By Raffique Shah
August 17, 2013
The ten leading stories in last Friday’s online Express related to Jehue Gordon’s golden performance at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow. While that was a welcome respite from the daily fare of murder and mayhem, it told a sad story of just how starved this country is for good news.
Continue reading Plea for Gordon
By Raffique Shah
July 21, 2013
“When thieves fall out, honest men come by their own,” says a centuries-old proverb. I think though, that when friends fall out, dubious men and women tumble into disrepute in unimaginable ways and pillars of political society are reduced to pillars of salt.
Continue reading By-election a blessing
Minister of National Security Jack Warner has resigned and Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has accepted his resignation.
Works Minister Emmanuel George is to be appointed interim National Security Minister.
Continue reading Jack Warner Has Resigned
By Dr Sheila Rampersad
April 11, 2013 – www.guardian.co.tt
What might have been an open-and-shut case against a police officer, who ploughed into six residents of Sea Lots along the Beetham Highway, Port-of-Spain, on February 24, has turned into a lengthy and muddled investigation. Three people died and three others were injured in the crash, which occurred along the westbound lane of the highway.
The T&T Guardian was reliably informed that a breathalyser test, which measures blood alcohol level, was administered at 2.47 pm on the day of the fatal collision, almost six hours after the incident. It was administered at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital by WPC Marcia Lopez, a trained breath analysis technician assigned to Besson Street Police Station.
Continue reading Driver in accident may walk as Sea Lots probe botched
By Jada Loutoo
April 6 2013 – newsday.co.tt
BUSINESSMEN Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson, and 40 other persons, will face prosecution in their respective criminal trials having failed to get the courts to deem as unconstitutional the amendment to the Administration of Justice (Indictable Proceedings) Act, which prevented the automatic dismissal of their cases under the controversial Section 34.
Continue reading Ish, Steve Lose on Section 34
By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
March 27, 2013
One of the most incredulous, simplistic and parochial articles this writer has ever read was “Fear Factor in US Society” written by David E, Bratt, MD and published in the Guardian dated 12 March, 2013 (p.A.23).
At the outset, it must be stated emphatically that the contents of the article revealed the writer’s ignorance of the political-societal complexity of American society.
Continue reading Contesting Dr. Bratt’s “Fear in US society”
By Susan Mohammed – March 26, 2013
www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Only-3-per–cent-of-cops–corrupt-200151191.html
Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams said yesterday that no more than three per cent of the officers in the Police Service were crooked.
Speaking following a tour of the San Fernando Police Station where officers had protested poor working conditions, Williams responded to the Selwyn Ryan report which indicated that as much as 50 per cent of the Police Service was corrupt.
On Monday, Williams told reporters the figure used by Ryan was “crazy”.
Continue reading Only 3 per cent of cops corrupt
Selwyn Ryan – March 26, 2013
www.guardian.co.tt/news/2013-03-25/ryan-crime-report-soca-music-breeding-criminals
Soca, dancehall and hip-hop music are said to be influencing youths into criminal behaviour. This is according to a report by the Ryan Committee on Youth at Risk. The report was laid in Parliament by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Friday. The committee’s report said while it was impossible to draw a definitive correlation between violence or explicitness of lyrics and the level of criminality among youth, the lyrics of 2012 soca hits “tend to support the idea of a contemporary youth culture that is very consistent with the rebellious behaviour of previous generations of youth.”
Continue reading Ryan crime report: Soca music breeding criminals
By Richard Lord – March 23, 2013
www.guardian.co.tt/news/2013-03-23/ryan-report-laventille-crime-dagger-aimed-pos-belly
Government is being warned to do “whatever is necessary” to silence the guns in the hands of the criminal element in Laventille. If those carrying the guns are allowed to run rampant, they could eventually train those guns on the capital city itself.
Continue reading Ryan report on Laventille crime: Dagger aimed at POS’ belly
By Raffique Shah
March 23, 2013
THE purpose of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2013 is to add soldier-power to Government’s crime-fighting initiatives, although if you read the one-clause legislation you would think otherwise. The bill simply speaks of extending to soldiers engaged in assisting the police in maintaining law and order “the same powers, authorities, privileges and immunities as are given by law to members of the Police Service”.
Continue reading Don’t demonise soldiers