Beckles: Listen to the young

PENNELOPE BECKLES-ROBINSON said TT must embrace its youngsters and its diaspora, she told Newsday on Tuesday when asked how her current job as TT’s UN envoy had influenced her thinking towards TT.

The PNM last Saturday chose her as prospective candidate for Arima.

Beckles-Robinson saw TT’s 300,000-strong diaspora as “large and important.”

Saying you can meet a TT national in New York nearly daily, she recalled, “I met a young girl at the supermarket who shouted, ‘Hello Aunty Penny!’

“The diaspora are very committed. They sacrifice to send remittances here. They have a big role to play. I’d like a great recognition of the diaspora.”

Saying the UN’s chief economist is a TT national, she said, “We contribute substantially to the development of many countries. They have left TT but are still committed to this country’s advancement.”

Beckles-Robinson said TT must take its youngsters more seriously. “They have their ideas. We must listen to them a lot more, not take them for granted. They can contribute to policy development.”

Beckles-Robinson was inspired by a Ministry of Youth in the UAE staffed entirely by young people and chaired by a visionary young woman under 30. On top of getting free secondary and tertiary education, youngsters also want the opportunity to develop their creative powers and innovativeness.

She urged all “to nurture what is natural to Trinidadians and Tobagonians.”

Her time at the UN, where she chaired the Ocean and Law of the Sea Committee, had also now made her think about the environment relative to TT.

“We are two islands and people live close to the sea.”

Beckles-Robinson recalled hosting the Prime Minister at the UN, when Newsday asked how was her relationship with him.

“He has been at the General Assembly last year. He visited Nasdaq and also met the diaspora and several world leaders.

“We have been in constant contact and I really look forward to serving under him. The way he has handled the covid19 pandemic in a very scientific way, for TT to gain world recognition, has been a hallmark of his career.

“He is a vulcanologist and brought to bear his skills in dealing with natural disasters and the role of science in a scenario such as this (covid19) such that TT has benefited from his experience and expertise in his profession.”

Beckles-Robinson shared her vision for Arima. “I see it as a smart city in the next few decades. Arima is a very special place. It has always been rich in culture, with Kitchener, Bunji and parang music. Arima is a melting pot.”

She noted the big geographical spread of the Arima constituency as inclusive of places like Blanchisseuse and La Fillette, and as including areas which were rural, urban, industrial and agricultural.

Beckles-Robinson, who is in quarantine for two weeks since returning to TT, said she has been doing her ambassadorial duties by way of online technology, including a virtual meeting at 8 am on Tuesday.