Dottin: Racism rears its ugly head again

TEMPORARY Senator Pastor Clive Dottin says racism has reared its ugly head again in local politics and hatred in this society has him concerned about the safety of Venezuelans and Chinese. He was contributing to debate yesterday on the Miscellaneous Provisions (Supreme Court of Judicature and Children) Bill.

“Let us not fool ourselves. This society is becoming more polarised. We warming up for the next election. Racism has reared its ugly head again.

“And therefore it will defeat any mobilisation of the society which is required to make this bill or cluster of bills a reality in this society. People just vex. They in a rage. There’s hostility.” Dottin said he grew up in the country, and from his early teens he grew up without a father, because his father died when he was 15.

“But people had a love for each other. You had DLP (Democratic Labour Party) and PNM at that time. But at the same time the ethos of our nation...was that in spite of the politics, and in spite of the race, we would look out for each other. Foreigners were welcome.

“I hear people making remarks about Venezuelans now and I am scared for the Spanish folks and even the Chinese folks. I am scared for them. Because there is a new hatred, a kind of malice entering our DNA, basically.”

Dottin was possibly referring to the comment earlier this week by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who described Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley as an “Oreo,” a description condemned as racist in some quarters.

On the bill, Dottin said there was a need for meaningful constitutional reform and institutional reform, especially of security agencies, to make the amendments happen. “Otherwise it will not just happen.”

Dottin complimented the Attorney General on a lot of the provisions in the bill and said in his 27 years of running homes, “we were crying out for them.” He said there were provisions that blessed him, and some he loved, including sending educational instructors to homes.