Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 23/Nov 16:46

Beckles: Truth, democracy in danger in Trinidad and Tobago

OPPOSITION Leader Pennelope Beckles has warned that truth is under threat from manipulation and superficial politics in Trinidad and Tobago. She also warned failure to defend truth from these dual threats is tantamount to a surrender of the country's democracy. Beckles, who is also PNM political leader, made this comment at the relaunch of the Dr Eric Williams Institute for Political Education at the San Fernando City auditorium on November 22. She warned, "We live in an era where misinformation spreads faster than truth...where charisma is often mistaken for competence...and where leadership is sought very often without preparation...and where history is very often forgotten." Beckles told PNM supporters, "To lead, one must first learn. To govern, one must first understand." She warned, "A political party that stops learning, stops leading." A nation that stops teaching, she continued, stops progressing. Beckles said the relaunch of the institute was not an act of nostalgia to remember Williams' achievements but to institutionalise his methodology going forward. '"If we stop teaching our people to think critically, we surrender our democracy to manipulation and superficial politics." She said, 'Today, we declare, we the PNM will not let that happen." Beckles told PNM supporters that Williams must never be viewed as a historical relic. "His work was not just part of our national story. It was part of a foundation upon which all subsequent progress was made." Beckles reminded party supporters about Williams' advocacy for education. "A nation that is educated, resists corruption, demands accountability, refuses to be bought or fooled." She said, "Education is not an expenditure. It is an investment in sovereignty." Beckles promised the PNM will continue to do all it can to empower young people to be leaders and "we will not stop until our young people win." She said, "We are at a crossroads. The choices we make today will define the destiny of our party and the nation for generations." Beckles added the PNM is returning to its roots and will tirelessly advance education at all levels of society. "Let us build leaders, not just followers. Let us build thinkers, not just voters." San Fernando East MP Brian Manning said it was clear for everyone to see the majority of the progress which TT enjoys today is the result of the hard work of Williams and the PNM. He recalled the work done by his father, former prime minister Patrick Manning, in crafting Vision 2020. Manning described the revitalisation blueprint recently launched by government as a poor remix of that plan. PNM education officer Dr Jelani Reid described misinformation as an illness plaguing TT. Referring to claims by UNC PRO Dr Kirk Meighoo that Williams was not TT's first prime minister, Reid said, "This is not politics as usual." He added this underscored the relaunch of the institute to ensure facts and not fiction are presented to the population. Reid warned that when a generation of people is denied access to the facts, that generation becomes lost. Reid said it is time for people to "reclaim the narrative." San Fernando Mayor Robert Parris said he was a product of the institute and welcomed its relaunch. A statement issued by the party on November 21, described the institute as a "modern, 21st century-relevant execution of the PNM’s traditional Party School, first implemented by our founding father, national icon, historian and TT’s first prime minister Dr Eric Eustace Williams." The post Beckles: Truth, democracy in danger in Trinidad and Tobago appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.