Terror must never reign in TT

Her comments come as TT prepares to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the July 27, 1990 coup attempt on Wednesday.

"The business community must be embraced rather than vilified," Merhair said, noting that the nation could not rely on the private sector as its primary engine of growth if it was "lethargic and inefficient."

Addressing the SJBA’s 15th anniversary dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Saturday night, Merhair recalled that the association was born out of that "moment of terror" on July 27. She said 15 years ago it appeared for a while that TT would be overwhelmed by forces that were hell bent on "denying us the democratic rights and customs we came to know and cherish as a society. "

Merhair said the lesson to be learned from July 27 was notwithstanding all of the challenges which currently face the nation today, the population of TT has the power to overcome all obstacles that stand in the way of "peace, prosperity and progress for all."

"Any attempt at intimidation, cruelty or victimisation will be met with an invigorated spirit capable of trampling those who dare thread upon the rights and liberties gained for us by those who have gone before," she declared.

However Merhair lamented that many people in TT do not seem to understand what being a citizen meant. She said being a citizen was more than simply having certain rights and responsibilities.

Merhair said the SJBA is unwavering in its belief that "innovation, fair play and enterprise" were the way to achieve an improved standard of living for all people in TT.

Suggesting that the private sector and Government should both actively engage in attracting foreign investment to TT, Merhair lamented that the business community has become susceptible to vicious attacks in recent times from persons who use various schemes to divide the society.

She appealed to Government to assist in protecting the business community from such attacks because "without the private sector, the entire economy would become stagnant, sterile and incapable of adapting to the changes of the modern international economic arena."