Daily Archives: April 21, 2025

Elections, General T&T, PNM, Politics, UNC

Why I will vote UNC

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By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe
April 12, 2025

Dr. Selwyn R. CudjoeBy 1959, party politics had taken hold on the people of Trinidad and Tobago. Michael Kangalee (he now calls himself Krishna, his middle name), my schoolmate at Tacarigua EC, supported the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that was led by Bhadase Sagan Maraj. I supported PNM, which was led by Eric Williams. Neither of us could vote but we followed our parents and villagers’ preference in expressing our party allegiances. Undoubtedly, our political position was shaped in part by our racial (not racist) affiliation. Years later, I went to the United States, and Krishna went on to live in Canada via England.
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Elections, General T&T

For whom you stain the finger

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By Raffique Shah
April 12, 2025

Raffique ShahIn the 45 years I have been writing a weekly column for one newspaper or other, I have never advised my readers which candidate or what party they should vote for. I started with a satirical column, “MP for the Masses”, in 1980, in the run-up to the 1981 general election, the first since 1956 that Dr Eric Williams was not at the helm of the PNM, having died in 1980.

I wrote a combination of humour, addressed the economic fortunes of T&T, took potshots at politicians—by then I had completed my one term as the elected MP for Siparia where, in 1976, I had polled the third highest number of votes—6,601—with only PM George Chambers and Boodram Jattan polling more votes.
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