‘LEAVE THIS 4-KING MONARCH ALONE’

CALYPSONIAN Weston “Cro Cro” Rawlins yesterday declared, “Leave this four-king monarch alone!”

The four-time calypso monarch was reacting after Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (Cepep) chairman Ashton Ford revealed that Rawlins’ suspension has been lifted and he is back on the job.

Ford made this disclosure at a public hearing of the State Enterprises Joint Select Committee at Tower D of the Port of Spain International Waterfront Centre. Rawlins is a Cepep regional co-ordinator.

He was suspended on January 30, a day after a video posted to social media, showing him shouting and cursing another driver while driving a Cepep pick-up van, went viral. Cepep subsequently launched an investigation.

During the hearing yesterday, Rawlins was never mentioned by name.

In asking asking about Rawlins’ status with the company, Opposition Senator Wade Mark described him as “a high-profile entertainer.” Mark said that entertainer was shown on social media using “very colourful language” against a member of the public while driving “a Cepep-registered vehicle.”

Ford confirmed the incident happened, referring to Rawlins as “the employee.” Ford said an investigation had been held and “the employee” was interviewed by Cepep’s investigator. “While the investigator was conducting his work, the person involved, the other person refused to co-operate with the investigator,” Ford disclosed. He said this person did not make a report to the police or to Cepep and also refused to be interviewed by the investigator.

In these circumstances, Ford said, the investigator recommended that the employee be returned to his job with a stern warning. He added that the investigator’s recommendations were “carried out forthwith” by the company.

Newsday understands Rawlins resumed works last Tuesday.

Contacted last month by Newsday, the driver who recorded Cro Cro’s rant refused to give his name and said he did not want Rawlins to get into any trouble with Cepep. “I don’t wish him bad or want him to lose his job,” the driver said.

Saying his wife was with him at the time, the driver said, “If we were slower to react, we could have been in a bad accident or worse yet, dead.”

Asked yesterday how he felt about being cleared, Cro Cro said, “The outcome is the writing on the wall. I’m cool.”

He maintained that the other driver used racial slurs against him but after being a calypsonian for the last 40 years, he said he was unfazed by these things. The other driver denied making racial remarks towards Rawlins.

Rawlins also maintained that the driver was “out of place” to tell him to get off his phone and that only a police officer could do that. He previously said the video of the incident was one-sided, but apologised for his statements and was sorry if they brought Cepep into disrepute.

Cro Cro then wrote the calypso Recurring Decimal, in which he told his version of the story. He performed the song at Calypso Fiesta in Skinner Park, San Fernando, but failed to advance to the Calypso Monarch finals.

On another issue yesterday at the hearing, Ford said Cepep does not award contracts to criminal gang members.

“As a matter of policy, we don’t give out contracts based on criminal activity whatsoever,” he declared.

He later told Newsday everyone seeking work with Cepep must have a certificate of good character from the police when they tender for contracts.

“I’m not aware that when we are evaluating tenders by contractors, that they are identified as gang leaders.”

Ford added that if a contractor receives a contract but someone he hires is involved in criminal activity, “We (Cepep) are not responsible for that.”