UWI grads to end culture of mediocrity, corruption

Hosein, who was the honorary recipient of the Degree of Doctor of Laws, was delivering the feature address at the second Ceremony for the Presentation of Graduates of the University of the West Indies which was held on Saturday evening at the UWI Sport and Physical Education Centre. The event was the conclusion of the two-night graduation ceremony for 1,568 graduates and featured the receipt of degrees, diplomas and certificates by graduates of the Faculties of Social Sciences, Law and Engineering.

In addition to graduates and their guests, Sir George Alleyne, Chancellor; Nigel Harris, Vice-Chancellor; Joseph Archibald QC, Honorary Graduate; Bhoendraadatt Tewarie, Principal and Pro Vice Chancellor; Hamid Ghany, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and other university officials were in attendance. "Now that you have this excellent foundation from the university, you must strive to excel in whatever you do.

This is the only way that we can escape the culture of mediocrity, which seems to pervade the region.

You must be prepared to put in the hard work necessary to establish a culture of performance and excellence in the Caribbean," urged Hosein.

He went on to highlight the perception of Caribbean people as fun loving, lethargic and unenterprising, which is held by people outside the region.

He refuted this perception and informed the graduates that they have the capacity for great achievement in any field.

Hosein continued, "There is a widespread lack of integrity in both the private and public sectors.

Allegations of corruption against public officers are commonplace; even in our Parliament you cannot have failed to observe how frequently allegations of corruption are made by members of both sides against one another. It will be your responsibility to bring about transformation."

In addition to this Hosein spurred the graduates not to forsake their homeland or region during their pursuits.

He advocated active involvement of the graduates in public life and a move to Caribbean political and economic integration.