Tag Archives: Politics

General T&T, Hindu, India, People's Partnership, Politics, UNC

Bye-Elections Up-Staged and Politicised Divali

By Stephen Kangal
November 04, 2013

Stephen KangalIt is very disturbing that the St. Joseph bye-election was fixed for November 4 by a Government whose real base is the Divali aficionados. The requisite consideration for the simple and well-known fact that the intensity of the pre-election campaigning would coincide with, distract from and up-stage the well-known calendar of pre-divali centralized festivities and regional/village observances was carelessly not factored into the decision-making scenario.
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General T&T, ILP, Law, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

Vengeance of Moko

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By Raffique Shah
November 03, 2013

Raffique ShahWhen the votes are counted tomorrow night, the St Joseph by-election will bring to closure what may well be the most torturous year in the electoral history of this country. Two scheduled elections—the THA in January and local government last month—and two unscheduled by-elections have left us numb from campaign punishment.
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General T&T, ILP, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

UNC Lacks Institutional Memory on Vote-Splitting

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By Stephen Kangal
October 30, 2013

Stephen KangalIt appears that the UNC has no institutional memory relating to the impact of a third force in adversely affecting its electoral performance. Its well-known experience of 2007 and its course correction strategy of 2010 with the COP ought to be very instructive and to determine how it must act to avoid splitting the votes like split peas especially when that third force originates from amongst its traditional base.
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General T&T, Law, Politics, UNC

The clause that killed PR

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By Dr Noel Kalicharan
October 29, 2013

Dr Noel KalicharanThis article does not concern itself with the pros and cons of proportional representation (PR). I write in my capacity as a student of mathematics, not as a Commissioner on the EBC.

Let me begin by posing a question and I want you to answer it without agonising too much about what the answer should be. Just go with your common sense notion about what you think PR is meant to accomplish.
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COP, Elections, General T&T, ILP, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

Kamla croaks away

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By Raffique Shah
October 26, 2013

Raffique ShahType the name “Kamla” on the Google search engine and see what comes up. That “Kamla”, a very common Hindu name, instantly yields Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, suggests that she is the number one “Kamla” in the world—something we should all be proud of.
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COP, General T&T, ILP, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

PNM did not win only the UNC Lost

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By Stephen Kangal
October 23, 2013

Stephen KangalAs the politician-in-chief of the centrifugal forces that dominated the recent LGE, the Honourable Prime Minister has conducted herself in a most apolitical manner that can only parachute her PP and the UNC into disaster survival mode. Having scuttled twice publicly and prematurely the rapprochement of Jack Warner in the period prior to July 29 for membership of the PP that paved the way for the emergence of the ILP that in fact served to weaken the PP/UNC/COP electoral appeal and performance on the October 21 LGE, she now is negating any remaining attempts geared to salvage the recent retrograde political debacle. Are the wounds too fresh?
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General T&T, ILP, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

Why Jack Warner-ILP Lost

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By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
October 23, 2013

Dr. Kwame NantambuThe paucity of votes (62,000) Jack Warner’s Independent Liberal Party (ILP) mustered at the 21 October 2013 local government elections sent a very loud and clear signal/message to the extent that the electorate wanted more than just fanfare, entertainment, elaborate promises and jerseys (money was good too).

Indeed, Uncle Jack must now ask himself these serious, ex post election introspective questions: Where did all my putative green supporters go and did not do, according to plan, on election day?; Were the pre- election day numbers a mere illusion of popular support?; Did my putative green supporters just went with the green flow/ride with no previous intention of so voting?—“Is party time.”
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Gender, General T&T, ILP, People's Partnership, Politics, UNC

Nastiest campaign ever

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By Raffique Shah
October 20, 2013

Raffique ShahThis local government elections campaign was the nastiest ever in the history of this country.

And three man-rats, abetted by their respective executives, can take credit for having reduced electioneering to a level so low, anything worse will be burrowing the sewer mains. Dip your heads Jack Warner, Anand Ramlogan and Roodal Moonilal.
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corruption, General T&T, Law, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, UNC

Corruption and deception

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By Raffique Shah
October 13, 2013

Raffique ShahOver the past 40 years, since the first oil boom began in 1973, allegations of corruption against government ministers, other politicians and senior public officials must have exceeded the one-thousand mark. I refer to alleged acts of corruption involving tens of millions of dollars and more, not to petty sums below, say, five million.

Since each corrupt transaction of this magnitude necessarily involves several persons—politicians, contractors, corporations, bankers, public officers—we could easily say that at least 5,000 persons of high standing in the society were involved.
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COP, Elections, General T&T, Law, MSJ, NJAC, Politics, UNC

Unruly election rules

By Andre Bagoo
October 13, 2013 – newsday.co.tt

ParliamentTHE MOST crucial exercise in any democracy is an election. Therefore, the rules governing the electoral process take on a particular significance. Yet the elections rules, as currently formulated, appear to have crucial gaps which make them arguably inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution, the Supreme Law.
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