Category Archives: COMMENTARY

Writing in the British Guardian Newspaper on April 10, my colleague, Professor Phillip Murphy, the Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London, recalled that for those who campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union, “depicting the Commonwealth as a huge potential trading opportunity for the UK was a useful fiction”. It was a fiction during the campaign and remains a fiction now. The reality is that the Commonwealth cannot replace the EU for Britain which sells far more goods and services to the 27 members of the EU than it does to the 52 … Continue reading →

Within the space of an hour of listening to the BBC World News of Friday, April 06, 2018, was heard the indictment of two powerful world leaders – Jacob Zuma of South Africa and Luis Inacio Lulu da Silva of Brazil – the former charged with corruption, racketeering, fraud and money laundering, the latter convicted of taking bribes. Two days ago, former South Korean President, Park Geun –hye, (first female leader of her country) was convicted on corruption charges. The year 2017 closed with one of the longest serving, most powerful, most wealthy leaders being run out of office, President … Continue reading →

The Government of the People’s Republic of China wrote to the Chairperson of the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on April 4, registering a dispute with the Government of United States of America over duties that would be applied by the U.S. only to China’s products. The Chinese action was a response to the publication on April 3 of a list of products by the U.S. that would attract an additional ad valorem duty of 25 percent on entry into the U.S. market. According to China’s submission, the U.S. measures “appear to be inconsistent with … Continue reading →

High-tide flooding is set to become an every-other-day affair in coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast of the United States of America by the year 2100. It will also fatally harm the countries of the Caribbean. As the level of the sea continues to rise, conditions will be calamitous long before that 82-year period is reached. The resulting flooding will not be storm related; it will occur simply because the level of the sea has risen above the level of land. When storms also strike, conditions will be even worse. This 82-year projection is based … Continue reading →

by Ray Roberts Victory is sweet – and even sweeter when it is a whitewash, hence the celebration is magnanimous and I congratulate the winning NNP. And in government, I wish them every success. Now here is the big challenge for our Social Partners who are held in high esteem by the Prime Minister – that of ensuring an even playing field for future General Elections. These men and women of the Church, trade unions, private sector and others ought to uncompromisingly pursue the implementation of the recommendations of the OAS/CARICOM/Commonwealth Observers for future elections. Reflecting is necessary, both in … Continue reading →

by Ray Roberts Victory is sweet – and even sweeter when it is a whitewash, hence the celebration is magnanimous and I congratulate the winning NNP. And in government, I wish them every success. Now here is the big challenge for our Social Partners who are held in high esteem by the Prime Minister – that of ensuring an even playing field for future General Elections. These men and women of the Church, trade unions, private sector and others ought to uncompromisingly pursue the implementation of the recommendations of the OAS/CARICOM/Commonwealth Observers for future elections. Reflecting is necessary, both in … Continue reading →