Caption: Fireworks explode in the sky to bring in the New Year around the London Eye and the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known by the name of the clock’s bell “Big Ben”, at the Palace of Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament, in central London at midnight on January 1, 2026. AFP/Brook Mitchell
AZP News Commentary
HAPPY New Year my fellow trash bags in this dump of lawlessness!
Well, my feelings are hurt. Saying T&T is a dump of lawlessness, essentially means all of the citizens are just trash. Big old steamy bags of rotting garbage.
It’s funny, because if we are all trash in the dump of T&T, then one could deduce our politicians/overlords of the dump are a grimy flock of corbeaux just circling and laughing, thinking they are better, not realising our trashiness is what keeps them fed.
Ohhhhhh, burn back at ya!
But seriously, let the corbeaux take some responsibility here. We are lawless, because we have been allowed to be lawless by our equally lawless governments… PLURAL.
PNM, UNC, NAR all turned a blind eye at certain acts of lawlessness to appease the people, to distract from their own lawlessness and to get the garbage people to dip their fingers in that red ink and profess their loyalty to whomever let them live without accountability and consequence.
Perhaps, therefore, our leaders need to take a deep breath and practise some self-awareness before they come and insult the people who trusted them to manage this so-called dump of lawlessness.
Speaking of self-awareness, social awareness and reflection, I had the responsibility of handling the New Year’s greetings of the president, prime minister and opposition leader.
Perhaps the most poignant came from President Christine Kangaloo.
She wrote, “As we face the next twelve months, we should aim to learn from and apply the lessons which the adversities of 2025 have taught us.”
Now, as I have established that those at the helm (on both sides of the Red House) lack both self and social awareness, which therefore means they are oblivious to their errors of 2025 and hence may feel as though they have no lessons to be learned. Have no fear, I took the time to list some lessons they should have learned in hopes 2026 can be the greatest:
- If you ignore the voice of the people and arrogantly believe you can do whatever you want, even with a change of leadership, you will be voted out of office, and no one will pity you when you do.
- Continuity plans are vital. Did CEPEP, URP and other work programmes need to be reviewed? Absolutely. But the way in which the matter was handled deserved more to be desired. What should have been practiced is business continuity, let the programmes run while you investigate and develop a solid reform plan. So, when you have your proof of scamp contracts and corruption, you can fire, jail, pants, do whatever you want to do to the guilty parties, while moving the employees (who are the ones who are really losing, because whoever money hadda make, make) into the new programmes. Tada! Less terminations, people have money to keep the economy strong, and the country won’t look like a French hippy’s bikini line… a mess!
- Don’t make promises you can’t keep and when you can’t keep them be honest about it. On the election trail we heard the economy is in shambles! The PNM has left this country broke! Ah but don’t worry, we won’t make you pay, no new taxes, jobs for everyone, yada yada… but, but hold on… if we broke how doth you plan to fulfil these promises? No one asked that question, did they? I don’t even think the UNC had a plan, but those promises sounded great and honestly, we were all tired of being buffed up and being treated like peasants.
This brings me to my last point…
- Just be honest. Don’t urinate on my leg and tell me it’s raining. Don’t tell me all these extra levies and surcharges on banks, insurance companies, manufacturers and taxing my landlord, won’t affect the cost of living. It will, I mean we stupid, but we not that stupid. Don’t have the US military install a radar, tell me its for-tracking drug boats, when military experts and the manufacturer themselves clearly state the radar cannot be used for maritime purposes and is for aircraft and military only.
Being honest might get people upset, but after their initial angry reaction, they will respect you for being honest. And respect, not blind adoration, is what all great leaders should strive for..
In 2025 I made mistakes, I learned from them. I walk into 2026, smarter-ish, more equipped, more understanding and more of a menace than ever.
Alicia was last seen with tin foil trying to pick up the radar in Tobago
