Dennis: 'Deep healing needed' in TT

Chief Secretary Ancil Dennis is urging citizens to strongly condemn racism "whenever it rears its head."

He said in a press release on Thursday, "At no time should racism ever be allowed to exist comfortably among us as a people. We must never allow the ranting of a hateful few to pretend to be or occlude the voice of a sensible majority."

Dennis was commenting on the wave of racist posts which were circulated on social media after the August 10 general election. The PNM won 22 of the 41 constituencies and the UNC 19.

In one post, Naila Ramsaran, a close relative of Ramsaran Dairy Products owner Rishi Ramsaran, condemned the PNM's victory.

She posted on social media: "Let us hardworking UNC supporters continue to pay taxes and mind the loafers that support the PNM. We really live in a bleddy banana republic yes."

Ramsaran also said she hopes the Prime Minister "starts putting contraceptives in their water supply yes because these cockroaches keep populating and the only thing they know to do is vote."

Although she has since been fired from the company, Ramsaran's posts have triggered backlash from several quarters, including supermarket owners and wider business community. On Wednesday, Massy Stores and Xtra Foods were among several businesses which decided to pull all of Ramsaran Dairy Products drinks from the grocery shelves.

The company, which was established in the 1940s, sells drinks such as peanut punch, orange juice and mauby.

Dennis said he is saddened by the racist posts.

"It is indeed a sad day in TT when our emotions are heightened to reflect deep-rooted hate and divisiveness against our fellow brothers and sisters, based on ethnicity or ethnic heritage."

He said while citizens may be of varying ethnicities given TT's multi-cultural society, "may I remind all of us that in essence, we belong to one race, the human race.

Dennis added such racist comments must never be accepted as a consequence of the elections process.

"The right to freely exercise our democracy remains one of our greatest privileges as a country and should never be marred by the cancer that is racism."

Dennis was disappointed by the "onslaught of negative racial exchanges and expressions on the social media platforms.

"Platforms ideal for unity, camaraderie and positive expressions, have been mishandled and misused as persons have chosen to convert them into their personal vehicles of hatred, venom and bigotry."

He said citizens must ask themselves whether they have contributed to the problem or the solution.

The chief secretary added while racism may have its roots in the past, it threatens the quality of the past and future.

"These incendiary remarks are a stark reminder that deep healing still needs to occur within our multi-ethnic society. This is not a time to sit unconcerned, unperturbed or unbothered. The future of our nation depends on your voice…each and every voice.

"Silence only makes us complicit observers to a problem currently plaguing our nation and which has the potential to destroy what we have worked so hard to build.

Dennis said citizens must never allow dissenting views and disagreements "to cause us to regress into a people who can be labelled as hateful, toxic, bigoted and even racist.

"We must reject all forms of these behaviours that are seeking to become strongholds and take up residence."