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AG rejects Ramdeen’s corruption claims

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi on Wednesday dismissed claims from Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen that Government took $6.1 billion in dividends from Trinidad Generation Unlimited (TGU). Al-Rawi was in the Senate to respond to allegations made by Ramdeen during the budget debate. In his contribution, Ramdeen also claimed Cabinet approved the sale of 40 per cent of TGU to German company Ferrostaal in May 25. He vowed any attempt to sell TGU would be legally challenged, “at every single stage.” Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has previously said no decision has been taken to sell TGU.

Al-Rawi said the combined total in dividends received from TGU and another entity was $500 million and not $6.1 billion.

He also said Government received US$500 million in debt repayment from TGU. Al-Rawi said it was irresponsible and an indictment to confuse dividends with debt repayment.

Reiterating the former People’s Partnership (PP) government took $16 billion in dividends from the National Gas Corporation and not $12 billion as Ramdeen maintained, Al-Rawi said it was wrong for the Opposition to say this money was spent on the people of TT.

He said the expenditure Ramdeen mentioned included the controversial $1 billion Beetham Wastewater Treatment plant, which the country cannot use.

In contrast, Al-Rawi said the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba is operational and Petrotrin’s former World Gas to Liquids plant is, “well on its way to utilisation now.”

PoS streets to be cleaned

Welcome news for those who have frequently lamented the filthy state of several streets in the capital city. The Port of Spain City Corporation has embarked on a city-wide street cleaning programme.

Announced on Wednesday during the monthly statutory meeting of the Port of Spain City Council, the programme actually began on Monday in the central business district.

Upper Frederick Street, from Memorial Park, was swept and power washed while faded signs were given a fresh coat of pain and minor repair works conducted on side walks and drains.

Newsday found about some more about the programme from chairman of the corporation’s strategic and local economic development committee, Belmont North councillor Akil Durham.

“This programme was developed based on discussions during our strategic retreat and was subsequently tabled during the September meeting of our strategic and local economic development committee.

Similar to what we did ahead of the September 22 renaming ceremony of Queen Street to Queen Janelle Commissiong Street, the committee decided to clean and repair all of the city’s streets.”

Durham said a team comprising staff from various divisions of the city corporation would be given two weeks to complete cleaning and repair works per street. “So we’ll have gotten at least 26 streets cleaned in one year.”

“Additionally, we’ve engaged the services of a power washing expert to clean Charlotte Street for us; in-house we can tackle the less filthy streets, and we’ll engage the services of experts for the really grimy streets.”

Streets facing north-south are being cleaned first, followed by streets facing east-west.

Asked where the funding for this was coming from, Durham told Newsday, “It’s being done under the regular recurrent works, so it will come out of the regular recurrent expenditure.”

“As the mayor (Joel Martinez) would have indicated, we don’t want people only coming to the city because they have to. We want them to enjoy all that Port of Spain has to offer.

We’re trying to bring back that vibe to the city, as well as the general cleanliness for our residents and business community,” Durham stated.

JMMB Bank imposes US $ limits on VISA Debit Card

JMMB Bank has joined the list of banks which have announced a monthly US dollar spending limit.

In JMMB’s case, effective October 29, VISA debit card holders will have “a foreign currency limit equivalent to TT$3,500 per month (on) all foreign currency online transactions, including wire transfers and international point of sale purchases.”

In an email notification sent on Tuesday, the bank’s managing director and CEO Nigel Romano said, “this limitation will impact access to US dollars and all other foreign currencies. You should note that you will not be able to access foreign currency cash via ATMs. However, your TT dollar limits will not be impacted.”

This announcement came one day after UTC issued its own email notice to customers on Monday informing them of spending limits on US dollar transactions on UTC’s TT Income Fund VISA Electron Card.

JMMB’s CEO thanked customers for their patience over the past few months as the banks has been “dealing with the challenge of accessing foreign currency to facilitate your use of our international VISA debit cards.”

Romano said due to the “precipitous decline in the availability of US dollars across the board in the country, it has become necessary to implement a transaction limit on purchases or withdrawals originating outside of TT.” Recognising that some clients may need to use their card for travel or emergencies overseas, Romano advised them to contact their home branch or JMMB’s Help Desk at 800-JMMB (5662) extension 2022/2023.

“We understand that this is a significant inconvenience, and we underscore our continued commitment to partnering with our clients in the best interest of all,” Romano assured.

Cops nab suspect after South robbery

YVONNE WEBB

Four armed bandits robbed a Duncan Village, La Romaine, family yesterday and escaped with a large quantity of cash, jewellery and cell phones.

However, their foray was short-lived when police responded to the crime and intercepted their vehicle in the vicinity the C-3 mall in Corinth Village, just off the north-bound lane of the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway. Three of the bandits escaped but one was detained by the police. Police impounded the getaway vehicle which was searched and all of the stolen items were recovered. They also found a gun, ammunition and a knife.

The suspect is to be taken before several identification parades today. Police officers of the San Fernando CID have mounted a search for the other three suspects. Southern division police are also probing a shooting incident in which four people, including a woman, were shot at a restaurant and bar at Potato Trace, La Romaine, on Wednesday night.

All four victims were taken to the San Fernando General Hospital where they were treated. A police report said at about 6.30 pm on Wednesday, gunmen opened fire at the bar at the corner of George Street and Southern Main Road junction. A man nicknamed ‘Hammers’ was shot and hospitalised. The others sustained minor injuries and were treated and discharged.

PM defends travel, AG

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday accused another daily newspaper of misrepresenting the facts about his official overseas trips. He also defended Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi against claims by the Opposition that he was involved in an attempt to wire-tap the office of one of its senators.

At a news conference at the Piarco International Airport after returning from the IV Caricom-Mexico Summit in Belize, Rowley said he was “taken aback” by a Trinidad Express story which supported a claim by Princes Town MP Barry Padarath that this was his 18th official trip.

Saying while he was not telling the media how to do its business, Rowley said it was his right “to object to the media giving support to misrepresentation when we in the Parliament rectified that misrepresentation.” He said Government ministers Camille Robinson-Regis and Stuart Young outlined his official overseas trips as well as his private trips. In the case of the former, Rowley said these were mainly Caricom Heads of Government meetings. On the latter he said, “My private visits had nothing to do with State business and were funded by my own pocket.

“I have travelled far less than previous prime ministers and deliberately so.” He said “some idiot” claimed he was travelling for his birthday on Wednesday. “It was my birthday, but I don’t know it was any fun travelling from here to Belize. This was all work.” Rowley turned 68. Declaring he would not flinch from discharging his responsibilities as prime minister, Rowley said, “I have chosen where my presence could benefit TT.” He said this was the case with the Caricom-Mexico Summit. Arising out of that, Rowley said TT will benefit from training by the Mexican government for local law enforcement officers. He said Mexico has been particularly successful in combating criminal gangs.

Rowley said Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dennis Moses and Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon will meet with their Mexican counterparts next week to further discussions of a partial scope trade agreement with Mexico. He said Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto was very interested in this proposal. Rowley said if local manufacturers could gain access to even one percent of the Mexican market, this would be beneficial for them and for TT.

On the allegations against Al-Rawi, Rowley said, “I have seen nothing other than Opposition obfuscation.” He said this situation was no different to past allegations made against him by former Express reporter Anika Gumbs and former Tobago East MP Vernella Alleyne Toppin. “That was UNC organised to discredit me as opposition leader.” In Al-Rawi’s case, Rowley said this was the “same people targeting someone who they are mortally afraid of. I have lived it. I know the model and I think by now the country should know whose model that is.” In a statement, Padarath insisted Rowley has travelled 18 times overseas. He also accused Rowley of attacking the media.

Independent senator: We need more social workers than police

If Government is going to tweak the budget, give half a billion dollars more to the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs in order to prevent antisocial behaviour says Independent Senator Hugh Russell Stuart.

During the budget debate which ended in the Senate yesterday, Stuart said billions of dollars were spent on the Ministry of National Security but the ministry has not been able to grapple with the crime situation.

“A lot of the money is geared towards the end product of trying to fix rather than prevent.”

He said he has been an advocate for spending money on the social services in terms of strengthening the family and schools.

“Probably, we should be having more social workers than policemen at this time because certainly policemen are not doing a good job in keeping banditry down,” he said.

Urging the Ministry of Finance to give more to the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, Stuart said, he noted in the budget, plans to generate revenue in the area of sports through sports services, sporting events, and sporting infrastructure.

However, he said, the Hasely Crawford Stadium and Jean Pierre Complex are in a woefully dilapidated state, yet large numbers of young people from schools and the wider community go to the facility to practice their sports.

While boasting about new infrastructure, he said the older ones are forgotten when they could be refurbished, re-equipped and put back in proper use.

He said, he had been asking four years ago about the elevator at the Hasely Crawford Stadium which has not been repaired since.

The gym for elite athletes, he said, is full of mould and people can fall ill. “I was told recently that it would take about $100,000 to clean and refurbish it,” he said.

“These things are low hanging fruits, they do not require gigantic pledges. Is it apathy. Is it indifference?

He has tried to speak with the Sports Minister, he said, but has been unsuccessful.

He sees him taking pictures with athletes when they return to the country with gold medals, Stuart said, but he would like to see in the stadium with somebody working.

When citizens travel abroad, he said, “they don’t ask who is the prime minister or minister of sport, they ask who is about Brain Lara, Dwight Yorke, Ato Boldon.”

Once he said, he was stopped by police in a foreign country for a traffic offence. When the cop asked about his strange accent and he said he was from Trinidad and Tobago, the cop said, “Dwight Yorke? Brian Lara? That got me away from getting a ticket.”

Hussein: Come clean on sandals

United National Congress (UNC) senator Saddam Hussein on Wednesday demanded the Government “come clean” on the deal for the proposed Sandals resort in Tobago.

Giving his maiden contribution in the Senate during the Budget debate, Hussein questioned the Government’s decision to move ahead with the billion-dollar project in the absence of procurement legislation.

“Madam President (Christine Kangaloo), how much longer are we going to come to this Parliament with excuses for the halt on the implementation of this legislation?” he asked.

“I call upon the Government to implement and operationalise the Public Procurement Act now. This act was designed for us to get value for money and it will curtail the wanton wastage and corruption with the awards of contracts.”

Hussein alleged millions of dollars have been lost over the years to corruption and overpricing of contracts.

“But those millions of dollars that are lost can go towards sectors in our society that desperately needs the money.”

Hussein also wondered whether the implementation of the Public Procurement Act is being delayed deliberately by the government to facilitate the project.

“The manner in which this deal is unfolding in itself sends a clarion call for the implementation of the procurement legislation.”

The Office of the Prime Minister announced in a recent statement that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Sandals resort is expected to be executed shortly.

The statement said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and a government team had met with a Sandals delegation led by its chairman Gordon Butch Stewart.

Hussein urged the government to provide details of the MOU forthwith in the interest of transparency and accountability.

The Opposition senator, who had to be warned by Kangaloo, on at least two occasions, about imputing improper motives on government members in relation to the project, also questioned the delay in the appointment of a procurement regulator.

“We were promised the appointment of a procurement regulator since the first budget in 2015.

“The Minister of Finance said the Government would operationalise the new performance agency in the shortest possible time.

“In 2016, they were promised that the public procurement system would be fully operationalised in 2017 and the regulator will be appointed by March 2017. But it has long gone and no procurement regulator has been appointed.”

Rohan: Prepare for ‘new norm’ of bad weather

Even as ministers listed the role their respective ministries are playing to help residents of recently-flooded areas, Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan said a “new norm” of bad weather patterns now requires new initiatives. These would include flood retention ponds such as those built with each new development in Miami.

At a news conference at Tower D, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain yesterday, Sinanan blamed flooding on a combination of poor development, bad planning and unusual rainfall. Saying recent downpour overwhelmed the water courses, he said “That water simply had nowhere to go.”

On Opposition claims of inadequate dredging, he later told Newsday of 118 recent projects to dredge, de-silt and renovate riverbanks. He said fresh rainfall loosens fresh dirt, so dredging must be a continuous process. Sinanan lamented that people build residences and commercial places in natural retention areas for flood waters, such as swamp, on either side of the Solomon Hochoy Highway.

National Security Minister Edmund Dillon said 2,300 homes have been assessed for damage with details to go to relevant agencies to help with food, clothing and repairs. Stranded people in areas like Woodland have been placed in shelters.

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat said farmers can expect to get $12 million out of a $20 million relief fund. He expects to see price hikes for hot pepper and tomatoes similar to what occurred after the passage of Tropical Storm Bret. Minister of Local Government Kazim Hosein was deeply gratified by ordinary people helping flood-victims. “I really saw love in this trying time.” He said regional corporation disaster coordinators had been easy to reach by phone. Social Development Minister Cherrie-Ann Cockburn-Critchlow said State relief to individuals is for basic items such as beds and fridges but not televisions. She said after Bret, some 1,490 claims were denied, likely for people misunderstanding the eligibility criteria.

Guns, drugs seized in South, Central

Separate anti-crime exercises between Wednesday night and yesterday morning in Point Fortin and Couva, resulted in the seizure of revolvers, ammunition and marijuana according to a release issued by the TTPS yesterday.

At about 1 pm on Wednesday afternoon, officers of the Point Fortin CID received a tip and visited Dam Bank Road, Egypt Village, Point Fortin, where they found a silver and black revolver and two rounds of .38 mm ammunition hidden inside a metal pipe. No arrests were made in connection with the find.

On Wednesday night, officers of the Couva Police Station arrested two men for possession of a Smith and Wesson revolver, 13 rounds of .38 ammunition and 40.6 grammes of marijuana.

According to the release, police in the California district observed the two men, aged 41 and 40, standing in the vicinity of the California Pentecostal Church.

The men attempted to flee the scene but were apprehended.

Both men are believed to be from the Southern Main Road, California.

Road safety advocates support speed limit increase

Two road safety groups are expressing their support of a recent Cabinet decision to increase the speed limit on some highways from 80 km/h to 100 km/h.

Newsday spoke with president of Arrive Alive Sharon Inglefield who said, while she did not object to the decision, she believes increased safety mechanisms such as proper signs, lighting and road markings are necessary to treat with possible road traffic accidents which may arise.

“We are supportive of the speed limit being increased on certain sections of the highway, but this must be subject to the condition of the road network and its infrastructure. That is, good lighting, good signage, good markings, excellent road surface, coupled with a consistent and effective road maintenance programme.”

Inglefield also said a revamp of the current licensing system was necessary in order to ensure motorists are well trained to deal with increasing risks and dangers from the increase.

“Too many of our drivers are still displaying reckless behaviour and too many of our young men are leaving parents and grandparents behind to grieve due to their loss.”

Newsday also spoke with Stan Huggins, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Road Safety Council who said while he was supportive of the decision, he believed effective policing and licensing policies are necessary to prevent road carnage. He said policing is woefully inadequate and called on the relevant authorities to increase police presence on the roads.

“In addition to an increase in the visibility of police, we also need the Licensing Office to conduct a thorough inspection of some of these driving schools and ensure they are properly certified. It cannot be that all it takes for you to become a driving instructor is the holder of a driver’s permit for three years. That is not enough, especially as there is an increase in the speed limit.”

TTUTA: Enforce cell phone policy

Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Lynsley Doodhai yesterday said, rather than banning cell phones in schools, principals and teachers should enforce the policy established by the Ministry of Education.

Doodhai said many schools have enforced the policy where students must have a “normal standard cell phone.” He said many schools also have a policy where students have to lodge the cell phones upon entry to the schools.

“They will keep the cell phones in the administrative office and the students collect them when they are leaving.” Doodhai said videos posted on social media are getting out of control and something must be done about it.

“The videos will attest to the fact that students by and large, in some schools, have cell phones with cameras during their school hours. The policy from the Ministry’s policy document says, once you enter the gates of the schools, the phones are to be powered off.”

He said many of the videos which appear on social media are reflective of copycat behaviour.

“A rigid enforcement of the policy regarding cell phones in schools would and should have an impact on reducing the number of videos on social media. However, that in no way will help to decrease the incidents of violence in our nation’s schools.”

TRHA culpable in 17-yr-old’s death

A High Court judge has found the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) culpable in the death of a 17-year-old who suffered severe internal injuries which had not been detected by doctors at the Scarborough General Hospital when he was admitted for stab wounds.

Zach Matthew Seeram died seven days after he was first treated for the stab wounds he received on September 1, 2010, and after returning to the Scarborough General Hospital on three separate occasions during that week.

He died on September 7, 2010 and a post-mortem concluded that he died from stab wounds, two of which caused severe injuries that resulted in his death.

A stab wound to his lower back injured his left diaphragm and his left lung causing a collapse of the lung and a wound to his abdomen penetrated the right diaphragm, liver and kidney.

The injuries had not been discovered by the attending physicians despite Seeram having visited the hospital on the three separate occasions.

In an oral ruling delivered in the Tobago High Court yesterday, Justice Frank Seepersad remonstrated with the TRHA which, in its defence, said Seeram was treated with reasonable skill by doctors and medical staff at the hospital.

They also said he was not in good health as he was a marijuana user and had a thyroid condition and, when he was first admitted to hospital, smelled of alcohol.

The TRHA also said the teenager was alert and oriented and although a CT scan was done at a private institution, the results of which were not available on time, it did not reveal the magnitude of injuries that could have resulted in his death. Another scan had also been recommended.

Seepersad said the evidence in the case demonstrated a dire need for critical review of the public health care system and the way in which it operated.

“It is unfathomable that, in 2010, a CT scan report which was ordered could sit on a desk at an off-site facility and no effort was made to ascertain the whereabouts of same,” the judge said.

“Instead he was discharged,” he said, adding that no attempt was made to determine the cause of Seeram’s complaints when he returned repeatedly to the hospital.

“The tears of his mother should not have been shed in vain,” he said, as he ordered that the teenager’s mother, Arlene Parisienne Seeram, who filed the lawsuit, be compensated.

The quantum of compensation will be assessed by a Master of the High Court. “His death may have been avoided if his internal injuries were detected. The life of one of our nation’s children was lost.We have a responsibility to ensure that such a circumstance never repeats itself,” Justice Seepersad said.

He also added that the practice of medicine had evolved so that doctors no longer had to “shoot in the dark” but could be aided, with a high level of certainty, by blood tests, CT scans and MRIs.

“Far too often, these are not utilised because machines are either unavailable or not functional. This situation must end. Our citizens deserve better.

“This court has had to deal with several medical negligence matters in Tobago and it’s simply outrageous that, in this island of 60,000 odd inhabitants, the only hospital is devoid of basic functioning equipment and staff. How can this be?

How can this island, in a time where economic diversification is desperately needed, be considered as a viable tourist destination when there is a lack of basic and essential medical services?” he asked.

The TRHA was represented by attorney Ken Wright while Seeram was represented by Senior Counsel Gilbert Peterson, SC, and Dawn Palackdharry Singh.

Woman, 30, held for fraud

Indera Ragoo-Solomon, 30, of Mon Desir Road, Rousillac, was remanded into custody in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court yesterday. She had appeared before Senior Magistrate Cherril-Ann Antoine charged with four counts of fraud.

Ragoo-Solomon was arrested on Tuesday by Fraud Squad detectives in connection with their investigations into certain monetary transactions that had been reported to police.

Antoine, presiding in the court, read the four charges that were based on transactions alleged to have taken place between February and October 17 of this year. The first charge alleged that Ragoo-Solomon obtained $2,500 from a woman to secure a loan for her in the sum of $100,000 that was never received. The second charge alleged that Ragoo-Solomon obtained $15,000 from another person to secure a Housing Development Corporation (HDC) house.

The third charge alleged that she obtained $5,000 from another person as a down payment on a property. The fourth charge alleged that she obtained $20,000 from another victim. The matters were investigated by Police Constable Navin Lutchman and charges laid by WPC Jointe of the Fraud Squad, San Fernando. The charges were laid indictably and Ragoo-Solomon was not called upon to plead.

Biche drug trial

“Some call it ‘pot’, others call it ‘hemp’. Some call it ‘ganja’, some call it ‘Cushe’. This case is about Cushe from Cushe.”

With this opening statement to a High Court judge and jury in the San Fernando High Court yesterday, a State attorney presented the prosecution’s case against a man from Cushe Trace, Rio Claro for possession of 920.83 grammes of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Kenwyn Lazar, 61, is before Justice Maria Wilson and a nine-member jury. He pleaded not guilty.

State Attorney Trevor Jones told the court that on March 12, 2004 at about 11 am, police drove into Cushe Trace.

In a vehicle were Police Constables Garcia, Rampersad and others who saw Lazar who ran away from them. It is alleged they later found a bag containing the marijuana. The trial continues on Monday.

NAPS Principal: Embrace non-traditional areas of study

YVONNE WEBB

Principal of the prestigious Naparima Girls’s High School Carolyn Bally-Gosine, on Wednesday, advised parents of graduating students to look beyond careers in law, medicine and engineering for their daughters.

Such professions are saturated, she said, and as result, children must be supported and embrace the the non-traditional areas of study.

The occasion was the school’s annual speech day held at the Susamachar Presbyterian Church, Coffee Street, San Fernando, where Bally-Gosine spoke to students and their parents. Among those attending were Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis, San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello and Zalayhar Hassanali, wife of former president Noor Hassanali.

Bally-Gosine said, “We are committed to the development of well-rounded individuals and would like our parents to support their daughters when they express a desire to pursue a career outside of the traditional areas of medicine, law and engineering. If your daughter wants to pursue a career in languages, business, sport, visual and performing arts, please support her choice.”

Moderator of the Presbyterian Church Reverend Annabelle Lalla-Ramkelawan said, for the past 150 years the church had been providing education par excellence for all through its 72 primary and five secondary schools. To the extent, she added, that secondary schools – St Augustine High, Hillview College, Iere High and Naparima Girls and Naparima Boys Colleges –had set the pace for other schools to emulate. She then presented the school’s principal with a new logo which incorporated more traditional and indigenous symbols.

Regrello impressed upon the young graduates that they were indeed lucky for they were embarking on careers because of the sacrifices made by their parents and grandparents. He recalled having to walk to school from Vistabella to Harris Street, San Fernando, because his parents did not have a vehicle to transport him. However, the mayor said the journey made him explore different areas of the city which has made him the person he has become.

Al-Rawi also encouraged the girls to persevere, telling a story of poor grades he would have received when he switched from what he wanted to do, to another field of study. However, he said he persevered and, in the end, was able to achieve passing grades.

Francis said even though he attended St Stephen’s College, it was Naparima Girls’s High School which shaped his life. He told the story of his mother who passed an exhibition exam in the 1960’s to attend Naparima Girls but never got that opportunity or one to go to any other secondary school because in those days one had to pay.

“Instead of being bitter about not being able to pursue an education, she used it as a springboard to ensure that her three sons were not denied that opportunity,” Francis said.

He urged the graduates to understand the significance of the education they were receiving, saying it was by no means free but tremendously costly.

Former ODPM head: PM lost confidence in me

Deputy chief executive officer of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management Dave Williams says he resigned because he felt he did not have the confidence of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and he should make way for someone who will be deemed better suited to lead the organisation.

Williams also offered “sincerest apologies” for appearing to “under-appreciate the suffering of my fellow citizens.”

In his letter of resignation dated October 23 and addressed to National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, Williams said, as an experienced professional, he believed “that one cannot function effectively without the complete confidence of one’s employer.” He thanked Dillon for the opportunity to serve.

On hearing Rowley’s comments that he was not sure the ODPM was staffed with people with the right aptitude and the right attitude, he took the decision to resign. His resignation, he said, “takes effect as soon as a replacement is named or sooner, if desired.”

About his “unfortunate” response to a reporter asking why the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) had not been activated in light of the extensive flooding which was such a “big event”, Williams said it was not out of a lack of empathy for affected citizens. He said it was “from the knowledge that, given our widely-acknowledged high level of vulnerability and the likelihood of more frequent and more intense hazard events, what we are experiencing at the moment will indeed pale into relative insignificance when a more intense hazard (hydro-meteorological or otherwise) impacts one or both our islands.”

He said, for the record, the ODPM had activated the NEOC at the “virtual level” meaning that physical presence at the NEOC building was not required.

“All information gathering, decision making, and communication are done via smart phone. This type of activation was deemed appropriate in light of the fact that, at the time, most of the affected municipalities appeared capable of coping with the challenges they faced. It was also done to avoid staff burnout, given our current critical level of staffing; a situation of which the Ministry is well aware.”

Williams noted at length the role of the ODPM, and first response of municipal corporations. “It was therefore unfortunate that there continues to be an expectation that the ODPM would be ‘on the scene’ as it were, when, in fact, it is the officers of the municipal corporations who should be responding to the needs of their burgesses in times of emergency.”

Mark: UNC elections in order

Opposition Senator Wade Mark yesterday said the decision of the UNC’s national executive (Natex) to hold internal elections, including for the post of political leader, is being done so in accordance with provisions of the party’s constitution.

Mark, a founding member of the UNC, who was also its chairman and one of three deputy political leaders, said in a press release , “I can state without any fear of contradiction that the decision of the Natex led by political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar with respect to the holding of elections for officers of the party’s Natex is indeed correct.

“The internal elections announced by the National Executive on October 20, fall squarely within the provisions of the party’s constitution.” Recently, MP for Chaguanas West Ganga Singh took issue with the internal elections saying the post of political leader is not due to be contested for another year and a decision to hold the election is against Section 18 of the party’s constitution which spells out that the political leader holds office for three years.

Singh has written a letter to UNC General Secretary Dave Tancoo seeking answers on why the election for the post of political leader has been brought forward. The internal elections have been set for November 26.

But Mark said it was “factually inaccurate” to state there are no provisions in the UNC constitution to allow for an election before the constitutionally due date. “There are in fact provisions in the UNC constitution to allow, likewise, the holding of elections before the constitutionally due date,” Mark said in his release.

He said it was important to recognise the UNC is as strong as it has ever been, which has been demonstrated by the resolve and effort of party officers, activists and members who have been helping victims in the recent flooding disaster, as team UNC.

Mark said that he fully supports political leader Persad-Bissessar for her “bold and democratic decision”, to face the membership of the party in order to gain a fresh mandate as the party prepares for the next general election.

Khadijah ‘ejected’ over taunt

Being unamused by a taunt led to Opposition Senator Khadijah Ameen being ejected temporarily from the Senate from which she was about to storm out in protest during Wednesday’s budget debate by a stern-faced Senate President Christine Kangaloo.

It all began when the usually mild-mannered Government Senator Foster Cummings himself was teased by the Opposition that their senator Taharqa Obika’s maiden speech was a hard act to follow. Cummings warmly congratulated Obika and said they had both once trained together at an unnamed institution, but after his initial agreeableness then turned up the heat, saying the former People’s Partnership regime had left a part-built Brian Lara Stadium to rot, until completed by the Government, to the supposed delight of Opposition Members including Ameen.

“It took the PNM to come back after five years and then you are hiding with sunglasses to go and look at the CPL, because you criticise it so much.

“I noticed one or two of them ducking and hiding every time the camera passing because you don’t want to end up in the papers.”

Grinning broadly, Cumming teased, “I saw somebody looking like Senator Ameen, but it probably was not her.”

“Don’t call my name in your bacchannal, please!” shot back a straightfaced Ameen. Cummings continued, “Somebody closely resembling her.”

Ameen rose in protest saying aloud that she wished to leave the chamber.

Kangaloo rose and quelled both sides of the Senate. “Senator Ameen, this is the third time. Ameen said, “I’d like to leave please.”

Kangaloo replied, “And I’d like you to, as well. You can return at 7 pm.”

Rambarran: Govt not heeding advice of own experts

Government depending on the sale of CL Financial assets to bridge its $5 million budget deficit is ill-advised as the conglomerate is mired in legal issues says former Central Bank governor turned temporary Opposition Senator Jwala Rambarran.

Government was also failing, he said, because it was not heeding the advice of its own economic advisors and he questioned what the funds drawn down from the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund were used for.

With only two years of the PNM Government in office, Rambarran also told the Senate yesterday during the budget debate, the TT dollar officially lost six perecnt of its value. While the TT dollar is trading at TT$7 to US$1 at commercial banks, he said, it is trading at TT$8 to US$1 on the black market, which means there has been a de facto devaluation of 25 per cent of the TT dollar.

Commenting on Government depending on the sale of CL Financial assets to finance its budget deficit, he said, “The ownership and sale of these assets is a legal matter for the courts to decide and not the Minister of Finance.” He said, CL Financial is in receivership, Clico is under legal control of the Central Bank,and CIB is in compulsory liquidation supervised by the High Court.

The courts do not work according to the minister’s schedule, he said, and it is likely that the budgeted financing expected to come from the sale of the assets will again be delayed this year leading to a larger than budgeted deficit.

“It means that the minister will have to borrow an additional $5 billion or again raid the Heritage and Stablisation Find (HSF) to finance his deficit,” he said.

On borrowing from the HSF, which should have been a last resort measure after significant expenditure cuts had been made and all financing options exhausted, Rambarran said, by the 2020 general elections, “It is quite likely that this government would have eaten up eight years of savings.”

The Finance Minister, he said, “should tell us whether funds drawn from the HSF were used to finance the Brian Lara stadium, or the Prime Minister’s house in Tobago, and whether it will it be used to finance the extension of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway to Manzanilla, or will they be used for golf courses?”

With top economic experts who played significant roles in the 1980s in monitoring the implementation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when the then government had no option but to go the IMF, Rambarran said, “One would think that with such esteemed economic firepower, this Government would be firing on all cylinders when it comes to managing our economy.”

Instead, he said, “in 2016, we experienced the sharpest economic contraction in 33 years.”

The experts, he referred to as “the Trinity of economic experts” were Dr Terrence Farrell, a former director of research at the Central Bank, now chairman of the Prime Minister’s economic board; former Central Bank Governor Ewart Williams and now economic advisor to the Minister of Finance, and former senior economist to the Central Bank and now Governor Alvin Hillaire.

“The reason why Government is failing is because it is ignoring the advice of its own experts,” he said.

Hanging up school phones

Parents have good reason to remain in contact with students even as they attend school. We live in a world where gunmen have entered a school compound and held a student hostage. Additionally, the need to exercise vigilance over children travelling to and from classes is higher than ever before. Gone are the days when parents could comfortably allow children to walk to school.

In this context, the question of phone use in schools is an important matter for which it seems there is no easy prescription. The official position of the Ministry of Education is that phones with video are banned. If this is the position that has been duly arrived at after consultation with stakeholders and experts, then it is important that the ministry’s rules be enforced. Discipline starts from the top down: if the administrators of schools cannot conform to policy guidelines, how are students expected to obey rules?

Yet, there is more to this matter than meets the eye. Arguably, the ability of students to record incidents in their school environment has helped shine a light on matters which may have otherwise escaped national attention. All too often improper conduct by school officials and students alike has been revealed.

It is not only video that is relevant here, however. A major incident involving the homophobic ranting of a school official in south Trinidad was captured in an audio clip which was then disseminated via the WhatsApp platform. These technologies have not only raised the degree of scrutiny which all schools face but they have energised debate of matters which are affecting all of us.

Making students hang up their phones potentially brings an iron curtain down on school affairs. At the same time, there are good reasons why the ministry has banned video phones in the first place.

The use of social media within class can detrimentally affect the pedagogical environment. While smart phones allow quick and easy internet use, enabling students to very quickly research issues and verify facts, in reality these devices are predominantly used to monitor social media: to update Facebook, to check out Twitter and Instagram, and to indulge in the latest trending YouTube videos. This is not surprising since social media has been designed to be addictive.

The ministry has the option, however, of adopting a mixed approach. No phone use should be allowed during class but could be okay during breaks in-between. In practice, such a policy has probably been rejected due to its impracticality. Students may find themselves accidentally leaving phones on after recess or lunch, causing disruption to class.

There is also the deeper problem of the overall impact of social media on the mentality of students. There is something strange and disconcerting about students picking up their phones to record a fight between students. This may not only reflect a desire to capture the moment for the purpose of sharing, but also a kind of voyeurism. Instead of helping their fellow students or learning how to solve problems, students are standing to the side and recording.

When videos recorded by others are circulated on social media they also reach a national audience. This poses serious questions over the child’s right to privacy generally. It further has the impact of distorting the chain of command relating to schools and the Ministry of Education. The responsibility for the day-to-day management of a school should rest with its immediate officials. National-level politicians should not have to become involved unless the case is dire.

For now, because the rights of the child are involved and because we are yet to properly gauge the psychological impact of social media use, the current policy should probably be expanded to include smartphones generally. A balance between safety and privacy must be struck.