By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
December 19, 2010
To all intent and purposes, a new genre of politics has become the norm in T&T. And this new political modus operandi is the politics of distraction.
For while the country is burning, the murder rate (445 as of this writing) has surpassed Brian Lara’s 400 highest test score and is feverishly and uncontrollable heading to surpass his 500 highest county cricket score also.
Continue reading Politics of distraction in T&T
By Raffique Shah
December 19, 2010
“Gobar in de mansions, gobar on de ground
“Gobar in de country, gobar in de town…”
(David Rudder, “The Savagery”, 1998)
SOME people who have the power to effect change and the courage to pursue noble goals with great enthusiasm, often find themselves stumped by the savagery they encounter when they tackle seemingly intractable problems. Trinidadians (more so than Tobagonians) are a strange people. We are mostly warm, friendly, helpful, and sometimes generous to a fault.
Continue reading A nation of unrealised potential
By Jada Loutoo
December 18 2010 – newsday.co.tt
FORMER United National Congress financiers Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson will spend the weekend in jail and will seek their freedom on Monday when they are expected to petition a High Court judge for bail.
Continue reading ISH, STEVE SEEK BAIL
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
December 15, 2010
I always believe that the demise of the Grenada Revolution occurred because of the hotheadedness of forty-year olds who had little knowledge of the world and people. They knew theory aplenty but were not seasoned by common sense and wisdom that only comes with age. One is seeing a similar tendency in the UNC-led coalition called the People’s Partnership.
Continue reading Criminalizing the Society
By Raffique Shah
December 05, 2010
“Virtually all countries of the world…have secret CIA tracking stations.”
—Intelligence expert and author Alexander Kolpakidi (Daily Mail, November 15, 2010).
THE scandal—allegations that US agents spied in (and on) sovereign states, allies like Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Iceland—broke around the same time the SIA mess hit the fan here in Trinidad and Tobago. American agents conducted surveillance activities against “suspected terrorists” on foreign soil. They did not inform the host countries of what they were doing, which included monitoring, photographing and filming people around their embassies and others taking part in protest rallies.
Continue reading Big Sister is watching you
By Sean Douglas
October 22, 2010 – newsday.co.tt
THE Rape Crisis Society yesterday called on Government to pass laws to hold parents responsible for sexual offences done by their children. “Some of the perpetrators of these heinous sexual assaults are teenagers and thus are not liable for prosecution.”
The Society wrote to media houses to support the Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2010, under debate in the Senate, which makes it easier for victims of sexual abuse to testify in law-courts.
Continue reading Hold parents responsible
By Nalinee Seelal and Corey Connelly
October 10 2010 – newsday.co.tt
After weeks of speculation, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan yesterday signed an extradition order granting the United States Government the permission to extradite businessmen Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh to the United States to answer fraud charges.
Continue reading Ish and Steve to be extradited to the US
By Raffique Shah
September 26, 2010
“So, I expect you to tear into (Herbert) Volney’s anatomy in your next column!” many of my readers chorused all of last week. People were itching for me—why me?—to go after the judge-turned-politician, the greatest intervention since, let’s say, mouth-organist Cutty Joseph. Or Hardeo Hardath, a PNM “crapaud” who opened his mouth in Parliament only when he yawned.
Continue reading Here today, gone tomorrow
By Sampson Nanton
September 24, 2010
British and Spanish police are investigating why 1.5 tonnes of cocaine, worth close to $1 billion, left Chaguaramas earlier this month aboard a yacht headed for Spain. The yacht was traced across the Atlantic Ocean by satellite after it left Trinidad until Spanish Police intercepted it on Monday. The drug haul showed similar signs to one of the biggest drug cases in Ireland two years ago, which also had strong links to T&T. The La Flibuste yacht, a UK-flagged vessel, was moored at Chaguaramas earlier this month before leaving with the cargo of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a false roof of two of the cabins.
Continue reading Chaguaramas named in $830m drug bust off Spain
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
September 08, 2010
I was in Italy when the scandal about the cheating of the Pakistani cricketers broke. When I got back to England last Monday, it was the only thing one read about in the English newspaper; the major story one heard on television. One would have thought that the Pakistanis had violated English honor and brought the gentleman’s game into absolute disrepute. It was not so much that the Parkistanis had cheated on the outcome of the game. They were accused on cheating of discrete aspects of the game such as bowling one or two deliberate no-balls which we are told resulted in the loss or gain of hundreds to thousand of dollars to criminal elements.
Continue reading Corrupting the Minds of the Young