Political Leader of the Congress of the People Winston Dookeran says it is time for the country to discuss changing the national watchwords.

He was speaking at the party’s Divali celebrations at Felicity, Chaguanas.

’I think it is agreeable to say ’Discipline, production and tolerance’ have all turned out to be a lie,’ he said.

’This society is less disciplined today than it has ever been. This society is less productive today than it has ever been and this society is less tolerant today than it has ever been.

’So we have come at the turn of the century with our watchwords falling apart in meaning and practice and with a nation without any sense of future,’ Dookeran said.

Dookeran said it was time for citizens to start building the nation.

’We have got to start building this nation ourselves,’ he said. ’We build it on fundamental truth. Truth as you know is one of the fundamental aspects of Hindu theology. The search for truth, the desire for justice and the hope for freedom, have been the fundamental pillars upon which strong civilisations have been built.’

Dookeran said citizens were not living that type of reality.

’Today we accept false hope especially in our Parliament and we must now replace that with truth,’ he said. ’Today we accept the fact that leaders can destroy our concept of justice and we must make sure that that does not happen.’

He ended by saying the onus lay with citizens to build society on the basis of truth, freedom and justice.