00:00Dr. Tilak Singh warns that we cannot afford to drag petty party politics into what he
00:07calls one of our most sacred national traditions.
00:11He insists the independence parade is not just a march, it's a living symbol of freedom,
00:18unity and the nation's break from colonial chains.
00:21We need to stop allowing politicians to fool us or deceive us and to also believe that
00:33national festivals and national events have this political tinge.
00:40You know, just because our first Prime Minister, Dr. Eric Williams, belonged to the PNM doesn't
00:48mean that Independence Day was a PNM event or a PNM achievement, it was a national event.
00:54So I think this is all we need to see in our history, we cannot allow the politics to colour it.
01:00Speaking with TV6 via phone, Dr. Tilak Singh said he understands that the cancellation of the
01:07Independence Day parade may inadvertently signal a weakness in the ability of the protective
01:12services to safeguard citizens. But, he stresses, that this decision is not just about crime,
01:20it's also about threats that must be taken seriously.
01:23A lot of life lost would give us even more negative attention. So yes, we have some negative
01:31attention that, you know, people believe outside of Trina that we cannot protect our military and our
01:38president, but I think that our priority should be keeping our president safe and keeping our military
01:45leaders safe. If the parliamentarians would be there, their lives would also be at risk of unipirating
01:50members of the public and every life, every citizen's life is important. Nicole M Romany, TV6 News.
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