Senator the Honourable John S. Jeremie, SC, has issued a statement rejecting claims that this year’s Emancipation Day programme, developed under the stewardship of Professor Selwyn Cudjoe, was racist or divisive, describing the criticism as regrettable and wholly unfounded.

In a statement released Monday, the Attorney General defended Professor Cudjoe as one of Trinidad and Tobago’s most distinguished scholars and patriots, noting his decades of scholarship illuminating the history, literature and lived experiences of Caribbean people, particularly those of African descent. He pointed to Cudjoe’s academic career at institutions including Harvard University and Wellesley College, and his current role as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

“Few possess his depth of knowledge or moral authority on these subjects,” Jeremie said. “It is therefore both regrettable and wholly unfounded to suggest that an Emancipation programme developed under his stewardship could be in any way racist or divisive. I reject that assertion unequivocally.”