In 2016, our country was the western world’s highest per capita supplier of recruits for the ISIS campaign in the Middle East. We are among the world’s most violent nations, with an average annual murder rate of 32.9 per 100,000 inhabitants(from 2009–2018). Refugees and trafficking complicate our lives. These trends …
Read More »Noble: Trying a thing like a Trini; the problem with our pension plan
There is a quintessential Trini way to do business: we have enough of a façade to look professional, but we do things by vaps while the professionals stew silently. This tendency puts us into a weird space where the principals can vehemently protest that they follow the ‘science’. Meanwhile, the …
Read More »Noble: The WASA freeco—is it really the poor who suffer from disconnections?
Thirty years ago, Frico was a famous milk brand which offered free children’s toys in each tin. A ‘freeco’ was different: an event in which some could enjoy benefits for no money, yet others would have to pay for it. It is like the ‘comps’ for the young today. Given …
Read More »Noble: The Apology and the Revolution; how both political leaders fell short over Covid-19 blunder
As Trinidadians, we often want to ‘move on’ when difficult issues arise. We seldom wish to examine how public injustices happen. Instead, we accuse all who stop to explore the wreckage since we do not want ‘to play the blame game’. This tendency is why our nation took 14 years …
Read More »Noble: Counting our losses; after months following the science, why did minister zigzag?
This week has been awfully long. How the worm has turned! On Thursday 3 June, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced that US vice-president Kamala Harris had promised a substantial vaccine donation. On Saturday 5 June, he informed that the country had secured 800,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines with an …
Read More »Noble: Can we talk? Only Trinidad and Tobago united can defeat the pandemic
The efforts needed to coordinate the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 should induce wide-scale collaboration. A government cannot act on its own but must bring along the wider society. Polarised positions negatively impact the effective societal response. When there are difficult new situations, and the media is the prominent news provider, …
Read More »Noble: Polarising a nation—are we trying to help our country, or ourselves?
It is indisputable that Covid-19 represents the most significant health and economic threat faced in this generation. We have had raging arguments about the effects of efforts to contain the virus. Achieving the scale of the required changes in personal behaviour is challenging, but such changes are integral to success. …
Read More »Noble: Why are we fighting a war without reservists? Our health care system needs help
‘I bawled for two hours. I wanted to mash-up everything in the house.’ These poignant words from a mother who lost an adult child have haunted me this week. The young woman had been discharged from one of our hospitals after being warded for approximately two weeks. Five patients were …
Read More »Noble: Who owns Trinidad and Tobago? Is fighting the virus only the govt’s job?
In considering the present local situation, Aristotle was right when he said: ‘What is common to the greatest number gets the least amount of care. Men pay most attention to what is their own; they care less for what is common or at any rate, they care for it only …
Read More »Noble: T&T is still on the road of denial regarding Covid-19; and it won’t end well
In the book Pilgrim’s Progress, John Banyan wrote: ‘The road of denial leads to a precipice.’ He describes a hill called Error that was easy to climb but steep on the other side. At its foot were the bones of many who Flatterer deceived. He had coaxed the pilgrims to …
Read More »Noble: The riddle of Khan, Young, and Hernandez; and what it says about our desired leaders
‘Dislike of an individual is material in politics. Someone with an unlikeable persona may be unelectable in a diverse national contest… by contrast, good governance requires honest treatment of the business issues…’ (Martin Daly, November 2020). This Daly quote is relevant when considering the recent cabinet reshuffle in the light …
Read More »Noble: Simple, understandable messages needed! The MoH has gone off-key
Living in the pandemic required us all to rearrange our daily lives in both patient and clever ways. But it has been a long, tiring year. As we look into the future, there is a growing realisation that Covid-19 will forever shadow us. Consequently, we must decide how much of …
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