Through the Political Glass Ceiling Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad & Tobago’S First Female, Kamla Persad-Bissessar by Kris Rampersad

10 plus 10 plus 10 gender sensitive budget sale on Through the Political Glass Ceiling Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad & Tobago’s First Female, Kamla Persad-Bissessar By Kris Rampersad

Budget Day Is October 10 (10/10) in the Chinese calendar. The Prime Minister has announced that this will be a gender sensitive budget, but what exactly does she mean by this? Find out from the book, Through the Political Glass Ceiling – Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad and Tobago’ s First Female, Kamla Persad-Bissessar by Dr Kris Rampersad, author, journalist, policy analyst and critic.

Here’s a special 10 plus 10 percent discount on Through The Political Glass Ceiling by Kris Rampersad. And an additional 10 percent gender sensitive budget bonus.

That’s 10 plus 10 plus 10. Offer Ends October 30, 2011

Find out about gender sensitive approach to planning, policy and decision making through analyses by Dr Kris Rampersad and presentations by Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar in relation to issues as:

Gender, Politics and Democracy, Gender and Culture, Gender Budgets - Economics and Finance, Gender and Labour Issues, Gender and Legal Issues, Gender and Education, Gender and Local Government and many others…

It is informing decisions of the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the Organisation of American States, why not let it inform you too.

For details contact [email protected] THE FIRST BOOK ON A WOMAN OF FIRSTS Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago KAMLA PERSAD-BISSESSAR  One of top ten female world leaders – Time

 One the 16 women taking over the world -- The Independent, UK

 First Female of Trinidad and Tobago as: Prime Minister Leader of the Opposition Leader of a political party in T&T Attorney General of T&T

…the beginning of a valid and commendable effort to answer a desperate local need for local home grown material, research, books and publishing -- Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago

… a valuable addition to research on gender and women in politics in the Commonwealth -- Dr Mark Collins - Director, Commonwealth Foundation

… sets new interpretations for future elected office holders … could be a good starting point for political scientists taking a new look at the twin island republic’s evolution into its now open accepted multicultural face. -- Journalist, Herman Silochan, Canada

…the book …which represents over 60 years of the political history of the country and some 21 years of the political life of Mrs. Persad-Bissessar, shows she is no fluke to the nation’s highest elected office.

…For lovers of Trinbago society, this is a good book to have, to appreciate the fullness of its roots … a good template for other emergent multicultural societies the world over. -- Caribbean Camera, Toronto

Rampersad was bold enough to publish her book one week before Trinidad and Tobago’s general election, and it will certainly provide political pundits with much fodder. -- Author & Journalist, Colin Rickards, Canada

…. the book provides roadmaps of Persad-Bissessar’s journey to the defining moments of the May 2010 snap election. Available at all major bookstores. For further information contact: [email protected] or call (1-868) 752-5067/390-9367. REVIEWS & MEDIA Through the Political Glass Ceiling Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female - Kamla Persad-Bissessar By Kris Rampersad

Kamla Persad-Bissessar's Selected Speeches, compiled, with introduction, contexts and analyses by Dr Kris Rampersad. The book explores the seeming tug-of-war between polarisation in the political arena vis-a-vis other more cohesive cultural forces at play in Trinidad and Tobago society. It also examines the roles of gender and geo-politics among other factors in the contest for leadership between Mrs. Persad-Bissessar as the first female leader of a political party, the United National Congress, in Trinidad and Tobago and the country's longest standing political entity, the People's National Movement. Ranging from the country's experiences with political parties under Dr Eric Williams, through the period of the National Alliance for Reconstruction and ANR Robinson to the period of voting deadlock at the turn of the century involving Basdeo Panday and Patrick Manning, the book provides roadmaps of Persad-Bissessar’s journey to the defining moments of the May 2010 snap election. Selected speeches of Mrs. Persad- Bissessar form the backdrop to these explorations. Speeches presented relate to Mrs. Persad- Bissessar’s ―Stepping through the glass ceiling - Decisive moments in her political decision-making‖; ― Vision of National & Political Unity‖; the gender factor – ―to be woman and leader‖; ―engaging partner watchdogs‖ and in her various other roles as Leader of the Opposition, Member of Parliament, Attorney General, Minister of Legal Affairs and Minister of Education as well as those presented in other forums as election platforms and interactions with civil society organizations and individuals. Dr Rampersad’s introduction, A Clash of Political Cultures - Cultural Diversity & Minority Politics in Trinidad & Tobago, traces the current political environment to the immediate pre- and post independent periods as Trinidad and Tobago struggles for articulation and definition of a truly all-encompassing national identity from its diversity of ―mother cultures.‖ Rampersad is a journalist, researcher and writer who has been exploring the diversity of Caribbean society and cultures for some 20 years. Her first book, Finding a Place (2002), captures from early journalistic writings the impact on literature of the encounters of peoples of the various mass immigration streams of the 19th Century with special reference to the experiences of Indian descendants in Trinidad and Tobago. She has also written and presented research to international forums with a multicultural third-world, rural perspective on the interplay of culture, politics, economics, gender and literature in the Caribbean, using data from home-grown situations vis-à-vis imported data and theories to make a case for new approaches that more adequately reflect the realities of Caribbean societies. Her policy critiques and recommendations through oral presentations, print and video documentaries on culture, media, agriculture and information and communication technologies, have been accepted by organisations as the Commonwealth Foundation, World Summit on Information Society, EU-ACP Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation, and UNESCO. She is listed among the International Who’s Who in Cultural Policy, Planning and Research. Available at all major bookstores. For further information contact: [email protected] or call (1-868) 752-5067 or 390-9367. ISBN: 978-976-8228-00-0 9 Paperback http://jupiter.guardian.co.tt/news/general/2010/06/10/commonwealth-praise-book-kamla-s-speeches Commonwealth praise for book on Kamla’s speeches Published: 10 Jun 2010 From left Director of the Commonwealth Foundation Dr Mark Collins; author/publisher Dr Kris Rampersad and Foundation chairperson Simone de Comarmond discuss the book Through the Political Glass Ceiling—the Race to Prime Ministership by T&T’s First Female, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Selected Speeches launched at the Ninth Women’s Affairs Ministers’ meeting in Barbados. Photo courtesy Commonwealth Secretariat’s VICTORIA HOLDSWORTH

A valuable addition to research on gender and women in politics in the Commonwealth. That’s how Dr Mark Collins, director of the Commonwealth Foundation, described the new book by Dr Kris Rampersad—Through The Political Glass Ceiling—the Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad & Tobago’s first female, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Selected Speeches. Speaking at the Commonwealth launch of the book at the Partners’ Forum of the Ninth Women’s Affairs Ministers meeting (9WAMM) in Barbados on Friday, Collins noted the need for research and documentation identified by various speakers and workshops at the meeting. He said the book and the project for promoting social research and publishing which it launches were answers to that need. He also pointed out that it was not common for a chair of the Commonwealth to change mid-term, as happened in this case, with the change of Government in T&T which makes Persad- Bissessar the first female Caribbean chair-in-office of the Commonwealth. The launch was attended by representatives from across the Commonwealth. A copy of Through the Political Glass Ceiling was presented to chairperson of the foundation, Simone de Comarmond who endorsed Collins appreciation of the book as a needed documentation on gender development. The launch was in keeping with the forum’s theme, Gender Issues in the Economic Crisis Recovery and Beyond: Women as Agents of Transformation. All proceeds of the launch go towards supporting Caribbean research and publishing. Compiled, with introduction, contexts and analyses by Rampersad, the book features selected speeches of Persad-Bissessar against the backdrop of the roles of gender and geo-politics among other factors in the contest for leadership between Persad-Bissessar and the country's longest standing political entity, the People's National Movement. Rampersad is a journalist, researcher and writer who has been exploring the diversity of Caribbean society and cultures for some 20 years. Through the Political Glass Ceiling is available at all major bookstores.

http://guardian.co.tt/news/politics/2010/05/17/kamla-vows-help-arts-local-authors

Kamla vows to help arts, local authors

KIMBERLY MACKHAN Published: 17 May 2010

Prime ministerial hopeful Kamla Persad-Bissessar, right, signing copies of a book in her honour at MovieTowne in Port-of-Spain, yesterday. Next to her is Dr Kris Rampersad, who compiled the book, which features selected speeches of Persad-Bissessar. Photo: MARCUS GONZALES Investing in the arts, including publishing local authors, is among the economic diversification strategies that People’s Partnership political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has endorsed. ―When I hear the stories of citizens who tell me they can write music, poetry, short stories, essays, fiction, books, but they have nowhere and no one to publish them, it breaks my heart,‖ Persad-Bissessar said. ―The reality is that as a young developing nation and region... we cannot afford to be denied the intellectual capital some of these people possess, just because they cannot get their work to see daylight.‖ Persad-Bissessar was speaking during yesterday’s launch of a book in her honour, called Through The Political Glass Ceiling: Race to Prime Ministership, by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female. The launch took place yesterday at MovieTowne in Port-of-Spain. Dr Kris Rampersad compiled the book, which featured selected speeches from Persad-Bissessar. The incumbent Siparia MP noted that the proceeds of the launch would go towards ―setting the ball rolling‖ to help the works of local authors. She added that the proceeds would help local authors to get market access and exposure. ―We have a situation where a country and a region of such diverse talent in writing and acting and music—a region and country that has pioneered and founded soca, reggae and which has, historically, presented some of the best academics, writers and intellectuals in our short history—that society and region has an under- developed and almost ironic publishing industry.‖ Persad-Bissessar said it was time Government realised that investing in the arts was ―a brilliant economical strategy‖ that diversified the economy. She added that it would also promote employment, gender equality and reduce crime, since it allowed young people an opportunity to develop their creativity and make a career. Persad-Bissessar also said that better investment in developing the arts in T&T would showcase and promote the nation’s tourism in the regions across the world. ―I have always held true this need to support for T&T and Caribbean indigenous research and publications in fiction and non-fiction, as well as in video, so we could counter the negative imaging of our societies.‖ http://www.newsday.co.tt/politics/0,120960.html

Book written on Kamla’s speech By LEISELLE MARAJ Monday, May 17 2010

click on pic to zoom in

Dr Kris Rampersad... WRITER turn publisher, Dr Kris Rampersad took 21 days to produce and publish a book of speeches given by political leader of the United National Congress, Kamla Persad-Bissessar in her 21 years as a political figure.

Persad-Bissessar, who was present for the launch of the publication yesterday at the Casablanca Banquet Hall, Movietowne, Port-of-Spain said if elected, her government would work to develop the publishing industry which could benefit the economy through diversification, providing employment opportunities, gender equality and reducing crime.

“We are the nation and region that gave the world the living literary Nobel Prize winners Sir Vidia Naipaul and Derek Walcott, we gave the world Bob Marley, Carnival, Hoosay, Ramleela and soca and the steelpan and when we should be reaping the developmental and economical rewards of our intellectual creativity, we are forced to see them overtaken and stolen by the American and UK giant industries,” she said.

Rampersad in her address stated all proceeds from the sale of the book will fund local research and publishing. Persad-Bissessar acknowledged this, noting it was “the beginning of a valid and commendable effort to answer a desperate local need for local home grown material, research, books and a publishing line that will include fiction, poetry, biography, children’s books and social research and data.” She explained this was essential, particularly to address the need for local material to be used by children in the nation’s schools.

She applauded Rampersad’s effort to produce the 500 page publication, entitled Through the Political Glass Ceiling, Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female, in three weeks’ time, which she said, represented a reverse in the decline of Trinidad and Tobago’s literature.

The book included an introduction written by Rampersad which Persad-Bissessar said “brings new life to debates on the place of race, class, ethnicity, gender, culture, geography or rural/urban factors in our politics and it certainly shows our politics in a new light.”

Rampersad noted the period leading up to the date of general election shows a side of society which is not seen at any other time. She added there are plans to reprint this publication and to produce a second edition which will include speeches that were not published in the first effort.

Kamla: Beyond the Glass Ceiling Review by Herman Silochan, courtesy Caribbean Camera, Toronto

Toronto: Aug 19, 2010: The election of Kamla Persad-Bissessar to the office of Prime Minister in Trinidad and Tobago last May is now being analyzed by regional political scientists. That the new incumbent is a woman, of rural background, of Indian descent, forces academics to work outside the traditional tool box of investigation. First out the post is Dr. Kris Rampersad, a journalist, lecturer and political observer in her own right. Dr. Rampersad has brought out a selection of Persad-Bissessar’s speeches showing how the path to power was cut and maintained right up to the weeks before that euphoric night of celebration. What gives the author’s book an insightful quality is that it was launched the week before Persad-Bissessar’s massive electoral win. Few guessed what the result was going to be because commentators, inured by decades of assessing a two-party system along racial lines, hardly bothered to look behind the scenes at a fluid seething electorate, many voting for the first time. Dr. Rampersad’s opening essay to the book, titled “A Clash of Political Cultures: Cultural Diversity & Minority Politics in Trinidad and Tobago”, sets new interpretations for future elected office holders. This essay could be a good starting point for political scientists taking a new look at the twin island republic’s evolution into its now open accepted multicultural face. “The whole perception of T&T society is that it is race-based, and projections coming out of this, are false,” she said in Toronto this week to promote her new book. “We inherited a Westminster style system and interpreters of the two party system it posits presents and represents that in terms of race and in the process overlook that Opposition politics was really accommodating elements of the country's diversity that could not seem to find a place in the ruling party. Both in terms of the physical presentations and in representations of the country as a whole, you get wrong interpretations of what this country is all about. Take for example, our Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates, they do not reflect, or represent the fullness of T&T society; not the kind of society we know of a place where we have moved beyond racial tolerance to a casualness and comfortableness with each other and as a result we don’t have the kind of animosities and antagonisms seen in other societies coming to grip with their diversity.” Dr. Rampersad points out that one of the enduring myths is that in sections of Trinidad there are Indian-only villages, or African- only suburbs. She insists that from times as long as one can remember, there have been peoples of different races living side by side, sharing ancestral values, and cuisines, for examples. Then you have the inevitable process of racial mixing. But it’s more than African or Indian; there’s Chinese, Syrian-Lebanese, European and Taino/Carib/Arawak. “There is no race based community in Trinidad, all are diverse. You must understand this if you want to understand the political face of the Republic and it seemed that the politics of the last 30 years has been unable to catch-up with this reality.” Dr. Rampersad states with conviction that the evolution to a diverse political representation became more and more evident in the 1970s when cracks began appearing in the People's National Movement when key figures like Karl Hudson-Phillips and ANR Robinson abandoned the party. The victories of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) in 1986, and the United National Congress (UNC) in 1996 are the manifestations of a broad power sharing. It was in this period that the young wife of a doctor, Kamla Persad Bissessar was thrust into the role first as alderman, then a parliamentarian, then Attorney General, then Acting Prime Minister. She might have come from a Hindu home, but her parents also had her baptized into the Spiritual Baptist Movement. During her law studies in Jamaica and otherwise, she expanded her cultural appreciation of other societies, strengths and weaknesses. Indeed, through the campaign and on election night, on stage, she danced to Bob Marley’s “One Love”, even as possibly a couple hundred tassa drums reverberated around the party headquarters. Reading through this selection of speeches, you also see the wordings of broad representations, Persad-Bissessar’s loyalty to her boss, the Leader of the Opposition, and former Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday, in spite of jealousies and putdowns. Remember too we are working in an outwardly machismo society, yet still inherently matriarchal. Feminists generally call this the “glass ceiling”. Persad-Bissessar’s speeches, which represents over 60 years of the political history of the country and some 21 years of the political life of Mrs. Persad-Bissessar shows she is no fluke to the nation’s highest elected office, that she had been addressing issues and problems when few cared to debate them. That she was not ever afraid to confront her allies or government ministers with blunt language. But she tempered her rhetoric with diplomacy, smiles and a sense of logic that was hard to refute; for example, her action confronting the Speaker of the House with his stupid decision banning laptops in Parliament when every other democracy in the world was incorporating them into the era of information led debate. For lovers of Trinbago society, this is a good book to have, to appreciate the fullness of its roots, and as the author’s says, a good template for other emergent multicultural societies the world over. The book is called Through The Political Glass Ceiling, Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female – Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Reprinted with permission of The Caribbean Camera, Toronto, Canada. http://www.thecaribbeancamera.com/home-page

T&T Politics: A new direction? By Colin Richards, Journalist, Broadcaster, Author

In Through The Political Glass Ceiling, former journalist Kris Rampersad has written of and about the Caribbean’s newest Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago. The 444-page book, somewhat quaintly subtitled “Race to Prime Minister by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female,” takes the form of Selected Speeches by Persad-Bissessar during her political career, and in the run-up to the election which brought her the post of Prime Minister in the People’s Partnership Government. These are presented with an Introduction and Contexts and Analyses by Rampersad, and virtually track Persad-Bissessar’s long and distinguished political career. Her final romp -- from Leader of the United National Congress (UNC) in January, to Leader of the Opposition the following month, to Prime Minister on May 24 -- was nothing short of astonishing. Rampersad’s premise that multiculturalism matters to Trinbagonians, and that too many people were shut out from the governing process, is sound, and explains Persad-Bissessar’s success in bringing four other parties into her United National Congress fold as members of the People’s Partnership -- which the author engagingly described to me as “not a coalition of parties, rather a coalition of interests.” Among the frailties of coalition governments the world over -- and vividly demonstrated in several of the small Parliaments of the Eastern Caribbean during the past three decades and more -- is that “floor crossing” can be fatal for any administration. The People’s Partnership secured 29 of the 41 seats in Parliament -- with 59 per cent of the votes -- and Persad-Bissessar is fortunate in that the UNC has the majority of the 29, so “floor crossing,” or resignations, while they would reduce her majority, would not bring down her government. Speaking at a dinner at the Red Pepper restaurant in Pickering two weeks ago, author and political analyst Rampersad talked of the perceived inadequacy of the Whitehall Model of a two-party, First-Past-The-Post electoral system, which “was imposed upon us” by the British Government and the time of Independence. Trinidad and Tobago celebrated its 48th birthday on August 31, but I still have vivid memories of covering the Independence Conference in London on behalf of The Trinidad Guardian. So I rather felt that “imposed” was an unfair word, as Dr. Eric Williams and his delegation arrived well prepared. They knew what they had come to get -- and they got it. The Opposition, led by eminent mathematician Dr. Rudranath Capildeo, was not well organized -- even though it included some of his party’s luminaries -- and more or less let Williams and his band of merry men run all over them. (I never understood how it was seen as remotely sensible or acceptable for Capildeo -- who taught at the University of London -- to also be Leader of the Opposition, seeing that for substantial portions of the year he wasn’t even in Trinidad and Tobago to attend to that business, because he was in London involved in scholastic endeavours.) It is clear that the British favoured the Whitehall Model, but as they were prepared little more than a year later to propose Proportional Representation for British Guiana (BG), I doubt that there would have been much resistance from the Colonial Office if Capildeo had asked for it at the conference. There would, however, have been great resistance from Williams, proof of which is found in relatively recently declassified British Cabinet documents, some of which Jamaica-born historian Colin Palmer made public in his exceptional book Eric Williams and the Making of the Modern Caribbean. When the proposal for BG was first mooted, the British asked Williams for his views on the idea. He responded that he supported it -- but would make no public statement, pro or con, because ethnically Trinidad and Tobago had much the same make-up as BG, and he did not wish to make political difficulties for himself at home. At least one school of thinking, in the wake of Persad-Bissessar’s electoral win, is that Proportional Representation might soon be explored for Trinidad and Tobago, and I have no doubt that it will be. There is no doubt that the Whitehall Model does have frailties, and while the British still have the First-Past-The-Post system, their Parliament has not be a two-party one for quite some time, the current government being a coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Questions about Proportional Representation are bound to arise in Britain, too. It needs very careful consideration, and much can be learned from a study of the Parliaments around the world which are elected by First-Past-the-Post or Proportional Representation, or partly by both. Israel’s Parliament has been weakened by it, Germany’s generally strengthened. Rampersad was bold enough to publish her book one week before Trinidad and Tobago’s general election, and it will certainly provide political pundits with much fodder, as Persad-Bissessar and her colleagues try to revitalize the nation and live up to their election promises. Interesting, too, Through The Political Glass Ceiling is slated to be the cornerstone of a whole new publishing venture, as the money Rampersad earns from it will be ploughed back into a company which she will launch to publish non-fiction and fiction. The idea has apparently been praised by Persad-Bissessar, who has complained publicly that there are far too many books around which provide “negative depictions of our society.” Rampersad’s venture may well be helped by the fact that the new government -- at least from what one can read in their first budget last week -- appears likely to be ready to pay considerably more attention to Arts and Culture than was ever the case with their many predecessors. Rampersad’s new publishing house does not have a name yet -- though she has one in mind -- but she says she has identified a number of “excellent” manuscripts.

Reprinted with permission of The Caribbean Camera, Toronto, Canada. http://www.thecaribbeancamera.com/politics/3151-colin-column

T&T politics: A new direction? Reprinted from Caribbean Camera in Caribbean 360 and other Hemispheric Caribbean channels

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(From Left): Journalist Colin Rickards, Caribbean Camera Editor, Raynier Maharaj, Itah Sadoo of A Different Booklist ,author Dr Kris Rampersad and Consul General of Trinidad and Tobago at dinner with the author courtesy Red Pepper Restaurant, Toronto.

By Colin Rickards

TORONTO, Canada, September 30, 2010 - In Through The Political Glass Ceiling former journalist Kris Rampersad has written of and about the Caribbean’s newest Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago. The 444-page book, somewhat quaintly subtitled “Race to Prime Minister by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female,” takes the form of Selected Speeches by Persad-Bissessar during her political career, and in the run-up to the election which brought her the post of Prime Minister in the People’s Partnership Government. These are presented with an Introduction and Contexts and Analyses by Rampersad, and virtually track Persad-Bissessar’s long and distinguished political career. Her final romp -- from Leader of the United National Congress (UNC) in January, to Leader of the Opposition the following month, to Prime Minister on May 24 -- was nothing short of astonishing. Rampersad’s premise that multiculturalism matters to Trinbagonians, and that too many people were shut out from the governing process, is sound, and explains Persad-Bissessar’s success in bringing four other parties into her United National Congress fold as members of the People’s Partnership -- which the author engagingly described to me as “not a coalition of parties, rather a coalition of interests.” Among the frailties of coalition governments the world over -- and vividly demonstrated in several of the small Parliaments of the Eastern Caribbean during the past three decades and more -- is that “floor crossing” can be fatal for any administration. The People’s Partnership secured 29 of the 41 seats in Parliament -- with 59 per cent of the votes -- and Persad-Bissessar is fortunate in that the UNC has the majority of the 29, so “floor crossing,” or resignations, while they would reduce her majority, would not bring down her government. Speaking at a dinner at the Red Pepper restaurant in Pickering two weeks ago, author and political analyst Rampersad talked of the perceived inadequacy of the Whitehall Model of a two-party, First-Past- The-Post electoral system, which “was imposed upon us” by the British Government ant the time of Independence. Trinidad and Tobago celebrated its 48th birthday on August 31, but I still have vivid memories of covering the Independence Conference in London on behalf of The Trinidad Guardian. So I rather felt that “imposed” was an unfair word, as Dr. Eric Williams and his delegation arrived well prepared. They knew what they had come to get -- and they got it. The Opposition, led by eminent mathematician Dr. Rudranath Capildeo, was not well organized -- even though it included some of his party’s luminaries -- and more or less let Williams and his band of merry men run all over them. (I never understood how it was seen as remotely sensible or acceptable for Capildeo -- who taught at the University of London -- to also be Leader of the Opposition, seeing that for substantial portions of the year he wasn’t even in Trinidad and Tobago to attend to that business, because he was in London involved in scholastic endeavours.) It is clear that the British favoured the Whitehall Model, but as they were prepared little more than a year later to propose Proportional Representation for British Guiana (BG), I doubt that there would have been much resistance from the Colonial Office if Capildeo had asked for it at the conference. There would, however, have been great resistance from Williams, proof of which is found in relatively recently declassified British Cabinet documents, some of which Jamaica-born historian Colin Palmer made public in his exceptional book Eric Williams and the Making of the Modern Caribbean. When the proposal for BG was first mooted, the British asked Williams for his views on the idea. He responded that he supported it -- but would make no public statement, pro or con, because ethnically Trinidad and Tobago had much the same make-up as BG, and he did not wish to make political difficulties for himself at home. At least one school of thinking, in the wake of Persad-Bissesswar’s electoral win, is that Proportional Representation might soon be explored for Trinidad and Tobago, and I have no doubt that it will be. There is no doubt that the Whitehall Model does have frailties, and while the British still have the First- Past-The-Post system, their Parliament has not be a two-party one for quite some time, the current government being a coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. Questions about Proportional Representation are bound to arise in Britain, too. It needs very careful consideration, and much can be learned from a study of the Parliaments around the world which are elected by First-Past-the-Post or Proportional Representation, or partly by both. Israel’s Parliament has been weakened by it, Germany’s generally strengthened. Rampersad was bold enough to publish her book three weeks before Trinidad and Tobago’s general election, and it will certainly provide political pundits with much fodder, as Persad-Bissessar and her colleagues try to revitalize the nation and live up to their election promises. Interesting, too, Through The Political Glass Ceiling is slated to be the cornerstone of a whole new publishing venture, as the money Rampersad earns from it will be ploughed back into a company which she will launch to publish non-fiction and fiction. The idea has apparently been praised by Persad-Bissessar, who has complained publicly that there are far too many books around which provide “negative depictions of our society.” Rampersad’s venture may well be helped by the fact that the new government -- at least from what one can read in their first budget last week -- appears likely to be ready to pay considerably more attention to Arts and Culture than was ever the case with their many predecessors. Rampersad’s new publishing house does not have a name yet -- though she has one in mind -- but she says she has identified a number of “excellent” manuscripts.

Reprinted with permission of caribbeancamera.com

Kamla Persad-Bissessar: A squeaky clean Prime Minister?

Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar's collection of selected speeches now on bookshelves, as well as at a Different Booklist here in Toronto. (William Doyle-Marshall pix)

By William Doyle-Marshall When Patrick Manning asked the President of Trinidad and Tobago to prorogue Parliament on April 8 2010, Kamla Persad Bissessar, Leader of the Opposition at the time termed the act, a surrender. Speaking in Couva, central Trinidad, she called it “The day of deliverance” and predicted Liberation day was coming. “Historians will consider today’s announcement dissolving our national parliament as the beginning of the end of our most profoundly disappointing period since independence,” Ms Persad-Bissessar remarked. She claimed profound failures of the government have affected the lives of people all across the country. At that time she pledged to launch a vigorous campaign to bring her people together to address the numerous problems they faced from crime to corruption to sagging economic performance to even basic services such as delivery of water. Persad-Bissessar alleged that Manning feared the corruption charges mounting against him as political leader of the Peoples National Movement and his administration and in the face of the vote of no confidence motion which she had tabled and was due to be debated in the Parliament the next day. Manning’s advice to President Max Richards to prorogue Parliament was seen as the final surrender to what has been mounting pressure from within his very own party and the public. They wanted him to answer the many troubling questions concerning his own personal integrity and those within his administration. That Opposition Leader is now the Prime Minister of the country and a solid document in her name is now on the book shelves of the country. “Through the Political Glass Ceiling – Race to Prime Ministership by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female” is a compilation of selected speeches made by Kamla Persad-Bissessar before she was elected Prime Minister of her country in 2010. Dr. Kris Rampersad, an experienced journalist and researcher who compiled the collection in 13 sections, wrote the introduction and offered contexts and analyses to the work. It offers readers some ideas about the motivation of the newly minted Prime Minister. It is a stage for an impossible journey for Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar. She can’t make any of her predecessor’s mistakes. There are pointed questions, criticisms and challenges by her to Manning and his government over the years. When you rest the book down, visions of a perfect woman saunters through your mind. But reality introduces the question: is this accurate or is it a dream? “A Clash of Political Cultures” by Dr. Rampersad is a thought-provoking piece in which the author removes the veil from minority politics in Trinidad and Tobago. There seems to be an aversion to the ‘first’ syndrome as if no other number matters. Persad-Bissessar is linked with women of the world who first held the office of Attorney General. Among them Canada’s Kim Campbell; Janet Reno of the United States of America; Monika Harms – South Africa; Patricia, Janet Scotland – England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Betty Mould-Iddrisu of Ghana and Dr. Jane Ansah – Malawi. Having hurled the book of accusation in a dartlike fashion at her predecessor, PM Persad- Bissessar is poised for an unmistakable challenge of being squeaky clean. Success at such an undertaking would mean her government should be in power for a long and unpredictable while. Electors usually toss out politicians for corrupt practices, poor delivery of service, consistent failure to honour election promises or wanton disregard of voters' wishes. No doubt PM Persad-Bissessar witnessed acts of this nature during her 21 years in public office. Through the pages of Dr. Rampersad's book, she has chronicled them in the Prime Minister's speeches and statements to the media on matters affecting the state. While electorates are likely to flex their muscles in expectation of higher standards, her government does not have the luxury of tardiness. In opposition Ms Persad Bissessar exhibited her pitbull qualities and did her share of whistle blowing. It is fair game that she should anticipate some instances where her own medicine would appear in her ideological menu for tasting. I hope we would not be forced to quote popular calypsonian Samuel Abraham Brigo 'tell them do so eh like so'.

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Together we are Pelau

Posted on January 17, 2011

Rampersad, K. (2010). Through the political glass ceiling: Race to Prime Minister by Trinidad and Tobago’s First Female- Kamla Persad Bissessar. Trinidad: Kris Rampersad.445 pp. ISBN: 976-8228-00-0, $330.00 (Softcover)

In this 443 page compilation of speeches given by Kamla Persad Bissessar, incumbent Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Rampersad (2010) meticulously creates a delightful and appetizingly palatable array of speeches spanning Mrs. Persad Bissessar’s political career from 1996 to May 2010. “We are like a delicious plate of pelau…. Individual ingredients have their own flavors, tastes, nutrients. Combined, they are still the same individual ingredients but together they make pelau, one of the most popular of our indigenous dishes” (p. 4). This excerpt from a speech given by Kamla Persad Bissessar on July 7, 2007 foreshadows and illustrates lucid prescience on the part of the Prime Minister for the lead up to the General Elections on May 24, 2010. The eclectic and multicultural melting pot which formed the coalition government- the People’s Partnership- can be aptly described as a delicious plate of pelau.

Like the pelau, Rampersad (2010) generates her unique mixture of social, cultural, and critical ingredients to give credence to this compilation of speeches. The seven sections with subsections carefully blended into a cohesive Gestalt, presents a mouth watering pelau capturing the mosaic political sphere that is quintessentially Trinidadian. Each critique, speech, forward, and image enhances the overall tapestry of the colorful fabric of political and sociocultural fiber.

The introduction by Rampersad (2010) highlights the history of politics in Trinidad. Rampersad succinctly creates a roadmap of cultural and sociological aspects of politics in Trinidad. The inclusion of the popular melodic and hackneyed calypso by David Rudder “how we vote is not how we party” (p. 5) to illustrate the archaic traditions of voting by race which perpetuated for decades graphical portrays the dichotomy which existed in the political stratosphere in Trinidad and Tobago.

Smashing the proverbial glass ceiling, Rampersad followed the incredulous rise of Kamla Persad Bissessar to first UNC leader and later to Prime Minister. Rampersad’s use of metaphorical language adds validity and fashions a visual and lasting impression on the readers’ minds. Each shard of the glass ceiling can be felt in the choice and content of each speech. With each speech the glass ceiling is shattered.

Ab initio, Rampersad commences the compilation of speeches with the victory speech given by Kamla Persad Bissessar on October 2007. In this speech, Mrs. Persad Bissessar appeals to the emotional and multicultural diverse population with quotes from the Bible, Ramayana, Mahatma Ghandi, and Afghanistan feminist and activist, Meena Keshwankamal. “I am the woman who has awakened. I’ve found my path and will never turn back” (p. 33) suggests a hindsight on the part of Mrs. Persad Bissessar and her eventual rise to become the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Paying tribute to her love of Bob Marley and her days spent as a student and teacher in Jamaica, exhorting the public that “everything is gonna be alright” (p 33). It would take another round of speeches and three years for everything to alter and Mrs. Persad Bissessar to claim her path.

The speeches are compiled topically and not in chronological sequence. The second speech quite aptly and no pun intended titled “Toward leadership of tomorrow” seems to foretell the victory that was to be attained on January 24 and May 24, 2010. The book is divided into 13 subsections apart from the introduction. The first subsection is entitled “Stepping through the glass ceiling.” The second section is “The vision: National and political unity” and consists of a collection of speeches ranging from July 30, 2007 to May 2, 2010. These speeches have a common thred running through them forming a cohesive unit from “Together as pelau” to “A sustainable partnership, presentation of candidates.” The titles of these speeches attests to the unity, humility, and grassroots approach so much the hallmark of Kamla Persad Bissessar’s campaign, and people-centered governance.

An introduction to each section encapsulates the speeches that segue adding to the luster and affirmation of people-centered governance. Akin to the pelau with its various ingredients seasonings and tastes, the speech “A brave new world” foreshadows the next section which is “Gender: To be a woman and leader.” The speeches given and chosen depict the range of Mrs. Persad Bissessar’s interests and various positions of power she held throughout her burgeoning political career. From democracy, education, matters of public importance and integrity, and finally epitomizing the cultural tapestry that is Trinidad and Tobago “Born into multiculturalism” reflect Mrs. Persad Bissessar’s preoccupation and maternal concern for the citizenry. Melding each section and subsection into a harmonious whole, Rampersad combines some potent speeches with vivid critiques to form a pelau. Each ingredient enriches and enhances the diversity of the pelau like the diversity of the population and composition of the People’s Partnership.

The book is recommended for potential and current women leaders who want to inculcate value creation and people-centered governance and leadership within themselves, the organization, and society. Each speech, like a drop in the ocean adds to the symbiotic relationship of the other and engenders increased understanding of the road to success. Fraught with courage, determination, strength, self-concordance, self-efficacy, and above all humility, these speeches reflect the inner workings of an innate leader cognizant of the lacunae and needs within the Trinidadian society. Analogous to the pelau, each aforementioned characteristic contributes and empowers the incumbent Prime Minister to lead effectively and with testicular fortitude.

Together we are Pelau

Posted: Jan 16, 2011 |Comments: 0 |

Rampersad, K. (2010). Through the political glass ceiling: Race to Prime Minister by Trinidad and Tobago's First Female- Kamla Persad Bissessar. Trinidad: Kris Rampersad.445 pp. ISBN: 976-8228-00-0, $330.00 (Softcover)

In this 443 page compilation of speeches given by Kamla Persad Bissessar, incumbent Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Rampersad (2010) meticulously creates a delightful and appetizingly palatable array of speeches spanning Mrs. Persad Bissessar's political career from 1996 to May 2010. "We are like a delicious plate of pelau…. Individual ingredients have their own flavors, tastes, nutrients. Combined, they are still the same individual ingredients but together they make pelau, one of the most popular of our indigenous dishes" (p. 4). This excerpt from a speech given by Kamla Persad Bissessar on July 7, 2007 foreshadows and illustrates lucid prescience on the part of the Prime Minister for the lead up to the General Elections on May 24, 2010. The eclectic and multicultural melting pot which formed the coalition government- the People's Partnership- can be aptly described as a delicious plate of pelau.

The introduction by Rampersad (2010) highlights the history of politics in Trinidad. Rampersad succinctly creates a roadmap of cultural and sociological aspects of politics in Trinidad. The inclusion of the popular melodic and hackneyed calypso by David Rudder "how we vote is not how we party" (p. 5) to illustrate the archaic traditions of voting by race which perpetuated for decades graphical portrays the dichotomy which existed in the political stratosphere in Trinidad and Tobago.

Smashing the proverbial glass ceiling, Rampersad followed the incredulous rise of Kamla Persad Bissessar to first UNC leader and later to Prime Minister. Rampersad's use of metaphorical language adds validity and fashions a visual and lasting impression on the readers' minds. Each shard of the glass ceiling can be felt in the choice and content of each speech. With each speech the glass ceiling is shattered.

Ab initio, Rampersad commences the compilation of speeches with the victory speech given by Kamla Persad Bissessar on October 2007. In this speech, Mrs. Persad Bissessar appeals to the emotional and multicultural diverse population with quotes from the Bible, Ramayana, Mahatma Ghandi, and Afghanistan feminist and activist, Meena Keshwankamal. "I am the woman who has awakened. I've found my path and will never turn back" (p. 33) suggests a hindsight on the part of Mrs. Persad Bissessar and her eventual rise to become the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Paying tribute to her love of Bob Marley and her days spent as a student and teacher in Jamaica, exhorting the public that "everything is gonna be alright" (p 33). It would take another round of speeches and three years for everything to alter and Mrs. Persad Bissessar to claim her path.

The speeches are compiled topically and not in chronological sequence. The second speech quite aptly and no pun intended titled "Toward leadership of tomorrow" seems to foretell the victory that was to be attained on January 24 and May 24, 2010. The book is divided into 13 subsections apart from the introduction. The first subsection is entitled "Stepping through the glass ceiling." The second section is "The vision: National and political unity" and consists of a collection of speeches ranging from July 30, 2007 to May 2, 2010. These speeches have a common thred running through them forming a cohesive unit from "Together as pelau" to "A sustainable partnership, presentation of candidates." The titles of these speeches attests to the unity, humility, and grassroots approach so much the hallmark of Kamla Persad Bissessar's campaign, and people-centered governance.

An introduction to each section encapsulates the speeches that segue adding to the luster and affirmation of people-centered governance. Akin to the pelau with its various ingredients seasonings and tastes, the speech "A brave new world" foreshadows the next section which is "Gender: To be a woman and leader." The speeches given and chosen depict the range of Mrs. Persad Bissessar's interests and various positions of power she held throughout her burgeoning political career. From democracy, education, matters of public importance and integrity, and finally epitomizing the cultural tapestry that is Trinidad and Tobago "Born into multiculturalism" reflect Mrs. Persad Bissessar's preoccupation and maternal concern for the citizenry. Melding each section and subsection into a harmonious whole, Rampersad combines some potent speeches with vivid critiques to form a pelau. Each ingredient enriches and enhances the diversity of the pelau like the diversity of the population and composition of the People's Partnership.

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