Dookeran: UNC political leadership ‘not an easy role’

Dookeran stated that he had been placed in this role by "circumstances and karma."

"It is not an easy role. It will, quite likely, become increasingly challenging. It will certainly become exceedingly challenging, the closer I move to leadership of the nation," he said as he thanked all those who had given him "inspiration and support" in this new office that he holds.

Dookeran told the East Indian community that it was being called upon to discharge new duties, especially in the politics of the country.

"My brothers and sisters, now in our ancestral history, and at this time in our national life, we are being called upon to discharge a new responsibility — starting with a new conversation in the politics of our land.

"I shall defend in my own way, the principle of equality for all our citizens and this must be reflected in all aspects of my public duty and in the values of all our public and private institutions," he said.

Dookeran told his audience that as they celebrated the indestructible links to their ancestral land as reflected in the Divali Nagar, he could not help but recognise the transformation that was taking place in India.

He said India was constructing a new relationship with the world, as a technological force and as an emerging economic superpower.

And he drew parallel to Trinidad and Tobago, saying: "As we contemplate the emergence of a new India, let us capture in Trinidad and Tobago, a new politics of development, and move beyond the political boundaries of the past."

Dookeran stated that upon entering the celebrations, he felt within him, a deep sense of relief that he was now in a place of security, "not by the presence of the police, but by the spirit of the flame that shines so brightly from the deya and within the thousands gathered here and at home."

He said that at Divali, the deya united the nation. The deya, he stated, had endured many trials and tribulations at the hands of those who never understood its significance yet it has survived to show us, all of us, the way to a brighter tomorrow.

Dookeran said the choice of the theme for this year’s celebration, Vivah Sanskaar or the Holy Sacrament of the Hindu Marriage was significant and timely especially in the context of rising crime, because building strong family life and values would ensure a safe and secure society for all.

Dookeran told the East Indian community that it was not alone in dealing with the problems of the country. "Trinidad and Tobago was not formed by any one group of persons, rather by many races and cultures that have all contributed to this nation’s progress," he noted.

"It is not by accident that so many different people call Trinidad and Tobago their home. God has united us so that we may reach a common understanding of humanity and so claim our common future," he said.

He lauded the fact that East Indians had been able to preserve the integrity and esteem of the culture, values and religions they brought from India to the Caribbean journey.

"We have been able to change difficulties into opportunities and have been a shining example of personal resilience and inner strength," Dookeran said.

He said history students marvelled at the ability of East Indians, whether Hindus, Muslims or Christians to rise beyond their immediate obstacles and to keep their eyes glued to a higher freedom and a better way of life for their children. "It is a manifestation of the strength of our inner world," Dookeran stated. "Today, that inner strength is being threatened by the outer world in which we live."

Dookeran said people were frustrated because they believed that the current political system didn’t serve them. He said this knowledge had strengthened his resolve to work to "get our politics right."

"The outer world has become more dangerous. From the moment our ancestors set foot on this new land and helped to create this great but troubled land which has become our junma bhoomi — the land of our birth, their goal was for a better way of life. So, we must not surrender. As a people, we must find those ways and means to change that outer world, where there can be freedom, equality and justice," Dookeran said.

The Political Leader stated that the society must not view those who are successful with envy but rather, all people must encourage their sons and daughters to be successful in their own endeavours and with their own toil and sweat.

"Let us strive for equality so that all our citizens will have an equal opportunity in their journey ahead. As we do this, we must never forget that justice is the foundation stone upon which great civilisation prosper," he said.

Dookeran urged the East Indian community to draw strength from the deya to raise Trinidad and Tobago from despair and put it on the road to a new victory. Referring to the victory of the Warriors over Mexico, Dookeran recalled that in that euphoric moment no one cared who was rich or poor, it was of no consequence whether you were of one religious persuasion or another, of this or that political party, no one even noticed who was brown or black or white — the only colours that mattered were the red, white and black banners of the national pride which embraced all of us, all across the country, united by pure joy of belonging to this special place we claim together as our very own.

"(Let us) steer a course to a new janaam (the journey of the deya) as the light of the deya shines into a larger freedom of enlightenment, unity and prosperity for all of us.

"Happy Divali to all, and to all our Muslim brothers and sisters, Eid Mubarak," he said.