Time to retire Dr Eric Williams

THE EDITOR: What is so important about digitising Dr Eric Williams’ speeches? What a shameless waste of electricity at the Central Bank Auditorium!

Every year the Central Bank hosts the Eric Williams memorial lecture series, which is just a fancy way of pushing PNM public relations. Just the other day, a library was opened in his name, then there was some inaugural panel discussion in conjunction with the UWI, St Augustine campus to reflect on his legacy.

Look at the state of affairs of our country, that’s his legacy!

The black power revolution was born from the Guild of Students at the St Augustine campus, together with Daaga, NJAC, and Panday, to protest the transition from independence where, at that time, we were still living in a pigmentocracy. Yet this very same institution wants to host panel discussions on him?

We named a medical sciences complex after him and day in, day out citizens complain about how poor our healthcare system is.

We named a plaza after him and surrounding it is homelessness and when it rains, it turns into a cesspool.

Here was a man who was derisive of the construction of the Beetham Highway as being a “road through a swamp.” Talk is he tripped off when he heard how what is now Wrightson Road was going to be named the Ranjith Kumar Strip.

It would be interesting to know if his infamous cowshed speech is also being digitised, that is, if it hasn’t been omitted from the records for obvious reasons.

It is pointless to name a medical sciences complex after him when healthcare is so lacking and people are said to drop down dead in the tents in the car park. Same with the Twin Towers where the roads around it flood every time it rains.

Have we all forgotten the infamous “recalcitrant minority” speech?

Under his tenure the legends of Francis Prevatt, John O’Halloran and Desmond Carty rose, and let’s not forget Gene Miles.

It is time to retire Dr Williams for good. We have too many serious issues that need our attention, starting with our electoral boundaries.

KENDELL KARAN

Chaguanas