Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has called on Sport Minister Darryl Smith to account for his $91,910.43 weekend trip to Tobago with 11 officials from his Ministry. The following is the statement from the Office of the Prime Minister: “The Prime Minister Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley has requested a …
Read More »MEDIA MONITOR: Property tax and personal positions before patriotism?
I want to begin with a confession: I voted for the PNM in 2015 and would probably, all things being equal, do so again if an election were called tomorrow. But I am NOT “a PNM.” Nor am I anti-PNM. I think of myself as a patriot. I am, however, …
Read More »STREET VIBES: With PNM in charge, when Shamfa roams, T&T taxpayers pay
For the record, I’m no telecommunications expert. That said, we learned of a government minister who racked up a phone bill to the tune of $59,059 in a matter of four days, from 29 January to 3 February. In her attempt to justify the wanton expenditure, we were informed that …
Read More »AV ROOM: Will the Brian Lara Stadium survive the curse of politicians’ egos?
Those who have read CLR James’ Beyond a Boundary will be all too familiar with Matthew Bondman. James describes Bondman on the second page so that the name is likely to have been encountered even by those who did not get very far into the famous book. The Bondman description reads in part …
Read More »DALY BREAD: The poll tax; why PNM’s property tax could lead to electoral defeat again!
The current Government has fatally underestimated the resistance to the proposed property tax. If it does not make concessions on the methodology of its introduction and of its implementation, the property tax will become a poll tax when it leads to defeat at the polls. Of course, much of the …
Read More »Fixin T&T: Anti-corruption legislation before property tax; protect treasury first and foremost!
Effective implementation of meaningful legislation to govern procurement, campaign financing, party financing and whistle blowing must be made the top priority of the Dr Keith Rowley-led PNM Government. Systems must be put in place to properly protect our patrimony and minimise opportunities for the pilferage of our money before we …
Read More »MEDIA MONITOR: Cuffie’s confusing crucifixion communication and Rowley as bobolee
“Faith,” the King James version of the Holy Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1, “is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” But Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie was careful not to mention that very relevant Bible verse in his Easter message to the troubled citizenry …
Read More »Parliament poops; Morace misses out as Angel, Aimar and Infantino shine in FIFA fete match
The Cabinet was reshuffled on Monday afternoon at the Ato Boldon Stadium but, as some commentators have been predicting all along, it made little difference. And the presence of National Security Minister Edmund Dillon might have been enough to stop a highly anticipated head-to-head between the national women’s coach and …
Read More »Fixin T&T: Govt must be transparent on Army probe into action of Al Rawi’s children
“It is simply not enough for Army investigators to state, according to an Asha Javeed Express report, that ‘procedures were not properly followed that day however, those procedural lapses have since been identified and rectified.’ “The public must be told of the breaches committed, who will be held accountable and …
Read More »Can Government weather the coming storm? Best fires one at the PNM
Time was when, if yuh neighbour house on fire, yuh used to throw water on your own. Not anymore, not in politics anyway. Nowadays, if yuh political neighbour house on fire, yuh does throw pitchoil. I thought that was the hidden message in an unpublished letter sent to Wired868 by …
Read More »Scary Shamfa! Ex-FITUN official Akins Vidale on the iron fist inside the TDC glove
I can still remember the accolades coming in from many quarters for the impressive PNM candidate for Tobago West in the 2015 General Election. I refer, of course, to Shamfa Cudjoe. It took one short month in office for the newly appointed Minister of Tourism to declare to the Parliament …
Read More »Cuffie chides UNC and religious groups: Defending child marriages is like defending slavery!
Minister of Public Administration and Communications, Maxie Cuffie, has likened the support of child marriages to the defence of slavery and suggested that the current Marriages Act, which permits minors to be married under Hindu, Muslim or Baptist rites, leads to a culture of rape and violence against women. Cuffie, …
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