Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 30/12/2025 05:25

Let's tackle issues that will better our lives

THE EDITOR: When will Trinidadians recognise the reality of our situation and start addressing the issues that truly matter? There are many pressing concerns and no one is coming to fix them for us. Moreover, solutions are not going to magically appear. Take, for example, the redesign of the national coat of arms to include the steelpan. While considering a change could be an option, we need to ask ourselves if this is truly a top priority at this moment. The redesign could cost millions of dollars that the country currently does not have. This effort aims to promote an instrument we generally celebrate only at Carnival. If the goal is to showcase the origins of the steelpan to the world, other far-reaching platforms can achieve this, but it is not something that can be addressed with a one-time effort. Consider how many years and governments it took to officially designate the steelpan as the national instrument. When the decision was finally made, it took less than an hour in Parliament to make it law. A country's national coat of arms is not simply a tourist attraction or an advertisement for tourism. How many of us can name the elements of the coat of arms of other Caricom countries, let alone those of distant nations? As we prepare for 2026, let us genuinely strive to grow up and tackle the issues that will improve our lives, rather than turn our backs and ignore pressing matters. C PETERS via e-mail The post Let's tackle issues that will better our lives appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.