main page

Port-of-Spain – Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley last week announced he would take a suggestion to Cabinet to rename the Piarco International Airport after the country’s first Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams, pending consent from the family. The suggestion was made by the New York diaspora during Rowley’s recent visit to the US.
However, social media lit up right after Rowley made the announcement, with nationals at home and abroad wondering why the focus on Dr Williams, after whom two institutions are already named, and not the still alive and former prime minister, Basdeo Panday.
After Rowley made the NY suggestion public, the calls started on social media for the airport to be renamed in Panday’s honour.
However, Panday was non-committal about the calls, saying it did not matter what name the facility carries.
“I don’t suppose it matters very much what is the name of the airport. What I am concerned about is that it will be operated more efficiently. When we built it, we built it for the efficiency and progress of the country. I don’t think how you call it matters,” Panday said.
The Piarco airport underwent a major expansion during Panday’s tenure, and included construction of a new terminal building and high-speed taxiways.
However, one group was not in support of renaming the airport. According to the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community, the move is not a good idea given that the name Piarco is connected to First Peoples’ history.
Last week, Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez said the First Peoples were following the renaming discussion with interest.
Said Hernandez: “A place name in such a prominent and visible place as the country’s International Airport is a signal honour to the First Peoples.”
The group noted that while “appropriate emblems of honour should be given to outstanding contributors to the nation’s development such as Dr Williams”, already several prestigious institutions carried his name. There is The Eric Williams Financial Complex, also known as the Eric Williams Plaza, and The Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.
Hernandez noted several communities with indigenous names were renamed by Spanish and British colonisers, adding, “The remaining indigenous names of places and indigenous nations such as Arima, Chaguanas, Chacachacare, Piarco, Couva, Arouca, Carapichaima, Tamana, for example, are precious to the First Peoples as representatives of the lost languages.”
Said Hernandez: “This suggestion of renaming the airport through erasing a name in an original language of the First Peoples would further erode the First Peoples Heritage and Legacy which our Community continues to struggle to preserve.”
Understandably, PNM stalwarts were ecstatic with Rowley’s announcement.
Last week chairman of the Dr Eric Williams Memorial Committee, Reginald Vidale, could barely contain his excitement.
“It’s long in coming. I would say it is worthy of a great son of the soil, a great contributor to this country, to our Independence, and a great contributor to our Republicanism,” Vidale said.
Vidale said he has been calling for the airport to be renamed after Dr Williams since 2012.
“Today I am very elated and happy. I feel like I can take a national flag and just jump up and down, waving it and commending the Prime Minister for giving to Dr Williams what is long overdue,” Vidale said.
PNM foundation member, Ferdie Ferreira was supportive of the announcement, saying: “…Williams stated prior to his death… he did not want any monuments named after him; but that is what they usually say. [Historically] it is the international standard to name airports after statesmen, people who have contributed handsomely, and there can be no two Dr Williams,” Ferreira said.
He also commended Rowley for the move, saying it could be a way during his tenure in office of paying tribute to Dr Williams.

October 2, 2019 issue
Headline News
Protesting Guyana govt’s false legitimacy claim

Supporters of the Association of Concerned Guyanese (ACG) picketing the Guyana Consulate in Toronto last Friday in protest against the Guyana government’s hanging on to power in breach of the Constitution.
Toronto – The Association of Concerned Guyanese last Friday joined the growing chorus of voices in and out of Guyana condemning the action of the APNU+AFC government in hanging on to power in defiance of the Constitution and against the ruling of the Courts that require overdue elections be held. By virtue of last December successful no confidence motion in Parliament, elections were constitutionally due in March this year. But ludicrous arguments by those in power (who, in effect, argued that the number, 34, is not greater than 33), and frivolous court challenges with the obvious intention of obstructing the application of the Constitution have resulted in the administration refusing to honour the democratic process by holding elections by the court-ordered September 18, 2019 deadline. After the June 12, 2019 ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice that elections be held by Sept 18, 2019, the government resorted to chicanery, shifting the power to name a date for the elections into the hands of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), a body controlled by the ruling party (APNU). Once again, the coalition government was holding the Constitution in the breach. Meantime, GECOM and the governnment kept their cards close to their chests while the country faced great uncertainty. The Opposition Peoples Progressive Party started a campaign of street protests in Georgetown which added to the uncertainty and brought back troubling memories if the infamous election-rigging days of the PNC, former incarnation of APNU. The hitherto silent international community came forward with a joint statement last month: the US and the EU declared that the Granger admisistration was in breach of the constitution. This was followed by a threat from the UK to cut off development funding unless an election date was immediately set.The Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland, added her voice: “A general election in Guyana is constitutionally overdue. A general election should be held in accordance with the unambiguous constitutional imperative to do so.” The Organization of American States issued a statement in the same vein. These voices were bolstered by local groups such as the Bar Association, the Private Sector Commission and Trade Unions. Under growing pressure, President Granger on Monday issued a proclamation naming March 2, 2020 as the date for the next General and Regional Elections. Will that be a free and fair affair?

Piarco airport up in the air
Calls for renaming in honour of Williams
Port-of-Spain – Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley last week announced he would take a suggestion to Cabinet to rename the Piarco International Airport after the country’s first Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams, pending consent from the family. The suggestion was made by the New York diaspora during Rowley’s recent visit to the US. However, social media lit up right after Rowley made the announcement, with nationals at home and abroad wondering why the focus on Dr Williams, after whom two institutions are already named, and not the still alive and former prime minister, Basdeo Panday. After Rowley made the NY suggestion public, the calls started on social media for the airport to be renamed in Panday’s honour. However, Panday was non-committal about the calls, saying it did not matter what name the facility carries. “I don’t suppose it matters very much what is the name of the airport. What I am concerned about is that it will be operated more efficiently. When we built it, we built it for the efficiency and progress of the country. I don’t think how you call it matters,” Panday said. The Piarco airport underwent a major expansion during Panday’s tenure, and included construction of a new terminal building and high-speed taxiways. However, one group was not in support of renaming the airport. According to the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community, the move is not a good idea given that the name Piarco is connected to First Peoples’ history. Last week, Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez said the First Peoples were following the renaming discussion with interest. Said Hernandez: “A place name in such a prominent and visible place as the country’s International Airport is a signal honour to the First Peoples.” The group noted that while “appropriate emblems of honour should be given to outstanding contributors to the nation’s development such as Dr Williams”, already several prestigious institutions carried his name. There is The Eric Williams Financial Complex, also known as the Eric Williams Plaza, and The Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. Hernandez noted several communities with indigenous names were renamed by Spanish and British colonisers, adding, “The remaining indigenous names of places and indigenous nations such as Arima, Chaguanas, Chacachacare, Piarco, Couva, Arouca, Carapichaima, Tamana, for example, are precious to the First Peoples as representatives of the lost languages.” Said Hernandez: “This suggestion of renaming the airport through erasing a name in an original language of the First Peoples would further erode the First Peoples Heritage and Legacy which our Community continues to struggle to preserve.” Understandably, PNM stalwarts were ecstatic with Rowley’s announcement. Last week chairman of the Dr Eric Williams Memorial Committee, Reginald Vidale, could barely contain his excitement. “It’s long in coming. I would say it is worthy of a great son of the soil, a great contributor to this country, to our Independence, and a great contributor to our Republicanism,” Vidale said. Vidale said he has been calling for the airport to be renamed after Dr Williams since 2012. “Today I am very elated and happy. I feel like I can take a national flag and just jump up and down, waving it and commending the Prime Minister for giving to Dr Williams what is long overdue,” Vidale said. PNM foundation member, Ferdie Ferreira was supportive of the announcement, saying: “…Williams stated prior to his death… he did not want any monuments named after him; but that is what they usually say. [Historically] it is the international standard to name airports after statesmen, people who have contributed handsomely, and there can be no two Dr Williams,” Ferreira said. He also commended Rowley for the move, saying it could be a way during his tenure in office of paying tribute to Dr Williams.




*Canada >*