President condemns attack on Sir Ellis

IN OBVIOUS reference to a criminal attack against his predecessor Sir Ellis Clarke 24 hours earlier, President George Maxwell Richards declared that the people of Trinidad and Tobago “must override the evil that is stalking our land.” Addressing the Inter-Religious Org-anisation’s Annual National Day of Thanksgiving at the Agostini KPA School, the President said all citizens would do well to remember the principle of seed-time and harvest which is universal to all religions. “If we want friendship, we sow friendship. If we want peace, we sow peace and so on. We should not give way to selfishness, rather, in the interest of our collective advancement, we should rally behind our nation as a collective, which has been given much, not ignoring the value of individual success, but going beyond the larger picture.  We can and must override the evil that is stalking our land.

The human spirit that manifests itself in nefarious deeds must give way to the superior force for good that resides itself in the human will, which when subject to the will of God always prevails,” he declared. Richards said the nation’s religious leaders had a critical role to play in this regard, “not forgetting the repentance that is necessary on behalf of the nation.” “We as a people must be mindful that unless all have crossed, none have crossed and some we have to carry, lifting as we climb.” The President said while TT and many other nations grapple with problems such as HIV/AIDS, crime and unemployment, its citizens “are not conscious of the many blessings that are ours.” “Others see what we do not or perhaps we see but choose to ignore. There is a heart of compassion that is still beating in our country. This is another reason to give thanks,” the President said.

Quoting from the late calypsonian Pretender, the President added that “there is always someone whose situation is worse than ours.” “He (Pretender) was inviting us to take our eyes off ourselves and see what we can do for someone else,” Richards said. Among those in the audience was former Senate President, Dr Wahid Ali, who was recently mugged while jogging in the vicinity of the Queen’s Park Savannah. Ali acted as President of the Republic on several occasions during his term in office. Meanwhile, Sir Ellis remained incognito yesterday at his Pine Villas apartment in Fairways, Maraval. He did not comment on the attack on him on Saturday evening, but through his security guard, said he may make a statement today.