Being labelled as a People’s National Movement (PNM) sympathiser and accused of leading a PNM union because we speak out against the current United National Congress (UNC) government when the need arises, gives rise to a peculiar and troubling phenomenon unfolding in Trinidad and Tobago, one where the loudest defenders of “order” are often the quietest when truth demands to be spoken. It is the rise of the modern-day sycophant, ever eager to applaud authority, yet unwilling to confront it.
Over the last five years and more under the previous PNM government, trade unions have not merely protested; they have fulfilled a constitutional duty available to them. They have marched utilising the S.3 Trade Dispute and Protection of Property Act, written, litigated and advocated ad nauseam on behalf of workers facing stagnant wages, deteriorating working conditions and an increasing sense of exclusion from meaningful national dialogue.
These were not acts of rebellion. They didn’t only start from April 28, 2025! They were acts of responsibility and representation for our members for the last ten years!.
Yet, in response, a chorus of voices aligned not with principle but with proximity to power has vociferously, via social media, emerged to chastise and berate these efforts. These are not critics grounded in reasoned debate; they are defenders of comfort, threatened by disruption, who mistake loyalty for silence.
The irony is quite stark. When unions protested under previous administrations, dissent was often romanticised, seen as a necessary check on power. Today, similar actions are reframed as obstruction, even hostility. What has changed under this current administration? Certainly not the role of unions. What has changed is the tolerance for critique by sycophants of red and yellow codes.
Sycophancy reframes accountability as antagonism. It suggests that to question is to betray. And in doing so, it sacrifices the very essence of freedom of speech on the altar of political convenience.
Let us be be pellucidly clear, freedom of expression is not measured by how well we echo those in authority. It is measured by how fiercely we defend the right to challenge them. When unions raise concerns, whether about delayed negotiations, inequitable policies, or disregard for collective agreements, they are not undermining the state; they are strengthening it.
However, sycophants cannot abide by this. For the truth is inconvenient, disrupting narratives and demanding action and/or accountability. Instead of engaging with substance, they attack the messenger. They label union leaders as party loyalists.
This is not merely disappointing; it is dangerous.
A society that normalises sycophancy invites stagnation and encourages oppression, seeking to discourage critical thought while breeding a culture where speaking out is penalised and silence is rewarded. In such an environment, the line between governance and control begins to blur or, strictly speaking, is in fact blurred.
The trade union movement in Trinidad and Tobago has historically stood as a bulwark against such erosion. Their voices are known to be loud, often uncomfortable but, most critically, very essential. The call, therefore, is not just to Government but to citizens. Resist the urge to defend power at all costs. Question more and be encouraged to listen deeper and more attentively to the issues being raised. Recognise that accountability is not an attack; it is an obligation to our members and, by extension, the citizenry who look to us for representation.
We do agree, however, that when sycophants drown out dissent, the truth does not disappear. It simply waits and when it returns, it does so louder, sharper and far more unforgiving.
