My fellow citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, today represents a glorious day in the life of our nation when citizens gather in recognition of our many blessings, to place God at the forefront of our every step.
It is always my belief that I have always held throughout my life, above all things, to place God in front and walk behind; and today’s demonstration of belief in the supremacy of God over our lives, over our nation and over our future fills me with profound joy.
I am deeply delighted to welcome you all this evening, to join hands, to bond with each other by sharing our beliefs and our prayers, as we bow before God in worship and appreciation for our blessings.
As a strong and united nation, of people who are descended from many ancient cultures and traditions, it is a tribute to the human spirit that we can gather today and with goodwill share our own diverse beliefs in prayer and thanksgiving.
The past 50 years of independence has seen our nation reach glorious heights of achievement in so many spheres whether it be the Arts, Culture, Sports, Music and Science.
And today is an appropriate time to pause, reflect and give praise and thanks for the abundant blessings.
We have come a long way in 50 years.
Aside from our moments of patriotic pride and elation in our successes, there have been moments of great anxiety, loss and sadness.
At times, by virtue of our human weakness, we may even have questioned our faith as we looked around us wondering how we would ever rebuild our lives, our communities and our nation.
It was always in these moments that we called upon the knowledge possessed by history, the fortitude of our ancestors and most of all, the supreme wisdom of God.
And in all things, with God’s mercy, we have triumphed.
Much of our celebration as a nation at 50 has been dedicated to honouring our past and how yesterday’s action created today’s greatness.
At times we remember the words of our past leaders and elders.
At times we seek comfort in the events of the past and attempt to emulate the courage that our parents and grandparents summoned.
At times we look back at the development guideposts from history, in order to understand those we wish to set for the arrival of a more enlightened tomorrow.
There can be no purpose whatsoever to a world we create for ourselves that is not enriched by a value based society.
One in which honesty and integrity count for more than ill-gotten gains.
One in which fairplay counts for more than winning at all costs.
For our lives must be ultimately measured by the quality of our character rather than by the quantity of stuff acquired or the positions held.
As a society let us measure how far we have come and where we need to be by how compassionate we are, how sharing we are, how tolerant we are, how understanding we are, how grateful we are.
For there can be no great nation without great people, no great accomplishment without great purpose and no greatness at all without great humility.
And we have a responsibility to pass on these values to our children, to sow the seeds of these values that will enrich their lives and ensure the development of our society over the next 50 years. As the saying goes:
”If you plan for one year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees. If you plan for 100 years, educate children".
I remember well the story of a little girl from a rural district who walked barefoot to school, a little girl who went hungry many a night, a little girl who nevertheless never felt ashamed nor was never made to feel that poverty was a curse but a lesson in compassion and an inspiration to help.
I am that little girl who knows I must never forget those lessons life taught and the guidance my parents gave.
The legacy we build must surpass what we inherited by the work of others before us.
It is here that I would like for us all to pray for former Prime Minister and President Arthur NR Robinson, former Prime Minister Patrick Manning, and Justice Wendell Kangalloo each of whom remain unwell at this time. We pray for their strength and recovery. They have all served their nation well.
Brothers and sisters, this year we cross the threshold into a new dawn, with a future coming at us at a much greater pace than ever before.
We must therefore prepare for it and ensure that the legacy we build will be one that is befitting of our appreciation of the past and of the future people of Trinidad and Tobago.
For us to achieve this, your help is needed.
As we join hands in our journey into tomorrow, let us pray together, work together, aspire together and achieve together as a nation.
Let us build a society of purpose, unity and respect.
Let us build a society that is free from crime and violence and secure in its freedom – a society which takes pride in its liberty, guards its freedom jealously and exercises that freedom responsibly for the good of our country.
Let us thank God for all he has given.
Let us pray for his guidance and for his healing hand to touch us all as we take our first steps towards achieving a century of achievement in Independence.
Let us walk together in faith and unity, in the spirit of freedom and with the assurance that God shall always remain in front of us, whatever the future may bring.
May God Bless you all, May God Bless Trinidad and Tobago.
I thank you.
It is always my belief that I have always held throughout my life, above all things, to place God in front and walk behind; and today’s demonstration of belief in the supremacy of God over our lives, over our nation and over our future fills me with profound joy.
I am deeply delighted to welcome you all this evening, to join hands, to bond with each other by sharing our beliefs and our prayers, as we bow before God in worship and appreciation for our blessings.
As a strong and united nation, of people who are descended from many ancient cultures and traditions, it is a tribute to the human spirit that we can gather today and with goodwill share our own diverse beliefs in prayer and thanksgiving.
The past 50 years of independence has seen our nation reach glorious heights of achievement in so many spheres whether it be the Arts, Culture, Sports, Music and Science.
And today is an appropriate time to pause, reflect and give praise and thanks for the abundant blessings.
We have come a long way in 50 years.
Aside from our moments of patriotic pride and elation in our successes, there have been moments of great anxiety, loss and sadness.
At times, by virtue of our human weakness, we may even have questioned our faith as we looked around us wondering how we would ever rebuild our lives, our communities and our nation.
It was always in these moments that we called upon the knowledge possessed by history, the fortitude of our ancestors and most of all, the supreme wisdom of God.
And in all things, with God’s mercy, we have triumphed.
Much of our celebration as a nation at 50 has been dedicated to honouring our past and how yesterday’s action created today’s greatness.
At times we remember the words of our past leaders and elders.
At times we seek comfort in the events of the past and attempt to emulate the courage that our parents and grandparents summoned.
At times we look back at the development guideposts from history, in order to understand those we wish to set for the arrival of a more enlightened tomorrow.
There can be no purpose whatsoever to a world we create for ourselves that is not enriched by a value based society.
One in which honesty and integrity count for more than ill-gotten gains.
One in which fairplay counts for more than winning at all costs.
For our lives must be ultimately measured by the quality of our character rather than by the quantity of stuff acquired or the positions held.
As a society let us measure how far we have come and where we need to be by how compassionate we are, how sharing we are, how tolerant we are, how understanding we are, how grateful we are.
For there can be no great nation without great people, no great accomplishment without great purpose and no greatness at all without great humility.
And we have a responsibility to pass on these values to our children, to sow the seeds of these values that will enrich their lives and ensure the development of our society over the next 50 years. As the saying goes:
”If you plan for one year, plant rice. If you plan for ten years, plant trees. If you plan for 100 years, educate children".
I remember well the story of a little girl from a rural district who walked barefoot to school, a little girl who went hungry many a night, a little girl who nevertheless never felt ashamed nor was never made to feel that poverty was a curse but a lesson in compassion and an inspiration to help.
I am that little girl who knows I must never forget those lessons life taught and the guidance my parents gave.
The legacy we build must surpass what we inherited by the work of others before us.
It is here that I would like for us all to pray for former Prime Minister and President Arthur NR Robinson, former Prime Minister Patrick Manning, and Justice Wendell Kangalloo each of whom remain unwell at this time. We pray for their strength and recovery. They have all served their nation well.
Brothers and sisters, this year we cross the threshold into a new dawn, with a future coming at us at a much greater pace than ever before.
We must therefore prepare for it and ensure that the legacy we build will be one that is befitting of our appreciation of the past and of the future people of Trinidad and Tobago.
For us to achieve this, your help is needed.
As we join hands in our journey into tomorrow, let us pray together, work together, aspire together and achieve together as a nation.
Let us build a society of purpose, unity and respect.
Let us build a society that is free from crime and violence and secure in its freedom – a society which takes pride in its liberty, guards its freedom jealously and exercises that freedom responsibly for the good of our country.
Let us thank God for all he has given.
Let us pray for his guidance and for his healing hand to touch us all as we take our first steps towards achieving a century of achievement in Independence.
Let us walk together in faith and unity, in the spirit of freedom and with the assurance that God shall always remain in front of us, whatever the future may bring.
May God Bless you all, May God Bless Trinidad and Tobago.
I thank you.
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