Mitchell slams UNC as coat of arms bill passed in Senate

TOURISM, Culture and the Arts Minister Randall Mitchell told the Opposition UNC to forget about elections and learn to put the national interest before their own partisan political agenda.

He made this point before the Senate passed the National Emblems of Trinidad and Tobago (Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2025 without amendments on January 21.

The bill allowed for the replacement of illustrations representing ships led by Italian explorer Christopher Columbus with the national instrument, the steelpan.

The House of Representatives passed the bill on January 11.

The bill will now go to President Christine Kangaloo for assent and will subsequently be proclaimed into law.

As he concluded debate on the bill, Mitchell said it was unfortunate the UNC was blinded by its own political agenda and engaged in shameless politicking during the debate.

"All they focused about is elections. Forget elections this is about the national identity of all of us in TT."

Mitchell said the UNC's complaints about the Prime Minister speaking about the proposal to replace the ships with the steelpan at a PNM annual convention last August, had no substance.

He added it is a fact that whether in opposition or in government, major national issues and government policies are discussed in PNM conventions.

Mitchell said the same thing happened with established, serious political parties in the US, UK and Jamaica when they hold their conventions.

"We (PNM) make no apologies about that. They (UNC) don't have any conventions. Them does have curry duck lime and cookout."

Mitchell said the UNC misunderstood what the National Emblems Committee.

He reminded senators it is a committee which falls under the National Security Ministry and advises the National Security Minister on matters regarding national emblems and symbols.

Mitchell said the minster and by extension the cabinet determine policies on these matters, acting on the committee's advice.

He added it is wrong for anyone to claim that government usurped the role of the committee which is "fully populated" at this time.

Mitchell said government has taken measures to identify the steelpan as unique to TT by securing an important intellectual property tool called a geographic indicator.

"We went to the UN and got the geographical indicator protection."

He told senators this will ensure that worldwide, the steelpan is known to be unique to TT and made to a particular high standard."

Mitchell said while the UNC boasted about giving money to the Pan Trinbago in 2014-2015 while in government, nothing came out of that.

He praised the work of incumbent Pan Trinbago president Beverley Ramsey-Moore to put the organisation on a solid footing and help to promote the steelpan's growth.

While Pan Trinbago was provided with land in Trincity to build a headquarters under the 1995-2001 UNC government, Mitchell said problems with the lease prevented that project from getting off the ground.

He reminded UNC senators that party leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar had oversight for that matter as the then legal affairs minister in the Basdeo Panday cabinet.

In response to a contribution by Independent Senator Anthony Vieira, Mitchell said the change to the coat of arms was not depriving any group of its heritage.

He repeated the change was to remove painful colonial vestiges of the past.

Mitchell said some of these things which the ships represented included the introduction of disease and slavery into the Caribbean.

He added this does not compare with the positive contributions made to TT's development over time from many ethnic groups.

Mitchell said he did some DNA testing on himself recently and learnt he had some Portuguese ancestry.

He suggested Vieira had similar ancestry, with his ancestors coming to TT as indentured labourers or merchants from Madeira.