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New Year Message from Her Excellency

Jan 1, 2024

New Year Message from Her Excellency

The arrival of a new year brings with it an opportunity to reflect and to reposition. We reflect on the triumphs and the pains of the past year. And, with the wisdom we have gained through the experience of our triumphs and our pains, we reposition ourselves to face the new year and to make of it the best that we can.

As we reflect on the year that was 2023, we see many triumphs – including the triumph of what would appear to be our full return to normal social and business life, after the dark period of the COVID-19 pandemic. We see triumphs in sports, in music and in academia. We see examples of triumph in the parents who have sacrificed everything for their children’s education, and in the smiles of the children who have excelled at their studies and made their parents justly proud. These are just examples of the many triumphs that our country has been privileged to experience in the past year.

But, as we look back on 2023, we also see pain. We see the pain of families who have lost loved ones to disease, to road accidents, and to crime. We see the pain of the untimely loss in 2023 of many of our country’s beloved artistes and writers. We see the pain of human trafficking and of the abuse of vulnerable citizens – many of them children.

Many of us, looking back at the mix of triumphs and of pains that our country has experienced in 2023, might be tempted to agree with Charles Dickens’ assessment of the period of the French Revolution in “A Tale of Two Cities”, and to say of 2023 that “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair”.

I believe that one of the challenges for us as we begin a new year, is to acknowledge the complex and multifaceted nature of the human journey, and to come to terms with the fact that, no matter who or what we are, we all experience both happiness and sorrow, success and failure. I believe that one of the challenges for us, is to embrace this essential duality of the human experience, and not to give up hope in, or because of, moments of pain or disaster. As difficult and as agonising as those moments can be, the challenge is for us to remember that even in the darkest of times, there is potential for positive change and growth. As the Bible says in Psalm 30 Verse 5: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”.

And so, as we reflect on the year that was 2023, and even as we accept that in life, we will always have and face challenges, let us also remember that we will also have and enjoy successes. Let us reposition our focus, away from only the pains that we all endure, and allow our focus to also embrace the examples of human excellence and potential around us — our innovative and enterprising young people, our talented athletes – and on our potential for greatness as a united, national community. Let us reflect on where we went wrong in 2023, and reposition ourselves at the start of the new year, to move forward in right directions. Let us all go triumphantly into the new year, with boundless faith in our destiny and in our ability to climb every mountain, to conquer every pain, and to fulfil our potential as a country.

My husband and I extend our very best wishes to all for 2024. And may God Bless Our Nation.

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The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T

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The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T
Message from Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on Republic Day 2025Fellow citizens, For many of us, Republicanism is a difficult concept to grasp. Many of us grapple with the question of why it was necessary, and how is it different from Independence. Our history books and political texts tell us that Republicanism was an important step in our ongoing journey of self-determination, and that by replacing the British monarch and her representative with a Head of State chosen from among our own citizens, we shed the last vestiges of colonial rule and assumed full ownership of our destiny. Yet even with these explanations, the real meaning of Republicanism continues to elude many of us. Apart from the symbolic change in our Head of State, many struggle to understand what difference it makes to who we are as a country. Perhaps some light can be shed on this question if we were to regard Independence as the foundation of our country’s freedom, and Republicanism as the edifice which we choose to build upon that foundation. Looked at in this way, we might view Republicanism as the answer to the question “What are we doing with our freedom?”. For the 49 years that have passed since 1976, ours has been the responsibility to answer that question. This past week, we have had wonderful and inspirational answers to that question in the area of sport. We have delighted in the accomplishments of Keshorn Walcott and Jereem Richards. And we have all been gripped by the elation of a fifth CPL victory by our Trinbago Knight Riders. Today, beyond the boundaries of sport, we will also gather, as we do each year, in solemn recognition of citizens who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and upon whom we will bestow national awards.This Republic Day, Trinidad and Tobago has much to be proud of as we answer the question posed by our Republicanism - “What are we doing with our freedom?”. We can answer truthfully that since 1976, we have stared down countless challenges and, much like David standing before Goliath, we have risen to meet them with courage and determination. We can say, with justifiable pride, that though small in size and population, we have shown ourselves to be a nation abounding in vision, spirit, resilience and faith. One of the consequences of Republicanism is that there is no escape from having always to answer the question “What are we doing with our freedom?”. There can be no ‘final answer’ to that question. It will arise for answering, constantly. My hope and my prayer are that we will continue to place ourselves, by our words and by our actions, in a position always to answer that question with pride.Whenever Republic Day comes around, may we always be in the position of proud Trinbagonians – proud, not just of our accomplishments, but of the strength of our spirit, the breadth of our vision for our society, and the audacity of our hope for our future. Let us always be able to say that we are proud of the way we come together in times of crisis. Let us always be proud of the way we reach out to help our neighbours when they are in need. Let us always be proud of how we both celebrate our diversity and set aside our differences when it matters most. And let the edifice that we choose to build upon the foundation of our Independence, be a structure in which there is room for all, regardless of class, colour, creed or race. As we approach the milestone of 50 years of being a Republic, may we do, with our freedom, all that we envisaged at our Independence, and more. I wish the citizens of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago a blessed, happy and productive Republic Day. #RepublicDay2025#ProudlyTrinbagonian#UnityInDiversity#officeofthepresidentt ... See MoreSee Less

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The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T updated their cover photo.

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The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T The Office of the President of the Republic of T&T is at President's House, Trinidad and Tobago.

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🇹🇹 With just one day to go before we celebrate Republic Day and the National Awards 2025, we proudly highlight the awardees of 2024 — citizens whose exceptional service has strengthened our nation.✨ Their contributions in Youth Development, Tourism, Sport, Social Work, Science, Education, Culture, the Arts, and many other spheres continue to uplift and inspire Trinidad and Tobago.🔗 See link to full Database of National Awardees: share.google/vYiVhp34aFr72qBZ5#NationalAwards #RepublicDay #trinidadandtobago #officeofthepresidenttt ... See MoreSee Less

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🇹🇹🏅Last, but certainly not least, we shine the spotlight on the nation’s highest award – The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT)!The ORTT may be awarded to any person, citizen or non-citizen, who has rendered distinguished and outstanding service to Trinidad and Tobago. As with all awards, it may be awarded posthumously, though a deceased recipient does not become a member of the Distinguished Society of Trinidad and Tobago. This prestigious award shall be awarded only in Gold.✨ Did you know?🔴The ORTT replaced the Trinity Cross as the country’s highest honour in 2008.🔴The highest national award is automatically conferred to the holder of the nation's highest office (The President) if not already awarded – a precedent set with Sir Solomon Hochoy, Governor General (1962–1972) who was awarded the Trinity Cross in 1969, the year the National Awards began.🔴Former President Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona was the first President to receive the ORTT, ex officio, in 2013. #NationalAwards2025 #RepublicDay #OfficeOfThePresident #TrinidadAndTobago ... See MoreSee Less

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