Jack urges citizens to speak out against racism

Tobago Correspondent

Temporary government senator Ashworth Jack is urging citizens to confront racism, warning that silence could contribute to the destruction of society.

Speaking on Saturday at the Tobago Hindu Society’s Divali celebration at Lowlands Mall, Jack said everyone has a responsibility to reject racism and that silence amounts to complicity.

The former Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) political leader said he grew up among people of different ethnic backgrounds. His family, he said, has strong ties to south Trinidad, particularly Marabella and Rousillac.

“I have as many East Indian tanties as I have African tanties,” he said.

Jack called on the public to reflect on its role in combating discrimination and to hold itself accountable.

“What are we doing to ensure that the issue of race, class and religion does not permeate in society and destroy the relationships we have? Because sitting back and doing nothing is as guilty as being part of it,” he said.

He said racial remarks should not be tolerated, even in casual conversations.

“I don’t understand how we could sit and hear people make racial remarks and not pull them up on it. I am saying to all of us, sometimes we are all guilty.”

Jack’s comments come three months after businesswoman Star Sabga was heard using a derogatory term to describe Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in an intercepted telephone call. Sabga was speaking with her niece, Genevieve Hadeed, the wife of Blue Waters owner Dominic Hadeed.

Persad-Bissessar and other government ministers have repeated the term several times in social media posts, including this past week after Blue Waters was announced as a sponsor of the Divali Nagar.

Tobago Hindu Society president Pulwaty Beepath said people of all races and religions continue to live in harmony in Tobago.

“We are not counted as Indians living on the island. We are very well respected. We are accommodated by the Tobagonians, and we live like family in Tobago.”

Beepath pointed to the mix of people attending the celebration, including area representative Wane Clarke, Secretary of the Environment Darren Henry and Tobago Faith-based Council representative Sherry-Anne Rollocks-Hackett.

“In Tobago, everybody is one. We have nobody segregated. Everybody co-operates, and I want to wish everyone happy Divali.”

She also gave an update on the long-awaited Hindu temple in Signal Hill. The organisation had hoped to complete it in 2026, she said, but the facility still needs tiling and electrical work.

The celebrations included a musical performance by Govinda Ramlogan, also known as Tobago Channa, a cultural dance by Aaliyah Sookralli and a children’s fashion show.