Her Excellency is pinned with the First Poppy

Oct 30, 2026

It is customary for the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to receive the first poppy before its national distribution. In keeping with that time-honoured tradition, Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo, O.R.T.T., President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was pinned with the first poppy on Friday, 30 October 2026.

Making the presentation to Her Excellency were Colonel (Ret.) Lyle Alexander, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Legion of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League; Mr. Adrian Gill, Secretary; and Mr. Lennon Sorzano, Office Manager.

The annual poppy distribution honours Remembrance Day and helps support living veterans, ex-servicemen and their families through the proceeds raised. Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the Armistice signed between the Allied Powers and Germany, which took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, bringing the fighting of the First World War to an end. First observed in 1919 across Great Britain and the Commonwealth, Remembrance Day provides an opportunity to honour the service members who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.

The red poppy became a symbol of remembrance because these flowers naturally bloomed across the war-torn battlefields of Western Europe during the First World War. Their appearance amid the devastation came to symbolise remembrance of those who lost their lives in the conflict.

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As the sun set on Thursday, November 4, 2026, Their Excellencies Christine Carla Kangaloo, ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Kerwyn Garcia, SC, First Gentleman, joined members of staff of the Office of the President on the East Lawn of the grounds of The President’s House to light deyas in observance of Divali, the Festival of Lights, for the fourth consecutive year.Private Kiran Tulsie of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Reserves offered a prayer and reflection on the significance of the Festival of Lights, followed by brief remarks from Her Excellency the President and the lighting of the deyas by those in attendance. Shubh Divali Trinidad and Tobago 🪔 ...

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9 hours ago

#HappeningNowHer Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo, ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and His Excellency Kerwyn Garcia, SC, First Gentleman attend today’s National Day of Remembrance observance, at Memorial Park, Port of Spain. ...

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14 hours ago

Shubh Divali! 🪔𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐨 𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐓, 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔Today, I join the Hindu community, at home and abroad, and all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago in celebrating Divali, the Festival of Lights.Divali recalls the return of Lord Ram and Mother Sita to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile. The rows of deyas that welcomed them proclaimed both joy and the enduring triumph of dharma over injustice, knowledge over ignorance, and light over darkness.The deya is small, yet it does not bargain with the darkness; it simply gives its light. Divali therefore calls us not merely to admire goodness, courage and truth, but to practise them—especially when doing so is difficult.Practicing truth, as Divali calls us to do, requires the courage to speak with fairness and responsibility. This responsibility is imposed in both directions. When we speak, we should do so truthfully and without malice; and when we listen, we should receive differing views with patience and generosity. When candour is tempered by compassion, disagreement need not become division, and the exchange of ideas can deepen rather than diminish our common life.As we prepare our homes for the blessings of Sri Lakshmi, let us also make room within ourselves for conscience, compassion and discernment. Let our words bring light rather than heat, and let our differences enlarge, rather than narrow, our sense of common belonging.In our multi-religious and multicultural Republic, Divali is a gift to the whole nation. It reminds us that light is most powerful when shared, and that a country's moral strength is measured not only by the freedoms it proclaims, but by the courage with which its people protect them.May every deya lit this Divali renew in us the wisdom to recognise truth, the courage to speak it responsibly, and the grace to hear it—even when it is difficult. May its light guide Trinidad and Tobago towards a future shaped by truth, justice and mutual respect.I wish the Hindu community and the entire nation a happy, peaceful and holy Divali.Shubh Divali! ...

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20 hours ago

For the second consecutive year, Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo, ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and His Excellency Kerwyn Garcia, SC, First Gentleman, hosted the annual Armistice Dinner at The President’s House on Friday November 6, 2026.Organised by the Combined Services Officers’ Mess and held ahead of Remembrance Day, the dinner honoured those who served in the First and Second World Wars and paid tribute to those who lost their lives.Among the guests were the Honourable Chief Justice, Mr Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Commodore Don Polo. Formation Commanding Officers, serving officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and retired Chiefs of Defence Staff also attended, along with members of the Diplomatic Corps representing countries that were signatories to the Armistice and heads of divisions of the Ministry of Homeland Security.A special tribute was paid to Colonel Stanly Lucien Johnson (Ret’d), M.O.M., a decorated officer who is 107 years old. Colonel Johnson began his military career in the Trinidad Cadet Corps in 1932, joined the Trinidad Volunteers in 1937 and was mobilised in 1939 at the outbreak of the Second World War. He rose to the rank of Warrant Officer before being commissioned, and went on to serve in the Caribbean and the United Kingdom, with an attachment to the Canadian Army.After joining the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment in 1963, he held several command and staff appointments and went on to serve as Commander of the Defence Force and Commanding Officer of the Regiment from 1968 to 1970. He subsequently represented Trinidad and Tobago as Military Attaché in Washington, D.C.As we honour Colonel Johnson’s distinguished service to Trinidad and Tobago, we remember with gratitude all who served and all who gave their lives.Lest we forget.#ArmisticeDinner #RemembranceDay #LestWeForget #TrinidadAndTobago#OfficeofthePreidenttt ...

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2 days ago

On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Their Excellencies Christine Carla Kangaloo, ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and Kerwyn Garcia, SC, First Gentleman, attended the 40th Annual Divali Nagar on the sixth night of celebrations. Their Excellencies were first hosted to dinner by members of the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) Board of Directors before joining the evening's official proceedings on the main stage.The evening featured displays of talent, creativity and cultural expression as finalists took to the stage for the Trin India Youth Champ Competition and the Meena House Dance Competition. Her Excellency also delivered the feature address, speaking on this year's theme, “Viveka – Discerning Truth in the Age of AI”.See below the full text of the address delivered by Her Excellency.𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐨 𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐓, 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟒𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐢 𝐍𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐫— “𝐕𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐤𝐚—𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈”— 𝟒 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔Sita Ram and good evening.It is always a joy to return to Divali Nagar. My husband and I look forward to this visit every year. Its fusion of religion, culture and tradition - and its welcome to people from every community - make it one of the great treasures of our national cultural calendar.For forty years, the National Council of Indian Culture has sustained this living expression of Indo-Trinbagonian heritage and shared it with the whole nation. I thank its leadership and volunteers, whose devotion carries that inheritance forward.This year’s theme, “Viveka - Discerning Truth in the Age of AI,” joins ancient wisdom to one of the defining questions of our time: how are we to remain faithful to truth when artificial intelligence can create false words, false images and false voices that appear real?Viveka is the faculty of discernment: the union of intellect, conscience and wisdom by which we distinguish truth from falsehood and choose responsibly.That call is woven into Divali itself. The deya signifies knowledge dispelling ignorance, while Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya signifies dharma and truth overcoming deception and ego. The ancient Sanskrit prayer expresses the same longing: “Lead me from the unreal to the real; lead me from darkness to light; lead me from death to immortality.”When it comes to Artificial Intelligence, I think it would do us well to recognize that humanity has been called to discern truth for far longer than there have been computers or algorithms. Our difficulty with truth did not begin with AI. We were wrestling with deception, prejudice and the abuse of power long before the first machine learned to imitate a human voice.The truth is that Artificial intelligence is not some self-originating, moral actor standing apart from us. It is we who design its systems, supply its data, set its objectives and decide how its products will be used. Even where a machine generates the output, human choices remain embedded in its creation and deployment.When it comes to AI, I think it would also do us well to recognize that AI is therefore not the enemy. It can advance medical research, improve education, assist persons with disabilities and help us solve problems of enormous complexity. We should neither fear it blindly nor embrace it uncritically, but govern and use it wisely.The machine did not invent the lie, prejudice or cruelty. What it can do is give old human failings unprecedented speed, scale and credibility. It can make untruth look authentic, and place an innocent person’s likeness or voice into words and actions that were never theirs. The truth is that AI does not create our brokenness; but it can magnify its consequences.I have experienced this personally. Fake social-media profiles and AI-generated videos purporting to feature me have circulated online. Last year, a gentleman came to the Office of the President intending to invest in a scheme which he believed that I had endorsed. His belief rested upon an AI-generated video. The video was false, but it was convincing enough to prompt a real financial decision.That experience brought home to me that discernment in the age of AI cannot be passive. Before we believe, react or share, we must ask where information came from, whether it can be confirmed independently, and whether our eagerness to believe it arises from evidence - or merely from its agreement with what we already wish to be true.Fabricated images and recordings are not the only obstacles to truth. Truth also becomes harder to discern when fear enters public life, when untested allegations acquire the appearance of fact, when rumour fills the place of reliable information, or when the tone of public discussion makes silence seem safer than honest disagreement.In such conditions, people do not cease to have opinions; they become reluctant to express them. Suspicion grows, trust recedes and misinformation finds fertile ground. A healthy democracy must permit difficult questions and respectful criticism, while requiring all of us to distinguish allegation from evidence and to speak truthfully, fairly and responsibly.Words, too, require discernment. In the age of AI, each of us can become not only a recipient of information, but its unwitting publisher and amplifier. Before forwarding or repeating, we should ask whether it is true, whether its context has been preserved and what consequences may follow once it travels beyond our control. The wider our reach, the greater our duty of care.A focus of my Presidency is young people. When it comes to AI and young people, I believe that our young people must learn not merely to operate intelligent machines, but to remain intellectually independent in their presence. AI can assist research and overcome barriers to learning; but an answer generated, is not necessarily an answer understood. Education in the age of AI must therefore cultivate curiosity, source-checking, ethical judgment and confidence in their own authentic voices.Beyond the nation’s youth, I believe that there is also a vital cultural task before us. AI can help preserve and share our records, oral histories, music, art and traditions. Yet systems trained mainly upon larger societies may misunderstand, flatten or omit the distinctive voice of a small and plural nation such as ours. Technology may preserve a recording; but only communities can preserve its meaning. That is why Divali Nagar matters in the age of AI. It is not culture summarized, but culture lived - in worship, performance, food, craft, voluntary service and the meeting of one generation with another.As Trinidad and Tobago embraces artificial intelligence, we must ensure that its benefits do not belong only to those with wealth, technical expertise or access to the best-resourced institutions. AI must serve human dignity, not reproduce old prejudices in new forms, and must remain transparent enough to be questioned, accountable enough to be corrected and inclusive enough to serve every community.Although Viveka comes to us from Hindu thought, its call to truth, wisdom and moral responsibility speaks across every faith and culture. In our multi-religious and multicultural society, our traditions are not obstacles to technological progress. They are among the moral resources by which progress can be kept human.The defining question is not simply whether machines will become more intelligent, but whether human beings will become more discerning. Will we use these extraordinary tools to enlarge knowledge and opportunity, or to manufacture deception and deepen exclusion? The answer will not be found in technology alone, but in the quality of our judgment and the courage with which we remain faithful to truth, and to the pursuit of “Viveka”. Our challenge is to let artificial intelligence enlarge our capacities, but never replace our conscience; to let it assist our judgment, but never excuse us from exercising it.In the age of AI, may that ancient Sanskrit prayer continue to guide us: from the unreal to the real; from darkness to light; from ignorance to understanding. And may the light that we kindle in our deyas also kindle within us the wisdom to recognise truth, the courage to speak it responsibly, and the humanity to use it for the good of all.I thank the NCIC once again for the extraordinary gift that is Divali Nagar, and for inviting the nation to consider a theme so important to our time. In the age of AI, the lamp of Viveka must remain in human hands.I wish you and the entire nation a happy and holy Divali.Shubh Divali, and may God bless our nation.-END- ...

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Her Excellency is pinned with the First Poppy

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