JYOTI has published an excerpt from Persad-Bissessar's speech in which she also promised greater democracy within her party and said legislation to recall MPs and to establish term limited that she promised in the election campaign will soon be a reality.
The speech is taken from the PM's Facebook.
Edited exceprts:
The all embracing philosophy of our party, the United National Congress, has facilitated a living, breathing inclusive movement that has redefined politics that now governs this country," she said.
My heart is filled with pride and gratitude. As Prime Minister it is You who have led me to this point. It is You who continue to inspire me. It is You who tell me when we go wrong or cheer me on when we do what is right. And I will never, never lose touch with You. Vox Populii Vox Dei. The voice of the people is the voice of God," she added.
Our party is an open and democratic one; we can talk and argue and solve problems; no one man or woman dictates to us. The days of maximum leadership are over. You made that change happen in one swoop in 2010.
You removed a dictatorial government which had no regard for anyone but themselves and their close friends … and, you changed the leadership of our party so that we became electable and could begin the campaign of redeeming Trinidad and Tobago.
So let not your hearts be troubled. OUR PARTY IS IN GOOD HANDS. And so is our government!
We are making progress because we listen before we act. And we create programs to help everyone, particularly those at the bottom of the economic and social ladder.
None of this would have been possible without you, our dedicated and loyal members of the UNC.
You gave me a mandate and I have been keeping my promises to you. Building unity and healing deep wounds is a daily and a continuous process that doesn’t happen with the speed that some of us want to see.
It is sometimes a tedious process; it requires dedication and commitment.
But more than all, it requires a determination to listen, and to compromise so that we gradually change opinions, slowly erode old barriers and quietly build new structures.
That’s what we set out to do two years ago when you handed me the mandate to lead our party.
That is the pledge we made to you. That is our promise to you.
When I asked you two years ago to give me an opportunity to serve you as the leader of our great party I told you that I would give you a government that would be people centred, that I would have as a principal plank of our development, POVERTY ERADICATION, and that I would make our country safer.
One hungry child is too many; one homeless family is one too many; one unemployed person is unacceptable and one murder will always be one too many.
So, my sisters and brothers, trust me when I tell you it is a work in progress…
We know there is still much work to be done and we will not be deterred, we will not shirk our responsibility to you; we will continue to put our shoulder to the wheel for there is always room for improvement.
Yes we have made quantum leaps.
We are moving forward and with your continued support and your continued faith and help, we shall overcome all the hurdles.
We shall overcome; We will continue to RISE and become the great nation we can be.
Our party will remain one that will stand up for the poor and dispossessed; we will never let anyone trample your rights.
We are an all inclusive party.
The BIG TENT OF THE UNC has room for all of us; for in our father’s house there are many mansions.
So I urge you to open your arms and embrace ALL who want to be a part of our political family.
There are no outsiders in the UNC; there are no Johnny-come-lately’s; there are no “THEM” and “US” in our party.
And hear me clearly, my sisters and brothers.. THIS IS OUR PARTY; WE CHOOSE OUR LEADERS THROUGH DEMOCRACTIC MEANS. WE DID THAT TWO YEARS AGO AND WE WILL DO IT AGAIN ON MARCH 24.
The United National Congress belongs to YOU; no leader owns this party … and under my watch I assure you that YOU will remain in charge of our party.
YOU own this party, not the leader or any member of NATEX – our national executive.
And our membership includes everyone who shares our values of justice, equality and freedom.
There is no need for anyone to feel left out.
We represent the diversity of country as no other party does...We are building a better party and a better nation...
Today I represent not only those of us who are members of our party; I represent every citizen of Trinidad & Tobago – including those who live outside of our shores.
And the nation we are building is for all of us and for generations to come.
That is the commitment I made to you when I asked you to support me and give me the honour to lead our party.
I want you to recall what I told you then …
"I am your servant. I accept the assignment you now place in my hands. And I pledge that I will never let you down."
That’s what I told you on January 24, 2010. And tonight I renew that pledge to you.
And I call on everyone again to unite as one family – because that is what we are, one family – and let us continue the crucial task of making our party the strongest that it can be.
It’s a long road ahead but with your trust and your belief in our party we will rise and overcome all the obstacles.
The flame that you kindled two years ago has provided light and guidance to our nation when it was at its darkest hour.
Today the Rising sun is shining brightly again...and you must take credit for that because you were determined to dispense with the past and work together to build a fairer, more prosperous Trinidad and Tobago where all of us can live in harmony.
No matter what our backgrounds, this is our home. We are one nation with one destiny.
Not one member of our party, not one citizen will be left behind. Together we will continue to rise – every man, woman and child. But we will do it the right way.
The colour of your skin, the texture of your hair and the ways in which you worship will not matter; what will matter is the content of your character and your determination to live and work together, to celebrate our diversity and be equal participants in our free and democratic society.
So tonight I make a pledge to you that will bring you even closer to the party leadership.
We are doing all we can to serve every member of our party equally and fairly and we are prepared to do more.
So here is my pledge to you.
As your leader, I promise that I will ask our National Executive to set up as part of the party’s governance an office of an OMBUSDSMAN.
That office would be staffed to receive your complaints about any matter relating to the party, its officers or its representatives.
And the office will investigate those complaints and report back to the executive.
I PROMISE YOU THAT WE WILL ACT TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CORRECT WHATEVER IS WRONG.
At the national level we will go one step further.
We promised you in the election campaign two years ago that we would introduce legislation in the Parliament to give you the right to recall your representative.
I want to report to you tonight that that legislation is coming to Parliament in this session.
If your representative is not working you would have the right to demand that she or he is called to account.
YOU CAN FIRE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE.
That is how far we are going to protect democracy and YOUR rights as a citizen and as a member of our party.
We will also have legislation on term limits and on a fixed date for elections as promised; we keep our promises.
Before I leave office you can be assured that no Prime Minister will ever be allowed to serve more than two terms. No more here for life leadership!
I want you to carry home the message I bring you tonight … Tell it to everyone. When you changed your leader two years ago a new day dawned … a new day and a new way forward for everyone.
Tell everyone that there is a change that is sweeping across this land that will benefit each and every citizen.
NO ONE WILL DIVIDE US WITH LIES AND FALSE PROPAGANDA!
YOUR LEADER will never let you down … the people’s partnership will not let you down … the UNC will never desert you and the UNC will remain YOUR PARTY.
My heart is filled with pride and gratitude. As Prime Minister it is You who have led me to this point. It is You who continue to inspire me. It is You who tell me when we go wrong or cheer me on when we do what is right. And I will never, never lose touch with You. Vox Populii Vox Dei. The voice of the people is the voice of God," she added.
Our party is an open and democratic one; we can talk and argue and solve problems; no one man or woman dictates to us. The days of maximum leadership are over. You made that change happen in one swoop in 2010.
You removed a dictatorial government which had no regard for anyone but themselves and their close friends … and, you changed the leadership of our party so that we became electable and could begin the campaign of redeeming Trinidad and Tobago.
So let not your hearts be troubled. OUR PARTY IS IN GOOD HANDS. And so is our government!
We are making progress because we listen before we act. And we create programs to help everyone, particularly those at the bottom of the economic and social ladder.
None of this would have been possible without you, our dedicated and loyal members of the UNC.
You gave me a mandate and I have been keeping my promises to you. Building unity and healing deep wounds is a daily and a continuous process that doesn’t happen with the speed that some of us want to see.
It is sometimes a tedious process; it requires dedication and commitment.
But more than all, it requires a determination to listen, and to compromise so that we gradually change opinions, slowly erode old barriers and quietly build new structures.
That’s what we set out to do two years ago when you handed me the mandate to lead our party.
That is the pledge we made to you. That is our promise to you.
When I asked you two years ago to give me an opportunity to serve you as the leader of our great party I told you that I would give you a government that would be people centred, that I would have as a principal plank of our development, POVERTY ERADICATION, and that I would make our country safer.
One hungry child is too many; one homeless family is one too many; one unemployed person is unacceptable and one murder will always be one too many.
So, my sisters and brothers, trust me when I tell you it is a work in progress…
We know there is still much work to be done and we will not be deterred, we will not shirk our responsibility to you; we will continue to put our shoulder to the wheel for there is always room for improvement.
Yes we have made quantum leaps.
We are moving forward and with your continued support and your continued faith and help, we shall overcome all the hurdles.
We shall overcome; We will continue to RISE and become the great nation we can be.
Our party will remain one that will stand up for the poor and dispossessed; we will never let anyone trample your rights.
We are an all inclusive party.
The BIG TENT OF THE UNC has room for all of us; for in our father’s house there are many mansions.
So I urge you to open your arms and embrace ALL who want to be a part of our political family.
There are no outsiders in the UNC; there are no Johnny-come-lately’s; there are no “THEM” and “US” in our party.
And hear me clearly, my sisters and brothers.. THIS IS OUR PARTY; WE CHOOSE OUR LEADERS THROUGH DEMOCRACTIC MEANS. WE DID THAT TWO YEARS AGO AND WE WILL DO IT AGAIN ON MARCH 24.
The United National Congress belongs to YOU; no leader owns this party … and under my watch I assure you that YOU will remain in charge of our party.
YOU own this party, not the leader or any member of NATEX – our national executive.
And our membership includes everyone who shares our values of justice, equality and freedom.
There is no need for anyone to feel left out.
We represent the diversity of country as no other party does...We are building a better party and a better nation...
Today I represent not only those of us who are members of our party; I represent every citizen of Trinidad & Tobago – including those who live outside of our shores.
And the nation we are building is for all of us and for generations to come.
That is the commitment I made to you when I asked you to support me and give me the honour to lead our party.
I want you to recall what I told you then …
"I am your servant. I accept the assignment you now place in my hands. And I pledge that I will never let you down."
That’s what I told you on January 24, 2010. And tonight I renew that pledge to you.
And I call on everyone again to unite as one family – because that is what we are, one family – and let us continue the crucial task of making our party the strongest that it can be.
It’s a long road ahead but with your trust and your belief in our party we will rise and overcome all the obstacles.
The flame that you kindled two years ago has provided light and guidance to our nation when it was at its darkest hour.
Today the Rising sun is shining brightly again...and you must take credit for that because you were determined to dispense with the past and work together to build a fairer, more prosperous Trinidad and Tobago where all of us can live in harmony.
No matter what our backgrounds, this is our home. We are one nation with one destiny.
Not one member of our party, not one citizen will be left behind. Together we will continue to rise – every man, woman and child. But we will do it the right way.
The colour of your skin, the texture of your hair and the ways in which you worship will not matter; what will matter is the content of your character and your determination to live and work together, to celebrate our diversity and be equal participants in our free and democratic society.
So tonight I make a pledge to you that will bring you even closer to the party leadership.
We are doing all we can to serve every member of our party equally and fairly and we are prepared to do more.
So here is my pledge to you.
As your leader, I promise that I will ask our National Executive to set up as part of the party’s governance an office of an OMBUSDSMAN.
That office would be staffed to receive your complaints about any matter relating to the party, its officers or its representatives.
And the office will investigate those complaints and report back to the executive.
I PROMISE YOU THAT WE WILL ACT TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CORRECT WHATEVER IS WRONG.
At the national level we will go one step further.
We promised you in the election campaign two years ago that we would introduce legislation in the Parliament to give you the right to recall your representative.
I want to report to you tonight that that legislation is coming to Parliament in this session.
If your representative is not working you would have the right to demand that she or he is called to account.
YOU CAN FIRE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE.
That is how far we are going to protect democracy and YOUR rights as a citizen and as a member of our party.
We will also have legislation on term limits and on a fixed date for elections as promised; we keep our promises.
Before I leave office you can be assured that no Prime Minister will ever be allowed to serve more than two terms. No more here for life leadership!
I want you to carry home the message I bring you tonight … Tell it to everyone. When you changed your leader two years ago a new day dawned … a new day and a new way forward for everyone.
Tell everyone that there is a change that is sweeping across this land that will benefit each and every citizen.
NO ONE WILL DIVIDE US WITH LIES AND FALSE PROPAGANDA!
YOUR LEADER will never let you down … the people’s partnership will not let you down … the UNC will never desert you and the UNC will remain YOUR PARTY.
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