Guest Columns

“There are two things that are important in politics,” said Mark Hanna, a 19th-century businessman and political kingmaker in Cleveland, Ohio. “The first is money, and I can’t remember what the second one is.” Pete W Moore, the MA Hanna associate professor of politics at Case Western Reserve University in …

In the run-up to our General Elections, I indicated how the world’s events impact our country and how our method of selecting candidates operates. The notion of a rentier economy (one in which a significant portion of income is derived from owning assets like land, natural resources or financial instruments, …

Over the past few weeks, Kitchener’s 1961 calypso Take yuh meat out of meh rice kept ringing in my ears. The calypso tells an amusing story about two hungry people, one a Bajan and the other a Trinidadian, who concocted a plan to satisfy their hunger. “A Bajan and a …

“[…] If my contract has ended, how can I be sent on any binding vacation leave that extends beyond the life of the contract? The only way that can realistically happen is if, and only if, said contract is going to be renewed, with the person it affects being remaining …

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar selected her Cabinet today to serve Trinidad and Tobago, five days after her United National Congress (UNC) party was elected with 26 seats to the People National Movement’s 14. Persad-Bissessar was sworn in on Thursday, alongside her attorney general John Jeremie. Today, she appointed a further …

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar began her term in office with a message of love and optimism today, as she took the oath of office alongside new attorney general John Jeremie at President’s House in Port of Spain. The rest of the Cabinet should be sworn in on Saturday. Persad-Bissessar, who …

The People’s National Movement (PNM) has appointed Arima MP Pennelope Beckles as its opposition leader. Beckles, 64, was endorsed by the PNM’s General Council today after producing writing support of six from the opposition’s 13 MPs: Symon de Nobriga, Marvin Gonzales, Colm Imbert, Kareem Marcelle, Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, and Keith …

Former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley vowed to resign as political leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM), just two days after the party’s disastrous showing at the polls. The PNM was routed in the 2025 General Elections under the joint leadership of Rowley and Prime Minister Stuart Young, as …

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children.” Nelson Mandela, May 1995. Ezekiel Ramdialsingh’s murder on 15 April received wide coverage in our newspapers. One even had it as a front-page story. But the description given to him was “an aspiring …

Trade unions have been critical players in the struggle for workers’ rights, improved living conditions, and societal equity throughout history. This is particularly true in the Caribbean, where the influence of trade unions extends far beyond labour relations, embedding itself into the political, social, and economic fabric of the region. …

Poui drizzling delicate pink blossoms like confetti over a population with little to celebrate has provided a welcome respite from the ashen pall that has been hanging over our heads. The impulse to photograph the trees rising majestically over their fragrant carpets has become the latest pastime. It is a …

I do not believe that the Dragon Field initiative is dead. The rumours of its end are greatly exaggerated. For context, I advance this quotation from the influential US Politico newsletter. It was written about the tariff situation of last week, but it can easily fit our situation. “He likes …