标签： Trinidad and Tobago

In a significant development for Caribbean regional cooperation, Trinidad and Tobago has initiated a groundbreaking medical partnership with Guyana. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced during the Couva Children’s Hospital re-dedication ceremony that approximately 50 Trinidadian doctors will form the inaugural contingent heading to Guyana.

The Prime Minister revealed that while the Couva facility was originally envisioned as a regional medical hub, Guyana’s substantial investments in healthcare infrastructure have created new opportunities for collaboration. “Guyana will hire doctors from Trinidad and Tobago because we have so many well-trained doctors,” Persad-Bissessar stated, highlighting the surplus of medical professionals in her country.

This initiative follows Guyana’s massive GY$4.6 billion investment in medical infrastructure, including a new 50-bed hospital in the Moruca Region equipped with advanced diagnostic technology, surgical facilities, and local oxygen production capabilities.

The announcement has been met with enthusiasm by early-career medical professionals in Trinidad and Tobago. An anonymous neurosurgery trainee welcomed the initiative, noting the current market challenges where many junior doctors face unemployment or temporary contracts without benefits. Similarly, a young optometrist expressed hope that this would provide much-needed stability, acknowledging that “the industry isn’t expanding as fast as the students are graduating.”

However, the initiative has raised concerns among nursing professionals. Idi Stuart, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Registered Nurses Association, warned of potential negative consequences for the nursing sector. While acknowledging the doctor surplus, Stuart emphasized the existing nursing shortages in specialized areas and expressed concern that competitive Guyanese salaries might attract Trinidadian nurses, exacerbating local shortages.

Stuart questioned the allocation of educational resources, suggesting that funding should be redirected from medical programs to address nursing shortages. He criticized the approach of training professionals for export while the country faces financial constraints, stating that Trinidad and Tobago should be more judicious in aligning educational investments with domestic needs.

The partnership represents both an opportunity for regional cooperation and a complex challenge in balancing domestic healthcare needs with international diplomatic initiatives.

Trinidad and Tobago’s bicameral parliament is set to hold simultaneous sessions on December 9, with both the House of Representatives and Senate convening at 1:30 PM. The Senate will deliberate on the Finance Bill 2025 while the House debates the Summary Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2025, marking the second such dual sitting within a week.

The proposed fireworks legislation establishes a comprehensive permit system administered by the Commissioner of Police, with specific exemptions for holiday celebrations. The bill permits fireworks without permits on public holidays between 8-9 PM and on December 31 from 11:30 PM to 12:30 AM on New Year’s Day. The legislation explicitly prohibits fireworks discharge within a half-mile radius of animal shelters, zoos, farms, forest reserves, national parks, hospitals, and airports.

This legislative activity follows the December 5 simultaneous sessions that addressed the Finance Bill and the Home Invasion (Self-Defence and Defence of Property) Bill, 2025. Government officials, including Leader of Government Business Barry Padarath and Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales, have characterized the concurrent sittings as procedurally normal.

The Finance Bill implements revenue measures initially proposed in Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo’s October budget presentation, including immediate customs duty increases on alcohol and tobacco products. Additional measures scheduled for January 2026 implementation include National Insurance System rate increases, electrical surcharges for commercial customers, and banking sector levies.

The legislation has sparked political controversy, with former finance minister Colm Imbert condemning the measures as “an avalanche of new taxes” and “wickedness” in social media statements. Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles similarly criticized the provisions as “ill-conceived” measures that would “inflict further pain” on citizens. Minister Tancoo has dismissed these criticisms, maintaining the government’s position on the fiscal measures.

In a significant political realignment, Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) leader Watson Duke has announced his party’s withdrawal from the upcoming January 12 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections, opting instead to endorse the ruling Tobago People’s Party (TPP). The declaration came during a spirited media conference outside Duke’s Port Mall office in Scarborough on December 8, where he was flanked by vocal supporters.

While confirming the strategic shift, Duke maintained characteristic ambiguity regarding formal candidate nominations. He acknowledged the diminished influence of his party’s flambeaux symbol while artfully dodging direct questions about fielding candidates. His 20-minute address blended political rhetoric with biblical references and personal parables, creating a theatrical atmosphere underscored by enthusiastic supporter responses.

The political reconciliation stems from a pivotal phone conversation with TPP leader and Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, whom Duke alternately referred to as ‘son’ and ‘brother’ throughout his address. Duke revealed that this discussion prompted profound reflection about preventing the People’s National Movement (PNM) from returning to power. ‘I slept on it, I rolled on it, I prayed on it,’ Duke declared, emphasizing familial loyalty over political分歧.

Despite acknowledging the ‘hurt and pain’ from previous betrayals when PDP assemblymen defected to form the TPP under Augustine’s leadership, Duke pledged forgiveness while vowing to remember these experiences. He positioned himself as continuing to ‘stand in defense of the defenseless’ and encouraged supporters to maintain their identity as ‘the salt of the earth’—invoking Matthew 5:13 to underscore their enduring value.

The PDP leader outlined an aggressive campaign strategy to secure all 15 seats for the TPP, promising to reach ‘the highways and byways, the nooks and crannies’ to mobilize marginalized voters. When pressed for explicit voting instructions, Duke challenged journalists to ‘write the headlines yourselves,’ maintaining his theatrical delivery while making the endorsement unmistakably clear.

Duke framed the alliance as resuming a shared dream that had temporarily derailed, comparing it to waking from an incomplete dream and choosing to return to it. ‘Family is family,’ he asserted, acknowledging Augustine’s flaws while emphasizing tribal loyalty. He concluded with a colorful promise to defeat the PNM ‘black until they blue,’ referencing the parties’ respective colors.