Column: "Yes we can"; T&T takes a quantum leap forward

Today, I offer my congratulations to the leadership of the People's Partnership Coalition and the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago for proving that democracy is alive and well in my country and that there is HOPE that they will fix the problems that face everyone.

I congratulate Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her team for a dignified campaign of hope and unity and salute Jack Warner for his patriotism in challenging the status quo in the United National Congress (UNC) and for his dedication and commitment, which has taken us beyond tribalism and divisiveness.

But the journey is just beginning.

In April I wrote that it is worth it to fight for unity.

I stated in that column, "Trinidad and Tobago is in the midst of a great revolution. The test is whether this People's Partnership will prevail and if it wins, whether it will do what it proclaims.

"If it does, then I can say with joy in my heart, "My country has agreed to grow up!"

Read the column: Column: It's worth it to dream of a united T&T

Today, I am joyous for the resounding victory and acknowledge that we have indeed matured. We have grown up, but we must guard against complacency lest we begin sliding back down after inviting the nation to have faith and RISE.

I put my faith in our Prime Minister-elect, Kamla, to keep her pledge to the nation to be a leader for everyone and to involve the people in decisions about their lives and their future.

There are big hurdles to overcome. When you offer hope, you create expectations.

And Trinidad and Tobago is now looking to Kamla and her team to continue the process of healing and to deliver on the 120-day promise.

We know that nation building is not a political campaign and we accept that the new government cannot do everything at once.

However they must show that they are committed to create that just society they promised, and that they will begin the process of eradicating poverty, ending corruption and launching a frontal attack on crime.

And I need not remind them that our seniors are expecting that $3,000 a month pension and our children are looking forward to the laptop computers for their book bags.

Failure to deliver amounts to a betrayal no matter how justifiable the reason because throughout the campaign, Kamla promised: "We will find the money."

The government must also make good on its pledge to scrap the hated property tax and find a way to reform the tax administration and revenue collection system without creating the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority (TTRA).

They created great expectations and they must deliver.

The people have hired a new team based on the credentials it produced. The election campaign was the interview and having hired the applicant, they have now put the team on a 120-day probation.

The people know they have the power to fire those who fail to deliver on their pledges. Today, Patrick Manning is unemployed because he failed to remember that.

After 9 years in office he had forgotten that the people had put him in office to serve them, not his friends and political allies.

Manning broke a sacred trust with the people and no matter how much he pleaded with them, they exercised their democratic right to show him the door and boot him out of office.

The new kids on the block must be aware of that. Their entry into government will not make all our problems go away. But they must make a genuine start.

Crime remains the country's number one problem. The partnership promised to attack it at the root. That's why it must immediately begin a poverty eradication program, provide the protective services with the tools and the leadership they need to do the job and establish a governing system capable of solving the problem.

Patronage must end. And all the square pegs in round holes must be removed to get the wheels of government functioning effectively. That is not victimization; it is progress.

In her victory speech Kamla said, "You have earned the right to feel good about what you have achieved" and she promised "a hand of genuine partnership in the important task of rebuilding our nation."

She told supporters, "Party loyalty to me after an election is of no more significance than the colour of your eyes or the texture of your hair or the colour of your skin." We applaud her for that and we take her at her word!

That is the new society and the new system of governance that the people are expecting. And they will be patient and supportive only if she keeps that pledge and never breaks that sacred trust.

And no matter what happens, the new administration must continue to defend democracy and freedom, including the right to freedom of association, of speech and the freedom of the media.

For without a free media, democracy would be deformed. Had it not been for our right of free association and free expression and of media freedom, we would not be celebrating a people's victory today.

When historians write about May 24, 2010 they will note that it was the day the nation of Trinidad and Tobago took charge of its destiny and proclaimed with a single voice, "We are one people!"

Congratulations Trinidad and Tobago.

You have given me hope that I can return home and know that all of us constitute a nation "forged from the love of liberty" where each of us will be equal and never again will be judged by the colour of our skins but by the content of our character. That is the only way a nation progresses.

Congratulations Kamla, Winston, Errol, Makandal and Ashworth - and Jack Warner. And God speed ahead in the mammoth task ahead.

Jai Parasram | May 25, 2010