Not even President George Maxwell Richards’ attempt to calm troubled waters by pleading with East Indians who are unhappy with the state of TnT not to flee the country, could have stopped the masses packed in the hall of the Parvati Girls’ College, Debe, from giving overwhelming approval to what was being said on the platform.

Maharaj described the present scenario in TnT as an “Indo-Trinidadian community witnessing a ‘shock and awe’ programme with this State-sanctioned policy that directs significant State resources primarily to one ethnic group”.

He also noted that “the lowering of qualifications for State employment, the establishment of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT), and the proposal of a political union with other Caribbean islands along with State projects like CEPEP and HYPE are all examples of the programme conceived to push the Indian out of the space that is shared in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Persad-Bissessar told her audience that the emphasis on the occasion should not be on Indian Arrival Day but on survival and revival.

Regarding the Trinity Cross, Persad-Bissessar told the crowd she would soon be taking a petition to Parliament for a name-change of the country’s highest award. President Richards, however, felt it was important that even the disgruntled nationals remain in TnT, since their forefathers had laboured and sacrificed for the development of the twin-island republic.

“Leaving or staying is a choice we make,” he said. We must decide if we will fight for our country or whether we will enjoy the fruits of others’ labour elsewhere.”