Tag Archives: Kamla Persad-Bissessar

COP, Elections, General T&T, PNM, Racism Watch, UNC

Was Kamla 2015 the Source and the Course for the Waterloo?

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By Stephen Kangal
November 06, 2015

Stephen KangalThe reason, inter alia, advanced by the Moonilal “Go Kamla” Team including that of Dr. Tim Gopeesingh for the defeat of the PP in the 2015 elections and hence the current lobbying for rejection of Kamla for re-election to the Political Leadership of the UNC, is that the unprecedented, untried and untested Presidential style campaign strategy engineered by Campaign Manager, Rodney Charles, that made Kamla 2015 the focal point and dominated the PP election campaign strategy was flawed and did not resonate with nor did the electorate buy into it. This convenient thesis goes against the dynamics of the elections, is far off the target and would give the stamp of objectivity/ issues-based politics underpinning the final tally.
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Elections, General T&T, Politics, UNC

The party’s over

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By Raffique Shah
November 02, 2015

Raffique ShahChoosing a leader to take the United National Congress forward, backward, sideways, or keep it stagnated, is the business of members of the party.

It is not for me, who never belonged to any party other than the original United Labour Front, and that very briefly, to tell UNC members who they should elect as their leader, the way frontline members of the UNC openly lobbied for Penny Beckles over Keith Rowley during the internal elections in the People’s National Movement in May 2014.
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Elections, General T&T, Media, Politics, UNC

Kamla, Moonilal squaring off in UNC election

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By Anna Ramdass
October 26, 2015 – trinidadexpress.com

United National CongressOn December 5, there are likely to be two major contenders for the leadership of the United National Congress (UNC) —Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Dr Roodal Moonilal.

Former prime minister Persad-Bissessar kicked off her re-election campaign last Saturday and faces internal heat as some of her colleagues and MPs are of the belief that she cannot lead the UNC to victory as she did in 2010.
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China, corruption, Finance, General T&T, Health, Opposition Party, Parliament, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

Scale of squandermania mind-boggling

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By Raffique Shah
October 19, 2015

Raffique ShahIf a mere ten percent of the sums of money quoted by almost every new PNM minister as having gone to waste or astray under the previous government is factual, then at least a billion dollars was squandered or stolen during the tenure of the People’s Partnership.

If the ministers were accurate and truthful in their allegations of profligacy, then an astounding ten billion dollars, at least, found its way into the bank accounts of assorted thieves and accomplices.
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General T&T, Opposition Party, Parliament, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, UNC

Up today, down tomorrow

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By Raffique Shah
October 12, 2015

Raffique ShahI switched on my television last Friday just in time to see and hear a stern-looking House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George say to former minister and current MP for Caroni Central Bhoe Tewarie, “You have three seconds to wrap up…starting now!”

I did a double-take, wondering if I hadn’t mistakenly tuned in to the Western channel rather than Parliament, some wild-west movie in which the “fastest” gunman in town gives an impossible ultimatum to his adversary.
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Elections, General T&T, Media, Opposition Party, PNM, Politics, UNC

GISL, CNMG—‘A big waste’ of $$

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By Gail Alexander
October 11, 2015guardian.co.tt

Minister of Communications, Maxie CuffieA Government Information Services Ltd (GISL) CEO was also hired as a consultant for a state company which bought him an SUV vehicle, and a CNMG freelancer was collecting “four salaries” under the past People’s Partnership (PP) administration, Communication Minister Maxie Cuffie revealed yesterday.
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General T&T, PNM, Politics, Religion, UNC

Ruminations on religion

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By Raffique Shah
September 28, 2015

Raffique ShahNot being a religious person, I must confess that religion (used here collectively) confuses me, and quite often frightens me.

Mark you, I am not disrespectful towards religion or religious persons. If I were, I’d be alienated from most of my family, relatives, friends and fellow-citizens, almost all of whom are praying people who belong to one faith or other among the scores that form the tapestry of this cosmopolitan country.
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Court, Elections, General T&T, Media, PNM, Politics, UNC

UNC granted leave to file petition against EBC

Trinidad Guardian
September 19, 2015 – guardian.co.tt

PNM vs UNCThe United National Congress (UNC) has crossed the first hurdle in its challenge of the Elections and Boundaries Commission’s decision to extend last Monday’s general election voting by one hour due to rainy weather.

Lawyers representing the UNC, which lost the election to the PNM 23-18, last night received leave to pursue their petitions from High Court Judge Mira Dean-Armour after an emergency hearing in the Port-of-Spain High Court which ended after 7 pm.
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COP, Elections, General T&T, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Tobago, UNC

Projections, not predictions

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By Raffique Shah
September 14, 2015

Raffique ShahMy last two columns, one titled “Rowley rising” and the other “lament for a falling leader”, were seen by many of my readers as being almost prophetic in the wake of last Monday’s election results.

Had I made public another document in which I analysed the results in all 41 constituencies from 2007 onwards, using historical data and trends, and projecting the 2015 results (which I circulated only to close friends), I might have been accused of being an “obeahman” or “seer”.
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Elections, General T&T, Letters, PNM, UNC

Kamla Congratulates Rowley Six Days Later

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A LETTER TO CITIZENS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

From former PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-BissessarDear Friends: Candidates, Volunteers, Supporters,

Democracy truly is a precious thing and the result of an election is an expression of the will of the people. All persons who are elected should take those responsibilities very seriously indeed and I congratulate the hundreds of thousands of you who exercised your right to vote and made this possible.
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