Terrorism Hits Home

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                                             The Caribbean Is One Nation.

Ravindra Ramrattan
The news from Trinidad and Tobago, that a citizen of that country, was one of the fatalities of the mall bombing , by terrorists in Kenya, drives home the chilling fact  that Caribbean nationals in the Diaspora are subject to acts of violence that are not even remotely connected to the geopolitical actions of their home states.
Indeed,  the brilliant young Trinidadian scholar, Ravindra Ramrattan was one of the many ambitious and positive Caribbean nation youth, who saw the world as his oyster. He therefore opted to explore other countries rather than remain in the Caribbean. We are aware of many children of Caribbean heritage, whose parents having raised them in large countries, often encourage them and rightly so, to embrace the world.
However, we were made quite aware of the tentacles of terrorism, when the 9/11 act occurred in New York. It is believed that it touched the lives of all Caribbean nationals in America because many of their regional brothers and sister either perished or were injured. In keeping with the well-known demeanor of Caribbean communities abroad; our leaders did not seek to gain any political mileage from that historic incident.
The Mahogany Coconut Group, will continue to demand that the Caribbean remains a Zone of Peace. We intend that the Caribbean remains a place of solace for our citizens in the Diaspora, and those at home because we are aware that the current state of the world and the many conflicts in which their adopted countries are currently engaged, cannot guarantee their safety or the safety of their own citizens.
We therefore extend our profound sympathies to the family of Ravindra Ramrattan and urge our citizens abroad, not to live in fear but to be always aware that these acts can occur, and unfortunately they do, without warning.
Our sympathies are further extended to the government and people of Trinidad and Tobago who have suffered the loss of such a brilliant promising Caribbean citizen.
The loss is ours.


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