- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 19/Jul 02:48

Reject PNM’s dangerous descent into racial politics

THE EDITOR: I write as a concerned and deeply disturbed citizen. On July 16, at an opposition press conference, PNM MP Marvin Gonzales made a remark that should have no place in our national discourse. His words – "When I look at it, I am wondering if we live in Bangladesh or Delhi" – were not just offensive; they were reckless, inflammatory, and wholly unacceptable. Let us be clear, the people Gonzales was referring to are Trinidadians/Tobagonians. Generations of families of Indian descent have called this land home. They have contributed to every sector of society and stood shoulder to shoulder with every other ethnic group to build this nation. For an elected MP to reduce those citizens to some foreign caricature is not only shameful; it is dangerous. When Gonzales looks at his own constituents, many of whom are of Indian descent, does he really see Bangladeshis? If so, then perhaps he no longer belongs in public life. This isn’t a slip of the tongue. This is part of a pattern. The PNM, having been decisively rejected at the polls, is now grasping at the only strategy it seems to know when in crisis: race. Instead of offering ideas or solutions, it has once again chosen division. The PNM has nothing left to offer. So now it stirs racial tensions in a cowardly attempt to stay relevant. It is disgusting. It is unpatriotic. And it must be condemned by all of us, regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. I call on every responsible media house, religious body, civil society group, and right-thinking citizen to denounce this race-baiting. We cannot allow any political party to drag us backward into division and hostility. We’ve been here before. We know how this story ends. Let us refuse to turn the page. CURTIS A OBRADY Arima The post Reject PNM’s dangerous descent into racial politics appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.