Carib Scope

标签： Trinidad and Tobago

特立尼达和多巴哥

  • Penny: Opposition to write President

    Penny: Opposition to write President

    Standing outside the Red House Parliament building in Port of Spain ahead of a critical parliamentary sitting, Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has publicly condemned the current ruling administration over two major controversial moves: targeted attacks against independent Senate members and a pattern of rushing key legislation through parliament with barely any advance notice. Beckles announced on Tuesday that the parliamentary Opposition will formally deliver a letter to President Christine Kangaloo to highlight and protest the government’s departure from long-standing democratic parliamentary norms.

    Beckles told assembled reporters that the recent actions taken by the ruling party came as no surprise to the Opposition, pointing to incendiary public comments made just weeks earlier by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The prime minister has previously labeled some independent senators ‘satanic’ and publicly levelled unproven bribery accusations against at least two of the body’s independent members. ‘No one should be shocked by what is unfolding right now,’ Beckles stated. ‘When the head of government uses language that extreme and makes those kinds of damaging claims, none of what we have seen recently catches us off guard.’

    The latest parliamentary dispute also centers on Senate President Wade Mark’s tie-breaking votes last week and on Monday, which cleared the way for the passage of two high-stakes bills: the 2026 Special Operations Bill and the 2026 Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill. Beckles argued that Mark’s votes broke with centuries of established parliamentary convention, which dictates that the presiding officer of the Senate only casts a tie-breaking vote to preserve the existing status quo, not to advance new government legislation. The Opposition leader added that her caucus will monitor whether this irregular voting approach becomes the government’s standard operating procedure moving forward.

    Beckles also pushed back strongly against the prime minister’s recent claim that independent senators have rendered themselves irrelevant to the legislative process. She framed the government’s hostility to the independent caucus as a direct attack on the country’s constitutional framework, which enshrines the role of independent senators as a critical check on executive power. ‘This government has made it very clear it has no respect for independent senators,’ Beckles said. ‘If you erase their purpose and make their position meaningless, you are essentially saying our Constitution is a waste of time. Independent senators exist to deliver the checks and balances any healthy democracy needs, and this administration wants no oversight at all.’

    Beyond the dispute over independent senators, Beckles also sharply criticized the government for repeatedly introducing major pieces of legislation with extremely short notice to the Opposition, a practice she described as ‘absolutely ridiculous’. She confirmed the Opposition will raise this issue with the Speaker of the House of Representatives. While the Opposition leader acknowledged that emergency legislation occasionally requires expedited processing, she warned that the frequency of this approach, particularly when applied to high-impact bills, poses a serious threat to democratic lawmaking.

    As an example, Beckles pointed to a recent bill that would lower the minimum age for issuing fines to children found in possession of alcohol and cannabis, a major public policy issue that the government introduced without consulting any stakeholders outside the ruling party. ‘These are issues that directly impact the lives of everyone in this country, and the government didn’t consult anyone at all before bringing it for a vote,’ she said. ‘That is simply not acceptable governance.’

    Beckles emphasized that the Opposition is entitled to sufficient time to review, analyze and prepare for debate on every piece of legislation, highlighting the inconsistent scheduling that has left opposition lawmakers with just days to review complex policy changes. She noted that the government has used its parliamentary majority to ram through bills with minimal review, urging the administration to stop abusing its legislative advantage and extend basic respect to the opposition caucus. ‘You hold the majority, that is true, but that does not give you the right to misuse that power to cut out meaningful debate,’ she said.

  • Pensioner on kidnap ordeal: Worse than a jail

    Pensioner on kidnap ordeal: Worse than a jail

    For the second time in 2024, a 77-year-old retired air conditioning technician has survived a terrifying kidnapping and armed robbery that left him penned in a dark locked washroom for 10 hours and drained his bank accounts of more than $142,000. Tarran Gallai, who shared his harrowing experience with local outlet the Express, says he is convinced the same gang that abducted him earlier this year targeted him again, pointing to clear similarities in the attackers’ methods and a chilling remark one captor made during this latest ordeal.

    The incident unfolded on a Sunday morning, when Gallai left his shared home in San Francique to pick up post-operative eye medication from a neighborhood pharmacy in Debe. It was around 9:30 a.m. when he pulled up in his recently purchased Toyota Yaris, and just as he prepared to step out of the vehicle, two armed men seized him from behind and forced him into their own car at gunpoint.

    “I was scared but I tried to keep a clear head,” Gallai recalled of the moment. The attackers told him outright that they intended to kill him if he did not comply with their demands. They drove him to an unoccupied house on Dumfries Road near La Romaine, where they bound his hands and feet tightly to a toilet bowl. Unlike many kidnapping cases where victims are blindfolded, the men left Gallai’s eyes uncovered — a choice that only amplified the horror of his 10-hour confinement in the completely dark, windowless room. He was given no food or water during his entire captivity, and with no chair to sit on, he was forced to remain in an uncomfortable, strained position the entire time.

    One of the two kidnappers left the property with Gallai’s car, while the other stayed behind to guard him, checking on his bound prisoner every 30 minutes to prevent any escape attempt. Too restricted to break free, Gallai made the choice to speak gently to his abductor to avoid provoking violence, a decision he says kept him alive through the ordeal. “I was trapped. It was worse than being in jail… I started praying,” he described of the hours that stretched on, before he was finally moved on Monday morning.

    The captors drove Gallai to a bank branch in Marabella, and ordered him to withdraw the full $130,000 they demanded, threatening harm if he alerted any bank staff or police. Too terrified to refuse, Gallai followed their instructions, passed the full sum in a bag to the waiting kidnappers at a prearranged spot on Market Street, where they stashed the cash in the trunk of his car before driving off and leaving him unharmed. By 12:30 p.m. that same day, Gallai had made it safely back to his relatives’ home.

    In the aftermath, police located Gallai’s Toyota Yaris burned to a shell in Claxton Bay. But the financial damage did not end with the $130,000 bank withdrawal: the attackers kept his bank card, and made multiple additional transactions throughout Sunday, including a $5,000 ATM withdrawal and a series of point-of-sale purchases at supermarkets across Cunupia, Charlieville, and Freeport. In total, the attackers stole $142,486.80 from Gallai’s accounts.

    This latest attack comes eight months after Gallai’s first kidnapping in February, which took place in Couva before his scheduled eye operation. Gallai says multiple clues point to the same group being behind both crimes: not only do the methods of the attackers match almost exactly, but one of the captors told him during Sunday’s abduction, “I got you this time again.” Despite the close parallels between the two incidents, the February kidnapping remains unsolved, with no arrests made to date.

    Reflecting on the root of the crime, Gallai expressed his frustration that able-bodied people would choose to target and rob vulnerable citizens rather than seek work to support themselves. “People are trying to live as parasites. People don’t want to work and that causes this (kidnappings). They could do things to help themselves,” he told reporters.

    In spite of the deep trauma the incident has left him with — he says the experience has left him permanently shaken — Gallai holds out hope that investigators will crack the case this time, unlike the February abduction. He has also issued a warning to other elderly residents, urging all senior citizens to never go out alone, to avoid falling victim to similar targeted attacks. In a surprising show of forgiveness, he added of his attackers, “I wish them luck for their lives.”

    Acting Sergeant Narine is leading the ongoing investigation into the kidnapping and robbery, with no updates on arrests or recovery of the stolen funds as of the latest reports.

  • Motorists stuck for hours as early morning accidents cause gridlock

    Motorists stuck for hours as early morning accidents cause gridlock

    Commuters traveling into Port of Spain from Trinidad’s eastern and southern regions faced crippling multi-hour traffic delays on Thursday, after a cluster of four separate non-fatal accidents shut down lanes across the island nation’s busiest arterial highways. The cascade of incidents began in the pre-dawn rush hour, with three collisions unfolding within a single 60-minute window starting around 5 a.m. Two of these early crashes occurred along the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway, one near the community of Maloney and a second further along the route in El Socorro, while the third took place on the Solomon Hochoy Highway outside Gasparillo. A fourth incident, a pedestrian being struck by a moving vehicle, occurred later that morning along the Beetham Highway, prolonging disruption for thousands of inbound commuters.

  • PM: Govt to fight local drug mafia

    PM: Govt to fight local drug mafia

    In a high-stakes public display of commitment to combating the transnational and local drug trade, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) incinerated more than 8.3 tonnes of seized illegal narcotics at the Caroni Cremation Site on Wednesday. The haul, which includes cocaine, marijuana, heroin and a range of illicit synthetic drugs, carries an estimated street value of more than $1.6 billion — a sum equal to roughly 1% of the twin-island nation’s annual gross domestic product.

    Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who leads the United National Congress (UNC) administration, hailed the operation in a public social media statement, crediting uniformed personnel for keeping the dangerous cargo off local streets. “These drugs never reached our communities to poison our young people and tear apart families, and that is entirely thanks to the relentless dedication of the brave men and women of our protective services,” she said. The Prime Minister went on to frame the operation as part of a broader, ongoing campaign against local drug trafficking networks, which she claimed were permitted to operate with impunity for a decade under the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administration. “The era of the local drug mafia gaining unchecked power is over,” she stated, adding that law enforcement is targeting every layer of the trade: not just intercepting physical drug shipments, but also rooting out criminal accomplices embedded in local financial institutions, distribution rings and the public sector, with critical support from international law enforcement partners.

    The operation unfolded shortly after 8 a.m., when a convoy of TTPS vehicles escorted two truckloads of contraband to the cremation site. The seized drugs had been collected across Trinidad between 2005 and 2024, with interdictions taking place at Piarco International Airport and across multiple policing divisions including Eastern, North-Eastern, and Southern. Once on site, roughly two dozen officers unloaded the narcotic-filled packages, cut open the bags to publicly display the contraband on pallets ahead of incineration.

    TTPS Commissioner Allister Guevarro, who oversaw the event, noted that one shipment of drugs seized by Southern Division officers had not yet arrived when the fire was lit, but he later commended all participating personnel for their meticulous work and strong work ethic spanning every step of the process, from initial arrests to the final destruction of the contraband. To secure the event, the TTPS deployed a surveillance drone to monitor the perimeter and posted multiple armed officers around the site to prevent any unauthorized interference.

    Guevarro used the public destruction to address long-standing public skepticism about how seized narcotics are handled by authorities, referencing a widely circulated past incident where missing seized drugs were claimed to have been eaten by rats. “Critics have long spread the narrative that seized drugs get leaked back onto the street instead of being destroyed. Today, the entire world can see these drugs burned to ash — they can’t be resold, and rats certainly didn’t eat them,” he said. He added that when narcotics are held for years as evidence during ongoing legal proceedings, they often deteriorate naturally: cocaine breaks down from solid blocks into fine powder, while marijuana eventually decomposes into dust. The public exercise was explicitly designed to eliminate any doubt about the fate of the seized contraband, he emphasized, reinforcing transparency and accountability in TTPS counter-narcotics operations.

    Some of the destroyed narcotics dated back to a 2005 major cocaine bust on Monos Island, where nine men were detained and seven ultimately charged with trafficking, including two Trinidadian nationals, one Antiguan citizen and four Venezuelan citizens. Guevarro explained that the drugs remained in police custody for nearly 20 years as the legal process moved forward, a common timeline for high-stakes trafficking cases. Another large seizure destroyed during the event was a 1,500-kilogram marijuana shipment intercepted last year in the Caroni Swamp, which was cleared for destruction after no suspects were arrested in the case.

    Speaking to reporters on site, Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander framed the event as an open declaration of war against the drug trade, which he blamed for devastating local communities. “Narcotics are tearing our communities apart, so we are destroying the narcotics before they can destroy us — this is war,” he said. Alexander called on parents to join the national effort, urging them to search their homes and eliminate any drugs they find, blocking contraband from entering households and neighborhoods before it can harm residents. “Every kilogram we destroy today could save millions of young lives. This is a fight that requires action from everyone, not just law enforcement,” he added. When asked how the current UNC administration’s approach to counter-narcotics differs from previous governments, Alexander highlighted unprecedented levels of coordinated support from Trinidad and Tobago’s international law enforcement allies. He also confirmed that all government agencies collaborated immediately to approve use of the Caroni Cremation Site for the destruction, with no bureaucratic delays.

    Guevarro pointed to newly released data from the TTPS Crime and Problem Analysis Branch (CAPA) showing that cocaine seizures rose significantly between 2024 and 2025, while marijuana seizures have stayed relatively stable. He argued that the uptick in seizures is not a sign of more drugs entering the country, but proof that police operations are growing more effective at intercepting contraband before it reaches local communities. “When we seize more drugs, that means our operations are successfully pulling more poison off our streets — that is a win for public safety,” he said. He added that a large shipment of cocaine recently seized by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard in a successful interdiction will be destroyed in a future public operation, noting that rising seizure counts are a promising sign that the national anti-drug strategy is delivering results.

  • Tougher measures to protect young people

    Tougher measures to protect young people

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is set to introduce landmark legislative reforms to Parliament that will significantly hike minimum legal age limits for access to alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and gambling, in a sweeping bid to shield the nation’s youth from long-term harm caused by substance abuse and risky behavior.

    Under the proposed changes, which fulfil a core campaign pledge made by the ruling United National Congress (UNC) ahead of the 2025 general election, the legal minimum age to buy, possess, or consume alcohol and tobacco will jump from the current threshold of 18 to 21. For cannabis and all forms of regulated gambling, the new minimum age will be raised even further, to 25 years old. The overhaul will require amendments to seven existing national laws, including the Dangerous Drugs Act, Tobacco Control Act, Liquor Licences Act, Cannabis Control Act 2022, and Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Act 2021, to bring all regulatory frameworks in line with the new age restrictions.

    In a public announcement shared via social media over the weekend, Persad-Bissessar framed the reforms as a deliberate, evidence-backed step to protect the nation’s young people, who she described as the future custodians of Trinidad and Tobago. “I am resolute in my duty to protect and safeguard the young people of Trinidad and Tobago, the future custodians of our beloved nation, from the pernicious consequences that result from the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other dangerous drugs,” the Prime Minister said.

    She emphasized that the new age thresholds are not arbitrary policy changes, but flow from the government’s unwavering commitment to upholding the health, safety and moral well-being of the country’s youth population. Early, unregulated exposure to these substances and activities, she argued, creates grave, long-lasting harm that extends beyond individual users to damage family units and weaken entire communities. Persad-Bissessar specifically noted that underage gambling poses a unique threat to young people’s long-term financial stability, as well as their moral and social development.

    The government’s core goal with the legislative overhaul is to strengthen the national legal framework designed to protect young people, curb growing rates of youth substance abuse, and mitigate the well-documented harms linked to early exposure to gambling. “By acting decisively, my Government seeks to ensure that the next generation is afforded every opportunity to grow, learn and succeed without being harmed by early exposure to dangerous substances or risky behaviours,” Persad-Bissessar said.

    The Prime Minister reaffirmed her administration’s pledge to both enact and rigorously enforce these new protective measures, framing the reform as a core promise to the nation’s youth. “This is the binding oath of a Prime Minister who is steadfast in my love for our young people,” she added. Ultimately, the reforms are designed to clear the way for young Trinidadians and Tobagonians to thrive and meaningfully contribute to national development, free from the irreversible damage that early substance use and problem gambling can inflict.

  • T&T, US unite against criminal networks

    T&T, US unite against criminal networks

    Trinidad and Tobago has cemented its place as a trailblazer within the U.S.-led Shield of the Americas coalition, becoming the first member state to align with Washington in labeling 25 transnational criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations. The landmark move earned public praise from top U.S. hemispheric affairs official Juan Pablo Segura, who framed the decision as a major leap forward in the coalition’s shared fight against the cross-border harm of narcoterrorism.

    Just days ahead of the designation announcement, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar joined U.S. President Donald Trump and other regional leaders at a high-level Shield of the Americas summit to coordinate collective security strategies. Shortly after that meeting, she took the stage at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York to outline Trinidad and Tobago’s global security agenda ahead of its 2027-2028 term on the UN Security Council.

    During her UN address, Persad-Bissessar emphasized that transnational criminal networks pose disproportionate risks to small island states like her own. Trinidad and Tobago, she noted, already bears the direct costs of these activities, from rising gang violence and drug trafficking to the uncontrolled flow of illegal weapons and illicit funds across its borders. Restoring public safety has been a core priority of her administration, she added, and the government has deepened collaboration with the U.S. and other international partners to dismantle criminal syndicates operating in the region. She confirmed that countering the illegal cross-border movement of firearms and narcotics will be a top policy priority during her country’s Security Council tenure, with plans to push for improved weapons tracing mechanisms, expanded cross-border intelligence sharing, enhanced maritime and border cooperation, and tighter coordination between source, transit and destination nations for illicit goods.

    The landmark decision has sparked nuanced discussion among regional security experts. In an interview with local outlet *Express* following the official announcement, prominent regional security consultant Dr. Garvin Heerah acknowledged the clear security benefits Trinidad and Tobago can gain from deeper alignment within the Shield of the Americas initiative. Launched by the United States in March 2026, the coalition’s stated core goals include combating drug cartels, transnational criminal networks, illegal migration and foreign interference in the Western Hemisphere. Heerah noted that the entire Caribbean region, including Trinidad and Tobago, faces a growing array of transnational threats — from drug and weapons trafficking and human smuggling to maritime crime, money laundering, cyberattacks and organized criminal networks. Expanded intelligence sharing, coordinated cross-border operations, enhanced maritime surveillance, tightened border security and closer law enforcement cooperation would deliver tangible benefits to Trinidad and Tobago and its Caribbean neighbors, he said.

    At the same time, Heerah urged policymakers to carefully weigh the geopolitical implications of the partnership, warning that the country must guard against advancing a foreign security agenda at the expense of local interests. “The important question, however, is whose security agenda are we advancing, and how do we ensure that Caribbean interests remain at the centre of the equation?” he said. Heerah stressed that Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in the coalition goes far beyond a standard security cooperation arrangement, carrying clear geopolitical weight given competing strategic priorities: the U.S. holds broad strategic interests across the Western Hemisphere, while Trinidad and Tobago and the broader CARICOM bloc have their own distinct national and regional priorities.

    Heerah clarified that closer cooperation does not require surrendering national sovereignty, nor should sovereignty be used as an excuse to reject mutually beneficial security collaboration. “For me, the principle should be partnership without dependency; cooperation without compromising sovereignty,” he outlined. He called on the Trinidad and Tobago government to secure clear, public clarity on key terms of the partnership, including what types of intelligence will be exchanged, the legal framework that governs data sharing, who retains control over shared intelligence, and what operational powers foreign partner forces will hold within Trinidad and Tobago’s borders. He also raised questions about the rules governing joint operations and how potential disagreements will be managed if U.S. and Trinidad and Tobago strategic interests diverge down the line. Heerah emphasized that these questions are not anti-American, but rather fundamental responsible national security planning for any sovereign state.

  • How will it be enforced?

    How will it be enforced?

    Two major Trinidad and Tobago organizations have thrown their support behind a controversial government legislative push to raise minimum legal age limits for alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and gambling, though one industry group has flagged critical gaps in enforcement planning.

    The administration led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced via social media this week that it will table The Miscellaneous Provisions (Alcohol, Cannabis, Dangerous Drugs, Gambling and Tobacco) Bill, 2026 before national parliament imminently. If passed, the legislation will overhaul the country’s age restrictions for regulated goods and activities: lifting the minimum legal age for purchasing, possessing and consuming alcohol and tobacco from 18 to 21, while setting a new 25-year minimum age threshold for cannabis access and all forms of legal gambling.

    Road safety non-governmental organization Arrive Alive has fully endorsed the proposed changes, grounding its support in decades of public health research on adolescent development. Sharon Inglefield, president of Arrive Alive, explained that peer-reviewed research consistently confirms that the human brain does not finish full structural and cognitive development until approximately 25 years of age. Early exposure to alcohol, nicotine and other controlled substances, she noted, not only disrupts healthy neural growth but also impairs core cognitive functions including problem-solving, impulse control and decision-making.

    Beyond its support for the legislative reform, Inglefield highlighted that the NGO runs a free, evidence-based education program for primary and secondary schools across the country designed to teach young people about the risks of impaired decision-making from alcohol. The program centers on an interactive experience where students wear specialized alcohol-impairment goggles that simulate the disorienting visual and motor effects of intoxication, helping them experience first-hand the dangers of drinking, particularly for inexperienced road users. Inglefield added that underage drinking also ties directly to the country’s persistent road safety crisis of drunk driving, a issue Arrive Alive has prioritized for decades, and called on schools across the nation to book the interactive program for their campuses.

    The Bar Owners Association of Trinidad and Tobago (BOATT) has also confirmed it does not oppose the core goal of raising the minimum drinking age to protect younger people from harm, but association president Satesh Moonasar warned that the legislation will fail to meet its intended objectives without complementary policy changes to address enforcement challenges. Moonasar pointed out that current rules do not require Trinidad and Tobago residents to carry official national identification at all times, making it nearly impossible for licensed vendors and law enforcement to reliably verify the age of people purchasing or consuming alcohol.

    He raised pointed questions about unregulated informal sales, noting that illegal alcohol vendors operating out of small unlicensed stores are unlikely to enforce age checks even after the law changes. For public consumption of alcohol, which remains legal in Trinidad and Tobago, Moonasar asked how police officers would confirm a person’s age if they are suspected of underage drinking but do not carry ID. Echoing a previous proposal from Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander to mandate universal carry of national ID, Moonasar argued that the two policies must be implemented together to work effectively. Without mandatory ID, he explained, police would be forced to take all suspected underage drinkers into police stations to contact parents, creating unnecessary logistical and operational burdens that will undermine consistent enforcement of the new age rules. Moonasar emphasized that BOATT’s concerns are not intended to block the reform, but to push the government to address critical gaps before the bill goes into effect, to ensure it actually delivers on its goal of reducing underage access to alcohol and tobacco.

  • OPEN TO ABUSE

    OPEN TO ABUSE

    A sharp public feud has erupted in Trinidad and Tobago’s Senate this week, after Independent Senator Anthony Vieira delivered a sarcastic, cutting rebuke to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s inflammatory verbal attacks on independent legislators, while issuing a dire warning about a proposed new procurement bill that he argues puts the public purse at grave risk of misuse.

    The conflict traces back to a recent unanimous vote by the nine-member Independent Senate caucus against the government’s Special Operations Bill, which triggered a wave of harsh criticism from Persad-Bissessar. The Prime Minister labeled the independent lawmakers “satanic”, “demons”, and “Luciferian monsters”, claiming they harbored “demonic hatred” for law-abiding citizens, and announced that her administration would no longer consider any amendments put forward by the Independent bench.

    Vieira, firing back in his address to the Senate Wednesday, leaned into the prime minister’s insults with biting sarcasm, quipping that his supposed demonic status granted him unique insight into the greed and moral rot that can plague public officials handling state funds. “Now, Mr President, a benefit of being satanic and demonic is that I have insight into the souls of men,” Vieira said. “I understand those whose moral compasses and codes are compromised, as I understand the seven deadly sins, in particular, greed.”

    The senator’s retribution came as he launched a full-throated attack on the 2026 Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill, a piece of government legislation framed as a measure to streamline business operations. Vieira warned that the proposed changes to the existing procurement framework would erode critical anti-corruption safeguards, systematically marginalize the independent Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR), and open new doors for self-interested actors to siphon public funds.

    Persad-Bissessar’s refusal to accept amendments from independent legislators directly shaped Vieira’s approach to the bill: he told the chamber he had opted not to spend time drafting improvements, after his earlier work on amendments for another bill went entirely ignored. “I had hoped that the benches would have worked together to avoid a financial ambush dressed up as the ease of doing business. But in light of the Prime Minister’s declared refusal to accept amendments from the Independent bench, I decided to save my time and energy,” he explained. “On a special zones bill, I spent two days working on amendments to improve the legislation. To no avail. That’s not happening today.”

    Vieira pushed back against the dangerous assumption underpinning the bill, arguing that legislators cannot craft public financial rules on the premise that every official entrusted with state money will act with integrity. Pointing to long-standing patterns of misconduct in Trinidad and Tobago, he noted repeated allegations of “fraud, corruption, favouritism, conflicts of interest, contract splitting, and misuse of public resources.” He invoked two locally well-known phrases — “the land of Bobol” and the term “Trickydadian” — to illustrate the widespread cultural awareness that many actors actively seek to exploit loopholes in public rules for personal gain.

    “We cannot afford to sacrifice the guardrails of good governance on the altar of convenience,” Vieira warned. “In this country, the danger of corruption is not abstract. Here, corruption is a real and present danger.” He even raised a provocative hypothesis: that special interest grifters are already positioning themselves to access public funds if the bill passes.

    The senator rejected the framing that the reform forces a choice between regulatory efficiency and accountability, arguing that the goal should be to build a procurement system aligned with the core accountability mandates of the original 2015 Public Procurement Act. While he acknowledged that the legislation could be improved with targeted changes, he emphasized that without robust safeguards, the bill creates massive opportunity for abuse. “It will shield grifters from accountability and consequence,” he said, adding that the core question at stake is how much unaccountable discretion the state should be allowed to exercise over public funds.

    Using vivid imagery to describe the impact of the reforms on existing protections, Vieira compared the current procurement regime to a fortified castle built to protect national assets from exploitation. “When crafting the parent Act, we try to put a moat and castle wall between our national assets and those who would seek to plunder,” he said. “I fear that with this legislation, we are lowering the drawbridge and we are leaving the castle door wide open and defenceless.”

    Though the OPR will technically remain in place after the amendment, Vieira warned that the changes will strip the regulator of any meaningful enforcement power, leaving the watchdog sidelined just like the independent senators themselves. “The regulator may still be standing at her sentry post, but now her arms are going to be folded as she is weaponless,” he said. “Sadly, like us on the Independent bench, there are those who would like to see her too marginalised, helpless, or made useless.”

    Vieira concluded that the bill represents a harmful step backward for governance, with risks that far outweigh any potential benefits. Closing as he opened, he leaned back into the prime minister’s insults to drive home his opposition: “Mr President, it’s going to take a lot more than holy water and mantras to get me to vote in support of this bill.”

  • Calypso King of Kings passes on

    Calypso King of Kings passes on

    The global Caribbean music community is mourning the loss of one of its most iconic and transformative figures: Slinger Francisco, universally known by his stage name The Mighty Sparrow, who passed away at the age of 91. The beloved calypso pioneer died peacefully on Monday at a New York medical facility following a short illness, with his entire immediate family gathered at his bedside, according to an official statement released by his daughter Karen Francisco.

    “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Trinidad and Tobago’s calypso icon, Slinger Francisco, known to the world as The Mighty Sparrow,” Karen Francisco shared in the statement. Beyond his towering status as an entertainment institution, the family remembered him first as a devoted husband, loving father, doting grandfather, proud great-grandfather, loyal life partner and cherished friend.

    The family added that the community’s outpouring of love had brought them small comfort in their grief, noting that before his passing, Francisco had reaffirmed his faith and been baptized into the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. As the family makes arrangements for a public memorial service to celebrate his extraordinary life and legacy, they have invited his millions of friends and fans across the globe to share tributes on social media, tagging the official @therealmightysparrow account. They also requested privacy as they grieve in this difficult period, thanking the public for its understanding and well wishes.

    Born in 1935 in the rural community of Grand Roy, Grenada, Francisco moved to Trinidad and Tobago as a child and grew up immersed in the island nation’s rich calypso tradition. He would go on to redefine the genre, becoming one of its most influential and outspoken voices, with songwriting that tackled hard-hitting political topics, sharp social commentary, intimate relationship narratives, and relatable stories of everyday life.

    His breakthrough first came in 1956, when he won the coveted Calypso King title with his smash hit *Jean and Dinah*, a recording that remains one of the most recognizable calypso tracks of all time. Over a seven-decade career that shaped the global face of Caribbean music, The Mighty Sparrow produced an unparalleled body of work: more than 500 original calypso compositions, over 70 studio albums, and a trophy case that includes eight Calypso Monarch titles, eight Road March wins, and two back-to-back Calypso King of Kings crowns. By the end of his career, he had become a household name across the Caribbean and beyond, bringing calypso from regional carnivals to international audiences.

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Culture and Community Development has led tributes from official bodies, with Minister Michelle Benjamin calling Francisco’s passing an “incomparable loss” for both the island nation and the broader Caribbean region. In an official statement of condolence, Benjamin extended her sympathies to Francisco’s family, friends, the wider music community, and the Trinidadian public. “May his soul soar in heaven, singing with the angels. T&T mourns this incomparable loss,” the release read.

    Benjamin noted that Francisco gave his entire life, his one-of-a-kind voice and his sharp wit to the nation he called home. She added that she was grateful that her ministry had the opportunity to honor Francisco earlier this year at the annual Dimanche Gras celebration, when he was still able to experience the love of the nation he served so faithfully. The Minister confirmed she had spoken with the Francisco family Tuesday to offer the full solidarity of the government and people of Trinidad and Tobago, saying “Their loss is our loss, and we pray that the Lord grants them comfort and strength. Sparrow has sung his last verse among us, but his music will live forever. Rest in peace, Birdie. We Love You.”

    The Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) also released a statement of condolence, acknowledging the trailblazing role Francisco played in cementing calypso as a global art form. “Sparrow was more than a legendary calypsonian. He was a defining voice of our culture, a master storyteller and a towering figure whose music helped carry calypso from Trinidad and Tobago to the world,” the organization wrote. TUCO emphasized that Francisco’s signature wit, incisive social commentary, and expansive body of work influenced generations of calypso and Caribbean artists, and fundamentally shaped the identity of the calypso genre. The organization joined the national and regional community in mourning the loss of the man known to all as the Calypso King of the World, noting that his life and contribution to Caribbean history will be preserved and celebrated forever.

  • Thank you, Sparrow

    Thank you, Sparrow

    The global Caribbean community is mourning the passing of one of its most influential cultural figures, Slinger Francisco, known universally by his stage name The Mighty Sparrow. The legendary calypso artist died at the age of 91 in New York, triggering an outpouring of tributes from political leaders, cultural institutions, entertainment personalities, and sports figures across Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean region this week.

    Born in 1935, Sparrow built an unparalleled seven-decade career in calypso music, transforming the genre from a regional folk tradition into a globally recognized art form. More than just a musician, he earned a reputation as a sharp social commentator, using his witty, lyrical compositions to document Caribbean life, challenge institutional power, address pressing social and political issues, and celebrate the joy of regional culture. His work not only defined the sound of calypso for generations but also became a core thread in the cultural identity of Trinidad and Tobago and the entire Caribbean diaspora.

    Leading tributes from the political sphere, Opposition Leader of Trinidad and Tobago Pennelope Beckles framed Sparrow’s death as the end of a transformative era for Caribbean music and culture. “A giant voice has fallen silent,” she said in an official statement. She emphasized that Sparrow’s work did more than entertain: it chronicled the shared history of the Caribbean people, brought the unique spirit of Trinidad and Tobago to international audiences, and inspired both creative rhythmic expression and critical thinking across generations. His cross-genre influence and lifelong dedication to preserving and promoting calypso, she noted, will remain a central part of his enduring legacy, one that will continue to shape cultural education across the region for years to come.

    Former prime minister Stuart Young echoed Beckles’ remarks, calling Sparrow “a true legend” and the undisputed “Calypso King of the World.” Young shared that Sparrow’s music was a constant in his life from early childhood, played regularly in his family home, and remains a staple of celebrations across the country to this day. “Even now no party is complete without a Mighty Sparrow rendition,” he said, extending his condolences to the artist’s family, friends, and millions of fans worldwide.

    Former tourism minister Randall Mitchell, who once oversaw the culture portfolio for Trinidad and Tobago, described himself as a lifelong fan who grew up listening to Sparrow’s recordings. He remembered the icon as a “master storyteller” whose contributions extended far beyond music to shape the national cultural identity. “Sparrow had been more than a calypsonian,” Mitchell explained. “His wit, brilliance and command of the art form helped shape that identity and carried calypso to audiences around the world.” He extended condolences to the artist’s family, the global calypso community, and Sparrow’s countless admirers, noting, “We have lost an icon, but the music and legacy of the Birdie will live forever.”

    Even beyond cultural and political circles, tributes came from prominent public figures across the Caribbean. West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara called Sparrow “an absolute maestro,” saying that labeling him the Calypso King of the World was an understatement. Lara drew a parallel between Sparrow’s unmatched mastery of calypso and the pursuit of excellence in elite sport, noting that the artist created the soundtrack for generations of Caribbean life. “His lyrical ability, wit and showmanship had defined an era of Caribbean civilisation,” Lara said, offering his deepest condolences to Sparrow’s family and loved ones.

    Fellow acclaimed calypsonian Dr Hollis Liverpool, better known by his stage name Chalkdust, who counted Sparrow as both a compatriot and close friend, said he was deeply saddened by the passing. He praised Sparrow’s unparalleled natural talent, noting that the artist fundamentally transformed the cultural landscape of Trinidad and Tobago. “Out of all the gifts that God has given us, God has given the most to Sparrow. All the performance and all the entertainment gifts, God has given the most to Sparrow. Undoubtedly. He changed Trinidad and Tobago. And he changed all the performers in this country,” Liverpool said.

    As the Caribbean community grieves the loss of a once-in-a-generation artist, widespread consensus holds that Sparrow’s music, commentary, and legacy will continue to shape Caribbean culture and inspire creators around the world for decades to come.