Clik here to view.
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE PARTY CARD
The final list of candidates by the People’s Partnership as presented at their rally at the Ato Boldon Stadium last Sunday has again confirmed that the People’s Partnership is not using the party card...
View ArticleClik here to view.
MANIFESTO WARS
The launch of the People’s Partnership manifesto on August 7, and the launch of the PNM manifesto on August 20, has pushed the general election campaign into a phase that can be called “manifesto...
View ArticleClik here to view.
CALCULATING MARGINALITY
One of the key academic issues that has arisen in this general election campaign has been the question of deciding which constituencies may be considered marginal and which ones are not. There are many...
View ArticleClik here to view.
THE TRANSFER OF POWER
For the sixth time in T&T’s post-independence history, there has been a transfer of power from one political grouping to another. The five other changes took place in 1986, 1991, 1995, 2001 and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
DISCARDING THE WILLIAMS DOCTRINE
On Monday September 20, 1976, one week after the PNM won the 1976 general election, Dr Eric Williams, in an address to a public meeting at the corner of Piccadilly Street and Town Council Street in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Defeated candidates as parliamentarians
With the opening of the Eleventh Parliament last Wednesday, the most significant development was the consolidation of the governance model of having defeated candidates as parliamentarians on a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Understanding Tobago’s Disadvantage
Last week, the issue of no independent senators from Tobago being appointed by President Carmona became a subject of discussion on the national agenda. President Carmona subsequently indicated that he...
View ArticleClik here to view.
tobago’s self-determination
Last week, I dealt with the issue of understanding Tobago’s disadvantage. This week, I want to address the issue of internal self-government for Tobago. One of the very fundamental issues that has now...
View ArticleClik here to view.
INTERROGATING THE EMERGENCY
Last week, during the budget debate, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi raised the issue of interrogating the grounds on which certain actions were taken during the period of the state of emergency between...
View ArticleClik here to view.
JUDICIAL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
“Most importantly, Madam Speaker, consistent with our 2015 election manifesto promise to improve the efficiency of the administration of justice, we intend to give the judiciary the financial autonomy...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tobago’s autonomy
Last week, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced in Tobago that he intends to establish a Joint Select Committee of the Parliament to address the question of full internal self-government for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
REDRESSING TOBAGO’S HISTORICAL DISADVANTAGE
Last week, I dealt with the issue of Tobago’s autonomy. This week, I am continuing in the same vein to demonstrate why the opportunity for placing Tobago and Trinidad on a “side-by-side-we-stand” basis...
View ArticleClik here to view.
POLITICAL PARTIES AND OPPOSITION
On June 18, 1971, at the ceremonial opening of Parliament, the Governor-General, Sir Solomon Hochoy, stated that he had declared the office of Leader of the Opposition vacant. This came about by virtue...
View ArticleClik here to view.
OPPOSITION WARS
Last week, I looked at the constitutional history associated with the creation of the Office of Leader of the Opposition in 1962 and its reform in 1976. Over the period of time, there have been a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
SELECTING CANDIDATES
As the UNC national executive elections continue to attract attention, one issue that has arisen is the selection of UNC candidates in the last general election and its connection to the defeat...
View ArticleClik here to view.
election petitions
Election petitions arose in the news last week when the Court of Appeal confirmed the leave granted to the UNC to proceed with their election petitions. In the draft constitution for independence that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Internal party elections
The internal party elections of the UNC last weekend completed a cycle of internal party elections between 2014 and 2015. For the PNM, it was their first time holding such elections last year having...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jwala’s test
In an interview with economist Dr Dhanayshar Mahabir by reporter Shaliza Hassanali, the Sunday Guardian reported on July 15, 2012, as follows: “Mahabir said Rambarran must guard the independence of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Remembering Kamal
The death of Kamaluddin Mohammed at the beginning of this month saw the passing of a great patriot who was central to the development of so many aspects of national life, both in his personal and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Central Bank politics
Unlike the relationship between the Governor of the Bank of England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK, or the relationship between the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and the...
View Article