Letters to the Editor

“MATT condemns any form of intimidation against media workers, whether it be veiled or otherwise…” The following MATT release is in response to a statement by Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, which criticised MATT Vice-President Joel Julien for the association’s missive on Thursday. The MATT statement criticised police officers for …

The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) has received a report about ‘heavy-handed and unprofessional conduct’ of officers from Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) while on duty at Radio and TV Jaagriti. According to the account of the incident available in the public domain and based on the …

“All nationals must denounce Sat Maharaj’s hateful rhetoric. The Constitutional Right to freedom of speech is not just a right. It’s also a responsibility. “We have a duty to speak out against evil, hateful beliefs through free speech of our own that advances our shared value of equality.” The following …

“It is asinine thinking to hold 200 motorists hostage in a car park because there is a glitch in your system. This is exactly what happened on Monday April 15 at the Parkade in Port of Spain. “[…] This unfortunate situation comes on the heels of the Piarco incident which …

National Security Minister Stuart Young appeared to contradict Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith on his stance with regards to the deportation of Venezuelans, as he suggested that police ‘suspicion’ would not be enough to expel the South American nations. Yesterday, Griffith told a press briefing the government’s proposed registration drive …

“The one percent has, it seems, taken full control of the industrial relations policy of the government. This is not surprising because these mark-up merchants are the ones who finance the leading political parties and, as is well known, he who pays the piper calls the tune. “The government has …

“The very invasive legislation seeks to investigate property owners, business persons and others with accumulated wealth as to the means in which they are acquired… “The Joint Chambers do acknowledge the present administration’s drive for transparency within the private economic forces that service our nation. We would also hope our …

“Twenty years ago, the ‘Nolan principles’ in the UK sought to improve standards in public life. These seven principles are: Selflessness; Integrity; Objectivity; Accountability; Openness; Honesty; Leadership. At the time, these principles were revolutionary because they focused on behaviour and culture, rather than processes. “You’d be hard-pushed to find anyone …

“Betaa, dey ain’t making no more land” was the advice Mr Terrence Deyalsingh, reported to the House on 11 July 2014, his grandmother told him. He went on “… land is a family heritage… it represents wealth, it represents where you toil; it represents an investment.” The Medium-Term Policy Framework …

“In one ad, the Authority states: ‘Ensure children are appropriately dressed, to avoid exposing them to unwarranted attention from predators’. This message places the blame for sexual assault on the child’s appearance. “Surely this cannot apply to the babies, toddlers, children and teens assaulted in their homes, by trusted adults! …

“Now more than ever we need to revisit the significant events and connect the dots between our principles informing our decisions and show how those decisions have shaped who we are—to determine how we are viewed—and why we must do what we do now. “[…] We hold to those principles …

“Human rights are non-negotiable and prisoners who may be paedophiles are not excluded. That is the law—even when we don’t like the results. “[…] The implication of [Dr Varma Deyalsingh’s] statement is that the paedophile prison population is the cause of overcrowding and so chemical castration is proffered as the …