A time for deep reflection

On the occasion of Christmas 2003, I greet you on behalf of my family and on my own behalf and convey, particularly to members of the Christian community, best wishes for a happy and holy Christmas. Christmas has come after the recent celebration of two other national religious holidays, so that we have been closing out the year with spiritual high points that generally, by custom, embrace most, if not all of the population. We have often heard it said that this is the season of peace and good-will toward men, the latter word being used in the generic sense. But I have asked myself why there should be a season only, of peace and goodwill. It is true that Christmas has its own special aura and even non-believers are caught up in the activities that, to a great extent, focus more on the material aspect of gift-giving and merriment than on the spiritual significance of the birth of Jesus Christ. But how wonderful it would be if the season does not mark only a hiatus in everyday behaviour that displays none of the Christ like attributes that are associated with Christmas!

I believe that it would be a good thing if each of us were to commit to having regard to the dignity of human beings every day of the year. One does not have to turn to the practice of New Year resolutions to develop the necessary and salutary attitude of peaceful interaction within and among communities. It takes much more than New Year resolutions to create the kind of society where we see ourselves as our brother’s and our sister’s keeper in a continuing way. This is a time for deep reflection. As the curtain falls on the year 2003, some quiet, honest, introspection should help us to establish in our own minds, what kind of contribution, if any, we have made in the past months. Have we been building on the gains that we recorded at the dawn of the new year, in our personal lives and in the life of the nation? We can hardly be effective in national affairs if we neglect to enhance our personal development as opportunities present themselves or as we create opportunities for ourselves, even out of circumstances that may be challenging. We owe it to ourselves, as far as lies within us, to do the best that we can do and be the best that we can be, difficulties notwithstanding.

I am by no means advocating selfishness or the individualistic approach in all endeavour. But we cannot participate effectively in a co-operative enterprise if we have nothing to contribute as individuals to the common good. Our country relies upon the abilities in whatever measure and the will of our people to make this well endowed area of God’s earth a place that all nations can call blessed. Our work in that regard cannot be a seasonal undertaking. There are times in our nation’s calendar of events when we will be reminded of our vision for this country which has many attributes, not least among them our people, that identify us as an example to the nations of the world. However, those occasions are but sign posts along the way. We must see ourselves as leaders and not mere followers in world trends. We have what it takes to set the pace for our own development, while it is true that we must rely to some extent on what goes on in the world around us. We must discover our past and consequently ourselves so that we may find encouragement to go forward from where we are in the quest for a better life for all of our people.

I am greatly encouraged by what I see as possibilities for young people in the Arts, for example, as manifested in offerings of Christmas music. I am encouraged also by the increased advocacy in respect of persons with disabilities who are themselves taking steps to draw attention to their presence in our society. I am sanguine that we are capable of loving our country and bearing allegiance to it in such a way that our actions and utterances make clear our defence of its interests. This cannot be better demonstrated than in the nurturing and protection of our human capital. In this context, the spirit of Christmas of sharing, of caring, of goodwill, joy and abiding peace should stay with us throughout the year. It is up to us to make it so. I pray that God will give us the wisdom to lead our nation to higher heights. God bless you all. God bless our nation.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s Christmas message

We must embrace the spirit of living

Christmas is one of the major religious occasions we celebrate annually in Trinidad and Tobago that is dominated by Light. First we have Divali with the lights of the deyas. Then there is Eid-ul-Fitr, heralded by the new moon rising and the subtle light it sheds. Then comes the light of the Christmas Star. The wonderful common factor is, of course, the ennobling notion of events, beliefs and practices that light our way, leading us and lifting us to a better quality of life. Few countries can boast of so potentiated a triad of light festivals that illumines us as to the brotherhood of men, the need to care for each other and the necessity to reach out to everyone with feelings of peace and goodwill. This guides me to share with you this Christmas and even if, understandably, some of us may have difficulty “seeing the light” in Trinidad and Tobago from time to time, all is in fact far from darkness.

Our country’s Vision for 2020 is well on stream. There are some bumps on the road and we will no doubt continue to be confronted by challenges as we go along, but this is inevitable. Still it would be wrong of us to speak brusquely and unreservedly as if we are no longer “a work in progress,” and it would be very wrong of us to submit to any degree of gloom and despair. It is for us to look towards all that is bright and right in our Nation, proceeding, as we must, with courage and confidence rooted in our accentuation of the positive and determination to triumph. The Government is leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to create a better quality of life for all citizens. We are acting with courage and irreducible resolve to rid our society of obstacles to our progress in respect of health, education, social services, security, utilities and the like. Our recent diplomatic initiatives with foreign governments and private sector enterprises have well-positioned Trinidad and Tobago to take on the challenges of the new century to come. We shall shortly be engaging a proliferation of viable productive and commercial activities on a scale unprecedented in this country, and in countries of our small size.

However, there are other considerations which require us to assume greater civility in our day-to-day lives, none of the least, in our personal and our relations one to another. At this time of year, as we look to the family, firstly our immediate families, secondly, our communities and the wider family of man, it is not an unfair assessment that we seem no longer so full of manners as before. In the old days, a certain civil contract was observed among our citizens, and which turned fundamentally on the principle of doing unto others as we would they do unto us. So much of the carnage on our roads, for example, is the result of bad driving manners. If we would make of our society the paradise that it can very well be, we must embrace the spirit of living with each other’s best interest and concern uppermost in our hearts and minds. This is the essence of Christmas.

What, therefore, can we do on this occasion, as individuals, and indeed as a society, to extend special feelings to someone we know to be in need, to give help where help is needed, to care enough for all to feel really touched by this unquestionably graceful spirit of humanity that should be in our midst? Amidst the gaiety and festive activity of our Christmas season, let us not forget the supreme basis of it all: “God so loved the world that he gave us His only begotten Son.” Think deeply, my fellow citizens, during the course of these Christmas celebrations. Think of how we can all give greater meaning to the occasion by truly setting out and acting on the will to give greater positive meaning to other people’s lives. And as such, let us find ourselves truly illumined with the meaning of the season — both for now and into 2004 and beyond. May God bless our Nation, with a Holy Christmas and a Happy New Year.