T&T President's message on Indian Arrival Day

"In the year 2009, countries all over the world find themselves affected, to a greater or lesser degree, by an economic downturn that has had tremendous negative effect on millions of people.

"The changes that have been brought about, as a result, have been largely traumatic and those who suffer the most are to be found at the lower end of the economic ladder.

"For large segments of the world’s population, there is nothing to celebrate and this is understandable. Yet, in the midst of it all, we, in Trinidad and Tobago, although not immune from the distress of loss, in many respects, can find occasion to lift our spirits.

"One such occasion is Indian Arrival Day, which we celebrate on 30th May, in recollection of our ancestors who came as indentured labourers and helped to build our country, in spite of the many challenges that they faced.

"Acknowledgment of what they achieved, notwithstanding the legion of obstacles, may serve us well as we grapple with present day difficulties. Recollection of what sustained the few hundred men and women who came in 1845 and those who followed, can guide us to an understanding that all of us, of whatever background, can turn around our situation, for the better.

"Strong faith and belief in their systems of social interaction kept hope alive and, with discipline and determination, they established themselves, over time, as a group that made a solid contribution to life in this country.

"This is true, not only of the labour that they gave, but also the culture which they brought and which they nurtured. There is no question but that the people of East Indian origin have, in many ways, made Trinidad and Tobago the unique country that it is.

"It is good that many customs have survived and, in this context, I think, for example, of family values that have helped to preserve that very critical unit in society – the family.

"I believe that the cohesiveness which, by and large, is still very evident in families is a good example to follow. We can speak of sacrifices that were made by forbears, in the interest of a better life for them, later on, but more so, for future generations.

"They inculcated lessons of industriousness that engendered self-reliance and entrepreneurship and which created a solid base for advancement. Above all, leadership of parents in the home, with roles defined and sustained, established order.

"Let us therefore, as a national community facing serious economic upheaval and inevitable adjustments, be mindful of how adverse situations were turned into opportunities by a migrant population who had no guarantees except a one way ticket back to their motherland.

"Let us, on Indian Arrival Day, 2009, celebrate their courage and commit to using such elements of the pattern that they left as a legacy, to secure our advancement into a better future.

"I wish you all a happy Indian Arrival Day, 2009 and may God bless our nation.

- George Maxwell Richards, President of Trinidad & Tobago