I am no prophet. I would not attempt to replicate the famous BC Pires, who used to write a column with predictions for each new year. He noted: “Some of my predictions are included only to make you laugh; the others are deadly serious and, if accurate, will make anyone …
Read More »Daly Bread: Deflections and delusions, as General Election beckons
Contemporaneously with critical commentaries, the Prime Minister last Sunday attempted certain deflections of the Government’s decision—despite the parlous state of our finances—to accept for its members the hefty salary increases and backpay, which the Salaries Review Commission recommended (the SRC increases). However, it is reasonable to hold this Government accountable …
Read More »Daly Bread: Champagne taste, mauby pocket—tale of the T&T economy
In August this year, I expressed concern that our country might go broke. A month before, commentators had been calling for an explanation of a withdrawal of TT$1.09 billion from the Heritage and Stabilisation fund. Accountability for the nation’s assets seemed to require specific identification of what aspect of public …
Read More »Noble: Why T&T will remain in violent loop without fairer distribution of energy revenue
What do the 1937 riots, the 1970 Black Power revolution, the 1990 attempted coup, and the current crime wave have in common? They are all eruptions of dissatisfaction over the distribution of the national income earned from our energy sector. We will continue to have these episodes until we reset …
Read More »Noble: T&T’s poverty of imagination—none so blind as he who would not see
In the mid-60s, there was a proposal to move people out of what was then called Shanty Town to Morvant. Lord Blakie (1965) summed up the resistance among the people there: How they want them to move/ They say they eh going nowhere/Build big house in Morvant/ But if they …
Read More »Noble: Budgets, Foreign Exchange and Petro-Jumbies
“The real problem is that oil dollars have reduced us all to ‘petro-jumbies’, a people who have never explored our creativity, our talents, our potential. “For generations, we have been lazy slobs, knowing that the oil dollar, down today but up tomorrow, will rescue us from ruin, cushion fuel prices, …
Read More »Noble: Heritage Stabilisation Fund Vibes—context needed urgently
“Grave fiscal irresponsibility!” was former Central Bank governor Jwala Rambarran’s characterization of the announcement of a US$900 million loss by the Heritage Stabilisation Fund (HSF). Invoking a dog whistle, he continued by saying that this spoke to the “incompetence of the Board”. Roodal Moonilal reminded us of Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissesar’s …
Read More »Noble: T&T’s economic performance, the IMF and Professor Hosein’s gish gallop
More than half our population did not experience the ravages of the 1988 International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) intervention. This group likely does not pay attention to the news reports on the Article IV consultations. They do not know that the Public Services Association’s 1988 membership was savaged and subsidies were …
Read More »Noble: Believe for 2023; finding joy in gloom
Straight out of the gates, on 2 January 2023, the news hit like a bucket of cold water. As though we did not know enough about the new year’s challenges, Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF managing director, predicted: “[…] 2023 will be ‘tougher’ than last year… We expect one-third of the …
Read More »Dr Rowley: “The tide is turning!” PM addresses crime and economy in New Year’s message
“[…] Some people may feel justified in seeing our existence only through the prism of the negative lenses, and believe that runaway criminality is the hallmark and highlight of our efforts. “[…] As a people, we have been resilient, over these recent difficult years. It has been my honour and …
Read More »Noble: Before you go; spare a thought for the limitations of 2022
We are at the end of 2022. What will 2023 bring us? The recent past has worn us down, making us more apprehensive about the future. The pervasive uncertainty drains our optimism, making us more guarded in our expectations. What lies ahead? What lessons should we take with us into …
Read More »Noble: Sowing and Reaping: “[…] T&T’s leaders exploit […] divisive issues to gain power…”
The immutable law of nature is: what we sow, we will reap. We will not get mangoes if we sow pigeon peas. We always reap later. Sometimes, we sow ochro and have a crop in six weeks. But the crop takes years at other times, as it does when we …
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