People are prisoners in their own homes

In an address at the 7th Annual Divali celebrations organised by TTEC at the Mid Centre Mall Car Park, Chaguanas on Saturday night, he said that the crowd might have been bigger but people were afraid to come out at night because of the escalating crime situation.

Indo - Trinidadians, he said, came to the country to work on the sugar cane plantation and to contribute to the growth of the economy but little did their off-springs know that they would be the victims of kidnappers and murderers. He said that Divali had broken all barriers in the country going beyond the boundaries of race and ethnicity and religion and it signifies universal truths of light over darkness, wisdom over ignorance , good over evil, justice over injustice.

He hoped that Divali would spark a change in negative attitudes that were rampant in the country and hoped that the light associated with the celebrations would bring the country back to the days when there was less tension and conflict.

Penelope Beckles, Minister of Public Utilities, reminded the audience that Government had allocated $600 million to TTEC to finance a National Street Lighting Programme. She also said that $39 million had been allocated to assist in disaster preparedness across the country.

"Together we must make Trinidad and Tobago the nation we want it to be," she added.