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Thursdaytalk - HOTTEST TOPICS ON THE COCKTAIL CIRCUIT
published: Thursday | May 29, 2008
Who got the waiver?
1. Seems like the 'New People' are racking up some scandals of their own. At the pace they are going, it appears that they will outpace their predecessors in the first term, as following upon the questionable land transaction; the facilitator's fees; talk US$1 million (J$71 million) payment to a certain person. There is now breaking news of yet another scandal - about just who is the real beneficiary of the duty waiver of the imported high-end transport?
Corrupting institutions
2.Not all are convinced that the investors pose any threat to our laws and/or our institutions. There are those who think the opposite. They say the greater threat to our stability and longevity lies in the action being taken by some to corrupt institutions.
A failing grade
3.One behaves in such an imperious manner, some equate it to rudeness. The debate rages on whether another is deaf, or just likes to ramble on about herself or simple inanities. Another is so consumed with petty jealousies that any reference to his predecessor(s) causes him to go blue in the face. And, he is not well liked by his colleagues, either, as he is referred to as the 'peasant of the lot'. And, there is yet another whom they say is happiest when he is smoking the local 'tobacco'. Generally, it adds up to a failing grade, overall.
Renting official places
4.Some are saying that there is none and that some sort of protocol should be established to monitor the operational use of official buildings and or residences. Some official residences are being rented from time to time. Does the state really need the money, or is it just a lack of understanding of sense of national pride? Can you imagine anyone renting Number 10 Downing Street, The White House or Windsor Castle?
Fighting for spoils
5.Seems like the fight for scarce benefits is playing a major role in the new upsurge in criminal activities. The latest victim they say is an 'area leader' from the east. Word is that the construction of the bridge and the way the workload was being divvied up did not meet with his approval and now he, too, has fallen victim to the fight he perpetuated for the spoils.
Wanted: Leadership at the top
6.The emerging conversation now doing the rounds is the absence of leadership, as well as the seeming absence of some clear strategy to move the country forward. While loyalists are parroting what appears to be the party line "give them more time", others are asking to see some definitive action plan that will take the country out of its current downward spiral.
Same courtesies please!
7.Seems like the emoluments and all the perks that go with the office are not enough, as the story is that not only does he expect everything gratis, a call was placed from his office recently requesting that the same 'courtesies' be extended to his immediate and extended family, many who would be visiting the island for the first time. The rationale being, it was during the "off-season" so it shouldn't be a problem.
Florida properties
8.Some, it seems, are not too confident about their political future here, as how else can they explain their acquisition ofresidential properties abroad?
How to count
9.Do closeted queens count?
High-profile time wasting?
10.Was it a case of political naiveté in terms of the implications, or just hard calculations that meeting with a lame duck president amounted to nothing more than a high-profile waste of time?
published: Thursday | May 29, 2008
Who got the waiver?
1. Seems like the 'New People' are racking up some scandals of their own. At the pace they are going, it appears that they will outpace their predecessors in the first term, as following upon the questionable land transaction; the facilitator's fees; talk US$1 million (J$71 million) payment to a certain person. There is now breaking news of yet another scandal - about just who is the real beneficiary of the duty waiver of the imported high-end transport?
Corrupting institutions
2.Not all are convinced that the investors pose any threat to our laws and/or our institutions. There are those who think the opposite. They say the greater threat to our stability and longevity lies in the action being taken by some to corrupt institutions.
A failing grade
3.One behaves in such an imperious manner, some equate it to rudeness. The debate rages on whether another is deaf, or just likes to ramble on about herself or simple inanities. Another is so consumed with petty jealousies that any reference to his predecessor(s) causes him to go blue in the face. And, he is not well liked by his colleagues, either, as he is referred to as the 'peasant of the lot'. And, there is yet another whom they say is happiest when he is smoking the local 'tobacco'. Generally, it adds up to a failing grade, overall.
Renting official places
4.Some are saying that there is none and that some sort of protocol should be established to monitor the operational use of official buildings and or residences. Some official residences are being rented from time to time. Does the state really need the money, or is it just a lack of understanding of sense of national pride? Can you imagine anyone renting Number 10 Downing Street, The White House or Windsor Castle?
Fighting for spoils
5.Seems like the fight for scarce benefits is playing a major role in the new upsurge in criminal activities. The latest victim they say is an 'area leader' from the east. Word is that the construction of the bridge and the way the workload was being divvied up did not meet with his approval and now he, too, has fallen victim to the fight he perpetuated for the spoils.
Wanted: Leadership at the top
6.The emerging conversation now doing the rounds is the absence of leadership, as well as the seeming absence of some clear strategy to move the country forward. While loyalists are parroting what appears to be the party line "give them more time", others are asking to see some definitive action plan that will take the country out of its current downward spiral.
Same courtesies please!
7.Seems like the emoluments and all the perks that go with the office are not enough, as the story is that not only does he expect everything gratis, a call was placed from his office recently requesting that the same 'courtesies' be extended to his immediate and extended family, many who would be visiting the island for the first time. The rationale being, it was during the "off-season" so it shouldn't be a problem.
Florida properties
8.Some, it seems, are not too confident about their political future here, as how else can they explain their acquisition ofresidential properties abroad?
How to count
9.Do closeted queens count?
High-profile time wasting?
10.Was it a case of political naiveté in terms of the implications, or just hard calculations that meeting with a lame duck president amounted to nothing more than a high-profile waste of time?
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