WALTER ALIBEY

Akil Campbell and Gevan Samuel were crowned the 2015 and 2016 President’s Cup winners respectively when the T&T Cycling Federation held its Annual Awards for the years at the National Cycling Centre in Balmain Couva on Saturday night. 

The awards, given to the cyclists who have achieved the most during the year, were the feature on the night’s programme and came after all other riders were recognised for their achievements for the two years. 

Njisane Phillip, the local cycle ace, was voted the most outstanding international cyclist for the past two years, while Anthony Sellier, who coached Pan American Junior Track Championship gold medal in the match-sprint Nicholas Paul, was adjudged the Coach of the Year for both periods. 

Tineil Campbell walked away with the award for Elite Women for 2015 while Jhordan St George earned the Junior Women prize and Paul, who is expected to return home from a UCI cycling sting in Switzerland this month, got the junior men award for that year (2015).  

Campbell was also among the record-breaking performances for 2016 in the junior women Flying 250m, 3km individual pursuit, along with Keiana Lester, Jabari Whiteman, Paul, Chaquille Henry, Varun Maharajh, Akil Campbell, Jovian Gomez and Garvyn Nero.

The event, attended by many dignitaries within the sporting fraternity as T&T Olympic Committee president Brian Lewis and Chairman of SporTT Michael Phillip, saw a cadre of young riders dominating the proceedings which is evident of the successful development works being done by president Robert Farrier and his administration. 

The local cycling boss said inspite of challenges faced in reaching out to all stakeholders, his federation has agreed to embark on a process of involvement and consultation by engaging carefully on a strategic planning process that will seek the advice of professionals to chart a way forward for the sport.  

Farrier his federation has already held four sessions that included members of the fraternity who were asked to give their opinions on the sport. In a prepared speech Farrier noted his federation also grapple with communication challenges that stem from the operations of the sport at the management level to the dissemination of information at the club level that is due largely because club representatives do not attend key meetings. 

He urged cyclists to impress upon their club representatives to be present at meetings where key decisions for the sport are made.  According to Farrier “There are monthly Council meetings at which discussions and decisions regarding budgets, allocation or spending of finance, changes to policies etc are voted on. The council is the body which has the authority and power to affect change and as such attendance by club reps are vitally important.”

He added “I implore you cyclists to hold your club reps responsible for attending meetings and for communicating the discussions and decisions made at these meetings. Get involved and let your voice be heard through your club representatives.”

More info
Honour Roll 2015
Under-7 Girls- Shameka Hoyte
U-7 Boys- Giovanni Granado
U-9 Girls Kyra Williams
U-9 Boys Javon Ramroop
U-11 Girls Alexia Wilson
U-11 Boys Jesse Hender
U-13 Girls Sylese Christian
U-13 Boys Ryan D’Abreau
Tinymtes Women Ashley Whiteman
Tinymites Men D’ Angelo Harris
Juvenile Women – Chenelle Walcott
Juvenille Women- Tyler Cole

Masters 79+- Ronald Peters
Masters 65-69-  Peter Hernandez
Master 60-64- Cyril Fook
Master 55-59- Martin Wharwood
Masters 50-54 – Rodney Woods
Masters 45-49- Rudy Bravo
Masters 40-44 – Roger Malco

MTB- Junior Men- Peter Sellier
MTB- Elite Women- Candace Chin Fatt
MTB Elite Men-    Jason Costelloe
Junior Men- Ramon Belmontes
Junior Women- Kollyn St George
Elite Women- Jodi Goodridge.

Most Outstanding International Cyclist 2015- Njisane Phillips
Coach of the year 2015- Anthony Sellier
Club of the Year 2015- Rigtech Sonics.

2016 Awards
U-7 Girls Renee Fortune
U-7 Boys Jahziel Gordon 
U-9 Girls Maia Seyjagat
U-9 Boys Jaquan Elborne 
U-11 Girls Kyra Williams
U-11 Boys Tyrese Mc Millian
U-13 Girls Alexia Wilson
U-13 Boys Ryan Maharaj
Tinymites Women Makayla Hernandez
Tinymites Men D’Angelo Harris
Juvenile Women Adriana Seyjagat
Juvenile Men Jabari Whiteman
Master 70+ Joey Nunes
Masters 65-69 Peter Hernandez
Masters 60-64 Cyril Fook
Masters 55-59 Gregory Dandrade
Masters 50-54 Rodney Woods
Masters 45-49 Marlon Joseph
Masters 40-44 Roger Malco
MTB Junior Men Peter Sellier
MTB Elite Women Candace ChinFatt
MTB Elite Men Ryan Chin
Junior Men Nicholas Paul
Junior Women JhordannSt George
Elite Women Teniel Campbell

Record Breaking Performances
Kollyn St George, Teniel Campbell, Keiana Lester, Jabari Whiteman, Nicholas Paul, Chaquille Henry, Varun Maharajh, Akil Campbell, Jovian Gomez, Garvyn Nero
Most Outstanding Internatioal Cyclist- Njisane Phillip
Coach of the Year- Anthony Sellier
Club of the Year- Breakaway Cycle Club
President’s Cup Gevan Samuel

In his keynote address at the IMF High Level Caribbean Forum at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, recently, Massy Holdings CEO Gervase Warner expressed the view that the current economic and social circumstances are a blessing in disguise and the wake up call the Caribbean needs at this time.

Warner further made the point that no meaningful lasting change could take place without a clearly defined vision and purpose—”transformation requires vision and purpose. Do we have one?....”

Warner also made an important statement when he said: “Our kids deserve better. We all have a responsibility to build a better future for the generations to come. Can we honestly say that we are doing that or are we kicking the can down the road because there are just too many things in the too hard box?”

Warner, an avid cycling and fitness enthusiast, could well have been speaking to sport leaders and stakeholders in T&T and the Caribbean.

His presentation entitled ‘The Gift of the Current Challenges Facing Our Region’ should be compulsory reading. T&T is at a critical period. Crime is at an intolerable level with the criminals as brazen as ever.  

The breakdown of trust in institutions is almost  beyond repair. Everything and everyone is perceived as having a price. Government and state enterprise and special purpose companies are percevied as mere banks and ATM machines.  

Twenty-first century T&T is in a mortal battle. Good sense is hanging on by a thread. There is no in between nothing seems to make sense anymore. It’s total mayhem.

Who to believe?  

Who to trust?

Even if you say God, there are those who will counter and say God helps those who help themselves. Cynics will say that’s exactly what is happening....fix yourself every body fixing themselves. Hopelessness is fueled by the belief that leaders are either hapless and overwhelmed or corrupt.

Which brings us back to Gervase Warner’s point about having a vision and a purpose if transformation is to happen.

T&T is laden with potential and talent—an ocean of creativity and innovation. Why aren’t we using our strengths to transform our country? Instead we seem to be hellbent on self destructing.

How can we put a stop to the madness and craziness? 

Sport in T&T, like all else  on plantation T&T, is at a critical period. Transformation is needed. Twenty-first century T&T must move away from the dinosaur era. It is not what we do or do  not do, it is how we think that will make the difference. 

Transformation! Without it there will be huge consequences for our country. We live  in a time of unprecedented change. Everything is influx. To meet these challenges we must restore trust and respect for leaders and institutions. 

But that restoration can’t happen unless leaders are prepared to serve the greater good. The needs of the people of T&T are changing. What they want most is trusted leaders who can create a better present and a brighter future.

Regardless of the turnoil and challenges and how far we think our country has fallen, we must not lose faith in T&T. Let us work together to create the society we want.

We must remain steadfast in our anticipation of victory.

Indian Blessing achieved enough on debut to suggest Ed Walker’s charge can go one better in the 12-runner Maiden Fillies’ Stakes over seven furlongs of Newcastle tapeta today; this is a real cracker, littered with ‘profile’ trainers travelling thoroughbreds hundreds of miles. North versus south!

That was hoped for, and indeed anticipated by the executive, when sacred Gosforth Park turf was dug up two years ago and replaced with a unique surface which, incidentally, is also layed at Wolverhampton.

Difference is Gosforth Park has a straight mile whereas the Midlands track is on a turn virtually throughout; they are playing their part and jockeys are delighted with the surfaces.

Realistically the balance is now about right, six all-weather raceourses, three polytrack and Southwell where, to all intents and purposes, fibresand caters for horses which need a slow-ish surface; there is racing on it later this week.

Nineteen days ago Indian Blessing was a 14/1 chance for a Chelmsford maiden, and drawn one; she knew her job and was smartly into stride, actually challenging pace-making Parlance when squeezed out approaching the final two furlongs.

In the closing stages Indian Blessing ran on strongly, beaten just under four  lengths with others a similar distance and upwards in arrears; solid form and the time-figure of right up to scratch.

Judged on that effort this Sepoy filly has the edge over several rivals which are certain to be fancied but likely to fall short if indeed Indian Blessing improves for her ‘first day at school’ experience.

Seven go to post for nursery handicap over a mile, we’ll chance the distance with top-rated, Richard Fahey-trained, Volta Do Mar, a first-time winner when upped to seven furlongs at Redcar last month on a ‘good to soft’ surface.

On the time-handicap Volto Do Mar is clear ‘best-in’ and worth a punt if odds of 2/1 or better become available, which should be the case.

Consistent, hitherto luckless, Shadow Spirit ought to be sufficiently advantaged by the 5lbs claim of promising apprentice Joe Doyle in the ‘aged’ Fillies’ Handicap over twelve furlongs.

SELECTIONS
12.40 Shadow Spirit
1.15 Volto Do Mar
1.45 Indian Blessing (nap)

RICHMOND—Trinidad and Tobago-born Stephen Ames closed with a final round even-par 72 to finish down the leaderboard at the US$2 million Dominion Charity Classic here Sunday. 

The 52-year-old, now a regular member on the PGA Tour Champions, finished six-over 222 to be 51st at the scenic Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course. Scott McCarron took the top honours when he beat Tom Byrum in a sudden-death playoff, after sinking a 10-foot birdie putt on the first hole.

Both players shot final round 69s to finish regulation tied at 13-under. Ames, meanwhile, a three-time PGA Tour winner, started the day 49th on the leaderboard but failed to improve his fortunes significantly. He began brightly enough, birdying the 428-yard par-4 1st but back-to-back bogeys on the sixth and seventh left him one-over at the turn.

On the back nine, Ames slid to two over when he dropped a shot on the 430-yard par-4 11th but he picked himself up to finish strongly.

First, he knocked down a birdie on the par-4 13th and followed up with another on the par-3 17th to find himself back on even par.

Ames had struggled over the first two rounds, shooting a disappointing 76 on the opening day and 74 in Saturday’s second round.

WALTER ALIBEY

The football fraternity was plunged into mourning on the weekend following the death of former national goalkeeper Larry Loobie on Sunday morning. He was 41.

Loobie who produced a safe pair of hands in helping the country’s Under-15 football team to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) title in Martinique in 1990, passed away from hypertension due to complications after gastic bypass surgery that was expected to assist him with weight loss and live a healthier life style. 

His death comes less than a year after his father’s passing from the same condition on December 19. 

Loobie represented El Dorado West, formerly El Dorado Junior Secondary with honours before being the obvious first choice with neighbouring El Dorado Comprehensive Secondary. He was the preferred choice to the outstanding Kelvin Jack and Kevin Leacock by coach Jean Lilywhite ahead of the CFU tournament, which they won playing unbeaten, courtesy an all round display that was marshalled from the defence by Loobie. 

Loobie later joined the T&T Fire Service where he was again the coach’s choice in T&T’s top flight Semi Professional Football League. He also represented House of Dread and Penta Pacemakers in the Eddie Hart Football League. 

Yesterday his sister Gillian, though saddened by his death, said she just cannot afford to weep at this time as she had to make funeral arrangements. She is expecting family members from the United States to arrive. The funeral is tentatively set for Friday at the St Mary’s Anglican Church in Tacarigua and then to the Tunapuna Cemetery.

POTCHEFSTROOM—Bowling coach Roddy Estwick believes West Indies can build on last week’s Test win over Pakistan and use it to create a new culture in the embattled Caribbean side.

West Indies have endured a lean run of late in the longest format but broke out of their prolonged slump when they beat Pakistan by five wickets in the third and final Test in Sharjah.

Estwick said the victory was more than just a triumph as it had served as a template of how West Indies ought to approach their cricket going forward.

“What we’ve got to do is build on it. We’ve got to make sure that anybody coming into the side now would see a culture of hard work and discipline and once you can achieve that, [improvements will come],” Estwick pointed out.

“[When players] come in, you don’t sit back, you’ve got to work hard and if you want to stay in the unit, you’ve got to be prepared to work hard and stay disciplined. West Indies cricket is very important to all of us and especially to the people of the Caribbean.

“I know it’s only one game we’ve won but we’ve won because of hard work and proper planning. We’re trying to take the cricket to another level and once we continue to do that, we’ve got a greater chance of success.”

The match was the only success for the Windies on tour after suffering 3-0 whitewashes in the Twenty20 and One-Day International series, and also losing the first two Tests of that three-match rubber.

West Indies lost the opening Test in Dubai by 56 runs and the second in Abu Dhabi by 133 runs but despite this, Estwick said the side needed to take heart from the way they challenged Pakistan.

“It should give you confidence. You’ve come to the UAE against the number two side in the world. Not a lot of teams have success here and we managed to push them in all three Test matches,” he noted.

“Obviously it’s a young team but it should give them confidence and it should give them the belief that if they work hard and are prepared to be disciplined that you can reap the rewards.”

He continued: “It shows that the hard work and fitness they are trying to implement into West Indies cricket is beginning to pay off and it’s a good sign that we came away with a win.

“I thought we played reasonably well in the UAE. We still have a way to go but if we can keep that discipline and work ethic up, I’m sure we’ll be ok.”

West Indies kicked off a one-week preparation camp here on Sunday as they tune up for the Tri-Nations Series against Sri Lanka and hosts Zimbabwe from November 14-27. (CMC)

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association  (TTFA) yesterday received official clearance from FIFA for John Bostock to represent this country’s National Senior Men’s Team.

The correspondence from FIFA was received by the TTFA which has declared Bostock eligible to play for T&T. This also means that Bostock cannot play for any other country from now as FIFA rules state once a player has switched nationality once, he cannot make a second change to become eligible for another country.

“It’s good news for us,” T&T head coach Stephen Hart said as he thanked the TTFA for its efforts in securing the necessary documentation for Bostock. “Obviously it’s been a long time for this to come through going back to March, and I would like to thank the FA for taking all the necessary steps and seeing it through to the end.”

Bostock previously represented England in official competition at the youth level. His father is Trinidad and Tobago-born which allows him to play for T&T. He was in line to make his T&T debut during the semifinal rounds of the qualifiers but was delayed due to problems with his paper work.

He was among a group of players who were absent yesterday when the squad started its preparations for Friday’s  World Cup qualifier against Costa Rica but is expected to arrive in the country today to take his place on the side.

The two session were held at the Hasely Crawford Stadium and missing  were  Levi Garcia, Sheldon Bateau, Joevin Jones, Jomal Williams, Yohance Marshall and Bostock, who are all expected to join the squad today.

Aubrey David missed the first session but arrived in time to train with the team later in the afternoon. Hart yesterday added US-based midfielder Ataulla Guerra to his squad. Guerra who is back in the country on off season away from his club Charleston Battery, joined the camp as the 24th player.

The 28-year-old midfielder made 26 appearances for Charleston Battery. He is a former player with Caledonia AIA, San Juan Jabloteh, Central FC and ROPS of Finland.

Hart is expected to have his full squad from today. Costa Rica will arrive here on Thursday, on the eve of Friday’s match. Tickets are on sale at all lotto outlets at $350 (covered) and $200 (uncovered).

T&T SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Marvin Phillip, Jan Michael Williams, Adrian Foncette. Defenders: Radanfah Abu Bakr, Sheldon Bateau, Yohance Marshall, Carlyle Mitchell, Aubrey David, Daneil Cyrus, Jelani Peters
Midfielders: Andre Boucaud, Khaleem Hyland, Neveal Hackshaw, Cordell Cato, Jomal Williams, Levi Garcia, Joevin Jones, John Bostock, Kevan George, Marcus Joseph, Atuallah Guerra. Forwards: Kenwyne Jones, Trevin Caesar, Willis Plaza.

Kieron Pollard may not participate in the upcoming Ram Slam Twenty20 Challenge as he has been denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Pollard was to depart for South Africa yesterday to join up with Cape Cobras, who signed him for two seasons last year.

However, the West Indies power hitter was blocked through a letter he received on Thursday from WICB chief executive officer, Michael Murihead.

“The board of Directors of WICB has taken a policy decision on the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and has communicated its stance to all ICC Full Members’ CEOs and Presidents. The WICB will levy charge for the granting of an NOC for West Indian cricketers seeking a release to participate in Leagues outside the jurisdiction of the West Indies,” said Murihead, in the letter to Pollard.

It went on to say that the amount is equivalent to 20 per cent of the player fee (as defined in the player contract) that is actually paid to the relevant player. 

A source close to Pollard is questioning whether this new policy was introduced last Wednesday to target the player because of his outspoken disagreement with WICB, following his performance during the West Indies tour of Pakistan in the T20 series.

Queries were made yesterday to WICB’s communications and marketing manager, Carole Beckford on the policy for NOCs. She responded with a copy of the letter sent to Pollard, citing that the regional board was awaiting a response from the South Africa board for Pollard’s participation in the Ram Slam. Beckford said, “The WICB hopes to have a resolution by midweek.” 

Currently 17 regional players are contracted with seven teams, to play in the Bangladesh Premier League, which starts today. They are Carlos Brathwaite, Rayad Emrit (Barisol Bulls), Chris Gayle, Dwayne Smith (Chittagong Vikings), Jason Holder, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels (Comilla Victorians), Dwyane Bravo, Evin Lewis, Andre Russell (Dhaka Dynamites), Andre Fletcher, Kevon Cooper, Nicholas Pooran, Lendl Simmons (Khulna Titans), Darren Sammy, Kesrick Williams (Rajashahi Kings) and Gidron Pope (Rangpur Riders).

When asked if the policy affected these cricketers, Beckford said, “Bangladesh has agreed to the release fees so the NOCs for all those players have been issued.”

Pollard was not among the list of 12 players - Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Leon Johnson, Alzarri Joseph, Jomel Warrican - that signed the central-retained WICB contracts on Wednesday.

Neither was he selected on the 15-man squad for the upcoming One Day International Tri-Nation series in Zimbabwe. The tour is scheduled for November 12 – 30. The series will consist of seven ODIs. West Indies will open series against Sri Lanka in Harare next Wednesday (November 16).

The board’s reasoning for this new approach according to the letter to Pollard is that it must receive returns on its investment in a player.

“The influx of various domestic T20 tournaments raises an interesting opportunity for a player to significantly maximise his earnings. WICB however, having invested in developing a player’s talent is not able to realise a return on its investment if the player is not available to play in local tournaments, which would allow lesser experienced players the opportunity to face more experienced and skilled opposition, thereby improving on the standard.”

“While we do not wish to act in restraint of trade, we must seek a balance to ensure that there is fair and adequate compensation for the investment made in the players. What WICB seeks is some compensation to recognise the investment made into players an investment from which another Full Member is benefitting.”

In the letter, the WICB shared that it understands that the policy decision may result in reciprocal from other Full Member boards for obtaining NOC’s for their players but they view the approach as necessary to preserve the best interests of West Indies cricket at both domestic and international level.

“It is our expectation too, that the accumulation of these fees will facilitate the offer of contracts to players participating only in the short format of the game,” Murihead was quoted as saying in the letter.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the West Indies power hitter was set to rejoin the Cape Cobras. Then, chief executive officer of the Cape Cobras Nabeal Dien said “We signed him in 2015 for two seasons and we would like him to return.”

Pollard was South Africa's domestic T20-player of the year in 2015 after scoring 243 runs at an average of 81. He also captured 14 wickets at an average of 14.57 in the 2014-15 edition of the Ram Slam.

The tournament officially bowls off on Saturday and Pollard’s Cape Cobras were scheduled to play Knights in the opening match.

As America, and indeed the entire world wind down from what has no doubt been a contentious and hotly-antagonised Presidential race, it may be useful to consider the after-effects of such a race against the backdrop of overarching socio-economic, political, historical and cultural issues and what these could mean for the future of global politics. For the winner there are a few things that will map the political trajectory going forward, such as:

• The nation state continues to be relevant: 

At a time when the forces of globalisation create seamless boundaries among nations, Donald Trump fought with a diehard belief that the nation state should retain its divine right to sovereignty. This was seen in the Brexit vote which was campaigned on a fundamental belief that the United Kingdom had lost its power at the EU bargaining table. Trump has transmitted this same ideology, that America has lost its place as a world power and that the nation needed to reclaim something lost. Look no further than his campaign slogan repeated endlessly, “Make America Great Again.”

• Partisan politics alive and kicking: 

When Donald Trump announced his candidacy, most people shrugged it off. There was no way a reality TV host and real estate mogul could actually become the president of the United States. However, when Trump won the Republican primaries, then the nomination at the Republican Convention, it showed that irrespective of his nonconformist political demeanour, Republicans had no choice but to endorse him, showing that in the end partisan politics will always reign supreme no matter how radical their candidate might be.

• America more fragmented than it realises:

It is no surprise that Donald Trump’s popularity was correlated to the racist and exclusionary values held by contemporary America. Trump showed that America is a truly divided nation yet to come to terms with issues of race relations and immigration policies. 

• Beware of far-right populist fervour:

The rise of “Trumpism” on a much broader level is a manifestation of far-right conservatism intended to protect core conservative values. This was already seen in the Brexit vote and in a general feeling of Euro-skepticism. Such values are becoming normative as more nations seek to safeguard their own national and state interests. 

• But everyone still loves an anti-hero:

Donald Trump was the epitome of an unconventional hero. He was the self-declared saviour of the contemporary American nation and therefore defined his campaign as a break with the status-quo, or as he said, one that sought to “drain the swamp of Washington.” 

Trump established himself as everything Hillary Clinton was not and in so doing rode a wave of ascendancy to a point where he had a legitimate path to being the 45th US president.

The 2016 US Presidential race will go down in world history as one that defied the conventional. 

It has the rise of Donald Trump to thank for that as he has forever changed the political landscape of not just the United States but in fact, that of the entire world, and for the reasons listed above, one should be wary of the implications of such a future for world politics.

Jarrel De Matas

Diego Martin

Once again the people of T&T flipped the political coin on September 7, 2015, and chose the option that appeared right. The People’s National Movement (PNM) and the United National Congress (UNC) have succeeded in boxing the population into a two-party system for over the past two decades. 

The politics of race and class continue to blossom in favour of both parties when elections are called. The current climate suggests that we may be looking at a “slack in, slack out” model, where these two parties will take turns governing T&T.

Conventional issues of corruption and arrogance tend to be traits that both parties use against each other when seeking office. The call to save our country, the call for hope and change seem to dominate the campaign strategies of both parties as they campaign for the power and control of the Treasury. Those who vote hope that things will be better this time around but are usually disappointed. 

The PNM’s 2015 campaign was based on the alleged massive corruption taking place under the UNC with a promise to bring the culprits to justice. The population took heed and voted for the other side of the coin which now appears to be more exchange than change with the recent Housing Development Corporation (HDC) revelations.

The UNC partnership also campaigned on massive PNM corruption with Calder Hart and UDECoTT to win in 2010. To date, the Treasury remains burglarised and neither side of the coin has brought anyone to justice. 

How can we do the same thing over and over yet expect a different result? I refuse to believe that our population is insane but rather believe our population is choosing based on what is available. 

Political parties don’t win elections but governments lose elections and therefore the options available outside of the Government have the opportunity to be the most favourable options to win elections. 

It is refreshing to see the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ), the National Solidarity Alliance (NSA) and the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) all standing up to present options to the electorate. The degree of their success will ultimately depend on their ability to convince the voters that they are the best political option in this local government elections.

The political analyst will say that we are designed for a two-party system but another party can emerge into the top two just as the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) and the UNC did in their time. The Congress of the People (COP) was heading towards the status of a major contender but surrendered to the UNC.

Let’s bring more value to the coin and welcome further political options to enhance our democracy. 

Ronald Huggins 

St Joseph

This is an appeal to the ministry charged with the responsibility for disbursement of funds to our students studying abroad on scholarships. 

Payments were due in September yet they have received no communication regarding their stipend payments. They are currently in the middle of the semester. 

When they should be preparing for exams they have this additional burden of sourcing money to pay for room and board. 

Come on, this is no way to treat our scholarship recipients! Please, ease their stress and send them their remittances. How do we expect them to continue to excel?

A E Brereton

Overall market activity resulted from trading in ten securities of which one advanced, four declined and five traded firm. Trading activity on the First Tier Market registered a volume of 1,345,363 shares crossing the floor of the Exchange valued at$15,894,509.64. Guardian Holdings Limited was the volume leader with 1,175,542 shares changing hands for a value of $14,710,884.04, followed by National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited with a volume of 100,460 shares being traded for $267,725.60. JMMB Group Limited contributed 50,380 shares with a value of $45,342.00, while T&T NGL Limited added 9,500 shares valued at $216,125.

A 34-year-old Chaguanas man whose relatives said was an out-patient of the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital, chopped a relative repeatedly in a fit of rage before lighting the injured man on fire, yesterday.

Lawmen said the aggressor then called the police and stood waiting for them at the gate.

Relatives said an ongoing argument between the two relatives led to the death of 32-year-old Sheldon Boatswain at his home at Mayers and Chrissie Terrace.

Boatswain, a supermarket employee, died after his body was thrown on several car tyres, doused with pitch oil and burnt at the back of his house.

Family members described the victim as the “quiet one.” The suspect remained in police custody last night.

Police said around 12.30 pm, Boatswain’s attacker “called the police and said his relative had died and come to the house.”

Investigators said when they arrived at the scene Boatswain’s attacker was standing waiting for them.

Insp Douglas, Sgts Elvin, King and WPC Francois, accompanied by officers from the Central CID and Crime Scenes Unit, visited the scene. When the T&T Guardian visited, the pungent scent of flesh was strong in the air. Smoke could still be seen billowing at the back of the yard. 

The victim’s sister, Debbie Ann Neils, had to be consoled by co-workers and friends when she arrived at the house.

Before she was taken away by friends Neils said she did not know what the two relatives were arguing over. Homicide officers are continuing investigations. 

The latest killing has taken the murder toll to 397 for the year.

Eleven months after recently reshuffled works and transport minister Fitzgerald Hinds promised safety upgrades to an accident-prone area along the M2 Ring Road, Golconda, a Barrackpore woman was killed instantly in an area now referred as the “death strip.”

Tara Ramsumair, 50, who was travelling to San Fernando to pay a utility bill, died minutes before newly-appointed Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan passed along the road on his way to Debe during a bridge inspection tour. 

He is now promising to look into the promises made by Hinds and deal with it urgently. Hinds was appointed Minister of Public Utilities, replacing Ancil Antoine, who was among two ministers fired from Cabinet.

“We wanted to stop but if you realise the fire (officers) and the police took charge. The entourage we have here would have caused a whole traffic pile-up and I don’t think the police would have wanted us.

“I have seen first hand (the accident), a while ago so I will ask the permanent secretary to pull forward whatever promises or decisions that have been taken there and we will definitely be looking at it as a matter of urgency,” Sinanan said. 

The site where Ramsumair was killed had over 182 accidents on just four kilometres of road between 2013 and 2015, resulting in ten deaths and 36 victims receiving serious injuries. 

Hinds had promised: “We will sanction the milling around the corners to create a system to bring drivers who might be nodding off to alertness and to deal with the slipping problem that some complaints may exist, particular around the curbs.”

Yesterday’s tragedy occurred mere metres from the spot where WPC Rashma Sirjudeen, her son, Rahul, and mother, Una Samkarran were killed when their car slammed into a truck last June.

According to reports, taxi driver Wayne Paul, 55, of Vistabella, had just finished repairing his company’s silver Nissan Almera in Barrackpore and was returning to San Fernando. 

He picked up Ramsumair near her GP Trace home and while driving along the M2 Ring Road, they collided with a Mitsubishi L200 pickup driven by Daryl Maharaj.

Police said Maharaj, 30, a labourer, of Barrackpore, was driving in the opposite direction. The car crashed into the drain and police said Ramsumair died instantly.

Paul suffered injuries to his face and chest while Maharaj injured his legs. They were taken to San Fernando General Hospital where they were receiving treatment up to yesterday.

In his first major speech as Energy Minister, Franklin Khan identified the curtailment of gas to large energy companies and a most urgent matter that must be dealt with.

“There is a major deficit between supply and demand and it cannot be solved on the demand side as you cannot reduce demand because the plants are already constructed. So we have to deal with it on the supply side and we are dealing with a negotiation including bpTT, Shell and BHP in terms of supplying more gas and looking at bringing gas across the border from Venezuela,” Khan said in an address at the opening ceremony of the American Chamber of Commerce T&T’s (AmchamTT) 20th Annual Health Safety Security and Environment (HSSE) Conference and Exhibition at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain.

The ongoing tight supply and demand situation, which has been affecting the gas industry since 2010, stems from extensive work to upgrade infrastructure as well as frequent disruptions.

Nigel Darlow, CEO, Atlantic, who also spoke at the opening ceremony, repeated statements he has made in the past concerning this issue. Atlantic, one of the world’s largest producers of LNG, is among energy and petrochemical plants across the country affected by natural gas curtailments.

“We are facing major challenges in having to turn compressors and turbines up and down and on and off and that is not how they were designed,” Darlow said.

“We need to understand the impact the gas shortages is having on our plant and equipment,” he said.

Khan also spoke about the need for Petrotrin to play its part in helping revive the energy sector.

He said: “Petrotrin is sitting on a valuable asset so we have to find a way to bring capital injection in the company. We are still considering what options we have.”

Khan admitted that he is not an expert on every issue in the energy sector but said as a trained geologist he has a working knowledge of the overall industry.

“Let me thank the Prime Minister for having the confidence in me and placing me in the Ministry that undoubtedly has the biggest impact on the nation, especially from an economic and revenue standpoint. While I may not be an expert on all aspects of the industry, I understand the issues that face the industry,” he said.

The minister said T&T’s energy sector is facing serious challenges apart from the curtailment of gas to major industries, including the decline in oil production and low oil and gas prices.

Khan promised that Government would continue to work hard to address these problems.

“We have been hit by the perfect storm. This is what leadership is all about. If we put our collective heads together we can craft the solutions the industry needs,” he said.

Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Orville London wants the new board of state-owned Caribbean Airlines (CAL) to adopt a new mindset about the island’s domestic and international air bridges.

“It doesn’t matter to me if the national carrier goes to other islands or other countries. I am not envious, but I am not stupid. If I am living in Tobago and this is T&T and this is my national airline, my business must take priority. I do not want this new board to deal with a situation where CAL cannot take care of our domestic tourism,” he said.

London addressed the issue in his remarks at yesterday’s 10th Annual Tobago Economic and Business Outlook Conference at the Magdalena Beach and Golf Resort, Tobago.

He expressed disappointment at the cultural mindset of CAL and the airline’s policies which he said continually affected the development of Tobago.

London said: “That’s why I made the point about the potential of domestic tourism, because Trinidad visitors are contributing significantly to the revenue earnings capacity in many of the islands and one of the reasons is that you can sit down in Maraval or Couva and make a booking and be certain that CAL will take you to St Lucia or Grenada and get you back at a predictable time. You can’t do that between Tobago and Trinidad. 

“You have to bear in mind that we in Tobago have a deciding advantage. We are a population of 60,000 sitting right next to a 1.3 million market and if we really maximise that market—I am not saying we are going to need very much else—we will be well on the way to treating with many of the challenges which we face at this point in time.”

The Chief Secretary said CAL has a critical role to play if it takes advantage of the opportunities available in Tobago. He said officials of the airline should see three markets: Trinidad, Tobago and T&T markets.

“If you do your marketing properly and you have maybe ten or eleven flights coming, let’s say from Canada, most of them are going to come for business. But it will be possible that among those hundreds of people that come in on a monthly basis, you should be able to find enough of them who are not averse to stopping over in Tobago and spending a day. 

“Those are the kinds of opportunities we have missed and it all has to do with the mindset,” London said.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert is promising to give whatever support is necessary to fix the problems at the Board of Inland Revenue (BIR) building in Port-of-Spain after staff walked out due to health and safety concerns for the second consecutive day.

The minister said yesterday he had asked the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance and the chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue to address concerns raised by president of the Public Services Association Watson Duke.

On Monday, Duke led the workers in a walkout, saying many of them were falling sick because of the conditions at the building which houses their offices. 

He said letters had been sent to Imbert about the concerns but the union got no response.

Contacted yesterday, Imbert told the T&T Guardian he had directed the PS and the chairman of the BIR “to deal with this issue as a matter of urgency.” 

However, Duke said no one had contacted him or the union on the matter. He said he would give “whatever support is required at my level,” but he said “they (the PS and chairman of the BIR) are the first responders in a matter of this nature.

“The union and the workers are prepared for the long haul. It is within our rights and no injunction would stop us,” he added.

He said for far too long the pleas of the union and the workers have fallen on deaf ears. “The PNM has been in Government for one year, they know about the problem but yet they have done nothing,” he said.

Duke admits that apart from the inconvenience to the public in doing business at the BIR, the Government loses big time when the office is closed “because collection of taxes is affected through no fault of the public or the workers. The blame for this falls squarely on the Government when no money is collected,” he said.

Duke said the authorities “have to treat with it. It is critical and workers are well within their rights to protest.”

He promised they would continue to walk off the job sites as long as the issues were not addressed.

Duke said there needed to be “a structural engineering report with regard to the state of all the floors (at Trinidad House), a report on OSHA compliance, electrical inspection of the building, the fire service needs to come in and ensure the building has enough extinguishers in the event of a fire, the air condition needs to be fixed... people are getting sick,” he added.

DALLAS—OPEC now sees oil prices rising more slowly over the next few years than it had expected, as the oversupply of crude takes longer to work off.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said it expects crude will rise US$5 a year to US$60 per barrel by 2020. A year ago, OPEC forecast that oil would hit US$80 by 2020.

OPEC cited many factors that could limit energy demand, from slower growth in China to higher household debt. 

The cartel expects global economic growth of 3.4 per cent over six years, down from a 3.6 per cent prediction a year ago.

At the same time, OPEC said, the oil industry was surprised by the ability of producers in North America to keep pumping even as prices fell, maintaining crude supplies high.

AP

Overall market activity resulted from trading in nine securities of which two advanced, four declined and three traded firm.

Trading activity on the First Tier Market registered a volume of 92,790 shares crossing the floor of the Exchange valued at $4,037,628.94. JMMB Group Ltd was the volume leader with 41,768 shares changing hands for a value of $38,008.88, followed by Republic Financial Holdings Ltd with a volume of 26,524 shares being traded for $2,864,393.12.

National Commercial Bank Jamaica Ltd contributed 13,632 shares with a value of $36,167.98, while The West Indian Tobacco Company Ltd added 8,000 shares valued at $1,015,597.50.

Republic Financial Holdings Limited enjoyed the day’s largest gain, increasing $0.99 to end the day at $107.99. Conversely, Ansa McAL Ltd suffered the day’s greatest loss, falling $0.50 to close at $62. The Mutual Fund Market did not record any activity.

Andre Worrell

UWI economist Dr Roger Hosein says if US President-elect Donald Trump goes through with much of his campaign rhetoric, there could be serious implications for T&T and the wider Caribbean region.

“While I do not expect any major shifts in the near term because of the institutional nature of already existing agreements, a change in governance to the soon to be Trump administration could be a major cause of concern for the region if he sticks with some of his campaign messages,” Hosein said.

He added that the impact to the region would most directly be felt in the areas of commodities, trade and migration.

“Oil and gas prices have been trending down recently. Trump being a businessman may want to ramp up shale production in the US to shore up its energy independence and insulate it somewhat from the volatility in the international markets. This no doubt would adversely affect our oil and gas exports to the US.”

Hosein pointed out that Trump’s comments on his protectionist trade leanings, if they were to materialise, would also be a massive blow to the Caribbean.

He explained: “If Trump were to erect any barriers to trade, this could affect exports to the US which represents the major trading partner for many islands in the Caribbean. Trade with the US is the umbilical cord of much economic activity in Caribbean islands.”

Hosein added that Trump’s stance on migration could have a ripple effect throughout the region given the prevailing economic conditions in many territories and the contribution of the diaspora to the economic welfare of the region.

“The region is already plagued with high and growing levels of unemployment. If there was a mass exodus of illegal immigrants returning to the region, this could add to the unemployment burden that already exists. Additionally, many migrant workers support family members in the region via remittances so if some of his stated positions on immigration were to happen, it would materially impact the lives of those who depend on remittances to sustain and supplement their livelihood.”