Category Archives: UNC

General T&T, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

Marking time 50 years later

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By Raffique Shah
April 14, 2012

Raffique ShahFIFTY years after Trinidad and Tobago was granted independence, the tragedy of our politics is that it still revolves around the PNM, the party that took the country from colonialism through self-government and into independence. Indeed, the fact that the PNM remained in office for 36 of those 50 years is itself an indictment against the electorate. Worse than that, though, the three other concoctions that broke the PNM’s stranglehold—the NAR, the UNC, and now the UNC-dominated People’s Partnership—all had as their common bond, their raison d’etre, one mantra: we are against the PNM.
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General T&T, India, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

The Fat Ass Brigade

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
April 03, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeNow that Jack Warner has won PP’s chairmanship, there is a rumor that Winston Dookeran may be leaving the legislature to join the IDB in Barbados and Marlene Coudray is preparing to fight San Fernando East, it is time to ask whether the PNM is organized is to face the challenges that lie ahead in the short-term (such as a Tunapuna and San Fernando bye-elections) and in the long-term such as the general election of 2015.
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General T&T, India, Media, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, UNC

Jack Crossing: from Corridor to Caroni

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By Tony Fraser
March 28, 2012 – guardian.co.tt

Jack WarnerAustin “Jack” Warner has made the crossing over the political, ethnic, racial and geographic Rubicon—from the east-west corridor to Caroni—and has done so in spectacular fashion. Without the endorsement of the hierarchy of the United National Congress, indeed, against its wishes, Warner sauntered into the heartland of the UNC to capture the chairmanship of the party and by an extraordinarily wide margin—12,695 to 656 votes.
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General T&T, India, People's Partnership, Politics, UNC

Results of UNC Internal Elections

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United National CongressCOUDRAY COPS IT
San Fernando Mayor Marlene Coudray has copped a deputy leader position in the United National Congress (UNC) internal elections.

…SHE came, she saw and she conquered!

King Jack
WORKS and Infrastructure Minister Jack Warner’s popularity continues to grow by leaps and bounds within the United National Congress (UNC) as he convincingly beat his closest rival for chairmanship in the party’s internal elections in Saturday, by a whopping 12,000 votes.
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COP, General T&T, India, People's Partnership, Politics, UNC

UNC internals: theatre of the absurd

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By Raffique Shah
March 25, 2012

Raffique ShahI LEARNED a lesson in political morality — surely an oxymoron — at the politically tender age of 35. It came from the Machiavellian master himself, Basdeo Panday. Panday and I, along with George Weekes, Joe Young and others, had founded the United Labour Front back in 1976, when I was 30 years old. Within two years, Bas would “mash up” the organically integrated dream party when a number of us took what we thought were principled positions on fundamental issues, details of which are well documented.
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General T&T, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Protest, UNC

Roget Makes the First Move

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
March 07, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeRoodlal Moonilal and the UNC-led coalition were quick to use Louis Lee Sing’s letter to demean Kieth Rowley. As it turned out, this was much to Louis’ misfortune and a mis-calculation on his part. But God is a good God. Sometimes out of evil commeth good and out of malevolence commeth comity; that is, the recognition among members of a social community that they possess values of decency and fair play that transcend the meanness and commess of a vagabond entity. Ultimately, that is what Anil Roberts’ amendment of the No Confidence motion was all about.
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COP, General T&T, Law, Politics, Protest, UNC

Alleyne Must Curb Fixation For Property Taxation

By Stephen Kangal
February 27, 2012

Author with Dr. Navi Muradali in Harris Promenade
Author with Dr. Navi Muradali in Harris Promenade
Newsday’s prime space columnist, George Alleyne continues to base his mistake-prone obsession on misleading argumentation for the re- imposition of property taxation (Newsday 1 Feb) when it is patently obvious that during the current economic down-turn, Government can and should stimulate consumer confidence and spending power by leaving as much resources in consumer hands and not in the coffers of Government.
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Death Penalty, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics, UNC

A Politician’s Cry

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By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe
February 08, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeInitially, Jack wept publicly because he wanted to persuade black people that he felt their pain. Like Brigadier John Sandy, his enabler, he just could not stand how black people were killing one another so he joined his UNC colleagues to impose a State of Emergency that threw black people in prison, for the most part. I noted then, “Jack wept just as Peter wept after he betrayed Christ.”
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General T&T, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

Play mas with your medals

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By Raffique Shah
January 01, 2012

Raffique ShahA FEW weeks ago, Dr Brinsley Samaroo telephoned me. After we exchanged pleasantries, he got down to stating the purpose of his call. House Speaker Wade Mark had asked him to make contact with a number of ex-parliamentarians whom he (Mark) wanted to recognise for their service to Parliament, and, presumably, to country. Brinsley informed me that I was among those selected, and he wanted to inform me and to gather some biographical data from me.
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corruption, Court, Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, People's Partnership, UNC

Don’t Piss On Me…

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
December 27, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeI am not a lawyer, I know nothing about legalese, but I do know when shit stinks and barely literate politicians tell me that I needn’t worry because they have the nation’s best interest at heart. Do I really have to believe the AG when he says that in making his decision about Ish and Steve that his only concern is that justice is served? Ah mean, is it that I have become so bey bey that I don’t know when someone is pissing on me even as he insists that it’s raining bucket ah drop. Ok, I stole this phrase from the title of Judge Judy’s book which reads “Don’t Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It’s Raining” but the intent is the same: stop all this legal chicanery and respect the public’s point of view.
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