00:00Former Minister Devad Maharaj tells The Morning Edition the nation is experiencing what he describes as a precipitous decline in
00:09race relations.
00:11He argues that the country's political discourse has become increasingly divisive, diverting attention from governance and everyday concerns of citizens.
00:21What's being done to create jobs to stimulate the economy? What's being done for crime? The state of emergency and
00:28perpetuity cannot be an answer for crime.
00:32It's an admission that the police has failed, that the government has failed, and the solution is a state of
00:37emergency where you could lock up a man like Dominique Hadid without any substantial charge, without any due process because
00:44you have suspended the constitutional rights of citizenry.
00:47Maharaj says recent political rhetoric and public controversies surrounding Emancipation Day celebrations have only deepened ethnic tensions, warning that public
00:59debate is becoming consumed by issues that further divide rather than unite the nation.
01:05The barometer for what's going on in Trinidad is evidenced by the booing that happened at these events.
01:12And then the Prime Minister's failure to attend. Failure to attend these functions is an indictment that they have almost
01:20admitted that they no longer have support of African communities.
01:24Well, I mean, to be fair to the Prime Minister, I mean, there are other Prime Ministers who would not
01:28have attended Emancipation Day celebrations in the past.
01:31Well, they may not have attended, but they would not send a statement out saying that we're not going to
01:35attend because you're going, you're not, you don't like us and you hate us and the words set its effect.
01:41Dr. Maharaj says the focus should return to the issues affecting citizens most, including the cost of living, taxation, employment
01:50and economic opportunity, rather than allowing racial divisions to dominate the national conversation.
01:57The population is distracted by this racial nonsense where there are more substantial issues that face all of us as
02:06Indians and Africans and Chinese and whites and mixed in Trinidad.
02:10When we go to the grocery, when we have to pay rent, you have tax landlords, so you're going to
02:14raise the rent for people.
02:17You put taxes on casinos and bars and so on. So you can't even drink now to drink out of
02:23your problems. You're getting more pressure right through.
02:25Dr. Maharaj says Trinidad and Tobago's greatest challenge is not its diversity, but ensuring the country's attention remains fixed on
02:35building a better future for all.
02:39Nicole M. Romany, TB6 News.
02:42The B
02:44You
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