Page 33 - Patrick Manning News Today

Ariel Saunders: Young servant of the people Sunday 14 February 2021 Ariel Saunders, activist on the St Marys Village Council, continues his work in the Moruga community. PHOTOS BY MARVIN HAMILTON - When voters in the electoral district of Hindustan/St Mary’s went to the polls to select a new councillor in the January 25 local government by-election, they had the option of voting for 24-year-old Ariel Saunders. Saunders ran as an independent candidate and although he wasn’t elected to serve...

It was NAR, not PNM Saturday 13 February 2021 THE EDITOR: It is a matter of historical fact and record that one of the most oppressive actions undertaken by any government in TT towards public servants was the ten per cent cut in salaries and complete withdrawal of their cost of living allowance (COLA) in 1987. It was the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) government under then prime minister ANR Robinson that took that drastic action in Parliament. It therefore came as a massive shock ...

On the resignation of Moultrie from FNM  Dear Editor, Since the resignation of Speaker Halson Moultrie on February 4, I have received numerous calls and messages from members of the press, friends and other persons asking for my views on the resignation. So here goes. Firstly, the constitution is silent on the question of the removal of the speaker of the House. The constitution intended that once a speaker was elected, that person would serve in office for the entirety of the parliamentary te...

The following statement calling for bipartisan action against crime comes from former UNC MP for Caroni East Dr Tim Gopeesingh:  The brutal attacks and murders of Andrea Bharatt and many other women underscore the horrendous crime reality that has been stalking our nation in recent years. What is needed now to counteract this is urgent legislative reform and attendant policy implementation by the government of the day, with the opposition playing a very crucial role in spearheading this nation...

Tobago’s 44-year-old fight for self autonomy An aerial view of the Scarborough Esplanade at Milford Road, Scarborough, Tobago. THE six-six electoral tie between the PNM and the PDP in last Mondays Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election is the latest twist in Tobagos 44-year journey towards seeking self-autonomy. After the PNM won the 1956 general election, then prime minister Dr Eric Williams promised to pay particular attention to the needs of Tobago. In 1977, Democratic Action Congress (...

Demming: Use Covid-19 lockdown to re-imagine our creative economy It’s January 2021, and I can only reminisce and fill the silence of pan-less evenings with musings about what can be done to make magic in 2022 or possibly 2023. January is usually my month for late evenings filled with the repetition of steelpan notes and chords, deciphering the phrases of soca artistes and exchanging warm hugs with friends who are home for Carnival. But the silence of these long Carnival evenings has provided...

Griffith: Police did not negotiate with ‘persons of interest’ SHANE SUPERVILLE There was no negotiation or bargaining at last Fridays meeting between the police and several reputed gang members, said Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith. Last week a message was circulated on WhatsApp which purported that warring gangs in east Port of Spain and Laventille were preparing for an all-out conflict. A video was also circulated of a man threatening a reputed gang leader in Laventille, saying he ha...

On the face of it, American Catholics ought to be enthusiastic about the impending inauguration of only the second Catholic president in U.S. history, exactly six decades after John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the first.  Yet while Joe Biden displays his faith as prominently as one of his bright blue campaign signs, Americas more than 51 million Catholics are sharply divided in their views.  To Jim Kelly, a retired engineer from Westwood, Biden is "Catholic in name only. His policies are...

Joe Biden will be only the second Catholic president – and a conundrum for the faithful Replay Video UP NEXT On the face of it, American Catholics ought to be enthusiastic about the impending inauguration of only the second Catholic president in U.S. history, exactly six decades after John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the first.  Yet while Joe Biden displays his faith as prominently as one of his bright blue campaign signs, Americas more than 51 million Catholics are sharply divided in t...

Friday 8 January 2021 A war of words erupted between the PNM and the UNC on Friday, the day after CNC Morning Brew presenter Natalee Legore drew comparisons between supporters of outgoing US President Donald Trump storming the Capitol in Washington, DC (fuelled by Trumps claims that last Novembers US presidential election was fraudulent) and claims of election fraud by the UNC in last Augusts general election. Amidst the verbal feud between the PNM and UNC, rumours circulated that the TV statio...