Pillar

Perspective

Analysis and commentary on the bigger questions about Trinidad and Tobago's governance, culture, and direction.

Perspective20 March 20265 min

Newsday Is Gone. Here Is What That Means.

Trinidad and Tobago lost one of three daily newspapers. The same month, Guyana lost one too. The Caribbean media landscape is shrinking at the worst possible time.

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Perspective13 March 20264 min

Trinidad and Tobago vs CARICOM: A Founding Member Threatens to Walk

The PM says CARICOM has been failing for 52 years. The country is applying for Mercosur membership. Nobody in Trinidad and Tobago is debating what either move means.

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Perspective11 March 20264 min

The ZOSO Defeat and the Constitutional Question Nobody Asked

The Senate rejected ZOSO because it lacked safeguards. Five weeks later, the government declared a State of Emergency with even broader powers. If the SoE exceeds what ZOSO offered, what was the bill for?

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Perspective21 February 20264 min

The Middle East War Should Be Making Trinidad and Tobago Rich. It Isn't.

LNG prices surged 48%. Ammonia and urea hit multi-year highs. But production is declining, a major plant is shut, and the windfall is arriving in an economy that cannot absorb it.

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Perspective19 February 20264 min

Dragon Gas: 40 Years of Waiting, and the Alignment Just Broke Again

Shell targets a 2027 investment decision. The US supports it. But Venezuela's new government may not honour prior licences, and the royalty payments now go to a US-controlled fund.

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Perspective17 February 20263 min

27,000 Registered. 16,829 Are Children. What Happens in January?

The expanded Migrant Registration Framework closed with 27,000 applications. The registration cards expire December 31. Nobody has said what comes next.

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Perspective15 February 20264 min

Tobago's 15-0 Sweep and the Autonomy Bill That Keeps Stalling

The Tobago People's Party won every seat. Chief Secretary Augustine made autonomy his first priority. The narrow bill passed 38-0. The real one failed in 2024.

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Perspective13 February 20264 min

Before the Applause Fades: What Trinidad and Tobago's Decline Should Teach Guyana

A former T&T Energy Ministry director wrote to Guyana's press warning them to learn from Trinidad's mistakes. No T&T outlet covered it.

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Perspective9 February 20264 min

$137 Million for Carnival. Where Is the Audit?

The government increased Carnival investment to $137 million. Tourism rose 10%. Average visitor spending fell. Nobody has published an audit.

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Perspective7 February 20264 min

Caught Between the US Navy and Venezuelan Pirates

Trinbagonian fishermen now fish closer to shore or only at night. Fish catches are down 50% in a decade. And the families of two missing men are suing in US federal court.

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Perspective5 February 20264 min

What the EU Blacklist Actually Costs Trinidad and Tobago

The Finance Minister said removal was expected by February 2026. February passed. The real cost is not the listing itself - it is the banking relationships eroding beneath it.

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