“We are trying to walk a tightrope between fighting off a virus that can kill us,” said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, “and trying to protect an economy that could collapse and a country that could go into bankruptcy if things go pear-shaped.” In retrospect, maybe this is not the …
Read More »Noble: Living as Christ during a pandemic: the Church’s responsibility to keep followers safe
Dr Keith Rowley’s prime ministerial rebuke that ‘some people believe they have a pipeline to heaven and God knows them personally … if you are congregating, you will be giving us no chance to escape the ravages of this virus’ is unfortunate. He should not have been put in this …
Read More »Demming: Covid-19 demands leaders collaborate across party lines
Social media lights up every time Dr Michelle Trotman speaks about Covid-19, although she admits that she is not a ‘Facebook person’. The authenticity with which she delivers is endearing at a time when our officials just don’t understand how to engage the population. Dr Trotman spoke to us with …
Read More »Trinidad and Tobago unplugged: Rowley closes nation’s borders for 14 days; pubs to shut down
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has announced that Trinidad and Tobago will close its borders to all visitors for the next 14 days from midnight 17 March. Meanwhile, schools will remain closed until 20 April 2020. The decision, according to Rowley, is a first step to stop the twin-island republic …
Read More »PM condemns Persad-Bissessar for urging Ghana to ignore his energy advice
“What should be of great concern to all the decent right-thinking citizens of Trinidad and Tobago is whether there is no limit beneath which some persons not sink in their quest for political power even if it means destroying the wider national interest. “This is a serious question for the …
Read More »Demming: Thanks, but no thanks Mr Prime Minister; George St no place for Despers
Desperadoes Steel Orchestra is in no position to refuse the generosity of the prime minister, but the population can. We can tell Dr Keith Rowley that the reasons Despers left the ‘Hill’ are still with us and may even be more deeply entrenched as we count the daily shootings, killings …
Read More »Noble: Is education still the path to social mobility?
In his 2007 work Categorically Unequal, sociologist Douglas Massey argues ‘education is the most important resource in today’s knowledge-based economy’. It is, therefore, not surprising to witness the passionate debate on this topic and to read the very different views of Mr Fitzgerald Hinds (Express, 2 February) and Mrs Kamla …
Read More »Dear Editor: Is the PNM improperly manipulating the THA’s membership?
“If my understanding is correct, and the Act provides for the election of three councillors by ‘secondary elections’ via secret ballot by existing members of the THA, I am left to wonder at Mrs Tracy Celestine-Davidson’s reported assertion to the press that she ‘will become one of those councillors with …
Read More »Demming: Presidential ‘boof’ not enough to change MPs
A ‘boof’ from your ‘tantie’ will sting, but it will not necessarily lead to any improvement of the undesirable behaviour it was aimed to correct. At the opening of the refurbished parliament building, called ‘The Red House’ for over a century, our president, Paula-Mae Weekes, fondly re-named ‘Auntie/Tantie President’, ‘pelt …
Read More »Hilarant! Haiti is sorry for T&T as local crime mess creates Caribbean tragicomedy
Full circle. Just about 30 years ago, David Rudder was singing “Haiti, I’m sorry.” Nowadays, however, my Haitian friend is sorry for us. And all he needed to sum up the situation of those of us who, trying to escape from the UNC, voted for the PNM was four words. …
Read More »Daly Bread: Facing the music; the problem of accountability in crime and in pan
Last week commenced with the prime minister making more shallow statements about the prevailing rampant murder in response to meek and mild interview questions. In local parlance, the TV interview was sorf. Today I am asserting that facing the music is a common problem for the prime minister regarding rampant …
Read More »Demming: Rowley should set positive precedent, give us the 2020 Election Date
The PNM Manifesto 2015 begins: “In summary, we in the PNM envision a society where integrity and morality in public life is of the highest priority and the Government serves the public good above all else, and where decisions are made and actions taken by the Government in the best …
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