Trinidad and Tobago woke up to headline chatter dominated by outrage over Kirk Meighoo’s statement about “a Bajan being the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.” While the comment was unquestionably erroneous and disrespectful, it was also deliberate — part of a calculated public relations tactic to shift national attention away from far more pressing issues.
As Marsha Walker highlighted in her critique, Meighoo, a key figure in the UNC’s election campaign machinery, has long understood the power of emotional distraction. He knows that if you capture the population’s outrage with sensational, nonsensical claims, reasoned discussion about governance, accountability, and truth gets drowned out.
And it worked.
Instead of demanding answers about the disturbing reality — UNC ministers openly partying in corporate boxes at CPL cricket matches during a declared State of Emergency — the national conversation became absorbed with whether or not Meighoo disrespected the country’s history.
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Partying Amid Security Concerns
Walker drew parallels with Keith Rowley’s infamous “tighten your belts” message to the nation, delivered while PNM ministers enjoyed visible luxuries. She pointed out that the UNC is now guilty of the very same hypocrisy.
While citizens were told to accept cancelled parades, endure tightened restrictions, and trust vague intelligence reports about security threats, UNC ministers and MPs were seen in full enjoyment at the cricket. In videos posted on their own social media, they were eating, drinking, and celebrating as if the State of Emergency did not exist.
Even more troubling, Walker noted, was the visible presence of personal security details for MPs such as Barry Padarath and Saddam Hosein — despite them not being constitutionally entitled to such privileges.
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The Absence of Leadership
Walker also criticized Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s glaring absence from Independence Day commemorations. Beyond issuing a ghostwritten statement, the nation never heard directly from its leader on the country’s 63rd anniversary of independence.
No live or pre-recorded address. No symbolic act of prayer or unifying message. Nothing.
For a government that constantly frames itself as the people’s choice, the Prime Minister’s silence spoke volumes.
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A Higher Standard of Accountability
Marsha Walker, who once served as Meighoo’s deputy, explained that while she supported matching the PNM’s propaganda machinery with strong messaging, her own commitment was to truth. The problem, she says, is that truth became increasingly elusive within UNC’s PR strategy.
By design, Meighoo’s tactic was simple: stir emotion, drown out logic. And while the country debates his false historical claim, the real scandal — UNC’s SOE celebrations funded in corporate boxes, with security perks and public disregard — risks being ignored.
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The Real Headline
The real headline, Walker insisted, should not be about an offensive, fabricated remark from Kirk Meighoo. It should read:
“UNC Ministers Party Amid State of Emergency While Citizens Are Told to Stay Home.”
That is the truth. That is the betrayal. And that is what Trinidad and Tobago must not allow to be swept aside.
