Carib Scope

标签： Trinidad and Tobago

特立尼达和多巴哥

  • It was a slip-up

    It was a slip-up

    Tragedy has struck twice in just days across Trinidad and Tobago, following the jet ski collision death of 7-year-old Angelica Saydee Jogie in Tobago waters. The latest child water safety incident saw 6-year-old Skylar Gabriel, a child with high-functioning autism, hospitalized in critical condition after a near-drowning at a public pool in Gasparillo’s Bumper Jumperz Fun Park on Friday.

    After the accident, Skylar was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH), where as of Sunday, medical updates showed encouraging signs of improvement. The young girl was submerged for multiple minutes in 4 feet of water before being pulled out, and her ventilator support has increased from 35% to 50% as her breathing stabilizes. Skylar’s parents, Desire Walters, a firefighter, and Sheldon Gabriel, a fire service officer, confirmed their daughter’s condition is “looking up” during a visit from the *Sunday Express*.

    Walters pushed back against unkind online speculation from social media users unfamiliar with their family, emphasizing her commitment to her daughter’s safety as the parent of a child with autism. “As a mother of a child with autism, you always have to be looking here and there, 24/7,” she said, acknowledging the incident was an unforeseen slip-up. The couple explained they had turned their backs to unpack supplies for their daughter moments after arriving at the park, and Skylar, who is familiar with water park routines, walked straight to the pool. “It happened quickly. It was a slip-up,” Walters added.

    The family also pointed out critical safety gaps at the facility: unlike other water parks Skylar has visited, Bumper Jumperz Fun Park provided no complimentary life jackets and had no on-duty lifeguard at the time of the accident. Gabriel, who performed CPR on his own unresponsive daughter after locating her, described a disturbing delay in response from park staff. For several minutes, he and Walters searched the facility for Skylar without any assistance from employees or other guests. “We told the staff she was missing, but the music continued playing. It was only after she was found that the staff came running,” he said. As a trained emergency responder, Gabriel said blocking out all surrounding chaos to administer CPR to his own child was an experience no parent should ever have to endure. “Right now, my child is looking up and that is what I’m focused on,” he added.

    Closed-circuit television footage from the facility, which police have already taken possession of and the *Sunday Express* reviewed, offers a clear timeline of the accident. The nearly 10-minute recording shows Skylar, unprotected by any flotation device, playing alone in the children’s pool while her parents sit with their backs turned roughly 4 feet away under a shaded tent. Around the one-minute mark, Skylar leaves the shallow children’s pool, climbs the stairs to the water slide leading to the deeper adult pool, rides down, and submerges without re-emerging. Her parents begin searching a minute later, and their search extends for several minutes before she is located. Approximately 40 guests were present in the pool area at the time, with other adults supervising their own children using the same slide.

    Local police confirmed that after Skylar was pulled from the 45-foot by 20-foot pool (which ranges from 3 to 5 feet deep), Emergency Health Services responded, detected a pulse, and rushed the child to SFGH for urgent ICU care.

    In a statement to the *Sunday Express* at the park Sunday, an unnamed spokesperson for Bumper Jumperz Fun Park – which has operated for 15 months without a prior serious incident – said the accident is deeply concerning, but emphasized that parental supervision is the primary responsibility for child safety at the facility. The spokesperson confirmed the park has been without a full-time lifeguard for three weeks while actively recruiting for the role, and that clear signage is posted throughout the property notifying guests of the lack of on-duty lifeguards and requiring parents to accompany children at all times. He added that two pool monitors were on staff the day of the accident, and that the team was not notified in advance that Skylar was autistic, though staff have experience working with neurodivergent children.

    The spokesperson also noted that flotation devices and life jackets are available for purchase at affordable prices starting at $30, and that the park’s emergency protocol was not activated because staff were never alerted that Skylar was missing until after she was found. “We have steps in place that if an alarm is raised, we sound the horn, we pull everyone from the pool and we conduct a thorough search,” he explained. Operations continued at the park Sunday, and the spokesperson said the team has reached out to Skylar’s family and is praying for her full recovery, while urging all parents to maintain constant vigilance when their children are near water, especially for children with special needs.

    This latest incident comes as communities across Trinidad and Tobago are already reeling from the death of 7-year-old Angelica just two days prior, reigniting public debate over water safety regulations and enforcement at public recreational facilities across the twin islands.

  • Ghany: Pnm let bills slip despite easy path

    Ghany: Pnm let bills slip despite easy path

    For more than 20 years, campaign finance reform has stood as a rare point of cross-party consensus in Trinidad and Tobago’s legislative landscape. Yet despite holding executive power for nearly a full decade, the former People’s National Movement (PNM) administration never managed to turn that long-held agreement into binding law — a failure that prominent political analyst Professor Hamid Ghany says was entirely avoidable.

    The question of reform jumped back into public discourse earlier this year, after PNM deputy political leader Senator Sanjiv Boodhu publicly called on the current sitting government to table new campaign finance reform legislation during an April 1, 2026 press appearance outside Parliament. In a recent interview with the *Sunday Express*, Ghany pushed back on Boodhu’s call by highlighting the PNM’s own history of inaction on the file, when the party held the votes and authority to pass the reform itself.

    Ghany explained that during both the 2015–2020 and 2020–2025 parliamentary terms, the PNM government tabled draft amendment legislation targeting campaign finance via changes to the long-standing 1967 Representation of the People Act. Crucially, amending this existing law only required a simple parliamentary majority — a threshold the PNM held, meaning opposition parties could not have blocked the measure even if they had united to oppose it. Despite this clear path to passage, both versions of the bill lapsed before coming to a final vote. Ghany emphasized that no external barrier stopped the legislation: “Something else stopped it.”

    Beyond the PNM’s failure to advance the bill, Ghany pulled back the curtain on extra provisions tucked into the 2020 iteration of the amendment that went far beyond basic campaign finance regulation. One controversial section, 30AS, would have mandated strict new rules for pre- and post-election political coalitions: any alliance of two or more registered parties would have to file a formal, signed coalition agreement with the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) at least three months before a general election for pre-election pacts, or within 21 days of signing for post-election coalitions. All member parties would also be required to maintain their separate registered status under the law.

    Ghany noted that these rules directly intruded on core political decision-making for parties. If the bill, which lapsed in 2020, had been reintroduced and passed before the 2025 general election as planned, the long-standing coalition arrangement of the opposition United National Congress (UNC) would likely have violated the new requirements.

    The bill also overstepped its original mandate in its regulation of media coverage during election campaigns, Ghany argued. Provisions 43A and 43B would have repositioned the EBC as a formal media regulator for both state and private outlets during election cycles. Under 43A, all registered parties and candidates would be guaranteed access to state-owned print and electronic media on terms no less favorable than those granted to any other group. Direct-access political programming would be required to air in high-visibility time slots to maximize audience reach, and state media would be legally mandated to maintain strict balance and impartiality in all political coverage. The bill classified disproportionate access to state media by one party as an illegal in-kind donation from an unauthorized source, and granted the EBC power to set binding guidelines for airtime allocation across all state outlets.

    For non-state private media, 43B would have imposed similar non-discrimination rules: outlets would have to offer airtime to all parties and candidates on equal pricing terms, and the EBC would be given authority to cap the total amount of airtime any outlet could sell to a single party or candidate. This would have put the EBC in control of a core revenue stream for private media companies, for whom campaign advertising is a critical source of income during election cycles.

    In his assessment, Ghany concluded that the PNM’s two failed attempts at reform ultimately failed because the party overreached, choosing to insert regulation of internal party coalition strategy and private media business into a bill that was meant only to address campaign finance. Instead of advancing the long-sought consensus on reform, the extra provisions ultimately derailed the entire legislative effort, leaving the issue unaddressed for the entirety of the PNM’s decade in power.

  • TTPS targets gang activity

    TTPS targets gang activity

    A recent uptick in violent criminal activity across multiple police jurisdictions in Trinidad and Tobago has pushed the country’s national law enforcement agency to overhaul and reinforce its crime reduction strategies, including ramping up uniformed patrols across high-risk areas, according to senior law enforcement official Suzette Martin. Martin, who serves as Deputy Commissioner of Police for Operations, outlined the updated action plan in an official media statement released Wednesday, noting that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) has documented a wave of isolated violent incidents across the country over the previous 14 days.

    “In direct response to these developments, we have conducted a full review of our existing crime-fighting frameworks and strengthened our operational protocols, expanding our on-the-ground presence through our ongoing ‘Steady the Guard’ public safety initiative,” Martin stated in the release. “While early operations under this revised plan have delivered measurable progress, we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge ahead – there is still critical work to be done to reverse this recent trend.”

    The TTPS is rolling out a comprehensive, intelligence-led multi-pronged strategy to curb violent crime, with a core focus on addressing the root drivers of illegal activity, most notably organized gang activity. Leveraging targeted anti-gang operations and the expanded legal authority granted under the country’s current state of emergency, law enforcement teams are actively working to disrupt the day-to-day operations of criminal groups and dismantle transnational and local organized crime networks, Martin explained.

    To further improve operational effectiveness, the TTPS has also upgraded the analytical capabilities of its Crime and Problem Analysis Branch. This investment, Martin said, is already enhancing the agency’s ability to map emerging crime patterns, distribute personnel and resources to high-need areas more efficiently, and deploy proactive, preventive interventions that stop violent incidents before they can occur.

    On the ground, operational activities have been ramped up significantly: high-visibility policing has been intensified, with more patrols deployed along major transportation corridors and residential communities, paired with consistent roadblock operations and joint missions that bring together the TTPS’ specialized tactical units. Priority operational targets include intercepting illegal firearms shipments, breaking up gang activities, and disrupting cross-border and local narcotics trafficking operations.

    Martin also emphasized the critical role of inter-agency cooperation in the TTPS’ strategy, highlighting ongoing coordinated work between the police service and other key national security bodies, including the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, the national Prison Service, the Immigration Division, and the Customs and Excise Division. “These cross-agency partnerships enable synchronized operations and improved real-time intelligence sharing that makes all of our work more effective,” she noted.

    Beyond collaboration with other government agencies, Martin stressed that ongoing partnership with the general public remains a cornerstone of the TTPS’ long-term crime reduction goals. “We recognize that effective public safety cannot be delivered by law enforcement alone – it requires active buy-in and cooperation from the communities we serve. To that end, we have expanded our community-led intervention programs,” she said. “These initiatives are instrumental in lowering the risk of retaliatory gang violence and building lasting cooperative relationships between police and local residents.”

    The TTPS also places strong emphasis on strategic communication as a tool to shape positive public behavior, build long-term trust between law enforcement and communities, and drive sustainable social change, Martin added. “We are clear that no single strategy on its own can solve this national challenge. Enforcement action without public trust will never deliver meaningful, long-term results, and community engagement without robust enforcement fails to create the deterrence needed to stop criminal activity. This balanced approach is the foundation of our operational philosophy,” she explained.

    Closing out the statement, Martin reaffirmed the TTPS’ unwavering commitment to public safety on behalf of the national community. “As Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), I give this assurance to the people of Trinidad and Tobago: the TTPS remains steadfast in our mission to protect and serve our nation with pride,” she said. “We will continue to leverage modern, data-driven policing strategies, strengthened cross-sector partnerships, and community collaboration to drive down violent crime and make every community across our country safer.” She reiterated that the TTPS’ multi-layered, intelligence-centered approach is designed to tackle both the immediate incidence of crime and its deep-rooted underlying causes.

  • …Drew: All member states were informed and invited

    …Drew: All member states were informed and invited

    A deepening diplomatic rift has emerged within the Caribbean Community (Caricom) after the bloc’s current chairman has pushed back against claims that Trinidad and Tobago was improperly excluded from a key decision-making meeting that approved the reappointment of Caricom Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett.

    Dr Terrance Drew, who serves as both Caricom chairman and Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevi, laid out a detailed timeline of events in an April 8 correspondence addressed to Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Drew’s account confirms that every member state received full, formal notice of the closed-heads retreat held on Nevis on February 26, a side gathering held during Caricom’s 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government hosted by St Kitts and Nevis between February 24 and 27.

    Drew clarified that all participating leaders received advance official correspondence laying out the retreat’s date, location and agenda, with additional follow-up communications circulated throughout the main conference week. The full event schedule, which split business into plenary sessions, caucus meetings and the restricted heads-only retreat, was shared with all delegations far in advance. Items on the retreat’s working agenda included updates on global geopolitical shifts and discussions over Caricom’s internal financing and governance — a policy area where Secretariat leadership matters, including Secretary-General reappointments, are routinely addressed.

    Per Drew’s account, Persad-Bissessar departed the host federation on the evening of February 25, a full 24 hours before the retreat was scheduled to begin. Out of a commitment to ensuring Trinidad and Tobago still had representation, Drew reached out to the country’s Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers to ask if he would step in to attend in the Prime Minister’s place. According to Drew, Sobers turned down the invitation, citing personal discomfort with the only available transit option to Nevis: a standard local water-taxi service. Drew wrote that Sobers explicitly stated he declined over fears of experiencing seasickness during the crossing.

    It was during that restricted retreat that heads of government reviewed and approved Barnett’s reappointment, a process conducted in full alignment with Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which grants the Conference of Heads of Government full authority over Secretary-General reappointments. Drew noted that Barnett recused herself from the room and was not present for any part of the discussion. Out of respect for absent leaders, heads agreed to delay the public announcement of the decision to give the chair time to notify non-attending leaders first. Drew added that he personally attempted to reach Persad-Bissessar via both email and phone ahead of any public statement, but received no response to his messages and was unable to connect with her directly.

    Drew closed the letter by extending an open offer to discuss the matter further, sharing his direct contact information with the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister.

    However, the explanation has done little to resolve the dispute. On the Thursday following Drew’s letter, Sobers publicly rejected the account, saying the chairman’s response to Trinidad and Tobago’s original concerns was inadequate. Persad-Bissessar ordered a formal reply be sent to Drew, with a new letter dated April 9 refuting the claim that Sobers cited water-taxi discomfort as a reason for non-attendance. The rebuttal letter also renewed Trinidad and Tobago’s demand for full answers over what the country says is its improper exclusion from the reappointment process.

  • T&T to stay away

    T&T to stay away

    A major rift has emerged within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) after Trinidad and Tobago announced a full suspension of its participation in all bloc meetings until leadership fulfills its demand for full documentation related to the controversial early reappointment of Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett. The twin-island nation has also formally stated it will not recognize Barnett’s second five-year term once her current 2021-2026 tenure expires this August.

    The standoff, which has cast a spotlight on long-simmering concerns about transparency and procedural integrity within the regional bloc, was laid out in an April 9, 2026 letter from Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Sean Sobers to CARICOM Chairman Dr. Terrance Drew. The country followed through on its threat this week, skipping the 25th Special Emergency Meeting of the CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government to underscore the seriousness of its grievances.

    At the heart of the dispute is the way Barnett’s reappointment was handled during a closed retreat hosted in Nevis in February 2026, months before her term expires and ahead of a regularly scheduled full heads of government meeting set for July. Sobers has forcefully pushed back against Drew’s public claim that his absence from the retreat was due to reported seasickness, calling the assertion categorically false. Instead, Sobers confirms Trinidad and Tobago was deliberately excluded from the closed session, and has official correspondence to back this claim.

    Sobers clarified the facts of the retreat to correct repeated misrepresentation from CARICOM leadership: While Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar attended prior events in St Kitts and Nevis and departed before the retreat, the full Trinidad and Tobago delegation remained through the conclusion of broader conference proceedings on February 27. When the retreat convened, Sobers — who was formally designated as Trinidad and Tobago’s head of delegation for the session — received a last-minute WhatsApp message from the CARICOM Secretariat restricting attendance exclusively to sitting heads of government, a restriction later confirmed by CARICOM’s Chef de Cabinet. This exclusion, Sobers argues, directly violates Article 11 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which explicitly permits heads of government to appoint authorized representatives to attend meetings on their behalf.

    Compounding these procedural violations is the complete lack of transparency around the reappointment itself. Sobers notes that the official retreat agenda, grouped under the general heading of “Financing and Governance,” made no mention of the Secretary-General’s reappointment — a major leadership decision that, per longstanding CARICOM precedent, is always listed as a standalone agenda item for full discussion by all member states. Trinidad and Tobago, along with other absent member nations, was not given advance notice that the vote would take place at the retreat, leaving the decision to a small select group of leaders in attendance.

    Sobers also raised pointed questions about the rushed timeline for the reappointment: With Barnett’s term not expiring until August 2026 and a full heads of government meeting already scheduled for July, there was no logical reason to rush the vote five months early. He further pointed to additional red flags, including the omission of the reappointment decision from the official Summary of Confirmed Decisions circulated to all member states on March 2, 2026, and a month-long delay in formally notifying Trinidad and Tobago’s government of the outcome. In response to claims from Guyanese President Irfaan Ali that the 2026 process mirrored the 2021 appointment, Sobers has requested full documentation from the 2021 process to verify this claim.

    Trinidad and Tobago has tabled a detailed 13-point list of specific documentation and clarifications it requires from CARICOM leadership before it will resume participation in bloc meetings. These demands include the full unredacted agenda of the February retreat, a complete list of attendees and invitees, all meeting minutes from the retreat, full performance appraisals of Dr. Barnett, all nomination communications for the Secretary-General role, identification of the officials who authorized advancing the reappointment at the retreat, a formal explanation for the rushed timeline, proof of whether all member states and their authorized representatives were invited, confirmation of whether Chairman Drew ordered the head-of-government-only restriction, justification for deviating from established reappointment precedent, explanation for omitting the decision from the March 2 summary, proof that pre-vote communications were sent to all members as claimed, explanation for the month-long delay in notifying Trinidad and Tobago, and full documentation from the 2021 appointment process for comparison.

    Addressing reporters at a Thursday press conference, Sobers stressed that Trinidad and Tobago remains fully committed to the CARICOM integration project and has no plans to withdraw from the regional bloc. He framed the dispute not as a break with the organization, but as a fight for better governance: The country’s core demand is for full transparency and adherence to the bloc’s own governing rules, rather than allowing critical decisions to be made through opaque, exclusionary processes by a small group of leaders.

  • A SEA OF BLUE

    A SEA OF BLUE

    On a sweltering midday in Port of Spain, a massive crowd of nurses and midwives, dressed uniformly in blue, flooded the capital’s streets to stage a coordinated protest over deeply rooted grievances in Trinidad and Tobago’s public health system. Chanting “BODOE in the building, hiding, hiding, hiding from workers…Bodoe where art thou?”, the demonstrators demanded that Health Minister Dr Lackram Bodoe break his months-long silence and address their unmet demands for better pay, adequate staffing and improved working conditions.

    Beginning just after 11 a.m. from the steps of Port of Spain General Hospital, the procession marched along an approved route to the Ministry of Health’s headquarters at Queen’s Park East, with many protesters using umbrellas to block the harsh tropical sun. The demonstration was officially authorized by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), even amid the country’s ongoing state of emergency, and a heavy contingent of officers was deployed to monitor the march, reroute civilian traffic, and ensure the event remained peaceful. Passing motorists slowed to observe the “sea of blue” that occupied major city thoroughfares as protesters raised placards and shouted their demands for a 10% wage increase and urgent government intervention to reverse what they described as a steadily collapsing public health system.

    Two core demands anchored the protest: the immediate resignation of North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) chairman Dr Tim Gopeesingh, and sustained accountability from Health Minister Bodoe, whom protesters repeatedly accused of refusing to engage with frontline health workers. Chants grew louder and more forceful as the procession reached the Ministry of Health’s gates, with frustration boiling over at the minister’s repeated refusal to acknowledge the severity of the sector’s crisis.

    Leading the march was Idi Stuart, president of the Trinidad and Tobago National Nursing Association (TTNNA), accompanied by other senior union leaders. Along the route and during a closing address at Independence Square, Stuart emphasized that chronic understaffing has created unsustainable pressure on remaining frontline workers, who are forced to cover excessive patient loads with limited resources. Messages on the protesters’ placards laid bare the depth of their anger and frustration: “Nursing is a profession, not charity work”, “Permanent nurses now”, “Enough is Enough”, “The Struggle is Rough”, and “Does the minister of health care about RHA workers” reflected widespread discontent over insecure employment status and stagnant compensation.

    The protest came just 24 hours after Gopeesingh announced that 61 new nurses would be hired across NCRHA facilities, joining the roughly 1,000 registered nurses already working at sites including the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Arima Hospital, Mt Hope Women’s Hospital, Caura Hospital and multiple regional health centres. But Stuart dismissed this incremental move as wholly insufficient to fix the systemic gaps plaguing the sector.

    In an interview after the march, Stuart noted that multiple major health facilities experienced significant service disruptions as a result of the protest demonstration. He also lashed out at recent comments Bodoe made in Parliament, where the minister denied that the public health system is facing any crisis. Stuart said the minister’s downplaying of the situation left frontline nurses “infuriated”, and insisted that the crisis is very real, arguing that the general public would not back Bodoe’s dismissal of the issue.

    “I don’t think it was the perception of those persons who were turned away at health centres today. I don’t believe it was the perception of persons who were unable to receive surgery today. I don’t believe those hundreds of persons still in accident and emergency departments across Trinidad and Tobago see it from his perspective,” Stuart said.

    With Parliament convening at 1:30 p.m. the same day, Stuart noted that the union did not have approval to protest directly outside the Red House (Trinidad and Tobago’s parliament building), but suggested that a small group of nurses might still pass by the site to make their presence known. The protest concluded outside the Treasury Building and the Eric Williams Financial Complex, where demonstrators chanted “We want we money, right now” — a clear signal that the union will continue industrial action until the government delivers tangible, measurable changes to address their demands.

    Despite the widespread public demonstration, Bodoe doubled down on his position during yesterday’s parliamentary sitting, continuing to deny that Trinidad and Tobago is facing a national health crisis. Responding to a question from Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles, who raised the planned protest and called on the government to address a crisis that she said has now entered its third week, Bodoe told the Speaker of the House: “I wish to assure the population that there is no health crisis in our country at this time. Under this government, the healthcare system continues to provide services to thousands of patients on a daily basis.” He closed by thanking all RHA and Ministry of Health workers for their continued diligent service to Trinidad and Tobago citizens.

    Local outlet *Trinidad Express* attempted to reach Gopeesingh for comment on Stuart’s claim that NCRHA facility operations were disrupted by the protest, but he did not respond to phone calls or a WhatsApp message seeking a response.

  • Tensions over gang remarks

    Tensions over gang remarks

    A fiery confrontation erupted in Trinidad and Tobago’s Parliament on Wednesday, triggered by explosive historical claims from Legal Affairs Minister Saddam Hosein about a former junior housing minister, that ultimately ended with the unanimous approval of a landmark piece of border security legislation.

    During debate over the proposed Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record Bill 2026, Hosein took the floor to frame the critical importance of the new law, which the government says will strengthen border screening and national security through upgraded digital processing systems. Beyond policy, Hosein anchored his argument in a recent corruption and gang affiliation scandal, reviving 2025 allegations against former junior housing minister Adrian Leonce, who once served under ex-housing minister Camille Robinson-Regis, currently a member of the Opposition.

    Citing an investigative report published by *Express* in May 2025, Hosein detailed that Leonce was listed as a co-director of a United Kingdom-registered company incorporated in 2023 and dissolved just 10 months later in July 2024. The report alleged Leonce helped an individual with confirmed gang connections travel to the UK, where the traveler used the address of Leonce’s own grandmother for entry documentation. Hosein added that Leonce has publicly stated he cut all ties with the company immediately after learning of his associate’s alleged corrupt and problematic activities, and that the entire incident remains an open active investigation by local police.

    What particularly ignited the confrontation was Hosein’s note that Leonce held his junior minister post under Robinson-Regis, the current Member of Parliament for Trincity/Maloney. Robinson-Regis immediately rose to a point of order, claiming Hosein had intentionally impugned her reputation by implying she had prior knowledge of improper government contracts awarded to Leonce’s associate.

    House Speaker Jagdeo Singh quickly overruled Robinson-Regis’s objection, stating he had not heard any damaging accusation against her from the government minister. The ruling did little to calm tensions, however, as heated cross-talk erupted between government and opposition benches, with Robinson-Regis repeatedly insisting she would not tolerate the implied attack on her integrity.

    The confrontation escalated further when Singh demanded Robinson-Regis apologize and withdraw unparliamentary, “vile and offensive” remarks she had directed toward Defence Minister Wayne Sturge, the MP for Toco/Sangre Grande. The Speaker threatened to enforce Standing Order 55, which outlines disciplinary actions for parliamentary disorder, repeated interruptions and excessive cross-talk.

    After continued protest, Robinson-Regis issued the required apology under parliamentary rules, though she reiterated her claim that she had been wrongfully impugned. “I apologise and withdraw but I will not be impugned by any member of this House,” she stated. Singh again pushed back, maintaining he had heard no accusation of wrongdoing against Robinson-Regis, and invited Hosein to withdraw any unintended implication and continue his speech.

    Hosein rejected the call for an apology, challenging Robinson-Regis to file a formal privilege motion if she believed her rights had been violated. He doubled down on his claims, arguing that if Robinson-Regis had no knowledge of government contracts awarded to Leonce, she was unaware of core activity within her former ministry. He also referenced a previous Joint Select Committee meeting where Robinson-Regis had herself disclosed that former minister Foster Cummings received millions in state contracts, drawing another rebuke from opposition members. San Fernando East MP Brian Manning interrupted, shouting for Hosein to stop, labeling him a “clown” in the exchange. Hosein shot back, questioning why the opposition bench was so shaken by publicly reported facts.

    Even amid the repeated clashes between government and opposition members, Speaker Singh ultimately ruled Hosein’s remarks relevant to the debate, noting that the minister was justified in establishing a factual context to demonstrate why the new border security legislation is necessary.

    Following the heated confrontation and extended debate, the chamber moved to a vote on the bill, and the outcome defied the earlier tension: the Advance Passenger Information and Passenger Name Record Bill 2026 passed unanimously. All 32 voting members supported the legislation, with no votes against and no abstentions. Minister Hosein emphasized during his opening remarks that the new system is a critical step for Trinidad and Tobago to meet United Kingdom security requirements, a necessary precondition to convince the UK to remove its mandatory visa requirement for all Trinidad and Tobago nationals traveling to the country.

  • A village in mourning

    A village in mourning

    A tight-knit Trinidadian community is grappling with unspeakable loss after seven-year-old Angelica Saydee Jogie lost her life in a jet ski collision during a family vacation in Tobago last Wednesday. In the days following the tragedy, relatives gathered at the Jogie family’s Barrackpore home to hold an overnight wake for the young girl, whose sudden death has sent ripples of shock and heartbreak across the entire neighborhood. For Angelica’s loved ones, the tragedy has permanently altered the fabric of their family life.

    When local newspaper the Trinidad Express visited the quiet residential community on the day after the accident, family members struggled to hold back tears as they shared memories of the bright, beloved child. Two relatives, who requested anonymity to grieve privately, spoke of the joy Angelica brought to every person she met, a warmth that makes her passing even harder to accept. One relative said, “This incident has already changed the life of our family forever. Every day from now on, we will carry this grief. Life will never be the same again.” Another added, “This hurt cuts so deep that words cannot capture the pain I feel. All I know is I would never wish this suffering on any other family.”

    Out of their pain, the family is calling for urgent changes to water safety regulations in Tobago’s recreational coastal areas. They say the current system of marking boundaries between swimmer zones and jet ski routes with just a rope is woefully inadequate, putting all beachgoers in unnecessary danger. “A rope is not enough to protect bathers from high-speed jet skis; that is just putting lives at risk,” one relative explained. “We are calling on authorities to either designate a separate, secured area for jet ski operations or ban them entirely from popular swimming beaches. We need action, so no other family has to go through what we are suffering right now.”

    Steven Paul, cousin of Angelica’s father Arnold Jogie, shared that Angelica’s parents were deeply attentive and protective parents, who never let their children out of their sight near water. “The day before the accident, I spoke to Arnold, and he told me he always stayed right beside his kids,” Paul recalled. “The children were never more than an arm’s length away from him, and they only ever entered the water when he was with them. Both parents are so careful with their children.” Paul, who still says he struggles to process the news, added that the entire village has rallied around the grieving family. “When I got the call about Angelica, I started shaking, physically and mentally. I’m still trembling just talking about it now. The whole village is in shock. Since the night the accident happened, we’ve been gathered here to support each other and honor this innocent little girl.”

    In the wake of the accident, Angelica’s father was hospitalized, and relatives say they are holding out hope he will be able to return home to the community soon to grieve with his loved ones. As the family makes arrangements to bring Angelica home for her final services, relatives say they are focusing on lifting each other up, preparing for what they know will be an emotionally devastating homecoming. For the Barrackpore community, the loss of the young girl has left a permanent void that will never be filled.

  • Slain businesswoman had reported threats, says family

    Slain businesswoman had reported threats, says family

    The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Tricia Marajh, a St Joseph-based businesswoman, has sparked public outrage after her family revealed she had filed multiple formal reports with Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement agencies about persistent death threats earlier this year – yet no protective action was taken before the targeted attack.

    Marajh was gunned down just after 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday in what her relatives confirm was a pre-planned hit, not a random robbery. The killing makes her the sixth woman to be murdered in the country so far this year.

    When local outlet the Express visited Marajh’s family compound off Riverside Road on Thursday, the entrance of the property was marked with a sign reading “D Duck Ranch Poultry Depot”, with the family home sitting up a gentle incline from the road. A close relative of Marajh, who requested anonymity to speak publicly, described her as a loving wife, devoted mother of three, and generous community member. Marajh leaves behind two daughters aged 18 and 19, and a nine-year-old son. Beyond her poultry business, she ran a successful dessert and cake brand called T’s Tasty Treats and also operated a small used car buying and selling business.

    While the family remains uncertain of the motive behind the attack, the relative confirmed that the killing was not a robbery or extortion attempt. “Since the start of the year, she was being threatened with death. But Wednesday was not a robbery, it was a hit,” the relative stated. When asked about potential links to illegal money lending, the relative added that to the best of the family’s knowledge, Marajh did not owe money to any lender. The individuals who threatened her never even demanded money, he added.

    Following the first threat against her life, Marajh took formal action by filing a report at the St Joseph Police Station. She did not stop there: she submitted multiple additional reports to the specialized Extortion Unit and even reached out to officers from the national Task Force, according to the relative. “She made numerous reports to all of them… and nothing was done,” he said.

    The family’s grief is mixed with deep anger over the lack of intervention from authorities. “What’s justice for a life lost? We as well as our entire community are upset about this, as justice cannot bring any life back,” the relative said. “Everyone who knew her, loved her. She had a soft heart and she was the kind of person who helped anyone who asked.”

    On Thursday afternoon, one of Marajh’s daughters shared a heartfelt public tribute to her mother on social media that laid bare the raw pain of her loss. “I love you so much and I can’t believe this right now. Just yesterday you were here with all of us and now you’re gone in seconds. It’s so sad and it hurts a lot. I hope we can get you the justice you deserve and need,” the post read. The daughter described trying to stay strong for her father and younger brother, but struggling to cope with the sudden loss. “You were not ready to go and you were still young with a lot to live for but they took that from you and they took you from me,” she wrote.

    Details released by police confirm the attack was carefully orchestrated. Around 4:35 p.m. Wednesday, Marajh was called out of her home by an individual who asked her to inspect a gold-coloured Nissan Tiida, a common part of her used car business. While she was examining the vehicle, a masked gunman exited the back seat, approached her, and fired multiple shots at close range. By the time shocked relatives inside the home heard the gunfire and rushed outside, the attacker’s vehicle had already sped away from the scene. Family members immediately transported Marajh to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.

    The Express reached out to multiple senior officers with the Northern Division of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to verify the family’s claims that Marajh had filed repeated threat reports, but no official response had been received as of Thursday night.

  • School mourns ‘beautiful and bright’ student

    School mourns ‘beautiful and bright’ student

    A devastating beach accident has cut short the life of a promising young elementary student in Trinidad, leaving her school, family and entire local community grappling with overwhelming grief. Seven-year-old Angelica Saydee Jogie, a top-performing first grader at San Fernando TML Primary School, was killed Wednesday afternoon after being struck by an out-of-control jet ski at Tobago’s popular Pigeon Point Heritage Park.

    The tragedy unfolded around 5 p.m. as Angelica swam in a designated bathing zone alongside her father, Arnold Jogie, and uncle, Darren Jogie. Both adult relatives sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the collision, while bystanders and family members immediately administered first aid to the young girl. Despite rapid emergency response efforts, Angelica was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at Scarborough General Hospital that same evening.

    In an official statement sent to all parents and guardians Thursday, acting school principal Wahida Mohammed-Narine reflected on Angelica’s bright life, remembering the child as an exceptional A student who brought warmth and kindness to every corner of the campus. “Angelica was bright, beautiful, exceptionally well-disciplined, and brimming with untapped potential,” Mohammed-Narine wrote. “Her gentle spirit and positive energy touched the lives of every classmate, every teacher, and anyone who had the chance to meet her.”

    To support the community through the grieving process, Mohammed-Narine confirmed that regional and national education bodies have stepped in to provide specialized mental health resources. The Ministry of Education, the Victoria Education District, and the Student Support Services Division have all committed to offering on-site counselling for students, teachers and school staff, with targeted support for peers in Angelica’s classroom and the class of her older sister, Angelina. The school has also shared public photos of Angelica, capturing her constant warm smile during class activities and playtime with friends. Messages of condolence have poured in from staff and parent groups across the school community, all directed to Angelica’s heartbroken family, who affectionately called the child Saydee.

    In a heartfelt social media post, Angelica’s aunt paid tribute to her niece, describing her as a vibrant young soul that turned every ordinary moment into something special. “She had an infectious smile, and a spirit as bright as the sun on the beach that she loved so deeply,” she wrote. “She taught all of us to find magic and wonder in the smallest things. Even though her time with us was far too brief, the warmth of her love and the sweetness of her personality left a permanent, indelible mark on our family that no one can ever take away.”

    Calling Angelica a precious gift to everyone who knew her, she added: “We are absolutely devastated by our loss, but we are also deeply grateful for the seven years of pure light she gave to all of us. Whenever I was feeling down, she was there to bring me joy. That is the gift she leaves behind.”