Jerome Teelucksingh
WHEN I WAS younger I always wondered if letters to the editors of newspapers and calls to radio talk shows would create positive change. And, if change did occur, I wondered if they would be permanent changes.
Letters to the editor include advice, pleas for assistance, reflect the patriotism of a people, their literacy and the state of politics. Yes, some also reflect citizens who are bold, fearless and do not use a pseudonym.
In the 21st century, many use social media (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok) to express their frustration, feelings and perspectives.
One such patriotic citizen is Apostle Terrence P Honoré from south Trinidad. He has recently published an excellent collection of thought-provoking pieces, written over a 25-year period. The book is simply titled Letters to the Editor. His work is an eclectic collection encompassing history, religion, politics, environment and infrastructure.
Honoré displays a genuine concern for our environment. This is evident in a published piece from August 2015 in which he highlighted the dead marine life in the Gulf of Paria as a result of 'adverse industrial activities' and which 'negatively affect the ecological balance of our environment.' He ended the letter by challenging the Environmental Management Authority to restore life to the affected coastline.
Some people would know his love for preserving the past, especially his early involvement in the Palmiste History Society and Petrotrin Historical Society. In another letter, in 2016, entitled 'Botanic Gardens in south need care,' he made a public appeal for Palmiste Park 'to be cared for and curated.' Honoré educates readers on the historical linkages of this park to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Port of Spain and Sir Norman Lamont.
Hopefully, such letters will inspire other communities to form historical societies and preserve their artefacts, landmarks and record the oral history of the elders.
Often people here and abroad are afraid to express their political views for fear of victimisation, being stigmatised, or dubbed a supporter of a political party. Honoré seeks to provide a moral compass to guide citizens, as evident in a contribution to Newsday on June 8, 2017.
Honoré confessed he is "troubled" and stated, 'I am for truth and justice,' and declared support for the Chief Justice over a fiasco of the time. He admonished the mob demanding the Chief Justice resign and warned, 'The folly of our efforts to implicate others is a characteristic cancer of our society.'
His advice and warnings are still relevant in 2024. For instance, in July 2017, Honoré advised the Prime Minister that 'our nation needs a purge' because of the 'serious financial constipation, moral decadence, and stomach-churning murders.'
Twenty-three years ago the Newsday published another of Honoré's letters, on April 19, 2001. He prophetically warned us of 'the escalating crime, the wantonness, the disrespect for authority, all evidence of a rebellious society.' And, a similar warning was made in a l
