Kamla goes to Parliament:

OPPOSITION LEADER Kamla Persad Bissessar will be presenting a petition in Parliament this week for the removal of the Trinity Cross symbol as the country’s highest national award before August this year.

Persad Bissessar disclosed this yesterday during an Indian Arrival Day function hosted by the Sanatan Dharma Maha Saba (SDMS) at Parvati Girls College in Debe.

It was attended by His Excellency President George Maxwell Richards who delivered the feature address.

In reminding the audience of Justice Peter Jamadhar’s judgment last Friday, in which he ruled that the use of the Trinity Cross symbol as the country’s highest award is discriminatory to non-Christians, Persad-Bissessar congratulated SDMA’s secretary general Satnarayan Maharaj on this victory.

“A high court judge has said that the Trinity Cross must go,” she said, “and I shall be presenting a petition on your behalf (sat Maharaj) and others in Parliament this week to continue this battle for equality.”

Persad Bissessar read the contents of the petition to the gathering, part of which stated, “We petition the Honourable House to do instruct the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of the Republic before August 2006 to change the name “Order of the Trinity” to “Order of Trinidad and Tobago” and to change the name “Trinity Cross” to “The Order of Trinidad and Tobago” or such other name as shall find favour with this Honorable House.”

“The petitioners pray that the Honourable House will acknowledge the plight of the Hindu and Muslim nationals and ask the Prime Minister and Cabinet to take immediate steps to implement the recommendations of the August 1997 Report of the National Awards Committee and the judgment by Justice Jamadhar.”

Persad-Bissessar said she thought the Government would have removed the Trinity Cross symbol immediately as a gift to the East Indian community to mark the 161st anniversary of Indian Arrival Day. The Opposition Leader also made it clear that she will not allow Indian Arrival day to be renamed Arrival Day.

In his feature address, President Richards stayed clear from the Trinity Cross issue but urged nationals not to flee the country since our forefathers had laboured and sacrificed for the development of the country.

He said the forefathers, by their industry and vision, helped to create, in Trinidad and Tobago, a place in the social, economic and cultural history of this nation that is distinguishable and permanent.

Many visitors, he said, have journeyed to our country, “many of whom continue to come back and identify with us as though they belong to this country, in spite of our troubles which are real.”

The President pointed out that it was sad that citizens believing that the less than happy times we are experiencing in the country is a permanent feature, are tempted to seek proverbial greener pastures.

Richards, however, said what they do not realise is that they are leaving space for stranger, who, knowing of battles fought in their countries for democracy and social and economic development, has no problem being part of our process of building.

The President added that people must decide whether they will fight for their country or enjoy the fruits of other’s labours elsewhere. Saying that the country belonged to all of us, he said, “We may choose not to exercise our rights enshrined in our Constitution, but these rights should not be wrested from us.”

In his address, Maharaj revealed that the Maha Sabha had written to a number of international agencies about what they consider attempts to terrorise the judiciary and control the judicial system.

He said they have invited a delegation to visit the country to observe and investigate what they consider the subversion of the judicial system.

Also attending the function, which was packed with cultural presentations, was Deputy High Commisioner of India, YP Motwani.