President Christine Kangaloo has warned that leadership in Trinidad and Tobago cannot be reduced to the trading of insults, saying the increasingly hostile tone of public discourse risks undermining respect for institutions and public authority.
In a recent address, Kangaloo said the country’s public language has become increasingly harsh and inflammatory, particularly when such language comes from people holding public office. She argued that insults can too easily replace substantive argument, while provocation takes the place of persuasion and political division overshadows efforts to bring people together.
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Kangaloo said her approach to the presidency requires her to resist responding to every allegation, criticism or personal attack directed at her or the Office of the President. She acknowledged that remaining silent can sometimes be difficult because calm can be mistaken for weakness, but said the presidency should not become an extension of partisan politics.
The President also referred to an earlier controversy involving an online publication that described the Office of the President as having been “prostituted” in connection with a financial transaction. Kangaloo said she found the language deeply offensive, particularly because she believed it used a sexualised term to diminish both her and the dignity of the office she holds. The Office of the President had previously condemned the description as a degrading slur while stressing that the President acts within the constitutional framework and, where applicable, on the advice of Cabinet or a minister acting under Cabinet authority.
Kangaloo stressed that public institutions must remain open to scrutiny, distinguishing legitimate criticism from what she described as degrading or improper attacks. She said democratic accountability requires scrutiny, but argued that personal abuse and inflammatory language do not contribute to meaningful public debate.
The President has previously described herself as the country’s “Diplomat-In-Chief” and said she intended to make Trinidad and Tobago’s case firmly but without acrimony or bitterness. Her official profile states that she believes the country needs a calmer and more reflective approach to public discourse and that she is committed to leading by example.
Her comments come amid a broader debate over the tone of political discourse in Trinidad and Tobago, where exchanges between senior political figures have increasingly attracted public attention. The President’s position is that the country’s political leadership should demonstrate restraint and focus on the responsibilities of public office rather than allow personal exchanges to dominate national discussion.
