Category Archives: Caribbean

Caribbean, General T&T

Carrying on the Tradition

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By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe
April 30, 2018

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeI want to congratulate Marina Salandy-Brown for her marvelous gift to the nation in conceiving and developing the Bocas Lit Fest that has reenergized how we see our world. It connects to a long literary tradition that has its origins in the early days of our society.

Salandy-Brown, the founder of the festival, says she was motivated to “reestablish a place for Caribbean literature, which had all ‘disappeared’ from the purview of metropolitan publishers, being replaced, in Britain, by works by the children of Caribbean people born in Britain, such as Monica Ali and Audrea Levy” (Express, April 25).
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Caribbean, England, General T&T, International, Law, Media, Sex

Britain: Theresa May ‘Deeply Regrets’ Anti-gay Colonial Laws

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By teleSUR
April 17, 2018 – telesurtv.net

Theresa May British Prime Minister Theresa May said, “nobody should face persecution or discrimination because of who they are or who they love.”

Only days after Trinidad and Tobago’s High Court repealed the country’s sodomy laws, arguing that they were unconsitituional, Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May said she “deeply regrets” Britain’s historical legacy of colonialism which imposed anti-gay laws throughout the Commonwealth.
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General T&T, Guyana, PNM, Politics

Remembering Cheddi Jagan

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By Raffique Shah
April 04, 2018

Raffique ShahHe was the most sincere, humble, decent political leader I’ve known, Of course, mere mention of sincerity, humility and decency as being the foremost character traits of any politician, especially when he was the leader of a main party in any country, axiomatically infer that he was also a failure if success is measured by winning elections and holding on to power.

All of the above were true of Cheddi Jagan, Guyana’s first Chief Minister (in 1953, when the colony was named British Guiana), a patriot whose birth centenary passed very quietly on March 22. In fact, I, who considered Cheddi a friend and comrade, would have not remembered the occasion had my columnist colleague Ricky Singh not written about it.
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Dominica, General T&T, PNM, Politics

Workers Union Betters Our US Ambassador

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By Stephen Kangal
April 04, 2018

Stephen KangalThe woeful conduct or lack thereof of T&T’s foreign relations/policies has degenerated to such a paltry and embarrassing state of affairs under lame-duck and struggling Minister Dennis Moses that even a grass-roots National Workers Union (NWU) is more in tune with our high profile foreign policy towards beleaguered Dominica than our current accredited Head of Mission to the USA/OAS, Ambassador Anthony Phillip-Spencer.
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Caribbean, France, General T&T, Haiti, International, USA

No regrets for making Haiti a ‘shithole’?

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By Sir Ronald Sanders
January 13, 2018 – telesurtv.net

Haiti(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the OAS. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own)

The effect of the inappropriate depiction of Haiti, El Salvador and all African nations as “shit hole” countries is a matter that the people of the United States of America and their government and Congress should contemplate seriously.
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General T&T, Haiti, International, USA

Why The US Owes Haiti Billions – The Briefest History

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By Bill Quigley
November 27, 2013 – ccrjustice.org

HaitiWhy does the US owe Haiti Billions? Colin Powell, former US Secretary of State, stated his foreign policy view as the “Pottery Barn rule.” That is – “if you break it, you own it.”

The US has worked to break Haiti for over 200 years. We owe Haiti. Not charity. We owe Haiti as a matter of justice. Reparations. And not the $100 million promised by President Obama either – that is Powerball money. The US owes Haiti Billions – with a big B.
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Caribbean, CARICOM, General T&T, International, Money Laundering, Politics

UWI backs protests against EU blacklist

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Trinidad & Tobago Guardian
December 26, 2017 – guardian.co.tt

University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad Main Administration BuildingKINGSTON—The University of the West Indies (UWI) is backing Caribbean Community (Caricom) governments in protesting the European Union’s (EU) recent blacklisting of regional countries it considers tax haven.

In a statement issued, Vice-Chancellor Sir Hilary Beckles said the UWI “stands with the governments of the Caribbean in protesting the recent actions by the EU and calling for a more transparent and equitable regulatory system and joins the call for the EU to enter into a process to resolve the issue.”
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Caribbean, CARICOM, General T&T, International, Israel, PNM, Politics, USA

Between Big Stick Policy and Dollar Diplomacy

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Contesting Caribbean Subservience in the Age of Trump

By Tyehimba
December 24, 2017

Donald TrumpThere was an overwhelming vote within the United Nations general assembly against the United States’ unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. 128 members of the general assembly voted against motion, 9 nations voted for, while 35 nations including Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Antigua, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Panama, Mexico and Canada, abstained. The non-binding vote came days after the United States used its veto power to overturn a UN security council resolution that called for a withdrawal of the recognition by Donald Trump of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley had threatened that the United States would be taking names of all the countries who supported the resolution, while President Trump threatened to cut foreign aid to those countries.
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CARICOM, General T&T, International, Israel, PNM, Politics, USA

Moses explains T&T’s stance on Israel

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By Gail Alexander
December 23, 2017 – guardian.co.tt

Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis MosesThis country’s policy has always been to support steadfast recognition of the State of Israel with secure territorial borders as well as establishment of a Palestinian State, the Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses said yesterday.

He gave this explanation when asked about T&T’s abstention from Thursday’s vote in the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the status of Jerusalem.
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Caribbean, Dominica, General T&T, PNM, Politics, UNC

Does UNC See Itself as Part of the Nation?

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
October 14, 2017

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeLast week I argued that there was something disingenuous about the suggestions put forward by Sat Maraj, Stephen Kangal and the UNC about sending money to Dominicans but making sure they did not enter our country. The UNC declaimed that none of its members said anything negative about the Prime Minister’s plan to bring Dominicans to T&T, but none of them had said anything positive about the plan, not even Rodney Charles or Wade Mark.
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