BROTHER VALENTINO sang it years ago in one of those calypsoes that never really gets old because the truth inside it keeps renewing itself with every generation: 'Life is a stage, and we are all characters... everybody has a part to play...'

Today, as I sit almost fully retired from active politics, I find myself reflecting on just how accurate those words remain for Trinidad and Tobago. Age and distance have a way of sharpening perspective. When you are no longer fighting elections, managing party machinery or defending every political position, you begin to see the country differently. You start to see beyond the headlines, beyond the speeches and beyond the carefully choreographed performances that dominate public life.

And make no mistake, Trinidad and Tobago today feels like one giant theatre production. Everybody is performing. Government performs. Opposition performs. Media performs. Activists perform. Even ordinary citizens perform versions of themselves every day on social media. Everybody has a role; everybody has an audience and everybody is trying to control the narrative.