Education, General T&T, Schools

Ridding Our Schools of Errant Teachers

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
June 13, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeThere can be no doubt that a teacher’s job is fraught with great anxiety and the competing demands of their professional responsibilities and the rapidly changing social climate. However any observant reader must be alarmed by the concerns of Tim Gopeesingh, Minister of Education, when he says that errant teachers must be disciplined. If teaching is merely a job to them, then any other job would do since the ultimate purpose of a job is to take care of one’s basic needs (eating, drinking and surviving) whereas a vocation or a profession has to do with fulfilling of one’s life calling. I am aware that a young person today may change jobs as many as six or seven times in his lifetime. I have a feeling that things are a bit different in the professions.
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General T&T, Hindu, India, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

Thanks, But No Thanks

4 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
June 10, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeWhile I thank Ralph Maraj for his advice, I am not inclined to accept many of his formulations about the People’s National Movement (See Express, April 14 & June 5, 2012). Although he may be generous in offering his suggestions, the party should say thanks but no thanks to what comes over as a disingenuous plug for the People’s Partnership. Keeping in mind Maraj’s political history—his grasshopping tendency to jump from one party to another—dedicated members of the PNM should think twice before they accept what he has to say.
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Politics

Foreign policy does matter in presidential re-election

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By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
June 07, 2012

Dr. Kwame NantambuThe long-accepted notion that “it’s the economy stupid” is the yardstick in any successful presidential re-election bid, needs to be seriously looked at again.

The salient truism is that a weak national economy juxtaposed against the backdrop of a strong foreign policy position seems to have been the formula for a successful US presidential re-election bid.
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General T&T, Opposition Party, PNM, Politics, Racism Watch

The PNM Leopard Cannot Change Its Stripes

4 Comments

By Stephen Kangal
June 07, 2012

Stephen KangalRalph Maraj’s advice to the PNM is simplistic, cosmetic and fundamentally off the radar. He deludes himself into believing that the deeply embedded and fossilized, original, organizationally-driven culture of ethno-nationalism and secrecy can be easily changed when in fact the electorate has grown fed up and disenchanted of PNM’s several public relations reincarnations. The demographics have changed but the PNM remains insensitive to this political reality. It will not re-brand itself to pander to the new cosmopolitanism.
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General T&T, Media, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, THA, TOP, UNC

PP: Taking Loud and Saying Nothing

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
June 06, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeA few days ago, the People’s Partnership (PP) celebrated its second year of office amidst a lot of hype and propaganda. Their esteemed leader even tried to mamaguy Orville London by calling him “a bully and cry-baby” because, in his capacity as the Secretary of the THA, he sought a meeting with Kamla Persad Bissessar, in her capacity as the Prime Minister, to talk about the affairs of his country. Under normal circumstances, London would not necessarily have wanted to meet Persad Bissessar because there is nothing intellectually attractive or physically compelling about her. But such is the dynamics of power that the Prime Minister and her cohorts could say a lot of nonsense and get away with it because they control the political purse and constitutional discourses about the nation.
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Finance, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics

Robbing poor pensioners

5 Comments

By Raffique Shah
June 03, 2012

Raffique ShahI MAKE no pretences to “being young” or “feeling young” at age 66. I never dyed my hair—my moustache turned grey before I was 50—and other than leading a reasonably healthy lifestyle, daily exercising included, I have taken the aging process in stride. I no longer walk as briskly as I did a few years ago, and one or two challenges that go with the age-turf have set in, none life threatening, thankfully. Also, I am still able to work, albeit at a reduced level (my choice), hence take care of my family.
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General T&T, Hindu, India, Race and Identity

The Cowshed Fable

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
May 30, 2012

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeI want to congratulate my East Indian compatriots for the achievements they have made over the 167 years they have spent in Trinidad and Tobago and the enormous efforts they have made to carve out a space in these two beautiful islands in the West Indies. I also wish to congratulate Sat Maharaj for the herculean efforts he has made to improve the educational standards of his people and his determination to ensure that his people receive their rightful share of the national pie. When the history of the second half of the twentieth century is written I am certain he will take his place as one of the more outstanding Trinbagonians of the era.
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Culture, General T&T, Hindu, India, Race and Identity, Religion

167 Years of Indian “Arrival”: Are Indians Still Arriving?

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By Alana Lalman
May 30, 2012

lettersI was well poised to begin writing for an article on Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago when I coincidentally stumbled over Satnarayan Maharaj’s commentary about Indian Arrival in the Guardian newspaper that day. Sat Maharaj is the secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) organization which is the major Hindu organization in Trinidad and Tobago. It operates 150 mandirs and over 60 schools. It was formed in 1952 when Bhadase Sagan Maharaj merged the Satanan Dharma Association and the Sanatan Dharma Board of Control.
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General T&T, Hindu, India, Race and Identity, Religion

Emergence of Indian Arrival as a Vehicle for Mobilisation and Cultural Assertiveness

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By Stephen Kangal
(Address delivered at the MTS Indian Arrival Day Function
on Monday 28th May 2012)

Mr. Chairman, The PS/PM and Head of the Public Service, Mr. Reynold Cooper,
Mr. Dhaniram Ramkissoon, Vice- Chairman of MTS,
Members of Board of MTS,
Mr. Lennox Rattansingh, CEO of MTS
Divisional Managers and Members of the Staff of MTS
Ladies and Gentlemen- Namastay, Assalam Alaikum, Good Evening

Stephen KangalI thank the management of MTS for inviting me to speak at this IAD function and congratulate the Staff for the effectiveness of the décor that emphasizes the theme of Indian Arrival.

IAD is a celebration of the cultural impact of the distinct Indo-T&T personality during 50 years of Nationhood and One Hundred and Sixty-Seven Years of contributing to T&T.
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General T&T, Law, People's Partnership, Politics, Security

Backward ever, forward never

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By Raffique Shah
May 27, 2012

Raffique ShahFOR all our boasts about technological advancements we have achieved—”4G smart phones”, “wifi hotspots”, GPS in vehicles and on phones—it is amazing how we remain mired in backwardness when it comes to dealing with fundamental problems. The classic is carnage on the nation’s roads.

Last Sunday’s horrendous crash that left four people dead and senior Appeal Court Judge Wendell Kangaloo critically injured is a case in point.
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