Tag Archives: Patrick Manning

General T&T, PNM, Politics

Why the Privy Council?

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By George Alleyne
July 08, 2009 – newsday.co.tt
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com

PM Patrick ManningIt is as inexcusably absurd for the Office of the Prime Minister to have so much power under the Constitution with respect to the appointment of the Chief Justice, the Solicitor General and the Director of Public Prosecutions as it is for the Opposition to frustrate Trinidad and Tobago’s complete breakaway from having the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as this country’s final Court of Appeal.
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General T&T, PNM, Politics

Unity, change and exchange

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By Raffique Shah
July 05, 2009
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

PM Patrick ManningALTHOUGH I can’t afford the luxury of frequent travel abroad that some people do, I understand why they opt to spend time in other countries. It’s not that they don’t love their country, whatever its shortcomings. But they seek escape from the crime wave, look for respite from a runaway government that believes its mandate is to disrespect and disregard lesser mortals, especially those who voted it into power. Most of all, though, I suspect they wish to drown out the cacophony that assaults us from every direction, the ubiquitous call for “all those who oppose the wicked PNM Government to unite to remove Mr Manning from power.”
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General T&T, Politics

What a week!

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By Raffique Shah
June 07, 2009
Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

PM Patrick ManningIT was that kind of week, one during which so much happened, the columnist is left confused. What issues do I address? My colleagues-in-print have all but flogged “Mad Max” to death. Except that President Max, endowed with powers to commit sins then forgive himself, is not about to die from shame or demit office unceremoniously. Like the legendary “bag ah lion”, a tough cop of many moons ago, Max is saying to all who care to listen: “Ah bad ah bad ah bad like a whole bag ah lion!”
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General T&T, Politics

Manning: Bridgid did the honourable thing

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Trinidad and Tobago News Blog
www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/blog

Bridgette Annisette-GeorgePrime Minister Patrick Manning’s statement in Parliament yesterday announcing the resignation of Attorney General Bridgid Annisette-George

“Mr Speaker, a few weeks ago, the Honourable Attorney General Senator the Honourable Bridgid Annisette-George approached me, indicating that having regard to the way the investigation in the Clico matter has been going that she anticipated that she could find herself in a conflict of interest situation. We agreed at the time to look at it and to discuss it in the future. Last week we had a chance to do so and she indicated then that her worst fears were coming to pass and that the anticipated conflict of interest situation was imminent.
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5th Summit, Complaints, Letters

Life After the Summit

Fifth Summit of the AmericasTHE EDITOR: Well, the summit has come and gone. The naked emperor has worshipped at the altar of his own egoism. But at what cost? The next circus is going to be the reckoning of what costs are to be attributed to the summit and what costs are not. It’s all downhill from here. The naked emperor has shot his bolt. There are no more cards up his sleeve. Our monocrop, jazzed up plantation economy is well and truly busted. Health, education, local government services, social welfare and mek wuk employment are being severely cut back. Jobs are disappearing by the thousands and will continue to do so over the near term. Trillion dollar bonds are being floated to make up the budget deficit.
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5th Summit, Complaints, International, Politics, Tourism

Caring too much about image

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By Raffique Shah
Sunday, April 26th 2009

Fifth Summit of the AmericasPRIME Minister Patrick Manning seems surprised that so many people are angry over this country hosting the Fifth Summit of the Americas. I wrote a few weeks ago that having committed the country to the summit when he did, he no doubt thought that we could afford that $500 million or whatever the real cost was.

He must have felt, too, that just having all hemispheric Heads of Government here would boost his image as a the premier Caribbean leader. I do not dispute his reasoning that the country would benefit from world recognition, only because it was billed as the battleground between Presidents Obama and Chavez.
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5th Summit, CARICOM, Finance, USA

Lack of a CARICOM Strategy at the Fifth Summit

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By Stephen Kangal
April 24, 2009

Fifth Summit of the AmericasThe hosting of the recently concluded Fifth Summit of the Americas was portrayed as a CARICOM initiative and, as usual, T&T bore the full costs involved.

I am very disturbed that T&T/CARICOM did not act collectively in an effective manner to maximize returns on T&T’s huge and staggering investment. The CARICOM meeting that was scheduled for Thursday 16 April was not held. No effort was made to concretize a CARICOM strategy at the Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Heads of Government held in Belize prior to the Summit.
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5th Summit, International, Politics

Brother Barack, Comrade Chavez

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By Raffique Shah
Sunday, April 19th 2009

Barack Obama and Hugo ChavezBY the time this column appears in print the Summit will be almost over. The 34 heads of governments will have had their say, hopefully in a civil manner. Hugo Chavez has indicated he would insist on the US trade blockade of Cuba be addressed in the document. Canada, too, is not happy with it, albeit for other reasons. What I found distasteful about the media pre-Summit hype was the focus on Chavez and US President Barack Obama at the expense of other leaders.
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5th Summit, International, Politics

President Obama’s Opening Statement at Americas Summit

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– 04/17/09

Text

Good evening. I am honored to join you here today, and I want to thank Prime Minister Manning, the people of Trinidad and Tobago for their generosity in hosting the Fifth Summit of the Americas. And I want to extend my greetings to all the heads of state, many of who I am meeting for the first time. All of us are extraordinarily excited to have this opportunity to visit this wonderful country — and as somebody who grew up on an island, I can tell you I feel right at home. (Applause.)
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5th Summit, Finance, International, Politics, USA

5th Summit of the Americas News: April 16, 2009

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The Fifth Summit of the Americas in pictures

The Fifth Summit of the Americas in pictures

» Castro and the Summit of the Americas
Cuba, and in particular its former President, Fidel Castro, is already a player at the fifth Summit of the Americas which takes place Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18, in Port of Spain, Trinidad. That much is evident from information coming out of Havana, Moscow, Santiago de Chile and La Paz in recent days.
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