REIGNING Calypso Monarch and seven-time Soca Monarch (power and groovy) Machel Montano will headline the list of contenders for the Chutney Soca title to be held at Skinner Park on March 1.
The announcement was made on Monday by Southex CEO George Singh, promoter of the of bmobile’s CSM 30th Anniversary Show.
Rikki Jai. –
Singh said due to the high quality performances at the semifinals, the producers have decided to add extra artistes to the grand finale, bringing the number of contenders for Rick Ramoutar’s crown and the $400,000 purse, to 12.
The 12 artistes who will now join Ramoutar and the “wildcard,” Guyanese Terry Gajraj in the finals, bring to 14 the number of finalists.
Among the contenders are, nine-time CSM king Rikki Jai, two-time title holder Neval Chatelal as well as former monarch Ricardo Melville known as Daddy Chinee. Both Machel and Jai topped the semis.
There are also four women in the line-up who are vying not only for the top spot, but also for the Queen of Chutney Soca title, which is up for grabs. Reigning queen Rawytee Ramroop failed to advance to the finals.
CRICKET West Indies (CWI) has introduced term limits for the top positions of president and vice-president after a Special Meeting of members of CWI was held in Trinidad on February 9.
A CWI media release on February 10 said that “its full member shareholders have officially approved a historic set of governance reforms.”
“At the forefront of these reforms is the introduction of a term limit of a maximum of three terms of three years each for the positions of president and vice-president.”
The release said the change will allow CWI to benefit from more ideas.
“This critical change ensures fresh leadership opportunities, promotes continuity while preventing stagnation, and aligns CWI’s governance framework with modern best practices.”
There will also be an adjustment to the length of time the president and vice-president will serve a term.
“Additionally, the reforms include the increase of the term of the president and vice-president from two years to three years. This change will take effect from the next presidential and vice-presidential election, which is due in March 2025.”
CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow hailed the passage of these reforms as a landmark achievement.
“Today marks a defining moment for Cricket West Indies. With the implementation of long-overdue term limits and critical governance reforms, we are taking a bold and uncompromising step toward stronger, more transparent, and accountable leadership. For years, governance has been at the heart of regional debate, with stakeholders demanding change. This is not just reform; it is a necessary transformation that will ensure Cricket West Indies is led with integrity, vision, and responsibility.”
The governance reform process has been a strategic priority for CWI, undergoing extensive discussions and consultations over the past few years, including insights from the Wehby Report.
Another change will be having more parity among genders as more women independent directors will be appoined to the board to “enhance gender representation in decision-making, ensuring a broader range of expertise and perspectives.”
President of the TT Cricket Board Azim Bassarath, who is also the CWI vice-president, was among those who attended the meeting.
Changes in the board and leadership structure:
Introduction of term limits for the president and vice-president
Extension of the president and vice-president’s term from two to three years.
The appointment of more female independent directors to the board to enhance gender representation in decision-making, ensuring a broader range of expertise and perspectives.
Implementation of a strategic governance committee.
Reduction in the number and size of committees.
Increased involvement of independent committee members.
Implementation of more robust recruitment and selection processes to ensure the most qualified candidates fill key positions within the organisation.
BURLY Jamaican-based central defender Josiah Trimmingham went from hero to zero for the Soca Warriors as they played to a 1-1 draw with Jamaica in a friendly at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, Kingston on February 9.
Trimmingham, who represents Montego Bay United in the Jamaican Premier League, gave Trinidad and Tobago the lead with a header just before the half hour mark. However, shortly before referee Oshane Nation blew his final whistle, Trimmingham’s night was soured when he inadvertently sent an attempted clearance into the Soca Warriors net as Jamaica attacker Kimani Arbouine sent a header goalward.
For the second straight game, TT operated with a 5-3-2 system, with Trimmingham and his central defensive partner Justin Garcia both retaining their spots from the first encounter, alongside full back Darnell Hosepdales. Meanwhile, 40-year-old goalkeeper Marvin Phillip started in goal for TT, before he was replaced with Jabari St Hillaire in the 81st minute.
Nathaniel James and the lanky Brent Sam formed a strike partnership for TT.
Trimmingham’s late own goal robbed coach Dwight Yorke of his first win with TT since taking over as head coach last November. The Soca Warriors fell 3-1 to Saudi Arabia in a friendly at the Al Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh on December 17, with the TT team also losing 1-0 to the “Reggae Boyz” in the first friendly between the teams in Montego Bay on February 6.
The Soca Warriors used the friendlies as preparation for their 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup home-and-away preliminary tie versus Cuba on March 21 and 25.
The Tobago People’s Party (TPP) has selected retired assistant fire chief David Thomas as its candidate for Tobago East in the THA elections, constitutionally due in 2025.
TPP held a marathon screening session for potential candidates for both Tobago seats on February 6, at Shaw Park Cultural Complex.
Thomas got the committee’s nod over five other nominees, including a TPP official, a member of the protective services, and a THA adviser.
The other nominees were retired ACP William Nurse; TPP chairman Ann Natasha Second; tour guide William Trim; ex-assemblyman Max James; and technical adviser, Division of Finance, Trade and the Economy Anslem Richards.
The Tobago East seat is currently held by PNM’s Ayana Webster-Roy who will be fighting to retain the constituency.
TPP said its screening committee is continuing its deliberations to select a Tobago West candidate.
THA Secretary of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development Trevor James and public servant Barry Nelson are TPP’s options at the moment.
The Tobago West seat is occupied by PNM’s Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis who will be fighting for the post once more.
On February 9, the Patriotic Front, led by Mickela Panday, announced that Aretha Paula Clarke will be contesting Tobago West.
The United National Congress (UNC) is mourning the loss of former chairman of the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation (PDRC) and one of the party’s founding members, Premchand Sookoo.
Sookoo, 77, died on Sunday February 9, from a suspected heart attack.
In a statement on February 10, UNC Political Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she was deeply saddened by his passing.
She described Sookoo as a pioneer in local government, a veteran committed to service in the PDRC and a UNC stalwart whose commitment to service earned him a national award.
In her statement, Persad-Bissessar gave an account of Sookoo’s career which she said began at the Victoria County Council in 1977.
“Premchand was motivated by politics as an avenue to change the lives of those around him, especially in his community. As a result, he contested his first election in 1983 for a seat within the then Victoria Council, which seat was later incorporated into the then newly created PDRC in 1990.
“Premchand spent 33 years, from 1983 to 2016, serving the people of Barrackpore West electoral district as their elected councillor.”
As PDRC chariman, she said, “he exemplified innovation, tenacity and dynamism. His work was instrumental in enriching community infrastructure, alleviating flooding in many districts, and implementing key programs to better the socio-economic fabric of this region.
Premchand Sookoo
Of his 33 years’ service which puts him as one of the longest-serving local government representatives in TT, she said his dedication to public service, commitment to representative politics and his burgesses led to him receiving the Public Service Medal of Merit (Gold) in 2010 from then president, the late George Maxwell Richards.
“As a party, beyond his defining positive impact on local government, the UNC is eternally grateful for his contribution to our party’s creation, preservation and success. He was one of the founding stalwarts of the party who guided, enhanced and protected our party organs over the years.”
On this premise, he was also awarded with a long service award for distinguished service at the party’s 35th-anniversary celebrations.
“Premchand Sookhoo left an indelible mark on the lives of all those he encountered and was an advocate for the people his entire life. He will always be the people’s representative and an icon for those new to the political arena to look up to. The UNC will always be grateful for Premchand Sookoo’s pivotal work. We have lost a faithful servant and son of our soil.
“We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones and pray that God gives them the strength to endure this difficult time. We shall never forget his contribution to the UNC, the people of Penal Debe, and Trinidad and Tobago,” Persad-Bissessar said.
DR LISA INDAR is the new executive director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (Carpha).
This was announced on Monday in a Carpha press release which said her appointment became effective February 1. She was interim executive director since July 2024, having served in the substantive post of director, surveillance, disease prevention and control since 2019, as well as head of the regional tourism and health programme since 2014.
The release said that at a recent staff retreat, Indar shared her vision for the agency and unveiled the new strategic plan 2025-2030.
Indar, Carpha said, has over 20 years’ experience in regional and international public health. She holds a PhD, MSc (Distinction) and BSc (Honours) with multidisciplinary qualifications.
Under her stewardship, she led several key public health initiatives, including, but not limited to:
• Co-ordination of Carpha’s successful, multi-faceted regional health response to the pandemic, working with 26 countries, chief medical officers, and international and regional stakeholders to mitigate the impact of the virus across the Caribbean.
• Spearheaded implementation of the US$16M regional pandemic fund grant, aimed at enhancing pandemic preparedness and response capabilities across Carpha’s 26 member states.
• Development of Carpha’s regional health security framework – a strategic initiative to strengthen regional public health preparedness and response
• Co-ordinated the implementation of a novel mass gathering surveillance system for the ICC Men’s T20 cricket world cup in 2024, enabling real-time monitoring of public health risks during large-scale events.
• Co-ordinated Carpha’s regional health response following Hurricane Beryl and the Mpox outbreak in August 2024, ensuring effective public health interventions and support for affected member states.
• Led the development of the regional integrated One Health surveillance strategy (linking human, animal and environmental health).
• Developed the regional tourism and health programme which tackled health, safety, and environmental sanitation threats within the tourism sector, as well as the one health food borne diseases and antimicrobial resistance programmes.
Carpha is the sole, integrated, regional public health agency responsible for preventing disease, promoting and protecting health in the Caribbean through leadership, innovation and partnerships.
MITIGATING and/or minimising risks that are inherent to the energy sector must remain top priority for industry leaders as it is they who bear the critical responsibility of ensuring the safety of the frontline workforce.
This was the message from Mala Baliraj, chairperson of the Energy Chamber as she addressed attendees at the opening of the 2025 Energy Conference at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, on February 10.
Baliraj took a moment to express condolences, on behalf of the Energy Chamber, to the family and friends of Pete Phillip, the offshore worker who went missing at sea and is presumed dead after Wells Services Ltd’s Rig 110 – where he was working – partially collapsed into the sea near the Trinmar base in Point Fortin on December 22.
His body is yet to be recovered.
Missing Well Services Ltd employee Pete Phillip. –
She stressed the need for continuous vigilance in occupational safety, noting that 375 companies in the industry are certified under the Safe to Work programme.
While Baliraj praised these companies for their commitment to safety, she acknowledged the significant financial and administrative challenges many of these businesses face in maintaining certification.
“(We recognise) that one of the major areas of concern is the cost associated with consulting advice and with training of staff for certification,” she said.
“It is also noted that currently it takes too long between the end of an audit and a certificate being issued.
“These are known challenges and these items are very much on the agenda of the Energy Chamber’s management and board and we are fully committed to the continuous improvement of this programme.”
To attract the investments necessary for a sustainable future, she said, the industry must focus on both large-scale priorities like gas production and decarbonisation while simultaneously improving the everyday operational challenges that affect the sector.
The three-day conference brings together key stakeholders to discuss the industry’s future, investment opportunities and sustainability initiatives. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Energy were the features speakers on Day 1 of the conference.
Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, SC, found the body of his father at the latter’s apartment home in San Fernando on February 9, police said.
A preliminary report said that DPP Gaspard went to visit his father Joseph Gaspard, 89, at his Hickling Street apartment around 5.30 pm on Sunday. Despite several calls from the front of the building, Gaspard’s father did not respond.
He later told investigators he used a spare key to go in and found his father’s body on a bed. A report was made to the police.
District medical officer Dr Santlal viewed the body and saw no visible marks of violence to suggest foul play. She ordered the body removed to a funeral home pending an autopsy at the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James.
Gaspard told investigators his father was hypertensive and recently had issues with his prostate.
A neighbour told officers he last saw Gaspard’s father standing by a window in his apartment shortly after 8 pm on February 7.
Several calls to Gaspard’s cellphone as well as WhatsApp messages on Monday went answered.
Opposition MP David Lee said he was eager to hear the addresses of both the Prime Minister and Energy and Energy Industries Minister Stuart Young at the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago’s three-day conference.
The conference takes place from February 10-12 at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain.
Dr Rowley will deliver the keynote address on February 10 and, at session two on that same day, Young is expected to give the keynote address on investing for the future.
At the opposition’s media conference on February 9, Lee said, “It will be interesting to hear and understand what the Minister of Energy and Energy Industries will be talking about on the theme of investing for the future in our energy sector.”
He said last year’s theme was accelerating action and, if Young’s speech from last year was reviewed, people would realise nothing had materialised.
He addressed a number of energy-related matters at the conference.
Young had gone silent on the Dragon Gas deal with Venezuela, Lee said.
“Not a single update on the Dragon deal in weeks. Not a single update if this government has received an OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control of US Treasury Department) licence extension.”
He added that Young had shifted his attention to deep-water bids for oil and gas.
“This is what Young should have spent his entire focus on.
“Have Young and the government finally accepted the reality of the Dragon?
“Have you finally seen the red flags, as Shell is yet to make a final investment decision on Dragon?” Lee asked.
He said in a matter of days the country would observe the third memorial of the Paria diving tragedy in which four divers lost their lives after being sucked into a pipeline.
“Three years ago, a government left the loved ones in the rain without a shelter, without answers and without compassion as their loved ones suffered in a Paria pipeline.
“Three years later, the very same government continues without compassion, abandoning these families as they have never been helped by the State.”
He challenged Young: “If you are so different from Rowley, tell the nation if you are willing to help these families with compensation.”
Lee also repeated the opposition’s call for the government and Paria’s general manager Musthaq Mohammed to state publicly the procurement process used to enter into the US$90 million deal with Jamaica’s Petrojam.
“Regional integration or bilateral relations is no excuse to dismiss our procurement laws.
“One cannot simply spend US$90 million and not have a proper procurement process.
“The people of TT must know if this is refined fuel from Jamaica or resold fuel, because we have to get an economic understanding of the benefits to our population, especially if you are using scarce US dollars.”
It didn’t take long for Jamaica dancehall artiste Beenie Man (Moses Davis) to walk back comments about the popular local street food, doubles.
Speaking on a US podcast, Mr Davis declared that while TT was his second favourite country, he did not eat doubles “because dogs did not eat it.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne did not hesitate to troll the comment, posting an image of himself online in a snappy suit preparing to eat doubles at a street vendor’s stall.
While it was a masterclass in social media clapback, what probably hit Mr Davis harder were the disapproving comments of his fans and countrymen who did not hesitate to roast him.
While the moment hardly constituted a regional incident, it suggested a promising level of Caribbean cultural integration and respect.
What Mr Davis did not understand when he made his careless comment is the resonance of the region’s food in defining, underlining, and preserving Caribbean identity.
As a successful artiste of one of the region’s art forms, he should have understood that music, clothing, speech patterns, and how each island’s food is prepared reflect their unique path to nationhood.
The importance of this must not be underestimated.
The world has been colonised by mass-market, processed foods that emphasise factory production, often non-existent flavour variations, and hasty cooking times.
The nuances of national meals are being determinedly bulldozed and hot-paved by fast foods and engineered meals that emphasise convenience over cooking styles, regional taste preferences, and even actual nutrition.
Fast foods successfully rode the transportation and shipping networks created by a globalised economy and are everywhere today.
The real triumph of the simple Trini doubles is its ability to compete and thrive as a quick, tasty on-the-go meal alternative.
The history of many Caribbean meals, created from cheap imports, leftover cuts of meat, and locally grown provisions inevitably leads to arguments in the Caribbean over which taste variants are the most successful.
In TT alone, the debates over the texture of a bara, the flavour of the channa, and the piquancy of the sauces offered by different vendors rage with the heat and eloquence of a Top Chef judging.
Those debates also flare over jerk chicken, cou cou, flying fish, and pepperpot at the drop of a pot spoon. Fast food is about profit. Caribbean foods are about love and history. Our regional meals bring us together.
Mr Davis is entitled to his disdain for doubles. We do not all have to enjoy the same foods, but we can be big enough to respect choices.
His apologies after being called out on his comment suggest that he’s learned an important lesson about Caribbean food culture. Respect begins at home.
I LOVED every subject in school except for mathematics, so if you had told me 55 years ago that a maths teacher would shape my future in unimaginable ways, I would have laughed and dismissed any possibility of that ever happening.
Fortunately, I wasn’t clairvoyant, and I had no idea that anyone in my future would exist like Gwendolyn Pope, who many people say was one of the best maths teachers this country ever had.
We would meet when she retired from the government education system after teaching at Holy Name Convent and Bishop Anstey High School in Port of Spain and came to the International School of Port of Spain to teach maths and statistics.
For about 15 years we were a formidable team teaching maths and English for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the entrance examination for many US-based universities.
Gwen was a no-nonsense teacher, passionate about her subject and dedicated to her students. Teaching was not a job for her, it was a calling. She had a Master’s degree from Columbia University, and she could have had her pick of jobs, but she chose teaching.
Together, she and I helped many students get into universities in the US. We had a surprising number of students accepted at Ivy League schools in the eastern US and in prestige schools on the West Coast, including Stanford University in California.
Eventually, Gwen left ISPS to teach maths in Bishop Anstey High School East where she also served as dean. The last few years we taught SAT lessons together, she worried about how well students would fare on the exam where reading had become more important.
“Students don’t realise the importance of reading – even in maths,” she said. Some of the best maths students struggled with basic comprehension in newly introduced word problems on the SATs.
Gwen’s whole world was maths. When she wasn’t teaching in school or teaching SAT maths, she helped friends’ children with SEA and CXC lessons.
Everywhere Gwen went she ran into past students who treated her with respect. She remembered every student she taught and followed their paths to success. She shaped and changed lives, nurtured strong maths students and demonstrated how teachers should work with pride and enthusiasm.
Gwen was my model for the perfect educator. Then, she encouraged me to teach CXC English at the Youth Training Centre (YTC). While she had been preparing one student there for the CXC maths exam, she learned of the institution’s need for an English teacher and thought of me.
Every article I wrote about how I came to teach in the prison system mentions her. The columns that first appeared in the Trinidad Guardian and the book Wishing for Wings that I wrote about teaching CXC English to eight teenagers incarcerated for violent armed robbery or murder in YTC credit Gwen for that life-changing move.
In Wishing for Wings, I wrote, “Miss Pope from Bishop Anstey High School East had been calling me religiously for at least a year before I finally gave in.
“You will enjoy working with these young men,” she said. “They are respectful and eager to learn, but they can’t find anyone to help them. Call Donna McDonald (a prison officer in the programmes department at YTC). She will arrange for you to meet them.”
Gwen promised that teaching in YTC would be an unforgettable experience, and she was right. I owe everything to Gwen: my Express Individual of the Year award in 2019, my commendation from the Mounted and Canine Branch for the work I did with the canine section to balance my prison work, my NGO The Wishing for Wings Foundation and my Chaconia Gold award in 2020 for prison and police canine work.
Teaching in prison would have never crossed my mind; escaping from my life where I perceived myself as nothing more than a victim of crime might not have happened without Gwen’s encouragement. All the prison projects I did, from creating a library in Port of Spain Prison with a reading room for inmates’ children with the help of Children’s Ark, all happened because Gwen believed in me as an educator.
When Gwen Pope died in January we lost an extraordinary educator. The sadness we all feel from those who knew and worked with her is only mitigated by the realisation that she created and nurtured so many leaders in this country.
RIP, dear friend. You changed lives and reminded us all how an excellent teacher creates memories that last a lifetime.
THE MORNING session of the TT Internet Governance Forum (TTIGF) on January 31 was supposed to be an online discussion of cyberbullying, but it turned into something else entirely.
According to Raj Ramdass, director of Restore a Sense of I Can (RSC), a Penal-based technology learning initiative, “The original set-up involved multiple moderators and student panellists from different schools engaging in discussions with the AI avatar on cyberbullying, making it more of a dialogue than just a Q&A session. After the discussions, students were supposed to move into breakout rooms for a more in-depth Q&A.”
Sketchy school internet forced an adaptation of that plan and a single moderator, UWI student Danara Sahadeo, hosted the session, which quickly became a proof of concept of an app developed by RSC students, led by Inshan Bhattan, a former tech club member who now coaches development teams.
The custom AI tool is driven by a locally trained large language model and was demonstrated using a web-based 3D avatar to humanise the interface.
The technology is also being used to develop customised, regionally relevant AI tutors.
RSC has already released one that is teaching CSEC Mathematics Paper II and includes videos describing math procedures. Ramdass explained that in its earliest form, users can expect 90 per cent accuracy in its responses to questions.
Responding to questions from Guyana, where he was evangelising tech clubs last week, Ramdass explained that the humanoid model was initially created in 2021 for the Caribbean Association of Principals of Secondary Schools conference as part of an immersive virtual environment to assist teaching during covid19 lockdowns.
“Since then, we have been expanding that concept into AI-powered avatars. The avatar’s appearance, background, and personality vary based on the specific application, though for all beta versions so far, we have primarily used just two core models.”
One of those, a vaguely Asian, determinedly non-threatening female figure with a propensity for looking at her virtual hands, presented answers to questions about cyberbullying posed by students during the TTIGF online session.
Behind the scenes of the cyberbullying awareness app are several technologies, including speech recognition and synthesis, lip-sync animations, spatial awareness, a database, and multiple LLMs.
“The model configuration depends on factors like internet connectivity, device capabilities, confidentiality requirements, and the specific application,” Ramdass said.
“If the avatar is acting as a panellist on stage, we use a quantised LLM to ensure low-latency responses. If it’s functioning as a maths tutor, we integrate a fine-tuned LLM-trained specifically for that subject.”
The cyberbullying resource is available to teachers who request it. RSC offers both a mobile app and a desktop version and there’s a web version of the Q&A model that’s accessible to RSC tech club members.
When access is opened more broadly, RSC plans to release a beta version of the app to school principals to allow educators and students to use the cyberbullying awareness tool in a structured and meaningful way, said Ramdass.
The use of LLMs that target the education system is part of a wider agenda by RSC to deliver educational tools throughout the Caribbean.
“The (curriculum) content is largely the same across the region, since all students sit the CXC exams. When we develop educational tools, our focus is on benefiting the entire Caribbean education system instead of just one country. Currently, we are actively engaging students through our tech clubs in ten countries.
“Our vision is to expand this initiative into a broader learning-based LLM system covering multiple subjects in the medium term. Alongside this, we aim to develop a parallel information management system that will provide educators – teachers and principals – with relevant analytics to enhance student learning and academic outcomes.
“RSC’s mission is ‘effecting change through education and technology,’ and this project aligns perfectly with our ongoing efforts to support the regional education system.
“This initiative is a natural extension of our work, not a shift in direction, leveraging evolving technology to enhance learning experiences. Our primary focus remains on supporting our 50,000 plus student members, but these AI-powered services are designed to be accessible to all.
“As technology advances, we will continue to adapt and innovate to meet the needs of students and educators across the Caribbean. So we will continue refurbishing old computers in collaboration with TTCS, while also expanding our training and advocacy efforts within the education system.
“Our commitment to climate and gender projects remains a core part of our mission, ensuring that technology-driven solutions support broader social impact.”
Mark Lyndersay is the editor of technewstt.com. An expanded version of this column can be found there
WORLD Interfaith Harmony Week was celebrated from February 1-7. The week is set aside by the United Nations since 2010 to focus on the importance of interfaith relations and what we can do as a body to pray and work together to enhance peace, foster dialogue, undertake joint projects, and help save the planet.
In this regard, the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), of which I am the Roman Catholic Church’s representative (non-executive), assumes great importance, both symbolically and in its concrete undertakings.
The IRO was founded in 1970 by members of the Roman Catholic, Muslim and Hindu faiths. Membership has increased from a few members in 1970 to over 25 in 2025. It was born out of the 1970 Black Power upheaval and consequently has a role to play not only in religious affairs, but in socio-political/economic concerns as well.
The IRO has very limited financial resources and subsists mainly on the money that is given to the organisation by institutions requesting our assistance. We are very grateful to governments past and present for their financial assistance and support. The current government has given us lodging at Government Campus, Richmond Street, Port of Spain, and this gives us a base from which we can operate.
The IRO comprises five basic groupings – Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Bahai and Orisha – with the latter two often being forgotten as invitations generally request members from the first three at interfaith services. We often have to remind requesting institutions that an interfaith service must include all five.
In interfaith work dialogue is crucial and there are four types – of life, religious experience, social action, and theological exchange. The first one is especially strong here as we live very well together as people of different races and religions. We don’t live side by side; we live together. The second is also strong as we often pray together. There is much more work to be done in the area of social action and theological exchange.
It must be underscored that the IRO is an inter-religious organisation, not an intercultural organisation. We are about religion first and culture after. One cannot separate the two for religion must operate within a culture, but our first focus is the Divine and His/Her people and not intercultural dialogue per se.
This causes problems from both state departments and private sector. The aim of the IRO is to maintain the importance of religion in the life of each person. We are not meant to hide our identity nor should we be asked to. Each of the above religions has common elements but non-negotiable tenets too that contribute to the distinctiveness of each religion. These ought not to be compromised by requesting institutions – “all ah we is not one!”
Sometimes we are told to keep things general. But that would reduce us to cultural groups sharing wisdom teaching or turn us into motivational speakers. This request to not mention the names of religious founders or deities is coming from sectors, state and private, and flows I think from the “I’m spiritual but not religious” mentality. The IRO can work with such people surely but ought not to allow itself to be defined by them.
The IRO holds the view that we are spiritual because we are religious and all our religious founders show that unique integration of life of the Spirit and religious practice. One is not the enemy of the other. However, I strongly maintain that if we are called to give a talk or short sermon it must resonate with everyone present. One can still speak from a religious perspective and have important things to say to people. One ought not to feel coerced to come from the perspective of the “unaffiliated” or the “nones.”
This is the challenge behind Pope Benedict’s call for a “Courtyard of the Gentiles.” We must engage the unaffiliated but not be dumb downed by them. The IRO symbolises not just a search for wisdom but for God. Godly people must humbly engage the “gentiles” and have sound answers to the questions they raise.
Finally, this is far from exhausting the topic. The IRO must speak out on important social issues; it must have principled responses, not political ones. It is not called to speak on everything, but it must have a voice and ensure it has a voice in the public square.
Prof Terry Tsuji, an anthropologist who just loves TT and has researched religion here for over 20 years, insists that what keeps us together as a nation is not our politics, but our unique and priceless interfaith relations. I think this is true because whenever some urgent social concern rears its head we often hear people cry: “What is the IRO saying?”
Amidst accusations of irrelevance and inaction, the IRO is still respected and has a crucial role to play. So pray for us. We have done well but can do much more. Join with us then, at home or your religious houses of prayer, to promote harmony, dispel fundamentalism, reject violence, and save the planet.
Fr Martin Sirju is the Administrator at the RC Cathedral
THE EDITOR: Next year TT enters its 50th year as a republic. Our past experiences clearly show that there is an urgent need for meaningful constitutional revision.
More importantly, based on the most recent events as unfolding in the public domain as they relate to the executive, administrative and judicial arms of governance, serious amendments are required in order to repair the many dysfunctions in the system.
The recent adjustment to our coat of arms is but one small step. May I propose that in lieu of this piecemeal approach that the exercise be undertaken holistically. The confluence of the constitutional reform committee’s report with the several scandalous events in all arms of governance provides us an opportunity to devise an appropriate document that will reflect our collective hopes and aspirations for a second edition of our renewed Republic of TT.
This second republic may even require radical changes in our Constitution, anthem, coat of arms, etc, but can ultimately provide a better fit and drastically reduce the commentary that continually arises as a consequence of our current approach.
THE PATIENT lying in the bed was a living corpse: the heart tracing looked perfect, the blood pressure looked adequate, oxygen saturation was over 90 per cent, but, still, the patient looked dead. It seemed like life had been sucked out of him. He looked frail. When he opened his eyes he stared blankly.
“He is dying. Who knows, maybe he is already dead,” my attending, who was seeing the patient for the first time, said. Dying/death was a diagnosis, it seemed, and everybody had missed it.
For two weeks modern medicine – practised in a dazzling, multi-storey, academic hospital, built, it seemed, of glass and equipped with the latest of everything: every investigation, a click away; every specialist, a call away – had disassembled this human into component parts, so much so that the patient lying in the bed in the cardiac care unit did not appear to be a human, but a conglomerate of organs that was being kept alive by machines and medications controlled and doled out by multiple specialists – cardiologist, nephrologist, respirologist, gastroenterologist, neurologist, critical care specialist – who tweaked the components of the circuit while the family remained clueless that their loved one was no longer there, that the empty stares were indeed empty.
How had this happen?
I suspect that the disassembly had happened swiftly, and almost automatically.
These days, humans are disassembled from the time they are wheeled into an emergency room, or walk into a doctor’s office. It is one of the successes – or a curse, depending on how you look at it – of modern medicine. Practitioners know the human body and its diseases down to the granular – no, even finer than that – molecular level.
Do we actually see the human anymore? Have we all become pathologists looking through figurative microscopes, so fixated on pathology that we are incapable of seeing the human?
Perhaps the above example was an extreme case.
The idea, though, that the human has been disassembled is not extreme. In fact, it is the everyday reality for many people who are regular users and providers of healthcare.
Take, for instance, a person with multiple medical conditions, say, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, heart failure. This person can easily be followed by five different specialists. Each specialist competently disassembles the patient every time the patient is seen.
The problem is – whether it is because of time constraints, poor communication, incompetence, or just pure carelessness – the patient is not always reassembled. Off to the next specialist – in pieces. And so the patient hops around carrying bits and pieces of themselves from specialist to specialist – modern medicine.
One may argue that it is the family doctor’s responsibility to reassemble the patient. This is a cop-out. In medicine, nobody has the luxury to treat only a heart, kidney, or lung, while turning a blind eye to the rest, the rest here referring to the human. Treating the organ and ignoring the human is not specialty medicine. It is, as one consultant – an old, grey-haired man about to retire – said, lazy medicine, lamenting how “doctors don’t think anymore.”
And so, the disassembling of the human – once the subject matter of medicine – has led to the mass production of simple-minded doctors who are more comfortable to think in linear, algorithmic models, who prefer to look through microscopes than to look at nuanced, ambiguous human beings and figure them out. It is faster and, for sure, more lucrative.
But to blame doctors for this outcome is disingenuous. We, just like patients, are pawns in a system that has advanced leaps and bounds. The human had been disassembled on day one of medical school, and remained disassembled, the components drifting further apart, as we shuttled through medical school, residency training, subspecialty, then sub-subspecialty training.
How do we reassemble the human being in the doctor’s office, and at the bedside? The humanities – not science – hold the key. Many studies have looked at the effects of teaching the humanities in medical school. Among the benefits included improved self-awareness and confidence, better tolerance for ambiguity, higher levels of empathy, and lower rates of burnout.
If people like Dr Premchand Ratan – who recited poetry on ward rounds and encouraged medical students to read novels so that they can imagine what it was like to live with a stroke – still existed there would be no need to revise medical curriculum. But they don’t make them like that anymore.
They make machines instead – and why not?
Taureef Mohammed is a physician from TT working in Canada
Judging by standard of the offerings at the audition of the 2025 Couva Calypso Monarch (Seniors and Juniors) competitions held at the Balmain Community Centre, the Couva Carnival Committee (CCC) is expecting a high quality and competitive show for both crowns when the finals are held on Carnival Friday.
“We had an excellent turnout of calypsonians for the auditions with 44 at the senior level and 20 juniors. The standard of entries was very high, especially among the seniors with a few ties which pushed the number making the finals to 13 who will come up against the defending champion, Rawle “Ratel” Peters,” said an excited Ezekiel Clarke, co-ordinator of the calypso competition.
“There was a healthy mix of social and political commentary, as well as humorous numbers, among the seniors. The juniors concentrated on nation-building songs and giving advice to adults on how they should nurture the youth.
“Calypso is certainly in good hands in Couva,” Clarke added.
Four-time junior champion N’Janella Duncan-Regis hopes to capture the senior crown with “New Chapter” at the 2025 Couva Calypso finals. –
Among the seniors making the finals are former champion Georgia Charles-McIntyre and four-time junior champion N’Janella Duncan-Regis.
Young star Katelin Sultan, who has won several singing competitions in different genres in recent years, will try to wrest the junior crown from defending champion Marcus McDonald in a field of ten finalists.
Finalists:
Seniors
Rawle (Ratel) Peters: Is Greed
Kenyatta (Mega Bytes) King: Duncy and Hungry
Anastasia Richardson: Watch Yuh Clock
Andrew (Yellows) Fareira: Stand Up
N’Janela Duncan-Regis, New Chapter
Junior (Mr Famous) Noel: Low Down De Music
Georgia (The Messenger), Stand in the Group
Ephraim (Brother Ramkee) Ramkisoon: The Bye and Bye
Kadeem Graham: Just a Voice Away
Joanne (Queen Voice) Gibson: Staying in Calypso
Estherlita (Sweet Estherlina) Lowmans: Calypso Deserves Much More
Kerron (Flippy) Roberts: Meddle Less
Lystra (Lady Lystra) Nurse: I Have Hope
Caleb Hinds: Cut the Grass
(Reserve) Andrew (Frosty Brooks): A Moment of Silence
J’Ouvert plays an integral part in Carnival, as it signals the start of Monday and Tuesday revelry. The joyous event takes place across the country in a kaleidoscope of colour. Masqueraders paint themselves with mud, oil, chocolate, and other materials.
The pre-dawn festivities were first introduced by the French, who brought Carnival in the 1780s during a time of slavery. French overseers held pre-Lenten Carnival celebrations that included hunting parties, dinners, balls, and masquerade balls.
Enslaved Africans were banned from participating, so in secret, they held their own celebrations, drawing on their own rituals and folklore to imitate and mock the French.
Newsday spoke with French Ambassador Didier Chabert, who is eager for the early morning jamboree – he will be playing with the band Friends for the Road.
He spoke about the cultural ties between French traditions and present-day festivities.
Chabert said there are striking similarities between the celebrations, particularly in how both countries embrace a spirit of liberation and communal revelry.
“The French Jour de fête tradition, which marks the beginning of Carnival, influenced the early celebrations in the Caribbean and the focus on masked or painted faces. In Trinidad, it remains a pre-dawn event where revellers, often smeared in mud, paint, or chocolate, express a sense of freedom and abandonment.”
He explained it mirrors its French roots, where participants initially covered themselves in ashes or soot, symbolising the stripping away of societal norms and embracing equality for a day.
“Both J’Ouvert maintain a focus on collective enjoyment, often characterised by music, dance, and a shared sense of defiance against the constraints of everyday life. These elements create a deep connection between the two, showcasing how Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago evolved from early French influences while adapting to the unique cultural landscape of the island.”
Chabert enjoys participating in Carnival festivities, including viewing the re-enactment of the Canboulay riots. He said the re-enactment has deepened his understanding of the historical and cultural significance behind Carnival.
“It brought to life the struggles of African and Afro-descendant labourers during colonial times, illustrating how their resistance and perseverance laid the foundation for the vibrant celebration we know today. I now appreciate Carnival not just as a joyous festival but as a powerful act of cultural reclamation, resilience, and expression.”
French Ambassador Didier Chabert says there are striking similarities between the Carnival celebrations in France and TT, particularly in how both countries embrace a spirit of liberation and communal revelry.
He calls it a symbol of freedom and empowerment, saying it reflected the struggles and triumphs of those who fought for dignity and recognition.
“This experience has shifted my perspective, reminding me that Carnival is both a celebration of creativity and a reminder of the country’s complex and rich history.”
Chabert said the French Embassy hosted a visit by international artist and creative director of the French cosmetic brand Make Up Forever, Dany Sanz during the 2019 Carnival season. The Carnival-themed event included a demonstration by Sanz on the power of using colour to unite.
This year, the Trinidad Unified Calypso Organisation (TUCO) has made Chabert its guest of honour at the opening of the Kaiso House Tent, which he says is an honour and privilege.
“It is an incredibly humbling and joyous experience and a privilege to witness firsthand the vibrant energy and rich cultural expression that calypso embodies.”
He calls the artform a powerful storytelling and musical mastery, saying it is a beautiful reminder of how music can transcend borders and connect people.
“I’m honoured to be part of this unforgettable moment. It reflects not only TT’s culture but also the enduring bonds of friendship and cultural exchange between our nations.”
His favourite performer “without hesitation,” is Karene Asche, because of her “remarkable vocal talent, powerful stage presence, and ability to infuse every performance with deep emotion and authenticity.” Chabert said her artistry, unique blend of traditional calypso and modern influences, makes her music both timeless and relevant.
As he reflected on her 2024 Dimanche Gras song, No Excuse, Chabert said, “Her lyrics tackle important social and cultural issues – she has a way of telling stories that resonate with audiences. Her voice conveys a wide range of emotions: love, struggle, and triumph. I admire her dedication to preserving the calypso tradition while pushing boundaries and constantly evolving as an artist. She stands out as one of the most exceptional performers in the genre.”
Asche was honoured at the Franco-German Classical Music Concert in 2024 for her positive contribution to the artform and to society at large.
As his tenure draws to a close, he reflects with deep gratitude on the experiences and connections in TT, which he says profoundly enriched his life.
“From the warmth and generosity of the people to the vibrant culture that fills every corner of this beautiful island, I have been fortunate to witness and be part of a nation with an extraordinary spirit.”
He said TT’s diversity, creativity, and resilience have left an indelible mark on him, and he feels privileged to have played a role in strengthening the bonds between both countries.
“Whether through the shared joy of Carnival, meaningful diplomatic exchanges, or the simple, everyday interactions with the people here, I leave with a profound appreciation for TT’s heritage and its role in shaping global culture. It has been an honour to serve, and I will deeply miss this vibrant island.”
Chabert said TT has taught him the power of unity forged through culture, history, joy, and way of life, a lesson he said Europe must learn again.
“I am reminded of the importance of thinking outside the box as a diplomat and finding imaginative ways to strengthen bilateral relations. Carnival, in particular, is an opportunity to reimagine our perspective on the world around us, and we must apply this mindset to economic, cultural, and political interactions. While reason is essential, we must also embrace human warmth. That is the lesson I will carry with me as I leave TT.”
Reigning Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) National League Premiership I champions Central Sports got their second straight outright victory in the 2025 season on February 9 when they earned a six-wicket win against Victoria Sports at Invaders ground in Felicity.
Central Sports snatched first-innings points at the end of day one as they made 221 all out in response to Victoria’s 188.
Boasting a 33-run lead after the first innings, former Red Force star leg-spinner Imran Khan went to work as he had figures of five for 36 to help bowl Victoria out for 140. Sameer Ali also chipped in with two for 32.
Set 108 for victory, Central Sports got to the target for the loss of four wickets, with Jabari Mills hitting 31 and allrounder Derone Davis chipping in with 25 not out.
At the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair, PowerGen just pinched first-innings points against hosts Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) who were bowled out for 270 in reply to PowerGen’s 272.
With QPCC reeling at 175 for nine, allrounder Terrance Hinds slammed 81 not out out off 52 balls with seven sixes and five fours, but PowerGen sealed first-innings points when pacer Uthman Muhammad (four for 85) had last man Philton Williams trapped lbw for ten.
PowerGen got to 108 for five in their second turn at the crease, before the game halted to a draw.
At Marchin Grounds in Charlieville, Clarke Road beat Bess Motors Marchin Patriots to first-innings as they bowled out the hosts for 202. Clarke Road made 258 all out on day one.
Windies opener Evin Lewis top-scored with 66 for Marchin, with former Windies Under-19 player Shiva Sankar grabbing three for 26 for Clarke Road. Clarke Road got to 150 for eight at stumps in their second innings.
Elsewhere, Andrew Rambaran played a solid hand of 61 to lead Merry Boys to first-innings points against Prisons Sports. Prisons were bowled out for just 133, with Rambaran powering Merry Boys to a total of 203. Batting a second time, Prisons got to 154 for five at stumps.
At Cunjal Recreation Ground in Barrackpore, Preysal Sports just held on for first-innings points against Yorkshire. Preysal were bowled out for 236 on day one, with Yorkshire being bowled out for 228 despite a knock of 106 from Akeel Mohammed.
Summarised Scores:
VICTORIA SPORTS: 188 (Marcelle Jones 69, Akshya Persaud 35; Mikkel Govia 6/84, Derone Davis 4/49) & 140 (Suraj Seepaul 27; Imran Khan 5/36, Sameer Ali 2/32) vs CENTRAL SPORTS: 221 (Kamil Pooran 45, I Khan 44; Damion Joachim 4/92, Jovan Aili 3/67) & 108/4 (Jabari Mills 31, D Davis 25 not out; D Joachim 2/57). Central Sports won by six wickets.
PRISONS SPORTS: 133 (Vikash Rampersad 42 not out; Justin Mannick 3/26) & 154/5 (Zackurrie Raghoonath 46, Jerve Cummings 38; Andrew Rambaran 2/22, Ryan Bandoo 2/30) vs MERRY BOYS: 203 (A Rambran 61; B Boodram 3/28, J Cummings 3/80). Match drawn.
POWERGEN PENAL: 272 (Akeil Cooper 99 not out, Videsh Sookhai 66; Isaiah Rajah 3/54, Dexter Sween 3/64) & 108/5 (V Sookhai 81; Philton Williams 4/22) vs QPCC: 270 (Terrance Hinds 81 not out, Joran Warner 57, Kyle Ramdoo 52; Samuel Roopnarine 4/48, Uthman Muhammad 4/85). Match drawn.
PREYSAL SPORTS: 236 (Aaron Bankay 66, Adrian Cooper 40; Stephen Shadick 4/49, Adrian Mohammed 2.47) & 114/7 (C Pattia 3/48, Ziggy Levi 3/24) vs YORKSHIRE: 228 (Akeel Mohammed 106, S Shadick 35; A Cooper 4/29, Justyn Gangoo 2/34). Match drawn.
CLARKE ROAD: 258 (Nicholas Sookdeosingh 136, Anderson Mahase 31; Kashtri Singh 5/60, Ricky Jaipaul 3/89) & 150/8 (Kerwyn Sirju 32 not out; K Singh 3/33, R Jaipaul 3/67) vs MARCHIN PATRIOTS: 202 (Evin Lewis 66, Adrian Ali 38; Shiva Sankar 3/26, K Sirju 2/5). Match drawn.
Trinidad and Tobago’s men’s under-17 football team (four points) surged to the top of group B in the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers when they earned a 3-1 victory over the British Virgin Islands at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica on February 9.
With only the group winner advancing to the 2025 Fifa Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, coach Shawn Cooper’s team needed a positive result after being held to a 1-1 draw by Guyana on February 7.
TT got the perfect start in the sixth minute, as Josiah Kallicharan headed past goalkeeper Toby Whiteside after Jaydon Caprietta floated in a lovely cross from the left flank. In the 27th minute, Kallicharan doubled TT’s tally when he sent a thumping right-footed shot into the top corner after meeting a low cross from the right flank.
Before the half hour mark, TT were flying as Fatima College standout Caden Trestrail scored via a deflection when he took a shot at goal in a crowded area in the 22nd minute.
Sitting comfortably with a 3-0 lead at the half, Cooper’s charges had a scare in the second half when goalkeeper Levi Williams spilled a right side free kick from substitute Theo Coombs. Luckily for TT and Williams, there wasn’t a repeat of the goal they conceded against Guyana as defender Sheridan McNish spectacularly cleared away from the goal line.
Also in second half action, TT substitute Criston Gomez had a volley well stopped by a sprawling Whiteside.
In second-half stoppage-time, BVI did get on the scoresheet, albeit in controversial fashion.
Again, a set piece delivery caused problems for Williams, but the goalkeeper received a bump from Luca Stuttard as he tried to catch the cross. Zeveih Abraham profited from the collision as he headed into an empty net to grab a consolation goal for the BVI.
The loss was BVI’s first in the group, as they hammered Sint Maarten 4-0 in their first game on February 7.
TT will return to action when they play St Maarten from 6 pm (TT time) on February 13.
Costa Rica played St Maarten after press time on February 9.
Joseph Sam Phillip, who served as the Soca Warriors assistant manager during their 2006 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign, has died.
A release from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) said Phillip died on February 8.
Phillip served as assistant manager for roughly two years during the qualifying campaign in the buildup to this country’s historic appearance at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He then returned in a managerial capacity after the World Cup when the Soca Warriors were coached by Dutchman Wim Rijsbergen.
In addition to his role with the Trinidad and Tobago men’s football team, Phillip featured in several key roles in both football and cricket administration during his longstanding service to sport.
“The TTFA extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Sam Phillip, a dedicated servant of TT football,” a February 9 TTFA release said.
The TTFA release praised Phillip as an integral part of the local football fraternity.
“His contributions in the administrative side of the game in TT were invaluable, and his passion, professionalism and commitment will always be remembered. His passing is a great loss to the football community.”
Phillip was the TT Pro League chairman from June 2017-March 2018 and also served as the manager of former Pro League powerhouse club Joe Public.
In the cricket arena, Phillip was a member of the TT Cricket Board (TTCB) executive and was the chairman of the cricket body’s East zone. Phillip was also on TTCB’s zonal development and competitions committee, as well as the international and regional matches committee.
