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Winston Dookeran's Address at Fyzabad Political Meeting | | Election 2010 Campaign Speech | | Author: | | Date: 2010-04-22 09:04:05 |
| Thank you very much, thank you so much for this warm welcome here tonight. The person who shall be creating history in this country, I welcome the opportunity to be on this platform with her, Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, your next Prime Minister.
But let me start on a solemn note. Not too many houses from here, the true patriot, an 89 year old man by the name of Harry Gookool was murdered in his home not too long ago. I remember him as I come here because he represented to us all of us who have been on the ropes, who have been on the streets, a man of tremendous sincerity and patriotism. And tonight I remember him as a patriot of Trinidad and Tobago.
Charlie King Junction is known for many things, and many of them in the history of Trinidad and Tobago started right here. Tonight, we start another page in the history of Trinidad and Tobago. I had said that when Mr Manning dares to call a snap election, we shall have a snap response. And today, I want to tell you that Charlie King Junction is going to give us a snap victory in the election in a month.
We have come to seek your permission as citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. We have come to seek your permission in a solemn way. For it is your power that will be entrusted on the leadership, and tonight we seek your permission to take responsibility to bring a new government in Trinidad and Tobago. We have come to endorse the candidacy of Kamla Persad-Bissessar who'll be your elected Prime Minister on May 24th. In so doing, we must ensure, as we seek permission of the people, that we honour the trust of the people.
And it is in that context I am so happy that on this platform, at home here tonight that we have patriots like Makandal Daaga and Errol McLeod. Two leaders with whom we have had intense discussions even during the last election and I am glad you see that they have decided to put on their boots once more in defense of Trinidad and Tobago.
Of course, Ashford Jack and myself have had our boots on for some time and we shall now be joined together by the magnet of unity, Kamla Persad-Bissessar to bring about this coalition.
Charlie King Junction is creating its own history for yet another time in the 21st century of our land. We are about to have the emergence of a new national movement. It has always been the dream of many that we can do so; it has been the dream of the supporters of the Congress of People who are here tonight that we can have a national party. But we must now thank Kamla, the magnet of unity, for making it possible in Trinidad and Tobago. This partnership, this people's partnership is the first step in forging a genuine political movement in Trinidad and Tobago, and at the end of this election, not only shall we have a new government in place, we shall have a national movement that will be sustainable and unbreakable as we embark on the responsibilities ahead of us.
But our work is cut out for us. David Abdullah said that the Prime Minister attempted to insinuate aspersions on my own character. With regard to the 1990 events, it will not be long before we have the Commission of Enquiry for 1990 and let the truth come out for all to know and for all to see.
This is the will of the people. This is the unity that the people have been urging and yearning for, and this is the unity that will create a new clean government in Trinidad and Tobago.
There is much to do to be ready. Much to do. Let me just identify one or two areas. It is true that the economy is strong. But the future is weak. And the future is weak because we still do not know how to manage the affairs of economic management. The CLICO fiasco has placed thousands of citizens at the risk of losing their incomes and their livelihoods. Today, the debt situation is now becoming an interesting phenomenon in the sense that we must find the right approach to dealing with it. I want to say here today that if we allow this government one more day in office, we shall have to go cap in hand to the external financial agencies in the world to rescue this nation. And that is where they have brought us - to the brink of economic terrorism. So the issue before us is to look at how we handle these problems.
Our poverty problem is one in which we are spending more money every year. And as we spend more and more money, poverty increases all the time.
The point I want to make is that the government does not understand how to handle this economy; does not understand how to deal with the poverty problem, does not understand how to deal with the financial risk ahead of us. And it will take a new group of people coming from this great and grand coalition of forces to put things in order.
But the real issue facing us in Trinidad and Tobago is whether we as a people will surrender in fear. Because that is really the issue before us. The politics of fear is what will be employed to keep people from changing their voting behaviour. They will do everything to create fear. They are doing it now. But I have news for them. I was walking up Caura hills two days ago. All CEPEP workers came to me and said, "Friend and brother, when you form the next government, make sure and protect us." And we shall protect them. They are losing that base. Fear is not going to work anymore.
When they evoke fear, we shall embrace hope. That is what this moment is about. Not only the hope for a clean government. But no more UDECOTTs; no more Airport Scandals; no more Monteil and HDC, no Petrotrin more swap deals. We have had enough of the imposition of corruption in this country and must cut it out if we want to save our nation and our children.
The election is a choice between fear and freedom. That is what this election will turn out to be. Either we surrender to fear in a tyrannical government, or we rise to the freedoms that this new discovery which we start today will give us.
And that is why today I want to spend just two or three minutes on what this new freedom is going to be. I said our economy is strong but our future is weak. I want to tell you hear today, as we put our country right, we shall remember what Martin Luther King said, "Let us not succumb to fear. The only fear that we must fear is fear itself." And toady I what to ask you here in Charlie King Junction and throughout Trinidad and Tobago: Let us not succumb to fear. Let us embrace freedom. Let us move from here on tonight and get this entire country a unified approach across all divisions of the past, whether it is divisions of race, divisions of religions or divisions of the sea. And you have it reflected in this campaign. There shall be no more divisions in Trinidad and Tobago as we embrace a new freedom for all the peoples of our land.
It is that freedom, my friends, that will allow us to look ahead and to engage this society in the global arena. It is that freedom that will allow us to ensure that we bring about about a better deal for the poor, and a new social contract for the nation. It is that freedom to give a true national security programme. It is that freedom that will allows us to have a health programme that will be accessible to all. It is that freedom that will get a pension plan that will provide more protection for the aged. It is that freedom that you shall be voting for, because the fear upon which the PNM has kept us in the past, has denied us all that.
And I want to tell you here today, you know and I know and the country knows that within the new united force there is indeed more talent, more loyalty, more commitment to put this country right than in any part of the current government. Let me end tonight by saying this is a choice between fear and freedom. Let us not succumb and surrender to fear. Let us embrace the freedom of which we speak about. The time for the government of Trinidad and Tobago to be changed is now. The time for this new freedom to solve the country's problems is now. Finally, given May 24 which is only a few weeks, it is a time to rumble in the politics of this country. Are your prepared to rumble? Are you prepared to rumble? Are you prepared to rumble? Well, let us rumble together with one vision and move forward to get back our land. And let us bring love again to our people.
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