Don’t discard loyal white-haired soldier

THE EDITOR: I listened in sadness as two radio hosts made fun of one of the best parliamentarians and ministers of government that we currently have serving us.

These two younger men laughed about his age, they made several derogatory remarks, not about anything wrong that this Member of Parliament had done but simply because, in their words, he was “old.”

It appears that in TT we are subtly being fed the idea that we must put our productive citizens out to pasture simply because their hair is turning white or their clothes do not fit onto a muscular frame.

My only hope is that this backward way of thinking does not find its way into the thoughts of our Prime Minister as he chooses his team for the next five years. If it does he will be giving up one of the finest gentlemen Trinidad has ever produced.

I speak here of Anthony Garcia, our current Minister of Education and the parliamentary representative for Arima.

If the Prime Minister were to give in to such retrograde thoughts he will be giving up a person of integrity and ability, a person who has brought peace and stability into a ministry that was once ruled by a tyrant and was, as a consequence, very unhappy.

He will be giving up a loyal soldier who gives his all to TT and to the party that spawned him. He will be giving up a person who does not think of the frills of office and asks not much in return, except the opportunity to keep on serving.

As a developing nation, we must not believe that we can plan a future with only the minds and physical strength of the young. We need to keep in mind that in building a team we need different talents and skills. Above all, we need experience.

All the knowledge in the world, all the youthful enthusiasm, all the technical ability and visionary foresight will serve little purpose if not guided by history and the knowledge and wisdom of those who have walked the road before.

As a developing nation we must not equate old age with imbecility. We will remain far from developed if we continue to discard the older heads and heap derision on them just because they have crossed the retirement age for public servants.

I look on to see the next move of my Prime Minister, a man I hold in the highest esteem up to this moment. I have not yet found a misstep that I can point to since 2015. I am hoping he does not make one this late in his government’s term of office.

KENDALL SAMUEL

via e-mail