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 »Daly Bread: T&T politicians should look at differing governance examples
Another big pappy resigned last week but of course that was in foreign. As with lame duck US President Joe Biden, that big pappy too was pushed from within. The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who was the leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, had to resign because an investigation …
Read More »Daly Bread: The PNM’s election year excuse
A second volume of The Daly Commentaries—a selection of these weekly columns from 2016-2023, picking up from my first volume covering 2002 to 2015—has been published. Information about its release concludes this column. During my twenty-two plus years as a columnist, I have had the unstinting support of the Express …
Read More »Daly Bread: Why the PNM’s internal affairs are a matter of public interest
I have examined the surprise announcement that the People’s National Movement (PNM) convention and internal election scheduled for November 17 had been cancelled and the further announcement swiftly, but ambiguously, walking back the cancellation decision. My view remains that any apparent suppression of democracy within the PNM is a matter …
Read More »Daly Bread: PNM’s “ratification” confusion
Dr Eric Williams set the standard for the practice of party politics by the People’s National Movement (PNM), which he founded in 1956. As political leader of the PNM, after successive PNM general election victories, Dr Williams took office in 1962 as the first prime minister of independent Trinidad and …
Read More »Daly Bread: PNM’s impairment of internal democracy could leave T&T worse off
The People’s National Movement (the PNM) tersely announced last week: “The People’s National Movement wishes to advise that its 51st Annual Convention, as well as the internal election, originally scheduled for Sunday 17 November 2024, has been cancelled.” The PNM is currently the party in government having been elected for …
Read More »Daly Bread: Understanding political risk of T&T’s reliance on Venezuela gas
Exposure to assessing business risk, including the political risk of doing business in unstable environments, underlines that political and geo-political risks are volatile factors. When Prime Minister Rowley (the PM) recently exhorted that we “hold the fort”, he reportedly linked “a better position with the energy industry in the second …
Read More »Daly Bread: The Gov’t rests on withered laurels, while public lacks feasible alternative
Resignation from political office is a rare event in our country and I had intended to comment on the significance of the resignation of Laurel Lezama-Lee Sing from the Government bench in the Senate. However, reference to her current courthouse business may bring trouble on this publication. Nevertheless, I can …
Read More »Daly Bread: No more mamaguy with GI—looking at pan certification
I have taken time to evaluate my doubts about the announcement made on 9 August concerning Geographical Indication certification for pan. A number of fanciful and overstated claims were made about the Geographical Indication (GI) certificate which was flourished on stage in the hands of the Minister of Tourism and …
Read More »Daly Bread: Hiding the Stanley John report
A file in the civil law department of the Attorney General (the AG) disappeared. As a consequence, the department failed to put in a defence in a malicious prosecution case. This resulted in a default judgment against the State in January 2023 for sums totaling twenty million dollars. The claimants …
Read More »Daly Bread: Being the solution we seek—time for T&T to stand up
As I close off three weeks of analysis of pan manufacturing, I will refer to the inspiration to be taken from the riveting speech of former First Lady Michelle Obama at the recently concluded Democratic Convention in Chicago. First, however, I am happy to acknowledge and that the quotation with …
Read More »Daly Bread: Reclaiming pan manufacturing; and Pan Trinbago’s controversial headquarters
“All those initiatives are undermined by the fact that in 2024, the Steelpan Manufacturing sector does not have a dedicated and secured source and supply of high quality drums. “To ensure a consistent supply of raw materials the industry requires in place a drum-producing facility, which will produce drums based …
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