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  • 3 months ago
The debate on who the first Prime Minister of T&T was, continues.

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles is lending her voice to the discourse, rubbising remarks made by United National Congress Public Relations Officer. She also criticizes Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for her 'no-show' at the "Day of Prayer" for Independence Day.

Alicia Boucher has the details.
Transcript
00:00A mission to rewrite the country's history and to fulfill an agenda of revisionism by distorting indisputable facts,
00:08according to opposition leader Penelope Beckles, is the aim of certain people within the Kamala-Passad possess a UNC government.
00:15Beckles says, quote,
00:16Among the most blatant of these falsehoods proclaimed by the UNC and dismissed as a non-issue by the Prime Minister herself
00:24was the allegation that Grantley Adams was Trinidad and Tobago's first Prime Minister.
00:29This is entirely untrue.
00:32Grantley Adams was the Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation,
00:35a regional entity that existed briefly between 1958 and 1962 and collapsed before Trinidad and Tobago attained sovereignty.
00:44End quote.
00:45She adds that Dr. Williams became TNT's first Prime Minister the day the country's flag was hoisted August 31st, 1962.
00:54Beckles says TNT's independence was not as a result of the collapse of the Federation,
00:59nor was it by chance.
01:01She attributes deliberate action and strong leadership as the catalyst for that,
01:06noting that it was Dr. Williams who led a delegation to London to negotiate our nation's sovereignty.
01:13It's in response to UNCPRO Dr. Kirk Maygoo stating in a Facebook post on Independence Day
01:18that Dr. Eric Williams was not our first Prime Minister.
01:22Adams was in what he summed up as debunking PNM-narrated independence myths towards true independence.
01:30Meanwhile, in the subsequent statement, Dr. Maygoo says,
01:33In 1961, our Premier was Eric Williams and our Prime Minister was Grantley Adams.
01:41To be clear, Grantley Adams was not a Prime Minister of a country called Trinidad and Tobago
01:46because Trinidad and Tobago was not supposed to be a separate country from the West Indian Federation.
01:52End quote.
01:53He calls the breakup of the Federation a tragedy and says,
01:56In 1962, Trinidad and Tobago became an independent country and Eric Williams was its first Prime Minister.
02:05End quote.
02:07But Beckles calls this discourse about Adams and Williams, the government's attempt to distract the public,
02:13claiming that Prime Minister Kamala-Poussard Bissesa has continued to distance herself from Independence Day celebrations,
02:19as she did while in opposition.
02:21Beckles has further taken a turn at Passat Bissesa, saying,
02:25Even more alarming is that the Prime Minister cancelled the traditional celebrations in favour of a day of prayer,
02:32but failed to attend or send a representative.
02:35It is clear that the UNC will stoop to the lowest levels of ethical and moral behaviour
02:41in their attempts to hoodwink the citizenry.
02:44End quote.
02:45Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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