- 7 weeks ago
2025 was one for the history books... And with everything that happened this year, who knows what 2026 may bring! Let's take a look back at the news that made headlines this year, hosted by Rynessa Cutting.
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00:00:00happy holidays and thank you for tuning in to tv6's yen review special a nation in transition
00:00:15i am your host ranessa cutting i think we can all agree that 2025 was one for the history books
00:00:21and with everything that happened this year who knows what 2026 may bring but before the clock
00:00:28strikes 12. let's take a look back at the news that made headlines this year
00:00:33disappointment is part of life don't be despondent
00:00:39now that the unc did win everybody
00:00:46while the political climate was nothing short of historic this year
00:00:56while the political climate was nothing short of historic this year as the country transitioned
00:01:14from 10 years of pnm rule to the return of kamala pasad besasa and the unc in a general election that
00:01:21was particularly eventful it all started when then prime minister dr keith rowley confirmed
00:01:27that he would be resigning as prime minister before the general election i will not be offering myself
00:01:34again to represent anyone either in trinidad or in tobago 45 years is a long time
00:01:46and i would like at this time to thank you dr rowley retained his position as political leader of the
00:01:55pnm and a straw poll was done among the pnm mps to determine who would become the next prime minister
00:02:03we as a caucus of the pnm in the house we discussed at length and we in the end came up with a situation
00:02:15where the entire pnm caucus is in support of member of parliament stuart young and just like that stuart
00:02:25young became pm1 but with questions and concerns surrounding his appointment mounting the brand
00:02:32new prime minister announced the date for the general election the very next day i took a decision
00:02:39as the prime minister to call an election the day after i was sworn in and that is because i as well
00:02:48as the government that i lead and the party that i'm the chairman of have a lot of things that we want
00:02:55to do as we write the next chapter and so began the beginning of the end of the pnm's 10-year reign
00:03:04with widespread discontent among the pnm rank and file over rowley's resignation and young's appointment
00:03:11the pnm headed into the general election and barely made it out alive meantime the unc kicked into high
00:03:19gear forming what would prove to be a winning combo of unc loyalists big personalities and strong labor
00:03:27support i want to see a better trans i want to see a safer i want to see persons live comfortably
00:03:42workers in this country must be free from dictatorship they must be free from oppression
00:03:50they must be free from tyranny that means they must be free from the pnm and so representatives from
00:04:0115 parties entered the running for the april 28th general election making it the most fervently
00:04:08contested election to date voter registration also increased significantly with over 20 000 new electors
00:04:17eligible to cast their votes caracom and commonwealth observers were called in and the nation went to
00:04:24the polls bright and early 6 a.m april 28th as the night drew to a close it started to become clear that
00:04:32there was a major shift in key constituencies dr rowley took to the podium one last time as political leader
00:04:40of the pnm to deliver the sad news we wish all the winners well because our country is now in their
00:04:49hands from the reports that we have in our hand it appears as though if the trends hold the pnm will end
00:04:57up with a an opposition in the order of 10 or 12 seats but we've come back from one seat we've come back
00:05:05from three seats so 10 or 12 seats don't count us out well 13 seats it was at the final count but the pnm
00:05:14having lost key constituencies to napuna a wrong west and joseph toko sandy grandy la hocketa talparo
00:05:22and san fernando west and even two pnm strongholds library and point port in but tobago was the hardest hit
00:05:30for the pnm with the tpp taking both seats meantime it was pandemonium at the unc camp the refrain when
00:05:38unc wins everybody wins echoing throughout chaguanas the victory is yours now that the unc has won everybody
00:05:54everybody everybody wins the victory was a joint one as the congress of the people together with the
00:06:02oil fields workers trade union the public services association the love party the progressive
00:06:09empowerment party and others formed the unc's coalition showing once again that a coalition
00:06:16of interests may just be the key to unseating the people's national movement there's a simple
00:06:22equation any division equal pnm and we did it in 2010 and we did it again in 2025. kamala pasad is the
00:06:31leader i always said that a soldier in the army she is the general where she wants me to play she is the
00:06:39one who asked me to take on short term she said you're the only one that have the right right skill sets
00:06:45to deal with the demon in his lane i said that's where you want me that's where you're going the
00:06:49following day we took to the streets to find out how the people were taking the results the feeling
00:06:55was um like a weight was lifted so um it was a uh like you're right in the sun then it's a way of hope
00:07:03well we can't just come and say shut down with the prime minister who gives you the authority to say
00:07:09that i'm glad a lot to lecture you think things will be different yes well roughly one month later
00:07:18the ceremonial opening of the 13th republican parliament took place with the new members of
00:07:23parliament taking their oaths of office and despite their notable majority the prime minister promised
00:07:29that her government would not abuse its privilege we are cognizant that our citizens have given our
00:07:37government a three-fifths majority that's a very special majority and we thank we thank the people
00:07:50of tnt for giving us that majority because that's how the lawyers we will need that majority from time
00:07:55to time but i give the assurance today we will not abuse that power that you have given us
00:08:00a very familiar face from the lower house ascended to the presidency of the senate it is my hope
00:08:11that by the end of the 13th parliament we are able to look upon the work we have done with immense pride
00:08:24them knowing that we have served faithfully and dutifully and an attorney at law with a lofty air and
00:08:34a flair for the english language was appointed speaker of the house you know i'm standing by
00:08:43allowing all of you all to indulge in this glorified juvenile behavior in the presence of parliamentarians
00:08:50of across the commonwealth for the spain south all right minister could you just stick to an answer and leave out the unnecessary hyperbole
00:09:08meantime former two-time attorney general under the pnm senior counsel john jeremy was sworn in for
00:09:15third time this time under the unc and he came ready to wage war but when you look at the political
00:09:25leader and prime minister of united national congress her grandmother who has served this country for
00:09:32however long never had one standard raised against her i will go to war with you
00:09:39as the official transition got underway the unc government immediately set out to fulfill its
00:09:47campaign promises repealing the revenue authority act in favor of strengthening the bir and also passing
00:09:54stand your ground legislation as the prime minister vowed to take a hard stance on criminals you have to load up
00:10:02this magic you have to pull it back you have to knock it on them and then knock it again knock it again
00:10:11the average person in this country does not want a license to kill contrary to what the government may
00:10:17think they all they do all they all don't want guns what they want what they want is a secure trinidad and
00:10:29tobago protected by the organs of the state and after 10 years the prime minister's token the kuva children's hospital
00:10:38was officially reopened and is now up and running recently utica confirmed about 78.2 million dollars
00:10:48will be required to restore and replace equipment at this facility procurement and commission have
00:10:56become big commission and have begun and activation is progressing instructed faces
00:11:04already the first operating theaters was certified in september 2025 the first operating theaters you need
00:11:14to acknowledge that please the government also took action to strike down systemic corruption moving to
00:11:23shut down the cpep and urp programs over alleged mismanagement goes to gangs and fraudulent activity
00:11:31in the short time that i am alone
00:11:38in the short time that i am allowed i cannot list the incidents of radio talk show hosts
00:11:45who get paid under this program and never report to work members of the opposition bench relatives who
00:11:58listed who never report to work the move put well over 10 000 workers on the breadline while the government
00:12:05launched a national recruitment drive promising upwards of 20 000 sustainable jobs but the public response was
00:12:13overwhelming can you say for 20 000 will be filled yes but i said not on the same day it will be on a phase
00:12:20basis and we'll continue to uh fill those vacancies as we go ahead that's the whole purpose of this of
00:12:27course we may not have the 90 000 jobs but that's what my job is my job is to create jobs in our country
00:12:34we've promised you jobs and we will deliver on that promise but perhaps the biggest promise of all was
00:12:40the 10 increase for public servants the year was pregnant with anticipation when the psa president
00:12:46emerged from a meeting at the cpo's office one afternoon in november and proclaimed that the psa
00:12:53had received the long-awaited offer but many in the public domain noted that the tone of the announcement
00:12:59didn't quite match what was being said i'm happy to say to the membership of the psa this afternoon
00:13:07that another promise made is another promise delivered we have in our hand delivered by acting
00:13:14cpu miss wendy barton an offer of 10 which the psa will be responding to by this evening because as we
00:13:22have said our main aim is to ensure that we close these negotiations and put some monies in our members
00:13:29pockets by christmas and that stands that very sad day tv6 news asked the finance minister when public
00:13:38servants could expect their back pay reasonably speaking when would that point respectfully i cannot
00:13:44predetermine the outcome and you asked me to speculation with outcome and the timing even of a
00:13:49negotiation you should know better but we know for our fact that the psa will accept 10 percent they said
00:13:54that they want it so it's not speculation i am not at the very start i'm not going to jump to conclusions
00:13:59as to what psa will or will not do just to be clear 10 is a figure but there's a process for which
00:14:06negotiations must take place which is to disaggregate how that 10 is configured so i suspect that there's
00:14:13still going to be a negotiation how it ends as i said is based on what the conversation between cpu and the psa
00:14:21well in the days that followed there was much wood slinging from the psa president to the cpo
00:14:27in which it was revealed that while it was agreed that public servants would get an advance before
00:14:32christmas no agreement had been reached as to how the balance would be paid or when meantime the prime
00:14:39minister kept true to a word to address the issue of reckless fireworks use with legislation receiving
00:14:46full support from the opposition and independent bench the right to celebrate must not override the
00:14:53right to health the right to sleep the right to be safe for those who say that fireworks are like
00:15:01fleeting dreams bursting with color and light leaving behind a trail of smoke and wonder i say love is the
00:15:09only firework that never fades unfortunately there was no parade or fireworks on our 63rd independence
00:15:16anniversary to the dismay of many as the government opted to cancel the celebrations due to the security
00:15:23threat and host a day of prayer instead but these modifications have also pressed us into finding new
00:15:31and innovative ways to mark the occasion they have called us to engage our innate capacity to create and
00:15:41to be resourceful and when it comes to creativity and resourcefulness there is no nation on earth quite
00:15:50like trinidad and tobacan but it was measures with respect to noise control which divided the nation
00:15:56after the government took a decision to ban the hosting of events at a number of state facilities
00:16:03mere months before the start of the carnival season leaving promoters entertainers and those in supporting fields
00:16:10in the lurch we wake up one morning and no venue yeah after we had the proof runs and everything um so i'm
00:16:19really we kind of confused as to why i mean why now you know um you understand you know they're trying to
00:16:26curb on the if there's noise pollution or whatever you know the reason for it but why why why with a
00:16:34carnival a month away basically and the carnival season um find it very untimely the prime minister
00:16:42has promised to bring noise pollution legislation in the new year stay tuned we'll be right back after this
00:16:50break welcome back trinidad and tobago has found itself in the middle of an unprecedented and unexpected
00:17:06standoff between the u.s and venezuela which only continues to intensify and it all started when
00:17:13venezuelan president nicolas maduro claimed back in june that a group of armed terrorists were captured
00:17:19attempting to enter venezuela on route from trinidad yesterday we captured a group of terrorists attempting
00:17:29to enter the eastern part of the country from trinidad and tobago with a shipment of weapons of war
00:17:36half of whom are colombian sicarios brought across the caribbean sea to enter however tnt officials initially
00:17:45dismissed the concerns in fact prime minister kama pasal besessa responded with a warning to venezuela
00:17:52adding that she supports the u.s government and their policies with respect to venezuela today i want
00:17:59to make it very clear to the venezuelan government and officials that they can do whatever they want
00:18:06on venezuelan territory but they cannot come here tnt territory is off limits to them if mr cabelo's
00:18:16comments are a real threat to enter tnt territory they should reconsider any such intention the fact is
00:18:25that as a responsible government we have to take all threats against any incursion into our territory
00:18:33seriously i will speak to minister of defense and attorney general to seek advice on protections for
00:18:40our coast guard to use deadly force on any unidentified vessel entering tt waters from venezuela smuggling
00:18:50military abled men able-bodied men and women tnt is off limits to them while subsequent to that the
00:18:59united states hailed tnt as its ally indicating that this country had joined a u.s-led coalition
00:19:05against cartels the united states also started deploying naval assets to the southern caribbean
00:19:12in an effort to tackle what it said was narco trafficking even as it put a 50 million dollar
00:19:18bounty on maduro's head while labeling him one of the largest narco traffickers in the world i'm very
00:19:25clear we have had no agreement for any military attack if there are any such plans we are not part
00:19:31of any of those discussions and um would you ask me again if they'll be using any of our bases not to
00:19:38my knowledge and not the minister's knowledge there is no such agreement what i had said i maintain it
00:19:44should venezuela move against guyana it is then that we will offer any space here to protect our caribbean
00:19:51neighbor brother and sister and then it happened days later the u.s conducted its first lethal strike
00:19:58on a vessel it said was transporting drugs from venezuela two people were killed we just over the
00:20:06last few minutes literally shot out a a boat a drug carrying boat a lot of drugs in that boat and you'll
00:20:15be seeing that and you'll be reading about that it just happened moments ago and the strike drew
00:20:21praise from prime minister kamala posad besessa who said quote the slaughter of our people is fueled
00:20:28by evil cartel traffickers the pain and suffering the cartels have inflicted on our nation is immense
00:20:35i have no sympathy for traffickers the u.s military should kill them all violently end quote however many
00:20:42questioned the legality and the true purpose of the strike as well as whether tnt could somehow be
00:20:49complicit if they are saying that they have an agreement with trinidad and tobago i mean our
00:20:56prime minister has to come out clearly and say that there is no agreement that they have no discussions
00:21:02and that what's anything we are saying is not true i mean we have to she has to say that because other
00:21:07than that we are wondering exactly do they or do they not have an agreement and you are not making any
00:21:13reservations at all you are saying you know kill and kill violently and they in the first instance
00:21:20and they are maintaining this has to do with drugs you know drug trafficking and as i said that is not
00:21:26a war crime in the midst of all this the prime minister also announced that tnt would be realigning
00:21:31its foreign policy as it relates to caracom which she described as an unreliable partner the prime minister
00:21:39was a no-show at the caracom heads of government meeting in early july and while caracom heads of
00:21:44government called for peace in the region this was her statement the reality is stop no such peace
00:21:54exists today for too many in our region peace is not daily life but an elusive promise glimpsed and never
00:22:04grasp in its absence our citizens pay a terrible tool while there have been objections to the u.s
00:22:13military action against drug cartels in the southern caribbean some objections from some countries
00:22:21i state today trinidad tobago reminds the international community that unless forceful and aggressive
00:22:28actions are taken these evil drug cartels will continue their societal destruction the u.s went on
00:22:36to conduct 21 more strikes with at least 87 fatalities one of which locals maintain was a trinidadian
00:22:45child went down there to cultivate land because trinidad have no work he went down there to do work and he was
00:22:52here for six months he was for the father because the parents said he was getting they was not getting
00:22:58so he wanted to come home he had both come in here chariot relief spanish on them where's the evidence of
00:23:04the narcotics on the boat it have no narcotics on that boat because i just wanted to come home
00:23:13they was getting a lift a drive you know like when anybody rode on they want a lift well right that's what
00:23:18he was getting his family held a funeral for him in the absence of a body meantime tnt's partnership
00:23:25with the u.s deepened the usns comfort brought medical aid to tnt and the uss gravely warship docked
00:23:33in port spain to carry out joint training with the tnt defense force the government continued to maintain
00:23:40that its presence had nothing to do with venezuela but the citizenry was unsettled as far as i know there's
00:23:48about 14 percent of the u.s military in the western theater here in this area and i just have to trust
00:23:54what the authorities our prime minister is saying to us and allow us allow them to guide us well a few
00:23:59days later state one threat level was issued internally by the tnt defense force mandating all
00:24:05officers to report to duty immediately the news triggered widespread concern but the authorities
00:24:12refused to shed light can the minister confirm whether defense force officers have been instructed to
00:24:19return to base with immediate effect minister of defense
00:24:24and nothing ever came of that meantime we're in tnt defense force
00:24:33mr speaker mr speaker in keeping with the tenets of 27g i respectfully beg to decline
00:24:46giving an answer
00:24:47and nothing ever came of that meantime over in tobago a military radar was installed at first the prime
00:24:59minister said the u.s presence on the island was just to assist with construction of the new airport
00:25:04but then she admitted it was much more than that on the inquiries just in tobago there are some
00:25:11u.s marines there and they're helping us with the airport the plan there is um the runway and the road
00:25:19as all this unfolds in our neck of the woods u.s authorities are under the microscope for
00:25:35possible war crimes arising out of the very first lethal boat strike this after it was revealed that
00:25:43a second hit had been ordered after the first strike failed to kill those on board and so the
00:25:49entire debacle has come full circle with even one international analyst questioning whether trinidad
00:25:56and tobago has any culpability somebody pulled that trigger if that was it doesn't appear to me to
00:26:04be a drone strike i may be wrong but if they're saying it was a missile shot from the island of trinidad
00:26:10that tells me it was a laser guided missile and you had a laser spot from that uav or aircraft that
00:26:19we see the film of if you have another laser guided missile coming into that site to hit that boat a
00:26:25second time you have to have video of it because you have to paint the ship with a laser from another
00:26:32location so there are films there are audios and there are probably unless they've been destroyed and
00:26:39there are a lot of a lot of senior officers who know exactly what happened and only time will tell
00:26:45if this transition in diplomatic relations could land tnt in the middle of a military showdown between
00:26:51the u.s and venezuela or yen review continues after the break keep it here
00:26:57thanks for staying with us the ttps underwent a major transition this year when then top couple
00:27:13layerwood christopher found herself facing the other side of the law when she was arrested amid a probe into
00:27:19the importation of two sniper rifles for the security services agency as you are aware the commission of
00:27:27police miss earlier herewood christopher has been arrested and detained along with ex-ssa director
00:27:35roger best over the past few days we understand that this has raised significant public concern
00:27:44and we are committed to providing as much information as possible while respecting the ongoing investigation
00:27:53her arrest sent shockwaves throughout the national community with the then prime minister expressing
00:27:59disappointment over the matter my thoughts it's not a good thought because i'm a little bit
00:28:08disappointed whatever has happened that has come to that that the senior officer like that could have
00:28:16run apparently run a fall of the law but i know that in chindad and tobago we are a nation
00:28:25governed by laws there's protection for the innocent a person is innocent until proven guilty and due process is guaranteed
00:28:36while the very next day she was released from custody without charge her attorney senior counsel pamela elder posed the burning question
00:28:46i sat through with my junior mr warner the interview of the commissioner and at the end of this interview
00:28:55it was publicity lucidly clear that there was not one drop of evidence against the commissioner so the burning question
00:29:07which i would like answered is who is the senior officer that authorized the arrest of the commissioner of police
00:29:16on material that did not establish grounds to suspect but junior benjamin was appointed to act as police commissioner
00:29:27as the top cops legal team pursued the matter in court it was three months later that the dpp announced
00:29:33his decision not to pursue criminal charges against harwood clearing the way far to return to work
00:29:41well i feel vindicated so first let me thank god because only only god so i thank god i thank my
00:29:50attorneys i have been vindicated which i expected in my 43 years of service i have never been there's no
00:30:01allegations of any misconduct be a criminal or otherwise my service has always been with integrity but her
00:30:11victory was short-lived as three days later her contract came to an end and was not renewed deputy
00:30:19commissioner junior benjamin got attacked as top cop for a short while before alista guevaro who previously
00:30:25headed the special branch was nominated and approved as the new commissioner of police
00:30:30warbaro hit the ground running bringing renewed vigor and a whole new attitude to the office of police commissioner
00:30:38today marks 100 days since i assumed command of the train and tobago police service
00:30:46100 days of recalibration resolve and might i dare say results
00:30:54100 days of confronting fear with facts inertia with action and doubt with data however the top cop proceeded to
00:31:08call for a state of emergency which took effect on july 18th yesterday afternoon i would have received
00:31:16intelligence reports whereby organized criminal gangs with persons inside of the prisons and persons operating on
00:31:29the outside of the prisons have formed themselves into what i would want to term an organized crime syndicate
00:31:36and that they were planning actively so to carry out assassinations robberies and kidnappings on july 28th
00:31:48house of representatives voted to extend the soe by three months during which time a number of people were
00:31:54detained under the emergency regulations an order was also brought to have detention facilities at tetron barracks and
00:32:03the stobles bay reclassified as prisons there are others who are on preventative detention orders mr enoch
00:32:13that we are dotting the i's and crossing the t's because i don't want at the end of the soe
00:32:17so let's let them fellas walk out so all of them as far as i'm concerned should be charged there are a couple
00:32:23of them who because of the evidential threshold we may not be able to meet it to pass with the dpp but
00:32:29there meaning it will have enough evidence we have intelligence who is trying to evidence it but some
00:32:35lawyers representing a few detainees took issue with their clients prolonged detentions without charge
00:32:42attorneys representing one high profile detainee also voiced concerns over his safety and well-being
00:32:50to which the homeland security minister had this response i don't understand something you know some
00:32:56attorneys they are taking milk from their own cow and drinking it it's not for sale sometimes but
00:33:07they are taking milk from the cow and drinking it so they are talking on behalf of themselves and
00:33:12sometimes not even on behalf of their clients a second three-month extension was approved on october 31st
00:33:18among those detained were a prison officer a police officer and persons accused of making threats
00:33:26against public officials defense minister venezuela me can't speak spanish but i want to tell you
00:33:33something you say we go get a response please it's not tnt revving on oil it's unc what is the government's
00:33:44response to her arrest it should have come sooner but by the end of the year no one had been charged
00:33:50based on the intelligence which led to the soe in the first instance however the attorney general noted
00:33:57that crimes had decreased across the board beneficial effects on the homicide trends murders have decreased
00:34:06significantly significantly during the soe as of october 2025 i am told the national total stands at 285 cases
00:34:24representing a close to 45 percent reduction on the year to date 2024 figures
00:34:37august of 2025 registered 22 murders the lowest monthly total recorded in a decade
00:34:50but while murders decreased kidnappings increased data from the ttps indicates that there were 116
00:34:58kidnappings as of december 8th compared to 109 in 2025 while both years recorded six kidnappings
00:35:06for ransom among the kidnapped victims retiree vishnu lala who was kidnapped from his windsor park home
00:35:14in california in central trinidad and subsequently found shot dead a police constable was one of two
00:35:21suspects taken into custody for the murder an elderly couple snatched from their home on monos island in
00:35:27the dead of night a u.s 2.5 million dollar ransom was demanded for their release dramatic rescues were
00:35:35also orchestrated by the ttps junkie sadi karim was rescued by police nine days after she had been
00:35:43kidnapped near her basi street home in valseen as the officers would have approached the house
00:35:49the male suspect would have held miss carim hostage was armed with a firearm and sadly the police
00:35:57officers had to use the use of force policy and he was wounded and taken to hospital where he succumbed
00:36:06subsequently the victim miss carim was also taken to hospital where she was medically examined
00:36:13and she is now reunited with her family a female suspect is also in custody at this point in time
00:36:20and another successful rescue operation was conducted by police in september resulting in
00:36:26the death of one suspect i hope that this would serve as a warning to other persons who wish to engage
00:36:33in that sort of illegality the time has come to change the tide is now please turn away from crime
00:36:42and look towards profitable legal means of making a living this end is not for you but if the commissioner's
00:36:51warning isn't stern enough criminals could be facing the hangman in 2026 on the issue of crime and
00:36:58security which we talked a lot about on the campaign trail i indicated that we intend to resume hangings
00:37:05and today i want to give you an update of research that we have found with respect to carrying out anything
00:37:11respecting respecting with respect with respect to hangings my ministers have provided i instructed a
00:37:16minister of homeland security the ag minister of justice to provide an update on the possibility of
00:37:22resuming hangings the number of inmates i'm told on death row as of saturday may 10th 2025 is 38 38 of these 38 inmates
00:37:35only 18 are eligible to be hanged if we accept that these 18 have been sentenced to death and are yet
00:37:43under the five-year timeline established by pratt and morgan by the privy council so that is only these 18
00:37:50condemned inmates under the five-year timeline the other 20 are over the five-year timeline through though they have
00:37:58appeals pending in terms of how many condemned inmates can face the death penalty or have the death
00:38:06penalty be carried out at this time that is to say whom among the 18 can have a death warrant legally read
00:38:14out to be executed unfortunately or fortunately for some the answer is none is none given the state
00:38:21of the law of these 18 condemned inmates one has an appeal pending before the privy council the other 17
00:38:29have appeals pending before the local appellate court uh chamber of the supreme court it can be said
00:38:35therefore that until these appeals are heard the death penalty cannot be lawfully carried out at this time
00:38:42we'll have more of the 2025 yen review when we return
00:38:54you're watching the tv6 yen review a nation in transition after 17 years with ivorachi at the helm of
00:39:02the judiciary trinidad and tobago underwent another key transition when the former chief justice made a
00:39:08surprise announcement i have decided to retire not resign retire at the time of my own choosing and not to
00:39:18wait until i reach the age of 70. there will always be unfinished business no matter when i leave but i have
00:39:26decided to retire during this term so this will be my last speech i've chosen to make this announcement now
00:39:34because i must be responsible in managing transition especially after such a lengthy period in office
00:39:42where the only leader most people in the judiciary knows me one month later cj archie officially demitted
00:39:48office and the very next day the government moved to swear in the new chief justice in the absence of the
00:39:55substantive president who was out of the country senate president wade mark in his capacity as acting head of
00:40:02state oversaw the exercise i wish to assure the members of the national community of my commitment to trinidad
00:40:12and tobago to ensuring that i perform the functions of the chief justice to the best of my ability i wish to
00:40:24give you my commitment of hard work of dedication to duty and that through it all i will try to walk humbly
00:40:35but many in the national community like the law association took issue with how the chief justice was
00:40:42appointed noting that the president did not hold consultation with the prime minister and opposition
00:40:48leader as mandated by law the prime minister responded harshly saying that she quote had no regard for
00:40:56the eat of food filth in the hierarchy of the law association end quote at the law association's annual
00:41:04dinner and awards ceremony its president had this to say when we consider these realities in trinidad and
00:41:10tobago we have much to be grateful for the criticisms we face whilst at times sharp and personal remain criticisms
00:41:20not criminal prosecutions not imprisonment not state-sponsored persecution we operate in a democracy where the rule of law
00:41:29though tested remains fundamentally intact our judiciary remains independent our profession remains free to advocate
00:41:38and our bar association remains autonomous this is not a privilege to be taken lightly but rather a democratic
00:41:47foundation to be vigilantly protected
00:41:49a total deficit of over nine billion dollars faced the new government and assuming office but with a long list
00:42:01of promises to be fulfilled the government gave its word to fix the economy we will take no advice from those on
00:42:09the opposite side who have collapsed this economy we have a plan we know how to fix it and we will
00:42:16fix it mr speaker mr speaker mr speaker to address persistent foreign exchange shortages we will collaborate
00:42:23with the necessary stakeholders to establish a foreign exchange allocation committee to bring greater
00:42:29transparency equity and strategy to the allocation of scarce foreign exchange resources mr speaker that means
00:42:37that we have an anticipated budget anticipated expenditure of this fiscal year of 62.88 billion
00:42:47dollars mr speaker mr speaker mr speaker if that holds true that means that this would be the single
00:42:54largest budget in the history of trinidad and tobago and all we have heard from the minister of finance is
00:43:01coming here to celebrate accumulating more and more debt the government moved to deepen bilateral ties with india
00:43:10india's prime minister narendra modi arrived in trinidad in early july in a fitting culmination to this visit
00:43:18the government of tron tobago is pleased to announce the exchange of six memoranda of understanding
00:43:24between the republic of trinidad and tobago and the republic of india these mou's reflect our shared commitment
00:43:31to deepening bilateral relations cooperation across a wide range of areas that are vital to our multi
00:43:38mutual development and prosperity among governments other revenue generation plants energy agreements with
00:43:44guyana and grenada my minister of energy has been mandated from day one let's explore the offer being made
00:43:53by guyana to bring gas to trinidad and tobago and surinam is also energy producing again we can partner with
00:44:02them but i have a surprise for you i intend to send my minister of energy to grenada because i'm being told
00:44:09that grenada offshore has more gas and oil than the dragon field this as the u.s had revoked the of
00:44:17our license for dragon gas however former energy minister stuart young pointed out the following
00:44:25that is the reality trinidad and tobago any gas from guyana or surinam to trinidad and tobago has to
00:44:33pass through the territorial waters of venezuela so venezuela remains in the equation while there was no
00:44:41further word or action on those plants but a few months later the government came bearing what it said was
00:44:47great news arising out of a meeting between prime minister kamla pasad besessa and u.s secretary of
00:44:53state marco rubio i'm pleased to announce that the department of the treasury of the united states
00:45:03has granted the ofac license that was applied for by this government and the national gas company
00:45:13to pursue the exploration of the dragon gas field many weeks later venezuela suspended all energy deals
00:45:22with tnt and made it known that they wanted nothing to do with prime minister kamla pasad besessa or her
00:45:30with the dragon back in a coma the government presented its first national budget titled tnt first with
00:45:47revenues projected at 55.3 billion dollars and expenditure at 59.2 billion dollars and although
00:45:56finances were constrained there were still some goodies the honorable kamla pasad besessa has
00:46:02instructed that effective immediately the price of super gasoline at the gas station pump will be reduced
00:46:11by one dollar per liter on the other hand duties and taxes were increased the increase in customs duties
00:46:21on rum spirits beer and cigarettes will take immediate effect and while property tax got an eviction notice
00:46:30a landlord business surcharge tax was introduced this measure requires all landlords to register with the
00:46:38board of inland revenue and pay a one-time registration fee of two thousand five hundred dollars the government
00:46:47also announced a mega revitalization plan for the country featuring a number of grand projects
00:46:55a budget or first budget a road map which starts the way forward for next fiscal year and the question
00:47:02that recurs is where will we find the money where we find the money i told you then and i tell you now
00:47:09we will find that money and that is why we are rolling out these projects together to advise you so you and your
00:47:18various organizations that you can help us find money that will bring money for investment but will give
00:47:25you money to return back to your own country back to your own organization so we welcome here today in the
00:47:31midst of all this trinidad's largest ammonia producer and the main co2 supplier nutrient shut down its local
00:47:39operations for good that kind of action breeds what i will want to call international reputational damage
00:47:49do we want that for trinidad and tobago and who made that decision did they really put into consideration
00:47:58the real implications for trinidad and tobago and also employment and the ancillary industry by such i
00:48:08will want to say an untought out action the government also reaffirmed its commitment to restarting the
00:48:16pointer pair refinery but it remains uncertain where it will get the funds for any or all of these plans
00:48:24well against this backdrop two of the most eminent credit rating agencies revised tnt's economic
00:48:30outlook to negative citing concerns about declining forex reserves as well as government's failure to
00:48:36implement fiscal reforms and policies which could lead to sustainability and long-term growth
00:48:42don't touch a button we'll have more news when we return
00:48:56welcome back to tv6's year in review a nation in transition where perhaps the greatest transition of
00:49:03all was in tobago which saw the island give what many believe to be the final boot to the pnm opting
00:49:10instead to go blue with the tobago people's party senior multimedia reporter elizabeth williams has the
00:49:162025 roundup for tobago a number of murders captured the attention of tobago police one such murder u.s
00:49:26citizen christopher brown was stabbed to death in castara tobago one man was held for the killing at the
00:49:35time of the filing of this report tobago had recorded nine murders with the youngest victim
00:49:41being a student of signal hill secondary school bearish joseph was found shot dead on january 4th
00:49:48dejan melville who was set ablaze died on january 8th two suspects one a 14 year old boy were charged with
00:49:56his murder tobago's third murder victim vernardo george of pembroke was shot dead on march 25th while having
00:50:05lunch at the black rock heritage park a suspect was held and the gun was seized in the matter 22 year
00:50:12old trevon walker was shot dead during a drive-by shooting on july 29th along highlands road mariah
00:50:20shortly before 3 a.m two men were later held for the murder on august 24th another man from pembroke
00:50:28tobago was shot at his shop in pembroke and later died at the scarper general hospital he was
00:50:34identified as kylan malcolm the sixth murder statistic was 64-year-old chinese national falgen zoo of
00:50:44bacalette shot to the head found on september 14th 44-year-old renal alain shot at calder hall on october
00:50:5328th pronounced dead at hospital 23-year-old israel collins shot dead during a drive-by shooting in mason hall
00:51:02tobago on november 25th an american citizen christopher brown vacationing in castara tobago was the island's
00:51:11ninth murder victim on november 26th a suspect from rockleyville's copper was held and charged for his
00:51:18murder in the health sector there was the ambulance fiasco where the procurement process of the tobago
00:51:26regional health authority trha was called into question in clearing the air on the road worthiness
00:51:33of three ambulances purchased by the tobago regional health authority in tobago chairman of the board of
00:51:39the trha chris lynn moore said on june 6th that despite some theeting issues the ambulances were fit
00:51:47for purpose and tobagonians were getting value for money miss moore spoke during a media briefing at the
00:51:54conference room of the roxburgh hospital do we have teething problems yes but one of the problems we
00:52:03don't have is ambulances not working that's not the problem we have we have teething problems we have
00:52:13training issues that we are going to resolve we have specifications that we have added to the service
00:52:21provider things that we didn't ask for but that we have decided that we've need we needed um and
00:52:28so we are i don't want to say we are retrofitting but but we are adding we are beefing up the ambulance
00:52:34that media conference followed concerns about the loss of power in one of the three ambulances
00:52:40bought by the trhe the procurement process started in 2022 when specifications were developed
00:52:47by an in-house team of specialists the current fleet in tobago was at six of which two were leased
00:52:55and four were refurbished these are the companies
00:53:02why did we go with none of these companies because the people who actually use these ambulances on a
00:53:09day-to-day basis formed part of the team that assessed the suitability of their products of their offer
00:53:19and deemed them to be unsuitable many of them were actually offering what we have been accused of doing
00:53:27now many of them were offering us a maxi and saying we can give you a shell retrofitted
00:53:33the persons who are using these ambulances who created the specifications on which the tender was
00:53:41based those people including mr lester frederick rejected quite rightly so in my view rejected
00:53:53that the attorney at law and the former justice minister was not stopping there and she issued
00:54:01pre-action protocol letters to persons who defamed her on social media we had an incident recently
00:54:07what as ceo said we continue to test drive these ambulances we they are under warranty um and we
00:54:14have an extended warranty we have we have a generous warranty and quite frankly our contract is a good
00:54:22contract if the ambulances are not serving our purpose then we will get our money back
00:54:29there is no iteration where we will preside over purchasing items that cannot be used with no
00:54:41recourse but we are having teething problems and the supplier is is working with us um to resolve those
00:54:48issues and we are confident that they will be resolved and if they cannot be resolved we are confident
00:54:52that our legal recourse is sound miss moore at that time assured the public that all regulatory
00:54:59protocols in the procurement of tobago's ambulances were observed we want to assure the public that
00:55:06we have an eye on value for your money as well as appropriate contingencies in place if something
00:55:15were to go wrong to recoup your money um but ultimately it is about the delivery of the service that
00:55:23is what we are charged uh to do and the thrha is committed to delivering service to reducing wait
00:55:31times to making sure that there are emergency response vehicles in this space the office of
00:55:38procurement regulation is now investigating the matter after minority leader kelvin morris met with
00:55:44investigators and sent documents to the institution tobagonians are preparing to vote for a new tha come
00:55:52january 12th a total of 42 candidates will contest the tobago house of assembly tha elections scheduled for
00:56:01monday 12th january 2026 according to the ebc four political parties have submitted candidates for the election
00:56:09the distribution is as follows political party number of candidates innovative democratic alliance idea
00:56:1711 people's national movement pnm 15 tobago people's party tpp 15 unity of the people 1. the commission
00:56:27confirms that nomination day proceedings were conducted smoothly and successfully in accordance with electoral
00:56:34procedures the night of the general election on april 28th saw incumbents tobago east mps ayana webster roy
00:56:43and tobago west mp chamfer joe lewis losing their seats to the farly augustine-led tpp's david thomas
00:56:51and joelle samson during a media conference on election night pnm tobago council political leader ansel dennis
00:56:58conceded defeat at the polls denis said the pnm intended to re-strategize regroup and prepare for
00:57:06the upcoming th election and we will of course talk to our membership i intend to call a meeting with the
00:57:16campaign team and the leadership of the party um because i think there are some issues that need to
00:57:22be dealt with and following that we will prepare forthwith for the next election which is not too
00:57:29far away he did not believe the crab in a barrel statement about tobogonians made by former prime
00:57:35minister dr keith rowley on march 15th during the practical completion of the construction of the new
00:57:42terminal at the anr robinson international airport contributed in any way to the pnm's loss i don't
00:57:49consider it an insult i consider it a response to sometimes our realities here in tobago since
00:57:58then dennis has remained leader stating he would not resign despite the crushing defeat transitioning
00:58:06into yet another election the political parties are campaigning for the january 12 th election with
00:58:12the u.s military's installation of a radar in tobago being a talking point nightly on all political
00:58:20platforms and one of the more topical issues to be treated with in 2025 the installation of the military
00:58:29radar you see behind me chief secretary farley augustine was not informed beforehand about the
00:58:36installation of the military radar prime minister kamala passad besessa told members of the media
00:58:43the installation of the radar was not told to the chief secretary because he is not on the national
00:58:50security council the military radar was installed in tobago last month without consultation with chief
00:58:57secretary farley augustine who only knew about it via social media contacting the prime minister kamala
00:59:04passad besessa for clarity in the matter mr augustine was told he was not informed as he is not part of
00:59:10the national security council shortly before 1 p.m on saturday 29th november a u.s military helicopter
00:59:19was on the ground at the anr robinson international airport a number of u.s marines were observed near the
00:59:26chopper this comes on the heels of a radar system at the anr robinson international airport now being fully
00:59:33operational chief secretary farley augustine held a media conference speaking to those new developments
00:59:39however chief secretary farley augustine thanked the prime minister kamala passad besessa for sharing
00:59:45sensitive information with him after the fact mr augustine admitted he had contacted the minister of
00:59:53defense for clarity on the issue but was not responded to it was all explained away at a press conference
01:00:00attended by chief secretary farley augustine minister of defense wayne sturge attorney general john jeremy
01:00:07and the chief of defense staff don polo responding to calls by opposition parties in tobago for the
01:00:14removal of the radar mr augustine believes the administration of the radar should be under the
01:00:19control of the tha with a knowledge sharing agreement my view on that is once once tobago is not going to be
01:00:27used as a launching pad for any attacks on any other nation uh once tobago is not going to be part of
01:00:36any war uh radars are systems that we have always had um to monitor what happens both in the air and in
01:00:44our marine space augustine says the surveillance of the radar is necessary for tobago you notice i talking
01:00:51about uh city city city city tv cameras and so on around the island to help to ramp up our efforts
01:00:58when it comes to security of the island we need the surveillance the chief secretary also told tv6 news
01:01:05the decision by the government to grant approvals for united states military aircraft to transit trinidad
01:01:12and tobago's airports in the coming weeks was not discussed with him beforehand in fact mr augustine said
01:01:19like everybody else he knew via a release from the ministry of foreign and carrycom affairs of the
01:01:25decision made
01:01:31but unfortunately there are many who will not make it into 2026 with us this year we said goodbye to a
01:01:38number of people who transitioned due to natural causes murder and a few due to freak accidents
01:01:45including at least four people who died after their gas tanks exploded investigations aren't going
01:01:52into the incidents and illegal action has been initiated abel seaman case simon from the tnt coast guard
01:01:59who is still unaccounted for after he went down with a vessel during an operation at sea back in february
01:02:06cultural pioneer dr ansley hanuman singh independent senator and president of the national council of indian
01:02:13culture duroop timal activist and businessman in chanishmao former member of parliament for david
01:02:20o'mera lisa maurice julian and two of her children who all died in a house fire little jasha prance
01:02:27well who died following complications while being treated at hospital and special prosecutor randall
01:02:33hector who was assassinated exactly one year ago after delivering an old years night sermon at church
01:02:40while the ag confirmed that the hit on hector's life came from within prison walls intel on this and
01:02:47a number of other planned hits led to the government instituting back-to-back states of emergencies this
01:02:53year and so we enter 2026 under another state of emergency and that brings us to the end of the tv6
01:03:02year and review special a nation in transition i am your host renessa cutting from everyone here at ccn tv 6
01:03:10news happy new year and all the best for 2026
01:03:17disappointment is part of life don't be the sponsor
01:03:20you
01:03:22know that the unc did win everybody
01:03:46you
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