Tag Archives: Senate

The Urban dictionary defines dissing as ‘utterances of a (dis)respectful nature’ and goes on to add ‘not doing right thing… not showing common decency’ and ‘not creating balance in our world’. Twice this week, we were forced to witness our leaders dissing us and contributing to keeping our world off-kilter. …

As a young boy, my mother taught me ‘to quit while ahead’. Her context was if you kept talking after you missed a ‘cut tail’ she would look at you and ask: “You really want something?” Every Trinidadian child knows that is the point to shut up. No more complaining …

“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 …

Reliable sources have confirmed that a minister who is being re-assigned from one ministry to another is not required to be sworn in consequent upon his re-assignment. As a result of a mistaken belief that another swearing-in was necessary when Darryl Smith was moved from the Ministry of Sport to …

Following last week’s column on the self-esteem crisis, which looked at the circumstances which contribute to the breeding of heartless persons, I was reading an interview with a rape victim who has written a debut novel entitled Dark Chapter. The book explores the traumatic experience of the author, Winnie Li, …

Just two Sundays ago, I discussed the inability of our public officials to beg our pardon when they blunder. They show contempt for our intelligence and our own experience when they spin improbable explanations for obvious blundering. The Government has had a very bad fortnight of blunders and ‘no beg-pardons.’ …

I take comfort from the assertion of Archbishop Joe Harris last week that one does not go to hell for telling the truth, in light of the fact that it is necessary again to examine the conduct of the office of the President of the Republic. What has prompted this …

When constitutionally-independent institutions in the country seem to be collapsing, when holders of the highest offices seem confused about their roles and perplexed about their powers. And when the law publicly proves to be the proverbial ass, then, Trinidad and Tobago, we have a problem. A very serious problem. Many people …

The Independent Senators appointed by the President of the Republic are currently in the news for all the wrong reasons.  One of them, albeit a temporary one, has responded obscenely to criticism, including deployment of lurid phrases, which I decided not to quote. The said President has on occasion shown …

Fixin’ T&T, a local civic watch group, has questioned the competence of Trinidad and Tobago president Anthony Carmona, after his selection of Dr Kriyaan Singh as a temporary Independent Senator. The following is the full press release from Fixin’ T&T: President Anthony Carmona’s decision to place Dr Kriyaan Singh as …

What’s so outstanding about Dr Kriyaan Singh? Author and blogger Rhoda Bharath queries President Anthony Carmona’s appointment as temporary Independent Senator: Dear President Carmona, I trust this letter will find you in the best of health. I write to raise concerns about a recent appointment to the Independent Bench in …

Following the recent appointment of former Independent Senator Helen Drayton to chair a state enterprise Board, a strange concept emerged that persons not having blind affiliation to a political party become “tainted” if they serve the country at the behest of a Government. Although responsible opinion has dealt well with …