President Paula-Mae Weekes says while it may be easy to think T&T is going through the worst of times, the country can reach its goals by working together.
In her Republic Day message, the President said the country was struggling to deal with the long arm of the COVID-19 pandemic and many other challenges.
“Although many of our ills are not new, they come during a time when public trust and confidence in many institutions, private and public, are on the wane.”
She said while disagreement, conflict and debate are a part of nation-building, T&T needs to reach full maturity in tackling these issues with a concerted effort.
“Such discussions require the application of goodwill, common-sense, logic and proven, evidence-based research, but many seeing shadows behind every wall, have turned to opinion, ‘ole talk’ and conjecture peddled by unverified sources, to arrive at their conclusions.”
Weekes said social media has been fanning the flames of fake news and misinformation. She urged citizens to take a comprehensive view of the country’s past, present and future, saying that while much has been achieved, there is still more that can be done.
“Trinidad and Tobago does not want for talent, skill and creativity in any field. We are a cultural mecca for the region and the birthplace of world-renowned icons, blessed with diversity and replete with highly energetic enterprising people.”
She said citizens must be wary of looking back at colonial days with rose-tinted glasses, as she said colonialism took a heavy toll on T&T. She said going forward, a “sea change” in attitude on all levels was needed to propel the country forward.
“On this 45th anniversary of our nation becoming a Republic, as we cross the bridge between past and future, we must make a frank, dispassionate and thorough assessment of where we are as individuals, institutions and a people and, equally important, the part we played in getting here. Only then can we have any hope of arriving at a realistic and shared vision for Trinidad and Tobago,” Weekes said.