Our calypsonians and other creative persons are adept at crafting imaginative interpretations of actual events. My headline this week reflects David Rudder’s portrayal in song of the breakthrough win of Exodus steel orchestra in Panorama 1992 as ‘dus in dey face’—when dust was raised on the then unpaved track to …
Read More »Demming: The Faria Brouhaha; data, discussion and deception
There are always unintended consequences of our actions. The big picture lessons of the brouhaha around Gabriel Faria’s WhatsApp message are that the private views of public officials are seen as expressions of the organisation, and that business survival post-Covid-19 requires aggressive strategies by the government. Gabriel Faria spoke his …
Read More »NWU: Fight, fight, fight! Some businessmen are using Covid-19 as cover to strip workers of rights
“[…] The NWU has one example of an employer cutting the pay of staff by 50% and then on top of that reducing hours from 40 a week down to 20. Having effectively cut pay by 75%, this employer promptly made eight workers redundant and based their severance calculations on the …
Read More »Noble: Embracing the future; T&T economy is being sold short by ‘outdated’ ideas
“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by our responsibility for our future.” — George Bernard Shaw. To accept the virus-induced lockdown was, for the most part, a no-brainer. To exit is not. Indeed, the public comments of the major business organisations show us more …
Read More »Demming: Dreaming of tomorrow, how recovery team can help T&T’s ease of business
There is always a gap between perception and reality. Communicators have to operate within that space trying to narrow the gap and strengthen their intended message. The government opted to use moral suasion to get citizens to stay at home, but a drive or walk through neighbourhoods, towns and cities …
Read More »MFO Covid-19 study: High satisfaction in gov’t and Health Ministry, less trust in media
“[…] While international media is the top source for information on the outbreak, the public also places focus on local television channels, and government websites. Locally, government sources take precedence, with the Ministry of Health being considered the most trustworthy source. “[…] Despite the fear and concern for economic well-being, there is …
Read More »An ‘exceptionally difficult’ year! Imbert on salary grants, public aid and ‘recalibrated’ budget
“[…] Trinidad and Tobago is not only impacted by the economic consequences of Covid-19; but as an oil-and-gas exporting country, the economic, financial and social consequences have been further compounded by the dramatic drop in oil and gas prices. The worldwide demand for crude oil has crashed in the context …
Read More »Rowley: Two more weeks of lockdown, with four days off for good behaviour; re-opening within sight
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has asked Trinidad and Tobago to accept another 14 days of economic restrictions and floated the possibility of a lift within 10 days if all goes well. Rowley, accompanied by chief medical officer Dr Roshan Parasram and epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds, confirmed that the twin …
Read More »Noble: ‘Them is people to watch’; let science—not big business—rule on lifting lockdown
“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” CS Lewis. Different views abound about the need to stay or not at home. Some bristle at the restrictions and I will confess my …
Read More »Covid-19 must be turning point for how gov’t operates and who our economy benefits
For about 30 years, we have been told myths about our economy. Many of these myths have become commonplace and embedded in our psyche and national consciousness—through the media, the education system, and, more concretely, enacted in the laws and policies by every government since the late 1980s. Covid-19 has …
Read More »Rowley: Time to chart T&T’s new course; the framework for post-pandemic road map
“Trinidad and Tobago must now plan for its post peak Covid-19 future within the confines of the ‘new normal’, at least until such time that a vaccine is developed and tested—which could take between 12-18 months. “[…] An important first step in developing the Recovery Road Map must be to …
Read More »Daly Bread: Contemplating the road to recovery; gov’t must prioritise the arts
In August 1959, at the peak of his fame, Miles Davis was taking a break from a recording which he was making downstairs an equally famous club called Birdland Jazz Club. He was on the pavement when a white policeman told him to move on. “Move on for what? I …
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