Trinidad Budget 2027: TT$63.4 Billion, but Where Is the Delivery?
TT$63.4 billion in planned spending deserves a delivery schedule. We examine Opposition criticisms of jobs, housing, pensions, backpay and new charges.
Special Operations Act: Can T&T Journalists Still Protect Their Sources?
T&T’s Special Operations Act is in force. We examine confidential sources, search and seizure powers, existing safeguards and the Government’s serious-crime case—and argue for explicit protection before confidential information is exposed.
14 to 17: Why the UNC’s New Borough Plan Looks Like Election Engineering
Three new boroughs, a politically connected review process and stronger party control: why Trinidad’s municipal redesign deserves more scrutiny than new signs.
Mighty Sparrow’s Legacy: The Songs That Explained Us
Mighty Sparrow’s songs helped T&T argue about itself. Following his death at 91, we revisit the politics, independence, gender debates and diaspora connections behind the familiar choruses.
Trinidad Drinking Age: Why Higher Age Limits and Huge Penalties Go Too Far
T&T’s proposed age increases deserve scrutiny beyond the health argument. This opinion examines adult autonomy, TT$50,000 consumer fines, rehabilitation and supplier penalties that rival or exceed ceilings for violent offences.
MiLAT’s TT$41.6 Million Question: What Is a Second Chance Worth?
MiLAT’s TT$41.6 million price tag has reignited the debate over its value. This opinion examines graduate success stories, military structure and the case for measuring a second chance beyond full certification.
Special Operations Bill: Everything You Need to Know About Your Rights and the 16–15 Vote
Could you need a permit to leave your own community? We explain the Special Operations Bill’s proposed powers, constitutional concerns, safeguards and the 16–15 Senate vote.
Royal Caribbean’s US$3 Billion Sandals Deal: Where Does Tobago Fit?
Royal Caribbean’s agreement for a 50% stake in Sandals and Beaches raises questions about Caribbean jobs, local suppliers and the terms of any future Tobago resort.
CARICOM Youth Crime Committee: Eight Young Voices, but Will Trinidad and Tobago Turn Advice Into Action?
Eight young advisers could help shape regional crime prevention. We examine who gets heard, what the evidence says about youth and violence in T&T, and how advice could become measurable action.
Trinidad State of Emergency: September 17 Is Coming. What Did We Gain?
The Trinidad State of Emergency is scheduled to expire on September 17, 2026. For families with someone in custody, the immediate question is whether that person will come home. For the country, another question deserves an answer: what lasting safety did these extraordinary powers deliver? Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has defended the SOE as successful,…
Carnival Prize Money: Mas Bands Chase 2026 Payments as the Countdown to 2027 Continues
Carnival Prize Money puts two timetables in focus: settling 2026 awards and preparing for 2027. The NCC and TTCBA accounts, with the limits made clear.
Machel Montano’s Brooklyn Spotlight Shows How Soca History Is Being Saved for the Next Generation
A Brooklyn exhibition celebrates Machel Montano while revealing how family archives, libraries and Caribbean communities keep musical history alive.
Venezuela Oil Revival: Can Trinidad and Tobago Turn Its Neighbour’s Comeback into Jobs and Gas?
Venezuela’s energy reopening could bring contracts, gas and investment opportunities to Trinidad and Tobago. What must happen before local workers, businesses and industry benefit?
US Deportation Deals Are Spreading Through CARICOM. Who Pays When People Cannot Go Home?
As US Deportation Deals spread through CARICOM, the hardest questions begin after arrival: who funds the stay, what protections apply and what happens when people cannot safely go home?
PRIME MINISTER OF WHICH FAMILY? KAMLA’S INDEPENDENCE MESSAGE FAILS THE TEST OF NATIONAL UNITY
An Independence appeal to a political family, followed by combative defences, raises serious questions about the Prime Minister’s commitment to national unity. Kamla’s Independence message to her UNC supporters fails a basic test of national leadership: whether every citizen can hear themselves included in the Prime Minister’s words. As Trinidad and Tobago marked 64 years…
HELP BEFORE HANDCUFFS: T&T’S GOVERNMENT CANNOT PUNISH ITS WAY OUT OF THE TRINIDAD CRIME CRISIS
The Trinidad crime crisis demands a government that acts before children become victims, recruits or suspects. Arrests and punishment cannot substitute for education, counselling and steady support. By the time the handcuffs arrive, someone may already be injured, a family traumatised and a young life derailed. Waiting until then is an expensive way to discover…
MORE POLICE. MORE SOEs. BUT TRINIDAD CRIME FIGHT MEANS STOPPING THE NEXT RECRUIT
The murder count has fallen. Police have intensified operations. Trinidad and Tobago has spent much of the last two years under emergency powers. But a sustainable TRINIDAD CRIME FIGHT cannot begin when a young man already has a gun in his hand. It has to begin years earlier—at home, in school, in the community and…
NOT UNITY, BUT CULTURAL ERASURE: WHY UTT EMANCIPATION DAY PROGRAMME CROSSED THE LINE
A tassa performance is not offensive. Classical Indian dance is not offensive. Indian culture is not the enemy. But context matters. When the University of Trinidad and Tobago staged its UTT Emancipation programme, UHURU: Celebrating Freedom, on July 29, tassa drumming and classical Indian dance were included in an official ceremony intended to commemorate African…
SIX DAYS OF TERROR: HOW THE 1990 COUP ATTEMPT CHANGED TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO FOREVER
At approximately six o’clock on Friday, July 27, 1990, Trinidad and Tobago’s democracy became a hostage. Armed members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen stormed the Red House while Parliament was in session. Prime Minister Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, Cabinet ministers, parliamentarians and parliamentary employees were taken captive. Almost simultaneously, another group seized Trinidad and Tobago…
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY OF TRINIDAD INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATIONS MACHINE
The call. The cage. The leak—and the surveillance system every citizen should understand Imagine making a private telephone call. You complain about the Government. You use colourful language. You say something reckless, angry or dramatic. You may be joking. You may be venting. You may mean every word—or none of it. Unknown to you, the…
