View Point

The late Austin Clarke published A Passage Back Home as a tribute to his friend, Samuel Selvon in 1994 (the year Selvon died). He wrote about them attending what he called Carifesta I in Georgetown, British Guiana. “All of us from the various diasporas into which we had drifted, Europe …

I expect that my disappointment at the cancellation of today’s Independence Day military parade, in which the Defence Force is joined by other agencies of our protective services, will be mitigated by my attendance at Saturday night’s Brooklyn Panorama. Today, instead of exchanging Independence greetings on Tragarete Road, in the …

“On August 31, 1962, a country will be free, a miniature state will be established, but a society and a nation will not have been formed. “After August 31, 1962, the people of Trinidad and Tobago will face the fiercest test in their history—whether they can invest with flesh and …

“[…] Madam Prime Minister 2.0 I suggest the development of an Innovation/Creative fund to encourage our students to promote math, science, and inventors’ competitions with compensations for our normal citizens to bring whatever inventions they have. “The key here is to start an innovation culture because we have a culture …

“[…] The Government’s position, as expounded by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs Minister, is not neutrality by any diplomatic or regional standard. “[…] Authority without principle, without consultation and without regard for Caricom unity and regional peace is not leadership—it is recklessness masquerading as sovereignty…” The following guest …

“[…] Today the government is putting us on the wrong side of history and in support of a colonial and imperial agenda, grounded in the 200+ year old Monroe Doctrine which US administrations have used as justification for interfering in this hemisphere to militarily invade sovereign states (Haiti, Cuba, Dominican …

World Steelpan Day falls in August, which was a month designated as Steelpan Month in Trinidad and Tobago some time before the United Nations proclamation of that special day in 2023. Do these August activities, including the annual event at Times Square—as enjoyable as they are—in reality do anything for …

“[…] Dr Eric Williams was clear in his articulation—in a democracy, citizens have both rights and responsibilities. The government, too, has responsibilities to citizens. This is the social contract: the underlying rules that govern how citizens behave towards each other, and how the government and citizens behave towards each other. …

“[…] The US operates with a policy of imperial hegemony—that it and it alone must be in charge. This is expressly articulated in the 200+ year old Monroe Doctrine which essentially says that it can intervene anywhere and in any country in this hemisphere if it is in the ‘US …

“[…] Independence Day is not merely a ritual—it is a vital reaffirmation of national unity, resilience, and cultural pride… Cancelling the Independence Day celebration risks eroding this collective consciousness and diminishing the symbols that bind the nation. “The government’s recent decision to cancel the 2025 parade, citing security risks for …

“[…] Individuals in authority cannot stand before the population and openly claim criminals have weapons of war, the relevant agencies have the information, a SOE was required to disable the threat; and then say the weapon was never found, with no follow up to the population. “How can we the …

“[…] Seek feedback about the performance of your councillors, ask the right questions and most of all ensure that people feel safe to share their views. Do not only focus on councillors and the Corporation’s Facebook pages as community engagement. Getting feedback allows for lateral and divergent views to enhance …