Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar received the Express "Individual of the Year Award for 2010" on Tuesday and immediately dedicated it to the thousands who voted to make her the first female prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
In a brief address at the awards ceremony at Express House she said she was humbled and honoured to receive the award. She also thanked the newspaper for "contributing to nation-building".
The Express award, which has been in existence for 34 years, recognises the positive achievements of individuals and organisations.
Others who have received the honour are former prime ministers Basdeo Panday, Patrick Manning and Arthur NR Robinson. The award carries a cash payment of $10,000, which Persad-Bissessar said she would hand over to the Children's Life Fund.
The Express also handed out its youth award to Shamla Maharaj. She is the 24-year-old with cerebral palsy who overcame the physical challenges and graduated from the University of the West Indies (UWI) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness Management.
Maharaj also spoke at the event and called on all youths to reach for the stars. "Anybody can be the president" she said.
She urged the media to promote "more positive stories" to inspire people to become better individuals.
"I am not saying it will happen, but it can happen. People need to feel inspired, and I think positive stories rather than negative stories about somebody killing somebody can help do that," she said.
Brent Batson, head of the road safety group Arrive Alive, received the Award of Merit for Community Group.
The chief executive officer of One Caribbean Media Ltd (OCM), which is the parent company of the Express, told those who received awards that their contributions have made Trinidad and Tobago a better place.
Dawn Thomas said Persad-Bissessar "created history by not only being elected the first female leader of the United National Congress, but you went on to become the first female prime minister in Trinidad and Tobago...your achievements are laudable".
However, she reminded the Prime Minister as a leader she had a responsibility to the people "to bring about change".
In a brief address at the awards ceremony at Express House she said she was humbled and honoured to receive the award. She also thanked the newspaper for "contributing to nation-building".
The Express award, which has been in existence for 34 years, recognises the positive achievements of individuals and organisations.
Others who have received the honour are former prime ministers Basdeo Panday, Patrick Manning and Arthur NR Robinson. The award carries a cash payment of $10,000, which Persad-Bissessar said she would hand over to the Children's Life Fund.
The Express also handed out its youth award to Shamla Maharaj. She is the 24-year-old with cerebral palsy who overcame the physical challenges and graduated from the University of the West Indies (UWI) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness Management.
Maharaj also spoke at the event and called on all youths to reach for the stars. "Anybody can be the president" she said.
She urged the media to promote "more positive stories" to inspire people to become better individuals.
"I am not saying it will happen, but it can happen. People need to feel inspired, and I think positive stories rather than negative stories about somebody killing somebody can help do that," she said.
Brent Batson, head of the road safety group Arrive Alive, received the Award of Merit for Community Group.
The chief executive officer of One Caribbean Media Ltd (OCM), which is the parent company of the Express, told those who received awards that their contributions have made Trinidad and Tobago a better place.
Dawn Thomas said Persad-Bissessar "created history by not only being elected the first female leader of the United National Congress, but you went on to become the first female prime minister in Trinidad and Tobago...your achievements are laudable".
However, she reminded the Prime Minister as a leader she had a responsibility to the people "to bring about change".
No comments:
Post a Comment