“Thank God for decisions made to stimulate drilling […] by the Kamla Persad- Bissessar government… Instead of benefitting from flowing gas today, we might well have been on our knees, eating grass.” (Dr Bhoe Tewarie, Trinidad Express, 13 March.) An astounding statement with subtexts! What exactly is he saying and …
Read More »Daly: Mas not done, check the Judiciary; Justice Jamadar should stay in his section
Mr Justice of Appeal Peter Jamadar should have stayed in his section. His statement in the capacity of Acting Chief Justice attempting to set boundaries for the long established tradition of satire and calling out ‘mocking pretenders’ during the Carnival season was surprising. Returning from my usual chip with All Stars …
Read More »Noble: The elites and the poor; Aboud rings bell for deeper issue on use of national resources
An Economist article (2011) defined ‘elites’ as people who shape the world without anyone noticing. The rich and powerful leverage their privileged status to exercise decisive control over the way society is organised and developed. I am thankful that Gregory Aboud has opened this discussion. While he did not define …
Read More »Dear Editor: If Lok Jack loves Trinidad farmers so much, why doesn’t ABIL employ them?
“Has [Arthur Lok Jack’s Associated Brands Group of Companies or] ABIL ever supported farmers in Trinidad and Tobago to cultivate and supply sugar for its snacks, corn for its flakes, coconut for its cream filling and shortcake, and rice for its rice crisps? “Has ABIL ever supported farmers in the …
Read More »Emancipation Committee: T&T gov’t must continue to defend justice and sovereignty in Venezuela
“The critical issues for us here in [Trinidad and Tobago] and the region are not how anyone feels about President Nicolás Maduro—based on knowledge, misinformation or ideology—but about fundamental principles in international relations, in particular the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other states. “It is vital for …
Read More »Young: USA is ‘treasured partner’ of T&T; Opposition Leader spreading ‘unfounded’ fears
“Notwithstanding efforts by the UNC to undermine Trinidad and Tobago’s position—particularly at this time of sensitive negotiations—Trinidad and Tobago reaffirms its principle positions and counts the USA among its treasured partners in observing and protecting these principles.” The following release on relations between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States, …
Read More »Dear Editor: Non-intervention has always been T&T’s policy; and Kamla backed Maduro in 2015
“Then prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in April 2015: ‘We believe inherently in the sovereignty of nations and so we stand with you President [Nicolás] Maduro for your sovereignty and for the determination of the right of your people to be governed as they choose’…” The following Letter to the Editor …
Read More »Noble: Past actions compromise fiscal sustainability; the cost of political trade-offs
The Dr Roodal Moonilal Ramai Trace SDMS Primary School (Sunday Express, 13 January) is a prime example of our need to examine public spending. In 2013, the school ostensibly bestowed naming rights on the MP for the TT$350,000 raised from businessmen in the area to purchase the land. Construction reportedly …
Read More »Noble: How exactly does Devant’s release of Rowley’s numbers lead to good governance?
Civility allows us to disagree without disrespect. It facilitates social interaction which enables us to look past our preconceptions and arrive at better solutions. In political discussions we provide information to persuade action. Unfortunately, some contributors seek to troll perceived adversaries; and personal attacks sometimes prove counterproductive, as they demotivate …
Read More »Daly Bread: Failure of ‘govt by giveaway’; T&T’s culture of opportunistic collusion
This column was one of the first among regular commentaries to identify that Government slackness was embracing criminality, and to make dire predictions about where this would lead. The assertion was met with dismay on the cocktail circuit. A well regarded commentator suggested to me that our governments were ‘mooks’ …
Read More »Trinidad and Tobago’s populist moment: we need structural change; not a superman
Gary Griffith’s appointment as Commissioner of Police came with an eerie and uncanny realisation about the opaque and dysfunctional state of our institutions. Despite his political history, people were happy to embrace Griffith. And even though he has been on the job for only four months, are singing his praises. …
Read More »Dear Editor: Is ‘UNC corruption’ largely a PNM sales gimmick to derail debate?
“A prominent political scientist devoted newspaper and academic articles to illustrating the UNC as corrupt and also darkly suggested an ethnic propensity to white-collar crime. He wrote: ‘For the UNC, politics is relative; everything is for relatives.’ “The party of all-ah-we-t’ief, Johnny O’Halloran and which spawned corruption-buster Gene Miles, had taken …
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