Harmless letters to the editor?

Jerome Teelucksingh

WHEN I WAS younger I always wondered if letters to the editors of newspapers and calls to radio talk shows would create positive change. And, if change did occur, I wondered if they would be permanent changes.

Letters to the editor include advice, pleas for assistance, reflect the patriotism of a people, their literacy and the state of politics. Yes, some also reflect citizens who are bold, fearless and do not use a pseudonym.

In the 21st century, many use social media (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok) to express their frustration, feelings and perspectives.

One such patriotic citizen is Apostle Terrence P Honoré from south Trinidad. He has recently published an excellent collection of thought-provoking pieces, written over a 25-year period. The book is simply titled Letters to the Editor. His work is an eclectic collection encompassing history, religion, politics, environment and infrastructure.

Honoré displays a genuine concern for our environment. This is evident in a published piece from August 2015 in which he highlighted the dead marine life in the Gulf of Paria as a result of “adverse industrial activities” and which “negatively affect the ecological balance of our environment.” He ended the letter by challenging the Environmental Management Authority to restore life to the affected coastline.

Some people would know his love for preserving the past, especially his early involvement in the Palmiste History Society and Petrotrin Historical Society. In another letter, in 2016, entitled “Botanic Gardens in south need care,” he made a public appeal for Palmiste Park “to be cared for and curated.” Honoré educates readers on the historical linkages of this park to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Port of Spain and Sir Norman Lamont.

Hopefully, such letters will inspire other communities to form historical societies and preserve their artefacts, landmarks and record the oral history of the elders.

Often people here and abroad are afraid to express their political views for fear of victimisation, being stigmatised, or dubbed a supporter of a political party. Honoré seeks to provide a moral compass to guide citizens, as evident in a contribution to Newsday on June 8, 2017.

Honoré confessed he is "troubled" and stated, “I am for truth and justice,” and declared support for the Chief Justice over a fiasco of the time. He admonished the mob demanding the Chief Justice resign and warned, “The folly of our efforts to implicate others is a characteristic cancer of our society.”

His advice and warnings are still relevant in 2024. For instance, in July 2017, Honoré advised the Prime Minister that “our nation needs a purge” because of the “serious financial constipation, moral decadence, and stomach-churning murders.”

Twenty-three years ago the Newsday published another of Honoré’s letters, on April 19, 2001. He prophetically warned us of “the escalating crime, the wantonness, the disrespect for authority, all evidence of a rebellious society.” And, a similar warning was made in a letter headlined “Let’s fix the flooding.” Here we are in 2024 and still dealing with flooding.

On February 14, 2022, in a letter appropriately titled “Promises spoken, promises broken,” he warned the citizenry of the “art of politics" and “tricks of the trade.” And he referred to this as “political abuse of the population.” Almost six years ago, in January 2018, he pleaded for Tobago to stay in the union with Trinidad.

Honoré also provides bite-size sermons easy for public consumption. In one of his most stirring pieces, "Let the church arise!" he boldly proclaimed the urgency of the church in addressing “the challenges of our progressive society.” He lamented the lack of prayer in our nation and noted, “Our mothers have been praying while our men have been retreating to the rum shops, bars and television sets.”

Similar appeals were made during 2018-2020 with his letters “Prayer is essential,” and “Let’s respect our holy days.”

His letters are relevant as they deal with topics that are still being discussed, such as removal of Christopher Columbus statues and also the primary-school SEA exam.

Honoré and other writers to the newspapers might believe their efforts are futile and wasted.

However, I salute letter-writers for having the discipline to distil ideas, observations and analyses and share in the public domain.

In 2024, writing letters to the editor is a dying art. Those who abuse power and governance should take heed of the frustration in letters to the editor. These seemingly harmless letters are the dangerous pebbles that will cause the downfall of economic and political Goliaths.