RENTAL DEAL!

IN $35 MILLION 

RENTAL DEAL!

Page 2 ISSUE 147 Friday 11th MARCH, 2016 

IF I WERE THE PRIME MINISTER OF T&T 

I WOULD STAMP OUT 

CORRUPTION 

A weekly column by JACK WARNER 

Clean water is not 

the only precious 

commodity missing 

at WASA; integrity seems 

to be also absent in every 

form. 

For this reason, if I were 

the Prime Minister of Trinidad 

and Tobago, I would 

have appointed a Commission 

of Inquiry (COI) into 

this State agency to determine 

why it has virtually 

ground to a halt. 

It must be of national concern 

that an agency, which 

hired 1000 people, mainly 

from South of the Caroni 

Bridge between August 5 

and September 8, 2015 is 

now once again with a staff 

of some 4000 people after 

it had that figure reduced to 

just over 2000 a few months 

ago. 

One of the focii of my COI 

would have been to unearth 

the corruption in the hiring 

practices at WASA. 

People at WASA cannot 

understand how an employee 

who was in jail for three 

months on guns and ammunition 

charges received his 

full pay from WASA during 

incarceration. 

Employees are incensed 

that not only was the man allowed 

to walk from his jail 

cell straight back to the job 

but also the person whom is 

known to have signed his pay 

slip during that period and 

who WASA knows is selling 

uniforms to local workers 

and non employees is also 

still on the job. 

My COI would uncover 

and deal with the WASA administration 

and managers of 

WASA at Kew Place in Port 

of Spain who refused to take 

action against the employee 

who broke into WASA’s 

building and was caught on 

camera stealing WASA’s 

money. 

Today, the man is still employed 

at WASA. 

In fact the COI would 

want to know why the late 

Hooker’s successor told 

workers to refrain from going 

to WASA’s Head Office 

to complain and why under 

his watch weed smoking 

has become rampant at Kew 

Place. 

At present WASA is on 

the brink of collapse and its 

Minister, poor soul, seems 

paralyzed but if I were the 

Prime Minister of Trinidad 

and Tobago, I would have 

immediately appointed this 

COI to save the nation from 

what is heading to be a sure 

disaster. 

Employees are also concerned 

that the qualifications 

of many WASA workers are 

suspect. 

How a WASA Police Officer 

could suddenly ascend 

to the position of Senior 

Manager is confusing and 

maybe, at the same time, the 

COI would identify the three 

bagmen in the last administration 

and provide answers 

not only pertaining to who 

or where the bags of money 

went or from whence but 

also the process of promotion 

at WASA. 

Of concern also is the 

employment of two workers 

at WASA who received 

$17,000 per month for two 

years yet never turned up one 

day for work. 

The COI would reveal 

whether one of these employees 

was a Minister’s son 

and whether the other one 

was the Minister’s driver the 

latter of whom also received 

two salaries for two years - 

one as the Minister’s driver 

and the other as an employee 

at WASA. 

The COI would also investigate 

how five brothers from 

one family could be hired 

in one department at WASA 

and how in that said department 

there are now the appointments 

of various Heads 

such as the Head of Cleaning, 

the Head of Making Tea 

and the Head of Staples and 

Paper Clips. 

The stories at WASA are 

nothing short of scandalous 

yet honest hard working employees 

are being sent home 

or are suspended while those 

who contribute nothing to 

- at all levels in WASA 

Former Acting WASA 

CEO GANGA SINGH 

the development of our nation 

are allowed to rape our 

Treasury. 

Then there is the favourite 

son at the St. Clair yard, 

a former soldier, who has 

a relationship with a top 

management personnel and 

whom is given preferential 

treatment such as being 

placed in Range 58 and being 

sent on various WASA 

courses and programmes. 

He is also the beneficiary of 

paid personal security all at 

WASA’s expense. 

This man who is also a 

DJ is said to have no experience 

and no certification but 

he is the favoured son who 

is reporting for duty at the 

St. Clair Yard instead of the 

Santa Cruz yard where he 

has been assigned. 

The COI would also discover 

that the selling of 

WASA materials from the St. 

Clair Yard has now become 

the norm. Moreover the COI 

would discover that every 

fortnight WASA pays some 

$170,000.00 to workers in 

the Tacarigua and Santa Cruz 

yards all of whom have nothing 

to do. 

In fact in the recent back 

pay received by WASA 

workers many employees 

expressed shock at the large 

amount of money they received. 

It is reported that in 

one case a driver received 

well over $250,000.00 in 

back pay. 

The COI would also discover 

the motive and possible 

perpetrators for the 

murder of WASA Police 

Supt. Deoraj Maharaj as well 

as Pastor Derek Hooter since 

WASA Caroni 

Water Treatment plant 

in Piarco 

the COI will be interested in 

a file that was delivered to a 

WASA employee the night 

before the Superintendent’s 

death. In fact the COI would 

find out from its inquiry that, 

at WASA, they first took 

away Maraj’s driver and then 

his firearm and then had him 

murdered. 

One of the major problems 

at WASA is the employment 

of thugs and gangsters some 

of whom act as bodyguards 

to senior officials who are 

unrepentant in their actions 

and who continue to intimidate 

hardworking employees 

and bring the agency into 

disrepute. 

There is also an uneasy 

quiet at WASA and many 

have taken note that the 

management of WASA’s 

Operations Administration 

is preferring persons with a 

certain sexual orientation for 

employment and this most 

certainly would be of interest 

to the COI if such a pattern is 

identified. 

But I was told that if I 

think the employment practices 

at WASA are nauseating, 

then expect to vomit at 

the corrupt practices that will 

be uncovered. 

The COI would want to 

know whether an employee 

cashed WASA’s office equipment 

vouchers at Moosai’s 

Hardware during the last 

Christmas season and of the 

close to half a million in 

cheque fraud that has taken 

place these past months. 

Employees now receive 

their salary cheques crossed 

forcing them to now deposit 

the cheques to their bank accounts 

and await four days 

for them to be cleared. 

The COI would be interested 

in hearing about the 

number of senior officers’ 

homes that were repaired 

with materials and labour 

from the WASA stockyard. 

The COI would be concerned 

about reports that in 

the case of a Fleet Officer 

Two, the private labour for 

a two-week period paid by 

WASA was in the sum of 

$195,000 of taxpayers’ money. 

Already information is 

available and employees 

are willing to talk about the 

scope of works such as tiling, 

putting up water tanks, casting 

of driveways and much 

more which were done at the 

homes of top management 

personnel - all at taxpayers’ 

expenses.The COI would 

certainly want to investigate 

the role played by the Special 

Manager Projects and his 

staff during the $400m pipe 

laying contract from Chaguanas 

to the Deep South 

If I were the Prime Minister 

of Trinidad and Tobago I 

would have been concerned 

about how persons were employed 

on these projects, how 

much they were paid and the 

work they were doing. 

WASA has been inherently 

corrupt but today a sad 

sorry story has developed 

at WASA; it is a shame and 

scandal affair. 

Many WASA workers 

have every reason now to 

be angry because some of 

their workers who contribute 

daily to WASA’s growth and 

development and who report 

on the corruption at WASA 

are being sent home on suspension 

while misfits sit in 

their offices and continue to 

mismanage WASA’s affairs 

just as they had done in the 

past. For those hard working 

WASA employees the more 

things change the more they 

remain the same and in all 

of this WASA’s Line Minister 

seems impotent to effect 

the required changes to fix 

WASA. .In WASA the COI 

would have discovered that 

as far as reforms are concerned 

it is all a game of musical 

chairs. 

A forensic audit will certainly 

help in unearthing 

many of the corrupt practices 

at WASA especially if the 

auditor is hired from abroad, 

but notwithstanding that, if I 

were the Prime Minister of 

Trinidad and Tobago I would 

have immediately launched a 

Commission of Inquiry into 

WASA because it is not only 

the water at WASA that is not 

clean. 

Too much seems to be going 

wrong there. 

It seems as though monsters 

are everywhere.

ISSUE 147 Friday 11th MARCH, 2016 

Page 3 

QUESTIONABLE WASA LEASE! 

- for 10 years 

Story by Investigative Reporter AZAD ALI 

Questions are being 

raised about 

a decision by the 

Tenders Committee of 

the Water and Sewerage 

Authority (WASA) 

regarding the rental of a 

property owned by Bhagwansingh’s 

Hardware and 

Steel Industries Limited 

for $35.4 million for 10 

years. 

This is one of the “irregularities” 

it is hoped will be 

part of the forensic audit 

into WASA, insiders in the 

company are saying. 

The investigation will be 

conducted as to how WASA 

spent $38 million to renovate 

the Bhagwansinghowned 

property at Golden 

Grove Road, Arouca 18 

months before the Tenders 

Committee approved 

the long-term rental of the 

property for use as the Trincity 

Regional Complex. 

According to documents 

in the possession of Sunshine, 

on May 25, 2015, 

then Acting Chief Executive 

Officer (CEO) Yorke 

wrote a memorandum to 

Diaz who was the Acting 

Director of Corporate Services 

at the time, stating 

that at the 252nd meeting 

of the Tenders Committee, 

a decision was taken to 

advise the board of directors 

to renew the lease for 

WASA’s Trincity Regional 

Complex in Arouca. 

The funds for servicing 

the lease would come 

from the Corporate Services 

Recurrent Budget. 

The proposed terms for 

the rental are: for a period 

of 10 years commencing 

September 15, 2014 

and ending in 2024 at a 

fixed rate with the option 

to renew the lease at the 

end of the 10 year period, 

and at a monthly rate of 

$295,000 which amounts 

to $35.4 million over the 

life of the lease. 

Sunshine has been informed 

that the rental 

agreement has still not yet 

been signed to date and 

moves are being made to 

have it rushed through and 

to bind the State for the 

next decade before the new 

board has a chance to figure 

out what is going on. 

What is curious though 

is that work on the Trincity 

Regional Centre began 

when Ganga Singh was 

Acting CEO of WASA following 

the 2010 General 

Election. 

In 2012, Singh was made 

Minister of the Environment 

and Water Resources 

and line minister for 

WASA. 

This placed him in a position 

where he would have 

had as minister to oversee 

and approve matters commenced 

by him as CEO. 

The Trincity Regional 

Centre was opened in December 

2013 by Singh in 

his capacity as Minister and 

was described as a “stateof-the-art” 

facility. 

Singh confirmed at the 

opening ceremony that $38 

million had been spent by 

WASA on the renovation 

works. 

“How can you spend $38 

million on a property that 

you have no long-term 

lease for? How can you 

spend that kind of money 

before you have the approval 

to rent the property 

for such a long period?” 

One senior WASA 

source asked. 

“After you spend $38 

million to renovate a 

building you are now asking 

for permission to lease 

the very said building. 

How can the board say 

no? You cannot pick up the 

building and walk with it, 

so the board’s hands are 

tied. The timeline here is 

also very questionable.” 

It is also important to note 

that having spent $38m to 

GANGA SINGH 

ANNA DEONARINE 

renovate the property and 

another $35.4m in rent by 

2024, the same WASA offices 

even in the best of 

times do not collect more 

than $75,000.00 per month 

from customers. What kind 

of business enterprise is 

WASA? Many persons are 

asking. 

Sunshine also made inquiries 

about the property 

and learned it was previously 

owned by CLICO. The 

building was much smaller 

and housed a branch of the 

insurance company, which 

was owned and managed by 

Shama Deonarine mother 

of former ILP Deputy Political 

leader, Anna Deonarine. 

The building also had 

an office for Home Construction 

Limited (HCL), 

the land and property development 

subsidiary of 

CLICO. 

When the fall of CLICO 

began in 2009, HCL was in 

debt to Bhagwansingh. 

The company supplied 

HCL with a substantial 

amount of steel and other 

building materials for its 

housing developments such 

as at the Crossings in Arima 

and major projects such 

as One Woodbrook Place, 

St. James. When the Insurance 

giant collapsed, HCL 

owed Bhagwansingh over 

$10 million for materials. 

The land on Golden Grove 

Road was traded to Bhagwansingh’s 

as part of the 

settlement of the outstanding 

bill,” according to a former 

HCL source. 

The word making the 

rounds is that a lawyer who 

is the wife of a government 

minister from the previous 

administration made a tremendous 

amount of money 

out of WASA’s rental of the 

property and has a major 

financial interest in the 10- 

year deal going forward. 

All eyes remain fixed on 

the upper-level management 

of WASA over this and 

other questionable deals at 

the Authority. Many persons 

are concerned that a 

forensic audit ordered last 

year is taking place while 

the persons whose professional 

conduct and decisions 

are being probed remain 

on the job albeit that 

they are not holding the 

same positions as under the 

last administration. 

A WASA media release 

last December – 13 days 

before the fire at the headquarters 

– advised that 

former CEO Yorke, a close 

friend of former Minister 

Singh and a fete promoter, 

was demoted to act as Director 

of Corporate Services, 

while four other senior 

level staff who held acting 

positions reverted to their 

previous substantive posts. 

General Counsel and 

Corporate Secretary Dion 

Abdool was appointed to 

act as interim CEO. Paula 

Maria Fortuné, head of Legal 

Services, was shifted to 

act as General Counsel and 

Corporate Secretary; Raffie 

David, head of the Tobago 

Region, now acts as Director 

of Operations; Rachelle 

Wilkie, head of Financial 

Planning and Management 

was put to act as Director 

of Finance; and May Ann 

Diaz, head of Workforce 

Planning and Organisation 

Development, was re-assigned 

to act as Director of 

Human Resources. 

Diaz (M) is the sister of 

former Director of Corporate 

Services Wendell 

Diaz. Diaz (W), was reassigned 

in the management 

shuffle to Assistant to the 

Director of Corporate Services, 

former CEO Yorke. 

He was allegedly caught on 

the fourth floor of the damaged 

WASA headquarters 

building a few days after 

the fire without authorization. 

He was immediately 

suspended. 

All the managers served 

during the tenure of Indar 

Maharaj as Chairman 

of WASA. Maharaj was 

appointed Chairman in 

December 2010 until the 

September 7, 2015, General 

Election. Maharaj simultaneously 

held the post 

of President of the National 

Gas Company (NGC) during 

which time billions of 

dollars in questionable ventures 

were undertaken by 

both NGC and WASA such 

as the $1.6 billion Beetham 

Wastewater Treatment 

Plant project which was 

awarded to SIS and which is 

now before the courts since 

SIS is unable to deliver. 

A $70 million contract by 

NGC to SIS for the beautification 

of the lands surrounding 

the Preysal Interchange 

in Couva is also 

under investigation. 

There is another WASA 

rental property that is giving 

the Sunshine serious 

cause for concern and 

that is the WASA stores at 

Johnny King ext. in Aranguez, 

but more about this 

in a subsequent issue of the 

Sunshine.

Page 42 ISSUE ISSUE 135 Friday 147 Friday 18th 11th DECEMBER, MARCH, 2015 2016 

DISMAL CHRISTMA$ 

GREETINGS 

A 

very different 

Christmas. 

Will the 2015 

Christmas be a traditional 

one in Trinidad 

and Tobago since we 

are now in a recession 

as officially pronounced 

by Governor 

Jwala Rambaran? 

Trinidad and Tobago 

has received its Christmas 

gift from the Governor 

of the Central 

Bank who chose to deliver 

his goodies at the 

fifth Monetary Policy 

- From Governor Jwala Rambaran 

Story by SUNSHINE FINANCE REPORTER 

this 2015 recession, 

which should not come 

as a major surprise to 

many of us? Well... 

prolonged supply disruptions 

in the energy 

sector in 2015 continued 

to result in sharp 

shortfalls of natural 

gas production which, 

in turn, adversely affected 

output of LNG 

and petrochemicals 

(methanol, ammonia, 

urea and iron and 

steel). Lower energy 

prices also negatively 

Forum co hosted by impacted the domestic does it reflect a structural 

shift in global oil 

Ninety-nine year-old FITZJAMES WILLIAMS is all smiles 

the Downtown Owners energy sector. This has 

and Merchants 

HE’S 

Association 

in Port of Spain in job losses at some A speech by Spencer 

already been reflected markets. 

JUST 

recently. 

energy companies. The Dale, chief economist 

The Governor awakened 

decision by Arcelor of BP (and former chief 

99 

from his UNC 

YEARS 

Mittal to idle its steel economist of the Bank 

OLD 

slumber made the plant has not only affect 

energy output but on what is driving oil 

of England) sheds light 

pronouncement that 

Trinidad and Tobago also jobs. 

prices. He argues that Finance Minister 

is in a recession, apparently 

surprising tor, which has kept the that oil is an exhaust- 

The non-energy sec- 

people tend to believe COLM IMBERT 

- and doing fine 

his new Minister of economy from veering ible resource whose likely to import threequarters 

& of Angela its oil Ifill, and 

Past Finance Colm Students Imbert of the off Mausica 

seeking Teachers’ confir- 

College growth prayers, trajectory ice for cream over and time, cool that demand Fareeda Chapman, India almost Carol 90 Reveil- 

per 

its sica already Alumni weak surprised price him is likely with to ough, rise Trevor 

who is 

mation held from a the birthday CSO the party past drinks, few a years, lovely birthday and supply cake and curves lac, for Eulalie cent. Lawrence, Of course, Barbaras this 

for on this the College’s matter..... first as seems Warden 

well as Fitzjames from the Williams Police momentum. who by them However, during their ly, “inelastic”), stay at the that Maureen oil port Warner. system will re- 

to many have songs lost which its oil had are been steep sung (technical- 

Davis, Allan assumes Clovis that and the Jack trans- 

& 

turned on whether 99 last the Governor 

can held be the charged office for of Warden over the of the past members year of western the Alumni countries lodge and members over this present long period. includ- 

Saturday the and economic Mausica events Teachers’ flows College. predominantly All There to were main also dependent several on of his oil 

who 

from his deliberate 1963 to 1977. indiscretion. 

Affectionately called Fitzie bering, by even den is the still most very lucid to stabilise and knows the market. son and Hugh no great Smith. mental leap to 

should have marvelled started how so- 

their that former OPEC War- 

is willing ing Leroy If Williams, it does, it Al demands Robin- 

the The students, Governor he was pronounces. 

among us. Among those tional who attended wisdom Bethel about Home in stabilising for the the Aged Mid- 

in 

a mentor financially to the nonchalant first names of all Much of them. of this conven- 

Mr Williams assume is that staying US interest at the 

many. 

For “Since his the birthday, release the Mau- 

The last the party time were the Felix oil is, Edinbor- 

he argues, false. Arima. 

of our previous Monetary 

country saw economic 

Policy Report performance figures 

in early June 2015, 

Trinidad and Tobago’s 

economic growth 

like these was in 2009, 

a recession which lasted 

all of one year. Prior 

prospects remain to that, the country 

subdued amid weak experienced a severe 

business and consumer 

recession for seven 

confidence. Fol- 

lowing a dismal first 

half of 2015, (contrary 

to what was reported 

by the former 

consecutive years from 

1983 to 1989. “ 

On the basis of this 

data it is clear that 

recession as defined 

administration) domestic 

by the Central Bank 

economic ac- 

Governor has been 

tivity was depressed 

in the third quarter 

of 2015. Similar weak 

economic conditions 

have prevailed so far 

into the fourth quarter 

of 2015. Four consecutive 

quarters of 

managed by previous 

administrations and as 

a country Trinidad and 

Tobago has some experience 

in transitioning 

out of a recession. 

An examination of the 

solutions indicates that 

decline in real GDP in the country got out 

2015 means Trinidad of the last recession 

and FELIX Tobago EDINBOROUGH is now by (1963/65) higher commodity first 

officially President in of a the recession.” 

Mausica prices, Students’ a feature Council of the 

is seen here hugging ANGELA IFILL of the 

Mausica Alumni and highs wishing and FITZIE lows of energy 

What brought “Happy on Birthday” pricing. 

What confronts us 

today however is a totally 

different set of 

challenges in a new 

global oil economy. 

In an article (reprinted 

in part) in the 

financial times written 

by Martin Wolf the 

chief economics commentator 

at the Financial 

Times, London he 

answers the following 

important questions? 

Why have oil prices 

fallen? Is this a temporary 

phenomenon or 

A part of what is 

shaking these assumptions 

is the US shale 

revolution. From virtually 

nothing in 2010, 

US shale oil production 

has risen to around 

4.5m barrels a day. 

Most shale oil is, suggests 

Mr Dale, profitable 

at between $50 

and $60 a barrel. 

Moreover, the productivity 

of shale oil 

production (measured 

as initial production 

per rig) rose at over 30 

per cent a year between 

2007 and 2014. Above 

all, the rapid growth 

in shale oil production 

was the decisive factor 

in the collapse in 

the price of crude last 

year: US oil production 

on its own increased 

by almost twice the expansion 

in demand. 

By 2035, China is 

Central Bank 

Governor JWALA 

RAMBARAN 

dle East will shrink as 

that of China and India 

rises. The geopolitical 

implications might be 

profound. 

A further implication 

concerns the challenge 

for OPEC in stabilising 

prices. In its World 

Energy Outlook 2015, 

the International Energy 

Agency forecasts a 

price of $80 a barrel in 

2020, as rising demand 

absorbs what it sees 

as a temporary excess 

supply. A lower oil 

price forecast is also 

considered, with prices 

staying close to $50 a 

barrel this decade. 

The implications are 

very clear and perhaps 

Governor Jwala may 

have unknowingly begun 

the discussion that 

must occur about our 

future choices....What 

a Christmas from the 

Governor? 

JACK WARNER having a toast with FITZIE


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TOWN 

TALKING 

POTHOLES TURNING 

INTO SINKHOLES 

ACROSS THE COUNTRY 

People are talking how the 

country is at a standstill 

since the PNM government 

took office six months ago. 

Motorists are complaining about 

the deteriorating conditions of the 

nation’s roads with large potholes 

which are now turning into sinkholes. 

Talk is that the poor conditions of 

the roads are leading to many accidents 

where drivers have to swerve 

to get away from the holes. 

People are calling on Works and 

Transport “Rastaman” Minister 

Fitzgerald Hinds to take a drive 

along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway 

from Arima to Curepe and he 

Poor service at Arima FCB bank! 

People are talking about 

the poor FCB bank service 

in Arima. On a near 

aily basis, customers are unble 

to make deposits because 

here are no envelopes in the 

ispenser, no account balance 

lips and at times no money at 

he ATMs. 

FCB has two ATM machines at 

xtra Foods and customers have 

een experiencing the same probem 

of an money and account balnce 

slips. 

People are saying this has been 

n ongoing problem for customers 

t FCB at Arima. 

Last month end (Sunday, March 

8) frustrated customers were seen 

will see the large potholes in the 

middle of the road and at the side, 

which motorists have to pull away 

from to avoid an accident. 

In Arima, the roads also have a 

number of sink holes in the Borough. 

In the past, the Arima Borough Corporation 

used to patch the holes but 

that is now a thing of the past. 

Burgesses are saying the road repair 

crew has abandoned the job. 

In Curepe the road that leads from 

the CR Highway to the University of 

the West Indies (UWI) on the Western 

side is also in a poor condition. 

People are asking where is Minister 

Hinds? 

lining up at one of the three ATM 

machines to make withdrawals 

but money ran out and they had to 

turn away. 

Works and Transport Minister 

FITZGERALD HIND 

CUSTOMERS BEING ROBBED OUTSIDE 

REPUBLIC BANK TRINCITY 

People are saying how 

bandits are holding up 

customers outside Reublic 

Bank Trincity and robing 

them. 

Last week a businessman was 

obbed of $75,000 while on his 

ay to make a deposit around 

.30 pm. 

He is one of the several businessmen 

who have been robbed, 

Arima branch of First Citizens Bank 

over the past months in the car 

park while on their way to make 

deposits or withdraw cash. 

Although there are security 

guards on the compound they are 

unarmed and their duties appear 

to be just car park attendants. 

People are calling on the bank 

to provide armed security guards 

in the car park. 

People are saying that ATM 

machines should be checked on 

weekends to ensure there are 

money and account balance slips. 

Republic Bank 

PRESIDENT CARMONA MUST STOP 

TALKING ABOUT INTEGRITY! 

Talk in town is how 

President Anthony 

Carmona has taken 

the people of T&T for a bunch 

of fools. Many are asking how 

Carmona can seriously talk 

about the integrity of politicians 

and the Board of Inland 

Revenue (BIR) when he addressed 

the Commonwealth 

Caribbean Association of 

Integrity Commissions and 

Anti-Corruption Bodies last 

week when many have accused 

him of not displaying 

the required integrity since 

he continues to illegally receive 

a monthly housing allowance 

of $28,000. 

Many in town are also asking 

how come Justice Zainool 

Hosein, Chairman of T&T’s 

Integrity Commission, can also 

participate in such a meeting 

and talk about “confidential- 

President ANTHONY 

CARMONA 

ity” when prior to the September 

7 General Election he 

allegedly tried to assist the PP 

government by accusing Prime 

Minister Dr. Keith Rowley of 

not submitting his 2004 integrity 

forms? 

SCRAP POST-CABINET NEWS CONFERENCE 

Some journalists are saying 

the Government 

should scrap the post- 

Cabinet news conference because 

they are unable to ask 

ministers questions. 

Communications Minister 

Maxie Cuffie who has been hosting 

the new conference is struggling 

to give answers to questions 

and being very dismissive 

to other important ones. 

Some people are saying that it 

appears that Cuffie is the “messenger” 

for the Cabinet and is 

told just what to answer. 

One journalist said when Cuffie 

is asked questions he brushes 

them aside and just defends the 

government. 

People are saying that since 

Cuffie came from the media in 

senior positions they expect he 

Communications Minister 

MAXIE CUFFIE 

would have done a better job as 

Communication Minister, but it 

appears he has a speech impediment 

and is unable to properly 

communicate with journalists. 

PROBE HOW PRISONER SHERON 

WAS GIVEN VIP TREATMENT 

People in Town are asking 

the President of the 

Police Service Social and 

Welfare Association Anand Ramesar 

why he is not calling for 

an investigation into the VIP 

treatment given to millionaire 

businessman Sheron Sukdheo 

while he was in custody at the 

Chaguanas Police Station recently. 

Sheron was arrested for allegedly 

beating his wife Rachael and 

was supposed to spend the night 

in custody before being taken to 

court the next day. 

However, there were reports 

that Sheron was taken home to 

have a bath and while he was in 

the CID office, he passed through 

a window and went home to sleep. 

He returned around 3 am later 

that night to get ready for court. 

Three officers from the CID 

haave since been transferred. 

ANAND RAMESAR 

When the incident occurred 

with Inspector Roger Alexander 

and Crime Watch host Ian 

Alleyne outside Sheron’s Chaguanas 

home the association 

president was calling for an investigation 

into alleged police abuse 

of power. 

Now people in Town said he 

should make the same call for the 

three transferred officers to be investigated.


EDITORIAL 

By Publisher 

JACK WARNER 

We have to find a 

common sense 

approach in 

dealing with reprisals to 

policy decisions targeted 

at those behind the prison 

walls. 

The emotional rhetoric 

defining the killing of 

young Fitzalbert Victor Jnr 

as a war is just sensational 

and instills an aura of fear 

in the minds of his brothers 

and sisters in the prisons 

service. 

What is worse is that after 

having defined the killing 

as part of a war, the 

Commissioner of Prisons 

proceeds to advise his subordinates 

“not to be fearful.” 

But the stark truth is that 

if this is really a war, then 

the men who signed up “to 

treat and to hold” those 

who run afoul of the law 

are powerless to maintain a 

stance of professionalism in 

times such as these. 

This conversation is 

nothing new. 

What seems to be the 

only constant is the inability 

of the authorities to devise a 

plan that makes our prison 

officers feel safe even when 

they are off the job. 

Previous governments 

have tabled many ideas. 

One such is the allocation 

of HDC homes to law 

enforcement officers. 

The policy of 10 percent 

is spread over all the agencies 

including Fire officers 

and at the rate at which 

houses are being built, one 

cannot offer any hope to the 

officers under threat that 

such a plan will ever come 

to fruition in my lifetime or 

theirs. 

What is worse is that the 

HDC homes to be allocated 

are still among the general 

public and so access to 

these officers regardless of 

where they are assigned is 

just as easy as when they 

live in at-risk communities. 

Another idea is providing 

firearms for off-duty prison 

officers. 

It’s time to deal with reprisals to policy decisions 

WAR BEHIND 

PRISON WALLS 

Such an idea sounds good 

but the effect inhibits when 

one considers the criminal 

mind. 

In societies, which pursue 

such a path the realities 

present offer a more ominous 

end than leaving these 

officers unarmed. How can 

we forget that a former 

Commissioner of Prisons, 

Michael Hercules, was 

murdered by two young 

men ( he ended up killing 

one) and he was armed? Or 

how can we forget the Prisons 

Officer who was shot 

with his own firearm on the 

Quinem beach? Such cases 

of Prison Officers being 

shot with their own firearms 

are too numerous to mention. 

And, moreover, did 

the late Prison officer Victor 

not have a firearm under 

his pillow we are told? 

So the first point of note 

is that officers are known 

to have been killed while 

in possession of their firearms, 

which are then stolen 

by their assailants. 

The threat here, therefore, 

is the possibility of 

legal firearms being in the 

hands of criminals. 

Another threat is that 

cowards would then pursue 

softer targets such as 

members of prison officers’ 

families which will put a 

larger demographic at risk 

and exacerbate the problem 

at hand. 

The third idea has to do 

with the threat by the Prison 

Officers Association to take 

the Government to court 

over its inability to protect 

and assure the safety of officers 

while on or off duty. 

It will be interesting to 

hear the debates on both 

sides and to read the court’s 

judgment on this matter because 

any employee within 

the public service can make 

such a claim. 

But that is another matter! 

My own position is that 

there needs to be a thorough 

review of the penal system. 

In the first place, we have 

A new fearsome reality 

reached this point because 

rogue officers have been 

allowed to compromise the 

safety of the Prison Service 

and the good officers have 

kept silent for too long 

so the chickens have now 

come home to roost. 

The perception is that the 

killing may be materially 

linked to the policy decision 

to install telephone 

jammers at the nation’s 

prisons. 

The question is how did 

these phones get there in 

the first place? 

Civilians did not carry 

them in and if the prisoners 

sneaked them past the various 

checkpoints then somebody 

turned a blind eye or 

offered a favour, which has 

contributed to the problems 

we are facing today. 

So the first approach 

must be the commitment 

to tighter security measures 

and an assurance by officers 

to speak up and act against 

errant officers within the 

service. 

The second is improving 

the human rights conditions 

which exist within the prison 

walls. 

The living conditions 

there are deplorable and 

the Minister of National 

Security Edmund Dillon 

needs to do more than being 

alarmed when officers 

are murdered and come up 

with a way for prisoners to 

be treated as human beings 

even when incarcerated. 

If you treat someone 

like an animal they will 

act as an animal towards 

you and when one feels 

that one has lost all reason 

to live and has nothing to 

lose, anything is possible. 

Prisoners must never be 

treated in a way that pushes 

them to that point because 

the actions that we will witness 

would be unthinkable. 

Thirdly, the judicial system 

cannot continue to treat 

with prisoners in the tardy 

manner that has become the 

norm. 

A young man sentenced 

National Security Minister 

EDMUND DILLON 

to six years in prison appealed 

the judgment because 

he maintained his innocence. 

Unable to secure bail because 

of his financial and 

social standing he remained 

seven years in jail for an 

opportunity to plead his innocence. 

The sad end to his 

story is that he died behind 

the prison walls waiting for 

justice. 

Can you imagine the 

angst this has evoked in the 

minds of close relatives? 

Can you imagine the feelings 

of reciprocity or conjure 

up the images of whom 

might be the possible target 

for attack for the feelings 

harboured? 

Why in God’s name I 

ask for the umpteenth time 

can’t we complete an initiative 

which, as a former 

Golden Grove Prison...scene of trouble 

Former CoP MICHAEL 

HERCULES 

Minister of National Security, 

I had started to address? 

And that is having a 

court at the Golden Grove 

Prisons!!!! I know why this 

matter has been consistently 

stalled but, in the end, we 

shall pay a high price for 

our recalcitrance. 

Also, why don’t we have 

night courts in an effort to 

expedite the judicial process? 

Why not? 

We have to approach 

this prison officer’s tragedy 

with a level of common 

sense that seeks to produce 

a sustainable end rather 

than emotive rhetoric that 

dies 10 days after the burial 

of the prison officer. 

This calls for a multisectoral 

approach to initiate 

action if this debacle has to 

be brought under control 

Page 7 

Murdered Prison Officer 

FITZALBERT VICTOR 

before being extirpated. 

Most prisoners are citizens 

of our country with 

inalienable human rights by 

virtue of their birthright. 

Those in Remand Yard 

are innocent until proven 

guilty and if we are to effect 

the change in the lives 

of the men and women 

accused of breaking the 

law then we must treat 

them as human and very 

humane when we detain 

them behind our prison 

walls and this advice is 

not an indictment of any 

prison officer nor even the 

prison service. It is an indictment 

against our system 

of justice. 

So the answer is not easy 

but we must make a determined 

effort to work together 

to get this right. 

Let’s do it now.


CARICOM explores… 

NEW PLATFORMS IN 

FIGHT AGAINST YOUTH 

CRIME, VIOLENCE 

Each year, approximately 

200,000 youths 

aged 10 to 29 die, and 

many more sustain serious 

injuries because of violence 

across the world. Youth violence 

is a global challenge 

that the Caribbean Community 

(CARICOM) knows 

only too well: its young people 

are both the main perpetrators 

and victims. 

But CARICOM is accelerating 

its fight. Its most current 

initiative is a two-day 

youth forum in Georgetown, 

Guyana. The forum begins 

on Monday, with an opening 

ceremony to be chaired by 

CARICOM Secretariat director 

for human and social development, 

Myrna Bernard. 

Guyana’s vice president and 

minister for public security, 

Khemraj Ramjattan, will deliver 

the address. 

The Forum 

The forum, funded by the 

Caribbean Development Bank 

(CDB) and the government of 

Spain, is an outcome of the 

two-year CARICOM/Spain 

Project: Youth on Youth Violence 

in the Caribbean. This 

project which aims to reduce 

youth on youth violence, particularly 

in schools, is now 

being piloted in five member 

states: Antigua and Barbuda, 

Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, 

Saint Lucia and Trinidad and 

Tobago. 

New platforms for transformation 

will be explored to 

break the cycle of youth crime 

and violence. Specifically, 

CARICOM policy-makers, 

the media and other stakeholders 

will be sensitised on 

the major elements of youth 

crime and violence and on the 

responses to break the silence. 

Good practices will be shared 

with a view to replicating the 

lessons learned. 

At the same time, strategies 

for a multi-sectoral ‘whole of 

society’ response to the challenge 

will be examined, as 

well as the means for greater 

collaboration among institutions 

and development partners 

to sustain CARICOM’s 

response to youth crime and 

violence. 

Approximately 100 participants 

from across CARI- 

COM will engage in interactive 

sessions centered on four 

main topics/issues: violence 

against children; school violence; 

gender based violence; 

and youth gangs and 

violence, together with the 

cross-cutting themes of gender, 

culture and other social 

determinants. 

The forum will employ a 

mix of feature presentations, 

panel discussions and video 

presentations, with participation 

from a wide range of 

stakeholders including policymakers 

in all sectors: law enforcement, 

the private sector, 

labour, development partners, 

civil society, academia, faithbased 

and community organisations, 

youth, reformed nontraditional 

leaders and special 

interest groups. 

Youth Violence in 

CARICOM 

Crime and violence has 

negatively impacted the quality 

of life of CARICOM 

member states. It has placed 

pressure on limited resources, 

reduced local and foreign direct 

investment and threatened 

the achievement of the developmental 

goals of these states. 

According to the CARI- 

COM Eye on the Future Report 

of 2010, the number one 

concern of youth is crime and 

violence. Sixty percent of 

CARICOM’s population is 

under the age of 30. The main 

perpetrators as well as the 

victims of crime are young 

people. Moreover, violence 

is the lead cause of death 

among males aged 15-24 in 

the Caribbean. 

Not only is the incidence of 

youth violence increasing, but 

according to a 2010 regional 

survey in seven member states, 

the pattern indicates: a gender 

dimension to violence in 

which violent acts are carried 

out mainly by young males 

against other young males, and 

females are the main victims 

in situations of domestic abuse 

or sexual assault. 

It also indicates increasing 

school violence, with a close 

connection between youth 

violence and violence in the 

community. Victimisation of 

youth by peers and adults is 

shown to often lead to more 

violence and a resort to violence 

out of fear, or in response 

to a perceived threat. 

For the Caribbean, school 

remains one of the key socialising 

environments for 

their youth. According to the 

IADB 2012 report, “class attendance 

of the region’s share 

of elementary and secondary 

school-age children stands 

at 95.0 per cent and 73.0 per 

cent, respectively”. 

One of the outcomes of 

the Youth on Youth Violence 

Project was an assessment of 

risk factors, threats for violence, 

protective factors and 

school bonding factors in the 

pilot schools of the selected 

member states. To date, 520 

students have been surveyed 

and have also participated in 

various focus group discussions, 

with the majority of 

them (90%) between the ages 

of 11–16 years. Many were 

victims of bullying, classroom 

theft and robbery from 

other students. 

Information from the survey 

revealed that violence in 

schools was perceived to be 

related to gangs moving into 

the schools and communities 

(27%); easy access to 

drugs and guns (14.8%); and 

a lack of positive activities 

(13.2%), among other factors. 

The challenges being faced in 

the schools and communities 

were very similar across states 

and, in many cases, pointed 

to issues that had to do with 

boredom in school, poor conflict 

resolution skills and a 

general lack of discipline. 

According to the students 

Youth on Youth Violence Group 

surveyed, strategies to reduce 

violence in schools should include 

mentoring programmes 

for students (18%); gang prevention 

programmes (14.6%); 

parenting training (13.1%); 

and police presence (25%). To 

date, five schools have been 

engaged, the smallest with a 

population of 400 students. 

Deepening crime 

prevention initiatives 

For CARICOM, crime and 

insecurity remains one of the 

principal obstacles to social 

and economic development. 

Conservative estimates place 

annual direct expenditure 

on youth related crime and 

violence in five CARICOM 

states at between 2.8 percent 

and 4 percent of GDP. 

CARICOM’s Community 

Strategic Plan for 2015-2019 

identifies Deepening Crime 

Prevention Initiatives and 

Programmes as an area of 

focus to build the social resilience 

of the Community. 

The Deepening Crime Prevention 

Initiatives strategy 

takes on board the CARI- 

COM Social Development 

and Crime Prevention Action 

Plan 2009-2013, which 

provided a template for addressing 

the issue through 

a cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary 

approach based 

on five pillars: prevent and 

reduce violence; foster social 

inclusion; promote re-integration; 

empower victims; 

and protect the environment 

and economic resources. 

The prevent and reduce violence 

pillar provides the basis 

for the CARICOM/Spain 

Youth Violence Project. This 

pillar notes “addressing violence 

in school settings in the 

Caribbean is crucial to efforts 

to prevent violence in the region” 

and “comprehensive 

policies and programmes are 

needed to promote pro-social, 

non-sexual and physically 

non-violent environments in 

classrooms and throughout 

schools”. 

The forum, which ends on 

Tuesday, and its follow-up 

will accelerate the necessary 

action, both at the policy and 

operational levels, to further 

the prevention of youth violence 

and crime agenda and 

help restore the Community 

to a place where every citizen 

is safe.


Page 9 

Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago 

Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development 

Sen. the Hon. Jennifer Baptiste-Primus delivers the 

Feature Address at the National Tripartite Consultation 

in NESC, Couva. 

Energy Chamber CEO, Dr. Thackwray Driver and other 

participants from the business sector listen attentively 

to the presentations. 

Cross section of executive representatives of various 

Trade Unions deliberate on amendments to be made to 

the Bill. 

AMCHAM CEO, Mr. Nirad Tewarie and some employer 

representatives deliberate over varying views of the Bill. 

The National 

Tripartite 

Consultation 

The Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise 

Development recently hosted its second 

consultation for the year. This two-day 

National Tripartite Consultation was held on 

February 22 and 23, with leaders of the Trade 

Union Movement, Chambers of Industry 

and Commerce and Employer Associations. 

Also participating were the International 

Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Director Ms. 

Claudia Coenjaerts and her team. The 

Consultation focused on the Industrial 

Relations Advisory Committee (IRAC) 

Report and recommendations as well as 

reviewing the principles, polices and issues 

to be considered in the development of 

legislation to amend the Industrial Relations 

Act, Chapter 88:01. As such the Minister of 

Labour and Small Enterprise Development, 

Senator the Honourable Jennifer Baptiste- 

Primus gave the undertaking to ensure 

appropriate consultation to make the 

appropriate amendments to this piece of 

legislation. 

In a rare occurrence, representatives 

present from both the Labour Movement 

and Employer Associations have been 

unanimous in their view that the Industrial 

Relations (Amendment) Bill, 2015 had 

been submitted to Parliament without 

the necessary consultation with these 

stakeholder groups. 

Over the two-day period, participants 

were presented with recommendations to 

this Bill from both local committees and 

international bodies. Participants also 

worked in groups to generate suggestions 

and recommendations on the way forward 

with legislative amendments. These 

recommendations included the re-definition 

of “worker”, the rights of workers, legislating 

procedures and guidelines for layoffs, the 

re-classification of essential workers and 

the timeframe for labour disputes and 

resolution in the Industrial Court. 

The two-day discourse provided the Ministry 

with a clear view on the perspectives of the 

stakeholders on how the Ministry should 

move forward with this critical piece of 

legislation. All stakeholders were given 

a two month deadline to submit further 

written views to be considered for the 

amendments to the Bill. 

Minister Baptiste-Primus stands amongst leaders from 

various sectors. From left to right: Dr. Catherine Kumar 

(TTCIC), Mr. Michael Annisette (NATUC), Ms. Claudia 

Coenjaerts (ILO), Mr. Ancel Roget (JTUM), Ms. Jocelyn 

Francois-Opadeyi (ECA), Mr. Joseph Remy (FITUN) and 

Dr. Hyacinth Guy (IRAC). 

NATUC 

Representative 

provides his view on 

the issues about the 

Industrial Relations 

(Amendment) Bill. 

Leaders from the Employer Associations take in the 

feedback from participants. 

Trade Union members review and discuss the Industrial 

Relations (Amendment) Bill.


DIS COUNTRY ‘GORN THRU 

with dem new Vat prices. Dey 

not bringing down dey prices to 

12.5 percent whey ‘shortman’ say 

should be d new VAT prices”. 

Barman: “D last time allyuh 

come here ah tell allyuh we selling 

at d same ole price and if allyuh 

Rum shop POLITICS 

When the police cannot 

hold white collar 

criminals, cannot 

olve the gruesome murders, 

annot catch the “big” fishes in 

he lucrative drug trade - only 

he “sardines”-, you know this 

ountry is falling apart. 

Past and present governments 

re unable to stop the guns and 

rugs from entering the country 

hrough the porous borders, when 

here are prisoners languishing in 

ail for “donkey” years and are 

nable to get a speedy trial, when 

he Judiciary is unable to clear the 

acklog of mounting cases, when 

here are hundreds of killers roamng 

the streets for years and the 

olice cannot find them and when 

e hear there are “monsters” in 

he school, people are saying dis 

ountry gone thru. 

There was hope that this new 

NM government under Dr Keith 

owley could fix some of the 

roblems but so far everything apears 

to be at a standstill after six 

onths in office. 

The Prime Minister has given 

he Minister of National Security 

etired Brigadier Edmund Dillon, a 

etired senior police officer Glena 

Jennings-Smith and “Moses” to 

elp in the fight against crime, but 

ome have argued he was just usng 

“spent shells” since they have 

o proven track record to stop the 

awlessness in the society. 

People are asking when last a 

rug kingpin has been jailed in this 

ountry, when last any high-rankng 

people in this country have 

een charged with white-collar 

rime? 

The police have been probing 

llegations of corruption in the 

ast PP government for more than 

year now but so far no arrests 

ave been made to date. 

When you hear the Finance 

ntelligence Unit (FIU) reportng 

about millions of suspicious 

oney laundering transactions 

nd dollars going from T&T to terorists, 

then this country is in real 

rouble. 

These are some of the issues 

unpat, Mukesh, Baboolal, Spaner, 

Rasta, and Piper were discussng 

last week when they went to 

heir usual “watering hole” at 

awk and Spit bar. 

Gunpat: “Barman whey is 

ll dis confusion bout businessen 

trying to dig out people eyes 

find ah cheaper bar allyuh can go 

dey and spend allyuh money. Nobody 

telling allyuh to buy here”. 

Rasta: “Like yuh eat roast pepper 

dis morning. How yuh hot so. 

If yuh wife giving trouble stay 

home and macco she to see if yuh 

getting horn”. 

Gunpat: “Barman yuh talking 

like some ah dem ignorant PNM 

politician. Yuh ent hear how d 

mosquito minister does talk arrogant. 

Like d mosquito sucking out 

all he blood dat is whey he does 

get hot under the collar when the 

media asking him questions. Don’t 

talk bout d short man”. 

Barman: “Just tell me whey allyuh 

want because ah ent have no 

time to argue with allyuh. Ah does 

stay away from argument because 

ah don’t want to drink no jail soup 

with split peas and pig tail”. 

Rasta: “How yuh know dey 

does serve dat in jail. Like you 

spend ah few days inside. Like yuh 

get lock up for child maintenance 

because ah can’t see yuh as a tief 

or big time criminal”. 

Barman: “Ask yuh mudder and 

she go tell yuh. Ah done with dis 

dotish talk. Ah going an bring yuh 

order and pay right away because 

when alluyh done drunk allyuh go 

say ah didn’t order dis and dat and 

how d bill so much. Ah ent no tief, 

nah”. 

Spanner: “Whey allyuh think 

going on in dis country. Like we 

cant’get ah government to run dis 

place. We was fed up with the last 

PNM and we put Kamla, we take 

out Kamla and it look like we get 

back d same old khaki pants”. 

Gunpat: “Yuh people feeling 

disappointed with dis new government. 

Dey are saying better dey 

had left Kamla and let dem ministers 

tief out d Treasury” 

Mukesh: “Ah see d Express 

headline say if Rowley ent going 

to wedding, he going to funeral. 

So dey trying to say if he ent marrindin’ 

someone he going an bury 

dem”. 

Baboolal: “So whey allyuh 

think bout dem lawlessness in d 

country. Dem criminals running 

rings around d police. Dey put soldiers 

and police in Laventi and dey 

still killing people. Dem bad boys 

killing people in broad daylight 

and by d time police reach dey 

disappear. It look like d government 

go have to put ah police and 

ah solider near every street corner. 

Ah feel not even dat go help”. 

Rasta: “It look like dem killers 

on ‘coke’ because dey ent have no 

KAREEM GARDENER’S killers sawed his neck attempting to behead him 

feelings. Dey numb. Look how 

dey shoot ah man and try to saw 

off he neck. Dem killers so smart 

dey wearing bandanas to hide dey 

face so d police finding it hard to 

see dey face on dem security cameras”. 

Spanner: “But whey dem police 

whey does be looking like 

astronauts in white clothes on dem 

crime scenes doing. Dem eh helping 

solve dem killings.” 

Gunpat: “D Prison Officers 

Association calling for guns for 

prison officers but d officer who 

got killed in Laventi had a gun but 

he left it inside. D Association say 

d government should move dem 

out ah dem hot spots and give dem 

ah house elsewhere. But all over d 

country is ‘hot spots’. Dem criminals 

have dey own intelligence 

network, dey go know anywhere 

dey go an live”. 

Piper: “Ah see big bottom Beverly 

coming. She see we. Is right 

here she coming” 

Spanner: “Whey yuh was all d 

time guyal. So long you ent come 

and give we ah check. We say yuh 

must be still tired from d Carnical 

so yuh taking ah rest”. 

Beverly: “Boy, ah shame to tell 

allyuh. Bandits come in we house 

and gone with we tv and DVD 

and dey nearly clean out d house. 

It look like dey was looking for 

jewelry. But ah only have costume 

jewelry because is only dat yuh 

can wear in d Beetham.We suspect 

who it is but is no use going an report 

it. D police does protect some 

bandits who does give dem information 

on other criminals” 

Gunpat: “Ah see Inspector 

Roger Alexander showing every 

day on d tv how much guns and 

drugs d police seizing. But dem 

criminals get smart now since it 

ent have no bail for six months 

for firearm offences. Dey hiding d 

guns in abandoned places”. 

Beverly: “Dat is only ole talk 

ah know fellas who get charge 

with guns an dey outside on bail. 

Meh daughter made ah baby and 

Local Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) officers 

ah have to see bout me grandchild 

now because d mudder wuking. 

Things so hard now all ah we have 

to do some kind ah wuk to get an 

extra change”. 

Rasta: “So whey d child father 

like he make ah ‘monster’ and 

leave allyuh to mind it”. 

Beverly: “Doh call me grandson 

ah ‘monster’ nah. Leh Rowley 

play he calling children ‘monster’ 

dem same ‘monster” go tun on 

him. Wait! He he like to call people 

children ‘monster’. 

Baboolal: “Whey allyuh worrying 

bout. By d time he grow up 

it eh go have plenty people living 

here because dem criminals go kill 

out all ah we”. 

Beverly: “Someday ah was in 

Town an ah hear ah set ah bullets 

flying. Yuh see how dey kill 

ah young man by d Cathedral. 

Yuh know it ent like long time, 

people now fraid to go in Town. 

Long time ah remember we used 

to go window shopping. Now it 

end have no widows to look inside 

because all ah dem block up” in d 

night”. 

Gunpat: “Dey say people going 

to shop in Malls now but dey fraid 

when dey come out dey car gone. 

It have car thieves patrolling dem 

car parks in d Mall just like security 

guards. It ent have no way safe 

now, not even d police station”. 

Piper: “Ah hear d police allow 

a millionaire man to go home 

bathe and sleep and come back to 

station in d early hours of d morning 

to go to court. Dem police officers 

must be get ah good change. 

And yuh know all dey do is transfer 

dem cops. Money have to pass 

because dem officers ent go risk 

dey job to allow a prisoner to leave 

d station”. 

Rasta: “So Bev how yuh making 

out with all ah dem new food 

prices now, guyal. Things go get 

real hard after d next budget because 

it go have VAT on more 

items”. 

Bev: “Ah hear d money to make 

a pacotee gone up now. Fares going 

up from $300 for ah quickie and 

$500 for half an hour. Is dem big 

men whey driving around in Prado 

in Woodbrook whey go pay dat”. 

Rasta: “Bev yuh have real 

goods to sell. Ah man go pay any 

money to ride on dat bumsee” 

Bev: “When ah was much 

younger and was ketchin hell ah 

and didn’t make fares now ah 

get ole ah want man to ride me? 

Meh asthma go worry meh ah go 

can breathe properly and ah might 

conk out. When ah under pressure 

meh heart does beat fast, fast”. 

Spanner: “So Bev when we 

go make ah lime again. Yuh must 

come and give we ah check and 

leh we know how life going”. 

Until next week.


The killings of Prison Officers is a case of… 

“PETER PAYING FOR PAUL” 

Story by AZAD ALI 

The killings of prison 

officers are being 

blamed on the 

abuse of inmates at the 

Remand Yard, Golden 

Grove, Arouca by prison 

officers. 

This is the claim made 

by a prison officer who told 

Sunshine there are certain 

prisons officers who beat 

prisoners during searches 

of their cells while masked 

from the Emergency Rapid 

Response Unit (ERRU) and 

since the inmates are unable 

to see their faces other innocent 

officers are targeted 

for revenge. 

He said the killing of Fitzalbert 

Victor Jnr. who was 

gunned down in Laventille 

last week is a case of “Peter 

paying for Paul”. 

This was the second time 

over the past four months 

a prison officer has been 

murdered near his home, 

prompting Commissioner 

of Prisons Sterling Stewart 

to declare “we are under attack”. 

But this “attack” will 

not stop until prisoners are 

treated in a humane manner, 

one officer said. 

A source said it is a norm 

for prisoners at the Remand 

Yard to get a beating when 

cellphones and illegal drugs 

are found in their cells. 

When inmates protest the 

search of their cells they 

also get a cutarse. Many of 

them suffer injuries about 

their bodies. A source said 

as long as prison officers 

continue to beat inmates 

there would be attacks on 

them by their criminal 

friends on the outside. 

Prison Officers’ Association president CERON RICHARDS, second from left, 

speaks with members of his association at the front gate of the Remand Prison 

Facility, Port-of-Spain, following a press conference. 

GUYANA 

PRISONERS REACH “GENTLEMAN’S 

AGREEMENT” WITH GOV’T 

After three days of 

protests by prisoners 

at Guyana’s 

main jail – which 

resulted in the deaths of 

17 inmates –, and a meeting 

between prisoners 

and government ministers, 

agreement has been 

reached on steps to improve 

conditions at the 

penal institution. 

Inmates at the Camp 

Street Prison will be allowed 

to call their families 

more regularly, the quality 

of their meals will be improved, 

and efforts will be 

made to reduce periods of 

remand. 

That was announced by 

Public Security Minister 

Khemraj Ramjattan at a 

press conference on Friday 

after he and Minister of 

State Joseph Harmon met 

after three days of unrest 

with an 18-man delegation 

from the prison. 

The latest period of unrest 

began last Wednesday, 

after a search uncovered 

cellphones and drugs. Prisoners 

set nine fires which 

were extinguished before 

getting out of control, but 

the disturbance was reignited 

the following morning, 

as some prisoners were 

being moved from one 

part of the jail to another. 

They set a fire that damaged 

part of the compound 

and resulted in 16 of them 

perishing there and a 17th 

passing away at the hospital 

after suffering burns to 

most of his body. Several 

other prisoners were also 

injured. 

In another round of protests 

early on Friday, prisoners 

set fire to another 

section of the prison but 

that was quickly extinguished. 

They also kicked 

out the walls of a wooden 

section of the jail and security 

forces were called in as 

they ran through the prison. 

Several prison officers 

and inmates were injured 

and treated at hospital. 

Officer in Charge of the 

prison, Kevin Pilgrim, 

confirmed that following 

the meeting between the 

ministers and the prisoners, 

some calm was restored 

at the prison. He 

said the damaged sections 

of the prison were being 

repaired. 

Harmon also reporters 

after the meeting: “I think 

we have sort of a gentleman’s 

agreement on both 

sides and we are going to 

try to keep our end of the 

- over abuse of inmates 

bargain and they are going 

to keep theirs.” 

Among the concerns expressed 

by the inmates 

were: the long time many of 

them were on remand; only 

being able to call their loved 

ones twice a week; and the 

poor quality of meals. 

Ramjattan and Harmon 

said those matters would 

be addressed immediately. 

According to Ramjattan, 

telephone calls will be increased 

to three per week, 

with the possibility of being 

increased to four or five 

when more telephone lines 

are installed at the prison, 

and prison authorities have 

been reminded that meals 

are to be of a sufficient 

good quality and in conformity 

with the Standard 

Operating Procedures of 

the prison system. 

Commissioner of Prisons 

STERLING STEWART 

Page 11 

Deceased FITZALBERT 

VICTOR Jnr 

Reports are that after the 

two recent lockdowns at the 

Remand Yard prison, several 

inmates were beaten 

and there was talk in the jail 

there would be a reprisal 

for the injuries a number of 

them suffered. 

Prison officers have been 

warned by their seniors 

about abusing inmates, 

which they are not heeding. 

Another prison officer 

said instead of Prisons Association 

President Ceron 

Richards “bumping his 

gum” about taking the government 

to court over its inability 

to protect and assure 

the safety of officers while 

on or off duty, he should 

call on his membership to 

stop the beating of inmates. 

richards should also try 

to stop the smuggling of 

contraband behind bars by 

some of his rouge officers. 

It was noted that while 

Richards have been calling 

for officers to be given 

firearms, Victor had been 

issued with a licenced gun, 

but he was unable to defend 

himself as he had left it upstairs 

at his Prizgar Lands 

home when he was ambushed 

and shot. 

Richards also wants officers 

to be removed from 

“hot spots” but there are “hot 

spots” all over the country. 

Prisoners on Remand are 

getting more and more frustrated 

over the long delay in 

their cases being heard and 

are now becoming more agitated 

since they are unable 

to use their illegal cellphone 

to make outside calls and 

have phone sex since the installation 

of jammers. 

They will now have to 

use the Inmate Calling Solutions 

(ICS) system where 

inmates can now make outgoing 

calls from the jail. 

So far it has been reported 

that some 300 prisoners at 

the Remand Yard at Golden 

Grove and Maximum Security 

Prison have registered 

with the programme.

save political expediency? 

Under any other less distorted 

mindset, would Rowley 

not have been charged 

for fraudulent misrepresentation, 

when he could not 

support the authenticity of 

those faux, incriminating 

e-mails? Assuming the existence 

of a DPP with the 

testicular fortitude to have 

indicted either Manning or 

Rowley to answer for their 

obvious indiscretions, in, or 

out of power, which court 

of “justice” in T&T would 

have dared to convict either 

of them? 

Which other flawed mindset, 

afflicting both sides of 

the ethnopolitical divide, 

has insulated Faris Alwari 

from facing questions upon 

his wife’s connection to the 

ongoing scandal surrounding 

the exorbitantly expensive, 

ongoing lease on a 

never occupied 1 Alexandra 

Place or PM Rowley’s roles 

in both Landate and Las 

Alturas, or his more recent 

assumption of the roles of 

judge and jury in the Malcolm 

Jones/Petrotrin affair, 

the serious and expensive 

“indiscretions” of Marlene 

McDonald and at least one 

other of his PNM Ministers? 

Further, did Rowley 

not originally vacillate in 

sync with ex-Mayor Timkee 

and why does Mayor Paul, 

after his public comments 

on this issue still wearing a 

Mayoral chain of office? 

Finally, if the specific 

mindset which has rendered 

all the above “untouch- 


THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM 

tion that Warner, unlike an so long as that malign Williams’ 

legacy is permitted to 

CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY expatriate Calder Hart, ever 

with T G. MENDES 

profited from public office? remain, “the elephant in the 

After declining all but $1.00 room”! 

Was Port of Spain side of the ethnopolitical divide 

reacted with less than vice rendered to T&T, even could refuse to open a fully 

per month for yeoman ser- 

Which another mindset 

PNM ex-Mayor 

Timkee’s initial contempt for popular resentment? 

Timkee has thus answer must be obvious. pital in Couva in favour of 

to his severest critics, that equipped children’s hos- 

announcement of resignation, 

in response to 1,000 established a precedent. The explanation for that throwing another scarce 

angry demands for same The resignation of a PNM glaring distortion of fact is, $90m at Manning’s already 

a threat or a vague promise? 

public indignation! ency. 

incomplete “Tsunami shel- 

office holder in response to of course, political expedi- 

hideously over budget and 

Whatever it was, his What other than that same What other mindset ensured 

the ongoing bloody ley not thus faithfully folter” 

at Tarouba? Is Row- 

obvious, unseemly and politically expedient mindset, 

the foundation upon murder of thousands since lowing in the footsteps of 

vacillating delay between 

announcement and fact which Williams built the ‘02 when an illegitimate Manning’s refusal to open 

has done his public image 

no favours. Which of Calder Hart to laugh with crime”, elevated by a flawed built school in Biche? What 

PNM, is today permitting PM, Hart’s “partner in a much-needed opposition- 

those who have criticised derision at the dupes he and President in ‘01, an obscenity 

justified by that same priorities, therefore, is the 

in light of those warped 

as “same old, same old” a rejected PNM PM bilked 

my unflinching focus upon of the millions now held flawed mindset, accepted objective of that warped 

Former POS Mayor RAYMOND TIM KEE 

that flawed mindset which in foreign accounts? What with enthusiasm by beneficiaries 

of “business as usual 

able”, regardless of their via that Williams mindset, 

Williams/PNM mindset 

is the Williams legacy - by else has precluded official 

which a discredited ex- requests for Calder Hart’s, and public apathy, sought a 

“indiscretions” or which not today, by the process 

Mayor, and many in similar rather than Jack Warner’s, legitimate mandate by legitimising 

criminal dons and 

in power, is not another as the only individual still 

political dispensation is of elimination, identify him 

circumstances before him extradition to answer 

have been similarly encouraged 

to temporize - would “home drums” supposed to their political support in the 

continues to serve its inguided 

nation out of harm’s 

charges in court? Are not unrepentant terrorists for 

Williams’ affliction which capable of leading a mis- 

now care to dispute the real beat loudest for homeboys? General Elections of Oct 

tended purpose admirably, way? Provided of course 

explanation and “justification” 

for that Mayoral vac- 

here, Warner from Long- 

them handsomely at taxpaymarkable 

“good fortune”?. disgusted by the treatment 

Which is the “home boy” ‘02 and ‘07 compensated 

then what explains their re- 

that he have not been too 

illation? When, since ‘56 denville, or Hart from Canada? 

Aside from which, has he not assured of immunity 

Warner, against whom no to accept that awesome reer 

expense thereafter? Were 

Why then has Jack Austin received to still be inclined 

has an elected PNM office 

holder or a politician on any there ever been any allega- 

from prosecution via the 

breath of scandal might be sponsibility on behalf of a 

widespread value distortion 

credibly levelled against deluded, judgmental and 

of that PNM mindset, 

would Manning have so 

confidently bankrupted the 

economy? Indeed, after his 

defeat on 24/5/10, which 

other mindset enabled him 

to welcome the charity of 

his now reviled successors 

in power to cope with his 

subsequent medical problems? 

Why did not PNM 

colleagues who fattened on 

the public purse not save an 

ailing Manning that indignity? 

Further, in the absence of 

that now all-encompassing 

either his political or personal 

performances in T&T, 

not to date enjoyed similar 

“good fortune” against the 

demands of a foreign imperialist 

power for his extradition 

to answer trumped up 

charges? Unless of course 

he is mutually regarded 

upon both sides of that ethnopolitical, 

divide in his native 

land as a potential political 

threat to both! 

In that plausible scenario, 

does not the socio-political 

future of the nation demand, 

depend upon the ongoing 

ungrateful society! Pray, 

Williams/PNM political 

focus, exposure and prompt 

mindset, would PM Rowley 

have dared to present to 

Parliament those obviously 

spurious e-mails in his attempt 

to falsely discredit 

the then ruling PPG? Under 

which another mindset 

could the PPG have suffered 

the addition of insult to injury 

when they have adjudged 

the villains for bringing 

their subsequent vote of “no 

confidence” against Rowley 

for his fraudulent mischief? 

No significant improvement 

in political conduct might 

be reasonably anticipated 

and total exorcism of that 

ongoing, all-embracing, 

and malign legacy of the 

late putative “Father of the 

Nation”? 

In the ongoing neglect of 

that national responsibility, 

to what can T&T look 

forward except escalated 

violence, death, and destruction? 

Given his demonstrated 

performance and 

personal generosity does 

Jack Warner’s deliberate 

official denial of national 

protection from extradition 

by “the powers that be” 

therefore, if only for subsequent 

generations, that his 

oft-demonstrated patriotism 

precludes any such reaction 

- however justified! 

Alternatively, T&T can 

always continue denigrating 

and rejecting Warner on 

spurious and unsubstantiated 

allegations of corruption 

outside of T&T. 

Having so done and in 

the unlikely event that the 

society has not violently 

imploded before the next 

General Election as a result 

of political corruption, arrogance, 

and mismanagement, 

a misguided society 

might as well continue voting 

PNM, since as Sparrow 

will have accurately sung - 

“We like it so” until as they 

boast in Laventille, vote 

“PNM until we (are all prematurely) 

dead”. 

At which point in time 

that durable and malign 

Williams’ legacy will have 

fulfilled its specific purpose! 

Then and not unless 

removed before, will it 

cease to be “the elephant in 

the room.”


Page 13 

BANKING ON TRUST 

- it’s a very hard thing to expect but FCB must come clean 

Story by JACK WARNER 

The national conversation 

now taking 

placing as a result 

of Camille Robinson-Regis’ 

$93,000 deposit is of concern 

to many sectors of our 

community. 

As a result, our Prime 

Minister Dr. Keith Rowley 

should not trivialize the disquiet 

among many citizens 

with talk about his wife’s underwear 

but seek to get to the 

bottom of this story if only 

to extirpate the perception of 

corruption among one of his 

senior Cabinet members. 

The fact that this story is 

still gaining traction is simply 

because there has been 

flip-flopping in the responses 

made by the Honourable 

Minister. 

And even though the Ex- 

press stops publishing and 

social media regress into silence 

on this issue there will 

always be a cloud of doubt, 

as questions will continue to 

plague the stewardship of this 

Minister. 

The citizens want to believe 

the Minister but they are 

not sure about the source of 

funds nor are they sure about 

the quantum nor its composition. 

One minute the Minister 

says it is her salary, another 

time she says it is a withdrawal 

from Republic Bank (from 

which Bank Sunshine has 

been told that $150,000.00 

had been withdrawn by the 

Minister) and on yet on another 

occasion we are hearing 

that the source included funds 

from her husband’s resources. 

FCB 

Another issue of concern 

has to do with the form of the 

deposit whether it was cash 

or cheque or whether it was 

a combination of the two; the 

Minister has not been very 

clear on these matters and 

thus the public senses a tad 

of equivocation on the part of 

the Minister. 

So this $93,000 deposit 

has landed this Minister in a 

quagmire from which her versions 

of the truth seem to have 

her more entangled. 

What is even worse is that 

this Minister has a precedent, 

which does not locate her on 

the side of trust with the national 

community. 

So coupled with her various 

versions concerning the 

$93,000 deposit and the history 

of the credit card scandal 

under Patrick Manning’s administration, 

it is only reasonable 

that one would expect 

a sense of anxiety related to 

financial transactions under 

question by this Minister. 

But of even greater concern 

is the response of the First 

Citizens Bank. 

In a number of cases banks 

have shown selective indiscretion 

in the release of customers’ 

business with financial 

institutions. 

I feel a sense of pity for the 

Minister because I too have 

been a victim of such recklessness 

where my own financial 

situation was exposed 

leaving me at risk to the deviant 

within our society. 

As a former Minister of 

National Security, I am also 

aware that in a number of 

kidnapping cases the victims’ 

bank accounts were known to 

the kidnappers, down to the 

very last cent. 

Some of the kidnappers 

could have recited dates, 

times and quantities of deposits 

thus assuring the relatives 

about the accuracy of their 

wealth and the ability to pay 

their demands. 

So if there is unease on the 

part of the Honourable Minister 

I can by all means sympathize 

with her because they 

have placed her security and 

the security of her immediate 

family and relatives under 

threat. 

And if the Prime Minister 

said that he too was uncomfortable 

with FCB after this 

event, the nation cannot be 

angry with him because if citizens’ 

financial business is not 

safe with banking institutions, 

it becomes a threat to both the 

financial and national security 

of Trinidad and Tobago. 

But here lies my dilemma 

with FCB. 

What they have offered 

on numerous occasions is a 

prepared text parroting the 

general policy approach of 

the bank without taking into 

consideration the current situation. 

By now every citizen can 

tell you what FCB’s policy 

is but what we do not know 

is what happens when that 

policy is breached. 

The only way the Express 

could have known about the 

$93,000 deposit is through an 

agent of FCB. 

Somebody who was part of 

that transaction or who had 

access to the information regarding 

the transaction leaked 

it to the Trinidad Express. 

I felt insulted when the Express 

exposed to the public 

the texts shared between its 

reporter and the Minister in 

an attempt to convince the 

national community that FCB 

did not leak the information. 

Then from where did the 

source get the information? 

Was the bank’s data hacked 

by someone known to the reporter 

who provided her with 

such information? 

Not once have we read that 

FCB proposes to launch an 

investigation into this leak. 

Not once have we heard 

any attempt by FCB to identify 

the person or persons culpable 

for the leak and to take 

action against them. 

Until the bank convinces us 

that such a process is in motion, 

every citizen with a bank 

account at FCB is under threat 

because within its employ are 

persons who lack discretion 

and who are willing to part 

with information regardless 

of the threat it poses to individual 

or national security. 

This is something with 

which we as citizens cannot 

be comfortable and the Board 

of FCB needs to step in and 

interrupt this laissez-faire approach 

before citizens choose 

to close their accounts with 

the Bank and thrust it into financial 

peril. 

Regardless of what FCB 

suggests we know that they 

have had difficulty with staff 

in recent times and the latest 

episode is a further manifestation 

that all is not well. 

So as much as the Minister 

would like this to die, unless 

FCB comes clean the national 

community should be wary of 

doing business with this bank 

since the confidentiality of 

business transactions appears 

PM Dr. KEITH ROWLEY 

CAMILLE ROBINSON 

REGIS 

to be compromised. 

My sympathy here is with 

the Minister. 

It is not because I believe 

that she has no questions to 

answer, on the contrary, I 

hope that her next comment 

will be one that will put her 

side of the story to rest forever. 

But my sympathy is with 

her because I sense politics in 

motion in the release of this 

story. 

I am aware of instances 

where politicians from another 

administration made 

larger deposits at FCB than 

the one in question and not a 

word was heard and I am sure 

that FCB’s former CEO Larry 

Howai can attest to that. 

So the integrity of which 

the bank speaks is suspect as 

far as I am concerned and the 

Minister has every right to 

feel targeted. 

She has done the right thing 

in closing off her accounts 

and if I were her colleague I 

too would have closed my account 

and would have been 

very wary because this most 

certainly seems to echo with 

political overtones. 

But to FCB my one wish 

is for you to come clean and 

launch an investigation to assure 

the national community 

that you are prepared to do the 

right thing at all times.


“BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, 

NOT THE PROBLEM” 

tant, I have had to deal 

with many parents who 

will bring their children 

to seek help and I will 

what a police officer has to 

deal with on a daily basis, 

before you make it look 

like the officers are not 

spend countless hours properly trained. My father 

speaking to them to find 

out why they are doing 

what they are not supposed 

was a police officer and 

many of you will not like 

to hear the kind of stories 

to be doing while that he had shared when he 

BY MANSA 

BEYCANDO KANKAN 

they are out to the public, was in the Service. 

MUSA 

so I can just imagine what Therefore, I will like to 

a Police Officer has to make seven suggestions 

My brothers and deal with on a daily basis. on how the country can 

sisters, it’s easy Based on what was handle the youth violence 

for many of us shown in that Roger Alexander/Ian 

Alleyne video, problems. 

and other escalating crime 

IAN ALLEYNE being arrested by Inspector 

ROGER ALEXANDER 

to sit on our comfortable 

sofa and try to tell the 

Trinidad and Tobago Police 

officers, how to handle 

a misbehaving young 

person or Television personality. 

we are all jumping to conclusions 

without having 

enough facts. Many persons 

also complained about 

the Ian Alleyne’s arrest re- 

1. If anyone has any better 

suggestions on how a 

Police Officer should interact 

with the public, they 

should first attend the Po- 

However, has garding how the police had lice Training Academy and 

anyone of our critics, 

ever had to encounter an 

handled him. Until many 

of us have walked a few 

learn what they are teaching 

the recruits there about 

unruly young person or 

adult before in our life 

and try to use reasoning 

with them? As a consul- 

footsteps and I am not talking 

about a mile, just a few 

footsteps in a Police Officer’s 

shoes, please know 

apprehending someone. 

If you think that you can 

improve on their methods, 

then share it with them and 

hope that they will implement 

them in their daily 

practice when they are 

dealing with the public. 

However, until then, let 

us keep a civil head and 

understand that while a 

glass may look half-full to 

you, it will also look halfempty 

to another person, 

but to someone else who 

is thirsty, they will drink it 

either way to quench their 

thirst. 

2. Many suggestions on 

how the Police Officers in 

Trinidad and Tobago could 

fix the problems with today’s 

youth are coming 

from people who do not 

have any children of their 

own or a clue about raising 

them. It is just like, 

“squeezing an empty tube 

of toothpaste, and hoping 

to get some toothpaste to 

brush your teeth.” They 

usually have nothing to offer, 

no matter how hard you 

try to squeeze them into 

something substantial. 

3. The growing crime 

statistics in the country 

is not a PNM or a UNC 

problem for only them to 

solve when either one of 

them gets into power. It 

is a problem for everyone 

to deal with in the whole 

country, which also include 

the members of the Opposition 

Party. Everyone 

should work together with 

the present administration 

to help implement comprehensive 

solutions for the 

benefit of all. 

4. The present administration 

instead of modernizing 

the older jails 

should invest the funds in 

constructing “Community 

Police Centers” throughout 

the whole country. A 

“Community Police Center” 

is a combination of 

a “Police Station” built 

within or adjacent to the 

local “Community Center.” 

The stigma is of having the 

word “Station” to be removed 

and replaced with 

“Center” instead. Here will 

be a safe place where many 

young people and adults 

can visit and participate in 

the various activities that a 

regular “Community Center” 

usually provides. The 

“Community Police Officers” 

will be members 

living within the community 

and they will be able 

to assist those who may 

need their help in whatever 

capacity that they can 

perform. Since most Police 

Stations are supposed 

to be operating 24/7/365, 

this will be an ideal place 

for many people to visit 

at any hour of the day or 

night. If anyone wants to 

participate in the activities 

of the “Community Police 

Center”, they must register 

and sign their name upon 

entering the facility. Many 

young people after finishing 

their schooling for the 

day, can stay in those safe 

facilities to complete their 

homework, or until their 

working parents arrive to 

take them home. 

5. Any person under the 

age of twenty-five, who 

was caught dealing with 

Several members of the Trinidad & Tobago 

Police Service 

illegal drugs or guns, will 

be given the opportunity to 

either join the Coast Guard 

or Army for the minimum 

term of seven [7] years or 

will be incarcerated to the 

maximum time allotted for 

their individual crimes. 

6. Any Police, Army, 

Coast Guard or Prison Officers, 

who were caught participating 

in any indictable 

crime or criminal activities, 

will be automatically incarcerated 

to the maximum 

life sentence of twenty-five 

years without any early parole 

options. 

7. Institute a policy of 

having the young students 

from the various secondary 

schools in the country 

visit the many Government 

owned and larger business 

facilities. School tours 

should be mandatory for all 

young people to the various 

jails and to the Police Stations 

and Headquarters so 

that they can see firsthand, 

the end result that awaits 

them if they do not graduate 

from Universities, but 

choose to get into trouble 

with the law. 

I am positive that other 

readers of this worthwhile 

Newspaper can come up 

with many solutions that 

are more workable and 

share them with the MP in 

their area. 

It is left up to the MPs 

to have a closer connection 

with their respective 

constituencies to give them 

feedback to all of the suggestions 

that they may have 

brought forward and shared 

with them. 

“We are all in the same 

boat together and the sooner 

we look out for those 

few people who may want 

to come aboard with a 

cordless drill in their hand 

instead of ours; we will 

never enjoy a safe cruise.” 

SIS IN NEW 

MULTI-MILLION SCANDAL 

SEE BACK PAGE


Page 15 

A CARIBBEAN BANKING AGENCY IN THE US? 

By Sir RONALD SANDERS 

Caribbean governments, 

indigenous 

banks and offshore 

anks located in the Caibbean 

are extremely 

oncerned about the withrawal 

of correspondent 

elations from Caribbean 

anks by banks in the 

nited States (US). 

Caribbean Heads of Government 

at a meeting in Belize 

in February made their 

concern very clear. The 

Caribbean Association of 

Banks have done so in separate 

statements. 

Their sense of alarm arises 

from the fact that, if all correspondent 

banking relations 

are withdrawn, the 

region will be isolated from 

the rest of the world and will 

be unable to carry out the 

most basic of bank transactions. 

In many Caribbean countries 

there has been a steady 

decline in such correspondent 

banking relations, and 

there is no sign of an early 

abatement. 

Caribbean governments 

and banks are not alone in 

their concern. Other regions 

of the world are also similarly 

affected. Countries in East 

Asia, the Pacific, Eastern Europe 

and Central Asia with 

significant offshore banking 

activities, are also affected. 

What has caused the withdrawal 

of correspondent relations 

to the Caribbean and 

the other regions identified 

above is the huge penalties 

that US banks would have to 

pay if any incidence of money 

laundering, terrorism 

financing, or tax evasion 

passed through them from 

their respondent banks. 

Regulatory and enforcement 

agencies have dealt 

harshly with such incidents, 

creating a strong deterrent 

to taking risks. The simplest 

form of “de-risking” is to 

terminate correspondent 

banking relations. 

Paradoxically, the very 

rule-making bodies, such 

as the Financial Action 

Task Force (FATF) and the 

Financial Stability Board 

(FSB) that created the rules 

and penalties that now terrify 

US banks and encourage 

them to “de-risk”, are themselves 

becoming concerned 

about the decline in correspondent 

banking relations. 

Last November, the FSB 

released a statement saying: 

“At the extreme, if an 

individual bank loses access 

to correspondent banking 

services, this may affect its 

viability and if a country’s 

banks more generally face 

restricted access then it may 

affect the functioning of the 

Re Thin Business 

rentaceo@gmail.com 

Brian G Stone, 

MBA, Business Consultant 

dent banking were concerns 

about money laundering and 

terrorism financing risks 

in the jurisdictions of their 

counterpart banks”. 

In other words, even 

though US Banks are aware 

that, in the case of the Caribbean, 

organizations such 

as the FATF and the OECD 

Global Forum on Tax Matters 

have found jurisdictions 

to be compliant with rules 

and enforcement, they are 

unwilling to take the risk. 

The FATF has given an 

undertaking to the FSB that 

it will “clarify regulatory 

expectations, as a matter 

of priority, including more 

guidance, on the application 

of standards for anti-money 

laundering and combating 

the financing of terrorism 

(AML/CFT) to correspondent 

banking, especially on 

the customer due diligence 

expectations for correspondent 

banks when faced with 

respondent banks in ‘highrisk 

scenarios’, as well as 

additional work on remittances, 

financial inclusion 

and non-profit organizations”. 

That work will be ready 

in two stages in June and 

October 2016. Whether it 

will make any difference 

to banks in the US is left to 

be seen. In any event, at the 

rate at which correspondent 

banking relations are being 

local banking system. 

In addition, loss of correspondent 

banking services 

can create financial exclusion, 

particularly where it 

affects flows such as remittances 

which are a key 

source of funds for people 

in many developing countries”. 

The report rightly observes 

that: “The ability to 

make and receive international 

payments via correspondent 

banking is vital 

for businesses and individuals, 

and for the G20’s goal 

of strong, sustainable, balanced 

growth”. 

In the statement, sent to 

the group of powerful nations 

– the G20, the FSB 

stated that a World Bank 

survey of jurisdictions and 

banks finds that roughly 

half of the emerging market 

and developing economies 

surveyed have experienced 

a decline in correspondent 

banking services. Three 

quarters of the 20 large correspondent 

banks participating 

in the survey responded 

that the number of correspondent 

accounts they hold 

for other banks had declined 

between end 2012 and mid- 

2015. 

The FSB report did not 

end there. Significantly, it 

stated that “the main drivers 

given by the large banks for 

their reduction in corresponwithdrawn, 

any FATF recommendations 

in October 

2016, even if they are helpful, 

may come too late to 

help some Caribbean banks 

that are already reduced to 

tenuous relations with just 

one correspondent bank. 

In this scenario, it is imperative 

that Caribbean 

banks cease their reliance 

on US banks alone for their 

correspondent relations in 

the US. It is time that they 

jointly, in groups, or individually 

establish an agency 

of their own in the US to be 

their correspondent bank 

and handle their transactions 

in the US and beyond. 

They have to ensure that 

they will be able to do business 

if US banks abandon 

them. And, it must be the 

banks themselves – not Caribbean 

governments – that 

undertake the establishment 

of such an agency. Governments 

can advocate for the 

agency with us authorities 

and provide any non-financial 

assistance than may be 

helpful, including diplomatic 

and political spadework, 

but it must be the banks that 

look after their own business. 

Establishing a Caribbeanowned 

agency in the US to 

provide correspondent relations 

for regional banks is 

not impossible, though it 

is difficult and will require 

investment in time, money 

and professional advice. An 

application for such an entity 

would have to be made 

concurrently to the Federal 

Reserve Bank and the Office 

of the Comptroller of 

the Currency (OCC). 

If the application is approved 

by these two bodies, 

a licence to operate can then 

be sought from the Northeast 

District Licensing Division 

in New York. There are 

strict and onerous criteria 

that would have to be satisfied 

in each case, including 

extensive background 

checks on the banks and 

their affiliates and reviews 

of the effectiveness of the 

regulatory regimes of the 

jurisdictions in which they 

are located. 

The procedure could take 

longer than six months and 

would require the banks 

to dedicate staff or employ 

qualified consultants to see 

them through the process. 

But, there is no swift or 

easy solution to the present 

problem. 

If Caribbean banks believe 

that there is no risk to 

US Banks in the provision 

of correspondent relations, 

then they should be prepared 

to take the risk themselves 

by setting up their 

own agency to facilitate 

their business. They might 

even make more money. 

Leadership Vs Management? Ask the Military! 

For many business 

executives, leadership 

and management 

in practice is often 

welded together under a 

one-and-the-same definition 

which effectively diminishes 

the significant 

differences and blurs the 

fundamentals of each. 

Leadership is not management, 

nor are managers 

necessarily leaders! The importance 

of this truism as it 

relates to everyday business 

functions is the recognition 

by introspection and evaluation 

of human capital as it 

relates to performance. 

A proper analysis of a 

firms’ performance analytics 

requires the study of its 

financial results which is 

effectively an examination 

of the decisions made by its 

leaders and managers. Regrettably, 

many companies 

fail to evaluate their decision 

making processes when 

performing a root-cause 

analysis in problem solving. 

The academic definition 

of Leadership is “The action 

of leading a group of people 

or an organization, or the 

ability to do this”- Oxford 

Dictionary. 

“If your actions inspire 

others to dream more, 

learn more, do more and 

become more, you are a 

leader”- John Quincy Adams. 

Whereas Management 

is defined as “The process of 

dealing with or controlling 

things or people”- Oxford 

Dictionary. 

A more pragmatic “Re- 

Think” relative to answering 

the question of what’s 

the (significant) difference 

between leadership and 

management is managers 

have subordinates; leaders 

have followers. On the surface 

the difference between 

the two may appears simplistic. 

In practice they are 

indeed profound. 

The famous business 

guru, Peter Drucker, best 

defines the difference when 

he stated that “Management 

is doing things right; 

leadership is doing the right 

things.” Another analogy 

in operational terms is that 

strategy is a function of 

leadership whereas management 

implements strategy. 

In the late 70’s I was enlisted 

in the Toronto Scottish 

Regiment in Canada 

reporting to the de facto 

Commanding Officer, a 

Sergeant Major of official 

rank. He was a tough combatant 

of Canadian Scottish 

lineage. His explanation of 

the difference, in military 

terms, is most instructive 

and relevant to the business 

of business. He explained 

that military leaders convince 

the troops that dying 

in battle is a glorious death; 

and it’s “my” job (as manager) 

to keep you alive. The 

analogy interprets leadership 

as a “can do” culture 

creator whereas management 

makes it happen. 

Digressing a bit onto the 

stage of entertainment, while 

staying on point, George C. 

Scott in his Academy award 

winning role playing the 

heroic and most successful 

Tank Commander in World 

War 2, General George S. 

Patton, in addressing the 

third Army on march to Nazi 

Germany correlates with the 

Sergeant Major’s view, but 

in more colourful theatrical 

words: “No bastard ever won 

a war by dying for his country; 

We won it by making the 

other poor dumb bastard dye 

for his country.” Leadership 

makes heroes of men; management 

makes men heroes. 

In business lingo, for example, 

outstanding sales performance 

is rarely achieved 

without heroic feats of salesmanship 

- and as every seasoned 

sales manager knows, 

such feats are usually attained 

by a few heroic salesmen/saleswomen. 

The Israeli (military) security 

machine is arguably 

the best in the world. The 

famous “Raid on Entebbe” 

(1976) rescue by Israeli 

commandos of 103 hostages 

from a jet airliner killed all 

11 terrorists with just one 

Israeli commando fatality, 

the commanding officer in 

charge. Leaders in the Israeli 

military lead by example. 

They literally lead their 

troops into battle. True leaders 

say “follow me”; do as I 

do not as I say! 

The US Marines, Army 

Rangers and Navy Seals 

training can teach the business 

world a lot about effective 

leadership and management. 

In fact, US military 

training philosophies have 

permeated the business 

world. 

One example of this is in 

executive development programmes 

on team building 

and emerging leaders. An 

effective how-to technique, 

virtually any business can 

implement to build teams 

and drive potential leaders 

to emerge, is the US Marines 

“no man left behind” 

training philosophy. 

CONTINUE ON 

PAGE 22


POLITICIANS THE 

SAME EVERYWHERE 

Story by ARLEY GILL 

We, in the Caribbean, 

always 

complain about 

our politicians and politics. 

We complain how 

they engage in “gutter’’ 

politics. The politicians 

call one another names – 

and bad ones too; and they 

accuse each other of corruption 

and lying, among 

other things. We gripe and 

whine that our politicians 

never really address the issues. 

I am now wondering if the 

people in the United States 

can justifiably have the 

same complaint. As a student 

of politics, the current 

US presidential campaign 

is interesting for several 

reasons, not least of which 

is the Donald Trump factor 

on the Republican side; and 

a confessed socialist, Bernie 

Sanders, running on the 

Democratic Party side. 

In terms of politicians 

dealing with the issues of 

the American campaign 

race, a few candidates – in 

particular Trump and, to a 

lesser extent, Ben Carson – 

demonstrate a poor grasp of 

most of the issues. They just 

give some “merry-go-round 

answers’’ – not unlike our 

own politicians. 

The democratic side of the 

presidential contest is less 

crazy, it must be said, and 

there is more substance in 

their discussion and debates. 

However, if one looks 

keenly at the American media, 

the Republicans dominate 

the news. Maybe that’s 

because they have more 

newsworthy issues, are 

more entertaining and, as 

such, carry more ratings for 

the news networks. But it is 

clear, with all the name-calling 

and controversy, the Republicans 

control the media. 

Republican Ted Cruz, so 

far, has conducted a campaign 

that we can identify 

within the Caribbean region. 

His campaign tweeted that 

Dr. Ben Carson was ending 

his camping when that was 

not true. 

This week, the Cruz camp 

released a videotape purporting 

to show rival Republican 

candidate, Marco Rubio, 

saying some negative 

things about the Bible when, 

indeed and in truth, Rubio 

was saying something quite 

different. Cruz eventually 

fired his communications 

director. 

Trump has called Cruz 

a liar and a cheat and has 

threatened to take him to 

court. Rubio has also labeled 

Cruz a liar at every 

turn. Does that ring a bell? 

Do you know of a politician 

near you that called another 

such names? 

Trump has said many 

controversial things – some 

might say even crazy things. 

Certainly, not things that 

HILLARY CLINTON 

any smart politician would 

say. Trump even took on the 

popular Pope Francis. However, 

each time he is criticized, 

Trump seems to soar 

in the polls. Unorthodox, 

maybe, but he is extending 

his lead in the polls and winning. 

But it’s not dissimilar to 

what happens in poor countries, 

where politicians also 

say and do all sorts of crazy 

things, whether those crazy 

things include bragging 

about an attempt to walk on 

water, addressing the United 

Nations on UFOs, or about 

getting the banana boat to 

travel up Birchgrove River. 

Even then they still won at 

the polls. Or, take the 1970s 

example of the opposition 

saying a Prime Minister was 

involved in obeah and later 

publishing photos of the 

supposed obeah room and 

the obeah gown. 

Not so long ago in the 

USA, no sensible politician 

Another man dead after… 

DONALD TRUMP TED CRUZ BEN CARSON 

would dare declare himself 

or herself as a communist 

or a socialist. America is the 

center of capitalism. However, 

things have changed 

and there is this 74-year-old 

Jew Bernie Sanders, championing 

the cause of poor 

people and taking the fight 

to the richest of the richest. 

Refreshing, isn’t it? 

But let’s take a further 

look at the convergence between 

US politicians and 

those in other parts of the 

world, including Grenada. 

In developing countries 

like ours, opposition figures 

who lost their seats in the 

parliamentary elections oppose 

constitutional reform, 

not because of what is contained 

in the reform itself 

but what is not there. They 

oppose billion-dollar investments, 

even though they 

sought the same thing when 

they were in government. 

Politicians are the same, it 

seems, wherever they are. 

SHOOTING HIMSELF WHILE TRYING 

TO TAKE A GUN-TOTING SELFIE 

Story by SARAH K BURRIS 

A 

bullet remained 

in the chamber 

of a gun when a 

43-year-old Concrete, 

Washington man attempted 

to take a selfie with the 

weapon. 

The Skagit Valley Herald 

reported that the man and 

his girlfriend were playing 

around taking selfies all 

day with the gun. She told 

officers that the man had 

loaded and unloaded the 

gun many times. 

The last selfie, the gun 

fired killing the man. 

Last September, 19-yearold 

Houston man shot himself 

while doing the same 

thing. He later died from 

his injuries. 

A helpline was launched 

in Russia last summer to 

help people who suffer 

from selfie addiction. The 

country has suffered from 

similar selfie incidents 

where over 100 people 

have been harmed and a 

dozen killed themselves 

while attempting to get a 

photo. They even launched 

a “selfie safety guide.” Perhaps, 

Americans could get a 

translation. 

You have the Republicans 

in the US Senate and 

Congress, as well as their 

presidential hopefuls, opposing 

for opposing sake. 

They vow to oppose anyone 

President Barack Obama 

nominates to the Supreme 

Court and argue he should 

wait until after the election. 

That’s despite the fact he 

has a constitutional right to 

nominate someone to the 

court. What will be the argument 

if a Democrat succeeds 

Obama in the White House? 

Then, they oppose 

Obama’s upcoming visit 

to Cuba and the lifting of 

sanctions against the Spanish-speaking 

Caribbean nation, 

in spite of the fact that 

the world has accepted and 

embraced the US change in 

policy towards Havana. 

And, without missing a 

beat, they remain opposed 

to the closing down of the 

Guantanamo prison, even 

though there are detainees 

who, after so many years, 

are still locked up without 

charge – something that 

goes against all the moral 

standards the US speaks of 

and tries to enforce in other 

countries, not least Cuba. 

As the US election campaign 

continues, it will be 

interesting to see who will 

eventually emerge as the 

respective nominees of the 

two major parties. Hillary 

Clinton seems most likely 

to get the nod for the Democrats 

while Donald Trump 

appears to be the unlikely 

Republican candidate. 

Whatever it is, and whoever 

are the final presidential 

candidates, I think we can 

feel less badly about our politics 

and politicians. And it’s 

not because the Americans 

have lowered their standard 

but, just maybe, they have 

taken it up a notch. 

They have now taken it to 

a place where we have been 

for the longest while. 

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Page 17 

xXx 3 CASTS MISS COLOMBIA AS 

VIN DIESEL’S LOVE INTEREST 

Today Vin Diesel is 

best known as the 

star and driving 

force behind the megapopular 

Fast & Furious 

series, which has evolved 

from an early-2000s B- 

movie into a self-aware 

international action 

brand. 

However, once upon a 

time Hollywood tried to 

remake him as the next 

James Bond with xXx, 

an action franchise that 

did not really get off the 

ground but is getting another 

shot as xXx: The 

Return of Xander Cage. 

Clearly eyeing the same diverse 

global approach that 

has worked for the Fast 

series, the film has sought 

out international co-stars 

like Donnie Yen, Deepika 

Padukone and Tony Jaa to 

round out its cast. 

Now, we can add one 

more name to that list: 

Ariadna Gutiérrez, the first 

runner-up at the 2016 Miss 

Universe pageant, has 

joined the cast for The Return 

of Xander Cage. 

Gutiérrez was already 

a star in her native Colombia, 

where she was 

VIN DIESEL and ARIADNA GUTIÉRREZ 

SONAKSHI SINHA TO ENTER THE 

GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS 

Sonakshi Sinha will 

be doing something 

unique this International 

Women’s Day. The 

actress is set to attempt 

to create a world record 

of the most people painting 

fingernails simultaneously, 

by joining a group 

of women. The actress 

tells us that she has always 

been competitive by 

nature and hopes to see 

her name as one among 

those holding a Guinness 

record. 

“I love challenges and I 

am competitive in a good 

way if I participate in 

something I like to be good 

at it and do well. I enjoy 

the process of attempting 

a task more than anything 

else. It is such an achievement 

to set a record and 

be featured in the Guinness 

books. There are so 

many categories and fields 

where records are broken 

every year and it makes for 

a really interesting read, 

it’s something I always 

enjoyed reading about and 

now I’m part of one such 

attempt myself.” 

Sharing some of the obstacles 

that she has undergone 

in real life, Sonakshi 

says, “A couple of my challenging 

moments to-date 

have definitely been getting 

through fashion school 

and then jumping from 

that to being an actress and 

besides that another challenge 

was learning mixed 

martial arts for Akira. It is 

both physically and men- 

COMEDIANS MAKING MAS 

with the Ian Alleyne and Roger Alexander clash 

The recent clash between 

Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne 

and Beyond the Tape 

host Inspector Roger Alexander has 

taken the Comedy stage by storm 

and there is an overwhelming demand 

by people for more shows. 

The Alternative Comedy Festival, a 

Randy Glasgow production will be featuring 

a skit of the break-up of the once 

close relationship between the two 

hosts starting on Sunday, March 13 

at the Centre of Excellence, Macoya, 

including popular comedians. Kenneth 

Seepersad, and the Drunken Saint, 

along with Extempo King Winston 

“Gypsy” Peters, Lingo and Black Sage 

Other shows will be held on Friday, 

March 18, at Queen’s Hall, Port 

of Spain and on Sunday, March 26 at 

Shaw Park Entertainment Complex, 

Tobago. 

crowned Miss Colombia 

in 2014. But she got an 

unexpected (and somewhat 

awkward) push to 

international recognition 

when, after having placed 

second in the overall voting 

for the Miss Universe 

pageant, her name was 

mistakenly called as the 

winner (the actual victor 

was Miss Philippines, Pia 

Alonzo Wurtzbach) by comedian 

and Family Feud 

host Steve Harvey, who 

was serving as host. 

The confused scene that 

resulted, broadcast live internationally, 

made Gutiérrez 

an instantly sympathetic 

household name 

worldwide – something 

that generally does not 

happen to second-place 

finishers in such contests. 

As reported by Variety, 

the glamorous star will 

now make her film debut 

as Diesel’s love interest 

in the big-budget action 

feature directed by D.J. 

Caruso (Eagle Eye, I Am 

Number Four). The Return 

of Xander Cage is clearly 

aiming to provide Diesel 

with a third reliable boxoffice 

franchise to join his 

current collection alongside 

the Fast films and Riddick, 

with Samuel L. Jackson, 

Kris Wu and Ruby 

Rose also being part of 

the xXx film’s (seemingly 

ever growing) cast. 

Gutiérrez casting will 

give the film another 

much-needed female face 

and add to the internationally 

flavored diversity that 

has become a regular focus 

of films produced by and/ 

or starring Diesel – an actor 

whose early appeal 

was often partly attributed 

to his multi-ethnic background 

and “post-national” 

persona. 

SONAKSHI SINHA 

tally challenging. But I’m 

always up for a task so I 

won’t complain.” 

IAN ALLEYNE (left) and 

ROGER ALEXANDER 

BUNJI 

GARLIN 

DESTRA 

1. CHEERS TO LIFE - Voice 

2. SCENE - GBM Nutron ft. Fayann Lyons 

3. BODY TALK - Kess ft. Chris Hierro 

4. PEOPLE - Kes The Band 

5. WORK - Rihanna ft. Drake 

6. OH YAH - Olatunji 

MACHEL 

MONTANO 

7. GYAL MEETS BRASS [RR RHYTHM] - Salty ft. 

Fayann Lyons 

8. DIFFERENT ME - 5 Star Akil 

9. HUMAN [Ti’ Punch RIDDIM] - Machel Montano 

10. MON BON AMI [Ti’ Punch RIDDIM] - Angela Hunte 

11. FREEDOM - Lyrikal 

12. BET - Ricardo Dru 

13. BUM BUM - Third Bass 

14. MEMORY - Machel Montano and Tarrus Riley 

15. BEND DOWN PAUSE - Machel Montano ft. Runtown 

and Wizkid 

16. SUGAR RUSH - Hypasounds 

17. ALLEZ - Teddyson John remix ft. Bunji Garlin 

18. MASTERS OF MAS [RR RHYTHM] - Blaxx 

19. LEH WE FETE - Rikki Jai 

20. BAMBILAMBAMBILAMBAM - Farmer Nappy 

21. TRUCK DRIVER - Shurwayne Winchester 

22. TAXI CARNIVAL - Machel Montano ft Pitbull [NEW] 

23. CAN YOU FEEL IT - Aaron Duncan 

24. NONSTOP [JAMBE AN RIDDIM] - Pternsky 

25. WORK - Lil Bits 

26. TEMPERATURE - Machel Montano 

27. SORRY - Justin Bieber 

28. BETTER THAN THEM - Machel Montano and Timaya 

29. FEELS LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE - Bunji Garlin 

30. TOO HARD - Hypa 4000 

31. PARTY - Shal Marshall 

32. TOUCH THE STAGE - Bunji Garlin 

33. BLOCK D ROAD - Fayann Lyons ft. Stonebwoy 

34. ANYWAY ROADMIX - Jaiga 

35. OLD AND GREY - Patrice Roberts 

36. MAGIC - Sekon Sta and Nadia Batson 

37. UNFOGETTABLE - Kerwin Du Bois and Patrice Roberts 

38. INTENTION - Erphaan Alves 

39. OH GOSH - Flipo 

40. HIT MEH - S.Carter 

EVERY WEEK 

Follow our expanded 

ENTERTAINMENT 

COVERAGE 

of LOCAL MUSIC 

and THE ARTS


GET RID OF THE BAD 

ELEMENTS IN SCHOOL 

ed? 

laws of the land that makes this situation gets the support 

Is the school environment us a civilized society, otherwise, 

from some prominent 

conducive and friendly to 

our existence may people in the society. I 

those students who want to become short-lived. 

secure their future? 

The only way that the 

STORY BY 

Are there individuals impeding 

the progress of those come protected is through 

school environment can be- 

RUFUS FOSTER 

who want to advance in the rigid discipline – nothing 

development of their lives? else. In the absence of 

In Trinidad and Tobago, strict, discipline the buildings 

schools can be found in every 

that are called schools 

constituency to accommodate 

and which accommodate 

the many young our children that should 

children in our society. instead be called “Do your 

Both past and present own thing Centers.” In 

governments did their utmost 

my days at school, just the 

to ensure that educa- 

presence of the whip or belt 

Education Minister 

tion is the bedrock of our kept reminding us about the 

ANTHONY GARCIA 

society by investing in the need to be disciplined and 

erection of schools all over to avoid trouble. In this 

the country for the purpose 

of educating our youths. 

Institutions for learning 

have been around 

for centuries and they 

have served mankind well 

throughout our history. 

Different institutions are 

specifically built to accommodate 

certain training that 

will facilitate individuals 

coming from a particular 

age group with a common 

objective to prepare them 

to better their lives as they 

mature into being young 

men and women. 

One such institution in 

Trinidad and Tobago for 

learning comes through our 

education system with the 

availability of schools is it 

primary or secondary. 

The question must, therefore, 

be asked, are our 

schools serving the purpose 

for which they were intend- 

How then must these 

schools function? 

Without guidelines, rules 

or regulations human beings 

will operate at their 

own whims and fancy. 

In fact, it is through the 

obedience and the willingness 

of us to adhere to the 

manner, those who were 

very talented were not allowed 

to be distracted by 

those less inclined along 

the education pathway. 

Now, I am hearing corporal 

punishment no longer 

exists in the schools. Who 

are those “Brilliant Minds” 

that have made corporal 

punishment extinct? In addition, 

what is even scarier, 

am not even too concerned 

about those psychologists 

who support the eradication 

of corporal punishment in 

our schools for I am certain 

that those psychologists 

need help themselves. 

For those with religious 

beliefs against corporal 

punishment in schools, I am 

wondering if their authority 

is the Bible. Are they forgetting 

that the first human 

pair had to face dire consequences 

for their disobedience? 

Are they also forgetting 

that we are told that foolishness 

is tied up in the hearts 

of young people and it is 

the rod of correction that 

will remove such? 

Are they also forgetting 

that the very scripture says 

that the fear of the Lord is 

the beginning of wisdom? 

Do these scriptures have 

any meaning to those Christians 

who are in agreement 

with others to eradicate the 

rod of correction? 

With the absence of corporal 

punishment or other 

means of punishment, what 

fear would schoolchildren 

have in the school environment? 

Why should young students 

be permitted in the 

classroom if they are not 

prepared to take instructions 

from their teachers? 

Why should they with 

their criminal records and/ 

or deviant behaviour be 

allowed to remain in the 

classroom to contaminate 

the law abiding others? 

Why must they be tolerated 

in the school while 

they are threatening the 

lives of the very ones who 

are there to educate them? 

Why must young girls 

who become pregnant be 

allowed to continue in the 

classroom? 

Education Minister Anthony 

Garcia should look 

into the aforementioned 

problems. 

Our sympathetic hearts 

and minds and our refusal 

or inability to see and understand 

logic will continue 

to be our demise. Unless 

there are robust aggressive 

dealings with school delinquencies 

the school system 

will continue to be a failure 

if we are not prepared to 

act swiftly and decisively 

in getting rid of those bad 

elements within the school 

walls. 

NO MIRACLE 


Negligence! 

That is the only 

way one can describe 

the events that lead 

to the death of little baby 

Miracle. 

Whether or not we agree 

with the way the fund was 

being administered, the 

Children’s Life Fund is a 

necessity. 

And to think that after so 

many allegations of impropriety, 

the least the administrators 

would have done 

is to perform efficiently to 

eliminate the scarring of 

this Fund under the PNM, 

but alas! 

The more things change 

most certainly the more 

they will remain the same. 

for Miracle Baby Cross 

Who failed to understand 

all the nuances associated 

with what is required when 

one of our little babies require 

critical surgery should 

be fired. 

And when the Fund’s Director 

Dennis Cox is quoted 

as saying a five-week delay 

to process funding is not 

unusual, it means that he 

lacks the empathy and the 

compassion to sit in the 

chair as Director. 

It is difficult not to feel 

the pain the parents would 

have experienced first at 

the death of little Miracle 

and shortly after to receive 

a call indicating that the 

people upon whom they depended 

on for a miracle for 

Miracle came hours late. 

For over five weeks one 

can only imagine the anxiety 

of the baby’s parents while 

these servants of the people 

twiddled their thumbs innocuous 

of the death sentence 

they had pronounced 

on little Miracle. 

And the sad part about it 

is that nothing will change, 

no one will be held accountable 

and more babies 

will die because as far as 

Director Dennis Cox is 

concerned the actions of his 

administrators were really 

not unusual. 

I did not know little Miracle 

but my heart bleeds. 

I was never privileged to 

watch this baby smile but 

I know the hope that I felt 

when I believed that under a 

caring PNM administration 

that at least Miracle would 

stand a fighting chance. 

I never believed this is 

the way the story would 

have ended. 

At least as a nation, we 

expected the Life Fund administrators 

to do the best 

that they could. 

But they have not only 

failed little Miracle, they 

have failed us because they 

have caused grief to visit us 

in a way that is reprehensible 

and in a manner that 

is as callous as the deviant 

criminals who bring death 

upon so many. 

It is as though we are 

cursed as a nation. 

There is no sense of urgency, 

not for those awaiting 

trial in prison, or those 

awaiting their pensions after 

serving this country for 

33 plus years. 

We have become an insensitive 

lot and we are 

being governed by coldhearted 

leaders to whom 

empathy and pity are no 

longer feelings that move 

us to act with a sense of 

alacrity. 

I take no consolation 

that Miracle’s pain is no 

more when I know that as a 

people we could have done 

We failed Baby MIRACLE 

better. 

We failed little Miracle 

and those who are responsible 

should hang their heads 

in shame. 

If their actions are not 

unusual then they do no justice 

in the office they serve. 

The only consolation I 

will hold is when each and 

every one of these administrators 

is removed from 

office to give our children 

who are sick a fighting 

chance to live. 

GOT NEWS, VIEWS OR ADS TO SEND... 

CALL SUNSHINE at: 692-6781 /6782 | Fax: 692-6940 | Email: info@sunshinett.com


Stakeholders in the racing industry are calling on the government 

APPOINT MEMBERS OF 

THE TTRA BOARD! 

Stakeholders in the 

racing industry are 

calling on the government 

to install members 

of the Trinidad and 

Tobago Racing Authority 

(TTRA). 

The Authority has been 

without a board for the 

past eight month and come 

next month secretary to the 

board, David Loregnard 

will be retiring. And it 

seems that the Rowley-led 

PNM government is not 

making a move to appoint 

a board since its nine members 

term of office came to 

end in June last year and 

to date there haVE been 

no appointments to fill the 

vacancies. 

Stakeholders in the racing 

industry claim that 

there has always been a 

problem with past governments 

appointing a board 

on time. 

Members of the TTRA 

have to be appointed by 

the Minister of Trade and 

Industry under which 

horse racing falls, but the 

new Trade Minister is 

claiming that horse racing 

is now under the Ministry 

of Finance. 

Stakeholders are in 

a quandary as to which 

minister is responsible for 

horse racing now. 

One racing official said 

horse racing has to remain 

with the Ministry of Trade 

until the TTRA Act changes 

to bring the sport under 

the Ministry of Finance. 

In 2013 after the Derek 

Chin-led board went out 

of office, it took the former 

PP government some 

six months to appoint new 

members of the TTRA for 

two years, which expired 

in June last year under 

chairman Sunil Sirjoo. 

Since then Loregnard 

has been carrying out the 

functions of the Authority 

within 

The TTRA is the regulatory 

body for horse racing, 

among its function are 

to administer and enforce 

rules made under section 

17of the TTRA Act, and 

regulations made under 

section 19, hear all disputes 

arising out of the 

rules of racing made under 

section 17, hear appeals of 

jockey against fines and 

suspension handed down 

by the Arima Race Club 

(ARC) stewards. 

Lorenard, who has been 

secretary of the TTRA for 

over 30 years, will be retiring 

at the end of April 

and since there is no board 

to decide whether to offer 

him a contract to stay until 

a new secretary is appointed, 

he will be packing his 

HORSE RACING ACTION 

By Azad Ali 

bags and heading out of his 

office at Santa Rosa Park, 

Arima. 

Staffers at the TTRA are 

now worried about their 

salaries from May since 

currently there are two signatories- 

secretary and accountant- 

required to sign 

cheques for wages. 

Some stakeholders have 

Page 19 

described Loregnard as a 

“walking encyclopedia” 

when it comes to the rules 

of racing and has got high 

recognition from other racing 

jurisdictions abroad. 

One racing official said 

it would be difficult to replace 

Loregnard with is 

years of experience in the 

sport. 

Trainer ROHIT DUBE (left) and owner DAVID MAHABIR lead in Mary’s Girl Chile 

with jockey KESHAN BALGOBIN in the saddle. 

Messi with jockey EMILLE RAMSAMMY in winner’s enclosure. 

Happy connections of Onefortheroad in winner’s circle. Trainer HARRIRAM 

“Pepsi” GOBIN (second from right). Fourth from right is KAMA MAHARAJ. 

Indian Medicine won the feature Top of the Class race with 

jockey PRAYVEN BADRIE in the saddle.


EXPERTS WARN 

HIGH SUGAR DIET AS DAMAGING TO 

THE BRAIN AS EXTREME STRESS 

stress or abuse, increase the risk of 

poor mental health and psychiatric 

disorders later in life. 

stress were smaller at weaning, 

but this difference disappeared 

over time. 

“The number of traumatic “Rats consuming sugar in both 

events – accidents; witnessing an 

injury; bereavement; natural disasters; 

physical, sexual and emotional 

abuse; domestic violence and 

being a victim of crime – a child 

is exposed to is associated with elevated 

concentrations of the major 

stress hormone, cortisol. 

“There is also evidence that 

childhood maltreatment is associated 

with reduced brain volume 

and that these changes may be 

linked to anxiety. 

“Looking at rats, we examined 

whether the impact of early life 

stress on the brain was exacerbated 

by drinking high volumes of 

sugary drinks after weaning. 

“As females are more likely to 

experience adverse life events, we 

studied female Sprague-Dawley 

rats. 

“To model early life trauma or 

abuse, after rats were born half of 

the litters were exposed to limited 

nesting material from days two to 

nine after birth. 

“They then returned to normal 

bedding until they were weaned. 

“The limited nesting alters maternal 

behaviour and increases 

groups (control and stress) ate 

more calories over the experiment. 

“The rats were followed until 

they were 15 weeks old, and then 

their brains were examined. 

“As we know that early life 

stress can impact mental health 

and function, we examined a part 

of the brain called the hippocampus, 

which is important for both 

memory and stress. 

“Four groups of rats were studied 

– control (no stress), control 

rats drinking sugar, rats exposed 

to stress, and rats exposed to stress 

who drank sugar. 

“We found that chronic consumption 

of sugar in rats who 

were not stressed produced similar 

changes in the hippocampus as 

seen in the rats who were stressed 

but not drinking sugar. 

“Early life stress exposure or 

sugar drinking led to lower expression 

of the receptor that binds 

the major stress hormone cortisol, 

which may affect the ability to recover 

from exposure to a stressful 

situation. 

“Another gene that is important 

for the growth of nerves, Neurod1, 

and the impact of the sugar is worrying 

as it may affect brain development, 

although further work is 

required to test this. 

“In this study, combining sugar 

intake and early life stress did not 

produce further changes in the 

hippocampus, but whether this 

remains the case over time is unclear. 

“The changes in the brain induced 

by sugar are of great concern 

given the high consumption 

anxiety in the offspring later in was also reduced by both sugar of sugar-sweetened beverages, 

life. 

“At weaning, half the rats were 

given unlimited to access to lowfat 

chow and water to drink, while 

their sisters were given chow, water 

and a 25 per cent sugar solution 

that they could choose to drink. 

“Animals exposed to early life 

and stress. 

“Other genes important for the 

growth of nerves were investigated, 

and just drinking sugar from a 

young age was sufficient to reduce 

them. 

“The rats were exposed to high 

sugar intakes during development, 

with particularly high consumption 

in children aged nine to 16 

years. 

“If similar processes are at play 

in humans to what was found in 

our rat study, reducing the consumption 

of sugar across the community 

is important. 

In light of mounting evidence 

indicating the link between 

a high sugar diet and ill 

health, it is now widely accepted 

that more should be done to encourage 

people to reduce their 

consumption of sugar. 

Many interest groups are pushing 

for the imposition of a “sin 

tax” on sweet drinks, and dietary 

guidelines in the US and UK have 

been tightened to reflect the changing 

scientific evidence. 

The World Health Organization 

(WHO) recommends no more 

than 10 percent of a person’s daily 

energy should come from added 

sugars, or those found naturally in 

juices and honey, which equates to 

around 50g or 12 teaspoons a day. 

And while the links between a 

high-sugar diet and obesity, with 

all its accompanying ills, are well 

documented, experts are now turning 

their attention to the other 

ways sugar can affect the body. 

In a recent study, a team at the 

University of New South Wales 

concluded that sugar is as damaging 

to the brain as extreme stress 

or abuse. 

Research associate Jayanthi Maniam 

and professor of pharmacology 

Margaret Morris were involved 

in the study and discussed their 

findings with The Conversation: 

“The changes we observed to 

the region of the brain that controls 

emotional behaviour and cognitive 

function were more extensive than 

those caused by extreme early life 

stress,” they revealed. 

“It is known that adverse experiences 

early in life, such as extreme 

4 TOP FOODS TO BOOST YOUR BRAINPOWER 

1. Curry 

Curry contains turmeric, a spice 

that in turn contains the anti-inflammatory 

antioxidant curcumin. 

Curcumin is capable of crossing 

the blood-brain barrier, which is 

one reason why it holds promise as 

a neuroprotective agent in a wide 

range of neurological disorders. 

Research has shown that curcumin 

may help inhibit the accumulation 

of destructive beta amyloids 

in the brain of Alzheimer’s 

patients, as well as break up existing 

plaques.1 Curcumin has even 

been shown to boost memory and 

stimulate the production of new 

brain cells, a process known as 

neurogenesis. 

A word to the wise… some curry 

powders may contain very little 

curcumin compared to straight turmeric 

powder, so choose the latter 

for the best health benefits. 

2. Broccoli and Cauliflower 

Broccoli and cauliflower are 

good sources of choline, a B vitamin 

known for its role in brain 

development. Choline intake during 

pregnancy “super-charged” the 

brain activity of animals in utero, 

indicating that it may boost cognitive 

function, improve learning 

and memory, 

It may even diminish age-related 

memory decline and your 

brain’s vulnerability to toxins during 

childhood, as well as conferring 

protection later in life.3 Eggs 

and meat are among the best food 

sources of choline. 

3. Walnuts 

Walnuts are good sources of 

plant-based omega-3 fats, natural 

phytosterols and antioxidants, and 

have been shown to reverse brain 

aging in older rats. DHA, in particular, 

is a type of omega-3 fat 

that’s been found to boost 

brain function and even 

promote brain healing, 

although it’s 

more plentiful in animal-based 

omega-3 

sources, like krill, as 

opposed to walnuts. 

4. Crab 

One serving of crab contains 

more than your entire daily requirement 

of phenylalanine, an amino 

acid that helps make the neurotransmitter 

dopamine, brain-stimulating 

adrenaline and noradrenaline and 

thyroid hormone, and may help 

“The fact that drinking sugar 

or exposure to early life stress 

reduced the expression of genes 

critical for brain development and 

growth is of great concern. 

“While it is impossible to perform 

such studies in humans, the 

brain circuits controlling stress responses 

and feeding are conserved 

across species. 

“People who were exposed to 

early life trauma have changes in 

the structure of their hippocampus. 

In humans, those consuming 

the most ‘western’ diet had smaller 

hippocampal volumes, in line with 

data from animal models. 

“Taken together, these findings 

suggest future work should consider 

possible long-term effects of 

high sugar intake, particularly early 

in life, on the brain and behaviour.” 

fight Parkinson’s disease. Crab is 

also an excellent source of brainboosting 

vitamin B12.


Page 21 

Crossword Puzzle 

ACROSS 

1. Sysadmin 

6. A hemispherical roof 

10. Egg-shaped 

14. Neighborhood 

15. Mimics 

16. Drill 

17. Onyx 

18. Mongol hut 

19. City in Peru 

20. Beggar 

22. Computer symbol 

23. Arid 

24. Speaks 

26. Circle fragments 

DOWN 

1. Smack 

2. Eastern discipline 

3. Glance over 

4. Pledge 

5. Supplications 

6. Dreamlike musings 

7. Luxurious 

8. No more than 

9. Anagram of 

“Russet” 

10. Destroy completely 

11. Vocalization 

12. Knight’s “suit” 

13. Inclines 

21. Requires 

25. Russian emperor 

26. Does something 

27. A chess piece 

28. Hint 

29. Fortify 

34. Void 

36. Frozen 

37. Countertenor 

38. Appear 

40. Bit of gossip 

30. Poetic dusk 

31. South southeast 

32. A young male horse 

33. A romantic meeting 

35. Operatic solos 

39. Sightseeing industry 

41. Any amazing 

occurrence 

43. Shooting sport 

44. Absorbs 

46. French for “Head” 

47. Born as 

49. Faster than light 

50. Biblical kingdom 

42. A small island 

45. Umbrage 

48. Artists’ workstands 

51. Water balloon sound 

52. Bully 

53. Put out 

51. A symbol of 

disgrace 

54. Feudal estate 

56. Publicize 

57. Loud 

63. Verdant 

64. Sea eagle 

65. Fine thread 

66. Chills and fever 

67. Not more 

68. Painful grief 

69. Not now 

70. Views 

71. Horse 

55. Bends 

58. Tall woody plant 

59. Violent disturbance 

60. Small island 

61. Maguey 

62. Egghead 

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE 

HOROSCOPES 

aries 

libra 

You can suddenly feel you are freed 

A greater sense of self confidence 

from pressures that have been 

with decisions can start to take 

there since January. Put your focus 

shape now and go on to late May. 

on the future to late May though be 

This can be particularly so with any 

aware that you will then have pressures 

financial situations you might have 

return. There is much that will not be fully evi- 

been dealing with since January. From now to your 

dent just yet and this is why you need to let matters birthday deal with details carefully when it comes to 

take their own course while paying careful attention. things you want to bring to an end. Small steps are 

best. 

taurus 

Interactions with others since January 

have been a relatively open 

exercise even with challenges that 

may have arisen. From now to late 

May others can become more mysterious, 

making it difficult to know 

exactly where you stand. You can realise different priorities 

need to take shape based on what can logically 

be enjoyed. 

gemini 

Interaction with others will now begin 

to step up a notch or two until 

late May. Commitment from others 

is something you need to be mindful 

about. Don’t be tempted to presume 

it will simply go with the circumstances. Don’t 

simply look at matters, as you want to see them. You 

do not want your future security threatened. 

cancer 

Greater focus on your health 

and particularly your fitness level 

should begin now and be kept up 

to late May. If you haven’t been to 

the dentist in a while, it might pay to 

do so. Careful planning with daily matters needs to be 

adhered to – future opportunities can certainly exist 

but will not be fulfilled without good routines. 

leo 

The level of attention you have put 

into getting a good foundation in 

place since January will now have 

a lot to do with the benefits to gain 

or the enjoyment you get from it to 

late May. Uncertainties others experience 

could put you under pressure. Be cautious 

about how you respond to this financially or you could 

lose money. 

virgo 

Some very interesting, even profound 

situations can arise from now 

until your birthday in your dealings 

with others. This will have much 

to do with new directions generated 

by them and how you decide 

to respond. You need to take action in putting things 

in place for your own stability and security from now 

until late May. 

12 31 3 17 28 25 

12 3 16 22 35 28 

28 3 5 12 16 14 

12 25 36 10 14 32 

33 28 32 12 10 3 

14 25 18 12 36 3 

scorpio 

A new 2 year cycle has been shaping 

up in your life since January, 

though there will be some rethinking 

on this to do later. Finances will 

now become your focus until late 

May. There will be a need to include a degree of practicality, 

which might also include limitation. This will 

set the stage for reconsidering new directions later. 

sagittarius 

You should start to feel much better 

about matters that involve you, 

with Mars moving into your sign, 

where it will stay until 28th May. 

This generates a new 2 year cycle, 

though there will be a second stage to this later, which 

is most unusual. You will feel more energetic and confident 

now. It is imperative that you are responsible. 

capricorn 

You will need to find time to withdraw 

from now to late May to enable 

consideration of priorities. 

This is an excellent period for you 

to gather information, learn or 

refresh yourself with skills that you consider will be 

helpful in the long term. Your intentions would be better 

kept to yourself, as you won’t know whom you can 

trust. 

aquarius 

Pressure that you have had to deal 

with since January, regarding obligations, 

can ease now, though they 

will return after late May. Up until 

then you need to put your energy 

into looking at priorities that will sustain you over the 

long term. Pay close attention to your finances – don’t 

let others drain them, one way or another. 

pisces 

The Solar Eclipse this week takes 

place in your sign, heralding significant 

new beginnings over the next 

6 months. This will involve other 

people and you should be mindful 

of them lowering things in some 

way. Your focus, to late May, needs to be kept upon 

commitments you have to be prepared to accept that 

are in your best interests. 

12.28.5.25.33.22 

16.32.14.28.10.12 

31.5.3.17.22.35


FOR ANAND’S SEVERAL BLUNDERS 

- Warner threatens to sue on behalf of T&T! 


The collapse of the 

Petrotrin v Malcolm 

Jones case 

was stylishly managed by 

Anand Ramlogan, Kamla 

Persad Bissessar and company 

last week. 

Singing from the same 

hymn sheet the UNC managed 

to deflect public attention 

from the fact that yet another 

one of Anand’s ‘make 

work’ ventures had in fact 

failed spectacularly before 

the local courts. 

The time line is useful to 

remember. 

Immediately after we took 

office Anand appointed his A 

Team to investigate corruption. 

Although they were appointed 

with public fanfare 

the now disgraced team 

comprised persons who were 

handpicked by Anand to 

conduct these investigations. 

The team included Ramdeen 

who is still working in 

all of these failed cases. 

Trinidad is a small place 

so when I was given certain 

information I went trustingly 

to the Prime Minister 

to warn her about what was 

then an open secret. The A 

Team itself was nothing but 

an opportunity for graft and 

In essence, teams are 

not measured by the first 

across the line, but by 

the last to finish. 

The technique naturally 

motivates all stakeholders 

to unite around a 

common purpose, build 

synergies that add value 

to accomplishing the objective, 

encourages the 

worst performers to up 

their game so as not disappoint 

his teammates 

and drives leaders to 

emerge- Team dynamics. 

The business of the 

military shares similar 

business fundamentals 

of quality, production, 

efficiencies and accomplishing 

mission objectives. 

No military is worth 

its weight in gold without 

inspirational Leadership 

(serve for God, 

Duty and Country) and 

corruption. She disregarded 

my advice then. 

The rest is now history. 

In the few months it took 

to prepare worthless reports 

with a few salacious details 

thrown in, the team was able 

to rack up legal fees in excess 

of fifty million dollars. 

All for us to ‘discover’ 

that some State Enterprises 

had made some bad investments 

and that Reverend 

Pena had ‘stayed’ at a UTT 

guest house that was open to 

the public. 

I warned the then Prime 

Minister repeatedly. Her 

attitude then was different 

from what it is today. Then 

she would not hear of an investigation 

into her AG. Today 

she is the first to speak of 

writing letters to her friends 

in the Integrity Commission. 

It was an open secret that 

there was no basis to mount 

civil actions in any of the 

claims. The AG’s office 

sought to get advice to justify 

all of the claims. For 

a few dollars here and there 

they got the advice. 

In at least two cases that 

I know of Queen’s Counsel 

advised against the proceedings 

in advance. 

One of these was the e 

LEADERSHIP VS MANAGEMENT? ASK THE MILITARY! 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 

Management competencies 

in all fields of operations. 

Most militaries are vast 

and very complex organizations 

with many (business) 

units working in 

sync. 

Business enterprises 

too require synchronized 

units bound by common 

strategy and operational 

threads. 

One salient attribute 

inherent in most military 

organizational infrastructures 

that give them competitive 

advantage over 

every business archetype 

is their discipline. 

A disciplined organization 

is a credit to exemplary 

leadership and competent 

management. 

One can argue that the 

military’s organizational 

culture allows for management 

to give orders 

that forces obedience, 

Teck case. Yet Anand went 

ahead and sued. I went 

ahead and warned the then 

Prime Minister as it was 

my duty to do. She ignored 

me once again while Anand 

and his friends sued everybody. 

And Anand, drunk 

with power, boasted publicly 

that he was on a witch hunt. 

No one held him to account 

then. 

It was also an open secret 

that the DPP was not entertaining 

any of Anand’s varied 

requests to act. So the 

law suits came thick and fast. 

But as I had then warned 

the then Prime Minister 

these public relations victory 

dances by Anand could 

not last. And so when the 

UTT case collapsed spectacularly 

before the elections 

the public’s anger was quite 

correctly directed to Anand 

and Kamla. Mr Garvin 

Nicholas who by then had 

replaced Ramlogan promised 

the population that the 

other cases were all on solid 

ground. I knew first hand 

that this was not true. So I 

waited. I waited until the 

Petrotrin case collapsed last 

week expecting that there 

would now be an accounting 

by Anand or Kamla. Only 

to discover that they took in 

front and caught the Government 

with its pants down. 

With Sturge mouthing 

for them now that Anand is 

a bad word the focus was 

deftly thrown back to the 

present Government who 

seemed too happy to just accept 

the blame. So instead of 

answering the question why 

were these worthless cases 

brought in the first case the 

question a bold Kamla is 

now asking why they were 

stopped. She didn’t bother 

to answer for Anand. 

The Petrotrin case collapsed 

in the High Court 

in even more spectacular 

fashion than the UTT case. 

With Petrotrin, Anand’s 

hand picked lawyer Vincent 

Nelson QC, pulled the 

case before it even started 

with a cut tail facing 

him. 

At least in the UTT case 

he pulled out after the case 

had started. 

Well I am waiting still. 

I am waiting to hear how 

much taxpayers money still 

has to be thrown away not 

only in the failed persecution 

of Malcolm Jones. I am 

also waiting for Ken Julien 

‘s e Teck case. I am also 

waiting for Professor Copeland’s 

Pan case and his e 

Teck case. 

I am also waiting for all 

unlike a business organization 

that does not have 

the luxury of every order 

being carried out without 

question. 

The argument emphasizes 

the Leadership Vs 

Management ReThinking 

exercise this article invokes. 

No soldier in any army 

will carry out his orders 

to the best of his ability, 

willingly, unless the leadership 

has inspired him. 

The same can be said for 

business organizations. 

ReThink It: Leadership 

and management are 

symbiotic twins having 

individual characteristics. 

One cannot survive and 

grow without the other. 

Many businesses fail 

to value the difference 

between the two and consequently 

limit their organization 

to taskmaster 

management- a tunnel vision 

operations mindset. 

Leadership is the map 

whereas management is 

the driver- A business is 

lost if its value creation 

drivers have no purposeful 

direction. 

“Leadership and 

learning are indispensable 

to each other”- John 

F. Kennedy 

A few good reads: 

An easy read: “The 

21 Irrefutable Laws of 

Leadership” by John C. 

Maxwell 

A best in class book on 

Leadership: “On becoming 

a leader” by Warren 

Bennis 

Every new leader’s 

handbook: “The First 90 

Days: Critical Success 

Strategies for new leaders 

at all levels” 

A Leadership and 

Management classic: 

“Jack Straight from the 

Gut” by Jack Welch 

GARVIN NICHOLAS 

MALCOLM JONES 

of these cases including 

the Calder Hart case to collapse. 

If by that time the powers 

that be have not called 

Anand and Kamla to account 

I will take action as a 

taxpayer to make sure that 

Barbados and 

St. Lucia have 

ended talks here 

aimed at establishing an 

agreement on maritime 

boundaries between the 

two Caribbean Community 

(CARICOM) 

countries. 

A government statement 

said that officials 

from the two countries 

ended four days of talks 

here Friday and ‘prepared 

the draft text of a 

maritime boundary delimitation 

agreement”. 

It said they were joined 

by officials from St. Vincent 

and the Grenadines, 

who had recently concluded 

similar negotiations 

with Barbados. 

St. Vincent and the 

Grenadines and Barbados 

signed a Maritime 

Boundary Delimitation 

Agreement on August 31, 

last year. 

Former AG ANAND 

RAMLOGAN 

Former PM KAMLA 

PERSAD BISSESSAR 

those who raided the public 

purse will be made to answer 

for their wrongs. 

At the end of the day as I 

warned Kamla we will all be 

paying for her boys wickedness 

for years to come. 

If the Government will 

not protect us from Anand 

and Kamla even now then I 

will have to take in front to 

protect us all. 

BARBADOS AND 

ST LUCIA TEAM UP 

- for agreement on maritime 

boundaries 

The statement said that 

the two delegations were 

supported by a team from 

the Commonwealth Secretariat 

and that the heads 

of delegations underlined 

“that these negotiations 

and, in particular, the 

provisional agreement 

between Barbados and 

St. Lucia bear testimony 

to the spirit of cordiality 

and good-neighbourliness 

that has characterised 

all of these discussions. 

“The United Nations 

Convention of the Law 

of the Sea, to which both 

countries are party, entitles 

them to claim an Exclusive 

Economic Zone 

of up to 200 nautical 

miles. As a result of the 

proximity of these States, 

there is a necessity to 

delimit their maritime 

boundaries,” the statement 

noted.


Page 23 

US FAMILY TO RECEIVE 

US$72 MILLION OVER 

BABY POWDER LAWSUIT! 

Johnson & Johnson 

(JNJ.N) was ordered 

by a Missouri State 

jury to pay $72 million indamages 

to the family of a 

woman whose death from 

ovarian cancer was linked 

to her use of the company’s 

talc-based Baby Powder 

and Shower to Shower 

for several decades. 

In a verdict announced 

two weeks ago, jurors in 

the circuit court of St. 

Louis awarded the family 

of Jacqueline Fox $10 million 

of actual damages and 

$62 million of punitive 

damages, according to the 

family’s lawyers and court 

records. 

The verdict is the first 

by a U.S. jury to award 

- Johnson and Johnson ordered to pay 

damages over the claims, 

the lawyers said. 

Johnson & Johnson 

faces claims that it, in an 

effort to boost sales, failed 

for decades to warn consumers 

that its talc-based 

products could cause cancer. 

About 1,000 cases 

have been filed in Missouri 

state court, and another 

200 in New Jersey. 

Fox, who lived in Birmingham, 

Alabama, 

claimed she used Baby 

Powder and Shower to 

Shower for feminine hygiene 

for more than 35 

years before being diagnosed 

three years ago with 

ovarian cancer. She died 

in October at age 62. 

Jurors found Johnson & 

Father of two girls… 

Johnson liable for fraud, 

negligence and conspiracy, 

the family’s lawyers 

said. Deliberations lasted 

four hours, following a 

three-week trial. 

Jere Beasley, a lawyer 

for Fox’s family, said 

Johnson & Johnson “knew 

as far back as the 1980s of 

the risk,” and yet resorted 

to “lying to the public, 

lying to the regulatory 

agencies.” He spoke on a 

conference call with journalists. 

Carol Goodrich, a Johnson 

& Johnson spokeswoman, 

said: “We have 

no higher responsibility 

than the health and safety 

of consumers, and we are 

disappointed with the outcome 

of the trial. We sympathize 

with the plaintiff’s 

family but firmly believe 

the safety of cosmetic talc 

is supported by decades of 

scientific evidence.” 

Trials in several other 

talc lawsuits have been 

set for later this year, according 

to Danielle Mason, 

who also represented 

Fox’s family at trial. 

In October 2013, a federal 

jury in Sioux Falls, 

South Dakota found that 

plaintiff Deane Berg’s use 

of Johnson & Johnson’s 

body powder products was 

a factor in her developing 

ovarian cancer. Nevertheless, 

it awarded no damages, 

court records show. 

Valeant Pharmaceuticals 

SEVERS HIS OWN PENIS AS PUNISHMENT 

FOR NOT PRODUCING A SON 

A 

man from southern 

China was so 

disappointed at 

not having produced a son 

that he cut off his own penis 

as a way of punishing 

himself. 

The 36-year-old, known 

under a pseudonym of 

A Yong, used a knife to 

sever around 1.2 inches of 

his penis on February 22, 

the People’s Daily Online 

reports. 

The man from a rural 

area near Quanzhou City 

was upset that he had two 

daughters and had reportedly 

been taunted by local 

villagers. 

According to Chinese 

media, the man has two 

daughters aged three and 

13. 

He was taken to the 

Emergency Room at the 

Fujian Armed Police 

Force Hospital in Quanzhou 

around 11pm on February 

15. 

His family members say 

that he had drunk around 

five shots of alcohol that 

night before coming to a 

drastic decision to cut off 

part of his penis. 

When A Yong’s family 

members realised what he 

had done, they rushed him 

to hospital immediately 

with the organ in a bag of 

ice. 

Huang Zhihong, a doctor 

on the night shift at the 

time, said: ‘The severed 

part is around 1.2 inches 

long.’ 

The patient reportedly 

shouted at medical staff 

that he did not want it put 

back on. 

According to doctor 

Huang, A Yong had already 

been to a local clinic 

for first aid. 

Staff at the hospital immediately 

performed surgery 

on A yong. His manhood 

was allegedly sewed 

back on after a four-hourlong 

operation. 

Doctor Huang who undertook 

the surgery told 

reporters that the healing 

Bottles of Johnson & Johnson baby powder 

line a drugstore shelf in New York 

International Inc (VRX. 

TO) now owns the Shower 

to Shower brand but was 

not a defendant in the Fox 

case. 

process will take around 

six to 12 months. 

In rural areas of China, 

having a son is valued 

higher than a daughter 

because boys carry on 

The case is Hogans et 

al v. Johnson & Johnson 

et al, Circuit Court of the 

City of St. Louis, Missouri, 

No. 1422-CC09012. 

In rural China, a son is valued more than a daughter 

as boys can carry on the family name 

the family bloodline and 

stay to look after their 

parents while girls marry 

into other families and 

look after her husband’s 

parents. 

MINNESOTA COPS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR DWI MISCONDUCT 

In late 2015, two officers 

of the Blaine, 

Minnesota, police department 

responded to an 

alarm call from the local 

Fleet Farm. When they 

arrived, the officers discovered 

a running car in 

the parking lot with an 

apparently unconscious 

man behind the wheel. 

The responding officers 

discovered the interior of 

the car was littered with 

Coors Light cans. 

The occupant was completely 

unresponsive with 

his penis out of his pants. 

What should have been a 

textbook DWI arrest, however, 

sparked an investigation 

exposing officer 

malfeasance and an unwillingness 

to hold fellow officers 

responsible for their 

criminal actions. 

Dashcam footage from 

the responding officer’s 

patrol car was obtained 

by KARE News 11 after a 

public records request. The 

footage shows the Blaine 

PD officers taking all the 

proper steps in dealing 

with a potential DWI. The 

driver, William Monberg, 

was so inebriated that it 

took one officer several 

attempts to wake him up 

enough to get out of the car. 

After banging on the roof 

and windows for several 

minutes, Monberg came to. 

During the field sobriety 

tests he was so inebriated 

he couldn’t understand a 

simple command, such as 

when an officer asked him 

to remove his hat. Monberg 

then blew a .202 on the officers’ 

breathalyzer. He was 

arrested, cuffed, and placed 

in the back of the squad car. 

Once Monberg was in 

the squad car, however, the 

responding officers went 

through Monberg’s wallet 

and discovered that he was 

a Columbia Heights police 

officer. The video then 

shows the officers turning 

off their body microphones 

and stepping out of view of 

the cruiser’s forward-facing 

camera. Unfortunately for 

them, the cruiser’s interior 

camera, which monitors the 

back seat, captured them returning 

to the car, uncuffing 

Monberg, and arranging a 

ride home for him instead 

of a ride to jail. 

The responding officers 

covered up the entire affair. 

They filed no official 

reports and entered nothing 

into the department’s Computer 

Aided Dispatch system. 

They almost got away 

with it too, until Blaine PD 

chief Chris Olson opened 

an investigation into the incident 

nearly a month later. 

Thanks to the investigation, 

Officer Monberg was finally 

officially charged with 

DWI. Chief Olson would 

not provide a statement to 

KARE, citing the impending 

DWI case. He did, however, 

tell reporters that the 

young officers would be 

held accountable. 

“In this case inexperienced 

officers made a mistake. 

It is not acceptable. 

My expectation is fair and 

impartial policing and that 

didn’t happen. We need to 

treat people fairly, and it 

doesn’t matter what they do 

for a living.”

ISSUE: #147 | FRIDAY 11 th MARCH, 2016 

SIS IN NEW 

MULTI-MILLION 

$CANDAL 

www.sunshinett.com | ONLY $3 

SEE PAGE 17 

People’s Partnership (PP) 

preferred contractor SIS 

is being named in yet 

another multi-million dollar 

scandal; this time at the Penal 

Recreation Ground in the heart 

of the Siparia Constituency of 

former Prime Minister Kamla 

Persad-Bissessar. The situation 

has rendered one of the 

most prestigious and celebrated 

first class cricket venues in the 

country to a state of abandonment. 

According to information 

received by Sunshine, SIS has 

pocketed approximately $14 

million – 10 percent of the contract 

value - and has lifted not a 

finger at the site. 

The ground is better known as 

the Petrotrin Ground and is located 

on Clarke Road, Penal opposite 

Petrotrin’s Exploration Department. 

The $140 million contract for 

the upgrade of the ground was issued 

to Point Lisas Construction 

Ltd (PLCL), one of the dozens of 

By Investigative Reporter AZAD ALI 

companies owned by SIS under 

which bids were submitted for 

government contracts. 

In September 2014, the contract 

was issued to SIS by the Sportt 

Company of the Ministry of 

Sports with a delivery deadline of 

12 months. Sunshine was reliably 

advised that a 10 percent advance 

was paid to SIS for mobilisation. 

According to sources, SIS took 

control of the site around October 

2014 and immediately fenced 

the perimeter with galvanize and 

placed container-type site offices 

on the compound. The ground 

was blocked from public access 

and all sporting activities ceased. 

Sunshine was advised that in 

the haste by the former PP government 

to get the project going, 

several critical issues were overlooked, 

and this may have contributed 

to the project being “hang 

up” as it currently is. 

For starters, Petrotrin did not 

agree to hand over the ground to 

the SporTT company, even in the 

The building that has been left in a deplorable condition 

face of a high-handed Cabinet decision. 

The ground, even though 

the pavilion was in a moderate 

state, was a facility used by the 

staff when not being used for toplevel 

sporting activities. 

The source said that there were 

“oil installations” close to the existing 

field and in the surrounding 

areas where the contractor would 

have had to work and hence Environmental 

Clearance from the 

Environmental Management 

Authority (EMA) was required. 

EMA Clearance has not been obtained 

as yet. 

At the moment, the playfield 

is in a state of abandonment. The 

grass is over five feet high in 

some places and as much as seven 

feet in others. 

The wooden pavilion building 

is still intact but is falling into disrepair 

from lack of use. 

Round-the-clock security has 

been placed at the site to keep 

prying eyes and trespassers away. 

“That used to be one of the 

most glorious sporting grounds 

and it is a shame to see how it has 

deteriorated,” the source said. 

Even though the sign at the 

entrance to the site lists the contractor 

as PLCL, everyone whom 

Sunshine spoke with, including 

ordinary persons passing by, were 

aware that PLCL is really an SIS 

company. 

One source speculated that the 

reason SIS has not started work 

on the Penal Ground as yet is because 

SIS still has a lot of work 

still to be done at Irwin Park in 

Siparia. 

The Irwin Park upgrade, which 

is priced at $110 million, was 

started in 2012. The contract was 

awarded to Phoenix Welding and 

Fabricated Ltd (PWFL) and was 

expected to be completed in May 

2015. 

PWFL, like PLCL, is another 

SIS company through which 

Krishna Lalla trawled for State 

contracts. 

The park upgrade, though incomplete, 

was opened by Persad- 

Bissessar in an extravagant ribbon 

cutting ceremony 12 days before 

September 7, 2015, General Election 

which saw her and the PP being 

deposed. 

When Sunshine visited Irwin 

Park, we saw several pieces of 

equipment – from rollers to water 

trucks and backhoes – at work at 

several parts of the facility. All the 

equipment bore the logo of Prime 

Equipment and Rentals Ltd. 

Prime is another SIS company. 

With the National Gas Company 

(NGC) suing SIS for failure to 

deliver on the $1 billion Beetham 

Waste Water Project and the High 

Court ordering the freezing of 

$180 million of SIS’ assets, an 

attempt by Prime to ship several 

expensive pieces of equipment 

out of the country to be auctioned 

in the United States in January 

was thwarted. NGC was forced 

to intervene to stop the equipment 

which was in the Port of 

Spain Docks from being shipped 

to auctioneers Ritchie Brothers in 

Florida. 

Lalla has not been seen in Trinidad 

and Tobago since after the 

September polls. Sources say he 

packed up shop and headed for 

Panama which does not have any 

extradition arrangements with 

this country. 

Additionally, Lalla removed 

himself from the network of companies 

which are owned by Super 

Holdings and transferred what is 

left of those companies to his son 

Terrance and to an offshore company 

in the British Virgin Isles 

named Raisin Services Inc. 

With the current state of SIS 

and its companies, many persons 

are asking what will become of 

projects not yet completed by 

SIS, especially those for which 

advanced payments were already 

made – projects such as the Penal 

Recreation Ground. 

“It is more than a year and 

a half that SIS has the contract 

for the Penal Recreation 

Ground and not a blade of 

grass has been cut, not a pebble 

turned over, not a picket has 

been planted. If SIS does not do 

this job - even though it is long 

overdue – is SIS going to get to 

keep that $14 million for doing 

nothing?” one source queried. 

Published by Sunshine Publishing Company #135 Eastern Main Road, Arouca | Tel: 692-6781/6782 | Fax: 692-6940 | Printed at Guardian Building AMCO Compound, Rodney Road Endeavour, Chaguanas

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