Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo says the Government’s decision to retain the old Coat of Arms during a transition period is a practical move that will save Trinidad and Tobago millions of dollars.
Speaking Tuesday, Tancoo said replacing signage, official stationery, stamps, seals and even national currency across government offices and overseas missions cannot be done overnight.
He noted both versions of the Coat of Arms have been in use since January 2025 and blamed the former PNM administration for approving a new design without a transition plan.
Tancoo dismissed claims of racism surrounding the decision, calling them divisive, and defended the steelpan as a proud national symbol.
Meanwhile, Pan Trinbago is expressing disappointment over the Government’s decision to defer the implementation of the Steelpan on the national Coat of Arms to 2031.
The organisation says the delay contradicts the unanimous passage of the National Emblems Amendment Act earlier this year.
President Beverley Ramsey-Moore says the move sends an unfortunate message to the steelband community and the wider public, warning it risks undermining cultural progress and national pride.
Opposition figures Randall Mitchell and Stuart Young are also criticizing the more.
Former culture minister Mitchell questioned the justification for the extension, asking whether there are financial implications and why the steelpan was supported in Parliament but delayed in practice.
Stuart Young described the move as another blow to the national instrument, claiming it follows cancelled sponsorships and other policy decisions affecting pan and Carnival.
The order extending the deadline was signed on December 18 and shifts the transition from 2026 to January 2031.
