Scene: Dark, almost deserted car park in west Trinidad. Mr Live Wire makes his way towards the lone vehicle in the area. Suddenly, the vehicle switches its high beam light on, almost blinding him. Mr Live Wire: Hello?! Hello?! A figure steps out of the vehicle. Mr Live Wire can …
Read More »Dear Editor: Citizens deserve “Imbert Treatment” too; time to address class and race bias in T&T
“There is a large body of sociological and psychological evidence that explains that peoples’ experiences with law enforcement personnel are affected by factors such as race, colour, class and status. “Is it that Minister Colm Imbert and TTPS public relations personnel want us to believe that this does not happen …
Read More »Dear Editor: Did Police act lawfully to find Imbert’s phone? And what about other victims of crime?
“Is the prostitution of the police by the political directorate such that the police are only animated to act effectively when a Minister of Government is affected by crime? The country ravaged by criminal activities including brutal killings have not seen similar alacrity by the police to solve these crimes that …
Read More »Why Imbert must stand firm for the sake of our future economic development
“Thanks to State intervention in almost every sector of the economy over the years, we have developed and enjoyed a comfortable standard of living subsidised by the State… That has provided real opportunities for many as well as lifted large segments of the population out of poverty. “However, it has …
Read More »Dear Editor: Imbert and the PNM are in charge; let’s see them trying to solve the problems
“The question is whether any government has the political willpower to effect the necessary changes to make the Police Service efficient. I am not optimistic about an answer in the affirmative because the scale of systemic neglect extends to the health services and social care as well as environmental management and …
Read More »Don’t Count on Colm! Chutney bacchanal as Finance Minister gets his Count wrong on CSM funding
Okay, so who’s playing up with their Count at the Ministry of Finance? Just hours after, Chutney Soca Monarch (CSM) promoter George Singh declared that the competition would be scuttled due to a withdrawal of funding from the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB)—after a directive from the Ministry of Finance—the …
Read More »Master’s Voice: The end game? Gambling with facts is playing Russian roulette with T&T
The more I hear about the issues surrounding the casinos and gaming industry, the more confused I get. My confusion is probably going to come through clearly here. I mean, who exactly is the villain in this piece? Who is the victim? It have any at all? Kinda fitting, I …
Read More »Criticism vs Critique Pt 2: Hassanali takes a stab at the fuel subsidy debate
I am no hypocrite. So before someone, having read what I have so far written, attempts to stick that label on me for not practising what I preach, let me have a stab at elevating the fuel subsidy debate. I totally agree with the sentiment that the subsidy in its …
Read More »Criticism vs Critique Pt 1: Colm, the crowd, critics, commentary and keeping it constructive
Finance Minister Colm Imbert announced an increase in fuel prices with immediate effect. Cue outrage from all quarters in the immediate aftermath. “Cheap Fuel is the bedrock of our society!” they clamoured. “Raise the cost of transport and everything else goes up! It’s common sense!” As tired as these arguments …
Read More »TTMCA claims PNM bias; says gaming industry not to blame for tax shortfall
“Why does Minister Imbert not address the foreign exchange leakage by the NLCB? According to the terms of their contract, IGT are supposed to transfer technology to locals. Yet, after a 30-year contract, no such transfer has occurred and Trinidad and Tobago continues to lose over US$350m annually.” The following …
Read More »STREET VIBES: Empty treasuries make the most noise, empty ministers too
Repeat after me: “The Treasury is empty.” “The Treasury is empty.” “Again!” In psychology, there is something called the “illusory truth effect.” Essentially, it says that a lie repeated often enough becomes believable, not only by persons hearing it but also by the people repeating it. The term only gained …
Read More »AV Room: e-CON-omics 101: Budgeting should be from bottom up, not top down
So the Finance Minister’s budget presentation is over; we all now know the major highlights. I make no apologies for not offering any red or yellow-tinted responses or comments or analyses. I want to break with the sterile ‘This was good’ and ‘That was bad’ tradition and discuss instead what …
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