Richards sworn in as head of state

TRINIDAD-POLITICS- Richards sworn in as head of state

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – George Maxwell Richards was sworn in as President of Trinidad and Tobago for a new five-year term Monday in an historic public ceremony that was boycotted by legislators from the main opposition United National Congress Alliance (UNCA).

Hundreds of students joined with invited guests that included the Governor General of Jamaica Professor Kenneth Hall and Prime Minister Patrick Manning during a two-hour ceremony that was held at the Hasley Crawford Stadium on the outskirts of the capital.

But the UNCA, led by former prime minister Basdeo Panday, boycotted the event saying that the TT$1 million tag was too extravagant "at a time when people are crying out for basic necessities".

"We think money ought to be spent on fixing roads, cleaning drains, putting beds in hospitals and dealing with the traffic congestion. It's the development of an arrogance that is unparallel," Panday said.

But in his address to the ceremony, President Richards defended the need to hold the ceremony in public for the first time, saying he would continue to serve diligently.

"I commit myself to impartiality, independence, even-handedness and objectivity in the fulfilment of my duties," said the 76 year-old head of state, who was re-elected unopposed by the Electoral College for a second consecutive term last month.

He said he was also pleased that persons had accepted the invitation to witness the inauguration.

"It is a departure from tradition that has given rise to comments for and against and this is to be heartily applauded. It tells me that our democracy is alive and well.

"Let me say this, the decision to open this event to the general public was not taken lightly. I am firmly of the view that the nation as a whole must be more aware of the ceremonials and their meaning that are part of the official activities of our country. They are not as some might suppose useless pomp, instead they are a necessary part of the tradition of institutions that we have built over the years.

Richards, a chemical engineer and former principal of the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), said these occasions "should call to mind the fact of our status as a nation and our condition".

He said that states are regarded as successful on the basis of economics, "but that is not enough.

"The world calls a failed state one in which there is war, where there is famine and where there is social disaster. We don't fit that profile. However, there is evidence when we consider crime, education, youth alienation, inter-alia to lead us to recognise that the underpinnings of strong statehood are not as sound as they should be.

He said the future lies with the children of the nation and "it is for this reason that this inauguration focuses on the generations that have to solve the problems that have been created".

He said the core problem is the failure at social cohesion in a country, which however small it might be, has had the opportunity to create an environment in which the widest varieties of culture have been able to speak to one another and acknowledge their independence and uniqueness.

"In this global world in which every problem, every disturbance, every evidence of social breakdown turns upon differences and the ability to speak in peace despite differences, it is my view that Trinidad and Tobago has the most significant lesson to teach the world and for this reason we are focussing upon the youth of the nation."

CMC/08