"We shall make our government work...with a sense of hope for all," Dookeran says at COP dinner

The Congress of the People (COP) brought together a cross section of Trinidad and Tobago society and representatives of the United States, China, India and Australia to a Divali function Sunday night organised by the youth of the party.

The foreign guests participated in the lighting of deeyas, which COP leader Winston Dookeran described as "something that the Secretary General of the United Nations could hardly do." 

Among the nationals in the audience were the Political Leader of the National Joint Action Committee, Makandaal Daaga, Hans Hanoomansingh and Reverend Cyril Paul.

In a speech to the mixed audience Dookeran said the celebration was part of the journey that began four years ago by putting the building blocks together for a new nation of the 21st century. 

He said part of the vision of COP's "Rich Heritage, Common future" series was to abandon the symbol of unity and replace it with the substance of unity. 

"And it is that context we started the journey...right here (at Divali Nagar) where we had our first function in celebration of Indian Arrival Day."

He said the journey has been a worthwhile one in which COP has traversed Trinidad and Tobago and celebrated the nation's diversity. "I know we have in our country, ever single thought, every single idea from every part of the globe, and the unique opportunity to make it all one," Dookeran said.

He expressed satisfaction that most of the journey has been when "we were out of government." He noted that even in government the project is done purely on a voluntary basis. 

Dookeran thanked all those who helped make it happen. "I am very pleased to see what has happened, we continue to prepare the building blocks for the new society," he said.

Dookeran said the building blocks are deeply anchored and rooted in the unity of the people. "But it is more than that. It is building the building blocks for a society in which we must now subscribe to new set of public values." he added. 

Dookeran also paid tribute to the late Desmond Allum, one of the founders of the party. "He believed that in a society in which we live, that there can be only one thing right. And what is wrong cannot be right. 

"It is people like Desmond Allum and many others who have come together to provide that inspiration for the new public values Trinidad and Tobago that we must get back to. 

"What has failed our society was the abandonment of public values to which we can all subscribe. By that I mean we gave way to the temptations of corruptions. We gave way to the temptations of division. We gave way to the temptations of selfishness. 

"Those are the public values upon which we embarked on this new journey to build the foundation for the future. And it is these public values I believe are best exemplified here today as we celebrate Divali, as we celebrate the triumph of light over darkness," the finance minister said.

Dookeran added that Divali is an opportunity and a reflection "for us to break down the divisions of race and culture. To break down the division between the rich and poor. To break down the division of excessive expenditure without value for money. For these are the things we are fighting against and these are the things we are going to change in the future."

He pledged that the new Trinidad and Tobago will be one in which "all are equal, none is better than the other...We shall make our government work. Hurdles will be in our way. Problems will be before us...But what is really important is not the problems, but whether we can address these problems with a sense of equity, with a sense of fairness and a sense of hope for all."