“Democracy means responsibility of the government to its citizens, the protection of the citizens from the exercise of arbitrary power and the violation of human freedoms and individual rights” - Dr Eric Williams, former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
From the Archive: Trinidad and Tobago joins the Commonwealth
2 September 2009
August 1962: ‘Father of the Nation’ heralds the newly independent Caribbean nation in radio address
Trinidad and Tobago became a member state of the Commonwealth exactly 47 years ago this week.
The island nation - which hosts the biennial summit of Commonwealth Heads of Government this coming November - became the fifteenth member of the association on 31 August 1962, following its independence from the United Kingdom.
Dr Eric Williams, then Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, in his radio address on Independence Day, marked the event by calling on his people to remember that their duty was the “protection and promotion” of democracy.
He said: “Democracy means responsibility of the government to its citizens, the protection of the citizens from the exercise of arbitrary power and the violation of human freedoms and individual rights.”
Timeline - Trinidad and Tobago
1498 - Christopher Columbus visits the islands
1797 - British naval expedition captures Trinidad from Spain
1834 - Slavery abolished
1945 - Universal suffrage
1956 – Dr Eric Williams founds People's National Movement
1959 - Self-government granted
1962 – British grant Trinidad and Tobago independence
Source BBC News
“You are nobody's boss and nobody is your boss.”
More than 40,000 people gathered in Woodford Square, in the capital, Port of Spain, to watch the lowering of the Union Jack flag and to see the new red, white and black striped flag of Trinidad and Tobago rise in its place.
Born in 1911, Dr Williams was a renowned scholar and is regarded by many as the ‘Father of the Nation’. He founded the People's National Movement in 1956 and became Prime Minister when internal self-government was granted in 1959.
‘Attuned to the good of his people and of the world’
Dr Williams was one of a number of leaders to back the establishment of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the executive arm of the association, in 1964. He served as Prime Minister until his death in 1981.
Run-up to CHOGM 2009
“CHOGM will be of special significance, coming at a time when human society is being challenged in very fundamental ways by three of the major problems facing our civilisation. These are global warming; the cost and supply of energy; and food security, all of which are very closely interrelated; and which will negatively impact every country on Earth,” - Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Patrick Manning.
Speaking earlier this year at the 23rd Dr Eric Williams Memorial Lecture in Trinidad, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma praised Dr Williams as a “world citizen and internationalist”.
He said: “[Dr] Williams fought passionately for its self-determination, and told this nation that no matter how small it was, it could still stand proud.
“He had a truly exceptional mind – a mind which was attuned to the good of his people and of the world. He exemplified a great Commonwealth strength – your history may root you in a small part of the world, but you can still be a world citizen and leader.”
CHOGM November 2009
Trinidad and Tobago’s offer to host the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was accepted at the 2005 summit in Malta.
At the forthcoming meeting, Commonwealth leaders will debate global, political and economic developments and conduct a strategic overview of the Commonwealth’s work. The summit takes place in Port of Spain between 27 and 29 November 2009.
I am doing a project and this was definitely useful information
delicious
digg
reddit
facebook
stumbleupon