Diamond Vale, Diego Martin Meeting

24th August 2009

Member of Parliament for Diego Martin Central; Minister of Social Development: Dr. Amery Brown

Are you happy to be here tonight?

Are you proud to be here tonight?

Is there anybody here tonight from D.M.?

Are there any supporters of the PNM here tonight?

Are you proud to be a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago?

Are you happy to be enrolled at the College of Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard?

Well you should be happy, and you should be proud and you should be pleased, and you should be here...because this is a wonderful College; this is a very prestigious College.   Let me just say to each one of you...welcome to the Ivy League of the College of Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard.

My heart bursts with joy as finally the PNM caravan has rolled into the beautiful valley of Diego Martin.

I have the easy job tonight.  And that is to welcome you, to make you feel at home, to remind you why you are here and to set the stage for the speakers that are to follow.

Since the foundation days of the late great Dr. Eric Williams, the Peoples National Movement has always recognised that when bright young minds can’t afford an education, the country pays the price. 

In the words of President Harry Truman “A man cannot leave a better legacy to the world than an educated family.”  And the PNM and successive PNM leaders have created a great legacy for us and our children.

Over the last few decades, successive Governments formed by the Peoples National Movement have invested billions of dollars to improve access to quality education, and to ensure that every family has the opportunity to transition from poverty to full productivity and independence.  That transition is now becoming real to so many families just like my own.  Many years ago old lady taught herself to read whilst selling mangoes and pomerac on the side of St. Lucien Road just a stone’s throw from here...and now her grandson is part of a Government  that is taking the best tools to fight poverty, reading and quality education, into every Constituency and community and family in Trinidad and Tobago.  That is not just education my friends...that is PNM education.

Someone once said that there are only 2 ways that the education system of an entire country can be improved. 

There’s a natural way, and there’s a miraculous way.

The natural way?  The natural way is if God sends down a host of angels from heaven to visit every school and transform them into true places of learning. 

What then is the miraculous way?  The miraculous way would be for the people to fix it for themselves. 

Does anyone here believe in miracles? 

Tonight I stand before you, on the precious soil of Diego Martin, to congratulate my colleagues that went before me, to congratulate my colleagues on the stage tonight, to congratulate you the genuine supporters that have come out tonight, to congratulate our Prime Minister the Honourable Patrick Manning, to congratulate our entire Government for working together with you to achieve the miraculous right here in Trinidad and Tobago – a nation in which, for the 1^st time ever, in which any child, any child, has access to free education, right up to the level of a PhD.  That my friends, is change you can believe in... that my brothers and sisters, is success you can believe in.

That is why I can stand here this evening and I can look every one of you in the eye, just like I looked a group of talented children from Cocorite in the eyes on Saturday evening, and just like I looked a group of bright children from Lavantille in the eyes on Sunday...I can look you in the eyes tonight and sincerely tell you that in this country, you can be anything you want to be.

Your son, your daughter, your neighbour, your grandchild, your student, your friend, your niece, your nephew can be a President, a Prime Minister, a Chief Justice, a Specialist Doctor, a Mayor, a Historian like Dr. Eric Williams, an ace technician, a computer engineer, a business manager, a Minister of Social Development...  Today you are only limited by the power of your vision.

Today we are only limited by the power of our dreams.

Now that same grandmother once told me an old saying, you know it too, how does it go – “all sense is not book sense... There is also another kind of sense.”  And that is    COMMON SENSE.

My brothers and sisters, when you want a good textbook education, you go to the University of Trinidad and Tobago, to UWI, or to Queen’s Royal College.

But you are wise enough to know that when you want good political education – Where do you go?  Where do you go, my friends?

You go to the University of Woodford Square - (DID YOU?), you go to the College of Harris Promenade --(DID YOU?), you go to the College of Arima Promenade (DID YOU?), you can go to the College of Centre Pointe Mall in Chaguanas - (DID YOU?), you can go to the College of Frisco Junction in Point Fortin – (DID YOU?)?

You can go to the College of Eastern Main Road in Sangre Grande – (DID YOU?)?

And my friends, for a great political education, you can come to the prestigious College of Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard in Diego Martin – did you?  Did you?

Obviously you did – we didn’t just talk about common sense?

So my task tonight is to warmly welcome you to your session of political education for this week. 

To the guests who are joining us this evening – welcome to scenic Diego Martin, where the grass is a little bit greener, where the air is a little bit sweeter and where the ladies are a little bit more beautiful.

For those of us from the PNM who were born and bred here, this is sacred territory, and for me – even though I am the least of the apostles – this is sacred territory as well.

This is the valley in which many of us went to primary school, this is the land on which I first broke my leg while playing football, behind me are the hills over which I climbed to fish on the North Coast, to the East of us are the mountains with cold springs of water that can wake you up better than anything at 6:00 a.m. in the morning.

To the West lie the splendid beaches of Chaguaramas, and a massive farm that is beginning to transform the food market in Trinidad and Tobago.

And between all of this, I am proud to say, between all this reside some of the best, most capable, most productive, most patriotic, most committee people in Trinidad and Tobago.  From Cocorite to Covigne, from Petit Valley to Paramin, from Beard Street to Bagatelle, from Ravine Road to Ross Lands.

On this sacred soil we are proud of our children... children like the passionate young boys of Powder Magazine who have sacrificed their vacation to roll up their sleeves to beautify and transform their entire apartment complex...free of charge, inspired only by their desire to do the right thing.  They are here tonight!

We have given this nation some of its finest, like Carlos Edwards, like Cornel Glenn, like Learie Constantine, like Wendy Fitzwilliam, like Shaka Hislop, like Angus Eve, like Maximus Dan, like Zan, like Chaulky, like the Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener (yes...yes...we are claiming them too)

Another thing we are very proud of in this area is the harmony between people of all races.  This is true within my own family, and it is true on every street from Blue Range to Maraval to Petit Valley.

I will never forget one of the darkest days of my political career thus far – 2 years ago in October 2007 when a group of PNM supporters joined me on a campaign walkabout just a few miles from here.  It was a mixed group: black, brown, white, all races.

A very distinguished lady came out of her house and started screaming at me: “Why you all don’t go back to the hills where you all came from.”

Why don’t you go back to the hills where you came from. 

College of Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard, What is the answer to that question? 

My brothers and sisters – YOU are the answer to that question.  We are the answer to that question. 

Her mentality and the party she supported are already in the dustbin of the political history of Trinidad and Tobago.

You have gathered here tonight in your numbers, you have heralded the presence of Lecturer Adrian Winters, of Professor Gary Hunt, you have heralded the presence of the Head of this University the Hon. Patrick Manning, you have welcomed our Chairman Conrad Enill, you have welcomed Dean Colm Imbert, you have covered the white skin, the black skin, the yellow skin and the brown skin with beautiful red garments and you have rallied with the only national movement in the political landscape of Trinidad and Tobago, you have answered her screams of hate with shouts of love, you have declared that Diego Martin will always be PNM territory and you will join with me in the declaration we know so well: GREAT IS THE PNM! Great is the PNM!  Great is the PNM, and we shall prevail!