By Tony Deyal
I was born in Trinidad, and then, after a few years in Canada. I got a First Class, which helped me to be based in Jamaica, where I worked throughout the Caribbean as the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).
I was the Media/Communications advisor for the Caribbean in the Department of Health Promotion and Protection from 1994 to 1998. My two children were born there. In other words, not just “Bajans,” but very much “Bim” or “Bimshire” and Bajan to the “Bay-juns.” I felt comfortable and started a weekly newspaper there. The first was about the great Trinidad and West Indies cricketer, Brian Lara. Since then, everything and everybody else, politicians and crooks (or as one friend said “one and the same”), including some who had nothing to say and yet want to write in the “national paper.”
Now, after just 33 years, my Barbados column still runs there and, in many other countries, people and places are still reading my mix of hardcore journalism and “happy-go-lucky” humour. Then I moved from PAHO to CARICOM, World Bank 12-country Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) Project in Belize, but covering the English-speaking Caribbean. I then got a job as the corporate secretary of the West Indies Cricket Board. In other words, I was a Caribbean man moving around at different times to Caribbean people in almost every mix, link, or management, at some time, place or waiting for a car, bus or plane to reach a person who wasn’t there and, as I was told, “come back tomorrow!”
I suppose that having spent considerable time in Jamaica, I have to see it like many of the others, especially my friends, as the ideal for high-energy trips, parties in Montego Bay, and excursions to Dunn’s River Falls. For me, they could keep that and let me head for their cricket Monday to Sunday. But it’s a great mix for the family and visitors. I suppose the others like Dominica Republic, St John (USVI) with its two-thirds of the island protected as a National Park, Sapa as the “Unspoiled Queen” (but not sure which one), Havana in Cuba, and The Dominican Republic as well as St Thomas, and so many others had reasons for us to go there. Even now, we still hear their “best” and how ours are ok but not nearly as good like theirs.
For instance, I was born, worked and returned to Trinidad, my home. I had a lot of family here and even more friends. But, on the other hand, according to reports from early 2026, Trinidad and Tobago has experienced a surge in violent crime, with over 122 murders recorded by mid-March 2026. Worse, the recent crime wave is characterised by gang violence, targeted killings, and brazen attacks in public spaces, including crimes like, “Cop charged with murdering cop,” – “ACP sent on leave: Probe into station murder, missing guns,” and “3 held with guns linked in San Fernando station heist.”
So then I asked, given that there are two countries together as one, Trinidad and Tobago, which is responsible for the most murders and crimes? Trinidad or Tobago? I then added, “When I worked for the prime minister of Trinidad in the early days, I was in Tobago more than a month to ensure that I had a column or more to let people know what was happening there, what they were doing, and who was adding value to Tobago as a great place to be. In fact, even now, I go to Tobago for at least a week with my wife and children every year to catch fish, play in the water, and move around. At times, we also go to the Argyle Waterfall, Island Circle, swimming, and just feeling happy like “pappy.” This week, for instance, we rented a place which is not locked up, night or day. Nobody tries to get in or steal, threaten or, like other places, especially in Trinidad, come in with guns or cutlasses.
Actually, we have people passing in front of the road, and we wave to them, and they respond to us, especially those who know me or my family. We are very ordinary people and don’t want to go to the Glass-Bottom, not even ours, or Leatherback with, or without, Turtle, and worse, with Rum for days. What is really interesting is that I’ve never heard of people in Tobago who are involved in crimes, especially police, thieves and criminals. What I can do is to give you a sense of one of our people who has his family and is very much like most of the others when it comes to working and relaxing. Moreover, he is very much like most of the people I have met and spent a lot of time in Tobago. From his perspective, every creed and race should find an equal place. Interestingly, he is like many others in Tobago. They are into religion and trying their best to ensure that every creed and race will find an equal place so that God will bless their entire nation.
For the past few years, we were there to go fishing and enjoying Tobago. This week was the third with our friend, Andre Green, (called “Patta”). He is a fisherman who takes us out at least once whenever we go there. This time, last Sunday, he spent some time with us the Saturday night, took us out the next day where my son got a huge amberjack (with help from Patta), and then that night he came and hung out with us for a while. For me, he has a job and has his family to take care of. However, he still treats people with respect. He shares fun and jokes, but in the boat heading out looking for “big” fish, he is very serious indeed. None of his people ever considered us as anything but “Tony and the family.” As far as he sees life, Andre Green sees all of us, parties and people, as working together to add value and improve the lives of all.
Andre Green (Patta) and Zubin Deyal working together to ensure that a big fish remained with them
That night, after my son, with help from Andre Green to catch a 25-pound fish, I sat reading the “Coto ci, Cote la” dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago, John Mendes. I really love his style and teaching, like, “Goats don’t make sheep.” Then, there was one I found very funny because my father (with his nickname “Monkey”), used to tell me, “Monkey knows what trees to climb.” I also liked, “One day, one day, congatay.” Then there was one that was very true, “Never mess in the road cause you will pass back and must eventually have to deal with the consequences.” Then, as I headed out to lime with Andre Green (“Patta”), I heard, “If ah lie, I die.”
*Tony Deyal was making it clear that he and his son plan to go back to Tobago by singing, “Ah going out to come back just now.”