PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad – To mark Trinidad’s 48th year of independence, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar officially launched the Children’s Life Fund and urged all corporate entities and citizens to make a contribution.
In her Independence Day Message on Monday, Persad-Bissessar said while the legislative procedures have to be concluded to put the fund into effect, “I take this opportunity as well to officially launch the Children’s Life Fund”.
“As promised, it will receive the deposit of five per cent of all ministerial salaries plus ten per cent of my own as prime minister.
“I urge all corporate entities and citizens to make some contribution to the fund, which will be used to provide urgent medical care for children whose families cannot afford the cost of what is often life saving surgery,” said Persad-Bissessar.
She said that was perhaps the most fitting way to honour the day, as it defined what should be most important to Trinidad if it was to have any sense of having evolved as a more caring, compassionate, modern and civilised society.
Persad-Bissessar added that although there was much to be thankful for as Trinidad celebrated independence, there was more to be completed in the interest of the people.
“There is so much we have to ponder upon that has not gone well for our fledgling nation, so many wrongs which we must put right, so many needs that are still to be filled, so many young people who have gone astray, so many children who suffer unnecessarily, so much wealth that has not been equitably distributed, so many values which have been sadly forgotten, so many opportunities squandered, so many freedoms taken for granted and abused,” she said.
She said, Trinidad could truly say it was an independent nation when its people no longer cowered in fear from criminals, when the labour and intellect of a woman were considered equal to that of a man, and the colour, class and creed of a citizen were of no consequence, when Trinidadians grew to understand and respect their environment and when they could aspire to be better people, when mediocrity was no longer tolerated and excellence a standard by which everything was measured every day. (Trinidad Express)
