RYAN HADEED
New Year’s Eve is usually a time of reflection. Before we say our final goodbyes to 2015, we will spend some portion of December 31 contemplating the previous 364 days that now seem to have rushed past; wondering whether that time was well spent or wasted.
During the last few weeks I’ve been thinking back to my first column (June 21) in which I invoked the memory of my Jido (Arabic for grandfather) as I lamented the tragedy of the Syrian Civil War. I wrote about my curiosity as to whether he would have been an open supporter of President Assad, or a quiet advocate for regime change. In hindsight though, I realised how little that answer would have meant with respects to personal enrichment. Having passed away when I was 14, an age where I lacked the good sense to know what really mattered, I missed out on the opportunity to ask him the really important questions pertaining to his life.
Last month, I started reading A Will and a Way, the autobiography of Anthony N Sabga, the founder and former chairperson of ANSA McAL (the parent company of Guardian Media Ltd). It was my hope that from his story, I might gain some insight into my grandfather’s own experiences.
Some of his words of wisdom have been passed down via my father, one of them being that, “You make your life where you make your living.” There’s no better statement that embodies the immigrant spirit—someone who sums up the courage to leave the land of their birth and risk it all in search of a better life. Since our arrival to these shores in the 1920s, most, if not all Arab-Trinidadians, consider this their “home.” Unfortunately how we are viewed by our fellow countrymen is a completely different matter.
In an article by Sunity Maharaj (Trinidad Express, November 1) relating to the deteriorating state of the capital, she berates Gregory Aboud, the President of the Downtown Merchants Association, for failing to take on more responsibility with regards to the city’s improvement. Her scathing tone gave the impression that Arab-Trinidadian business owners only look out for their interests and, due to their success, are obligated to “give back.” It echoes the debt mentality that many in this country continue to harbour; that something is “owed” to them due to the historical injustices suffered by their ancestors.
The reality is that our forefathers are among the more recent arrivals to these shores. Thus they never owned plantations, or had slaves and indentured labourers toil for them. Also, their journey here wasn’t weighed down by suitcases carrying riches and possessions, so they literally came from nothing, with nothing. However, many Trinibagonians conveniently forget that fact, seeing only what the “Syrian-man have” and forgetting the years of hard work that it took for them to become masters of their own dominion. Yet for such an accomplishment, we are despised.
If I had to highlight just one attribute that fuels the Arab-Trinidadian work ethic, it would be the emphasis our elders place on family. And an aspect of that devotion is the desire for their progeny to live up to their potential and surpass the achievements of their parents. It’s a cycle in which each generation recognises that they benefit from the sacrifices made by the one before, and accepts that they must do the same for the one to come.
Describing such a sacrifice, the one made by his father, is how Mr Sabga begins his story. Its conclusion reflects the same theme—with him proudly surrounded by his children and grandchildren who will carry on the legacy. Not only is he a success as a captain of industry, but as a family man.
What we have now isn’t as important as what we leave behind; it’s an attitude that should be adopted by person and patria alike, especially if we are to weather the economic uncertainties of 2016. It’s within each and every one of us to be better, not only for ourselves, but as an example to others. Because when we see farther, it’s due to men like Anthony N Sabga and my late grandfather, Aziz F Hadeed. They are the giants on whose shoulders we stand.DEED
