Category Archives: Elections

Elections, General T&T, USA

“Yuh Nastiness”

13 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
October 31, 2016

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeAt the last US presidential debate when Donald Trump looked over at Hillary Clinton and said, “Such a nasty woman,” he sounded the death knell of his campaign. It was almost like looking at Hillary with disdain and saying in Trini language, “Yuh nastiness.”

This insult has had a more devastating effect on Trump’s candidacy than anything else he has said or done previously. Not even his infamous boast about grabbing women’s genitals has had such a devastating effect on his White House ambitions. “Nasty woman” has become a rallying cry among women and that, as they say in T&T, was the end of Solomon Gundi.
Continue reading “Yuh Nastiness” →

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

Half truths and manifestos

5 Comments

By Raffique Shah
Submitted: August 23, 2016
Posted: August 28, 2016

Raffique ShahI don’t know that the majority of people in the country are influenced in any way by the manifestos presented by various parties—in our case two, one from the UNC/PP and the other from the PNM.

In fact, I believe few people, likely less than ten percent of the electorate, read these voluminous documents. In my case, I sought the synopses of the presenters because I know they will have highlighted what they saw as the fundamentals of what they would implement if elected, and certainly their most marketable offerings.
Continue reading Half truths and manifestos →

Elections, General T&T, PNM, Politics, Religion

Normalizing Non-sense

3 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
August 22, 2016

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeOne of our problems in Trinidad and Tobago is our attempt, sometimes, to normalize non-sense and call it wisdom. Take the non-sense offered by Joan Yuille-Williams that Patrick Manning called the 2010 election to expand our democracy or that by so doing he expanded our democratic possibilities. Not content with such non-sense she threw God into the mix as if to say, “God make him do it.”
Continue reading Normalizing Non-sense →

Court, Elections, General T&T, Law, Media, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

ELECTION PETITIONS DISMISSED

59 Comments

…judge says the the EBC was wrong to extend voting time

By Rickie Ramdass
Aug 19, 2016 – trinidadexpress.com

PNM vs UNCVoters display their stained fingers after casting their ballots in the September 7 2015 general election. Photo: Trevor Watson

THE election petitions filed by the United National Congress (UNC) which sought to declare the results in five constituencies null and void as a result of the general election day decision of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) to extending the voting time by one hour, has been dismissed.
Continue reading ELECTION PETITIONS DISMISSED →

Elections, General T&T, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

Judges split on petitions appeal

51 Comments

By Derek Achong
December 01, 2015 – guardian.co.tt

United National CongressThree of the country’s most senior judges have failed to come to an agreement over whether the United National Congress (UNC) has conclusive proof that its defeat in September’s general election was due to a one-hour extension in voting, in order to secure a re-election.

Delivering its judgment in the appeal brought by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and the People’ National Movement (PNM) at the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, the appeal panel, led by Chief Justice Ivor Archie, was split two to one, as it ruled that the UNC had met the requirements required for preliminary approval of the petitions.
Continue reading Judges split on petitions appeal →

Elections, General T&T, Media, Opposition Party, Politics, UNC

UNC wracked by internal strife

4 Comments

By Renuka Singh
November 28, 2015 – guardian.co.tt

United National CongressFresh internal conflict is threatening to break the United National Congress (UNC) apart in the build up to internal elections. With just days to go before the party elects its leader, the mostly clean campaign has suddenly turned nasty as one would-be deputy leader was threatened for taking sides against incumbent Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Continue reading UNC wracked by internal strife →

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

The last ‘pahalwan’

41 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 23, 2015

Raffique ShahThe battle for leadership of the UNC has ignited a discussion on leadership in a broader context, with the party’s founder, Basdeo Panday, weighing in on the issue.

According to my columnist colleague Sheila Rampersad, Panday told her that Indians tend to seek a “pahalwan”-Hindi for warrior, strongman-to lead them. Sheila cited Panday himself as an example of the phenomenon. In 1973, he succeeded Bhadase Maharaj as leader of the sugar workers’ union, and in 1977 he succeeded in transforming the only organic inter-racial party ever (my view…I was a co-founder), the ULF, into an Indian party.
Continue reading The last ‘pahalwan’ →

Elections, General T&T, Letters, UNC

Vasant Bharath for leadership of the UNC

1 Comment

Vasant eyes UNC leadership
THE race for leadership of the United National Congress (UNC) yesterday turned into a three-way battle following a decision by former Trade and Industry Minister Vasant Bharath, to throw his hat into the ring and contest the post of political leader. The other two contenders are incumbent leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal.

By Feroze Hosein
November 08, 2015

Vasant BharathVasant Bharath has been said by quite some people to be a good contender for leadership of the United National Congress, but there are questions far too serious that could make him a non-starter if he enters the party’s internal electoral race.
Continue reading Vasant Bharath for leadership of the UNC →

COP, Elections, General T&T, PNM, Racism Watch, UNC

Was Kamla 2015 the Source and the Course for the Waterloo?

43 Comments

By Stephen Kangal
November 06, 2015

Stephen KangalThe reason, inter alia, advanced by the Moonilal “Go Kamla” Team including that of Dr. Tim Gopeesingh for the defeat of the PP in the 2015 elections and hence the current lobbying for rejection of Kamla for re-election to the Political Leadership of the UNC, is that the unprecedented, untried and untested Presidential style campaign strategy engineered by Campaign Manager, Rodney Charles, that made Kamla 2015 the focal point and dominated the PP election campaign strategy was flawed and did not resonate with nor did the electorate buy into it. This convenient thesis goes against the dynamics of the elections, is far off the target and would give the stamp of objectivity/ issues-based politics underpinning the final tally.
Continue reading Was Kamla 2015 the Source and the Course for the Waterloo? →

Elections, General T&T, Politics, UNC

The party’s over

54 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 02, 2015

Raffique ShahChoosing a leader to take the United National Congress forward, backward, sideways, or keep it stagnated, is the business of members of the party.

It is not for me, who never belonged to any party other than the original United Labour Front, and that very briefly, to tell UNC members who they should elect as their leader, the way frontline members of the UNC openly lobbied for Penny Beckles over Keith Rowley during the internal elections in the People’s National Movement in May 2014.
Continue reading The party’s over →