I take this opportunity on behalf of the Board of Directors and member Units of the Co-operative Credit Union League of Trinidad and Tobago to extend Greetings to all Co-operators and citizens of Trinidad and Tobago at this significant time when we all are celebrating the Christmas season and are preparing for the dawn of another Year in our lives. I trust that we would have celebrated this season cognizant of the purpose for the celebrations and the significance of the sacrifice that Christ made for us to experience life on the earth.
The year 2014 was an interesting and challenging one for the Co-operative Credit Union Movement. We continue to see positive growth within these people based and people centered Movement that cherishes its indigenous character and continues to ensure that we maintain that shareholder democracy that serves as the bedrock of this noble Movement. We have seen the Credit Union Movement entrench itself within the socio-economic landscape of the Country in a significant manner, providing that critical buffer for persons of Modest Means to live a better life as envisaged by Christ’s sacrifice. As such, we are emboldened in our view that the Co-operative Credit Union Movement is sacrosanct and as such must be preserved and developed to ensure that the dream of Social and Economic Justice be realized.
The Movement is now faced with its greatest challenge as we turn from page 2014 to page 2015 in our earthly register. This is a most crucial period for the Co-operative Credit Union Movement as the very reason for our existence is now challenged in a significant way through the introduction of new Legislation and Regulations for the Governance of the Movement. While the Movement is aware that the environment within which it operates is dynamic and requires continuous adjustment to ensure its relevance, we are also mindful and critically aware that as owners/shareholders of this noble movement, we are charged with the responsibility to ensure that the Movement is sustainable and viable while holding rigidly to its founding principles and philosophy. We must not be swayed by the thinking that our principles must change to suit the modern socio-economic paradigm. What is required and what we are convinced that we have to do is to ensure that we are the designers, framers and authors of any adjustment and amendment of our regulatory and governance structure. The Movement must never lose its peoples centeredness and focus to suit the whims and fancies of those who sees us as a threat to their quest for greed and profligacy.
As we transition from Christmas into the New Year today, what is absolutely necessary is unity of purpose and focus. As a Movement that is all about people, we must come together to ensure that the over five hundred thousand, (500,000) members/owners/shareholders are provided with that opportunity to advance themselves from one stage of their socio-economic development to another stage where progress and socio-economic justice is seen in a very tangible manner.
This is a critical time in the history of the Movement and if it is not addressed properly and with all minds united in purpose it can lead to a fundamental transformation of the founding principles and philosophical context within which the Cooperative Movement was developed. As such, all members of the Cooperative Credit Union Movement need to awake themselves from their prolonged slumber and critically examine their involvement and concern for the movement that they all own as equal shareholders.
We must continue our quest to ensure that we have Cooperative Friendly Legislation and not Corporate Friendly Legislation enacted for the governance of Cooperative Credit Unions in Trinidad and Tobago. We must continue to display, demonstrate and articulate that fundamental differentiation between a Cooperative Credit Union and the other Financial Institutions. We must prepare ourselves to take our responsibility as the true owners of our Credit Unions very seriously and take control of our shareholdings and by extension the Cooperative Credit Union Movement. We have demonstrated over the years that ours is a Movement that is grounded by sound and credible principles that have provided social, cultural, educational and economic opportunities to persons who would not have been given same through the mainstream financial institutions in Trinidad and Tobago.
As the famous and revered Nelson Mandela once said;”I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended”. Fellow Co-operators, let us take a moment and steal a view of the vista that surrounds us; ”a movement that has grown to over 500,000 members and over $11Billion in Assets and one that has and continues to contribute to the GDP of the Country”. But we must only rest for a moment because we have many more hills to climb and major responsibilities to our members and the citizens of our Country to ensure that we have co-operative friendly legislation and regulations. We cannot linger for our long walk is not ended, it has only just begun.
So as we reflect on the message of Christmas of peace and goodwill to all mankind, and as we herald in a New Year, let us commit to this walk towards socio-economic justice for all persons of modest means. I want to wish all Co-operators and citizens of our Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, a very productive and positive New Year as we continue to say, this is ONE MOVEMENT, SPEAKING WITH ONE VOICE.
