“[…] In other countries where off-duty firearm carry is allowed, it is done with strict safeguards: ongoing psychological assessments, secure storage requirements, detailed protocols for off-duty use, and clear disciplinary procedures for breaches. “Commissioner Allister Guevarro has not yet made clear whether such safeguards will be implemented in our local …
Read More »Dear Editor: Is Cepep programme in crisis? Or is this an opportunity for reform?
“[…] Cepep was designed as a springboard—a transitional system for those facing barriers to employment, a way to build dignity through work and community care and structured training. “[…] Eventually, somewhere along the journey, the programme drifted… This drift turned Cepep into a make-work programme that, while providing some income …
Read More »Dear Editor: Why is accountability only demanded of ‘the other side’?
“[…] What kind of society are we building when the working class is always the first to feel the axe? When institutions are reshaped in silence? When accountability is demanded only of ‘the other side’? “[…] Too often, those who cry foul in opposition grow quiet once in power. Outrage …
Read More »MSJ: T&T Labour movement can breathe after Rowley’s relentless attacks
“[…] The 10 years under the Dr Keith Rowley-led PNM saw a vicious attack on the trade union movement and the working class as that government pursued its neo-liberal policies that result in the rich becoming richer, the middle-income struggle to make ends meet, and the poor not able to …
Read More »Dear Editor: Gov’t should encourage local carnival entrepreneurship over cheap imports
“[…] Most carnival costumes (beads, bikinis, feathers, clothes, uniforms, caps, wire bending, etc) are now manufactured in China at reasonable costs—transport included. “We definitely have the skillsets in Trinidad and Tobago to make these simple products. “Pan Trinbago (PTB) and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago (GOTT) can provide the location, …
Read More »Dear Editor: Gov’t must clamp down on police refusal to use bodycams, especially in current climate
“[…] When police officers disobey direct orders from superiors to wear body cameras, it is a serious breach of protocol and accountability. “[…] Police hierarchy should disclose when and why officers fail to wear body cams, especially during use-of-force incidents…” The following Letter to the Editor on the importance of …
Read More »Dear Editor: Time for Commonweath Caribbean to prioritise AI governance
“[…] Trinidad and Tobago now joins the United Arab Emirates and Canada as the only countries in the world with government ministries explicitly titled ‘Artificial Intelligence’. “[…] However, such a ministry must not be merely symbolic or otherwise tokenistic. It should be led by professionals with expertise in AI policy, …
Read More »‘Measured, never strident, penetrating in insights’; Dr Farrell honours Justice Adrian Saunders
“[…] Justice Adrian Saunders’ judgments were measured, never strident, insistent on faithfulness to principle, penetrating in their insights, and always grounded in the law as he read it. “[…] He was president of the CCJ when the issue of the outcome of the Guyana election exploded in 2020. This required …
Read More »Dear Editor: Reparations yes, but they must come with responsibility and reform
“[…] To be sure, reparative justice advocacy must also include an honest self-assessment by Africa and the African diaspora about their role in perpetuating continued underdevelopment. “[…] That process would entail seriously confronting well-documented issues, such as corruption, nepotism, and political maladministration, that continue to subvert their attempts at achieving …
Read More »Dear Editor: The high social cost of abandoning community programmes when gov’ts change
“[…] Governments come and go, and with them their pet projects, regardless of whether those initiatives were making a difference. “What happens next? The same communities, the same youth and the same families are left once more to pick up the pieces. “[…] This goes beyond dollars and cents and …
Read More »A bacchanal foretold: Has new Govt worsened CoP crisis?
“[…] If my contract has ended, how can I be sent on any binding vacation leave that extends beyond the life of the contract? The only way that can realistically happen is if, and only if, said contract is going to be renewed, with the person it affects being remaining …
Read More »Dear Editor: When will we stop losing Zwades and truly invest in our children?
“[…] Why, in the aftermath of each young life lost, does the immediate response so often centre on government coffers as the primary answer? “[…] Successful grassroots initiatives demonstrate that, with the right support and management, community-led programmes can make a real difference…” In the following Letter to the Editor, …
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