifestations of our heritage. Consequently, I continue firmly in the belief that because of the different streams of culture to which we are exposed in this country, our people have a better understanding than most others of the value added to life lived in the context of different ethnicities.

"This requires preservation of the mores of our ancestors in order to sustain the validity of our claim to true diversity and we need not be alarmed about the distinctiveness.

"It is no less so for citizens of East Indian origin than it is for any other of the groups that make up the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

"A celebration such as Indian Arrival Day gives occasion to ponder this, particularly as there are many instances, the world over, that suggest the urgency of recognising the value of every human being regardless of ethnic origin.

"The progeny of East Indians who came and helped to build our country cannot be displaced in this country nor can history be rewritten to obliterate the work of the ancestors.

"In acknowledging this as fact, we can, together, amicably proceed with the building and strengthening of our society in keeping with the aspirations of a forward-looking nation.

"My wife and other members of my family join me in extending best wishes to the national community and in particular those of East Indian ancestry, on the celebration of Indian Arrival Day 2005."