We are probably not paying much attention to the decision of the UK Supreme Court on Tuesday last when the British Prime Minister’s decision to advise the Queen to suspend the British parliament was declared to be unlawful, null and void and of no effect. The decision represents a complete …
Read More »Gilkes: Post-colonial or decolonial? How tired racist standards persist in T&T
Wha allyuh vex with St Stephen’s College for? I give them right, full marks for their stance. Was it backward and discriminatory? Yeah. Was it disrespectful and, frankly, based on old racist ideas of beauty, comportment and respectability? Of course, duh. They no doubt would justify it on the grounds …
Read More »Dear Editor: Gary Griffith receives ‘A’ grade for theatrics and a ‘C’ for performance
“… Because of his effective use of social media, [Gary Griffith] has received soaring popularity with some members of the public. “But is this popularity connected to results he has achieved, or is it based merely on optics? Specifically, has there been a significant decline in homicides or an increase …
Read More »Daly Bread: Should we call that George? In pursuit of transparency and accountability
Monday last was a grim day for the pursuit of transparency and accountability. Both the prime minister and the chief justice took the usual futile refuge of chastising the media and metaphorically shooting all other messengers, oblivious of the message from responsible quarters that they should give an account of …
Read More »Seditious Thought: even Carnival would be in trouble if Police enforce our colonial laws
“Act 51 of the Summary Offences Act prohibits ‘indecency’ in public places specifically mentioning anyone who (a) is indecently attired; (b) performs any lewd or suggestive dancing or actions; (c) in any play, song, ballad or speech, uses language, or makes use of any recording, which is profane, indecent or …
Read More »Dear Editor: Confused about Judge’s advice to TTUTA
In a recent high court ruling, Justice Vasheist Kokaram dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA). The teachers asserted that the marking of school-based assessments (SBAs) for the CSEC and CAPE examinations did not fall under their contractual obligations. The following Letter to the …
Read More »Noble: Disrespectfully disagreeing; why polarisation hurts our democracy
Plural societies, such as ours, are prone to tensions and to pretend that it is a new thing is folly. What is new is the disrespectful disagreement we now witness as we moved from social polarisation (living in different communities) to issue polarisation (where we cannot agree on the essentials …
Read More »Demming: Election Goody No.1; amnesty extension with no tax refund is mamaguy
Hurray … election goodies have begun. The income tax amnesty has been extended to September 30th. But like an ungrateful voter, my response is a big steups. Unless the extension of time is accompanied by the release of refund cheques, we are all in the same place. The tax amnesty …
Read More »Daly Bread: Sedition, transparency and accountability; why Act should be amended but not repealed
It is fundamental that citizens are entitled to understand and, if appropriate, criticise decisions made by the Government or public authorities; and also to be fully informed about the involvement and role played by the key decision-makers, whether Ministers or Cabinet appointees to Boards. This fundamental right is confirmed in …
Read More »Demming: PM needs to start believing in us again
The unravelling of the contract between the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and Chinese construction company, Gezhouba Group International Engineering Co Ltd (CGGC), is so close to the fourth anniversary of PNM’s 2015 election victory because it represents the collapse of a significant plank upon which the Keith Rowley-led administration placed …
Read More »Noble: Will our business leaders give us hope?
Prior to the 1990s, the Jamaican business community lived a split life: families in Florida with a commuting businessman. That model did not work—investment plunged, making the businesses uncompetitive. By 1992, their dollar was reeling, causing much concern about social and economic stability. Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart then stepped up with …
Read More »Daly Bread: On the bright side: gleaning hope from the steelband movement
When our politicians fail us, rather than responding on the issues, they commonly pursue attacks on critics and angry dismissals of so-called negativity. They are however so blinded by their own rhetoric and the flattery of their satellites that they do not know where to look for—let alone properly to …
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