By Stephen Kangal
July 21, 2012
If Tobago were to be accorded full and effective internal self-governance in the current climate, it is mandatory that boundaries separating the domestic jurisdiction of both islands have to be established to demarcate the maritime limits of the reach of their respective law –creating capacity to avoid over-lapping or concurrent jurisdiction and reduce potential conflict.
Continue reading Tobago’s Self-Governance and Legal Separation from T’dad
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
July 18, 2012
You work at an institution for ten years; you begin to like that institution. You grow to admire the intellectual caliber of the men and women who work there and you embalm those precious memories. Ultimately, you reverence that institution as a place where standards matter and excellence is the order of the day. You read Terrence Farrell’s Central Banking in a Developing Economy: A Study of Trinidad and Tobago, 1964 to 1989, you appreciate the origin of central banking in the nation, pre and post-independence. You realize the stature of the men who served this nation as governors (sadly there are no women) and you feel a sense of pride in your nation’s achievement. You realize that no matter what its limitations are, it tries to reward excellence signaling to the nation’s young men and women that achievement matters.
Continue reading When Race Trumps Reason
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
July 11, 2012
I have been in London for the past few days and will be here for several weeks. I am not here for the Olympics even though one can’t help getting caught up in the hype. I have taken a B&B within walking distance of the National Archives and will camp out here to get some work done on the biography of an important Trini.
Continue reading Countries, Citizens, Identity
By Stephen Kangal
July 11, 2012
Current proposals originating both in POS (The Green Paper) and Scarborough (The Draft Bill of the THA) now in the public domain and geared to accord a higher level of self-governance to Tobagonians must not result in another façade Legislature exercising political and administrative autonomy merely to achieve peace, order and good governance in the sister-isle. There must be fundamental changes both in structure and substance. Tobago must be treated with dignity, the inalienable right of its people to self-determination respected and their ownership or sovereign rights over adjacent maritime resources to be exploited for the welfare of its people recognized and legitimized.
Continue reading Tobago’s Internal-Self Governance — No Façade Structure
…protests increase Golconda to Pt Fortin highway by $3.5m
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Anika Gumbs-Sandiford – guardian.co.tt
Residents of Debe and surrounding areas line the M1 Ring Road in Debe with their placards in a show of support for the Point Fortin to Golconda highway yesterday morning. PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH
Minister of National Security Jack Warner did not act on his own accord when he instructed the demolition of the Highway Re-route Movement’s camp, to allow works to resume on the $7.2 billion Point Fortin Highway. In fact, Sunday Guardian learnt that only two weeks before Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar reshuffled her Cabinet, Brazilian firm Construtora OAS Ltd had issued a $3.5 million claim against the Government for breach of the contractual agreement caused by the protesters.
Continue reading PM, Cabinet knew about demolition
By Raffique Shah
July 07, 2012
RARELY do I address the same topic for two consecutive weeks, but I feel compelled, in highly unusual circumstances, to alert the nation to the misadventures of National Security Minister Jack Warner. Last week, like many of my columnist colleagues, I took Warner to task over the way he handled the demolition of the Highway Re-Route Movement’s shed. In a country that adhered to the rule of law, Warner would have fallen on his own sword on that issue alone.
Continue reading Cry blood, my beloved country
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
July 03, 2012
Life in T&T is very funny business. Yo know way yo going; yo don’t know where yo’ likely to reach. The government declares a state of emergency, arrests over 8,000 black young men under the guises that they are/may be criminals. No charges made, no apologies offered and no compensation paid. In fact, we are told by the AG that if dey tink dey go make any money off the state for these illegal arrests, dey lie. He waiting for them. He would release the legal power of the state against them. They had better not even think about seeking compensation.
Continue reading Jack’s lawlessness and Corruptibility
By Raffique Shah
July 01, 2012
WHAT more must Jack Warner do to prove that he is unfit to be this country’s Minister of National Security? Declare war on Tobago or Venezuela or Barbados? Introduce a death squad to go around executing persons he suspects of being criminals or gangsters? Arrest and detain persons perceived to be opponents of the People’s Partnership Government?
Continue reading Return of Sheriff Lobo
By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
June 29, 2012
The decision by newly-appointed Minister of National Security, Austin Jack Warner to demolish the “Highway Re-route Movement” camp on government land was the right thing to do.
The fact of the matter is that since T&T has degenerated into a lawless society, now is the time for a totally responsible government to take the bull by the horns and enforce the laws of this country, period. Long-outstanding half measures did not work; in fact, they have exacerbated the crime problem to the nth degree.
Continue reading Warner was right – Afri-centric analysis
By Stephen Kangal
June 27, 2012
The Cabinet reshuffle, dubbed the new “pan- Cabinet”, would appear to be engineered, driven and tuned exclusively by the politics of consolidation, internal cohesiveness and ministerial promotion/demotion rather than enhancing performance in the post-MSJ era. It is a case of creating some over-lapping and ill-defined courses for horses while earning a six-month respite from the rising tide of adverse media reviews and infrastructural and labour discontent.
Continue reading Politics and Promotions in the Cabinet Re-Shuffle