Erica hits race-baiters

ERICA Williams-Connell, daughter of Trinidad and Tobago’s first prime minister Dr Eric Williams, criticised people who literally make a living from agitating issues of race.

She was speaking on Friday evening to Sunday Newsday at the 20th Dr Eric Williams Mem-orial Lecture, entitled “The promise of Caribbean unity” delivered by former Jamaican prime minister PJ Patterson at the Central Bank Auditorium.

Sunday Newsday had asked her if she agreed with Friday’s ruling by Justice Peter Jamadar that the Trinity Cross should be changed to a more all-inclusive medal because it breaches the National Constitution by being discriminatory to non-Christians like Hindus and Muslims.

She gave a mixed reply.

“We have to be very, very careful to respect all religions. We have to be extremely careful about respecting sensitivities and sensibilities, but sometimes we can become over-sensitive.”

Williams-Connell said she was speaking about issues in general, not simply about the Trinity Cross matter.

“One has to be careful in a multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-ethnic society that if certain segments of the population are sensitive to these issues, then we must make sure that whatever we do will take cognisance of those sensibilities.

“In this kind of society we have today, we have to be excruciatingly politically-correct in ad-dressing the sensitivities of our different groups whether they are religious, ethnic or otherwise, but I think there are some people who make their living out of finding these sensibilities and working people up.”

On the Trinity Cross issue, she thought that when it was put in place, it was not intended to offend other people’s sensibilities. However she added: “If there is an extent to which it offends today, then we need to address that.” She thought the Trinity Cross issue could be resolved in the same way that this country allows persons of various faiths to swear oaths of office on their particular holy book such as the Holy Quran. This precedent, she said, showed empathy to various religions. “But I do think there are some people who make their living agitating these issues, whether they are political, religious or racial — I definitely think so.

“And I don’t think that’s right because I don’t think that when they decided on the Trinity Cross as the symbol that anybody had in mind to offend the sensibilities of a section of the population. I’m certain about that.”

While saying she didn’t think there had been any intention for the Trinity Cross to offend any segment of the population, Williams-Connell said if some people were in fact offended, then this must be addressed.

“If the Trinity Cross offends a segment of the population, we must accommodate these people.” When Sunday Newsday suggested having both the Trinity Cross plus a parallel non-denominational award such as the “Medal of Trinidad and Tobago,” she thought the idea was worth discussion.

Also on Friday night at an Indian Arrival Day dinner at Crowne Plaza, Maha Sabha president, Thribhawon Seegobin, called for Prime Minister Patrick Manning to change the Trinity Cross.

Seegobin said: “In 2005 the Prime Minister told a Maha Sabha delegation that he will respond if we win in court. I hope our Prime Minister will let his word be his bond. We await his response.”

At the Central Bank function, Prime Minister Patrick Manning played his cards close to his chest when approached by Sunday Newsday.

He said he had to first study the court judgment. He explained: “There are some conflicting things coming out of there.”

Also at the Central Bank, former president Arthur NR Robinson said he was not familiar with the court ruling, and quipped: “The judge has said it. I don’t argue with judges”.

President George Maxwell Richards, who presents national awards like the Trinity Cross at the Independence Day celebrations at Presidents House, declined to offer Sunday Newsday an opinion on the Trinity Cross, saying: “I don’t think now is the appropriate time to talk about that.”