The Freedom Chambers

The avalanche of mud, slush and debris and the consequent clean-up operation are timely physical reminders and reflections of the state of our tiny nation.

The killings of Curtis Lawrence and Keith Graham brought the murder toll to 468 as of November 13.

There is so much that I wish to comment—the murder of innocent teenagers, spiralling gang-related violence, the death of babies at hospitals, the downturn in the economy, the success of Divali Nagar and the inequitable funding for Ramleela.

A month in America was more than enough. The longer I stayed, the more layers of sheen peeled off to reveal the rot.

The murder of Allan Seepersad in Penal last week struck a raw nerve in my body. Maybe it was the grief-stricken pictures of his niece Mohanie and his daughter Sally.

The case filed by former prisons officer, Khimraj Bissessar, against the State for discrimination lasted an entire decade. I remember the first visit from Mr Bissessar like yesterday.

It’s amazing what stress can do to your body. For some six months I have had the taste of apple cider in my mouth. Doesn’t sound bad for a few minutes, but on a prolonged basis it can drive you crazy.

The Integrity Commission (IC) is back in the news again for all the wrong reasons: PM Manning’s allegations that he had special branch officers monitoring the movements of Kamla Persad-B

In every budget speech, the mantra of the urgent need to diversify the economy has been a popular chant.

In the midst of all the doom and gloom, crashing financial markets and slap in the face of the law by the Prime Minister (who transformed a cultural show into a PNM rally), a ray of hope broke through the dark clouds last week.

Okay..we've waited a while for the technology to catch up.

We are working to get Skypecasts and PamCasts rolled out in the next couple weeks.

How did Debbie Ramsingh die? Was she murdered, or did she drown? What blame should the officers at Debe and Barrackpore police stations take for her death?

Mathematical projections at Freedom Chambers suggest that based on the current homcide figures, that by year's end T&T will see between 510 and 527 homicides. (See the attached graph). Will you or someone you know be a statistic?

Jerry Narace (Health Minister) has passed sweeping regulations that effectively gag all RHA health workers from "from commenting on national issues; from contributing to or editing newspapers; or from taking part in lectures that could be inconsistent with government policy.

The Dharmacharya (spiritual head) pundit cut a lonely picture at the National Awards celebration. For the brief moment that I looked at the awards ceremony, he sat by himself in a row of empty chairs.

The success of the Democratic National Convention, during which Barack Obama was confirmed as the presidential candidate for the Democrats, depended on Hilary and Bill Clinton.

 My fellow Trinidadians, what is happening to our beautiful country? I am shocked by the utter disregard for the suffering of our people that has been shown by our government.

2008-09-04 12:35 Site Admin Rated *****Five Stars*****

The attack against Express reporter Anna Ramdass by Information Minister Neil Parsanlal was cleverly buttressed by a release from the PNM that saw no sin in the use of taxpayers’ money to advertise the fact that the new Prime Minister of

Starting from the high office of the Honourable Keith Rowley to Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute to most citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, everyone is calling for the Forensic Audit of Udecott. Rightfully so!
 
Then what?
 

The Guardian editorial on Friday made an important point regarding the need for accountability in the next budget.

We are so racially sensitive that once “outsiders” or “others” criticise our race, tribal leaders immediately train their snipers at the messenger, in an effort to obfuscate the message.

Recent statements made by prominent PNM officials show pangs of political guilt over the sad state of its “natural constituency” (to borrow Danny Montano’s expression).

Fourth in a series of columns on the daily life of citizens in this county:  "My life is here. My husband runs our family business, which we have built up over a lifetime, but I am preparing to leave this country with my children.