“[…] The main argument in defence of what’s in effect a Machel Monday redux on Carnival Friday was that ISM was dying anyway, so what’s the problem letting Monk have his way and have the day? “It’s a strikingly bad argument. If your beloved relative is dying, you don’t finish …
Read More »Dear Editor: Kangaloo is “the president we need during these tumultuous times”
“[…] I have personally known Ms Christine Kangaloo for a long time. She is married to the son of a good friend who was also a member of the Friends of Arima Hospital Society—a small group that worked together in the struggle to get a new state-of-the-art General Hospital in …
Read More »How T&T courts fail dependent spouses and jeopardise mental health of families
“[…] Access to justice is a human right and divorce is a basic exercise in access to justice. For many women, divorce is the only means by which to escape domestic violence or financial subjugation at the hands of a spouse. “[…] Adjournments or no shows of judges prolong the …
Read More »Dear Editor: Captaining or coaching WI is an impossible job, because the real “bunglers” stay hidden
“[…] No matter how poorly the [West Indies] teams play, there are no consequences for the regional boards because they operate under the CWI. The CWI is basically a sponge they created to absorb the repercussions of their own ineptitude and incompetence at the territorial level. “Is it CWI president …
Read More »MSJ: New year, old politricks—Dr Rowley’s New Year message is classic misdirection
“[…] The difference between 31st December and 1st January is but a change in date… as we see the old politricks being played out in this new year. Firstly, there was the Prime Minister’s New Year’s Message in which he announced that there will be a series of public consultations …
Read More »Orin: T&T and the executive presidency—a note of caution from Guyana
“[…] The Electoral College will meet later this month to choose President Paula-Mae Weekes’ successor, and there’s been much discussion about the presidency as it is—whether it should become an executive office, and even whether it should be abolished. “[…] With an executive president, [former prime minister Basdeo] Panday argues, …
Read More »Dr Rowley: “The tide is turning!” PM addresses crime and economy in New Year’s message
“[…] Some people may feel justified in seeing our existence only through the prism of the negative lenses, and believe that runaway criminality is the hallmark and highlight of our efforts. “[…] As a people, we have been resilient, over these recent difficult years. It has been my honour and …
Read More »Mia Mottley: The Black Stalin was a maestro, griot and true Caribbean leader
“[…] Black Stalin was one of our region’s finest masters of calypso. Both his lyrics and his melodies expertly captured the rhythm and vibe and voice of the Caribbean. “He was acutely conscious of our shared history, culture, passions and concerns and expressed them in his songs in a way …
Read More »“The undisputed People’s Calypsonian!” Gov’t pays tribute to the late Black Stalin
“[…] Black Stalin was a standard bearer of Carnival traditions whose work spans from pre-independence to the present. In the 1950s, Stalin began as a limbo dancer, then later devoted the next 60 years of his career to developing the Calypso art form…” The following statement on the death of …
Read More »Berry: Hadad’s unsuitability is T&T football’s biggest problem, not identity of next TTFA president
“[…] Robert Hadad has spent more than two and a half years plodding along whilst receiving a nice monthly sum from Fifa, for achieving what? “[…] By March 2023, he will have personally been paid about US$220,000 (TT$1.49m) and you can more than double that for his cronies—while creditors have …
Read More »Dear Editor: Now TTFA’s members know who they climbed in bed with, after accepting “normalisation”
“[…] It is sadly laughable that those who now demand democratic elections on 18 March have never demanded that Fifa or its Normalisation Committee respect TTFA democracy. “[…] They never engaged the broad membership in any discussion regarding a way forward for Trini football. Their ‘governance model’ doesn’t allow for …
Read More »Orin: Sports, politics and bandwagons; the 2022 W/Cup was pregnant with resonance
“[…] North versus south, developed versus developing, small versus big, rich versus poor, colonists versus colonised. Matches were pregnant with meaning and resonance outside of football. “[…] The World Cup, Olympics and sports in general are proxies for fights over politics, history and geographical hegemony… Caribbean people in the UK …
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