Let's denounce racially divisive politics

THE EDITOR: Pure desperation can best describe opposition MP Marvin Gonzales’s racially provocative utterances inferring that state board members appear to all come from Delhi or Bangladesh. Gonzales then tries to justify his comment by revealing that former Prime Minister Keith Rowley insisted on racially balanced state board compositions.

In this context similar thoughts on the ethnic backgrounds for the current Opposition MPs may arise. Can Gonzales say why an Indian PNM stalwart could not have been afforded a safe seat to promote the same even ethic blending he takes issue with regarding state boards? Why isn’t Gonzales not calling out his own party? Or is it only the state boards he can target?

In essence, Gonzales is living in a big glass house and throwing stones. There’s nothing “marvellous” about his disingenuous comments and it appears that he has allowed that nickname to cloud his grey matter. One can surmise that the opposition is on the defensive, bearing the brunt of multiple allegations of serious misconduct while in government and knowing that litigation is on the horizon for several of its members. This attempt at racial discord is the latest exercise in futility in trying to heap scorn on the entity that replaced their regime.

As we keep the government and opposition in check, we must be mindful that although the honeymoon period is over for the new administration, so too we must recognise that "Rome was not built in a day."

It is also time that the good people of this nation ignore race-baiting and see each other as human beings, brothers and sisters sharing a beautiful land where we collectively work for equality and overall betterment. As a young boy of mixed descent, I grew up in a neighbourhood with folks of varied ethnicities, Indo-Trinidadians, Afro-Trinidadians and mixed-race people, who enjoyed each other’s company.

I recall helping my Hindu neighbours light deyas and looked forward to the occasion. At Eid my mother didn’t cook because food and sawine flowed through our front and back doors. The reverse occurred at Christmas when friendly folks from the community filled our house and there was joy – a kaleidoscope of ethnicities, cultures and religions under one roof.

We revelled in each other’s celebrations, cultures and diversities. And while we had our squabbles they never endured for more than a day or two. Those are the experiences that our beautiful Trinidadians/Tobagonians must not let politicians destroy. Let us hold on to unity and denounce oppressive racially divisive politics.

DEXTER RIGSBY

Mt Lambert