The end of 2015 was a far cry from the beginning.
The year started with what remained of the People’s Partnership in government and ended with the Keith Rowley-led People’s National Movement.
It began with promises of a causeway to Chaguaramas, houses for everyone and a bridge to Toco from Tobago.
It ended with promises to pay wages, implement taxes and to steer clear of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by dipping into the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund.
A year which started with promises of more, ended with revelations that the country was less sturdy economically than citizens could have imagined.
Tobago suffered a natural disaster in August when the shorelines were invaded by the sargassum seaweed, which cost the island about $3 million to clean up.
While beachgoers there were held hostage by seaweeds, both islands were immobilised by a traffic nightmare on March 23, during the Police Service’s “day of total policing.”
Police denied that the day of policing was a response to delayed salary negotiations.
The action by officers saw thousands of commuters stuck in hours of traffic while police checked everything from vehicle tint to smooth tyres.
In March, Tobago East MP Vernella Alleyne-Toppin suggested Rowley was born as a result of rape and that these circumstances made him “aggressive” and “arrogant”.
Alleyne-Toppin shocking statement came during her debate on the Government’s no-confidence motion against Rowley.
The motion of no-confidence was passed and Rowley was suspended from the House of Representatives for the remainder of the parliamentary term.
Trinidad’s Soca Warriors also advanced to the second round of World Cup qualifiers after playing to a draw with USA on November 19.
T&T also ended up on two international lists, making both one of the happiest countries in the world and one of the most obese.
In December, T&T doctors successfully removed the world’s second largest tumour, weighing a total of eight pounds, from a patient in San Fernando.
Goodbyes and hellos
After facing criticism from several sectors of society regarding exorbitant legal fees being paid for by the state in 2014, former Attorney General Anand Ramlogan’s downfall came in February as a result of allegations of witness tampering from head of the Police Complaints Authority David West.
West reported Ramlogan to the police in January for alleged witness tampering.
Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams immediately launched a probe.
Ramlogan denied the allegation that six days before West was appointed PCA director, Ramlogan asked him to withdraw his witness statement in a defamation lawsuit filed against Rowley relating to the failed extradition of Section 34 applicants Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh in exchange for him being selected for the job.
West stated that his recollection of what had transpired was “diametrically opposed to the Hon Attorney General’s denial.”
Ramlogan was replaced by Garvin Nicholas, a former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Ramlogan wasn’t the only minister caught in the crossfire of that police investigation.
That same night, Persad-Bissessar also fired then National Security Minister Gary Griffith, and called for West’s resignation.
She also removed then Senate President Timothy Hamel-Smith, and Minister in the National Security Ministry Embau Moheni, and Justice Minister Emmanuel George. West did not resign.
While Griffith was speedily replaced by Retired Brigadier General Carl Alfonso, Hamel-Smith was replaced by Senator Raziah Ahmed and former national footballer Brent Sancho took up the post of Sport Minister.
NJAC's leader Kwasi Mutema was named a minister in the Works and Infrastructure Ministry.
In September, Persad-Bissessar was fired from office by voters which saw the PNM gaining 23 seats and the Opposition 18.
After a lengthy campaign marred by violence in constituencies and buoyed by a number of independent candidates, the country hired a new Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
With the change of government, the revocation of appointments continued when Jwala Rambarran as fired as Central Bank governor.
His appointment was revoked amid concern from the business community that he had breached confidentiality laws by revealing the names of major users of foreign exchange.
Rambarran has stated his intention to challenge the decision.
A new Central Bank Governor, Alvin Hilaire was appointed.
The country is now bracing for more cases of the potentially deadly swine flu diseases, with four confirmed deaths, and over 40 reported cases.
High profile cases
The results of the
general election, which Caricom and Commonwealth observers described as well-executed by the Election and Boundaries Commission was given a legal challenge by Persad-Bissessar in September.
The court granted the Opposition all clear to proceed with election promises to challenge the results in six marginal constituencies.
The Opposition based its challenge on the decision of EBC to extend the voting time in Trinidad by one hour due to inclement weather.
Persad-Bissessar’s next victory would be her convincing win in the UNC internal elections in December.
Her one-time ally, now foe, Jack Warner also saw himself before the courts this year as the United States issued warrants for the arrest of several high profile FIFA officials, in an international football scandal.
An extradition request made by the US Government was signed by Attorney General Faris Al Rawi in September, but Warner immediately appealed the decision.
High Court Justice James Aboud said will give his ruling on whether or not Warner, a former FIFA vice president, can challenge his extradition in the courts later this month.
The Judiciary made a unique, landmark ruling in a case of revenge porn. National cricketer Lendl Simmons was ordered to pay his former lover $150,000 in compensation for disseminating a series of photographs of them engaged in sexual acts.
Delivering a landmark ruling in the Port-of-Spain High Court Justice Frank Seepersad ruled that Simmons had breached the confidentiality of his relationship with 24-year-old mother of two, Therese Ho, by sending the photos to her friends after their relationship ended in 2013.
Seepersad admitted that local laws had not developed to address issue of revenge porn, the court had a duty to develop and interpret existing laws to protect citizens such as Ho from the pain and suffering which resulted from the unregulated practice popularised with the increased use of social media.
He also called on Parliament to seriously consider introducing legislation to address the issue and other forms of cyber harassment including racism in online posts, examples of which followed the general election in September.
In July, the most high profile murder case of 2014 saw progress as 11 members of the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen appeared in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate's Court charged with assassinating former Independent Senator Dana Seetahal, SC.
Alleged gang leader Rajaee Ali, and 10 members of the Jamaat's Carapo outpost, appeared before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar.
Viral violence
On January 2, a viral video of Special Reserve Police (SRP) Officers abusing a wheelchair bound man in the middle of High Street, San Fernando, saw two SRPs facing criminal charges.
Though the incident happened days before, the actual arrest stemming from the publishing of the video would be a familiar theme throughout the year.
The incidents of violence, recorded and shared across social media for public’s consumption was prevalent throughout the year.
In April, police were again called to investigate violent video which depicted a woman, beating her 12-year-old daughter, in what many online viewers described as “excessive.”
The video of the beating, which took place over the long Easter weekend, went viral hours after it was posted on the popular social media website and had been shared over 10,000 times and generated hundreds of comments both in support of the mother and condemnation of her action.
The child was beaten for posting photos of herself clad only in her underwear on her Facebook page.
The woman later said she was not sorry for what she did and was prepared to go to jail for her actions.
In July, a video of a dog being skinned by a man in a location suspected to be Carenage was published online.
Then health minister Fuad Khan was quick to place blame with the Chinese community and cautioned citizens that there may have been cases of dogs being served in “chinese restaurants.
He apologised later after condemnation from the Chinese community.
In October, a caregiver was recorded standing on an elderly man at a geriatric home in St James.
The woman was arrested by the police.
Police began investigating the case after a short video of the abuse was posted on social media, showing the woman standing on the belly of a frail man, said to be 89-years-old.
Three days later another video surfaced showing a man beating a toddler because she refused to drink from a bottle of milk.
The man and his wife were arrested after the video was shared hundreds of times on social media sites.
While all the attacks were gruesome, none received as much public condemnation as an incident in November when a man was video-taped kicking a woman and beating her with a metal pipe at a bar in Arima.
The incident led to public outrage and the man later he turned himself in to officers the following day.
The victim of the beating refused to cooperate with police and the man was charged with three summary offences and sent to remand while awaiting bail.
He was eventually released and petitioned the magistrate to be allowed to spend Christmas with the victim, whom he had been barred from seeing.
The petition was granted.
Police manhunts
A manhunt was launched by police officers in February for a wheelchair-bound man who was said to be the main suspect in the murder of 19-year-old Salma Chadee.
It was later revealed that the man was a suspect in the murder of another woman, Sherlene Mahangoo-Charles.
The body of a man believed to be the suspect was found after a week of police searches near the unfinished Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.
In July, three men shot their way out of the Port-of-Spain prison on Frederick Street in broad daylight resulting in the death of young policeman PC Sherman Maynard.
In the police efforts to recapture the trio, Allan “Scanny” Martin, one of the accused in the Vindra Naipaul-Coolman murder, was killed immediately following the escape.
Apart from the guns the prisoners were armed with, police found a grenade outside the jail following the escape.
One day later, one of the escapees Hassan Atwell was found murdered by police in East Port-of-Spain.
The last escapee, Christopher “Monster” Selby, surrendered to police saying he feared for his life and is now back behind bars.
Economy
At the beginning of the year, on January 8, Persad-Bissessar addressed the nation with the following words;
“Today the economy is strong and in good shape.”
At the time she said her government had used the past four years to “reverse economic decline, to bring stability, to restore confidence, and to return to a path of growth.”
She said government had delivered opportunities for the country to truly rise to its vast potential for real growth and advancement.
In September, five days before general elections, at a luncheon with business leaders, Persad-Bissessar again reiterated that the economy was stable.
In December 4, the Central Bank revealed the country was “officially in a recession” after it failed to post any economic growth for the third quarter of 2015.
Rambarran said the country was “facing austere economic circumstances.
“The economic priorities in 2016 must be aimed at supporting a firm enough recovery through appropriate monetary and fiscal policies, setting forth a medium-term framework which balances consuming, saving and investing energy wealth.”
During that same week, steel and mining company ArcelorMittal fired 600 workers.
Three days before the end of the year, Rowley told the nation tough times were ahead as the country faced a period of financial instability.
The year was filled with social media scandals, elections sour grapes and international corruption charges and revelations that the country was “running on fumes.”
The sombre ending of 2015 was a far cry from the optimism being pushed into the atmosphere at the beginning of the year.