Guest Columns

There is an exquisite Jamaican saying: “When dog have money, him buy cheese.” That is most applicable to our national spending on tertiary education. The expression means we recklessly purchase unnecessary items when we get excess funds. Hosein R and Tewarie B (2007) saw this recklessness concerning our tertiary education …

Even when you have always believed that a unified Caribbean is the ideal state for regional development; even when you support the idea of Caricom, it is hard to buy in to what it has turned out to be in its 50 years of existence. I was but a child …

Schools can no longer penalise students with “locs, twists, plaits, afros, cornrows, weaves or braids” thanks to a new “National School Hair Code”, which takes effect nationwide from the new academic year in September 2023. The decision was announced by the Ministry of Education (MOE) after “discussions with the Tobago …

Last week, the incumbent Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, pronounced that The University of the West Indies (The UWI) has fallen from its scientific research mission. At the time, he was celebrating The University of The West Indies’ 75th and 70th anniversary of its Seismic Research Centre (SRC) (Express, June …

The last time local government elections were held on 2 December 2019, there were 139 electoral districts. On 14 August, there will be 141, to be contested by 373 candidates—barring any withdrawals. Only 34.7 per cent (374,878) of the electorate (1,079,976) cast their ballots on that occasion. It is not …

Disappointment and impatience cloak our land in the run-up to the Local Government elections. Oh, Gorm Man! When will we get serious about our life, children, and future? A Lloyd Best quote captures our dilemma, which is the appalling lack of imagination and gravitas to tackle our nation’s problems: “[…] …

“Grave fiscal irresponsibility!” was former Central Bank governor Jwala Rambarran’s characterization of the announcement of a US$900 million loss by the Heritage Stabilisation Fund (HSF). Invoking a dog whistle, he continued by saying that this spoke to the “incompetence of the Board”. Roodal Moonilal reminded us of Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissesar’s …

Our national boast is a beautiful one. Here in this republic of the new world, we are perhaps one of the earliest examples of a truly cosmopolitan nation. We’ve co-existed relatively peacefully for centuries, and over time, I’d say we have assimilated far more than we’ve rejected. And we are …

Boorish, sexist, callous and unsympathetic responses to complaints sum up the way the public generally feels treated when they approach our state institutions. A few examples might show how widespread it is. At a recent community crime meeting in Warrenville hosted by the TTPS, residents from Cunupia and Warrenville spoke …

I am sure you would remember this truism: “Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder!” I accepted this aphorism as a means of teaching that persons could have divergent views about the same incident. Professor Richard Drayton at King’s College, London, in 2011, wrote: “History is not merely reflection; …

In 1958, the author, John Steinbeck, wrote an essay describing San Francisco as a city with “a golden handcuff with the key thrown away”. The article was a rhapsody about life in that city. On the other hand, we watch our nation slide into a putrid abyss—never leaving but badmouthing …

“[…] The T&T constitution is defective in one important respect. Too much power of nomination and appointment resides in the premiership and presidency; and therein lies suspicions of cronyism. “The Constitution effectively leaves the lid of the cookie jar unsecured. It then seems to operate on the expectation that those …