President Robinson: My spirit will always be with you

President Arthur NR Robinson is leaving office but he vowed that his spirit would remain to inspire others.

He is demitting the office of Head of State with a feeling of pride tinged by sadness, he disclosed at the Farewell Ceremonial Parade in honour of him as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces held yesterday at President’s House. President Robinson said: “I have been made proud by the response of people everywhere, not just in this country but in the Caribbean and the world...The response to my record for what I have been able to do for peoples everywhere. It is a matter of pride for Trinidad and Tobago that we have been able to produce persons of quality in many fields to sit side by side with people in other parts of the world”.  He said he had been filled with pride on hearing young people sing at yesterday’s parade and at the recent installation of the International Criminal Court (of which he was a founder) at the Hall of Knights, The Hague, Netherlands.

Telling the soldiers they were equal to any in the world, he said: “However small you may be, however limited your numbers, what matters most is the quality you produce. As we speak, the cloud of war hangs over us. The threat of terrorism exists throughout the world. You know what you are called on to do. You have dedicated yourself to the defence and protection of your country”. Recalling the national anthem, he effused that women were finding an equal place in the Defence Force and were also now starting to find an equal place in Parliament, especially the Senate.

Offering a personal insight, Robinson said: “I leave you in body. I do not leave you in spirit. My spirit will always be with you. I hope my spirit will encourage and inspire you. “I, like others, see a bright future for this country of many creeds and races. I go with a feeling of confidence for the future. I have no pessimism for the future of the country. You encourage that optimism which I have”. President Robinson added: “I will try to do whatever little I can to add to the peace, development and happiness of the people of Trinidad and Tobago”. He said that the name of Trinidad and Tobago was now widely respected in the world. He recalled a returning national say this country was highly regarded in Rwanda. “You may find many parts of the world clouded by grey times, but you go with the experience of a small country that can make a difference”. Recalling the theme of a song sung earlier in his honour, he urged: “Go light your candle, Take it to the darkness. Go light up the world”. Apparently responding to Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Ancil Antoine’s warm praises, President Robinson said: “Thank you for the honour you have bestowed. I will be eternally grateful. I will remember that I left with your blessing”.

Earlier, Brigadier Antoine had praised President Robinson, saying that during his six years as Commander-in-Chief, he had always been available and accessible to discuss any matter concerning the military. Antoine said the military had done its best to justify the great faith which the President had reposed in it. Antoine praised Robinson for his famous words uttered under terrorist threat during the 1990 coup attempt: “Attack with full force”. The Brigadier said military men admired the President’s qualities of courage, fortitude and resolve, and felt privileged to have served under a true officer and gentleman. The ceremony was attended by dignitaries including President of the Senate Dr Linda Baboolal, Minister of National Security Howard Chin Lee, Commissioner of Police Hilton Guy, Coast Guard Commander Garnet Best, NEMA head Colonel Dave Williams, Chief Fire Officer Lennox Alfred, retired Brigadier Carl Alfonso, the Defence Force’s Colonel Dillon.