Sat says he has nothing against black people: "My wish is that our people would live together"

Sat shows Clevon the handwritten agreement to settle the impasse at the Tunapuna Hindu School

Sat Maharaj told the Sunday Guardian's Clevon Raphael he has nothing against black people. The Secretary General made the comment in an interview about the controversy over the enrolment of children at the Tunapuna Hindu School.

The People's National Movement (PNM) made a national issue of the matter, claiming that Maharaj had instructed the principal of the school not to enrol students of African ancestry.

However Maharaj made it clear that the statement was a lie, noting that the school has several black students. And he made the point that the school population reflected the area's demographics.

He told Raphael it is unfortunate that the MP, Patricia McIntosh, who made the racist claim in Parliament, did not made any attempt to verify her information before speaking.

"If you go to the Enterprise Hindu School you will find 70 per cent of the pupils of African descent. Seventy-per cent! The dynamics have changed," Maharaj stated.

"...Further, in September 1952, when the Tunapuna Hindu School...opened, the first pupil admitted was an Afro-Trini who went on to become the principal of the El Dorado Secondary School.

"There are 300 children of African descent at the Sangre Grande Hindu School. She (MP McIntosh) is trying to create a racial problem, not trying to find out if there is a racial problem. If she had gone to Arima Hindu School 60 per cent are Afro-Trinis," Maharaj explained.

He also made the point that the principal and her union, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA), signed an agreement in which they declared that there was no racial problem at the school.

"TTUTA has categorically denied making any charge of racism against the SDMS and the SDMS has also categorically denied any racism in any of their schools. The principal was right there when the matter was being discussed...she signed the document, too. She signed it," Maharaj stated.

Maharaj noted that the People's National Movement (PNM) is devoid of ideas and programmes to advance the country so they try very hard to maintain a racial divide in the country.

"...You see, for the PNM to survive it needs the Black/Indian divide to exist, for they cannot survive because they have no policy, no programmes that can attract people back to their party. What they should be doing is talking about their plans for the future," Maharaj declared.

When the reporter pointed out the PNM's 'vision 2020, Maharaj had this to say:

"What vision? That was a backward vision which they picked up from the waste paper basket of other countries. Since Dr Eric Williams, nobody in that party has had any vision. None whosoever! Their only vision is to rape the treasury".

Maharaj said his wish is for all the people of Trinidad & Tobago to love together in harmony.

Read the full interview: Sat: I love Black people