March 31, 2014
Statement by the Honourable Prime Minister, Kamla Persad- Bissessar, SC, on the revocation of the appointment of Honourable Minister of Tourism, Chandresh Sharma
I have advised the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency, Anthony Carmona, of the decision to revoke the appointment of the Honourable Minister of Tourism, Chandresh Sharma.
Continue reading Chandresh Sharma Resigns
By Raffique Shah
March 29, 2014
Glenn ‘Hamper Man’ Ramadharsingh is one shell-shocked politician. As the poster boy for performance in the People’s Partnership Government, he cannot understand why the Prime Minister fired him for a relatively trivial sin, when he (and she) sees and knows of other ministers who have committed far graver offences, seven and eight-digit crimes, and they remain riding tall in the saddle.
Continue reading The Sacrificial Ram
By Shaliza Hassanali
March 30, 2014 – guardian.co.tt
Tourism Minister Chandresh Sharma is under investigation by the police for the assault of his former girlfriend. Sacha Singh, the managing director of AMS Biotech Security Concept and AmSure T&T Ltd, who is in her late 20s, met with officers of the St Joseph Police Station on Friday at her Piarco business and gave a statement of Sharma’s alleged physical abuse during an altercation on March 12 at Grand Bazaar. Though a police investigation into such a matter can take as long as six months, the Sunday Guardian learnt that because of the high-profile nature of the matter it is being fast-tracked. ASP Joanne Archie, public information officer of the T&T Police Service, yesterday confirmed that an investigation was being conducted by the police against Sharma: “Statements were recorded and the investigation is in progress.”
Continue reading Police probing Chandresh for assault of ex-girlfriend
March 25, 2014 – guardian.co.tt
Following is the full text of the release from the Office of the Prime Minister, announcing her decision to fire Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh, former Minister of the People.
While I was overseas attending a funeral of a family friend I received reports of an incident concerning the Honourable Minister of the People, Dr. Glenn Ramadharsingh.
Continue reading PM axes Ramadharsingh after reported incident with flight attendant
Newsday Editorial
March 23 2014 – newsday.co.tt
There is something about the acquisition of office in our country that changes people. And this is far more pronounced when such persons are elected by the people than those who earn their ascendancies through hard work or commitment.
Continue reading The arrogance of office
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
March 11, 2014
Part 1
Maxie Cuffie is a dear friend. It is unfortunate that he misrepresented and distorted what I said in my article. In his anxiety to defend our party, he simply repeats and repositions what he believes rather than to confront the points I made in”PNM’s Last Chance.” (Express, March 3 & 4, 2014)
Continue reading Cuffie’s Fantasies
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
March 05, 2014
Part 1
A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones—and South Africa treated its imprisoned African citizens like animals.
—Nelson Mandela
I am pretty certain that Keith Rowley will emerge victorious during the PNM’s party election and go on to become the next prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Fortunately, that is the easy part of the political equation. The more difficult part is to govern in such a way that the society emerges in a better place than it is in 2014. That’s the challenge PNM faces when it takes the helm of government. However, if Rowley and the PNM fail to leave Trinidad (and especially our brothers and sisters in our depressed areas) in a better way than they found them in 2014, one can confidently predict that 2020 would mark the beginning of the end of the PNM as a political force in our country.
Continue reading PNM’s Last Chance
By Raffique Shah
February 23, 2014
The Mighty Sparrow’s resurrection from a coma seems to have awakened many a dead, although the miracle I hoped for most, breathing new life into calypso, appears to be beyond the Birdie’s prowess.
Ever since calypso’s most iconic practitioner fell gravely ill, no pun intended, I assumed that the Government had quietly funded his medical expenses. After all, here’s the world’s greatest calypsonian in his winter years encountering not-unexpected health challenges, and his country, the land of calypso that he helped brand, enjoying a healthy economy, so much so that the authorities award millions of dollars every year to artistes of relative Lilliputian stature, you would think….
Continue reading Sparrow alive, calypso dead
By Stephen Kangal
February 14, 2014
Having submitted what is no more than disappointing glorified minutes or executive summary of the deliberations of the CRC on the road map to reforming the existing 1967 Republican Commission without appending the requisite draft Working Paper it appears that the remit of the CRC in its own admission has ended. But why is the CRC still bent on holding further consultations on previous consultations when it admits it has completed its job? According to the CRC the next step to be taken falls within the ambit of parliamentarians and the population.
Continue reading Constitutional Commission (CRC) Re-Invented the Wheel
By Julien Neaves
February 10, 2014 – newsday.co.tt
ARTS and Multiculturalism Minister Dr Lincoln Douglas has denied claims by Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organi-sation (TUCO) president Lutalo ‘Brother Resistance’ Masimba that Government officials and their friends have been abusing free entry to Carnival events.
“I think it has been reasonable. If you give seven, eight, nine, 10, 20 million dollars to an event, or to support, I don’t think it’s unreasonable that members of Government should expect to go to these events and not be able to take a friend or two,” Douglas said.
Continue reading Minister: So what?