By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe January 01, 2019 “Me think he do something for the people. Me think he think back and he see the cries of the people them and he do that.” —Mona, East Canje, Berbice, Stabroek News It was an ordinary political moment. The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) of Guyana moved … Continue reading A Caribbean Hero
By Raffique Shah December 19, 2018 For a country that is beset by myriad fundamental problems—real, imagined or contrived—it is amazing how easily the entire nation can be distracted by trivia. Almost as side issues in the media, two senior politicians square off over what percentage of employed persons earn less than $6,000 per month, … Continue reading Media trapped by trivia
By Raffique Shah November 29, 2018 I suppose it was inevitable—the proliferation of self-proclaimed astrologers, mystic healers, seers, obeah-men, call them what you will, although the word “conmen” might best capture their lucrative “hustle”. In harsh economic times and an unstable social environment, many people turn to quacks who claim to have supernatural powers for … Continue reading Seers, shamans and shysters
By Raffique Shah November 21, 2018 Trinidad and Tobago has found itself in an unenviable, as well as untenable, position of having to deal with hundreds of mostly Venezuelan and Cuban nationals who have entered this country, legally and illegally, then announcing themselves as refugees or seeking political asylum. This situation is unenviable because we … Continue reading Refugees aggravate T&T woes
By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe November 19, 2018 PART 3 “The further you look into the past, the further you can see into the future.” — Sir Winston Churchill Over the past month, I visited London, England, Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland where I delivered several lectures and participated in the launch of David Featherstone, ed., … Continue reading The Incredible Dream – Pt 3
By Raffique Shah November 07, 2018 Until scores of corrupt politicians, public officials and thieving contractors in this country are jailed for pillaging the public purse, and are seen wearing “prison blues” so that the population is convinced that justice is evenly dispensed, the lawlessness that runs rife in the society will ravage its body … Continue reading Bring on an anti-corruption court
By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe September 24, 2018 Several years ago Glenda Morean, Trinidad and Tobago’s High Commissioner in London, invited me to attend an intimate luncheon with Ulric Cross and four other people. It was the first time I met Cross, this distinguished man. Although I knew Cross’s reputation as a combat bomber navigator … Continue reading Independence Child/Pan Africanist Vision
By Raffique Shah September 19, 2018 Gary Griffith couldn’t have scripted a better opening act for his entry onto the national stage as the new Commissioner of Police, even if he were the Bard of Cascade or whatever suburb he lives in or comes from. After six years of play-acting by career police officer Stephen … Continue reading Enter Gary Griffith: Act One
By Dr Selwyn R. Cudjoe August 12, 2018 My first impulse was to congratulate the government for voting to appoint Gary Griffith Commissioner of Police (CoP). Whatever Griffith’s weaknesses, his appointment promised to give the police force the stability it deserves and the country the space it needs to breathe easier; that is, until Stuart … Continue reading “Don’t Talk About It; Be About It!”
By Stephen Kangal August 09, 2018 The image of traffic jams approaching the port of Dover conjures up chilling and growing fears for the unquantifiable consequences of a no-deal Brexit cliff-edge, doomsday scenario from the UK’s withdrawal from the single market, European Court, functional co-operation and the customs union of the EU. The panic button … Continue reading Compiling the Costs of a No-Deal Brexit Armageddon