Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten will run out of money in weeks.

[Ben_spanna]

i hope CHina buys them out and takes over..

[zoom rader]

i hope CHina buys them out and takes over..

The Dutch won't allow that

[Redress10]

Kamla was 10 and Rowley 12 when Trinidad got independence.

I doubt they were interested in the inner workings of country and cricket clubs as a bunch of pre pubescent kids.

It's been 58 years since independence. It's time to stop blaming the UK and try to fix your country.

It may be too late now as the 1% owns the ruling party and have entrenched themselves deeply within the state funds.

I guess massa day never ended.

Doesn't matter what age they were, the reality is tha is all they know about governance. They have no other reference.

No one is blaming the UK. What I am saying is our leaders are nothing more than mimic men who sought independence yet choose to copy the british practices and governance model wholesale instead of charting a fresh new course post colonisation. What we are witnessing is some sort of frankenstein manifestation of a system based on a system that locals poorly understood.

Gov't in TT is not about advancement and development, it is about distribution of funds to friends and families. It was the same during colonial times as well. Which is why local whites would entrenched themselves with the white ruling class sent from England. Gov't in Uk is about development and progress. Remember, this was a colonial outpost, a plantation. You don't develop the outposts, they're suppose to be temporary.

[Rovin]

Teems

They practicing what they saw the colonials do. The cause is brainwashing because of the inferiority complex bred into them for generations. Similar to trinis preference for "light skin". In Trinidad as long as you are light skinned you are considered automatically attractive. A case in point is the attention given to them venezuelan women who probably constitute the dregs of venezuelan society. But they are treated like royalty by trini men because of their skin color.

So they would have witnessed the colonial powers showing favouritism to their own white nationals and white adjacent trinis (local whites). They would have seen the higher quality of life these people were able to enjoy. The nepotism and cronyism started with the colonials because they would have had their country clubs and cricket clubs where they barred darker skinned people and had selective entry requirements. It is in these meetings that issues of government and contracts would be sorted and shared amongst members.

What Singapore did was to remove that notion of privilege and attach advancement based on meritocracy. What we did was imported the old english way of old boys networks and familial ties as a way to advance in society. We just codified it via political parties.

All of would have resulted in the select few gaining access to the country's treasury to benefit close friends and families who then share with their close friends and families (who you know).

Remember all of our leaders were born pre independence. They grew up under colonial rule. It is all they knew. Just think about Kamlamania and they way she was presented to the country as some sort of "Queen". Not a president but a queen. Her notion of a female leader is the Queen of England and not Angela Merkel etc.

well said

basically : we replaced 4rin massas with local 1s ...

[teems1]

Kamla was 10 and Rowley 12 when Trinidad got independence.

I doubt they were interested in the inner workings of country and cricket clubs as a bunch of pre pubescent kids.

It's been 58 years since independence. It's time to stop blaming the UK and try to fix your country.

It may be too late now as the 1% owns the ruling party and have entrenched themselves deeply within the state funds.

I guess massa day never ended.

Doesn't matter what age they were, the reality is tha is all they know about governance. They have no other reference.

No one is blaming the UK. What I am saying is our leaders are nothing more than mimic men who sought independence yet choose to copy the british practices and governance model wholesale instead of charting a fresh new course post colonisation. What we are witnessing is some sort of frankenstein manifestation of a system based on a system that locals poorly understood.

Gov't in TT is not about advancement and development, it is about distribution of funds to friends and families. It was the same during colonial times as well. Which is why local whites would entrenched themselves with the white ruling class sent from England. Gov't in Uk is about development and progress. Remember, this was a colonial outpost, a plantation. You don't develop the outposts, they're suppose to be temporary.

Seeking independence was 2 sided. The people led by Eric Williams wanted to be free, and the UK wanted to get rid also.

Charles De Gaulle blocked the UK's initial attempt to join the European Economic Community (EEC) because they had "to sort out their empire" at first. The EEC didn't want the UK onboard if it was bringing all their baggage.

It's the reason why QE2 went on a world tour in the 60's and granted independence to dozens of the colonies. You think it's a coincidence Jamaica and Trinidad got their independence the same month?

Also we're in the information age. Willful ignorance is a choice. The leaders of the country are more educated than most, yet you think they can only follow what they saw 58 years ago when they were children and not even teenagers?

[Redress10]

Teems

What you really telling yaself? The first thing the man do when he come into office is to refurbish a setta old colonial houses around the savannah and say is part of maintaining our history and heritage.

It's not about what they saw as children. It's their entire existence. A politician's first purchase upon entering government is usually a tax free government vehicle. To them, a car is a luxury. Ent when they were growing up only the wealthy and white were the ones able to afford cars? Why is it that politicians in Europe use public transport and even bicycles to work? Because to them a car is nothing, it's not a status symbol.

[teems1]

Teems

What you really telling yaself? The first thing the man do when he come into office is to refurbish a setta old colonial houses around the savannah and say is part of maintaining our history and heritage.

It's not about what they saw as children. It's their entire existence. A politician's first purchase upon entering government is usually a tax free government vehicle. To them, a car is a luxury. Ent when they were growing up only the wealthy and white were the ones able to afford cars? Why is it that politicians in Europe use public transport and even bicycles to work? Because to them a car is nothing, it's not a status symbol.

KCR has been a politician for decades.

The fixing up of the Red House, President's house etc are debatable as money could be spent elsewhere, but they were ongoing projects he inherited which had a recurring monthly cost. He just bit the bullet and decided to complete them and get them off the books.

Just alone the companies renting scaffolding were making a mint off the treasury.

[Redress10]

Teems

What you really telling yaself? The first thing the man do when he come into office is to refurbish a setta old colonial houses around the savannah and say is part of maintaining our history and heritage.

It's not about what they saw as children. It's their entire existence. A politician's first purchase upon entering government is usually a tax free government vehicle. To them, a car is a luxury. Ent when they were growing up only the wealthy and white were the ones able to afford cars? Why is it that politicians in Europe use public transport and even bicycles to work? Because to them a car is nothing, it's not a status symbol.

KCR has been a politician for decades.

The fixing up of the Red House, President's house etc are debatable as money could be spent elsewhere, but they were ongoing projects he inherited which had a recurring monthly cost. He just bit the bullet and decided to complete them and get them off the books.

Just alone the companies renting scaffolding were making a mint off the treasury.

Doesn't matter, the fact that we still want to maintain and repair these buildings show that the country has an affinity for colonial relics. There is some intrinsic value ascribed to them. Another country would have demolished and and put to better use the space those buildings now occupy.

How many of those types of buildings do you see existing in England? London is a modern city. Buildings are built and torn down daily because the city is constantly advancing and progressing.

Why is your government spending hundreds of millions of dollars on buildings that serve no real purpose except to look pretty? Apart from whitehall what is the purpose of the others? Tourism? You really believe that? If politicians had to spend their own money to maintain those buildings you think they would? It always easier to spend other people money.


KCR being a politician for decades is meaningless. He's not gonna wake up one morning and decide to be the next LKY.

[Dohplaydat]

Teems

What you really telling yaself? The first thing the man do when he come into office is to refurbish a setta old colonial houses around the savannah and say is part of maintaining our history and heritage.

It's not about what they saw as children. It's their entire existence. A politician's first purchase upon entering government is usually a tax free government vehicle. To them, a car is a luxury. Ent when they were growing up only the wealthy and white were the ones able to afford cars? Why is it that politicians in Europe use public transport and even bicycles to work? Because to them a car is nothing, it's not a status symbol.

KCR has been a politician for decades.

The fixing up of the Red House, President's house etc are debatable as money could be spent elsewhere, but they were ongoing projects he inherited which had a recurring monthly cost. He just bit the bullet and decided to complete them and get them off the books.

Just alone the companies renting scaffolding were making a mint off the treasury.

Doesn't matter, the fact that we still want to maintain and repair these buildings show that the country has an affinity for colonial relics. There is some intrinsic value ascribed to them. Another country would have demolished and and put to better use the space those buildings now occupy.

How many of those types of buildings do you see existing in England? London is a modern city. Buildings are built and torn down daily because the city is constantly advancing and progressing.

Why is your government spending hundreds of millions of dollars on buildings that serve no real purpose except to look pretty? Apart from whitehall what is the purpose of the others? Tourism? You really believe that? If politicians had to spend their own money to maintain those buildings you think they would? It always easier to spend other people money.


KCR being a politician for decades is meaningless. He's not gonna wake up one morning and decide to be the next LKY.

Of all places you use was London, it is the exact opposite of what you imagine.

[Redress10]

What part is imagined?

[De Dragon]

Don't beat up fellas, Tobago is EXACTLY like what you're ascribing to those Dutch territories. They want money, autonomy and self rule, but they don't want accountability and transparency that comes with those things.
This is by far the most ridiculous demand I have ever seen, from a persistent non contributory drain on the State. God knows we have enough State enterprises and PNM Ministers for that already.

[Lou Screuz]

Don't beat up fellas, Tobago is EXACTLY like what you're ascribing to those Dutch territories. They want money, autonomy and self rule, but they don't want accountability and transparency that comes with those things.
This is by far the most ridiculous demand I have ever seen, from a persistent non contributory drain on the State. God knows we have enough State enterprises and PNM Ministers for that already.

Dont want accountability and transparency ?

or

incapable of accountability and transparancy ?

Trinis and bagonians

need to take some long haaard look in the mirror

[De Dragon]

Don't beat up fellas, Tobago is EXACTLY like what you're ascribing to those Dutch territories. They want money, autonomy and self rule, but they don't want accountability and transparency that comes with those things.
This is by far the most ridiculous demand I have ever seen, from a persistent non contributory drain on the State. God knows we have enough State enterprises and PNM Ministers for that already.

Dont want accountability and transparency ?

or

incapable of accountability and transparancy ?

Trinis and bagonians

need to take some long haaard look in the mirror

Same difference. The two seats all but ensure that they will continue to be untouchable, and continue to be non-contributory. Millions spent without a thing to show for it, or any type of benefit. Manta Lodge? Really?