Guest Columns

When in government, the People’s National Movement (PNM) speaks with the certainty of authority—decisions are made, policies defended, and dissent dismissed as misinformed or politically motivated. The tone is top-down, and messaging emphasises competence, legacy and control. Consultation becomes performance, not practice. But in opposition—or after electoral defeat—a different voice …

“[…] Basic economic theory does not always manifest in practice—in fact, it rarely does. To understand if or by how much exports/imports change requires an understanding of how responsive exports/imports are to price changes. This is called elasticity in economics. “[…] Alongside this, the constantly changing geopolitical environment must be …

Professor Emerita Bridget Brereton, in her masterful 2010 contribution, All ah we is not one, highlights the development of competing ethnic narratives. She highlights the colonialist and the anti-colonialist, then the Afrocentric versus Indocentric narrative. She said: “Generally, the kind of narrative produced before and after independence by former colonies …

The late Austin Clarke published A Passage Back Home as a tribute to his friend, Samuel Selvon in 1994 (the year Selvon died). He wrote about them attending what he called Carifesta I in Georgetown, British Guiana. “All of us from the various diasporas into which we had drifted, Europe …

“On August 31, 1962, a country will be free, a miniature state will be established, but a society and a nation will not have been formed. “After August 31, 1962, the people of Trinidad and Tobago will face the fiercest test in their history—whether they can invest with flesh and …

“[…] Madam Prime Minister 2.0 I suggest the development of an Innovation/Creative fund to encourage our students to promote math, science, and inventors’ competitions with compensations for our normal citizens to bring whatever inventions they have. “The key here is to start an innovation culture because we have a culture …

“[…] The Government’s position, as expounded by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs Minister, is not neutrality by any diplomatic or regional standard. “[…] Authority without principle, without consultation and without regard for Caricom unity and regional peace is not leadership—it is recklessness masquerading as sovereignty…” The following guest …

“[…] Dr Eric Williams was clear in his articulation—in a democracy, citizens have both rights and responsibilities. The government, too, has responsibilities to citizens. This is the social contract: the underlying rules that govern how citizens behave towards each other, and how the government and citizens behave towards each other. …

Elements of the trade union movement now sits inside the coalition that governs Trinidad and Tobago. That should have brought working-class concerns closer to the centre of national decision-making. Instead, we’re seeing silence, especially on the issues that matter most to working people. There may be voices in the room, …

“[…] The psychological impact of long-term oppression can be devastating, leading to a cycle of poverty, social alienation, and continued subjugation. Mental slavery is not just an individual issue but a societal one, as communities and even entire nations can be affected by the lingering effects of colonialism, racism, and …

“[…] So, we inside the parliament again. The Prime Minister was in front ah the room way the podium was on a chair. He looking a little frail and he saying, ‘My nation stay calm. This would soon be over.’ “At he side was two men in black and behind …

Over the last ten days, I missed BC Pires. He would understand how to explain what has been going on in my beloved country. Vidia Naipaul is also not here, so he cannot update his famed The Mimic Men. Here is one of his quotes from that novel: “[…] We, …