Category Archives: Media

Caribbean, General T&T, Media, PNM, Politics

Eric Williams Remembered: The Man, The Myth

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“…he is, unquestionably, the greatest Trinidadian of the 20th Century – the person who has had the greatest influence on the affairs of the country…”

By Jeff Hackett
Express
March 26, 1998

Eric WilliamsIn the 1950s and 1960s, word was that the late Dr. Eric Williams was “the third brain in the world”.

Nobody bothered to provide the identities of the persons ahead of Dr. Williams – members and supporters of the People’s National Movement (PNM) were quite happy with his international cerebral rating.
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General T&T, India, Media, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch, UNC

“A hostile and recalcitrant minority”

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Eric Williamsrecalcitrant

1. resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant; refractory.

2. hard to deal with, manage, or operate.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/recalcitrant

Did Dr. Eric Williams brand all Indians “a hostile and recalcitrant minority”? And, why did he make such a statement?

***

Excerpt from Dr. Winston Mahabir

“When the PNM lost the Federal Election in 1958, Eric Williams looked no futher than the Indians for a scapegoat. In a most unfortunate speech he branded them as ‘a hostile and recalcitrant minority.’
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General T&T, India, Media, Passed on, PNM, Politics, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

The Culture Of Williams

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Q & A with Gordon Rohlehr
By Kim Johnson
Sunday and Monday Express
June 28 & 29, 1998

Eric WilliamsGordon Rohlehr, a professor of literature at UWI, is well known for his encyclopaedic writings on calypso, as well as his many writings on other themes including West Indian literature and culture in general. Recently he has published a serialized essay in the T&T Review on Eric Williams and cultural policy. Here the Sunday Express’ Kim Johnson invites Prof. Rohlehr to expand on some of the issues he raised in the Review.
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General T&T, India, Media, Race and Identity, Racism Watch

Reply to Raymond Ramcharitar’s Africentrism

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EmancipationTHE EDITOR: Raymond Ramcharitar’s 21/9/11 piece on Africentrism [How to do the Afrocentric Hustle] was a shameless display of intellectual laziness and generalising with enough vitriol to hint at something I won’t even dignify here with a mention. Which is unfortunate because it took away from a message that contained some validity. There’re quite a few scholars, politicians, artistes and activists who exploit enslavement, colonialism and Euro-centred racism to excuse self-defeatist attitudes and who manipulate racial insecurities, narrow tribalism and ideas of entitlement to retard real self-development among Afro-Trinis.
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Court, Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, Media, People's Partnership, Police, Politics, Security, Violence

DPP tells ‘office holders’ back off

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By Anika Gumbs-Sandiford
September 18, 2011 – guardian.co.tt

Director of Public Prosecutions Roger GaspardBack off! This is the strong message being sent by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard to “office holders” regarding the arrest of citizens under the state of emergency. Warning that he would “continue to jealously guard his office at all cost,” Gaspard, in an exclusive interview with Sunday Guardian, said his office would continue to act independently. On the Attorney General’s decision to retain a battery of attorneys to assist with the prosecution of matters under the state of emergency, Gaspard said: “No other office holder would be allowed to choose any attorney for me for the prosecution of any matter; that choice remains exclusively mine.” On the issue of the perception of a war between the AG and the DPP, Gaspard said: “I know of no war between the AG and myself. There are no winners in war. I humbly prefer simply to continue to do my work soberly so as to protect and advance the public’s interest.”
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Court, Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, Media, People's Partnership, Police, Politics, Security, Violence

DPP’s Decision

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newsday.co.tt
September 18, 2011

Nelson Street robbery in broad daylight!To our knowledge, none of the actors involved in criminal activity caught on the CCTV footage provided by the state and published this week by this newspaper had active matters before the courts. Quite the contrary. It was our belief that some of the individuals who appeared on the screens may have been men from Nelson Street who were freed of the charge that they were gang members after the DPP advised the Chief Magistrate that the State had insufficient evidence against them. Once there is no matter before the court, we are free to publish the footage, the only risk being that of defamation, a matter for the civil, not criminal courts and thus no concern of the DPP.
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General T&T, Media, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Racism Watch, Violence

Needed: A second Emancipation

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By Michael Harris
September 11, 2011 – trinidadexpress.com

PNMMy column last Monday [PNM’s children] seems to have ignited something of a furore among readers. On talk shows, in the blogs, and in letters to the editor, there was a surprisingly huge outpouring of feedback as everyone appeared to have something to say about my article.
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Court, Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, Media, People's Partnership, Police, Politics, Security, Violence

21 MEN FREED

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By Alexander Bruzual
September 13, 2011 – newsday.co.tt

State of EmergencyIt was an exuberant moment in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Eighth Court yesterday morning when charges against 21 men accused of being gang members were dismissed by Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar.

The courtroom erupted in loud cheering, clapping, and words of thanks to both God and the Chief Magistrate after it was announced that the 21 men were free to go.
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Court, Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, Media, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, Politics, Racism Watch, Security, Violence

Killers do not respect race

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Newsday
September 07, 2011

State of EmergencyNewsday today continues an edited version of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s contribution to the debate on the motion to extend the state of emergency for three months in Parliament on Sunday. The motion was passed with 29 Government MPs voting for the extension and with ten votes against by the Opposition MPs.
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Court, Crime in T&T, General T&T, Law, Media, Opposition Party, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Security, UNC, USA, Violence

SoE an important and courageous decision

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By Tony Fraser
August 31, 2011 – guardian.co.tt

State of EmergencyPrime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her Government took probably their most important and perhaps courageous decision of their 15 months in office with the declaration of the state of emergency. It is a decision full of potential for a major reduction in the criminal menace that has terrorised us all for over 15 years. Understandably, it is much too early to say definitively that the effects of the SoE would break the back of the criminal infrastructure (and that is what is going to ultimately matter) but the Government has shown itself prepared to allow the security forces to deal decisively with criminals. Lee Falk, the creator of the Phantom comic series, used to insert in sotto voce that “Phantom is rough with rough necks.” That seems to fit the need of the present; with the important caveat that it is done within the ambit of the law.
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