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I don’t recall ever seeing such a high level of apprehension in our space. Do you?
It’s coming from a multitude of shadowed places, so many that it is difficult to put a finger on any one thing as the root.
Armadas and squadrons loom on our horizon. Conflicting reports about their presence and purpose. Contradictions from officialdom, within and without. Mysterious sightings remain unexplained because nobody will say what they are.
To war or not to war; where are we in the midst of this battlefield that is being inexorably constructed?
Many are appalled at being dragged into something that seems foolhardy and unnecessary. Others seem to revel in the idea that big brother is watching over us, offering some kind of security blanket and protective force field.
Yet, big brother has made many things clear. We are merely strategically placed pawns in a game that has nothing to do with us. Collateral damage, at best.
A significant marker of the level of anxiety has been the withdrawal of many from making public comments on their social media platforms.
I am not talking about the incorrigible ones who bombard us with offensive and crude remarks. I refer to those whose responses to the bizarre goings-on are usually measured and informed.
People have said that they’ve decided to withhold their contributions to public discourse because they fear being victimised.
Is it an unreasonable caution? Hardly, given the vulnerability of the treasured US visa. Not to ignore the curious request by one of our country’s ministers to the USA to revoke said visas if citizens cross certain nebulous lines.
Alexander is a former senior superintendent in the TTPS and the former co-host of TTPS Beyond The Tape.
Photo: UNC.
US officials were quick to remind T&T that it is in no position to influence that country’s policies.
To use the word policy here seems inappropriate. I don’t get the sense that either the US or T&T is currently operating within any stated policy framework.
So much that has transpired this year seems to be the result of whimsical thrusts from one part and obsequious responses on the other. The impact has been a form of governance that appears arbitrary and incohesive.
This exacerbates the feeling of instability and is definitely increasing the disquiet.
Photo: UNC.
Another element of distress that is immediate and profound is the alarming increase in the cost of living, accompanied by the loss of income for too many households.
I went grocery shopping a couple days ago and was absolutely shaken by the dramatic rise in food prices. I had promised to brace myself for it, but it was truly overwhelming. I came away feeling angry and misled.
I’d carefully chosen three supermarkets based on where I knew they had lower prices on certain items. I was in for a rude shock. Every single one had jacked-up price tags. I suppose I was being naïve. But it made me despair for those with families to feed. How are they managing?
Photo: iStock.
I get away with a lot because I hunker down at vegetable stalls and I cook and concoct with bargains. But people have the responsibility of providing for their dependents, and even with the most frugal approach, it feels impossible to come up with nutritious meals within budget.
This does not even include the host of other needs—basic toiletries, cleaning material, medical supplies, utility bills, and so on—how do you make ends meet?
With the end of the year approaching, people are naturally hoping to embrace the festive season with some sort of good cheer. It’s generally a time of giddiness and rash splurges. No denying that. The impecunious state must cause a great deal of psychological stress.
Copyright: Office of Parliament 2025.
It must be harder to feel that promises made are not being kept.
And as often happens under straitened circumstances, thoughts become skewed towards resentment for those who seem to be thriving.
Whether it is actually so or not, there is a perception that a certain section of the population is being favoured. Political actions, conducted with arrogance and contempt, do nothing to alleviate the growing polarisation in the country.
We can’t pretend that divisions based on ethnicity and race are not increasingly prevalent. I have heard people say things I never expected to come out of their mouths, based on my past interactions with them.
Photo: Ezra Bartholomew.
None of it can bring anything beneficial to our prospects of living together in a society that has often boasted of its diversity.
We’ve made it our international identity, and it’s how we have been selling ourselves. Why do politicians think it is wise to crack that apart?
On the one hand, it is depressing to see just how porous a rock that has been. On the other, we have been living together for centuries, relationships have been formed by the very act of being neighbours.
Could we not have taken it further down the road of appreciating the value of each other instead of regressing into the barbarous state that the USA has dug itself into?
Photo: Getty Images.
I did not want to find myself talking about these things, mainly because, like so many of us, it feels like having a pointless conversation. We’re so far down this road to annihilating all traces of a civilised society that even my optimistic spirit is bedraggled.
But you know, history tells us that when it all seems to be heading for a crash, the crash itself can become the catalyst for a renewal that turns things around.
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Vaneisa Baksh is a columnist with the Trinidad Express, an editor and a cricket historian. She is the author of a biography of Sir Frank Worrell.
