By Raffique Shah
July 17, 2016
The bickering among Islamic organisations over the allocation and distribution of Government funding for the recent Eid celenrations underscores a point I’ve made ever since this nonsense started a few years ago: Government ought never to dispense public funds for religious festivals.
Continue reading Mixing God with Mammon
By Raffique Shah
February 16, 2016
I wonder if the wide spectrum of persons who have used the words “misogyny” and “misogynic” to describe ex-Port of Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee following his asinine statements on the murder of pannist Asami Nagakiya either believe what they are saying, or understand the definitions of the words?
According to the Oxford English dictionary, misogyny means “dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women”.
Continue reading Of sensuality and vulgarity
By Darcel Choy and Sasha Harrinanan
February 16, 2016 – newsday.co.tt
PEOPLE’S National Movement (PNM) Chairman Franklin Khan last night insisted that the party’s Treasurer and Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee must resign in the wake of his (Tim Kee) contro- versial comments made in the wake of the murder last week of Japanese pannist Asami Nagakiya, who body was found on Ash Wednesday under a tree in the Queen’s Park Savannah. Khan made his position clear speaking also in his capacity as PNM chairman and Urban Development and Local Government Minister. He did so as Tim Kee’s intention to demit office following an emergency meeting of the Corporation did not materialise yesterday.
Continue reading TIM KEE MUST GO!
Tim Kee caves in
By Corey Connelly
February 14, 2016 – newsday.co.tt
Bowing to mounting pressure, both at home and abroad, over his recent controversial statements about the death of Japanese national, Asami Nagakiya, Raymond Tim Kee yesterday signalled his intention to resign as Mayor of Portof- Spain.
Continue reading Mayor Tim Kee Set to Resign
By Sean Douglas
February 11 2016 – newsday.co.tt
PORT-OF-SPAIN Mayor Raymond Tim Kee yesterday called on women, especially tourists visiting for Carnival, to maintain their dignity and protect themselves against dangerous local sub-cultures, as he reacted with shock over the discovery of a mas woman’s body, still clad in bikini and beads, yesterday under a large tree at the Queen’s Park Savannah.
Continue reading Mayor: Beware dangerous ‘sub-cultures’
Newsday Editorial
February 11 2016 – newsday.co.tt
THE POLICE must investigate the circumstances surrounding video images which purported to show a man being beaten by the private security guards of a Carnival band. The footage raises deeper questions which have, over the years, been left unresolved in relation to the regulation of private security guards and our national festival. The footage, which circulated on social media on Carnival Monday, shows a band of about a dozen guards from the band Yuma — identified merely by black t-shirts saying “Yuma Extraction” — ganging up on a man, who has been identified as PNM councillor Jason Alexander. The incident appears to have occurred not on private property, but rather in a public street.
Continue reading Brute force in the band
By Seeta Persad
November 26, 2015 – newsday.co.tt
HINDUS across the country yesterday observed the religious event of Kartik with many going to the beach or river to hold pujas (prayers) and pray.
All Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) run schools were closed to allow for entire families to pray together. Kartik Snaan is the name given for the months of October/November in the Hindu calendar. During this holy time Nav Ratri, Divali and Ramleela are observed and celebrated.
Continue reading Hindus observe Kartik Snaan
By Raffique Shah
November 23, 2015
The battle for leadership of the UNC has ignited a discussion on leadership in a broader context, with the party’s founder, Basdeo Panday, weighing in on the issue.
According to my columnist colleague Sheila Rampersad, Panday told her that Indians tend to seek a “pahalwan”-Hindi for warrior, strongman-to lead them. Sheila cited Panday himself as an example of the phenomenon. In 1973, he succeeded Bhadase Maharaj as leader of the sugar workers’ union, and in 1977 he succeeded in transforming the only organic inter-racial party ever (my view…I was a co-founder), the ULF, into an Indian party.
Continue reading The last ‘pahalwan’
‘I nearly joined Isis’
By Shaliza Hassanali
November 22, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
Thirteen years after Umar Abdullah, leader of Waajihatul Islaamiyyah, also known as The Islamic Front, was sought by US and British Intelligence for supporting al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and jihad (holy war), he has admitted that he almost joined the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) as a frontline fighter.
Continue reading Islamic Front leader on T&T fighters in Syria
By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
October 26, 2015
As the Trinidad/Tobago United Calypsonians Association (TUCO) is currently celebrating “Calypso History Month”, it became supremely imperative for this writer, albeit lover of the calypso art form, to pen a few thoughts about the need to take the art form of calypso to the next ultimate international level.
Now, for the past umpteen decades and counting, the calypso genre has been posited within the local myopic confines of the Ministry of Arts and Culture.
Continue reading Taking calypso to the next level