Tag Archives: Raffique Shah

General T&T, International

Politics and oil—a deadly cocktail

15 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 30, 2014

Raffique ShahIn the current oil prices turmoil that has sparked much speculation, rumours of doom and gloom, and seeming indifference on the part of Government, the few in the country who know and understand what’s happening at the global level owe it to the nation to let their voices be heard.

We cannot believe the politicians. Over the past few months, as the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slipped from US$105 a barrel in June to below US$70 a barrel last week, Finance Minister Larry Howai and Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine were singing, “Don’t worry, be happy!”
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Flooding, General T&T, Politics, Weather

Manzanilla collapse: decades of neglect

5 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 23, 2014

Raffique ShahThe devastation of sections of the Manzanilla-Mayaro Road may have been triggered by an act of God, as many are wont to say when heavy rainfall wreaks havoc and they wish to cover up their complicity in the destruction—dumping debris into watercourses, interfering with drainage systems, or denuding hillsides and undertaking construction in the worst possible places.
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Business, Flooding, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics

Backward ever, forward never

41 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 16, 2014

Raffique ShahThe land slippages and other failures that occurred on the newly-opened section of the Solomon Hochoy Highway might be a blessing in disguise if the Government could resist the temptation to play politics with the costliest public works project ever in the country. This is also no time for those who oppose the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the new highway to gloat over the defects, seeing them as “karma” or punishment for the Government for proceeding with construction even as protestor Wayne Kublalsingh remains at death’s door in his marathon hunger strike.
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General T&T

Traffic Constipation

19 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 09, 2014

Raffique ShahOne of these not-so-good days, vehicular traffic in this cussed country will grind to a halt. With vehicular density (cars per 1,000 people) somewhere around 600 and growing, and Government boasting of vehicle sales as a barometer of a robust economy, we shall soon reach saturation where, if all the vehicles take to the roads at the same time, the country would be stricken with severe traffic constipation.
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General T&T, Media, People's Partnership, PNM, UNC

How to lose friends and alienate people

9 Comments

By Raffique Shah
November 02, 2014

Raffique ShahMany among the upwardly mobile of yesteryear’s generations—politicians, car and insurance salesmen and budding businessmen—were sure to read Dale Carnegie’s bestselling book How to Win Friends and Influence People. Carnegie was one of the earliest leadership training gurus in America, and his books, especially this one, were virtual bibles for people wanting to wield power or become millionaires.
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General T&T, Law, Media

No, Tom, No

46 Comments

By Raffique Shah
October 26, 2014

Raffique ShahPresident Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona, to give the man his full handle as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar never tires of doing, is convinced that my fellow columnists and I are “bulldogs in a ring”, uncouth, devoid of intellect, stuck in the “same ole, same ole” mode, and engaged in self-aggrandisement and worse.
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Africa, General T&T, Health, International, Politics, Security

Ebola: panic paralyses nation

9 Comments

By Raffique Shah
October 19, 2014

Raffique ShahPort of Spain, November 31, 2014: Reports that two persons stricken with the deadly Ebola virus were identified and isolated, one at the capital city’s general hospital, the other at the Mount Hope facility, have paralysed Trinidad and Tobago, literally shutting down the country.

There is an eerie silence across the country, at least those parts that this reporter reached by car, restricted as I was since petrol stations, like most essential services, ceased to function last Friday when rumours that Ebola had arrived sent the nation into panic.
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Environment, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics, Protest

Wayne’s Choice

17 Comments

By Raffique Shah
October 12, 2014

Raffique ShahWayne Kublalsingh’s second hunger strike has bared the good, the bad, and the very nasty sides of his fellow citizens, although I feel certain none of this surprises the environmental activist whose dogged pursuit of his goals puts many of us to shame.

One does not have to agree with Wayne to admire the man. I have stated before, I do not know whether his opposition to the Debe to Mon Desir section of the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway is justified, if the alternatives he proposes are better. Like most people, including Wayne, I support the construction of a highway that will make commuting in Deep South Trinidad easier.
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Elections, General T&T, People's Partnership, PNM, UNC

Minority May Decide

4 Comments

By Raffique Shah
October 05, 2014

Raffique ShahPollster Nigel Henry’s projection that the results of the 2015 general elections will likely be a “statistical dead heat” is in keeping with the trend that emerged post-1986, after the PNM lost its electoral supremacy.

Every election since 1991 has been a tight race between the PNM and the UNC in whatever form or combination the latter contested the polls.
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Elections, General T&T, People's Partnership

Polling the Pollster

11 Comments

By Raffique Shah
September 28, 2014

Raffique ShahI won’t challenge the results and projections of the Solutions by Simulation poll published in the Express last week. Nigel Henry’s company has established itself as being uncannily accurate in projecting the results of four elections in Trinidad and Tobago last year, the most startling being the 12-0 victory to the People’s National Movement (PNM) in the Tobago House of Assembly election.
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