Manning: Preserve social peace in TT

PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning stated on Wednesday that unlike other parts of the world, Trinidad and Tobago has been spared “the pervasiveness of religious fundamentalism, xenophobia, racism, aggressive nationalism and glorification of war and militarism,” because it does not take the diversity of its people for granted and always strives to foster peace within its society. In his Eid-ul-Fitr 2004 message to the nation, the Prime Minister said the reason these ills afflict other countries is because of “the neglect of the observance of peace,” but this is happily not the case in TT. “It is no accident that we in TT are able to recognise in our society a comparatively more peaceful reality.

We are reaping the rewards of our determination to appreciate differences among us, to treat all in our society with dignity and respect, and to recognise not only our rights, but also our obligations to one another,” Manning declared. He explained, “The challenges nations face in this regard affirm our own need to continue to pursue such a path. Neither our diversity, nor the necessity to cherish it, are to be taken for granted. We must consider always the necessity of avoiding extreme actions, and of striving after equity and fairness in our relations with each other.”

Manning reminded the population that “individual and collective advancement need not be at the expense or ungainly conflict. “This is well appreciated by many devoted and practising Muslims the world over. “For our nation, it is for us to increasingly commit ourselves to the promotion of greater social peace,” he declared. Describing Eid-ul-Fitr as one of the greatest traditions passed down in TT through the generations by our ancestors, the Prime Minister observed, “Islam, after all, literally means peace and we can bring further peace and progress to our community, thereby inspiring in others and ourselves what is both necessary and possible among the variety of men and within the family of nations.”