ANR Robinson's grave to be made historical site

The Bacolet grave of former prime minister ANR Robinson will be made into a historical attraction.

Assistant Secretary, Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation, Shomari Hector made the announcement on Wednesday during the post executive council news conference at Scarborough Library.

Robinson, who rose to prime minister as political leader of the National Alliance for Reconstruction, also served as TT’s third President from March 1997 to March 2003.

He is widely recognised for his role in the establishment of the International Criminal Court.

Robinson died on April 9, 2014, at the age of 87.

Hector said the upgrade to Robinson's grave will reverse the “widespread and sustained negative media that was associated with the care and maintenance of the ANR Robinson grave site.”

He added strategic work has been done to ensure Robinson’s legacy is honoured

“We have decided to take this a step further as an administration but, more so, as a department in the Division of Culture, Tourism and Transportation to ensure that the kind of pristine and opulent environment that should be concerned with this site, be restored to his grave.”

Hector said the division is not building a shrine but a structure befitting Robinson's sacrifice, legacy and contribution.

“As a result, we are prepared to undertake upgrade work so that when persons, for whatever reason, go there to feel associated with the legacy of ANR Robinson or out of curiosity, they must be engaged in a space that allows for them to feel the sense of pride and ordination that was conferred on him and that he, thereafter, conferred on the people of Tobago.”

He said the grave site, when completed, will be added to Tobago’s list of attractions.

“In every generation all over the world, in every era, we recognise that persons who would have done humanitarian service, whose humanitarian efforts are gargantuan, would have helped to transform the quality of the lives of the people they served or represented, were always associated with their tourism offering and product.”

He added: “In Tobago we are no different. As such, we are prepared to make the ANR Robinson graveyard a site of attraction and interest with a well-documented history in a consumable form so that even from the youngest of persons who has a reasonable command of language, would be able to have an appreciation for his particular contribution to the island of Tobago and to the national community and world at large.”

Hector said the division intends to meet with several stakeholders to determine how the structure should look “so that it represents the values, aesthetics and pride that represents who we are as a people.”