Category Archives: Politics

Africa, General T&T, Media, Passed on, Politics, South Africa

MANDELA DIES

December 06, 2013 – newsday.co.tt

MANDELA DIESTRINIDAD and Tobago last night joined with the rest of the world in celebrating the life of South Africa’s cherished statesman Nelson Mandela and mourning his death at the age of 95. Mandela was undoubtedly a colossus of the 20th century when he emerged from 27 years in prison to negotiate an end to the hated apartheid system of white minority rule in South Africa.

South African President Jacob Zuma made the announcement at a news conference yesterday at 5.45 pm TT time, telling the world, “we have lost our greatest son.” Mandela’s death at his home in Johannesburg closed the final chapter in South Africa’s struggle to cast off apartheid, leaving the world with indelible memories of a man of astonishing grace and good humour.
Continue reading MANDELA DIES →

Caribbean, CARICOM, General T&T, Jamaica, Politics, Security

T&T-Jamaica Agreement is a Toxic Cock-Tail

6 Comments

By Stephen Kangal
December 06, 2013

Stephen KangalThis latest brewed in Jamaica cock-tail agreement linking, mixing, confusing and commingling the quite separate and unrelated T&T-Jamaica trade imbalance with its immigration concerns has deceptive potions of toxicity. It must be rejected as being artificial, very synthetic and an imposition of Kingston on POS. It is aimed at refashioning, re-allocating and distorting the beneficial effects of the geography and sociology of T&T generously conferred by history and Mother Earth on us Trinbagonians. After all God is a Trini.
Continue reading T&T-Jamaica Agreement is a Toxic Cock-Tail →

Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, Police, Politics, Sex Crimes, Violence

Prisoners of Birth 2

3 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 30, 2013

Raffique ShahIn the wake of the gruesome discovery of six-year-old Keyana Cumberbatch’s decomposing corpse last week, there are deafening cries for swift justice for the beast who murdered the child.

One can understand why the average citizen would be outraged over this crime, and similar savagery against other children, older people and women.
Continue reading Prisoners of Birth 2 →

Caribbean, CARICOM, Complaints, General T&T, Jamaica, Law, Politics

Why is Winston Being Handcuffed to Kingston?

28 Comments

By Stephen Kangal
November 29, 2013

Stephen KangalThe problem relating to the legitimate refusal of 13 Jamaicans entry into T&T by our Immigration officials took place at Piarco. The documentation/personnel/ and Minister Griffith responsible for the interviewing process are here. Foreign Affairs is a ceremonial conduit in this matter. Why then is Minister Dookeran being summoned and voluntarily escorted/handcuffed to Kingston by the resident Jamaican High Commissioner with his tail between his legs and the blessings of his Prime Minister? They must appreciate the bigger underpinnings and enormity of this unregulated influx of Jamaicans into T&T. It presents wider and deeper challenges to T&T for national security concerns, crime reduction, the illicit drug scourge, education and social services? Our Parliament had no say on this matter.
Continue reading Why is Winston Being Handcuffed to Kingston? →

General T&T, Politics

Not having the Capacity to Manipulate God

5 Comments

By Stephen Kangal
November 26, 2013

Stephen KangalGod can be neither at the side nor at the front of the Prime Minister if the tenets of Hinduism are applicable. She said that she puts God in front of her. Then she walks after Him. Consequently all that she does is what God does because in her own words, repeated ad nauseam, she walks after God. All her foot-steps are determined and fashioned by Him because that is the only way she can walk behind God.
Continue reading Not having the Capacity to Manipulate God →

Africa, Caribbean, CARICOM, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

National Committee on Reparations for TT

Sunday, November 24 2013

EmancipationA National Committee on Reparations is being established in Trinidad and Tobago, the Communications Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister said yesterday.

In a media release, the Communications Unit said persons responsible for setting up the Committee met with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC at the Parliament Building on Friday.
Continue reading National Committee on Reparations for TT →

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

‘Democracy-Strengthening’ PR An Abject Disaster

2 Comments

By Stephen Kangal
November 19, 2013

Stephen KangalIt is now patently clear that the mathematically-challenged eleventh hour imposition of the hapless PR formula based on the infamous 25% threshold without undertaking the requisite public consultations by the PPG has crystallized into a pure, unmitigated electoral disaster that back-fired big time. It consigned thousands of burgesses/ electoral districts to be without representation in their respective local government councils.
Continue reading ‘Democracy-Strengthening’ PR An Abject Disaster →

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

Prove me wrong, PNM

3 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 17, 2013

Raffique ShahMuch to the dismay of its detractors, the People’s National Movement (PNM) bounces back like the proverbial bad penny almost ritually every five years since it first lost an election in 1986. In the current political scenario, unless the 57-year-old party shoots itself in the head, the incumbents discover some magical elixir, or a mass uprising, a kind of “Trinidad spring”, occurs and spawns something new and exciting, the PNM will return to power in 2015.
Continue reading Prove me wrong, PNM →

General T&T, ILP, India, MSJ, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch, TOP, UNC

St Joseph Embodied the National Electoral Psyche

3 Comments

By Stephen Kangal
November 11, 2013

Stephen KangalBeing a classic marginal seat, Monday’s St. Joseph Constituency (SJC) bye-election results have encapsulated and mirrored the psycho-political underpinnings of the changing electoral dynamics as well as of the traditional ethnic moorings impacting on and progressively shaping the national political/electoral psyche- a microcosm of the macrocosm.
Continue reading St Joseph Embodied the National Electoral Psyche →

General T&T, ILP, India, MSJ, NJAC, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, TOP, UNC

Facing Elections Nightmare

By Raffique Shah
November 10, 2013

Raffique ShahMany readers scoffed at my suggestion in last week’s column that a rapprochement between UNC/COP and the ILP was a strong possibility in the run-up to the next general elections, due no later than August 2015. I imagine diehard supporters on both sides of the divide feel deeply wounded by the abuse their leaders hurled at each other during the three campaigns conducted since Jack Warner broke with the United National Congress (UNC) and formed the Independent Liberal Party (ILP).
Continue reading Facing Elections Nightmare →