Guest Columns

“To me, it was the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen! I never thought he’d get back physically… But he did. No one expected him to be back the way he is now…to me that’s a major accomplishment. To me it is unbelievable. Mentally, you can always think you can, but …

“The colour of the rulers may darken; the ethnicities might change, blur or merge, but the culture of the power structure remains.” The quote from Jeff Henry in 2008—cited by Kerrigan in the UWI book ‘In The Fires’—explains how we are manipulated, even when we think we are in charge. …

That Akil Phillip was shot ostensibly for his cell phone is sad. But the greater sadness is missed in the midst of the outcry by elements of the wider population against the ‘deafening’ silence of the Laventille community. They seek to chastise the residents for not ‘making noise’ comparing the …

I was born in the mid-70s, the period claimed by both Generation X and Generation Y. Perhaps that is what created within me that enigmatic mix of new world tastes and old world styles. Most people who know me will say that, when it comes to grammar, I’m definitely old …

My first visit to the seaside was Carenage; and in particular, Williams Bay. We travelled by bus and eventually I would ‘borrow’ my father’s Raleigh bicycle—put the seat to its lowest position and ride there. I remember that Pier 1 was not even a thing. Today, its building is imposing …

Not all women can run away, as advised by Singing Francine. They are treated worse than dogs. They are treated with vindictiveness. They are ‘owned’ and dare not challenge the man or seek to pursue their own decisions or rights. This week, we add Netanya Mohamdally to the list of …

I keep hearing the phrase that ‘Trinidad is not a real place’. I’ve lived here almost the entire part of my life and I know that Trinidad is not a figment of my imagination or some fictional or imaginary parallel universe. But I can relate to the bewilderment, angst and …

Recently I witnessed an act of discrimination at the Ministry of Legal Affairs. Two people were not allowed to enter the building because of their dress. One was wearing mid-calf jeans and the other had jeans with horizontal tears. In my own case I was only allowed in because I …

“Thank God for decisions made to stimulate drilling […] by the Kamla Persad- Bissessar government… Instead of benefitting from flowing gas today, we might well have been on our knees, eating grass.” (Dr Bhoe Tewarie, Trinidad Express, 13 March.) An astounding statement with subtexts! What exactly is he saying and …

Official statistics seeks to inform the public about social and economic matters and helps develop and evaluate public policy. It is the foundation for a properly run society. In 2014, the IMF bemoaned: “Growing statistical shortcomings have rendered the conduct of surveillance ever harder and must be addressed.” In other …

The National Carnival Commission (NCC) may have done more harm than good to the soca music industry by putting money into Soca Monarch. Soca Monarch organisers decided to give the so-called Power Soca more relevance and importance than the so-called Groovy. They decided to pay the Power Soca winner twice …

In 2017, Barbados passed legislation which will provide for the protection of employees in both the public sector and private sector from sexual harassment in the workplace. The Bill further provides a framework for the reporting of sexual harassment cases by employees and a method of resolving such cases. In …