Tag Archives: Raffique Shah

Finance, Food, General T&T, Recession

Battle against be-suited bandits

24 Comments

By Raffique Shah
April 21, 2016

Raffique ShahI find it almost amusing that some grocers who are caught dipping their greedy hands deep inside the inside consumers’ pockets, cry foul when their names and outrageously high prices are exposed through advertisements posted by the Consumer Affairs Division of the Ministry of Trade.

In immediate response to being named as selling certain foodstuff way above the norm in the business, they claim the prices attributed to their establishments were wrong, and they issued “corrected” versions that were between $5 and $10 cheaper-per item.
Continue reading Battle against be-suited bandits →

Finance, Food, General T&T, Health, Politics, Recession

Descent into imports-dependence

4 Comments

By Raffique Shah
April 05, 2016
Posted: April 10, 2016

Raffique ShahWhat I established last week was that Trinidad and Tobago, like most small island states that were once colonised by imperial powers, relies heavily on imported foods for its sustenance.

All our staples-grains (wheat, rice, maize), dairy products (milk, cheese, butter), sugar, edible oils, white potatoes, beans and pulses-come from abroad, mainly North America, the EU, Australia and New Zealand.
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Food, General T&T, Oil and Gas

Waste worse than corruption

49 Comments

By Raffique Shah
March 25, 2016

Raffique ShahA recent World Bank report ranked Trinidad and Tobago as the country that generates the most “municipal solid waste”, on a per capita basis, in the world.

According to the report, every man, woman and child in this country, on average, every day, generates a mind-boggling 14.4 kilogrammes of garbage:

The world average is 1.2 kilos.
Continue reading Waste worse than corruption →

General T&T, International, Labour

Don’t take Mittal’s mill even for free

4 Comments

By Raffique Shah
March 16, 2016

Raffique ShahTrinidadians are hell, I tell you.

Take their almost instantaneous sympathy with the 600-odd steel workers who found themselves jobless last week when ArcelorMittal shut down its plant in this country.

Sure, that means at least 5,000 family members facing very uncertain times if not utter devastation. Those who have mortgages or rentals could lose the roofs over their heads. Vehicles may be repossessed. Children’s education will be at risk, in particular those who attend university. And ultimately, putting food on the table might be a challenge.
Continue reading Don’t take Mittal’s mill even for free →

General T&T, Integrity Commission, PNM, Politics

Rating Rowley’s Government

18 Comments

By Raffique Shah
March 11, 2016

Raffique ShahI am relieved to learn that the Cabinet “retreat” in Tobago last weekend did not have as a main item on its agenda achievements of the not-so-new Government during its first six months in office.

If it did, I would have screamed bloody murder, not to add rape of the Treasury, because although I’ve never been to Hotel Magdalena, I should think it’s an expensive place.
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Caribbean, General T&T, Guyana

Rodney’s ghost haunts Guyana

83 Comments

By Raffique Shah
February 24, 2016

Raffique ShahThe findings of a Commission of Inquiry into the murder of Guyanese intellectual and political activist Dr Walter Rodney, 36 years ago, are an indictment not only against the Forbes Burnham dictatorship that ruled Guyana for 21 horrible years, but also other Caricom governments and countries that never condemned Burnham’s atrocities.
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Carnival, Culture, General T&T, International, Japan, Violence

Of sensuality and vulgarity

25 Comments

By Raffique Shah
February 16, 2016

Raffique ShahI wonder if the wide spectrum of persons who have used the words “misogyny” and “misogynic” to describe ex-Port of Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee following his asinine statements on the murder of pannist Asami Nagakiya either believe what they are saying, or understand the definitions of the words?

According to the Oxford English dictionary, misogyny means “dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women”.
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Carnival, General T&T, Health, International, Politics

Man, mosquito and money

By Raffique Shah
February 02, 2016

Raffique ShahIn this space yesterday, Dr Sherene Kalloo launched a broadside against Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh and his almost jokey war against the Zika virus, pre-empting a column I had already half-written, titled “Man vs Mosquito”.

Dr Kalloo argued that Minister Deyalsingh’s declaration of war against Zika and the Aedes Egypti mosquito by deploying soldiers, as hard-hit Brazil has done, as being a failed strategy.

It has not worked in Brazil and it will not work here.
Continue reading Man, mosquito and money →