There is no denying it now, people damn vexed. Last night, Trinis offered the first visible sign of dissent against a boldfaced, illegal presence on our shores, cheekily defying eviction and gorging on the seemingly unending patience of the State and relevant authorities. But enough about Jack Warner’s extradition battles. …
Read More »Stealth and craftiness at play! Dumas, Daly slam attack on FOIA and proposed pension spike
“Why is a Government which says it is committed to transparency proposing to make it more difficult for citizens to access information from official sources? “[…] [And] why, at a time of economic belt-tightening and obviously rising unemployment—whatever the official pronouncements on that issue—does the government consider it a good …
Read More »Demming: People are our only resource! Petrotrin axing and vague plans haunt T&T
I drove past the Petrotrin refinery one night and felt the stillness that darkness provides. In my imagination, I saw the stare of thousands of eyes from the darkness. It is now six months since Petrotrin chairman Wilfred Espinet wielded his axe, with the full permission of the current government, …
Read More »Noble: A nation, moral leadership, short-sightedness; standing at the gates of Hell
“Hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy.” Liu Xiaobo, 2010 Nobel Prize Laureate. The spectacle of a former …
Read More »Demming: Dr Rowley’s Carenage interview suggests gun violence trauma at epidemic level
An interview with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and his constituents seemed to aggravate a deep wound in that area. What I saw and heard was a man from within the constituency reliving the pain of the shooting death of his mother WPC Bernadette James and asking for some assurance …
Read More »Daly Bread: The Presidential crease; is Weekes shirking her responsibility to T&T?
President of the Republic, Paula-Mae Weekes, recently gave two interviews to Hema Ramkissoon of Guardian Media and Ria Taitt of the Trinidad Express. These interviews have raised interesting issues about the constitutional powers of and limitations on the office of the President. The Express, somewhat kindly, stated that President Weekes ‘has …
Read More »Demming: Reflecting on the rape of a peninsula; Rowley must protect Chaguaramas’ beauty
My first visit to the seaside was Carenage; and in particular, Williams Bay. We travelled by bus and eventually I would ‘borrow’ my father’s Raleigh bicycle—put the seat to its lowest position and ride there. I remember that Pier 1 was not even a thing. Today, its building is imposing …
Read More »Daly Bread: In ‘wth’ country; Paria Fuel, the President and the Chief Justice
What the hell? Can one set out to sell a State asset by mistake? ‘Wth’ is a milder version of the social media acronym used to express surprise or disgust. It was my response to the Minister of Energy’s implausible media release on Monday last related to the failure of …
Read More »Rowley: Let Caribbean be a zone of peace; Prime Minister defends stance on Venezuela
“Now more than ever we need to revisit the significant events and connect the dots between our principles informing our decisions and show how those decisions have shaped who we are—to determine how we are viewed—and why we must do what we do now. “[…] We hold to those principles …
Read More »Noble: Don’t forget how we got in this financial mess; and here’s how to improve our economy
“Thank God for decisions made to stimulate drilling […] by the Kamla Persad- Bissessar government… Instead of benefitting from flowing gas today, we might well have been on our knees, eating grass.” (Dr Bhoe Tewarie, Trinidad Express, 13 March.) An astounding statement with subtexts! What exactly is he saying and …
Read More »Dear Editor: Where is the Darryl Smith Report? Rowley administration hypocritical on sexual harassment
“What can be taking the [Dr Keith] Rowley Administration almost a year to deal with the contents with an already completed report [on former Sport Minister Darryl Smith]? “Why the hesitancy by Prime Minister Rowley to make public the committee report?” The following Letter to the Editor on the government’s …
Read More »Daly Bread: Tobago a la carte; how the ‘Sister Isle’ was nearly carved up over dinner
Our neighbour Venezuela and our own Tobago both remain in the news. The outcomes of their politics and ours will affect our quests for Dragon gas and ‘brands’ hotel rooms respectively. Common sense will have already told readers, even though we must try, how little influence Trinidad and Tobago and …
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