THE EDITOR: The essential issue re: the latest Volney-initiated kuchoor is not about all these pretentious concepts of independence of the judiciary; separation of powers; the judiciary being a “bulwark of democracy” etc.
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Category Archives: Law
NOT A PENNY MORE!
By Michael Harris
September 27, 2010
One of the things which I tried to do as a parent was to inculcate in my son the knowledge that to be an adult meant being prepared to accept responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions. This, after all, is one key thing which separates adulthood from childhood. When you are a child it is assumed that you cannot be held entirely responsible for your actions and your parents or guardians are assumed to accept that responsibility in your stead. When you become an adult the responsibility is all yours.
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A house fit for a chief
By Anika Gumbs-Sandiford
September 26, 2010
The million-dollar sale of the official Chief Justice residence more than a decade ago has come back to haunt the State. The decision has left taxpayers digging deep into their pockets forking out more than $54,000 a month to afford the super-grade housing a Chief Justice is entitled to. So, why was the home of the nation’s third highest office holder sold and not renovated? This is the burning unanswered question on the lips of many. Comprising 44,943 square feet of land (more than one acre) and located in the affluent neighbourhood of St Clair, the sprawling property was auctioned off for a bid of $7,001,000 just three days before Christmas in 1997. Real estate agent and chartered surveyor Afra Raymond valued the opulent property in today’s market at a whopping $31 million.
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Here today, gone tomorrow
By Raffique Shah
September 26, 2010
“So, I expect you to tear into (Herbert) Volney’s anatomy in your next column!” many of my readers chorused all of last week. People were itching for me—why me?—to go after the judge-turned-politician, the greatest intervention since, let’s say, mouth-organist Cutty Joseph. Or Hardeo Hardath, a PNM “crapaud” who opened his mouth in Parliament only when he yawned.
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Talking From Both Sides of Her Mouth
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
September 23, 2010
A few days ago the Honorary Prime Minister, Kamla Persad Bissessar addressed the United Nations General Assembly. Among other things she recognized that “the passport out of poverty is through education, community empowerment and social entrepreneurship.” She also acknoweldged that 16.7 percent of our people still live below the poverty line; 11.7 per cent are considered working poor whereas 9 per cent are deemed vulnerable. The goal, she says, is to reduce poverty by 2 per cent per year.
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PM: Volney’s views reflect his personal opinion
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
“That several members of her People’s Partnership administration have had a past history in politics and social activism as defenders and upholders of the rule of law and the independence and separations of all the time honoured Estates of a Democratic State as Trinidad and Tobago.
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PNM still attacking media
By Andre Bagoo
September 19, 2010 – newsday.co.tt
THE PNM is no longer in government, but its members are still attacking the media. In response to last week’s column, former Minister in the Ministry of Finance Mariano Browne, who was one of the key players behind the disgraced former Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira, sent me two e-mails to three different e-mail accounts. He did not agree with me, so he sought, as was his norm when in power, to attack my integrity. When a journalist simply does his job with the utmost dedication in the face of mounting oppression from an insidious Government, they don’t know what to make of it. Surely, there was something in it for me? Surely it was for a job in the PP Government?
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Refreshing voice of reason
By Raffique Shah
September 18, 2010
IN the midst of the never-ending cacophony that has come to characterise our politics, it was refreshing to hear at least one voice of reason coming from someone who holds high office. I refer to Chief Justice Ivor Archie, whose speech at the opening of the new law term was so different to the din that emanated from Parliament during the ongoing budget debate.
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Minimum Wage, Maximum Farce
By Raffique Shah
September 11, 2010
LET us be realistic about this burning issue of the minimum wage: no employer who is worthy of being called an entrepreneur pays anyone in his establishment $9 an hour. Put another way, no worker worth his or her sweat, however desperate she may be, would work for eight hours to take home $72. He would be better off hustling on the sidewalk, picking pockets, or robbing others of their valuables.
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Corrupting the Minds of the Young
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
September 08, 2010
I was in Italy when the scandal about the cheating of the Pakistani cricketers broke. When I got back to England last Monday, it was the only thing one read about in the English newspaper; the major story one heard on television. One would have thought that the Pakistanis had violated English honor and brought the gentleman’s game into absolute disrepute. It was not so much that the Parkistanis had cheated on the outcome of the game. They were accused on cheating of discrete aspects of the game such as bowling one or two deliberate no-balls which we are told resulted in the loss or gain of hundreds to thousand of dollars to criminal elements.
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