Theme: Our people, our land: Journey to becoming a Republic
CCSJ’s Chair, Leela Ramdeen, introduces Sir Ellis Clarke – feature speaker at the Seminar on Friday 24 Sept. 2010 (Republic Day)
Good afternoon brothers and sisters. Welcome to the start of CCSJ’s Respect For Life Week – an initiative that was born during Synod in 2009 when there was a groundswell of opinion that each year the Archdiocese should observe such a week. RFLW, therefore, is one of the Synod Resolutions that CCSJ is implementing since it falls within our remit.
On 31 Aug we celebrated our 48th anniversary of Independence (1962). 14 years later, on August 1, 1976, TT defined itself as a free sovereign Republic.
Webster’s dictionary defines a Republic as : “A state or nation in which the supreme power rests in all the citizens entitled to vote (the electorate), and is exercised by representatives elected, directly or indirectly, by them, and responsible to them.”
We celebrate this historic occasion as a public holiday on September 24th because this is the date when our first Parliament met under the new Republican Constitution.
On this happy occasion, our 34th Anniversary as a Republic , I have great pleasure in extending warm greetings and best wishes to all of you as we come together to sit at the feet of one of our icons – Sir Ellis Clarke TC GCMG (born 28 December 1917), who will speak to us about our journey to becoming a Republic.
When we reflect on the significant role that Sir Ellis has played in the development of our country, we realize that we can have no better speaker this afternoon than he. Indeed, it is because of people like him that we gained our Independence in 1962 and Republican status in 1976.
The last 34 years have been years of progress for our nation in several fields e.g. spiritual, social, economic, political, cultural, scientific and technological. There is no doubt that we have accomplished much in that time.
However, while we acknowledge that there is much to celebrate, we will all agree, I am sure, that we are a long way from building a just, inclusive society. Our people are our greatest asset. Too many of them are socially excluded. There is an urgent need to optimize the use of the nation’s resources to build the common good and to make a place at the table of life for those on the margins of our society; to create conditions that will allow each person to develop his/her potential; to promote integral human development, which, as Pope Benedict XVI said, is the development of the every dimension of the person and of each person.
Our Gospel reading this weekend – Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus, is instructive (Luke 16:19-31). With 16.7% or more than 210,000 citizens in TT living in poverty – on less than $1 US per day (2005 figures – outdated. Our estimation is that the figure is much higher today), with the high rate of illiteracy in TT, runaway crime and violence and so on, we know that we still have much work to do if we are to promote the common good and see God in our neighbour.
I say ‘we’ because each of us is a stakeholder; each of us has a duty, if we are true patriots, to put our shoulders to the proverbial wheel to build our nation. We have gone through many challenges as a nation and we continue to face challenges. However, we have so far demonstrated that we are a deeply resilient people; a people full of talent and faith in our ability to build a better nation.
Today is a day of thanksgiving. We thank God for the richness of the culturally diverse ethnic backgrounds from which our people originate.
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CCSJ’s message today applies to all of us: Let us put people before things and embrace each other as brothers and sisters in Christ as we journey on; let us strive for excellence in all that we do; strengthen our family life; optimize our potential; ensure that there is a connection between the faith we say we believe in and how we live our lives; put God at the centre of our lives and, as Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. Never underestimate the power of ‘1’ to make a difference and to transform our communities. Let us play our part in shaping the direction of our blessed nation.
RFLW gives us an opportunity to identify the various threats to all life – including environmental degradation – and to grasp opportunities to build a culture of life. The road ahead is a long one, but as a Eucharistic people; as a people of the Beatitudes, we have hope in God’s goodness and mercy. We know that the Holy Spirit will inspire us to build God’s Kingdom of justice, peace, truth, love and freedom in this land of TT and in our world.
And as we celebrate our achievements, let us not forget the great debt of gratitude that we owe to Sir Ellis for his invaluable contribution to our nation’s development. The words of the American poet and educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, are apt at this time. Longfellow rightly said: “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward through the night”. (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882).
If you check Sir Ellis’ bio data on Wikipedia, you will realize how much he has been toiling over the years and what great heights he has achieved – while many of us were asleep. I’ll just give you a summary of his wealth of experience and expertise.
Sir Ellis Emmanuel Innocent Clarke attended Saint Mary’s College, winning an Island Scholarship in Mathematics in 1938. He attended University College London of the University of London where he received a Bachelor of Law degree and was called to the bar at Gray’s Inn. He returned to TT in 1941, taking up private practice here.
From 1954 – 1962, he served in a number of key positions in TT – as Solicitor-General from 1954–1956, Deputy Colonial Secretary 1956–1957, Attorney General 1957–1962 and Constitutional Adviser to the Cabinet.
He was one of the main architects of our 1962 Independence Constitution. He was also a member of the team of 17 persons from T&T who went to Marlborough House, London, to iron out details of our Independence Constitution in 1962. Dr Eric Williams (PM) and Dr Rudranath Capildeo (Leader of the Opposition – in whose party my father was a member and an MP) were among the 17.
After Independence in 1962 he served as Ambassador to the United States, Canada and Mexico, and Permanent Representative to the United Nations. In 1972 he succeeded Sir Solomon Hochoy as Governor General. Sir Ellis was the second and last Governor-General of Trinidad and Tobago.
When Trinidad and Tobago became a Republic in 1976, he was unanimously elected the country’s first President by the presidential electoral college, which comprised the elected members of both Houses of Parliament. He was re-elected and served until 1987.
He was invested as a Companion of St Michael and St George (GCMG) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 and received the TGB – The Most Honourable Order of the Bath – in 1963. In 1972 he was awarded a knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. It is an order of chivalry used to honour individuals who have rendered important services in relation to Commonwealth or foreign nations.
In 1969 he was awarded TT’s highest honour: the Trinity Cross (T.C.). He also holds El Gran Cordon, the highest national award in Venezuela.
Sir Ellis was married to Lady Ermyntrude Clarke (1921–2002) for almost fifty years. Sadly, she passed away in 2002. I came to know Sir Ellis and Lady Ermyntrude through their daughter, Margaret-Ann, whom I have known for many years – going back to the time when I lived in London. Margaret-Ann and her husband, Gordon, have 2 children: Alexander and Katrina. Sir Ellis’ son, Peter and his wife Suzanne, have 3 sons – John Peter, Michael, and David.
At 92 years old, Sir Ellis remains in good health and lives an active life – serving on various Committees, giving advice to many, including me, and speaking at engagements such as this – sharing his time, talent and treasure generously.
Sir Ellis, it is with great pleasure and much anticipation that I call on you to address us – to share with us our history – our journey of becoming a Republic. Sir Ellis.
