You hear so much talk about old pol­i­tics and new pol­i­tics that it even­tu­al­ly be­comes bor­ing. I've wait­ed and wait­ed to hear what these "new pol­i­tics" prac­ti­tion­ers have to say about ho­n­our­ing Al­bert Gomes, but like they are dumb... and deaf. This coun­ty owes the man vil­i­fied as "Big Bel­ly" a debt of grat­i­tude. I am yet to hear the Bap­tists and pan­men (Pan Trin­ba­go in par­tic­u­lar) shout the ho­n­our­ing of his name from their moun­tain tops. How sad.

Where is their grat­i­tude? But, as they say, a prophet is with­out ho­n­our is his land. It's high time we ac­knowl­edge Gomes' con­tri­bu­tion to T&T in the po­lit­i­cal and so­cial spheres. It was Gomes who "lib­er­at­ed" the Bap­tists and pan­men. They now en­joy some sta­tus. You mean to say his con­tri­bu­tion is not wor­thy?

Could it be that the name Al­bert Gomes rep­re­sents past hurts or prej­u­dices? Or could it be, as we ap­proach 48 years of in­de­pen­dence, there are is­sues of colour still to be re­solved? As a lone voice, I say ho­n­our Gomes' con­tri­bu­tion now; it's long over­due.

Kei­th An­der­son

Bel­mont, PoS