THE Trinidad and Tobago government says it has extended the use of the existing coat of arms until January 2, 2031, despite the approval of a new national emblem earlier this year.
The Ministry of Homeland Security issued the legal notice for the extension. The order was made under section 5(2) of the National Emblems of Trinidad and Tobago (Regulation) (Amendment) Act, 2025, which allows the minister to prescribe a later date for the continued use of the national emblem.
The act, which came into force earlier this year, introduced a new coat of arms for Trinidad and Tobago. It originally allowed the previous one to be used until January 1, 2026, or until a later date set by ministerial order.
According to the legal notice, the Government determined that it was “expedient” to permit the continued use of the current coat of arms beyond the original deadline.
In June, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo ordered the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago to halt printing of the new TT$100 polymer bill, which features the redesigned coat of arms. Tancoo cited no reason at the time for the move.
The new coat of arms was unanimously approved in the House of Representatives on January 13, showing the image of a gold steelpan and pansticks where Columbus’ ships were, with the then Keith Rowley government saying the change was part of the effort to remove “painful colonial vestiges of our past.”
The redesign itself has sparked widespread criticism. Citizens, historians, and artists have challenged both the symbolism and the process by which it was introduced.” (CMC)
