Category Archives: India

Complaints, corruption, Culture, General T&T, India, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Stop ‘Sampating’ Africans

26 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
April 13, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeSometimes I don’t understand why so many false dichotomies pervade the thinking of my compatriots, Africans as well as Indians. If I write about how East Indians think (I call it an Indian narrative) I am accused of being racist. If I support the aspirations of Africans it suggests I am anti—Indian. If I favor the candidacy of a particular PNM member for the chairmanship of the party, my friends respond that I am out of touch with the thinking of those on the ground and so it goes ad infinitum.
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Africa, General T&T, India, Police, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch, Security

About that Imbalance

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By Corey Gilkes
April 08, 2011

PoliceSo finally the President revoked Nizam Mohammed’s appointment. About bloody time as far as I’m concerned since he should have been sent packing the minute he crossed swords with those two police officers. So we clear one time me eh have no sympathy for he.
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Complaints, corruption, Culture, General T&T, India, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

The Indian Narrative

36 Comments

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
April 06, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeThe racial inanity that gushed out of Nizam Mohammed’s heart ought not to be seen as an aberration; the unfortunate comments of an ill-informed man. It can and should be seen as a part of what I call the Indian narrative that informs the behavior of many East Indians in our society; the reflection of a view that lay in abeyance while they were out of political power only to reveal itself once they came into power.
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General T&T, India, Law, People's Partnership, Politics, Protest, Security

Race issue still to be addressed

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April 5 2011 – newsday.co.tt

Member of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Martin GeorgeTHREE members appointed to the Police Service Commission (PSC) yesterday admitted that the issue of racial imbalance within the ranks of the Police Service is an issue that must be dealt with. But just not now.
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Culture, General T&T, India, Politics, Race and Identity, Security

Nizam’s Race Comments Lack Historical Perspective

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Nizam MohammedTHE EDITOR: Politicians in Trinidad and Tobago have always used cultural (ethnic) differences among our people to gain office, power and wealth. This ethnic baiting strategy is most notable at election time and goes back to colonial times.
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General T&T, India, Law, Opposition Party, Parliament, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity, Security

President Revokes Nizam’s Appointment

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The following is a press release from the Office of the President.

President George Maxwell Richards
President George Maxwell Richards

THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
TRINIDAD
REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

In the matter of the Constitution and of the Revocation of the Appointment of the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, as Chairman & Member.

His Excellency GEORGE MAXWELL RICHARDS, T.C., C.M.T., Ph.D., President advises that he has, with immediate effect revoked the appointment of Mr. Nizam Mohammed as Chairman and member of the Police Service Commission.
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Africa, General T&T, India, Politics, Race and Identity

Nizam’s Conspiratorial Theories

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Why Nizam Must Go

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
March 31, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeOn January 20th, 2011 I wrote an article entitled, “Mother Trinidad and Tobago” in which I strongly rejected the People’s Partnership’s position on multiculturalism. I emphasized that Dr. Williams’ cultural policy as enunciated in his “Mother Trinidad and Tobago Speech” seemed a better position from which to base a national cultural policy rather than the nebulous, ill-informed multicultural thrust that the PP adopted. On January 20th I received the following response from Nizam Mohammed:
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Culture, Entertainment, General T&T, India, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Tourism

Plebian Carnival

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By Selwyn R. Cudjoe
March 09, 2011

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeOh what a difference an election victory makes. For time immemorial we were told by some that the steelband could never be considered as the national instrument—there was always the dholak—and that carnival was not really the national festival. They always sought to convince us that devali was comparable to carnival and emblematic of the national consciousness; hence the need to promote devali in the same way in which carnival is promoted. Somehow carnival was too black.
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Culture, General T&T, India, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity

Ravages of Ethno-Nationalism

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By Stephen Kangal
February 21, 2011

Stephen KangalAfter 49 years of an ethno-nationalism-based and driven Independence and four distinct nationalist-leaning regimes what is the prevailing status quo on cross- cultural relations/diversity management that now impels us in T&T to want to chart a new culturally-sensitive and responsive way forward (multiculturalism) instead of continuing along the unjust and hitherto ethno-nationalism-paved track?
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General T&T, India, People's Partnership, Politics, Race and Identity

Cudjoe and His Careless Thinking

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By Stephen Kangal
February 15, 2011

Stephen KangalProfessor Selwyn Cudjoe in his article wrote:

“In his ‘Mother Trinidad and Tobago Speech’ Dr. Williams intimated that we owe our primary allegiance to T&T rather than the various countries from which our ancestors came. In 2010, angered by the seemingly preferential treatment that Africans enjoyed under the People’s National Movement, the People’s Partnership (PP) decided to emphasize our difference rather than our commonalities thereby tearing away at the common cultural bond that holds us together as a nation”. (Selwyn Cudjoe in “Mother Trinidad and Tobago” Article – trinicenter.com – 16 January 2011).
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