By Stephen Kangal
August 13, 2008
The collapse of the Caroni Bailey Bridge is powerfully symbolic of the pervasive collapse of this society under the weight of the ineptitude of the current Manning Administration. When the centre is not holding together the rest of the country or the periphery is in disarray and slowly disintegrating into managed chaos.
Continue reading The Centre is Not Holding
By Stephen Kangal
August 06, 2008
There are two major foreign policy challenges that are confronting our relatively new and untested Foreign Minister Gopee-Scoon during the next six months the eventual outcome of which can either boost or bust her hitherto short internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She must take judicious note of the wisdom inherent in the following Latin proverb and act accordingly on recent British undertakings given to her in London. Visa requirements were preceded by negative travel advisories issued by the British.
Continue reading Foreign Policy Challenges Confronting Minister Gopee-Scoon
By George Alleyne
Wednesday, August 6 2008
The mental slavery of descendants of slaves, referred to by Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor during his recent State visit, had resulted from a psychological campaign waged by Europeans determined to “establish” the racial “inferiority” of non-Europeans.
Alvin Toffler, the noted thinker, had pointed this out on page 90 of his work, The Third Wave, published in 1990 by Bantam, in which he emphasised that the cultures of colonised countries had been ridiculed. In addition, “….the colonial powers hammered a deep sense of psychological inferiority into the conquered people that stands even today as an obstacle to economic and social development”.
Continue reading Emancipating ourselves
Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
www.tatt.org.tt
The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GoRTT), through the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago is proposing to develop the National Broadcasting Code in collaboration with the general public. The document gives broadcasters and the general public an understanding of the factors which should be taken into account when making editorial judgements.
Continue to ‘Draft National Broadcasting Code for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago’
Newsday Editorial
Monday, August 4 2008
Does the Government understand the difference between luxuries and necessities? It does not seem so, if comments made earlier this week by Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira are any indication.
Admitting that Government spending has contributed to double-digit inflation, Ms Nunez-Tesheira nonetheless insisted that the expenditure was a “necessary investment”. But Government’s main contribution to the spiralling inflation rate has been through its construction programme, and most of these projects cannot be considered investments in any real sense. The $148 million spent on the still incomplete Prime Minister’s residence and Diplomatic Centre certainly pays no returns, and was entirely unnecessary. The building of a Government campus and Social Affairs tower and an Education Ministry edifice cannot be defined as investments, either. Even if we accept Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s argument that the public servants who will work in these buildings will be more productive because of the comfort of their workspace, we very much doubt they will be productive to the tune of billions of dollars.
Continue reading Difference between needs and wants
T&T Express Editorial
Monday, July 28th 2008
FAR from being seen as the saviour in the mess that is now the collapse of the Hindu Credit Union, the Government action last week must rightly be classified as having come too little too late.
Ordinary citizens by the thousands must now suffer the distress of having to watch their millions of hard earned money jump up and away in Harry Harnarine’s cavalier, irresponsible steelband.
Continue reading Lessons in the HCU crash
By Raffique Shah
Sunday, July 27th 2008
THE dovetailing of two incidents last week laid bare reasons why, in spite of its immense potential, this country seems to be destined for self-destruction. First, there was the execution of a reputed gang leader, Mervyn “Kojo” Allamby, in Aranjuez. Note I did not use the generic name Cudjoe, an Anglicised version of the African name that even those who bear it are unaware of. It’s a bastardisation similar to Cuffie or Cuffy, the African root being “Kofi”, and among Indians, “Maha-beer”, a European version of “Maha-bir”.
Continue reading When greed leads to grief
By Raffique Shah
Sunday, July 20th 2008
CRY wolf, the adage goes, and you may just get your wish when you least expect it. I am reminded of the story of the little shepherd boy every time I read or hear someone say that Prime Minister Patrick Manning has morphed into a Mugabe. Are these people for real? I ask myself: do they really understand what a murderous, mindless dictator is, what he is capable of subjecting his country and people to?
Continue reading Cry wolf, get a dictator
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
July 18, 2008
T&T’s Press is so intent on demonizing Patrick Manning that sometimes it seems incapable of carrying a balanced story about any event that concerns him. Anyone who did not attend PNM’s 42nd Convention could not have hoped to get a balanced account of what transpired there last weekend if they only read accounts of same in the press. But as one poet suggested, none is so blind as he who would not to see.
Continue reading Demonizing Patrick Manning
By Sean Douglas
Monday, July 14 2008
newsday.co.tt
PRIME Minister Patrick Manning, despite his strenuous denials, could well make a second bid to become TT’s Executive President after he presented the 42nd PNM Annual Convention at Chaguaramas with extracts of a “working paper” that looked suspiciously like a second version of his Draft Constitution which provoked a public outcry in 2006.
The latest document proposes not only a “presidential system of Government” in Manning’s own words, but also seems to severely curtail the independence of the Parliament, Cabinet, Judiciary, Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), and Permanent Secretaries in the Public Service.
Continue reading Manning’s second bid for presidency