By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
July 13, 2011
“How come one school could get 14 passes in the top one hundred places of the SEA,” asked the irate caller on the phone, and drew her own conclusion: “Dey had to tief.”
After she calmed down she explained her anxiety. She was referring to the fact that 14 students from Chaguanas Government School placed among the top one hundred students at the recent SEA examination. To her mind, that was impossible.
Continue reading Probe SEA Results
Why do I go on and on about tourism? The answer is that in the Caribbean, tourism is everything. It is the biggest generator of income and the biggest employer. Even oil-rich Trinidad has energy, manufacturing and service sectors that are heavily dependent on regional markets. These regional markets would collapse without tourism. Ask any Trini that travels regionally about how grocery shelves up and down the Caribbean are stocked with Trini brands. Our island neighbours buy smoothies and enjoy free Internet access at Rituals. Our island neighbours often bank at Republic Bank or get insurance from known Trini insurance companies. To understand tourism trends, is to understand the ups and downs of our regional economy. Our region is one inextricably linked market–despite what politicians say.
Continue reading Need for Transparency in Tourism
By Anika Gumbs-Sandiford
July 10, 2011 – guardian.co.tt
The overwhelming popularity of Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner has a part to play in him being cut down to size in the recent Cabinet reshuffle. A plan, Sunday Guardian understands, was hatched to frustrate Warner out of the Kamla Persad-Bissessar led People’s Partnership (PP) Government, mere weeks after her resigned as vice president of FIFA. There had been rumours circulating more than six months ago that the PM had plans to split Warner’s ministry. Warner however, was unaware of this.
Continue reading Warner gets shaft from PM Cabinet
By Raffique Shah
July 09, 2011
THE disaster that engulfed the Chaguaramas Peninsula last Sunday was a classic but toxic mix of skilfully marketed foreign “bull” and unmitigated local “dotishness”. That thousands of Trinidadians would knowingly subject themselves to torture, just to see other equally stupid Trinis “pilot” some crude “craft” that plunges into the sea in seconds, speaks volumes about our collective stupidity.
Continue reading Toxic mix of ‘bull’ and ‘dotishness’
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
July 06, 2011
I have had mixed feelings about Jack’s fall from grace. I have not been able to garner the venom that some have displayed toward him nor the delight others have taken in his departure from FIFA. I am yet to see how Jack’s actions have so maligned Trinidad and Tobago that I have to hang my head in shame when I am in the outside world. Few Americans hang their heads in shame in light of Madoff’s shenanigans.
Continue reading For the Love of Jack
By Derren Joseph
July 05, 2011
Within the last year, much has been happening in the airline industry. Of specific interest is the decision by one of the world’s largest airlines to take legal action against two of the three largest content distributors. Content distributors, better known as Global Distribution Systems (or GDS) take fares from the airlines to the travel agents (both online and offline players) so that they can be offered for sale to customers like you and I. Specifically, American Airlines (AA) has decided to file a civil antitrust suit against two of the three big GDS’ to stop what AA describes as “exclusionary, anti-consumer and anti-competitive business practices” of the named GDS’s. What does this have to do with us in the Caribbean one may reasonably ask? On the surface, I see three key changes coming if AA has its way and withdraws some of its fares from these GDS’.
Continue reading The Rise of Airline Web Sites
By Stephen Kangal – Caroni
July 05, 2011
The PNM with the longest sojourn in the governance of T&T now has no alternative but to review and radically revamp the secrective and undemocratic nature and nurture of its long outdated and corrupted delegate system used to elect and determine its leader and governing National Council.
Continue reading PNM Must Now Trump and Follow Suit
By Raffique Shah
July 02, 2011
AS members of the COP vote today on who will lead the second biggest party in the People’s Partnership Government, I commend officials who organised the internal elections, as well as the candidates and members of the party, on a reasonably well executed electoral exercise. I shall not attempt to influence voters by stating my views on the contenders. Suffice to say that for all his shortcomings, Winston Dookeran set some high standards that whoever succeeds him would find difficult to maintain, far less exceed.
Continue reading Exercise in democracy
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
June 27, 2011
In March of last year the General Assembly of the United Nations declared 2011 “The International Year for People of African Descent.” It called for the “strengthening national actions and regional and international cooperation for the benefit of people of African descent in relation to their full enjoyment of economic, cultural, social, civic and political rights, their participation and integration in all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and the promotion of a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture.”
Continue reading Emergency: Young Black Men in Danger
‘CEO of the Cabinet’ cuts four, changes 16 areas
A reconstituted Government team enters the Second Session of Parliament today with changes to almost half of its areas including a newly-created Ministry of Gender, Children and Youth Affairs, an Information Ministry and a drastically slashed portfolio for Works Minister Jack Warner.
We must do better
PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar reshuffled her Cabinet, promoting Dr Delmon Baker as a Minister in the Ministry of Finance, moving Cumuto/Manzanilla MP Collin Partap to be a Minister in the Ministry of National Security, and appointing Minister of Public Utilities Emmanuel George to be Government Chief Whip in the Senate.
Continue reading PM Persad-Bissessar reshuffles Cabinet