Opposition Leader: Explore options to promote national pride

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles. - Photo by Faith Ayoung

OPPOSITION LEADER Pennelope Beckles is calling on the government to reconsider its decision of cancelling Independence Day festivities and explore options for protecting both public safety and national pride. She said the decision to cancel the military Independence Day Parade has left the nation bewildered.

In a release on August 15, several hours after the decision was announced via media release and press conference, Beckles said Trinidad and Tobago has held successful Independence Day Parades through all kinds of events, including during the 2011 state of emergency, with the only exception being the covid pandemic.

She said the cancellation came four days after the Prime Minister said at the August 11 Monday Night Forum that crime is down and the country can feel safe.

“Persad-Bissessar said, ‘Are you safer today? Are you Safer Today? And that answer has to be yes because the facts tell us that.’ This statement, along with agents of the government repeatedly parroting the refrain that the threat that caused the SoE had been ‘thwarted’ casts great doubt in the minds of the citizenry of the country.”

Beckles said the decision to cancel two weeks in advance would not positively impact the morale of the citizens, “particularly our youth, who, either for a first time or again, would have looked forward with pride to celebrate the independence and sovereignty of Trinidad and Tobago.

“The armed forces of any nation expect and looks forward as a matter of civic duty to leading the promotion and preservation of national patriotism and pride. At a time when Trinidad and Tobago is engaged with key national challenges, the cancellation of the annual Independence Day Parade does not help in lifting and reinforcing a sense of civic duty and responsibility. Citizens would expect their government to understand the importance of the parade in that context.”

Beckles said the rationale advanced by the government for the exceptionally extraordinary decision to cancel the principal commemorative and national community building activity, the Independence Day Parade, scheduled to be held on August 31, does not satisfy the requirements of exceptionality, even on the grounds of national security and fiscal responsibility presented, with an insufficiency of clarity and an inescapable undertone of pretext.

She said the cost-benefit analysis for cancelling such a recognised occasion for promoting patriotism, national pride and civic solidarity suggests that the full significance and value of the annual Independence Day Parade may have only been assessed in financial terms, and regrettably not for its patriotic, social and cultural importance.

“Citizens deserve a clear explanation as to why our most symbolic historic and powerful event has been cancelled in its entirety.

“The Independence Day Parade has been far more than ceremony. It is a living classroom where our young people see history in motion where they learn about the sacrifices of those who came before, the discipline of our armed forces, and the values that bind us together. It is a day when veterans are honoured, when families’ generations gather in pride, and when our nation’s colours fly high in our capital and across the land.”

Beckles suggested scaled-down parades, community events, ceremonial flag-raisings, or a symbolic fly-past could be held alongside the National Day of Prayer, allowing Trinidad and Tobago to adapt responsibly while still honouring the significance of the country’s 63rd year of independence.