She was speaking in her capacity as the leader of the United National Congress (UNC) at a mothers’ day function hosted by the party at Rienzi Complex.
Persad-Bissessar lamented the fact that the thousands of other “dearly departed mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers of our great party" did not live to see the day "when we achieved our dream of not only being in Government, but also, created history by having a woman as leader of the UNC and the country.”
She said, “These were the women who worked as labourers or professionals while being full time wives and mothers in the homes to ensure that to the supporters and foot soldiers of this party—the UNC was more than just a party—it was home.
“These were the women who perhaps never had the chance to get much education, or work or travel or be independent as many women of today are, but without them and their stellar contribution of love, dedication, nurturing and commitment and guidance to our party, we would never be the powerful force that we are today.
“We may never truly realize fully how much strength, courage and sheer willpower and effort that it took for these women to forge ahead in the face of life's many challenges back then, but I am sure we all remember how hard they worked every single day to support our families and to raise us and our parents while still dedicating themselves to our great party’s cause.
“They did not have the luxuries that we have today; in fact, many of them did not even have basic comforts, yet they did so much for us, and it is our duty therefore, that while we are at our pinnacle of achievement as a political party, that we never forget the debt of gratitude we owe them, and our duty to preserve their legacy by giving back to the children of our country the same values and virtues they gave to us and our party.
“Like them, it is up to us to keep working, keep meeting our responsibilities, keep pursuing our dreams for our children and our party’s and Government’s dreams for a better, more progressive, developed country, so that our future generations could have the opportunities that they never even dreamed of.
“Indeed, hard work, determination and resiliency are encoded in our DNA as women, and more so, as mothers of the UNC, and we must never ever stop using those attributes for the better of our nation…
“As women we are united in our struggles, heartaches, woes, tragedies and hopes more than any other group in the world. We are united by a force that is more powerful than race, religion, nationality, wealth, age or professional rank.
“That force is motherhood, the natural maternal instinct that binds us into one people, plots for us a common agenda of protecting those who fall under our charge, and ensuring that the human race, as our common child, succeeds as a civilization.
"I wish to call upon all mothers here today, and all mothers of this nation, to let us all recommit to this force that makes us unite for the betterment of our nation."
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