View Point

Thirteen years have passed since health care workers, Lake Asphalt employees and other workers last received a salary adjustment. In 2026, they remain stuck on 2013 wages while the cost‑of‑living climbs higher every day. Postal workers have fared even worse, still bound to 2010 salaries—16 years without relief. The People’s …

Having just celebrated 64 years of independence, discussions as to whether Trinidad and Tobago is better off since gaining independence and if T&T could have done better have been at the fore. I have decided to add my voice to this debate for two reasons. First, as assistant professor at …

“[…] To the ‘UNC family’ she offers the old tired hymn: lagoons, cane fields, salt and rice, ponds and springs—the ancestral ledger of one community, recited as if the rest of the country were furniture. “To the country she offers a different sermon: the British left you a prosperous, functioning …

Some years ago, I lived and worked in Sierra Leone. I arrived in the capital, Freetown, just ten years after a decade-long civil war.  The war was brutal. According to estimates 50,000 – 75,000 died, 20,000 had limbs amputated, 2 – 2.5 million were displaced, and hundreds of thousands of …

In October 1995, I was part of a fellowship offered by the Committee to Protect Journalists. A dozen or so journalists from around the world were included and we met in Washington for a week before heading out to different newspapers. I had chosen New Orleans because I felt it …

“[…] The media release by the heads of judiciaries—that seemed to focus on the leak of the emails and breach of confidentiality, risked thereby missing the critical issue—which is that leaks of that nature occur when there is real organizational stress and upset and institutional integrity is at stake. “[…] …

“[…] Neither African nor Indian communities benefit from this… In cases where division arises unintentionally, accountability must fall on leaders, organizers, media voices and political parties to clarify intent, calm tensions and redirect focus to the real issues. “But if division is deliberately stoked, then consequences must follow. Heads should …

My bossy back demands an extreme degree of planning if I am to venture out. Sitting or standing for an hour or so is about as much as it can take without making the following days painfully unpleasant. But when Jackie Hinkson sent me an invitation to the QRC Art …

A few years ago, Michal Teja captured hearts and titles with his hit song, DNA. At the time, I was living abroad and remember being moved by the line: “freedom in we DNA”. I was moved by that line as the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts brewed, and what could be …

Three thousand dollars a month. That’s the minimum National Insurance pension a citizen receives after a lifetime of work. It’s also, for many, the difference between paying for food or medication in a given month—not both. A few weeks ago, more than 22,000 people shared, commented on, or followed my …

A popular quote attributed to Benjamin Franklyn aptly summarises the situation that Trinidad and Tobago finds itself in: “He that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing.” These cautionary words warn that relying on debt often leads to stress, and the heavy burden of repayment for the person borrowing. The same …

On 30 August 1962, speaking at a youth rally, Dr Eric Williams stated the now famous words: “You carry the future of Trinidad and Tobago in your school bags.” Dr Williams’ address linked our nation’s success directly to education and the development of our youth. And we have much to …