Over the last three decades, persons who either tell census enumerators that they have ‘no religion’ or refuse to identify with religion now represent the fastest-growing group based on faith. As large as the Pentecostals, this group (13% of the population) draws from every other faith group. Why is this …
Read More »Demming: Giving ‘Covid Carnival’ a second thought; T&T can show world we aren’t cowering from virus
So Gregory Aboud jumped out of his corner and suggested that we have a carnival celebration and everybody wants to kill him because, primarily, they say it is too little too late. Is it possible that he is too far away from our perceptions of who can speak about carnival …
Read More »Noble: As USA learns cost of lies about equality, will T&T remove scales from its eyes?
“The truth does not care about our governments, ideologies, religions. It will lie in wait… I once would fear the cost of truth. Now I only ask, what is the cost of lies? “[…] Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is …
Read More »S Waithe: This is America: eroded values, abused ideals, and ‘white privilege’
Any recovering alcoholic will tell you that the first step is admission of the problem, so attempts can be made to address it. Crucially, they are encouraged to acknowledge that the problem never goes away—they will always remain an alcoholic—but that admission creates the necessary control over said problem. What …
Read More »Domestic violence: When little boys ask big questions
“[…] How do I explain to my son that he lives in a world where the home is considered the most dangerous place for women, with the majority of female homicide victims worldwide being killed by partners or family? “[…] If we are to end violence against women, we must …
Read More »Demming: Turn your strident words into action, madame president
A little more than 33 months ago, before Ms Paula-Mae Weekes was elected president of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, she was at the top of her game serving in another jurisdiction. Today she is publicly expressing her disappointment at the absence of good governance for the people …
Read More »Caricom’s shame! How Jamaica, Haiti and Bahamas orchestrated ‘unfounded’ attack on T&T over Venezuela migrant crisis
“[…] It’s difficult for me to understand, much less find justification, for why Jamaica, the sitting chair of the OAS Permanent Council at the time, failed to rule on whether to allow Guaidó’s agent to level unfounded charges directly accusing the T&T government of culpability in the Venezuelan tragedy. “[…] …
Read More »‘Mischievous and malicious!’ Renne initiates legal action against Braveboy, after latter’s Boodan defence
Trinidad Express investigative journalist Denyse Renne has initiated legal action against political blogger Marcia Braveboy for ‘egregious false claims and deliberate inaccuracies’, after an attack on the former’s integrity on social media. Braveboy, in a direct response to the ‘unmasking’ of Express columnist Darryn Boodan as the corporate communications officer …
Read More »Demming: Don’t blame public servants for everything; leadership is taking responsibility
It is easy to blame public servants’ ‘mistakes’ for an eight-month delay in appointing the Board of the Trinidad and Tobago Securities and Exchange Commission (TTSEC) as reported in a recent newspaper article. Public servants have become the most recent whipping horse of a government whose inaction contributes to the …
Read More »Noble: Termites eating our democracy—the danger of spin doctors in ‘independent’ clothing
Distrust of politicians and public figures is a mainstay of democratic politics. Trust and distrust go hand in hand. We have institutions as a check on untrammelled forays by politicians, but we also use public opinion as a brake. The savage lampooning or ‘fatigue’ of the unfortunate George Chambers—‘done see’/‘duncy’—signalled …
Read More »Noble: Correcting Education’s woes; beyond ‘prestige schools’ and ‘standardised examinations’
“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong,” — H L Mencken Last month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley reportedly said ‘tough decisions will have to be made to correct the educational imbalances’, as he anticipated ‘an honest and open discussion’ which would lead …
Read More »Dr Farrell: No Sacred Cows revisited; understanding the PNM’s assault on Central Bank
“[…] The PNM administration seems allergic to institutions which are independent within the executive and run by unelected persons. “It is clearly one of the reasons for the pre-emptive assault on the Office of the Procurement Regulator rendering it a eunuch, so that the hands of elected ministers will not …
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