Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar Republic Day Message
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC, Republic Day message delivered at the Bowling Green Park New York.
Good afternoon,
What a lovely day in Manhattan, New York. Today is a very special day in Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago celebrates 38 years as a Republic. And, in those 38 years, we have made incredible strides.
We have progressed as a nation, as a democracy but most importantly, as a people. With each year that passes, it is the people that remain as a constant source of hope and inspiration.
And, so, while we celebrate our democracy that continues to grow from strength to strength, I take this opportunity to celebrate with the people of Trinidad and Tobago, without whom there would be very little reason to gather here today.
Let us join together in celebrating those who moved past their desire for change and adopted a serious willingness to act. Collectively, let us remember those who have laboured before us and those who labour with us. Let us pledge our support to those who will continue to labour for us in the future in order to make our nation a great place.
We have come a long way, but we have a longer way to go. As I stated in the Budget debate in Parliament last week, we have a strong economy, and we are moving to have a stronger economy.
We have our challenges just like any other place, but we are making the effort to make our people more comfortable. We have just introduced a $500 a month baby care grant to families who are struggling to make ends meet.
We have just increased the minimum wage to $15, up from $9 when we came into office in 2010. We have had increased investments over the past four years.
Just look around the country, you will find better infrastructure, better roads, better drains, and less flooding.
As President Obama said this morning as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly, “this is a good time to be born, to be healthy, and to live a better life.” I totally agree. It is a good time to be a national of Trinidad and Tobago.
My legacy is to leave a better Trinidad and Tobago. I know we have a crime problem, but we are working on that. We are doing our best to give the security forces better tools and conditions. The security forces in the past months have shown their will and commitment to their jobs, and we must support them.
Our national anthem says, “May God bless our nation.” Undeniably, with his help, we have experienced incredible successes. However, we must not neglect our individual responsibilities as citizens. As we stand here today, and witness the raising of the national flag of Trinidad and Tobago, our national flag, let us recommit to strengthening our nation.
My fellow Trinbagonians, 38 years ago, on this very day, we made a collective decision to go forth and form our own system of government, with a Head of State being from our very own twin island Republic.
Even now, we must be mindful that it did not stop there – development lies in continuous action. We, as a nation, must always strive to continuously improve the democratic state of our nation wherever need be.
As we raise our national flag, let us also raise our hearts. The red, white and black, symbolic of our land, our people and the unity that binds us, will proudly fly high so long as we continue to be the wind that lifts it.
To all my fellow citizens of Trinidad and Tobago I say to you, thank you for your service and I look forward to the finish lines we will cross together.
Happy Republic Day. May God continues to bless us, and May God continue to bless this beautiful nation, Trinidad and Tobago.