Letters to the Editor

“Democracy and prosperity require tough choices…” The following release on Trinidad and Tobago’s recognition of Venezuela president Nicolás Maduro’s government was issued by US Ambassador Joseph Mondello: Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaidó and the democratically elected National Assembly have the full recognition and resolute support of the United States of …

“With regard to violent crime and more specifically gun violence, our plan—manage traffic reduce crime—can compliment other anti-crime initiatives, as it realises the first objective by engaging the most basic yet proactive policing. “While no where in the world could police be everywhere all the time, with minimal resources we …

“The CoP has also made it pellucidly clear that his statement was not a licence to kill unarmed perpetrators or perpetrators, who do not pose an imminent threat and are armed with lethal weapons… How much clearer can the CoP be?” The following Letter to the Editor regarding criticism of …

“Everyone seems to be in agreement with president [Paula Mae] Weekes’ [call to overhaul our education system], which isn’t surprising for two reasons: she’s the President; and she offered no concrete examples of what an overhaul would constitute. “This vagueness allows anyone to agree to an overhaul, according to whatever …

As curious as I am about what’s happening in Venezuela, I’m even more curious about how said developments are analysed by my local media so as to raise the public’s level of awareness about this country’s position in global affairs. Venezuela president Nicolás Maduro never really impressed me, he’s no …

Ian ‘Socapro’ Henry: “As soon as the current ISM organisers made the mistake of removing the separate Groovy Soca and Power Soca categories in 2016, the show has rapidly and steadily gone downhill in terms of excitement and audience attendance. This is no coincidence…” Martin Raymond: “Sorry, I totally disagree with …

“The problems bedevilling the Afro-Trinidadian community have nothing to do with ignorance of history or their ‘true’ African identity. “Rather, these issues arise from a dependency syndrome created by government make-work, a low marriage rate, and the devaluation of ideas—which underlie the progress of all advanced societies and groups, such …

“The depletion of inspection books yesterday is not the cause [of the current licensing confusion]. The incontrovertible fact is that citizens have failed to utilise the five month period granted to them to become compliant with the law. “[…] The Ministry acknowledges that the rush to have vehicles inspected did …

“When a Minister (or Prime Minister) is asked to exercise his discretion to establish an inquiry (as you are being asked to do), he ‘must do so in a manner that conforms to basic public law principles of reasonableness and due consideration of relevant matters’. “There is a duty to …

“Doxing, according to the AG, ‘is when you go out of your way to crash a system using certain truths’ which is ‘akin to a cybercrime’. With the greatest of respect, this is untrue. This is not what doxing is. “[…] In fact both the Interim Report and Report of …

“It’s true that things are always changing, but I expected that some of the change would have been for the better. Instead the evidence of poverty was ‘in yuh face’ as ‘halfway-falling down’ homes, piles of garbage on the corners, roaming stray dogs, and the vine-covered trailer truck that once …

Civility allows us to disagree without disrespect. It facilitates social interaction which enables us to look past our preconceptions and arrive at better solutions. In political discussions we provide information to persuade action. Unfortunately, some contributors seek to troll perceived adversaries; and personal attacks sometimes prove counterproductive, as they demotivate …