Tag Archive for 'Raffique Shah'

Pay the Devil

Published on September 17, 2016 in General T&T, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics and Recession. 18 Comments Tags: , , .

By Raffique Shah
September 17, 2016

Raffique ShahAnyone who believes that this Government can continue to spend money to fix the country’s many problems the way successive governments have done, seemingly forever, is either a fool or someone who regards us as a nation of fools.

The harsh reality we face is when the good times rolled, most of us, from politicians and the business elites to plebes and philistines, intoxicated by the flow of petrodollars, felt we could and should spend, spend, spend, and let the Devil take tomorrow.
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Man must eat—but so much junk?

Published on September 7, 2016 in Food, General T&T and Health. 7 Comments Tags: , .

By Raffique Shah
September 05, 2016

Raffique ShahEven as most people cry out loudly about the state of the national economy, relating sad stories about the hard times they face, the high prices of almost everything and the unavailability of some things, especially critical medications, a Starbucks coffee house opened its doors for business last week.

According to news reports, scores of customers queued on the pavement outside the business, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to buy their first “cuppa” from the famous American-owned international chain. Prices range from $42 down.
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Half truths and manifestos

Published on August 28, 2016 in Elections, General T&T, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Recession and UNC. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

By Raffique Shah
Submitted: August 23, 2016
Posted: August 28, 2016

Raffique ShahI don’t know that the majority of people in the country are influenced in any way by the manifestos presented by various parties—in our case two, one from the UNC/PP and the other from the PNM.

In fact, I believe few people, likely less than ten percent of the electorate, read these voluminous documents. In my case, I sought the synopses of the presenters because I know they will have highlighted what they saw as the fundamentals of what they would implement if elected, and certainly their most marketable offerings.
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Saluting speed, strength and stamina

Published on August 28, 2016 in General T&T, International and Sports. 3 Comments Tags: , .

By Raffique Shah
Submitted: August 16, 2016
Posted: August 28, 2016

Raffique ShahBy the time I was ready to turn in on Sunday night, my pulse rate was back to normal, and like the Buddha you encounter at the entrances to many Thai restaurants, I wore a silly grin, like a man whose appetite was sated.

No, I did not overeat: I was overfed with athletics performances—and it was only Day 3 of nine days of track and field events at the Rio Olympics. Usain Bolt, who has stamped his authority as the greatest sprinter ever, almost gave me a heart attack by trailing druggist Justin Gatlin up to the half-way mark in the 100 metres final. Then he delivered, in style—but I was nervously massaging my chest!
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Living with Parkinson’s

Published on August 11, 2016 in General T&T, Health and Politics. 5 Comments Tags: , , , .

By Raffique Shah
August 11, 2016

Raffique ShahI had no idea that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was seriously ill when I slammed into him last week for failing to take full charge of his responsibilities to the country. Upon reading that Dr Rowley’s ailment required him to have a series of medical tests conducted in the USA, I felt I owed him a sincere apology, which I tender here.

You see, in the years I’ve known him, I considered Keith an exemplar of fitness that those who hold public office should emulate. Because of my training, lifestyle and experience, I’ve often advised holders of high office with whom I’ve interacted that whatever the demands on their time they should set aside at least one hour a day for some form of exercise.
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Lead, or shut up

Published on August 7, 2016 in Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, PNM, Police and Politics. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

By Raffique Shah
August 07, 2016

Raffique ShahI don’t know what plans he has for his vacation, but I strongly recommend to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley that he spend all of it in solitary self-confinement seeking guidance from whatever deity or deities he believes in regarding his leadership capabilities.

I don’t care whether it’s an ashram, a monastery or Papa Neezer’s shrine, I honestly believe that Keithos can benefit from a mega-dose of divine intervention to help him determine whether he has what it takes to lead this cussed country out of the morass it has been mired in for decades.
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Sugar industry was doomed to fail

Published on August 1, 2016 in General T&T, Labour, Oil and Gas, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Recession and UNC. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

By Raffique Shah
Submitted: July 26, 2016
Published: August 01, 2016

Raffique ShahTrinidad & Tobago, as a very inefficient producer of sugar, relying heavily on preferential, prices for the commodity from Britain, and later the European Union, should have scaled back sugar production from the 1970s when the industry’s losses mounted year after year, soon to reach uncontrollable levels.
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Workers welcomed Caroni’s closure

Published on July 25, 2016 in General T&T, PNM, Politics, Racism Watch and Religion. 26 Comments Tags: , , .

By Raffique Shah
Submitted: July 19, 2016
Published: July 25, 2016

Raffique ShahThe only thing necessary for myths and mischief to be recorded as historical facts is for informed persons to say nothing.

I liberally paraphrase Irish philosopher Edmundd Burke’s injunction to responsible persons to speak out or act when tyranny threatens, to respond to one lie Sat Maharaj peddled when he spewed cobra-like venom against deceased ex-prime minister Patrick Manning, branding him a racist.
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Mixing God with Mammon

Published on July 17, 2016 in Culture, General T&T, Islam, Politics and Religion. 2 Comments Tags: , , , .

By Raffique Shah
July 17, 2016

Raffique ShahThe 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.
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An accidental leader

Published on July 7, 2016 in General T&T, Passed on, PNM, Politics and UDeCOTT. 4 Comments Tags: , , , .

By Raffique Shah
July 07, 2016

Raffique ShahThe end, when it came, brought relief from some five years of suffering, and pre-empted additional torture from treatment for cancer, which many have described as being worse than the disease itself.

Patrick Manning’s sister, Petronella, who is a medical doctor, said as much in her grief-stricken state. And his wife Hazel, who stood solidly at his side during the worst of times, both physically and politically, absorbed the shock of his death with aplomb.
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