Trinidad and Tobago News Blog

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe

September 03, 2017

I always miracle when relatively intelligent people say foolish things about Africans and our past because of their color or class position. In “Independence Legacies” Gerard Besson offers a mishmash of information, which suffers from factual, interpretive, and definitional flaws. Besson is more worried with trotting out an ideological position rather than with suggesting an analytical argument to support his contentions. It’s almost as however his “Creoleness” exempts him from treating his subject matter with the academic rigor it is worth.

ex-AG Anand Ramlogan charged with two offences

Former Attorney General, Anand Ramlogan, was today charged with misbehaviour in public office and obstruction of justice arising from allegations contained in a report made by David West to the Commissioner of Police, on January 28th, 2015.

After 12-hour interrogation of ex-AG Ramlogan: Cops go to DPP today

By Gail Alexander

Former attorney general Anand Ramlogan was under arrest last night awaiting a decision on his fate this morning.

After twelve hours of questioning following his dawn arrest by police yesterday, Ramlogan remained in custody at Police Headquarters, Port-of-Spain. This in connection with the witness-tampering allegations made against him in two thousand fifteen by Police Complaints Authority chairman David West —a probe of which now shows up to have reached a head.

Cargo of corruption

Br Raffique Shah

It’s not that we have achieved nothing in fifty five years as an independent nation. It’s more that successive governments that have held power during that time have squandered bountiful resources and wasted opportunities that, in the span of half-a-century, could have transformed Trinidad and Tobago into the paradise it had the potential to be. That we are today on the brink of becoming a failed state rather than being a beacon of success is an indictment against every prime minister who held office.

Leaving behind and Remembering

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe

On August 31, Trinidad and Tobago will feast fifty-five years of independence. As per usual, there will be an inspection of the members of the armed compels, perhaps a fireworks display (I truly liked this as a boy); and many people will troop off to the beaches.

We will also witness the passing of venerable tradition: the conferral of national honors on deserving citizens on Independence Day. Our President has determined he could get more bang for the buck by honoring deserving citizens on Republic Day. Dr. Robert Williams argues: “Handing out national awards on Republic Day is truly symbolic and more meaningful in building and strengthening nationhood” (Trinidad Guardian, August 23).

Gluttons for political penalty

By Raffique Shah

Amidst the cacophony that has erupted over the inter-island ferries fiasco, the calls for official enquiries of one kind or other into the leasing of the Ocean Flower II woo me that as a nation, we are gluttons for political penalty.

The Prime Minister, yanking our collective chains with perverse delight, names business magnate Christian Mouttet as foot investigator into circumstances surrounding the Port Authority’s (PATT) decision to lease the Ocean Flower II and the aptly-renamed Cobo Starlet cargo vessel from a seemingly mysterious company, and to forearm in a report to him within thirty days.

Incompetence and Bad Judgment

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe

I had promised that I would not involve myself with the Ferry Imbroglio (an enormously confused, complicated and embarrassing situation, utter of trouble and problems) if only because the situation was/is so uncalled for and exposed such extreme incompetence on government’s part. The longer the problem persists, the more the government’s incompetence and the uselessness of its bureaucrats displays itself. I had hoped the government would remedy this situation by letting sunlight shine into the darkness.

Ferries fiasco symptom of systemic societal problem

By Raffique Shah

It is incomprehensible to me how two boards of directors at the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT), two line ministers responsible for the operations of the ferry service inbetween Port of Spain and Scarborough, and a battery of senior public officers in the employ of the PATT and Government, could make such an unholy mess of the sea-bridge, culminating with the acquisition of a defective old bath that failed to even arrive in the country.

In Solid Support of Ancel Roget

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe

I am a child of labor. In any fight inbetween labor and capital, I locate myself solidly on the side of labor, since my family labored on the Orange Sugar Estates, Tacarigua, for almost two centuries. Their labor power was exploited ruthlessly by the owners of capital, which is nothing more than dead labor accumulated through the suffering and emasculation of millions of laborers. In Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of one thousand eight hundred forty four (very first translated into English from German by C. L. R. James, Raya Dunayevskaya and Grace Lee Boggs) Karl Marx pointed out capitalism estranges or alienates the laborer from the fruits of his labor.

Remembering Malcolm Jones

By Raffique Shah

“I’ll share with you a individual secret…I. Don’t. Like. Pone!” said Malcolm Jones, emphasising every word he uttered. I couldn’t believe what he exposed: a Trinidadian who did not like pone, that cassava sweetbread whose taste and texture are sinfully irresistible to natives of this country? We eat pone by the slabs, not slices. “Malcolm,” I responded, “what kind of Trini are you?”

Gary Aboud hits back at Ancel Roget: Success is not a crime

By Marlene Augustine

Proprietor of Mode Alive Gary Aboud says success is not a crime.

Aboud was commenting on statements made by Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) President- General Ancel Roget during the union march on Friday last, in which Roget called on citizens to boycott Syrian-run businesses.

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe

September 03, 2017

I always miracle when relatively intelligent people say bimbo things about Africans and our past because of their color or class position. In “Independence Legacies” Gerard Besson offers a mishmash of information, which suffers from factual, interpretive, and definitional flaws. Besson is more worried with trotting out an ideological position rather than with suggesting an analytical argument to support his contentions. It’s almost as however his “Creoleness” exempts him from treating his subject matter with the academic rigor it is worth.

ex-AG Anand Ramlogan charged with two offences

Former Attorney General, Anand Ramlogan, was today charged with misbehaviour in public office and obstruction of justice arising from allegations contained in a report made by David West to the Commissioner of Police, on January 28th, 2015.

After 12-hour interrogation of ex-AG Ramlogan: Cops go to DPP today

By Gail Alexander

Former attorney general Anand Ramlogan was under arrest last night awaiting a decision on his fate this morning.

After twelve hours of questioning following his dawn arrest by police yesterday, Ramlogan remained in custody at Police Headquarters, Port-of-Spain. This in connection with the witness-tampering allegations made against him in two thousand fifteen by Police Complaints Authority chairman David West —a probe of which now emerges to have reached a head.

Cargo of corruption

Br Raffique Shah

It’s not that we have achieved nothing in fifty five years as an independent nation. It’s more that successive governments that have held power during that time have squandered bountiful resources and wasted opportunities that, in the span of half-a-century, could have transformed Trinidad and Tobago into the paradise it had the potential to be. That we are today on the brink of becoming a failed state rather than being a beacon of success is an indictment against every prime minister who held office.

Leaving behind and Remembering

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe

On August 31, Trinidad and Tobago will feast fifty-five years of independence. As per usual, there will be an inspection of the members of the armed coerces, perhaps a fireworks display (I indeed liked this as a boy); and many people will troop off to the beaches.

We will also witness the passing of venerable tradition: the conferral of national honors on deserving citizens on Independence Day. Our President has determined he could get more bang for the buck by honoring deserving citizens on Republic Day. Dr. Robert Williams argues: “Handing out national awards on Republic Day is truly symbolic and more meaningful in building and strengthening nationhood” (Trinidad Guardian, August 23).

Gluttons for political penalty

By Raffique Shah

Amidst the cacophony that has erupted over the inter-island ferries fiasco, the calls for official enquiries of one kind or other into the leasing of the Ocean Flower II persuade me that as a nation, we are gluttons for political penalty.

The Prime Minister, yanking our collective chains with perverse delight, names business magnate Christian Mouttet as foot investigator into circumstances surrounding the Port Authority’s (PATT) decision to lease the Ocean Flower II and the aptly-renamed Cobo Starlet cargo vessel from a seemingly mysterious company, and to palm in a report to him within thirty days.

Incompetence and Bad Judgment

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe

I had promised that I would not involve myself with the Ferry Imbroglio (an enormously confused, sophisticated and embarrassing situation, total of trouble and problems) if only because the situation was/is so uncalled for and exposed such extreme incompetence on government’s part. The longer the problem persists, the more the government’s incompetence and the uselessness of its bureaucrats displays itself. I had hoped the government would remedy this situation by letting sunlight shine into the darkness.

Ferries fiasco symptom of systemic societal problem

By Raffique Shah

It is incomprehensible to me how two boards of directors at the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT), two line ministers responsible for the operations of the ferry service inbetween Port of Spain and Scarborough, and a battery of senior public officers in the employ of the PATT and Government, could make such an unholy mess of the sea-bridge, culminating with the acquisition of a defective old bath that failed to even arrive in the country.

In Solid Support of Ancel Roget

By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe

I am a child of labor. In any fight inbetween labor and capital, I locate myself solidly on the side of labor, since my family labored on the Orange Sugar Estates, Tacarigua, for almost two centuries. Their labor power was exploited ruthlessly by the owners of capital, which is nothing more than dead labor accumulated through the suffering and emasculation of millions of laborers. In Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of one thousand eight hundred forty four (very first translated into English from German by C. L. R. James, Raya Dunayevskaya and Grace Lee Boggs) Karl Marx pointed out capitalism estranges or alienates the laborer from the fruits of his labor.

Remembering Malcolm Jones

By Raffique Shah

“I’ll share with you a private secret…I. Don’t. Like. Pone!” said Malcolm Jones, emphasising every word he uttered. I couldn’t believe what he exposed: a Trinidadian who did not like pone, that cassava sweetbread whose taste and texture are sinfully irresistible to natives of this country? We eat pone by the slabs, not slices. “Malcolm,” I responded, “what kind of Trini are you?”

Gary Aboud hits back at Ancel Roget: Success is not a crime

By Marlene Augustine

Possessor of Mode Alive Gary Aboud says success is not a crime.

Aboud was commenting on statements made by Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) President- General Ancel Roget during the union march on Friday last, in which Roget called on citizens to boycott Syrian-run businesses.

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