By Prior Beharry
TRIBUTES were paid to the late Queen Elizabeth II in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.
At the start of the 37th sitting of the House of Representatives, MPs observed a minute of silence for the late Queen who was the country’s Head of State until it became a Republic on August 1, 1976.
Paying tribute were Acting Prime Minister Colm Imbert, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Speaker of the House of Representatives Bridgid Annisette-George.
Imbert said, “Queen Elizabeth II dominated the politics of the world for more than seven decades and her leadership provided the platform for the creation of the modern Britain.
“She has overseen the installation of 15 British prime ministers, beginning with the indomitable Sir Winston Churchill and ending with the most recent, Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss.”
He said, “With the onerous responsibility to rule both realm and country thrust upon her by the sudden death of her father King George VI in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has navigated some of the last and this century’s most challenging moments and was forever the advocate for a strong United Kingdom.”
He said the late Queen was always the epitome of grace and calm through tumultuous situations of the last decades.
Persad-Bissessar, a former prime minister, recalled the Royal words as a 25-year-old princess: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.”
The opposition leader said, “While these were her words as a young Princess Elizabeth in 1947, they became the life story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as she became the longest-serving Monarch of the United Kingdom.”
She said while the Commonwealth and world were saddened by Her Majesty’s passing, they must remember: “Grief is the price we pay for love”, noting that it was the love of Her Majesty for the Commonwealth which enriched the lives of so many.
Persad-Bissessar said, “Her life was an inspiring one as she demonstrated that neither youth nor gender would prevent her from undertaking a role with such great responsibilities.
“Indeed, she took up the role of Monarch when she was just 25 years old.
“Today, as women across the globe traverse the halls of power in every field, we can all say that Queen Elizabeth II stood as one of the early pioneers to inspire young girls across the globe to believe that not only could women equal men at the helm, but they can lead them.”
Annisette-George said she wanted to highlight the tenor of her reign.
She said, “As a woman in a position, which has long been dominated by men, in a world, which is still patriarchal, less so now than when she first inherited the Crown, Her Majesty the Queen became a symbol for women in leadership.
“The restraints on her role, which demanded abstinence from political commentary and any perceptions of political bias, however, did not prevent her from making statements in support of women’s equality and bolstering these statements by her actions.”
Queen Elizabeth II visited Trinidad and Tobago in 1966, 1985 and for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2009.
