Ex-Point Fortin mayor: Divided TT must unite on stand-your-ground law

Former Point Fortin Mayor Abdon Mason, right, at a stand-your-ground public consultation in Point Fortin on October 7. -

FORMER People’s National Movement (PNM) mayor of Point Fortin, Abdon Mason, has made a stirring appeal for all 41 MPs to put aside partisan interests and work together in the best interest of the nation on the proposed stand-your-ground legislation.

Mason was among those contributing to a public consultation on the proposed law, held at the Point Fortin Borough Corporation on October 7.

He thanked Point Fortin MP and Minister in the Ministry of Energy, Ernesto Kesar, for hosting the session but stopped short of declaring his outright support for the bill.

“I would support any legislation which aims to protect the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago,” Mason said.

He noted that the country appears divided between two groups: the fearless and the fearful.

“I find myself in the group of the fearful, because I am a father. My children think I am the greatest man on earth. That humbles me, because I know I have limitations when it comes to protecting and providing for them.”

Calling for a more holistic approach to nation-building, Mason observed, “We are also finding ourselves divided between red and yellow, between the balisier and the rising sun, between Indians and Africans.”

He added, “We are much more than that. We have to appreciate our differences, but we also have to respect our similarities. We must join forces to make Trinidad and Tobago the best possible nation – not just for us, but for the generations to come.”

Mason recalled a vivid demonstration by Minister of National Security Roger Alexander, who once turned off the lights during a post-Cabinet meeting to dramatise the terror of a home invasion.

He said the memory still haunts him. “I still cringe at that moment, fearful that if that ever happens to me, I may be helpless – and my daughter, who looks up to me and thinks I am a king, would realise that I am much less than that.”

Mason expressed hope that parliamentarians would rise above the noise and politics surrounding the issue.

“I fervently hope that the 41 MPs who sit in Parliament can go beyond the picong, the jeering, and the heckling, and really address the legislation in a way that gives the people the representation they deserve. We must stop focusing on who is bringing the legislation and instead think about who will benefit from it.”

Referring to the April 28 general election, in which the United National Congress (UNC) defeated the PNM, Mason added, “I’m hoping they can get beyond the tabanca and the disappointment, and come together. It makes no sense if, five years from now, when another election is due, we are still having this same conversation.

“Let us leave the pettiness aside and look at the true value of the legislation and its benefit to the population.”