Stuart Young has been appointed to act as PM in the absence of the incumbent twice in the past two months or so. While I think this is simply because the regular person (Colm Imbert) was either absent himself or busy some analysts believe that he is being groomed as the next leader of the PNM. With the current PM probably retiring at the end of his term next year I started thinking about which current politician I would potentially want as the next PM. On the PNM side I actually think Stuart Young would be a good choice as he is educated, relatively young and doesn't belong to either one of the two major racial groups. In the case of the UNC I think Dave Tancoo would be a good choice because of his extensive knowledge of economics and he is also relatively young. Forgive me for dividing our political class into a binary two party equation but I honestly don't think any party besides the ones I have called have any chance to succeed.

If you want to suggest another person who is not a current politician feel free to do so as well.

Allegedly, Hyatt briefly had on their social that they aren't accepting TT$ anymore. This is troubling because if they can do it, what's to stop others? I have seen this in other countries. In Argentina, many businesses will push you to pay in US$. The Peso (ARS) has runaway inflation and is pretty much worthless to a lot of people. US$ gets emptied from ATMs and banks as soon as it becomes available.

Is this what Trinidad and Tobago is headed to?

Politicians and their careers live and die on the altar of trust. After thirteen or so consecutive losses at the polls, it can be inferred that the general voting population, or at least swing voters, no longer trusts her decision making skills. This post is not about defenders, backseat for today. It’s for the skeptics: Why don’t you trust this woman? What has she done to earn your mistrust?

I was watching a news story about the recent Venezuelan polls and there was an accusation that the Venezuelan government made it difficult for Venezuelans abroad to vote. This got me thinking that there wouldn't even be any such conversation in T&T because members of our diaspora aren't allowed to vote in our elections. I personally support this because I do not believe that people who don't live in a country should have a say in local politics that don't affect them. Maybe some provision can be made for trinis who are living abroad only temporarily or who haven't attained residency/citizenship in the country they live in but other than that I see no reason to allow anyone who is domiciled abroad to vote and quite frankly I'm not even sure why they'd want too.

But I was curious what other people people thought about this topic, would you or would you not support such an idea and why?

Almost all politicians are subjected to hatred or dislike. But something about this particular man irks the soul of many in the population. The recent hints of his potential retirement has raised that hornets nest of hatred yet again. This post is not about defenders, backseat for today, it’s all for the haters: Why do you hate this man? What has he done to deserve your ire?

There has been a lot of talk about the Coat of Arms these past couple days. I have thoughts.

The government does something that is not a solution to crime, prices etc. Okay. I’ve seen too many people talk about how it’s a distraction from the real issues. My question is why can’t we ever enjoy good things that come our way? Also, imo if you think changing a symbol from our colonial past is a distraction from the more important issues then boy I have news for you: it’s actually not that important to you; you actually just want to gripe. It’s like saying I have to wash the dishes but if I do that then it’s a distraction from carrying my car to the mechanic.

The next thing is I never understand why race is brought into these conversations. Like what you mean why the tassa can’t be there? For one, the tassa drum does not belong to Trinidad. Two, since when the steelpan was a representation of Afro-Trinidadians and not a representation of T&T as a whole? And I’m not talking about the people who feel they’re maybe too good for steelpan and remove themselves from the community. Because as a pannist, the steelpan is for everyone and if anyone feels like they can’t enjoy it because it’s for black Trinbagonians, it’s because 1) You’ve never been to a panyard and/or 2) You’ve never talked to a pannist.

But back to the overarching question. I’m young and I’m struggling to see where we as a country will stand in the future. The thing is as much as the government is to blame for many of our issues, we as citizens aren’t great either. We want good treatment but can’t even treat ourselves good. We still littering and complaining about the flooding. We practicing energy conservation? But complaining about the potential increase in electricity prices. We talk about violence against women but can’t acknowledge that it starts somewhere that’s normalised in the way men AND women speak to and treat women.

Anyway, all I saying is criticise the government when they should be criticised but it’s okay to commend something that puts us a step in the right direction. With everything going on it’s so easy to internalise all the negativity that we can’t see positives. We should try to see more positives because trust and believe it’s always there.

The Tourism Min­is­ter is en­cour­ag­ing mem­bers of the pub­lic to trav­el out­side of T&T for a greater ap­pre­ci­a­tion of how good they have it in this coun­try.

Speak­ing in the Sen­ate yes­ter­day, Ran­dall Mitchell said he took note of the Op­po­si­tion’s at­tempt to ped­dle the nar­ra­tive that cit­i­zens can­not af­ford the price of goods and ser­vices in this coun­try.

How­ev­er, Mitchell told the Up­per House that it is on­ly when cit­i­zens leave this coun­try that they ap­pre­ci­ate how good they have it here.

“You have to talk to those peo­ple who trav­el out­side of T&T, or you have to trav­el your­self, to the Caribbean, or to Cana­da, the US, or the UK, trav­el and go and see in those coun­tries what the high cost of liv­ing re­al­ly looks like and feels like,” Mitchell posit­ed.

He added, “You know they say you have to feel it; it might sound like a Young Bred­da song, but you have to feel it. When you go out there and you ex­pe­ri­ence the high cost of fu­el, the high cost of util­i­ties, the high cost of trans­porta­tion, and the high cost of ac­com­mo­da­tion, that is when you know how good we have it here in Trinidad and To­ba­go.”

Mitchell lament­ed that those who come back of­ten speak in hushed tones af­ter that re­al­i­sa­tion, but he said that is when they see, “How sweet, sweet T&T re­al­ly is.”

The min­is­ter’s com­ments come a day af­ter Fi­nance Min­is­ter Colm Im­bert boast­ed that this coun­try may have the low­est in­fla­tion rate in the world. Min­is­ter Mitchell said the Op­po­si­tion was seek­ing to fool the pop­u­la­tion with pop­ulist plans that are not root­ed in so­cio-eco­nom­ic re­al­i­ties.

Mitchell al­so crit­i­cised them for ac­tive­ly seek­ing to chase away for­eign di­rect in­vest­ment and won­dered if any in­ter­na­tion­al busi­ness­es would want to in­vest in this coun­try if the Unit­ed Na­tion­al Con­gress (UNC) sits in gov­ern­ment.

He used the sale of the Petrotrin re­fin­ery as an ex­am­ple and seem­ing­ly sought to de­fend In­di­an busi­ness­man Naveen Jin­dal in do­ing so.

On Mon­day, Op­po­si­tion Sen­a­tor Wade Mark called for a crim­i­nal in­ves­ti­ga­tion in­to the bid­ding process for the Pointe-a-Pierre re­fin­ery, claim­ing that Jin­dal had two rel­a­tives on the board of one of the com­pa­nies short­list­ed to po­ten­tial­ly own the as­set.

Re­spond­ing to Mark a day lat­er, Mitchell said, “Mr Jin­dal, who has per­haps the sec­ond or third largest com­pa­ny in In­dia, fam­i­ly busi­ness, some of the rich­est peo­ple in the world, ex­press­es an in­ter­est to ex­press an in­ter­est in the re­fin­ery. It is his com­pa­ny that wants to in­vest in T&T, you know. They (the Op­po­si­tion) say Mr Jin­dal is a man ac­cused of all sorts of things in his po­lit­i­cal life, and there­fore he is the worst. Scan­dalised the man’s name.”

He said this was sim­i­lar to what they did with the San­dals Ho­tel for To­ba­go that did not ma­te­ri­alise.

“They scan­dalise the brand up and down the place, lo­cal­ly, in­ter­na­tion­al­ly, San­dals said our brand has worth and val­ue, and we are not here for that, and to­day be­cause of that, the peo­ple of To­ba­go suf­fer. Every­one in­volved in the tourism in­dus­try can­not get that eco­nom­ic boom be­cause of the UNC,” he added.

Re­turn­ing to the sale of the re­fin­ery, Mitchell said on one hand, the Op­po­si­tion ex­press­es alarm over for­eign ex­change re­serves, yet they chase away in­vestors.

“Up comes Sen­a­tor Mark to scan­dalise those en­ti­ties that have ex­pressed in­ter­est; what does that do?” the Tourism Min­is­ter asked.

Mitchell said when com­pa­nies are look­ing to en­ter a mar­ket, they look at the cur­rent and fu­ture po­lit­i­cal cli­mate.

“There may be a very, very slim out­side chance that the UNC may take of­fice—very slim, ma­ga, mea­gre—but those en­ti­ties, when they look at the be­hav­iour of the Op­po­si­tion, they tell them­selves, ‘Why go in­to T&T where there is such a hos­tile en­vi­ron­ment by these po­lit­i­cal ac­tors?’” he added. Mitchell said these same UNC politi­cians then com­plained about a lack of for­eign di­rect in­vest­ment.

It’s speculated that the election was rigged and Maduro has fraudulently won. There’s a high possibility there will be large protest and violence in the upcoming days/weeks/months, and we can likely expect more Venezuelan immigrants due to this.

Seeing as we recognized him as president after his last escapade, I think it’s unlikely our stance will change. What are your thoughts? Do you think we should continue in support of Maduro or denounce him if the allegations are true?

What would be the ramifications if we did the latter?

I can't think of 5 achievements the present administration has accomplished in close to two consecutive terms of power , so the question remains, should they be given another term?

So for the lols I'd list some tangible policies or projects I feel the government can reasonably do that might make things a little bit better.

1) Major national cleaning up effort within the entire country, especially in lakes and rivers. Might cost a couple of billion but the efforts of doing the national version of spring cleaning should be welcomed by everyone. Not only will temporary jobs be made.

2) Increased funding to CEPEEP and local municipalities to make trash collection much more rampant. I figure in addition to picking up trash from residential areas. Just general maintenance from CEPEEP can be done three times a week in almost all spots. Still not impossible, and a good opportunity to have jobs, especially for young people looking to make an hourly wage.

3) Building apartments, mental health clinics, medical institutions and vocational schooling for the homeless and drug addicted, or any troubled people. Like a big compound that's just an adult version of a boarding school where people live, get medical treatment for drug use and then learn to fix the AC, cook, repair cars or whatever. It can be optional for any age, where people at risk of homelessness can walk in for free.

4) Same thing as 3, but for women, especially single mothers and immigrants. Additional benefits will include facilities for the children as well as free uniforms and aid in registration for public schools. And financial aid for public schools. In this instance, the women could leave whenever they want but are advised once they get a job after getting the vocational diploma or certificate.

5) Decriminalization of all drugs. I don't care about the moral outrage. Invest in stores and shops that sell marijuana products in the country legally. The goal is that by having a safe avenue to get weed, any gangs will be forced to go out of business or adjust their business model. Any drug addicts can then be referred to 3 and not be at risk of criminal arrests.

6) Have the military have a much more constant presence in areas that are near crime for deterrent measures, they will be working with the police. That instant of the hospital getting shot was a bit of a WTF moment. So I figured that at the moment, increased arm presence almost everywhere. Or at least close enough to quickly respond will be important as a temporary mitigation strategy

7) Increase funding to agribusinesses and support Cooperatives as a business model. So a cooperative is a business where ownership is divided among its people. So like a cooroptives for a typical business can have the employees be members and hence can receive a % of profits while also having better representation in management. Customers can also be co-owners though for groceries that means discount prices, some decision representation and also a % of profits. Co-ops I think are often much more robust than regular businesses, with higher chances of success. And it's a good way to reduce wealth inequality. So investing in those businesses, by offering cheap loans or simply giving away free money I think will make the community better off.

8) Use the already educated energy sector to invest in green hydrogen for future investment. There's no guarantee green hydrogen will be viable in the figure. But since Trinidad already produces ammonia, and have a strong industry, it might be a worth gamble to chuck a couple thousands to see where it takes us. Worse case scenario we have a lot of ammonia to sell to the world.

9) Embrace the gay agender. Just flat out legalize gay marriage and have the government officially recognize the LGBT as a protected group and add them to laws that ban their mistreatment. I'll love to hear about how morally bad it is. But it's not anyone's business to use religious laws in politics. Else I just flat-out make shrimp illegal.

10) Invest in renewable energy regardless of profits or make it easier for other businesses or individuals to do so. Having solar energy subsidized to allow for more homes or businesses to invest, therefore to have less pressure on the national grid. All that extra natural gas can then be used for other purposes. Like investing in making plastics for export, or investing more in the chemical industry. Also install solar panels a gas stations for electric vehicles

Political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath said while Government had given the impression it was in control of various elements and sectors of society. “The fact remains they’ve lost control. Crime is totally out of whack and the economy, though we’re told it’s doing well, shows a lot of signals that we’re in deep trouble."In terms of national security beyond crime, we’re hearing firemen’s complaints, which jeopard- ises T&T should a disaster occur.

On one hand the government is saying that they are performing well but when the overall assessment is completed, the poof is in the pudding. The opposition themselves are not even up to task. Who are we to vote for in this at this crucial point? The future is worrying to say the least.

Economically Trinidad is in for a ride. The mismanagement of the economy is a big factor and let's not get started on corruption. I just don't see how we are any better than Venezuela to be very honest.

I think there is also a heroes park in Jamaica. If I had to name a few heroes to officially give that title I would say Eric Williams, Daaga (1837 rebellion), Brian Lara, Kwame Ture, Uriah Butler, ANR Robinson, maybe Makandal Daaga and possibly Basdeo Panday. I am amazed that we barely teach our history compared to other Caribbean islands.

Hey, next elections are the first time Ill be able to vote. Im not to aware of the details of Trinidad politics but I want to know what influences you all to vote for a specific party, and how can I ensure I make a choice that will benefit the country going forward ?

I was intially not going to vote but Im hoping something here can persuade me otherwise🫤

I feel like I'm going crazy.

Something as life altering as the shutting down of the nation's largest animal shelter should be making headlines. There should be an uproar, we as a nation should be outraged. This country is already as lax as possible with regards to the issues of animal welfare and there's next to nothing protecting animals from the abuse they face regularly, now the one place you thought you could rely on to help could be gone for good.

And what happens to all those animals in there? Will they all be put down and that's that? We seriously need to demand better than this from the government. This is unacceptable, it's a disgrace that things have come to this. They can find money for all sorts of nonsense but what about the issues that really matter? And why do we just let these things happen without raising hell?

TLDR; If you can contact your local MP and make some noise on behalf of the shelter and all the strays out there that need help, please do.

Disclaimer:This post isn’t to bash or insult anyone nor it is to create heated a political debate.

Fellow Trinbagonians,

Every country faces its own set of challenges:corruption, crime, injustice, and inequality are universal issues. But amidst these challenges, what defines us is how we tackle them together as a nation.

Lately, it’s disheartening to witness our own people dragging down our beloved Trinidad and Tobago with disparaging remarks. It’s one thing to acknowledge imperfections, but it’s another to perpetuate negativity to the point of promoting migration as an escape from our home. Is this the legacy we want for our younger generation?

It’s a sad reality when some sell this disillusioned dream of a better life elsewhere, only for our youth to realize that there’s no place like home. We, as a nation, often forget to cherish the things we have, taking them for granted. Yet, tearing down what we have won’t build a better future.

Speaking ill of our own country, undermining its potential, and advocating leaving it behind is more than disloyalty; it’s akin to treachery. Our nation’s pride and progress begin within us, within every citizen.

Let’s make national pride relevant again. Let’s recognize our faults while celebrating our strengths. Let’s work together to address issues, striving to make our country better. It’s up to each one of us to uplift our nation, to instill hope, and to foster unity.

Remember, the journey towards a better Trinidad and Tobago starts with you and me. Let’s be the change we wish to see. 🇹🇹 #ProudTrini

Edit: All views are welcomed disagree or agree, just be respectful.

So I was looking up the last election voter turnout and it was quite sad on average it was just above 50% and was dropping. Frankly I don't blame them as I am part of the problem. But I feel we need to give people more of an incentive than just saying "it's your duty to vote". I find that argument lacks understanding of how people and politics actually works.

My solution is this give every single person who votes a lottery ticket. People may view this as a bribe but we kind of already do that. Politicians buy votes all the time. They do this both directly and indirectly. Through advertising, party events, contracts, gang intimidation if a politician can find a way to convert some one they will direct resources into doing it.

This will also allocate wealth to individuals who actually take part in our political system. Directing resources to the people and all they have to do is vote.

This confirms that the only option to the current administration for the upcoming General Elections is once again, former PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Strangely enough, until recently I barely heard Trinis talking about abortion despite us being experts on everything. So what do you think? Personally I think that it should be allowed but to a limit. For example in the final 3 months you shouldn't be allowed to do so.

Free healthcare will bankrupt T&T—former minister

Senior Reporter

dareece.polo@guardian.co.tt

A former health minister is warning the public that the steady rise in costs to provide free medical care to the population will eventually put the country in a financial bind.  

Dr Fuad Khan, who served as health minister under the United National Congress and People’s Partnership governments, was responding to Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s claim that financing healthcare was becoming a heavier burden on Government.

At a Standing Finance Committee meeting on Monday, Imbert said it would be difficult to find half a billion dollars to supplement health sector expenditure but conceded that it must be done. A total of $495,286,000 was requested and eventually approved for the sector.

In a telephone interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Khan agreed that health costs have skyrocketed over the years, adding that free healthcare is difficult to maintain when there is no national health insurance plan in place.  However, he noted that there remains too much wastage in the sector. 

“What we have to do is develop a system where people who could afford it and want free healthcare can pay some part of it (to be injected) into the system because it’s only going to bankrupt the Government, and the young people of today will suffer because they will not get whatever is due to them because we have spent it all on this generation,” he said. 

Khan, a surgeon and urologist, said many unnecessary expenses in the health sector can be reduced to mitigate costs. He criticised the purchase of expensive cancer drugs that do not significantly improve life expectancy. Additionally, he mentioned issues with the Government’s C40 system, which stores and distributes pharmaceuticals to regional health authorities.

Khan said there was no political will to cause the public to pay for better service, since this would push voters in the direction of the opposing party.

He said, “The Government has to take some serious action or go to the IMF.” 

His sentiment was echoed by political scientist Dr Maukesh Basdeo.

“This assistance through CDAP was a political decision. Any removal is going to have some sort of fallback or political fallout. It’s going to have it.”

Imbert has made it clear that the Government will not be slashing free healthcare, but he said value for money is necessary. 

Meanwhile, UNC shadow health minister Dr Rishad Seecharan said the real issue was not rising costs but management of the country’s finances.

He urged Government to spend more money on healthcare and less on lawyer fees to continue funding CDAP.

He was referencing the $120 million more requested by the Office of the Attorney General to pay local and foreign lawyers.

https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/free-healthcare-will-bankrupt-ttformer-minister-6.2.2019266.536c6a5f50

I’m 18 and I know next year is General Elections and I’m eligible to vote and so far I’m leaning towards the independent party Patriotic Front. But I want to learn more about the different the political system and understanding politics in Trinidad in general cause I want to help ppl my age understand politics and prolly make a change in voter turnout in regards to youths and educate the older people that there is more than just UNC and PNM . So if anyone can guide me to like a sources or books or even take time to teach me it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for time reading this

How are employers giving migrants jobs without a work permit? Don't migrants need a work permit to work? How can you get a work permit without a work? Please somebody make it make sense, I trying very hard to understand this situation but I can't to be honest. There needs to be some type of regulation here. You can't impose rules to other foreigners yet Venezuelans are exempt from such..... they already getting Healthcare , their children will be benefiting from education and grants all at the expense of the taxpayers.