By Kim Boodram
August 26, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com
REJECTED by the United National Congress after being screened to be the general election candidate for the Mayaro seat, Winston Gypsy Peters has lashed out at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, describing her as conniving and ungrateful.
He has resigned the Minister of Community Development, and given up his membership in the UNC.
Continue reading Gypsy jumps off: “The PM is ungrateful, conniving”
By Raffique Shah
August 25, 2015
I 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.
Continue reading Half truths and manifestos
Newsday Editorial
August 25 2015 – newsday.co.tt
UNFORTUNATELY all of the barbs being exchanged in relation to the question of a proposed property tax have distracted us from the deeper question: what is the policy of both of the major parties on the imposition of taxes on property assets generally? The property tax was a proposal of the last PNM administration and it would have introduced a brand new regime of taxation which would be tied to the rental and taxable values of property.
Continue reading Clarify property tax
By Raffique Shah
August 19, 2015
Amidst the din of election campaigning—hundreds of ‘Kamla has a plan’ ads on all television stations during prime time, DJ music systems scouring the country daily, public meetings broadcast nightly on almost every radio and television station, more ads popping up every time you click on the Internet, assaults via phones and emails—I have yet to hear one frontline politician tell the people of this nation of the grim times the country faces if oil and gas prices keep tumbling, as they have done over the past two months.
Continue reading SS Trinidad Sinking
By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
August 18, 2015
I was at Maloney on Wednesday evening when Dr. Keith Rowley analyzed the Government’s laptop program. Dr. Rowley did not have to do much work since he read from a document that pointed out the introduction of laptops and the incorporation of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in our schools “had no statistically significant impact on student performance.” It also found that staff and student groups registered “a relatively high dissatisfaction with the provision of internet service” and the implementation of the laptop program.
Continue reading The Laptop Scandal
By Richard Lord
Monday, August 17, 2015 – guardian.co.tt
In the face of significant inroads into territory of its (UNC) coalition partners, political leader of the United National Congress (UNC) Kamla Persad-Bissessar told party supporters yesterday that the People’s Partnership could not be in better shape to seek a second mandate from the electorate as the coalition presented its 41 candidates for the September 7 polls.
Continue reading PP candidates superior to PNM’s—Kamla
By Raffique Shah
August 8, 2015
WE columnists are on a roll during “elections season”, but in my 34 years of writing commentaries, I have never enjoyed a long, scandalous, comical campaign as the current one.
It’s so good, or bad (depending on one’s perspective), readers have taken to telephoning or emailing me with suggestions as to what I should address.
Continue reading An issue more important than crime
By Keith Subero
August 04, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com
If the Prime Minister, her PR handlers, and state-owned CNMG television intended to produce 90 minutes of absurd theatre then they should claim last Thursday night a “brilliant success”.
The concept of the Theatre of the Absurd is recognised for its seemingly meaningless and repetitious dialogue. Its plots are usually confusing, empty, disjointed, unrealistic, and intended in some way to identify futility in the human condition.
Continue reading PM’s powder puff question time
By Mr. Live Wire
Friday 31, July 2015 – wired868.com
“Have you ever seen a TV show called Vikings?” Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar asked Dr Morgan Job, who was one of her three interviewers last night.
‘Vikings’, in case you don’t know, is an Irish-Canadian television drama that is not short of historical inaccuracies but big on sacking and plundering. It was a simpler time when tendering policy was usually “take what you can carry” and ship captains never asked to see CVs.
Continue reading Blunder after plunder: Kamla discusses Reshmi, LifeSport and Vikings in odd Q&A
By Sue-Ann Wayow
July 22, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com
FORMER Minister of Justice Herbert Volney who was fired in September 2012 by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for his role in the Section 34 fiasco, was hired several months ago by the Ministry of Health as a legal consultant.
Volney was working for a monthly salary of between $25,000 and $30,000.
The Sunshine newspaper first reported on Volney’s new position, and gave his monthly remuneration as $30,000.
Continue reading Volney lands job at Health Ministry