In May 1961, Dr Eric Williams, Premier of T&T, in a lecture at Queen’s Hall in Port-of-Spain, said “The world is tired of our political clowning with independence, so even that is becoming tiresome.” When we reflect on the past 64 years, it appears that our nation is still ‘political clowning’.
During the 1990s and early 21st century, there have been obvious signs that our nation has not matured. In the recent past, our country had Calder Hart, a Canadian, as the executive chairman of UDECOTT, and two foreigners – Canadian Dwayne Gibbs, who served as Commissioner of Police, and Rev Edward J. Gilbert (an American), who was appointed as Archbishop of the local Roman Catholic Church.
And T&T continued to have close ties with our former ruler, Britain. In 1992, our government sought help from Scotland Yard detectives from the UK to investigate corruption and drug dealing among senior members of the police service.
More troubling is the decision to remain with the ‘great’ Privy Council rather than the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final court of appeal. Maybe this reflects the underlying fear that local justice in T&T is biased and unfair. It seems that Massa (the UK) never wants his now grown-up children to leave the plantation.
It’s not only Massa that we worship, but we continue to have ‘protection’ from nearby Uncle Sam, who has to help T&T and the Caribbean deal with drug trafficking in the region.
Yes, there have been other troubling signs that some of us still have the colonial mentality that ‘foreign is better than local’. One of the obvious indicators is the overflowing grocery carts with foreign foods and our homes with brand-name clothes and shoes.
In the post-1962 era, it’s frustrating to see the relatively high levels of unemployment and underemployment. However, instead of solving these problems, governments have often utilised cheap labour from countries such as China.
Independence challenges us to be patriotic and loyal to Trinidad and Tobago. This is difficult because there is often an absence of excellence; some of us feel comfortable in an atmosphere of mediocrity.
We would agree that in an independent country, jobs and promotions should be made on the basis of merit, qualifications and work experience. Unfortunately, this is often not a reality.
In 2025, there was a report that millions of taxpayers’ dollars were paid for legal cases involving wrongful promotions in our Defence Force and Coast Guard. No foreigners were guilty of this promotion scandal. It was our local citizens. We are our worst enemies!
When contracts and jobs are given to supporters and friends of the ruling party, this breeds a sub-culture of inefficiency and low productivity. These inept citizens within senior management contribute to the financial losses and often retrenchment of workers. It’s obvious that the VSEP packages offered to the dismissed workers are a burden to taxpayers.
This biased distribution of jobs is not a new phenomenon. During the colonial era, those who were of European descent or born in Europe were given priority for managerial and other important jobs in the Caribbean.
The ethnicity and nationality of the owners of the estates and refineries reflected the ruling elite. This did not change after 1962. A change of government was not simply new faces. It meant persons selected for ambassadorial, director and CEO positions in state companies would be chosen on the basis of race/ethnicity and loyalty to the political administration.
One of the common characteristics of the sugar estates during colonialism was their inefficiency due to a poor work ethic. Furthermore, the refusal to use modern technology and fertilisers all contributed to the inability to maximise resources on the plantations. From Spanish to British rule, there was wastage and an abundance of corrupt officials. This was supposed to change in 1962 when we achieved our fairy-tale independence. There was wastage, such as during the oil boom of the 1970s.
What has been saving our economy? The obvious answer is the oil and natural gas … and also the underground economy – drug trafficking.
Yes, we boast of nationalisation of industries; however, look at the loss of profits and poor work ethic. The change of names, such as BWIA to Caribbean Airlines, did not mean a change from loss to profit. Yes, part of the albatross around our neck is unprofitable state companies. All reminiscent of the colonial era.
In 2026, some of us believe Independence is merely about parades and fireworks. In T&T, each of us must ensure the sparks of Independence are never extinguished. Independence must be preserved and guarded to ensure everyone, especially the weak and vulnerable, is protected. Have we truly learnt any lessons since 31 August 1962?
