Category Archives: UNC

Sturge wants AG probed over HDC loan to Garcia

By Rachael Espinet
January 15, 2016 – guardian.co.tt

Opposition Senator Wayne SturgeOpposition Senator Wayne Sturge wants the Integrity Commission to investigate the behaviour of Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi for his alleged involvement in what Sturge deems a questionable loan agreement between HDC and Noel Garcia.

Sturge claims Garcia, who was managing director of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and is currently the chairman of Udecott, was granted a loan from the HDC.
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‘do so ent like so’

By Raffique Shah
December 29, 2015

Raffique ShahI am surprised that so many people are surprised by the termination of services-firing, suspension, the euphemistically-couched “sent on administrative leave”-of several senior government officials, the most prominent being Governor of the Central Bank, Jwala Rambarran.

Clearing the politically-constructed State-stables of partisan appointees is a ritual that occurs every time a government changes.
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Why Jwala had to go

By Anthony Wilson
December 26, 2015 – guardian.co.tt

Jwala RambarranAt its weekly meeting on Wednesday, Cabinet took a decision to request the President to terminate the appointment of former Central Bank Governor, Jwala Rambarran, in accordance with sections 12(e) and 12(g) of the Central Bank Act, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said in a statement on Thursday.
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The Pathology of the Firing of Jwala

By Stephen Kangal
December 25, 2015

Stephen KangalThe pathological obsession of the PNM with pre-maturely removing Jwala as Governor of the CBTT has caused them to act in a most irresponsible, reckless, arbitrary and vulgar manner at this the season of goodwill and peace on the earth of Trinbago. T&T is plunged into an air of sadness and deep cataclysmic foreboding. A lamb has been led into the slaughter again even when birth is being celebrated universally.
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Debt — legacy to our grands

By Ian Lambie
December 16, 2015 – newsday.co.tt

DebtWE SHOULD all be ashamed, whether we be parliamentarian or proletariat who elected them to Parliament and permitted them to do their own thing for five years, that our legacy to our grandchildren and to our great-grandchildren will be: debt.

Since 2009 and up to 2015, our country has been spending more than it earned by approving deficit Budgets, with one exception — in 2010.
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Imbert: PP raided NGC of $14b cash

…Used Green and Unemployment Funds as collateral

By Richard Lord
December 05, 2015 – guardian.co.tt

Colm ImbertFinance Minister Colm Imbert says the former PP government raided the National Gas Company (NGC) of almost $14 billion in cash. He made the claim while presenting three motions for debate in the House of Representatives yesterday.

The motions seek to increase the ceiling for government borrowing by $50 billion under the Development Loans Act, External Loans Act and the Guarantee of Loans (Companies) Act.
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Judges split on petitions appeal

By Derek Achong
December 01, 2015 – guardian.co.tt

United National CongressThree of the country’s most senior judges have failed to come to an agreement over whether the United National Congress (UNC) has conclusive proof that its defeat in September’s general election was due to a one-hour extension in voting, in order to secure a re-election.

Delivering its judgment in the appeal brought by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and the People’ National Movement (PNM) at the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, the appeal panel, led by Chief Justice Ivor Archie, was split two to one, as it ruled that the UNC had met the requirements required for preliminary approval of the petitions.
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UNC wracked by internal strife

By Renuka Singh
November 28, 2015 – guardian.co.tt

United National CongressFresh internal conflict is threatening to break the United National Congress (UNC) apart in the build up to internal elections. With just days to go before the party elects its leader, the mostly clean campaign has suddenly turned nasty as one would-be deputy leader was threatened for taking sides against incumbent Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
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SIS’ billion dollar contract terminated by NGC

Daily Express
November 24, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com

NGCThe National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (NGC) has terminated its contract with Super Industrial Services Limited (SIS) for the construction of the $1 billion Beetham Water Recycling Plant. The decision was taken after SIS said it was unable to continue with the controversial project.

The following is the statement issued by the NGC on Tuesday –
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The last ‘pahalwan’

By Raffique Shah
November 23, 2015

Raffique ShahThe battle for leadership of the UNC has ignited a discussion on leadership in a broader context, with the party’s founder, Basdeo Panday, weighing in on the issue.

According to my columnist colleague Sheila Rampersad, Panday told her that Indians tend to seek a “pahalwan”-Hindi for warrior, strongman-to lead them. Sheila cited Panday himself as an example of the phenomenon. In 1973, he succeeded Bhadase Maharaj as leader of the sugar workers’ union, and in 1977 he succeeded in transforming the only organic inter-racial party ever (my view…I was a co-founder), the ULF, into an Indian party.
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