WARRIORS WIN A UNIFYING FORCE FOR REGION

The team’s victory over Bahrain in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday was a boost to the Caribbean’s self-confidence.

Yes, the Caribbean!

The Warriors’ victory was more than just a ‘‘Trini thing.’’ It was a Caribbean triumph because people all over the region rejoiced in the success of a fellow nation. They embraced the victory as their own as it made all of us proud.

The victory was a timely reminder that we can be competitive on the international stage as long as we put our minds to it. It said we have the talent!

We needed the reminder since the consistently dismal performance of our West Indies cricket team for more than a decade has served to undermine our belief in our ability to perform at this level.

The victory was timely too given the imminence of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) and the unity that such success weaves among disparate peoples.

This aspect was not lost on the revellers across Trinidad as they celebrated the victory. Reports indicated that the music of our Soca Queen, Allison Hinds, figured prominently in the frenzied celebrations and her "Jump and Let Me See, Love And Unity" drove the already ecstatic crowd into a wilder frenzy as night descended.

Another aspect of the victory was the optimism it seemed to generate in some Trinidadians.

This hope came through clearly in the radio interviews when Trinidadians were heard remarking that maybe this could alleviate, at least for a while, the anxiety felt over the crime wave sweeping the twin-island republic.

This factor was not lost on Dennis Lawrence, the man who scored the winning goal for the Warriors against Bahrain. He said the entire team was "worried" about the crime situation.

Lawrence said, "God knows" at this point in time Trinidad (and Tobago) is in need. We would like to believe that this (victory) is only a stepping stone to try and sort (out) the situation with the crime and violence that (are) taking place in Trinidad and Tobago.

"We the members of the Soca Warriors team, we might live abroad, but we’ve got our eyes on what’s taking place back home and it’s a bit worrying for us, and we hope that this is the start of what could only be peace, love and harmony among people in Trinidad and Tobago."

We wholeheartedly endorse Lawrence’s sentiments.