By Kim Boodram
August 26, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com
REJECTED by the United National Congress after being screened to be the general election candidate for the Mayaro seat, Winston Gypsy Peters has lashed out at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, describing her as conniving and ungrateful.
He has resigned the Minister of Community Development, and given up his membership in the UNC.
Continue reading Gypsy jumps off: “The PM is ungrateful, conniving”
By Raffique Shah
August 25, 2015
I don’t know that the majority of people in the country are influenced in any way by the manifestos presented by various parties-in our case two, one from the UNC/PP and the other from the PNM.
In fact, I believe few people, likely less than ten percent of the electorate, read these voluminous documents. In my case, I sought the synopses of the presenters because I know they will have highlighted what they saw as the fundamentals of what they would implement if elected, and certainly their most marketable offerings.
Continue reading Half truths and manifestos
Newsday Editorial
August 25 2015 – newsday.co.tt
UNFORTUNATELY all of the barbs being exchanged in relation to the question of a proposed property tax have distracted us from the deeper question: what is the policy of both of the major parties on the imposition of taxes on property assets generally? The property tax was a proposal of the last PNM administration and it would have introduced a brand new regime of taxation which would be tied to the rental and taxable values of property.
Continue reading Clarify property tax
By Raffique Shah
August 19, 2015
Amidst the din of election campaigning—hundreds of ‘Kamla has a plan’ ads on all television stations during prime time, DJ music systems scouring the country daily, public meetings broadcast nightly on almost every radio and television station, more ads popping up every time you click on the Internet, assaults via phones and emails—I have yet to hear one frontline politician tell the people of this nation of the grim times the country faces if oil and gas prices keep tumbling, as they have done over the past two months.
Continue reading SS Trinidad Sinking
By Richard Lord
Monday, August 17, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
In the face of significant inroads into territory of its (UNC) coalition partners, political leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Kamla Persad-Bissessar told party supporters yesterday that the People’s Partnership could not be in better shape to seek a second mandate from the electorate as the coalition presented its 41 candidates for the September 7 polls.
Continue reading PP candidates superior to PNM’s—Kamla
By Terrence Farrell
Aug 14, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com
What has been the impact on energy sector revenues of the fall in oil and gas prices? Data published by the Central Bank indicates that in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, energy sector revenues have declined by $3.3 billion or 27.5 per cent. Total Government revenues declined by only 1.7 per cent because the proceeds of the tax amnesty and NGC special dividend helped to offset the fall in oil revenues.
Continue reading Reckless endangerment
By Raffique Shah
August 8, 2015
WE columnists are on a roll during “elections season”, but in my 34 years of writing commentaries, I have never enjoyed a long, scandalous, comical campaign as the current one.
It’s so good, or bad (depending on one’s perspective), readers have taken to telephoning or emailing me with suggestions as to what I should address.
Continue reading An issue more important than crime
By Keith Subero
August 04, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com
If the Prime Minister, her PR handlers, and state-owned CNMG television intended to produce 90 minutes of absurd theatre then they should claim last Thursday night a “brilliant success”.
The concept of the Theatre of the Absurd is recognised for its seemingly meaningless and repetitious dialogue. Its plots are usually confusing, empty, disjointed, unrealistic, and intended in some way to identify futility in the human condition.
Continue reading PM’s powder puff question time
By Raffique Shah
August 02, 2015
IN days of old here in Trinidad, people one or two generations ahead of mine used an adage, “when yuh crooked, wet brown paper could cut you”.
The word “crooked” in that context usually meant “a run of bad luck”, although in the instant case of Jack Warner, to whom it now applies, it could be a double-entendre. And if wet brown paper could cut you, then you were really deep in the doo-doo.
Continue reading Wet brown paper could cut Jack
By Mr. Live Wire
Friday 31, July 2015 – wired868.com
“Have you ever seen a TV show called Vikings?” Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar asked Dr Morgan Job, who was one of her three interviewers last night.
‘Vikings’, in case you don’t know, is an Irish-Canadian television drama that is not short of historical inaccuracies but big on sacking and plundering. It was a simpler time when tendering policy was usually “take what you can carry” and ship captains never asked to see CVs.
Continue reading Blunder after plunder: Kamla discusses Reshmi, LifeSport and Vikings in odd Q&A