By Raffique Shah
November 09, 2014
One of these not-so-good days, vehicular traffic in this cussed country will grind to a halt. With vehicular density (cars per 1,000 people) somewhere around 600 and growing, and Government boasting of vehicle sales as a barometer of a robust economy, we shall soon reach saturation where, if all the vehicles take to the roads at the same time, the country would be stricken with severe traffic constipation.
Continue reading Traffic Constipation
By Raffique Shah
November 02, 2014
Many among the upwardly mobile of yesteryear’s generations—politicians, car and insurance salesmen and budding businessmen—were sure to read Dale Carnegie’s bestselling book How to Win Friends and Influence People. Carnegie was one of the earliest leadership training gurus in America, and his books, especially this one, were virtual bibles for people wanting to wield power or become millionaires.
Continue reading How to lose friends and alienate people
By Raffique Shah
October 26, 2014
President Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona, to give the man his full handle as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar never tires of doing, is convinced that my fellow columnists and I are “bulldogs in a ring”, uncouth, devoid of intellect, stuck in the “same ole, same ole” mode, and engaged in self-aggrandisement and worse.
Continue reading No, Tom, No
By Raffique Shah
October 19, 2014
Port of Spain, November 31, 2014: Reports that two persons stricken with the deadly Ebola virus were identified and isolated, one at the capital city’s general hospital, the other at the Mount Hope facility, have paralysed Trinidad and Tobago, literally shutting down the country.
There is an eerie silence across the country, at least those parts that this reporter reached by car, restricted as I was since petrol stations, like most essential services, ceased to function last Friday when rumours that Ebola had arrived sent the nation into panic.
Continue reading Ebola: panic paralyses nation
By Raffique Shah
October 12, 2014
Wayne Kublalsingh’s second hunger strike has bared the good, the bad, and the very nasty sides of his fellow citizens, although I feel certain none of this surprises the environmental activist whose dogged pursuit of his goals puts many of us to shame.
One does not have to agree with Wayne to admire the man. I have stated before, I do not know whether his opposition to the Debe to Mon Desir section of the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway is justified, if the alternatives he proposes are better. Like most people, including Wayne, I support the construction of a highway that will make commuting in Deep South Trinidad easier.
Continue reading Wayne’s Choice
By Raffique Shah
October 05, 2014
Pollster Nigel Henry’s projection that the results of the 2015 general elections will likely be a “statistical dead heat” is in keeping with the trend that emerged post-1986, after the PNM lost its electoral supremacy.
Every election since 1991 has been a tight race between the PNM and the UNC in whatever form or combination the latter contested the polls.
Continue reading Minority May Decide
By Raffique Shah
September 28, 2014
I won’t challenge the results and projections of the Solutions by Simulation poll published in the Express last week. Nigel Henry’s company has established itself as being uncannily accurate in projecting the results of four elections in Trinidad and Tobago last year, the most startling being the 12-0 victory to the People’s National Movement (PNM) in the Tobago House of Assembly election.
Continue reading Polling the Pollster
By Raffique Shah
Septe,ber 21, 2014
When, last Monday, Chief State Solicitor (CSS) Christophe Grant distanced himself from a very political letter that was purportedly penned by him, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) hastily issued a statement saying that some official there had made a mistake by attributing the authorship to Grant.
Continue reading No mistake, pure mischief
By Raffique Shah
September 14, 2014
Nine out of ten people, if asked to comment on Government’s 2014-2015 budget, would quietly, and many grudgingly, say it was a good package.
For the average citizen, what matters most in the annual Appropriation Bill are what new measures strip him (or her) of some portion of his earnings or wealth, meaning taxes or levies, and what new benefits accrue to him by way of increases in grants, subsidies, soft loans and so on.
Continue reading Better bite the bullet now
By Raffique Shah
September 07, 2014
Archbishop Joseph Harris strikes me as being a “rootsy Trini”—a prelate who commands respect beyond his flock even as he exudes a tremendous sense of humour.
What I could not discern from a distance (I’ve never met the good Father) is that he is also a humorist who can put veterans such as Paul Keens-Douglas and “Sprangalang” to pale on any stage at any time.
Continue reading Politics and ethics only rhyme