WHAT UNITES all three of the eminent individuals who have been bestowed, in one case posthumously, the nation’s highest award, the Order of the Republic (ORTT), is the fact that they have all been educators. Their laurels are richly deserved.

The late Hochoy Charles, who died in December 2023, was the first-ever chief secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly from 1996 to 2001 and was the representative for the district once known as Moriah/Parlatuvier. Before that, he served as a government senator and parliamentary secretary in the NAR administration led by ANR Robinson from 1988 to 1999; he later formed his own party, the Platform for Truth. It was a fitting name. Mr Charles’ contribution exceeded the trappings of office.

"He played an important role in the political aspects of the NAR, in trying to get the people of Trinidad to better appreciate the historical uniqueness of Tobago," Winston Dookeran once said of him.