The messages of peace, truth and good over evil and the importance of strengthening the family are desperately needed in T&T says David Abdulah, leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) in his Divali message yesterday. “Our nation is in crisis and only those who have their heads in the sand are unaware of this reality. Everywhere the institutions of state are collapsing and there is an absence of trust and confidence in both our nation’s institutions and leaders. “Things are indeed falling apart and the centre is no longer holding. On top of this crisis of institutions and leadership, is the complete absence of vision. We are stumbling along from one crisis or issue to another with the false hope that God is a Trini and that we will have the benefit of high oil and gas prices to buy our way out of difficulty,” Abdulah said.
He said Divali teaches people to be truthful and urged that as a society there is the need to see the entire picture—the good, the bad and the ugly. “We can recognise, appreciate and strengthen all that is good. Our innate talents, creativity and the many centres of excellence which have been built by dint of hard work, sacrifice and community effort. “We must admit of that which is bad—the “eat ah food culture”, corruption from the top to the bottom of the society, the disrespect for others. And we must condemn that which is ugly—the wanton disregard for human life, the violence, the use of our ethnic differences for partisan political gain, the valuing of money and wealth above solidarity and being our brothers and sisters’ keeper,” Abdulah added.
Saying Divali paved the way to illuminate and educate, Abdulah called for a change in attitudes and way of thinking so as to unite for the common cause of building a nation. “The light of the deya can help us to do that by bringing light and clarity to who we are as a people, from where we have come and where we need to go. “The light of the deya can enable us to see clearly that we need a virtual ‘revolution of the mind’ which is a pre-requisite for us to challenge the status quo and usher in a T&T where there is the lasting peace that is built upon the foundation of social justice and equity for all citizens,”Abdulah said.