Little things add up. Irritants that are not, of themselves, enough to make you feel besieged. Combined and constant, they are damaging to the psyche—the way water dripping away for years can erode rocks. Feral cats and stray dogs prowling the neighbourhood, stripping garbage bags and shredding the contents. Garbage …
Read More »Noble: Democracy and the Vote—reviewing the 2023 Local Gov’t election
At the core of democracy is the vote. This single act is how we, the voters, signal how we feel to the politicians and their parties. It is a means of control. When we vote, we tell the nation which candidate we want and which policies or programmes are crucial. …
Read More »Vaneisa: Municipal Corporations matter; the importance of Local Gov’t
The last time local government elections were held on 2 December 2019, there were 139 electoral districts. On 14 August, there will be 141, to be contested by 373 candidates—barring any withdrawals. Only 34.7 per cent (374,878) of the electorate (1,079,976) cast their ballots on that occasion. It is not …
Read More »Noble: Central Gov’t in its present format doesn’t work—oh, gorm, man! Lead, nah!
Disappointment and impatience cloak our land in the run-up to the Local Government elections. Oh, Gorm Man! When will we get serious about our life, children, and future? A Lloyd Best quote captures our dilemma, which is the appalling lack of imagination and gravitas to tackle our nation’s problems: “[…] …
Read More »Daly Bread: Into the political hereafter; as Opposition Leader shows up Govt response to Privy Council
There is a new example of political truth being stranger than fiction. It is that it takes two very wobbly Attorneys General to make a distrusted Opposition look good. When it was not trying to pretend that the outcome of the recent case in the Privy Council (the PC) was …
Read More »Dear Editor: Faris should do what he’s paid to do—not indulge in PR gimmicks
“[…] Does it feel good to see a minister doing the hard work? Yes of course, but he is not paid to do that. “While this task is very necessary, he is paid to get it done—not do it himself. His time, which costs the taxpayers lots of money by the hour, …
Read More »T&T’s silent holocaust: From Ceiba to Chaconia—how CEPEP follows ‘Sir’ Woodford’s racist footsteps
In honour of our fifty-eighth Independence anniversary, I visited Woodford Square, aka The People’s University, where seeds of Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence grew. But instead of feeling pride, I felt shame. Twenty tree stumps, envoys of once stately trees, left to rot without love or dignity illuminated Marcus Garvey’s words: …
Read More »Demming: Time to disrupt the PNM/UNC status quo
On an early morning run or walk through Port of Spain, you are greeted by homelessness, filth and a strong smell of human faeces. That’s not very different from some other developing countries, but after 60 years of dominance by one political party, our capital city is still in this …
Read More »Dear Editor: How to reform Port of Spain in 22 steps
“Create legislation to tackle food waste, convert vacant lots to green spaces, modernise the Central Market, acquire or repurpose abandoned buildings, close the QPS entrance/exit opposite Dundonald Street… partner with businesses to provide free WiFi!” The following Letter to Editor with 22 steps to reform Port of Spain was submitted …
Read More »