By Raffique Shah
June 29, 2014
At the risk of being branded a snarling sewer rat by Senator Camille Robinson-Regis, I return to the issue of pensions for parliamentarians. Following expressions of outrage from a broad cross section of the population, across partisan lines, over the pensions approved unanimously by members of the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister made a mild retreat.
Continue reading ‘Sewer rat snarls’
By Winford James
June 26, 2014 – trinidadexpress.com
The opposition last Friday joined with the government in passing the Judges’ Salaries and Pensions (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and the Retiring Allowances (Legislative Service) (Amendment) Bill, 2014. The collaboration was for me not only momentous, but also staggering in its bold exploitation of opportunism and power.
Continue reading ‘Govt and next govt to themselves?’
Below is a statement of the Hon Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC, MP, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, relating to the Judges Salaries and Pensions (Amendment) Bill, and the Retiring Allowance (Legislative) Amendment Bill.
“It is rare that the Government and the Opposition ever agree on anything.
Continue reading ‘PM’s Statement on Salaries and Pension Bills’
By Rhoda Bharath
June 24, 2014
Sometimes the beauty of a goal is in its build up, not the scoring.
Last week, on June 14th to be precise, Express journalist Ria Taitt revealed that the Lower House (MPs) had just approved amendments to two bills giving themselves fat new pensions. The story took about 48 hours to really generate interest because it’s the middle of the first round of World Cup 2014 in Brasil. And soccer-mad TnT, caught up with the beautiful game, barely have time for Anil, weed stashes, prostitutes in hotel rooms, or Government programs that are funding criminals, far less to pay attention to debates in their Parliament. Oh, and we had a long holiday weekend. And Laventille and the Police/Army were at war.
Continue reading ‘Own Goals and Penalties’
By Raffique Shah
June 22, 2014
Disclosure: I am a parliamentary pensioner. I receive the princely sum of $3,000 a month.
In 1976, I was elected Member of Parliament for the Siparia constituency, and I served for five unremarkable years. When I look back at my life, my achievements, my contributions to country, I easily forget those five years.
Continue reading ‘Heartless Parliamentarians’
Two pension bills passed
By Ria Taitt Political Editor
June 15, 2014 – rinidadexpress.com
A financial boost for judges and Parliamentarians is on the way.
The holder of the third highest office in the land—the Chief Justice—will now receive the highest pension- $93,223 a month tax free.
This, according to the new pension arrangements passed by the House of Representatives on Friday night at the International Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain.
Continue reading ‘More $$ for judges, parliamentarians’
By Cecily Asson
May 17, 2011 – newsday.co.tt
POLITICAL leader of the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), Ambassador Makandal Daaga, has expressed concern over the level of corruption that continues to play out itself in the country.
Speaking on Saturday at the founding congress of the Movement of Social Justice (MSJ) at Palms Club San Fernando, Dagga called on the government to “open our jail doors, and just pack them in.”
Continue reading ‘NJAC leader concerned over extent of corruption in TT’
By Raffique Shah
June 08, 2014
I suppose the Congress of the People (COP), born a robust, bouncing baby in 2007, died of greed rather than malnutrition in the aftermath of the 2010 general elections, so there is little to mourn today as its corpse twitches in delayed rigor mortis, signs of life that are really spasms of death.
How else must one interpret the feast of vultures we are witnessing today, a kind of dance macabre in which those who suffocated the healthy infant in the ample but noxious bosom of big-mama United National Congress (UNC), pretend to be architects of the party’s afterlife?
Continue reading ‘Dance Macabre in the COP’
PM must say if she agrees
By Richard Lord
June 02, 2014 – guardian.co.tt
Former head of the public service, Reginald Dumas, is taking issue with a claim by the secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Satnarayan Maharaj, that generations of People’s National Movement (PNM) supporters were planted in the public service to prevent any non-PNM government from getting a second term. Maharaj made the claim during an Indian Arrival Day function hosted by the Maha Sabha in Debe on Friday.
Continue reading ‘Sat’s public servants comment upsets Dumas’
By Raffique Shah
June 01, 2014
The persons who orchestrated the racist placards that triggered a furore that lingers long after the protest-dust has settled do not belong to any “lunatic fringe”, as some politicians suggest.
They are perfectly sane, albeit devilishly motivated in their evil designs. Anyone with a modicum of sense could discern that the pro-Rowley placards were intended to have the extreme opposite effect—cast the PNM leader as a bigot, as being anti-Indian to the extent that he would display his venom openly, outside Parliament to boot.
Continue reading ‘Fanning the race flames’
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