Guest Columns

I shouldn’t have been surprised by the volume of responses to my last column on domestic violence and sexual abuse. They are obviously prevalent though we can only guess at the extent. Yet it takes a lot of courage for victims to speak out. It isn’t just the accompanying shame …

After 58 years of leadership in both parliamentary and mayoral elections, and 16 or 17 development plans, it has been decreed that the city of Port of Spain will finally be transformed into a shiny new metropolis in north Trinidad. It is a welcomed announcement, but like other similar declarations, …

She was born into a Muslim family in 1910, growing up in a compound surrounded by relatives. She would have been around 17 when she was married off and sent to live far away from home. Her chosen husband was cruel, miserly and violent. To deny her direct access to …

The book lay nestled among my collection of Caribbean writing. It came my way after I had run an appreciative review of it by Jarrel De Matas in UWI TODAY (August 2018). Having inserted it among books I’d already read, it got lost until a few weeks ago, when I …

The following column is based on the author’s participation in the online forum by the Trade and Economic Division of the Department of Economics, the University of the West Indies, St Augustine on the topic The Funding of Tertiary Level Education in Trinidad and Tobago: My favourite quote about education …

I remember when Barack Obama won his first term as US president in 2008. Late that night I heard a massive noise of joyful screams and applause from the neighbourhood, the moment his victory was confirmed. At that point, I knew we were in for a rough ride. In the …

“[…] White supremacist philosophy, then predominant in the society, was reinforced by very visible symbols of wealth, power, science, technology and general achievement, which resulted from centuries of exploitation of the human and physical resources of colonised societies around the world. “[…] The new teachings of the Trinidad and Tobago …

“[…] Ownership of our economy was still dominated primarily by foreigners, supported by, a local predominantly white elite. Under NJAC’s leadership, however, people were moving for true independence, which could only be achieved through ownership and control of the economy. “The new slogan was: ‘We do not want crumbs, We …

Words matter. By choosing how we frame and talk about something, we induce others to think about an issue in a specific way. This framing can drastically change someone’s perspective about the issue. To present a public position the speaker carefully chooses the words and concepts to achieve the specific …

I can blame Covid-19 for feeling stuck, but that would not be entirely honest. That feeling of ‘stuck-ness’ has been happening for a while and Covid-19 has only made it more intense.  My observation of Parliament, via the Parliament Channel, often evokes the thought that I have heard this before; …

Planning for the unexpected and the unknown is a tough call. The Covid-19 disease has forced us to deal with a great deal of uncertainty. In many ways, the health issue, which has morphed into an economic one, represents an existential battle. The uncertainty and the weight of the expectations …

If we are interested in an equitable and just society, we have to be interested in governance which begins with having a shared vision of the future based on common values and aspirations.  Ideally, when citizens are engaged in developing that vision, they feel committed to its realisation. The last …