2008 Speeches

November 14, 2008

Dr. Roy L. Austin
United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago
2008 Presidential Diplomatic Dinner

Your excellencies Professor George Maxwell Richards, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Dr. Jean Ramjohn-Richards; fellow Chiefs of Missions accredited to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and accompanying spouses; ladies and gentlemen. Good evening!

For the third consecutive year, I have the honor of speaking to you as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps.  The opportunity this occasion affords us to reflect on the past year is a small part of the significance of this event.  However, the most important reason that we look forward to this dinner is that it provides us the opportunity to offer our profound thanks to you, Mr. President, for your humanity, guidance and steady hand over the last year, and to Dr. Ramjohn-Richards for the outstanding support she has shown you and us.  We also appreciate greatly the friendship you have extended to us and your kindness and grace in hosting this elegant affair.
 
This past year, of course, Trinidad and Tobago joined the rest of the world in showing unprecedented excitement over an American presidential election contest. The passion exhibited in foreign lands was occasioned by the poll-supported expectation that Barack Obama, a man of mixed race with an American mother and Kenyan father was likely to be the winner. The American electorate did not disappoint, giving Mr. Obama a resounding and historic victory; and many observers are amazed at the extent of the decline in racial discrimination suggested by the outcome.

In 2009, when President-elect Obama is sworn in, the UN’s International Year of Reconciliation will be underway. There may be agreement that racial rapprochement in America is a fitting precedent to the UN’s designation of the year. Perhaps, too, the victory by an American of African descent is the Creator’s way of showing approval of such conciliatory behaviors as is endorsed by the designation.  That observation notwithstanding, I must admit that I am still not sure how to reconcile Mr. Obama’s election this year with 2008 being the UN’s International Year of the Potato.

The theme of reconciliation is one that President Richards has often struck in the past.  In his Divali message, for instance, the President recalled the teachings of Mahatma Ghandi – a man who championed reconciliation, but who also strongly stood up for what he believed was right, similar to you, Mr. President.  When speaking at the start of October on Eid, you advised Trinbagonians to “be united in one purpose, that is, to employ our diverse attributes to make our country one of excellence for the enjoyment of ourselves and generations to come.”  Furthermore, on Republic Day, you encouraged the populace to cross “barriers of class, gender, race, creed or political persuasion” in moving Trinidad and Tobago forward in this still young century.

President Richards, of course, has raised many other important issues in his addresses and actions throughout this year and his distinguished career.  In his Republic Day speech, for instance, he spoke movingly about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, noting that it and related documents have as their goal "the promotion of respect for the dignity and worth of the human person and encouraging better standards of life for all."  He then observed that the principles of these documents, by and large, are embedded in the Trinidad and Tobago Constitution.

Despite these desirable ideals in this nation’s constitution, said the President, many citizens of this land are unaware of the fundamentals of this document.  This is the case although, again in the President's words, the "document constitutes the bedrock of our development, in the broadest sense."  President Richards then concluded that greater understanding of the Constitution, and what it contains, would assist T&T in being "united in our purpose and understand better our responsibility as nation builders."  Mr. President, wise words indeed.

I also continue to be impressed by the constancy of the themes that run through your thoughts, Mr. President.  As a statesman and leader you have a strong and consistent moral and intellectual compass and it shines through, to the betterment of T&T.  In your Republic Day comments, truly rich with content, you also noted that, "The Constitution should be a part of our basic education, in and out of school, so that the public can participate intelligently in any development pertinent to it."

 Last year, in my remarks, I commented upon your strong focus on the positive role of education in society, and this theme, as we have just seen, remains notable in your words and actions.  You have been a prominent proponent of the alignment of this nation's educational system with the needs of the 21^st century. You have also pleaded for Trinidad's youth to learn of their country’s past and to act in a way that will help in their country’s development.  Both these points harmonize well with your Republic Day remarks on educating the citizenry on their constitutional rights and responsibilities.

Mr. President, with the nexus between education, national development, and  crime so clear, your words have a meaning beyond the realm of politics or the halls of academia.  Your statements, in this regard, force us to examine your nation’s tertiary educational system, where many of tomorrow's leaders acquire superior knowledge.  In this system, we see great promise and growth, a world-class education in some areas, and scholars of renown who are sought out internationally for their expertise.  For example, two Trinis have been important members of the UN climate change panel that shared the Nobel Peace Prize last year. Also, UWI, St.Augustine has progressed from graduating an average of 111 Trinidadians per 100,000 annually from 1984 through 1986 to graduating an annual average of 558 per 100,000 from 2005 through 2007.

Yet, with respect to male Trinbagonians, there are ominous clouds on the horizon.  Increasingly, young men seem to be hearing the lure of sirens other than the call to an advanced degree, perhaps to the detriment of societal peace and reconciliation.  At the same time, their female counterparts are increasingly occupying the seats at the University left vacant by males. More specifically, whereas in the not too distant past (1984), men and women had roughly similar graduation rates from UWI, the latest available statistics (averaging 2005 through 2007) show that women comprise two-thirds of those graduating. Often, the women obtain more of the coveted honors degrees too.

A comparison of T&T gender graduation rates with those of the U.S. shows that T&T males have fallen further behind their female counterparts than have U.S. males. More specifically, averaging U.S and T&T four-year college graduation rates for 2003 and 2005 shows that in the U.S. males comprised 43% of the graduates versus 34% for T&T males. The years chosen were the most recent available for comparison.

This relative decline in male academic achievement must be turned around if T&T is to advance to its full potential.  This change need not be at the cost of the progress women have made in higher education, but would benefit them as well, including by providing -- and I speak now as a social scientist not a matchmaker -- young men with an equally promising future as potential life partners.

At least as importantly, current gender differences in educational performance and troubling crime trends in T&T give salience to President Richard’s expressed concern about an increase in criminal tendencies when a society fails to instill the value of education in young people. Individual-level studies often show that better educational performers are less likely to engage in criminal behaviors than poor performers.

To further amplify my thinking on the vexing problem of crime trends in T&T, we must also consider evidence on the stability of another primary institution, perhaps the most important, the family. Between 1970 and 1980, the marriage rate decreased by 21%; and a rebound in recent years still left the rate in 2004 11% below that of 1970.

Divorce rates indicate even greater weakening of the T&T family over time. Between 1970 and 1980, the divorce rate almost doubled; and by 2004, the rate was more than triple that of 1970. Furthermore, the number of marriages per divorce decreased from 16 in 1970 to four in 2004.

At the risk of being superfluous, I note that individual-level studies show a significant negative relationship between family experiences and delinquent behavior. Do gender trends in education and a decrease in family stability help to explain crime trends in T&T? I leave you to ponder that question.

I have spoken of reconciliation repeatedly this evening.  That subject deserves focus since it may provide a solution to many of our personal, national and international problems.  This consideration leads to the expectation that the two international meetings to be hosted by T&T in 2009 are pregnant with opportunities for conciliation between nations currently at odds. To the extent that there is progress in ameliorating some intractable problems, T&T’s leadership in hosting successful Summits will long be remembered.

I now request your indulgence for a short personal digression.  As many of you are aware, this is likely to be my last opportunity to speak at this dinner as Dean.  Though I do not know when I will end my time as Ambassador here, with the change of administrations in the U.S., Glynis and I expect to leave this blessed land in 2009 and return to another blessed land – except for the snow – Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Also beckoning is “the home of the blessed,” reputedly the meaning of Hairoun, the Carib name for our birthplace, St.Vincent; but that is a story for another day.

Glynis and I will mark our seventh anniversary in Trinidad and Tobago at the end of this month.  I can truthfully say that those of you around us this evening – including President Richards and Dr. Ramjohn-Richards – have made us feel comfortable and welcome. When we leave, we shall take warm remembrances of you all, and all the people of Trinidad and Tobago.  I only hope that those warm memories will be enough to prevent frostbite the next time that I am shoveling the snow from my driveway and sidewalk.

I like to think of my tenure here in T&T in terms mentioned in General Douglas MacArthur’s mostly forgotten remark.  He recalled that throughout his time as a soldier, he “tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty.”  I’d like to think that throughout my time as Ambassador, I have acted in a similar manner and hope that I shall leave bilateral ties and the bonds of friendship stronger than when I arrived.

I close this evening by saying once more, Mr. President, that the members of this diplomatic corps hold you in highest regard as a statesman and leader.   The entire diplomatic community stands ready to help Trinidad and Tobago attain its most treasured goals, and looks forward to further cooperation with you in the years to come. May the Almighty bless us all and bless the governments and people whom we serve.

I now ask my fellow Heads of Missions and other dinner attendees to stand and raise a glass to President Richards for his enlightened leadership and humanity, to his family, and to the Government and people of this great republic.

I thank you.