PROFESSOR Selwyn Cudjoe was blanked for the post of principal of the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Cudjoe was being considered by some top government officials to replace Dr. Bhoe Tewarie, whose four-year contract ended recently.

On Wednesday a statement from the Council of the University of the West Indies stated that Dr. Tewarie was re-appointed as pro-vice chancellor but did not state how long he would retain his post.

Dr. Tewarie, who was appointed to the post of campus principal in July 2001, was officially confirmed on March 19, 2002.

UWI Vice-Chancellor Nigel Harris said last week that a decision would soon be made on Tewarie.

Cudjoe has been critical of the selection process for students at UWI, claiming there were more East Indians than Afro-Trinidadians gaining entry to the campus.

Professor
SELWYN
CUDJOE

Dr. BHOE
TEWARIE

The government is also not happy with the operation of the St. Augustine campus. Prime Minister Patrick Manning has spoken about the presence of “politicians masquerading as lecturers” during a function of the National Association for the Empowerment of African Peoples (NAEAP) headed by Cudjoe, a few months ago at NAEAP function at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya.

Cudjoe, who is a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank, was accused of making racists remarks during his address at the Sixth Annual Emancipation Day Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Centre of Excellence, on Monday night.

He said: “Trinidadians still stand at the mercy of the White man and await his guidance in matters, central to their existence as a people.”

“Is the same White man who Cudjoe is dependent on in the United States to make a living,” one observer noted.

Cudjoe said he did not want to question the racial composition of the Customs, Immigration, and Police like the GOPIO Indian organisation.

He said successful Black businessman and professionals had a responsibility to contribute to the elevation and advancement of other Black Trinidadians.

“We (Africans) must opt for genuine equality in Trinidad and Tobago both in the public and private sectors,” he said.

Tewarie, who was an executive director of the UWI Institute of Business, served as a minister during the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) administration between l986-1991.