By RIA TAITT

IN TRIBUTE to the memeory of Eric Eustace Williams, who he describes as "our nation's founding father", Prime Minister Basdeo Pandy yesterday "resolved and firmly pledged" to make the Common Entrance Examination "history" by the year 2000.

Panday's undertaking came at his address to the audience at the opening of The Eric Williams Memorial Collection at the UWI library, St. Augustine.

Panday recalled that Williams, on July 6, 1968, in the conclusion of his autobiography, Inward Hunger, underlined as a "high priority" the elimination of the 11-plus exam and the automatic movement from primary to secondary education.

Noting that there could not be a parent or child facing the exam who did not share that sentiment, Pandy said that in deference to this goal, "we can do no less" than to finally put an end to the "horrific 11-plus trauma, for hcildren and for parents."

He said he would shortly have in place a fully-representative poject team to formulate the necessary transition strategy to enable the automatic passage of children from primary to "an appropriate secondary school" and would "take up" with Education Minister Adesh Nanan the early establishment of a system of continuous tracking to evaluate the competence of students.

The audience, which included acting President Ganace Ramdial, House Speaker Hector McClean, members of the government, former ministers Overand Padmore, Gerald Montano and Kamal Mohammed, PNM Deputy leade Ken Valley, as well as members of the academic community, both local and foreign, business leaders and family members of Williams, including granddaughter Erin and her father, Jim Connell, applauded the announcement.

Panday said although himself and Williams were political adversaries and therefore had cause to be critical of each other, this in no way diminished his regard for Williams's great intellect and his streling contribution.

However, he recalled "with regret," Williams's "departure" from his ideal of unity in this diverse society, when he dismissed a substantial section of the population as "a recalcitrant minority," after his party's defeat by the DLP in the 1958 Federal Elections.

Panday said that, like most icons, Williams was not withough human frailties, and he urged that "full exploratin of his weeknesses, as well as his strengths" be an option afforded by the collection. Panday praised Erica Williams-Connell, saying she could not have served her father or her homeland better in donating the collection.

Williams-Connell also thanked Panday, saying that he never failed to extend an interest and kindness to her and to the collection.

She said giving up "possession of the last thread of contact" with her father was "personally wrenching."

To the naysayers, "and there are many," the Eric Williams Collection has less to do with cultism and more to do with the conservation of our history," she said, adding that it is part of the country's heritage and history, "like it or not."