The right thing for the republic

Republic Day is more than an annual reminder that Trinidad and Tobago became a republic. It is an opportunity to ask whether we are living up to what that republic is meant to represent.

On September 24, we were reminded that in our independent nation, sovereignty rests with its people. But citizenship is not simply a status, and republicanism is not merely a constitutional arrangement. It carries responsibilities. It asks citizens and those entrusted with public office to contribute to the well-being, security and dignity of the society we share.

That is where this week’s Gospel from Matthew speaks directly to the national moment.

Jesus tells of a father who asks his two sons to work in his vineyard. The first says no but later changes his mind and goes. The second says yes but does nothing. Jesus asks which son did his father’s will. The answer is obvious: the one who acted.

There is a lesson here for Trinidad and Tobago as we mark our 50th Republic Day. We are often quick to say what kind of country we want. We want peace. We want safer communities. We want justice. We want opportunities for our young people. We want a society in which people feel valued and protected.

But a republic cannot be sustained by aspirations alone. It is sustained by action. The Government’s response to crime, for example, is therefore one of the most important tests of public responsibility.

Citizens have a legitimate expectation that the State will protect them and that those who commit serious crimes will face justice. But the national response to crime must also look beyond policing and punishment. A safer republic requires stronger families, functioning communities, meaningful opportunities for young people, effective institutions and consistent attention to the conditions that allow violence to take root.

In our vineyard

The same principle applies to the challenge of suicide. If we say that every life matters, our actions must reflect that conviction. Suicide prevention requires more than expressions of sorrow after a death. It requires accessible support, responsible public conversation, attentive families, schools and workplaces, and communities prepared to recognise distress and respond with compassion rather than judgement.

Republic Day should remind us that government cannot build the republic alone. Nor can citizens simply demand action from the State while treating the problems of their communities as someone else’s responsibility. The health of a republic depends on both public institutions and private citizens accepting their duties.

This is perhaps the uncomfortable truth at the heart of this Sunday’s Gospel: saying the right thing is not the same as doing the right thing.

If we claim to value peace, what are we doing to create it?

If we claim to value life, how are we protecting those who have lost hope?

If we claim to love this country, what responsibility are we prepared to accept for its future?

The republic we speak about must become the republic we practise.

The vineyard is ours. The work remains to be done.