Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley became only the fourth political leader to win successive elections last night; and, barring the internal catastrophes that faced Basdeo Panday and Patrick Manning in their short-lived second terms, will be the first since Dr Eric Williams to see out successive five year spells on …
Read More »Daly Bread: Tempting promises, moral hazards and Covid-19; how to choose at the polls?
Tomorrow’s General Election takes place at a time when the rate of spread of Covid 19 is at a high risk level, causing more worry than at any other period since the pandemic began. We simply do not know what effect uncertainty about the ominous risk of exposure to the …
Read More »Gov’t stops SEA classes! Rowley on school restart, TTUTA, bars, grant for stranded Trinbagonians and ‘the pandemic election’
Students preparing for the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examinations have been ordered to stay at home until their exam date on 20 August, as a result of the spike of Covid-19 infections within the population. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley made the announcement at a press conference this afternoon, as …
Read More »From congregations of 25 to 10-a-side, govt makes Covid-19 tweaks—re-opens door for sport
A restriction in lawful congregations from groups of 25 to just 10 persons was the only significant change announced today by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, as the country grapples with a second wave of Covid-19 infections. Even then, there were numerous exceptions. The guideline on congregations is relaxed for …
Read More »International observers unlikely for 10 August elections, quarantine rules cause stumbling block
Trinidad and Tobago’s General Elections on 10 August is likely to proceed without international electoral observers, after the government revealed that its Covid-19 restrictions proved to be a stumbling block. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he ‘extended invitations’ on 9 July to the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and Commonwealth to …
Read More »MFO study: Gov’t lauded for re-opening economy; but Covid initiatives not benefitting businesses
The Trinidad and Tobago government came in for high praise for its phased re-opening of the economy while a large percentage of businesses were aware of initiatives meant to cushion the blow of Covid-19, according to a study by Market Facts and Opinion (MFO) published on 17 July 2020. However, …
Read More »PNM axes Antoine as D’Abadie/O’Meara candidate; Rowley confirms dismissal over USA insult
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced today the People’s National Movement (PNM) has ‘withdrawn’ retired Brigadier General Ancil Antoine as its candidate for the D’Abadie/O’Meara constituency, due to ‘insensitive and objectionable statements’ made at his campaign launch. Antoine was the sitting Member of Parliament for the area, after winning the …
Read More »Damn, Darryl! Rowley’s election announcement stumps Smith’s pension plan
So the Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley has dissolved parliament and called for general elections. On 10 August, our nations go to the polls to determine who will govern us for the next five-year period. While the pending election should provoke excitement nationwide, at least one individual may be feeling …
Read More »Dr Rowley sets 10 August election date; Parliament dissolved as T&T heads to the polls
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced the date for the 2020 General Elections as 10 August 2020. The date was released this afternoon on the Facebook page of the Office of the Prime Minister and confirmed subsequently by parliamentary staff. The Parliament will be dissolved at midnight tonight. Nomination day …
Read More »Dear editor: Football dreams of our youth are bigger than Fifa/TTFA; gov’t should intervene
“[…] The continuing impasse—aggravated by the challenges of Covid-19—could effectively jettison the hopes and aspirations of thousands of young people throughout Trinidad and Tobago to improve their lives and their livelihood through football. “[…] Now, with their dreams deferred, the youngsters could easily fall prey to the crime-lord lobbyists who …
Read More »Noble: Quo Vadis, Trinidad? A wide view of exchange between Faria, Hinds and Dr Rowley
As adopters of social media and smart phones, we reveal a lot about ourselves each day. We tell the world about our likes and dislikes, habits and families via Facebook and Twitter. We even disclose our travel plans to persons we do not know via Waze and Google. We expose …
Read More »Demming: The Faria Brouhaha; data, discussion and deception
There are always unintended consequences of our actions. The big picture lessons of the brouhaha around Gabriel Faria’s WhatsApp message are that the private views of public officials are seen as expressions of the organisation, and that business survival post-Covid-19 requires aggressive strategies by the government. Gabriel Faria spoke his …
Read More »