Category Archives: Politics

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

PP Trumps PNM in Local Govt Poll

14 Comments

PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Jack Warner
PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Jack Warner
July 28, 2010

Chamber congratulates PM Kamla and Partnership

Kamla: T&T must not go back to old days
T&T must never go back to the days of the “old corrupt, arrogant, self-serving politics of the past,” says Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Absent PNM MPs affected Diego results
Significantly two of the three MPs, Diego Martin North East MP and former Works Minister Colm Imbert who was also an aspirant to the PNM political leadership and Amery Browne were absent from the local government election campaign.
Continue reading PP Trumps PNM in Local Govt Poll →

COP, Crime in T&T, Finance, General T&T, Law, People's Partnership, Politics, Security, Violence

1990 Enquiry: Exercise in Futility

11 Comments

Abu BakrI DO not know how Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her Cabinet arrived at a decision to appoint a Commission of Enquiry into the attempted coup of 1990. I suspect the hype that always surrounds the anniversary date of the Muslimeen assault on the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) government may have prompted the PM and her colleagues to attempt to “put this matter to rest for once and for all”. It certainly was not part of the People’s Partnership manifesto or 120-day action plan.
Continue reading 1990 Enquiry: Exercise in Futility →

Features, General T&T, Law, People's Partnership, Politics, Religion, Security

Probe into 1990 Attempted Coup

29 Comments

Abu BakrProbe into 1990 Coup
Twenty years later, there is going to be a Commission of Enquiry into the July 27, 1990 attempted coup which was led by Imam Yasin Abu Bakr and members of the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday during at the post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair.

PM: Why did it happen?
Cabinet has decided a Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances of the July 27, 1990 attempted coup will take place to find out “what went wrong” and to “bring closure” and relief to citizens traumatised by the event.
Continue reading Probe into 1990 Attempted Coup →

Finance, General T&T, PNM, Politics

State of the Economy

By Derren Joseph
July 20, 2010

Financial ComplexGenerally speaking, I often raise an eye brow when commentators use broad brush strokes to describe the somewhat intricate picture that is our economy. A picture made all the more interesting by the challenges facing the global economy in general. For my part, I try hard to appreciate the views of both sides of the fence—those who speak positively of the economy and those who do not. On one hand, it is hard to dispute that compared to many so called developed nations, and many of our neighbours in the region, we are doing relatively well. Looking at the charts available online, our public debt as a percentage of GDP is less than our Caribbean neighbours, our friends in North America (US and Canada) and even much of Western Europe. Our import cover is about 12 months when the international benchmark is 3 months.
Continue reading State of the Economy →

Court, Crime in T&T, General T&T, International, Law, Politics

The ‘Forum Conveniens’

2 Comments

By Dana Seetahal
July 18, 2010 – guardian.co.tt

Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve FergusonIn an Advice apparently solicited by attorneys for Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh, former president Ellis Clarke, an eminent attorney-at-law, proferred the opinion that the case for T&T being the “forum conveniens” to try the accused men is lucid and “compelling.” This is not the first time that it has been argued in respect of an extradition matter that local trial for people accused of similar offences in both the US and T&T should be preferred. The point was taken in extradition proceedings in relation to some of the men locally accused of killing Balram Maharaj, a US citizen, and in respect of whom the US had sought extradition for offences involving hostage taking. The accused were eventually extradited.
Continue reading The ‘Forum Conveniens’ →

Culture, Finance, General T&T, Politics

Poverty Facts and Fiction

23 Comments

By Raffique Shah
July 18, 2010

PovertyEVERY time I hear someone parrot poverty numbers in my Trinidad and Tobago, I wince. Politicians, and many ordinary citizens, often accept as the “gospel truth” the amount of people in this country said to be living “below the absolute poverty line”, defined as US$1 a day. The estimated numbers range from 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the population, which suggests there are between 130,000 and 260,000 desperately poor people in our midst living on less than TT$6.37 a day. That’s around $190 a month.
Continue reading Poverty Facts and Fiction →

Business, Drug Trade, Finance, General T&T, International, Media, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Security

Bring OPV Report

8 Comments

Scarborough CG 51 vessel at BAE Systems' shipyard on the Clyde River in Glasgow, Scotland
Scarborough CG 51 vessel at BAE Systems' shipyard
on the Clyde River in Glasgow, Scotland
Newsday Editorial
July 16, 2010 – newsday.co.tt

WE eagerly await the report recently promised by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on the former regime’s purchase of three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) that are said to cost $1.5 billion, which would work out at $500 million each.
Continue reading Bring OPV Report →

Crime in T&T, Death Penalty, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics, Religion, Violence

The Law of Just Revenge

18 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
July 15, 2010

HangingAnand Ralogan is one of the leading lawyers of public law in T&T. There is no doubt that the prime minister selected him to be her attorney general because of his familiarity with the courts and how government agencies function. The attention he has paid to breaches in citizens’ rights and his advocacy for those against whom the state has discriminated have been admirable. All things considered, he is a good choice for the office.
Continue reading The Law of Just Revenge →

Business, Finance, General T&T, International, People's Partnership, Politics, UNC, USA

PM Persad-Bissessar’s Address at Luncheon in Miami

11 Comments

Feature address delivered by the Hon. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at a Business Luncheon in Fort Lauderdale, Miami – Monday, July 12, 2010.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-BissessarGood Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. It is indeed a pleasure to address you today, and I extend my sincere thanks to you all for granting me the opportunity to showcase the dynamic twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, during my short stopover in Miami. As some of you may be aware, my visit to Miami follows in the wake of attending the 31st Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit which was held in Montego Bay, Jamaica last week.
Continue reading PM Persad-Bissessar’s Address at Luncheon in Miami →

General T&T, Letters, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics

Herculean Task for PNM

16 Comments

PNMDr. Selwyn Ryan,

I always perceived you to be a relatively intelligent man, although I may not always agree with everything you write. I could not, however, help but comment on your commentary/editorial in the Sunday Express dated July 11, 2010, and entitled: “Is the PNM really back?”

While asking a seemingly elemental question, your commentary seemed to give the impression that you were somewhat impressed with the large number of PNM attendees at the Convention and the vibrancy of the crowd, despite the inclement weather and the comprehensive blows recently received by that party in the national election.
Continue reading Herculean Task for PNM →