“[…] What kind of society are we building when the working class is always the first to feel the axe? When institutions are reshaped in silence? When accountability is demanded only of ‘the other side’? “[…] Too often, those who cry foul in opposition grow quiet once in power. Outrage …
Read More »Daly Bread: The problem with governments’ management of state boards
Integrity, accountability, financial prudence and consequence management are not simply partisan political issues. They relate to the socio-economic health and well-being of our country and are or should be of concern to the wider public. Moreover, indifference to these issues undermines trust and confidence that the country’s resources are being …
Read More »Dear Editor: Time for Commonweath Caribbean to prioritise AI governance
“[…] Trinidad and Tobago now joins the United Arab Emirates and Canada as the only countries in the world with government ministries explicitly titled ‘Artificial Intelligence’. “[…] However, such a ministry must not be merely symbolic or otherwise tokenistic. It should be led by professionals with expertise in AI policy, …
Read More »Dear Editor: The high social cost of abandoning community programmes when gov’ts change
“[…] Governments come and go, and with them their pet projects, regardless of whether those initiatives were making a difference. “What happens next? The same communities, the same youth and the same families are left once more to pick up the pieces. “[…] This goes beyond dollars and cents and …
Read More »Daly Bread: Slipping self-restraint—can our gov’ts go beyond finger pointing?
Amanda Gorman, aged 27, is a poet, writer and activist. She was the first US national youth poet laureate. She frequently urges that society turn away from divisiveness. I heard Amanda Gorman speak at the widely televised US Democratic Party National Convention last year. She said this: “Empathy emancipates, making …
Read More »Vaneisa: Governance with empathy—Kamla and ‘Penny’ promise refreshing change
Miriam Castellano, the name by which a prolific social media commentator goes, responded to a column I had written on the distressing impact of global warfare. “Disengage! You sound like an empath. For your own mental health you should train yourself to know when a Time Out is necessary,” she …
Read More »Daly Bread: Dear Kamla, 2025—can we shift from “blame and shame” to empathetic governance?
Dear Kamla, Fifteen years ago, at the time of your first election as prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago (PM), I greeted you in a column published on 13 June 2010, in which I explained why I may take the liberty of addressing you in familiar terms. Let me begin …
Read More »Noble: What can—and should—Trinidad and Tobago expect from Stuart Young?
Within a week, the prime minister-designate, Stuart Young, will assume the role of the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Ferdie Ferreira, a long-time People’s National Movement (PNM) stalwart, said the PNM has never had a succession plan in its 68-year history. He made this comment when there was dissent …
Read More »Demming: Dr Rowley leaves disappointing legacy, despite “attempts to rewrite history”
Congratulations to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on his departure from Whitehall and return to Mason Hall. His administration leaves behind a new airport terminal in Tobago, perhaps its final claim to success. As he transitions to retirement with a TT$87,847 monthly pension, the citizens who entrusted him with leadership …
Read More »Daly Bread: Has Farley caught the maximum leadership disease?
Despite the short-sightedness of those who should be deploying our artistic and cultural output to diversify the economy, my depictions of pan and culture are of accomplishment. By contrast, commenting weekly on the latest of the unpleasant results of thoroughly deficient governance is a painful exercise. I would like sometimes …
Read More »Daly Bread: Many Emperors, no clothes—T&T suffers from decades of poor governance
During an Easter Sunday break from my column, I was forcibly struck by the disconnect between the official messages about Easter from those clothed with high constitutional authority and the grim reality on the ground. Many persons would have been engaged in pleasurable activities over the Easter weekend. However, the …
Read More »Demming: “Our society must urgently navigate potholes of life… We need a deep, systemic redesign”
Forty years ago, while I was pregnant, I fell into a pothole. Fortunately, the fall did not terminate my pregnancy, but I still have the scar on my foot as a reminder. Forty years later our country continues to be haunted by potholes, despite owning the Pitch Lake and producing bitumen …
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