Monthly Archives: November 2014

General T&T, International

Politics and oil—a deadly cocktail

15 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 30, 2014

Raffique ShahIn the current oil prices turmoil that has sparked much speculation, rumours of doom and gloom, and seeming indifference on the part of Government, the few in the country who know and understand what’s happening at the global level owe it to the nation to let their voices be heard.

We cannot believe the politicians. Over the past few months, as the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slipped from US$105 a barrel in June to below US$70 a barrel last week, Finance Minister Larry Howai and Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine were singing, “Don’t worry, be happy!”
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General T&T, International, Law, Murder, Racism Watch, USA

Decoding racial tensions in United States

30 Comments

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
November 27, 2014
Updated: December 05, 2014

Dr. Kwame NantambuThe 24 November 2014 “no indictment for officer Wilson” verdict arrived at by the grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, in regard to the shooting and killing of the unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown and the subsequent 3rd December “no indictment” verdict by a grand jury in Staten Island, New York City, in favor of a white police officer in the New York Police Department (NYPD), Daniel Pantaleo, for the “chokehold death” of another unarmed, forty-six year-old African-American man, Eric Garner, speak massive volumes as to the omnipresence of racial tensions/distrust between the Black community and white police officers across the United States.
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Flooding, General T&T

Flooding in Manzanilla

2 Comments

…Highlights Lack of Infrastructural Planning and Development

Trinidadandtobagonews.com
November 26, 2014

Manzanilla Flooding 2014 in pictures

On Monday 17th November, 2014, a Trinidadandtobagonews.com reporter visited the Manzanilla/Mayaro road which flooded and collapsed due to erosion caused by consistent rainfall, high tide conditions and the overflowing of the Nariva Swamp. Residents in the area were thus marooned in their homes and villages. The extent of the damage to the road has drawn national attention because of the unusual occurrence.
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General T&T, International, People's Partnership, Politics

Decline of Our Diplomatic Relations

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By Stephen Kangal
November 26, 2014

Stephen KangalAn underlying worrisome diplomatic situation exists today in five of T&T’s Overseas Missions. Diplomatic relations are conducted in accordance with the principle and practices of reciprocity and the comity of Nations. In India, UK, Costa Rica, Canada at the UN T&T representation has been scaled down to the level of junior but also inexperienced young and up-coming diplomats. This resulted from the withdrawal of both career and political appointed Ambassadors.
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Flooding, General T&T, Politics, Weather

Manzanilla collapse: decades of neglect

5 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 23, 2014

Raffique ShahThe devastation of sections of the Manzanilla-Mayaro Road may have been triggered by an act of God, as many are wont to say when heavy rainfall wreaks havoc and they wish to cover up their complicity in the destruction—dumping debris into watercourses, interfering with drainage systems, or denuding hillsides and undertaking construction in the worst possible places.
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General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics

PP’s Industrial Transfusion to Caroni

55 Comments

By Stephen Kangal
November 20, 2014

Stephen KangalThe Five Caroni Villages long slumbering under the depressing yoke of the PNM’s policy of exclusion, rural isolation, neglect and marginalization has now awakened to the dawn of a new Janaam (era) marked by rapid infrastructural development/transfusion that has created optimism, excitement, expanding employment opportunities and credible hope, more equitable and better life for us in Caroni.
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Business, Flooding, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics

Backward ever, forward never

41 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 16, 2014

Raffique ShahThe land slippages and other failures that occurred on the newly-opened section of the Solomon Hochoy Highway might be a blessing in disguise if the Government could resist the temptation to play politics with the costliest public works project ever in the country. This is also no time for those who oppose the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the new highway to gloat over the defects, seeing them as “karma” or punishment for the Government for proceeding with construction even as protestor Wayne Kublalsingh remains at death’s door in his marathon hunger strike.
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Caribbean, General T&T, Guyana, Law

Keeping Guyana calm

12 Comments

Newsday Editorial
November 14, 2014 – newsday.co.tt

GuyanaTHE SITUATION in Guyana is one with which all nations in the region should be concerned. Guyana is an important trading partner. Trinidad and Tobago, for instance, exported an estimated $1.1 billion worth of products to the country over the period 2007 to 2010 and for that period imported $596 million in products. Additionally, both governments have recently partnered on initiatives and incentives to reduce the food import bill and boost production, with plans to make large tracts of land in Guyana available to Trinidad and Tobago agriculturalists.
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General T&T, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Racism Watch, UNC

Rowley’s attempt to woo Indian vote

17 Comments

By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
November 10, 2014

Dr. Kwame NantambuOne of the least noticed events in the nature of the political beast in Trinidad and Tobago is the overt attempt by the leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM) and Opposition Leader in Parliament, Dr. Keith Rowley to woo the Indian vote in the upcoming 2015 general elections.

Indeed, one of Dr. Rowley’s first political-electoral actions was to mend fences with his former boss and former PNM leader Patrick Manning. Of course, no one was fooled by Dr. Rowley’s public farce, period. It tantamounted to a puerile exercise in futility on Dr. Rowley’s part.
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General T&T

Traffic Constipation

19 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 09, 2014

Raffique ShahOne of these not-so-good days, vehicular traffic in this cussed country will grind to a halt. With vehicular density (cars per 1,000 people) somewhere around 600 and growing, and Government boasting of vehicle sales as a barometer of a robust economy, we shall soon reach saturation where, if all the vehicles take to the roads at the same time, the country would be stricken with severe traffic constipation.
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