Congratulations to the people of Trinidad and Tobago on a relatively peaceful and safe electoral process. Now that the ‘carnival is over’, to quote the late great, grandmaster: let’s see who is who, and who is made of what. Like many, I too anticipated the change—though I did not think …
Read More »Daly Bread: Buying cat in bag—T&T politics remains policy free
Throughout the now concluded last week of campaigning for tomorrow’s general election, the lack of articulation on the campaign platforms of specific plans has persisted, as has the nastiness. It is not clear how the competing parties will deal with violent crime, drastic revenue shortfall in the economy, foreign exchange …
Read More »Vidale: Why Caribbean trade unions should definitely be involved in politics
Trade unions have been critical players in the struggle for workers’ rights, improved living conditions, and societal equity throughout history. This is particularly true in the Caribbean, where the influence of trade unions extends far beyond labour relations, embedding itself into the political, social, and economic fabric of the region. …
Read More »MFO: Ghany Poll used “questionable methodology”; rigor and transparency needed in public opinion research
“[…] Knowing public opinion helps parties in the closing weeks of an election… Well-done opinion polls that are made public give everyone access to the same information. This approach helps our democracy. “[…] The Ghany approach raises two main methodological concerns that merit closer examination: sample size (approximately 125 per …
Read More »Dear Editor: Political discourse has sidelined women’s issues—will women accept being afterthought?
“[…] Our reality is that: women still make up only 23% of members of Parliament; the unemployment rate for women remains higher than for men, especially among young women aged 15-24 (CSO, 2022); and one in three women in Trinidad and Tobago has experienced intimate partner violence (UN Women Caribbean, 2023). “[…] The late Hazel Brown, one …
Read More »Daly Bread: Gov’t at lowest ebb of accountability, but apprehension of Kamla in its favour
The official and unsurprising collapse of the proposed Dragon gas and related Venezuelan gas supply arrangements, three weeks before the next General Election, should in normal circumstances cost the incumbent Peoples’ National Movement (PNM) the election. However, we have an Opposition, the United National Congress (the UNC), led by Kamla …
Read More »Dear Editor: Aren’t we fed up of political games? Don’t we want better than this?
“[…] Surely, we are supposed to be fed up and tired of the mess perpetrated on us by politicians who profess to be spiritually moral and incorruptible, yet they and their fanatics on social media, radio talk shows and letters to the editor, encourage and promote: “Lies, half-truths, innuendos, picong, …
Read More »Vaneisa: Poui and politics—what country do we want for ourselves?
Poui drizzling delicate pink blossoms like confetti over a population with little to celebrate has provided a welcome respite from the ashen pall that has been hanging over our heads. The impulse to photograph the trees rising majestically over their fragrant carpets has become the latest pastime. It is a …
Read More »Noble: ‘One day you’re in, the next you’re out’—evaluating our 2025 election candidates
“The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves—in their separate, and individual capacities.” US President Abraham Lincoln, 1854. This week saw the United National Congress (UNC) struggle …
Read More »Noble: Political muck from all sides—is mad we mad, oui!
We are living in difficult times. We are witnessing the world, as we know it, turn topsy-turvy. But we want to be seduced into believing that there is a magic wand that will restore us to the glory days when oil and gas prices were high. We want to be …
Read More »Vaneisa: Why not stop now? Bullying must not be ‘our way of life’
It’s a little bit uncanny that I had wanted to return to discussing trauma, particularly the impact of bullying, before the issue raised itself vehemently in the public space. The story of five years of alleged physical abuse at St Mary’s College suffered by a student, who was expelled when …
Read More »Daly Bread: The Young move—reviewing new prime minister’s early election date
Twenty-four hours after his appointment by virtue of section 76(1) (a) of the Constitution to replace former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley, new prime minister Stuart Young called the next general election for April 28. This Young move is probably a good move for his prospects to be re-appointed as …
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