We often read articles in the newspapers about some person applying for judicial review of a decision made that did not go in their favour. But have you ever wondered what is judicial review? It is a legal process by which we can hold government bodies—or those exercising powers authorised …
Read More »Media Monitor: NIF, NoF, Nuff; can Government really bank on OCM?
If you watched the TV6 7pm News on Thursday, then you should have a clear idea of how deep in the doodoo our media are. And since One Caribbean Media (OCM) is one of the five companies on whose entire or partial assets the National Investment Fund is “collateralised”—not my …
Read More »Dear Editor: Citizens deserve “Imbert Treatment” too; time to address class and race bias in T&T
“There is a large body of sociological and psychological evidence that explains that peoples’ experiences with law enforcement personnel are affected by factors such as race, colour, class and status. “Is it that Minister Colm Imbert and TTPS public relations personnel want us to believe that this does not happen …
Read More »Daly Bread: The temporary death of celebrity; T&T’s lessons of humility from the World Cup
World Cup 2018 ends today and I have discerned some lessons of general application. Not many in this region would have foreseen that France and Croatia would be the two teams in the final. Even fewer would have foreseen that Argentina, Brazil and Germany would have failed as early as …
Read More »Demming: Why new Angostura chairman, Bharath, must face up to Balgobin affair
Since 2005 there have been allegations of sexual harassment levelled against Dr Rolph Balgobin. To quote a Trinidad Express Newspaper report of 4 January 2017: “Former (Arthur Lok Jack) ALJ Chairman and (at that time) University of the West Indies Principal Clement Sankat yesterday confirmed that he had inherited the …
Read More »Dear Editor: Did Police act lawfully to find Imbert’s phone? And what about other victims of crime?
“Is the prostitution of the police by the political directorate such that the police are only animated to act effectively when a Minister of Government is affected by crime? The country ravaged by criminal activities including brutal killings have not seen similar alacrity by the police to solve these crimes that …
Read More »Master’s Voice: Black labour pains: By the sweat of MY brow; thou shalt eat bread
“I have […] great doubts whether the Cooly and the African are morally and mentally capable of being acted upon by the same motives in this island on their first arrival as labourers are in more civilised countries… “The only independence which they would desire is idleness, according to their …
Read More »Daly Bread: Evading accountability; how the JLSC tried to mamaguy judicial community
One year ago, the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) brought itself into disrepute and tarnished the institutional reputation of the Judiciary by the blunder of the appointment and “un-appointment” of the then Chief Magistrate, Marcia Ayers-Caesar, to the High Court Bench. The JLSC never begged pardon for its blunder …
Read More »RSA: Avoiding the void; a short story of life on empty
I have known empty; I have lived empty many times in my life. There’s the running on empty that goes well beyond the mere Monday to Friday exhaustion spawned by the world of work. The bone-deep lassitude that slowly but steadily seeps into your soul and its spread is similar …
Read More »Salaam: Forget Brazil and France, T&T should be emulating Japan’s tidy fans after more flash fooding
Even after they were eliminated by Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16 on Monday, the Japan National Football Team and their supporters gave us a lesson in class and a taste of their culture. I read that their fans cleaned up the section of the stadium where they …
Read More »Media Monitor: The problem with the T&T media’s World Cup coverage; aite!
The Trinidad Express probably thinks that the World Cup craze is so all-pervasive that they don’t need to bother too much about the rest of the paper. Here is a sentence from last Friday’s Editorial, headlined “Facts the antidote to fake news:” “Evidently hot under the collar, he—the reference was …
Read More »Master’s Voice: The tumour of racism; addressing Trinbago’s ‘Nigger’ question (Pt Two)
By 1787 the English had just about constructed myths of their own about themselves where to be British was to be free and white. This despite their own history of being slaves of the Romans, at least one of whom, Cicero, wasn’t too impressed with them. They exported their notion …
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