“The Family Planning Association in its own statement on the issue admits that Comprehensive Sex Education covers ‘the same topics as sex education but it also includes issues such as relationships, attitudes towards sexuality, sexual roles, gender relations and the social pressures to be sexually active’. “But why should education …
Read More »Daly Bread: Failure of ‘govt by giveaway’; T&T’s culture of opportunistic collusion
This column was one of the first among regular commentaries to identify that Government slackness was embracing criminality, and to make dire predictions about where this would lead. The assertion was met with dismay on the cocktail circuit. A well regarded commentator suggested to me that our governments were ‘mooks’ …
Read More »Dear Editor: We need system for couples in challenging relationships; Letters on DV in T&T
“How casually the matter is reported, right alongside the business news. What amazes me is the fact that we have become so desensitised as a people that a woman can lose her life today and it is business as usual tomorrow.” The following letter, written by Roslyn Williams-George, is the …
Read More »Crowne: Archie, the Privy Council, the Law Association and the way forward…
“On 11 December, a Special General Meeting has been convened to […] ‘consider the report of the Committee established to look into the allegations made against the Honourable Chief Justice and to direct Council as to the next steps, if any, which should be taken’—including a possible referral to the …
Read More »Crowne: Suspension Unfair; airport official did his job with Moses and Robinson-Regis
“To paraphrase a former politician, once Minister [Dennis Moses] was opposed, he became a ‘raging bull’. It was shocking behaviour. “It was also inconsistent with how we would expect a Minister to act—let alone a Minister with such an international portfolio where diplomacy and tact are key. The Honourable Minister’s …
Read More »Dear Editor: Commissioner Griffith is energising T&T; why I support Gary…
“Since taking office a mere three and a half months ago in August of 2018, our newly installed Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith is taking Trinidad and Tobago by storm. “Despite the naysayers, his popularity levels rise to new heights each and every day…” The following Letter to the Editor …
Read More »Demming’s memo to ex-Petrotrin workers: “Assess finances carefully… and remember whose fault this is”
Good day, former Petrotrin worker. Today marks the end of life as you knew it for the past whatever number of years you worked proudly for Petrotrin. Today, you awake with an emptiness deep in your soul and a lack of clarity about your future. You are not even assured that …
Read More »Dear Editor: Thema betrayal and Petrotrin collapse are furthering ‘corrosive effect of our trust deficit’
The Thema Williams judgment sits as one more example of corruption among those entrusted to dispassionately look after our best national interests. Brick by brick we dismantle the foundations of trust, essential to the proper functioning of our society. From 2009, when the first local polls tracked the public confidence …
Read More »Daly Bread: Thema’s case; why we fought for wronged star T&T gymnast
In 50 years of practice, I do not recall ever giving an interview on the courthouse steps about a case in which I had appeared before the court. Public interest in the Thema Williams matter did not permit my usual reticence. It has always been my position that my role …
Read More »Trinidad and Tobago’s populist moment: we need structural change; not a superman
Gary Griffith’s appointment as Commissioner of Police came with an eerie and uncanny realisation about the opaque and dysfunctional state of our institutions. Despite his political history, people were happy to embrace Griffith. And even though he has been on the job for only four months, are singing his praises. …
Read More »Crowne: Canada Supreme Court decision on Vice Media bears lessons for T&T’s press freedom
“[Canada Supreme Court Judge] Abella went to great lengths to emphasise the importance of press freedom in her concurring reasons. Her words are worth repeating: A strong, independent and responsible press ensures that the public’s opinions about its democratic choices are based on accurate and reliable information. This is not …
Read More »What we resist, persists; we must dig deeper into gender relations: Letters on domestic violence in T&T
“The latest research shows that men trace their right to beat women to patriarchal power over women, which they say, comes from religion and culture… Billions of—paid and unpaid—hours of training and education against domestic violence have not produced practical change. “[…] Although individuals have transformed and there is less …
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