Author: Dr. Nilda Arduin
Title: Sharing our Strengths, and Overcoming our Weaknesses

Shaping our nation by sharing our strengths and overcoming our weaknesses is the way to go. Violence and crime are situations that no society will be able to eradicate completely from its community, but when talks of racial tension starts to live among the people, the decay of the community and reversal of its effects will take generations. I therefore deem the issue of "building a nation" today, much more than yesterday, a serious issue for our community.

Through collaboration we can create and promote a strong nation. The foundation of a strong multi-ethnic nation, built and created through collaboration, is a healthy personal identity of its people; ethnicity establishes identity, but nationality creates, a sense of belonging, it builds a nation.

Only when one is proud of, and values ones identity, one can truly collaborate and work together without prejudice and suspicion of another. A well-balanced self-esteem is vital in helping to erode hostility, rooted in feelings of inferiority and superiority from one to the other. Overcoming weaknesses and sharing of strengths first among the people you consider your own, lays the foundation for equal partnership with others.

Confidence in, and appreciation for your own, without having to apologize for it, are elements needed to freely relate to and integrate with others, without on the other hand feeling pressured to apologize for promoting integration. Fraternity is a relationship of equality, paternity is a condition of one group dominating another. We need fraternity to build a nation.

Sharing and combining our strengths in all sectors of our community, from one group to another, is a means to promote common welfare. I believe that we should get ready to reach the stage to build that strong nation where fraternity, sharing our strengths, our know-how, our experiences, and our expertise becomes our way of life.

I would like to avail myself of the opportunity to extend my sincere condolence, as well as words of sympathy on behalf of my husband Edgar Lynch, to the family & friends of the deceased Mr. Ajit Chandiramani and the members of the Indian community. While today we still refer to an Indian, Chinese, Jamaican, Haitian and other ethnic communities, we will continue to promote and extend our efforts to bridge the ethnic gaps in our society with the goal to build a strong united nation.

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