United National Congress (UNC) leadership candidate Dr Roodal Moonilal told supporters that they should be prepared to go back to the polls.

He was speaking hours after the Appeal Court, in a majority ruling, found merit in the election petitions challenging the Election and Boundaries Commission’s decision to extend the voting time for Trinidad by one hour in the September 7 polls.

“We must get our house in order, so if it is you are successful at the court and there are political consequences involving an election, your party must be ready,” Moonilal said while speaking at the Carapichaima Presbyterian School on a UNC Loyalist platform.

He told his audience that while the decision opened the door for the substantive issue of challenging the EBC’s decision, they could not wait on the courthouse to give them victory in the six marginal constituencies being challenged. 

“The court in T&T will not give you the government. The people will give you the government. What ever happens at the high court, the court cannot rule that we walk over the aisle in the Parliament and take over the government. They can rule that there is a case to return to the polls, but they cannot pick up the government and give it to the UNC and say look the government is yours, take it. You have to go back to the polls.” 

Moonilal said the court ruling had vindicated his decision to challenge the incumbent Kamla Persad-Bissessar for leadership of the party because none of the other two slates were up to the challenge of going back to the polls.

“If ever you had any doubts of the need and importance to build the UNC, it is in the aftermath of the ruling today (Monday) at the Court of Appeal.”

He said which ever leader emerged victorious in Saturday’s election we will have to prepare the party to return to the polls.

“And if you have to go back to the polls, are you ready to go back to the polls with the current dispensation, ready to fight the People’s National Movement with the current leader who says she is not working with Moonilal, Vasant, Gopeesingh, Fuad Khan and Seemungal?”

He said it was interesting that they had on their slate the former Agriculture minister Jairam Seemungal, who lost the La Horquetta/Talparo seat, one of the constituencies which has been petitioned.

“If perchance the petitioner is successful, are they saying Mr Seemungal can’t go back as the candidate for La Horquetta/Talparo because they are not prepared to work with us. So who is going back? Marcia Braveboy? 

“This man has been the lion of La Horquetta/Talparo for five years. Are you now saying you don’t want him back because he is in a slate opposed to you?”

Moonilal also questioned the justification for Vasant Bharath contesting the election and alluded to him being a “spoiler” in the race to ensure that his Loyalist team lost.

He questioned why after Bharath resigned from the Senate to contest the post for leadership, there had been no replacement in the Senate.

He asked whether when he would have fulfilled his role, post December 5, he would be ushered right back into the Senate as a Senator for the UNC.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said there was a strong case that the Elections and Boundaries Commission acted illegally in the September 7 general election by extending the voting time by one hour in Trinidad and is now questioning the legitimacy of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Government.

Speaking at a Team UNC platform at Three Roads Community Centre, Freeport, on Monday night, hours after the Appeal Court ruling on the election petitions, Persad-Bissessar said the ruling was a victory and she was now placing the faith of the party in the rule of law and in the Judiciary of T&T.

“Today records a great victory for the UNC. Today...today, the Court of Appeal, the majority of the Court of Appeal, agreed that our election petitions challenging the result of the general election are valid and should be heard in the courts.”

She told supporters while there was a strong case that the EBC acted illegally, she needed their help to come forward with any information or knowledge of what transpired.

“Come forward and let your voices be heard, so that we can continue to work on your behalf to show that the EBC acted illegally, but we need your help. 

“Yes, we have some of the evidence inside but I am sure throughout the length and breadth of this country, there are those who would have suffered a similar fate, who were turned away,” she said.

As she seeks another term as leader of the United National Congress (UNC) and as an alternative to head the Government, Persad-Bissessar also questioned whether the present day Government of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was fit to be in power, given what had transpired.

“We have to question the legitimacy of the Government and from now on we must all sing from the same line, from the same words, from the same page, from the same hymn book that this Government came into office and does not have the legitimacy that a Government should have. The legitimacy of the Government is under question,” she said.

Speaking about the three court cases brought against the EBC, Persad-Bissessar said in addition to the election petitions, there was another constitutional motion filed by the people of Tobago, in which they were alleging that their rights under the Constitution were breached because there was different unequal treatment for Trinidad and different unequal treatment for Tobago.

The one-hour voting extension was applied to Trinidad only because of the inclement weather. 

There was another matter before the courts, she said, brought by right-thinking citizens to uphold the Constitution and that was known as a judicial review competition against the EBC, about its actions.

“So, the EBC is being challenged in three different actions and so we leave it there, before the courts, and in the hands of God,” she added.

Speaking about her competitors—Dr Roodal Moonilal and Vasant Bharath—in the elections, Persad-Bissessar noted that while they were challenging her leadership they were also attacking the party. 

“I remind them that our great party won over 340,000 votes. We have this battle in the UNC but we must remember that the real enemy is not the UNC but the PNM.

“It hurts me when I see lined up against me are men and women I trusted. Men and women I gave great positions to. I brought them in and they did not support me in the elections in 2010. Dr Moonilal, Dr Gopeesingh, Vasant Bharath, they campaigned on a different theme, just as they are doing today,” she said.

Persad-Bissessar said she was not worried because in spite of the challenge in 2010 she prevailed and expected a similar result come Saturday.

“Well, as God would have it, I won our party elections in 2010, she added.

The final report on the second autopsy on Brian Smith, who relatives say was beaten by soldiers and dumped in the sea two weeks ago, has been postponed to today.

According to relatives, the pathologist Dr Hughvon des Vignes asked for additional time to review the slides containing tissue samples taken from Smith’s lungs before completing the report. 

Relatives also said Smith was last seen drinking alcohol with soldiers attached to the Engineer Battalion when they got into an argument over an illegal electrical connection on November 20. 

Relatives claim the soldiers beat Smith with a shovel and after he complained to neighbours. 

They claim he was hit in the head and thrown into the sea.

His body was found floating around 7 am on November 22, by prisons officers on their way to work at Carrera Island Prison. 

A first autopsy, done by pathologist Estlyn McDonald-Burris, stated Smith drowned.

Relatives staged a fiery protest along the Western Main Road, Carenage, the following day, prompting officers of the Carenage Police Station to launch an investigation into Smith’s death. 

That investigation has now been taken over by homicide detectives. 

The nine soldiers, attached to the Engineer Battalion, were assigned to repair houses damaged by a low-flying helicopter assigned to the Air Guard early last month. 

The regiment had suggested a third autopsy be done on Smith, who was buried last Friday, after it was reported that the second showed he died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Investigations are continuing.

Mcdonald-burris stands by her findings

In a statement yesterday, pathologist Eslyn McDonald-Burris, defended the findings of the autopsy she performed on Brian Smith on November 23.

The statement, released by her attorney Christlyn Moore, referred to public comments surrounding her findings that the cause of Smith’s death was drowning.

“The tenor of this commentary and the alleged results of a subsequent autopsy commissioned at the request of interested parties are of great concern. As a forensic pathologist in the employment of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, I have no vested interest in the findings of any autopsy. My commitment always is to the integrity of the institution, the highest standards of professional conduct, and the preservation of my professional reputation. In this regard, I am confident that mature professional consideration and appropriate unbiased skill and care were brought to bear on the autopsy I performed on the body of Mr Smith.”

“It is important to note that while I rendered an opinion as to the cause of death, no opinion has been rendered on the manner of death. In any unnatural death, the manner of death may be homicide, suicide, accident or be undetermined. A determination as to the manner of death often involves further forensic and pathological examinations as well as police investigation. 

“It is regrettable that the purported contents of a second autopsy have made the rounds in the media even before they have been tendered to the parties who commissioned it, no doubt because it’s alleged findings appear to conflict with mine, and fit into a narrative already being trafficked. Nevertheless, and while professionals may disagree, I stand by my unbiased conclusion as to the findings and cause of death in this case.”

Majority state-owned Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT) has invested more than $2 billion in capital expenditure over the last five years to ensure this country’s digital communication platform is world class. 

Rakesh Goswami, executive vice-president of strategic alliance, enterprise and Tobago operations at TSTT, revealed the level of the investment the board and executive management at the company approved and effected, in delivering remarks at the T&T Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI) 8th Annual Excellence in Services Awards Ceremony on Monday held at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre on Lady Young Road in St Ann’s, Port-of-Spain. 

The allocation is believed to be critical in the upgrades of the ever evolving world of technology and to keep this country competitive in the information and communication technology sector.

Goswami said it was no secret this country needed the services industry for continued growth toward achieving a more resilient economy. 

And, citing the ever-changing dynamics as it relates to how consumers interacted with businesses, TSTT’s effective roll-out of services presented tremendous revenue benefits for consumer-to-business interactions.

Goswami made it clear that TSTT’s range of business solutions is tailored to share the goals for growth by its existing and potential clients by increasing the penetration of technology nationwide. The company, he said, recognised that individuals, communities and business must have a symbiotic relationship which could not be achieved if TSTT followed other providers in the market and abandoned its commitment to making technology all-inclusive and available in every corner of the country.

“What technology has done is give you an opportunity to serve your customers in unprecedented ways. A report published by the European Commission identified that service companies that make use of technology in their business are four to five times more productive than service sectors that does not use it. From accounting to marketing, to logistics and inventory to electronic sales, I can assure you that technology is versatile enough to have a scale that suits any size service company,” he said.

Goswami continued: “There is also immense potential for the use of technology in services to help local service providers innovate. The triumvirate of the internet, smart devices and apps or software, has given business owners, in this sector, the potential to create magic. By magic I mean innovate. Services may be as old as time, but you will be fooling yourself if you think that your customers want to be served in the same old way. 

“For savvy business owners, augmented reality technology now allows customers to see themselves in their new spectacles, hairstyle, apparel renovated home, landscaped property and the like, all before they have paid a cent.”

TSTT’s landline business remained strong, despite the recent surge in smart devices and for that reason the company still published the traditional telephone directory called the Yellow Pages, which consumers still fancied. 

In keeping with the times, the company now had a Yellow Pages App which not only gave the names and addresses of business, but a map on how to find the desired service provider with greater ease.

Goswami cited a World Trade Organisation (WTO) Report which stated that the services industry covered a wide range of endeavours with some of the more exotic one being architecture and even space transport and that services were the largest and most dynamic component of both developed and developing country economies, providing crucial inputs into the production of most goods.

“The fall in oil prices and other changes to the global economy have brought us to a critical juncture in our country’s economic development where highlighting the value of the services sector has never been more important. There is hardly a day that can go by without the public in some way making use of the services industry. The services sector has a profile that blends the passion of entrepreneurship with the flair of a craft and the conviction of a patriot,” he said.

The TSTT official added: “For the services sector, new innovations are constantly being developed in this area and it’s all with the customer in mind. Some estimates have it that by 2020 there will be 75 billion connected devices all over the world. We know of smart homes, driverless cars, smart appliances, smart watches, but there are countless more innovations for the services sector to explore and implement if you don’t want to be left behind.”

Consumers of telecommunications services are expected to see the benefit of the Government’s decision to reduce Value-Added Tax rates to 12.5 per cent from 15 per cent in January 2016.

Flow and C&W Business yesterday announced that they were adjusting the rates of the packages for internet, cable and landline services due to the change in the VAT structure, which was announced by the government during the budget statement on October 5, 2015. 

In a statement, the companies said: “These changes do not reflect an increase in prices but an adjustment due to the change of Value Added Tax (VAT) from 15 per cent to 12.5 per cent. The changes will take effect on January 1, 2016.”

The price changes are being made in order to maintain uniformity in line with our existing pricing structure across our products and services. The overall cost for some packages will be reduced and some will remain the same based on the pricing scheme. Customers will not pay more than they are currently paying on any product or service and the new prices will be reflected in the January 2016 invoice. 

In delivering the 2016 budget, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said that he proposed to “improve efficiency in collection and to broaden the base by reviewing and adjusting exemptions and zero-rated items which are associated with non-essential or luxury items, and which are not critically important to the livelihoods and basic cost of living of our citizens. 

“And consistent with our 2015 election manifesto promise, I propose to reduce the VAT rate from 15.0 per cent to 12.5 per cent. The combination of widening the base, increasing collection and compliance, and reducing the rate is expected to yield approximately $4 billion.” 

Imbert also noted that the base and efficiency of the VAT regime have been consistently eroded since its establishment in 1990 and that the measures will take effect on January 1, 2016

The unfortunate story of the forced merger of Piccadilly Government Primary School and Tranquillity Government Primary school stands as an object lesson in the apparent inability of the Ministry of Education to intervene meaningfully in its area of responsibility, this country’s school system.

It took the padlocking of the gates at Tranquillity, an act of protest by parents of pupils of the school over the issue, to bring the Education Ministry decisively into action on the matter.

What’s at stake here?

Piccadilly Government Primary was one of 12 schools which remained closed after the July-August holidays, but unlike the others, the school that has been structurally condemned, making it uninhabitable until it is demolished and rebuilt.

Thirty-nine students of the school, Standards Four and Five, were moved to Tranquillity Primary at the start of the school year, and another 41 wer0e being brought to Tranquillity, which hosts 500 pupils, when the protests, which are alleged to have been peppered with obscene language, began.

This merger of two schools was a matter that demanded some level of Ministerial oversight in the execution process, needing at the very least, the direct, on-site attention of the relevant Schools Inspector and preparatory conversations with the Parent-Teacher bodies of both schools.

On the evidence of the issues that boiled over on Monday, it doesn’t seem that enough was done to manage what was obviously going to be a major transition.

That brought Education Minister Anthony Garcia and National Parent Teacher Association chairman Zena Ramatali into the loop as peacemakers trying to make sense of the situation and to calm tensions that should never have been allowed to run out of control.

The temporary merging of the students of the two schools is only supposed to last until suitable accommodation is found for the displaced children of Piccadilly Primary, but as the school term winds to a close it seems surprising that the government hasn’t been able to address the plight of the 80 children of the Belmont school in any decisive way and took months to bring 41 of those children back into the school system.

Mr Garcia, mindful of the tradition of the Piccadilly Primary School wants the school rebuilt to continue its tradition, and that’s a commendable goal, but he needs to do more to come to grips with the issue of school closures and the impact it’s having on the children who are displaced as a result.

If nothing else, the Ministry should have moved decisively to address structural concerns at Tranquillity Primary as part of the process, which is said to have a malfunctioning elevator and leaks in some classrooms.

The Education Minister has already promised to pay much closer attention to the operations of the EFCL, the state agency responsible for managing the repairs and upkeep of the nation’s schools which is under investigation after allegations that contract forgeries were being made at its offices to defraud the State of funds.

Mr Garcia must further commit to ensuring that schools which remain closed enjoy the specific attentions of his Ministry’s specialists, bringing professional oversight and guidance for school principals who are faced with unusual challenges like this major merging of student bodies, a human resource matter that’s not a part of the day to day challenges of school management.

Overall market activity resulted from trading in nine securities of which five advanced, one declined and three traded firm. Trading activity on the First Tier Market registered a volume of 413,266 shares crossing the floor of the Exchange valued at $5,671,067.92.

Trinidad Cement Limited was the volume leader with 286,000 shares changing hands for a value of $1,358,290, followed by T&T NGL Limited with a volume of 98,948 shares being traded for $2,130,116.30. The West Indian Tobacco Company Limited contributed 16,668 shares with a value of $2,102,989.92, while Sagicor Financial Corporation added 7,445 shares valued at $45,400.75.

National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited enjoyed the day’s largest gain, increasing $0.08 to end the day at $2. Conversely, T&T NGL Limited suffered the day’s sole decline, falling $0.01 to end the day at $21.53.

Clico Investment Fund was the only active security on the Mutual Fund Market, posting a volume of 46,930 shares valued at $1,064,841.70. It remained at $22.69.

KINGSTON, Jamaica—Digicel Group has acquired a controlling interest in financial services powerhouse, Prism Holdings, for an undisclosed sum, it was announced yesterday. 

Established in 1993 in Barbados by Edward Ince and Mike Parris, Prism Holdings is a privately-held business to business company operating in 22 countries with regional headquarters in Barbados, and offices in The Bahamas, Jamaica and T&T. It provides payment systems, information management, data centre services, loyalty processing and financial transactional processing.  

Digicel Group CEO, Colm Delves, said: “As we continue to expand our range of products and services consistent with the convergence of digital communications, we are delighted to welcome Prism to the Digicel family. 

“Edward and Mike have done a tremendous job in making Prism a highly successful pan-Caribbean business and we look forward to working with them and their team to grow the business and expand the range of products and services.” 

Expressing their delight at the deal, co-managing directors of Prism Holdings, Edward Ince and Mike Parris, who will be staying in their positions, said: “This move means accelerated growth for our business and gives us the ability to take advantage of bigger opportunities coming down the track. Digicel is the right strategic partner for us and we are looking forward to growing together.”

Digicel Group is a total communications and entertainment provider with operations in 33 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and Asia Pacific. After more than 14 years of operation, total investment to date stands at over US$5 billion worldwide.  

Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. It sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Caribbean Premier League. 

The death of Kamaluddin “Charch” Mohammed, a founding member of the People’s National Movement, marks the end of an era.

Mohammed, who died on Tuesday night after ailing for several months, was the last surviving member of the 1956 Cabinet led by PNM founder Dr Eric Williams. He had served as a government minister in a number of portfolios, ranging from Agriculture to Public Utilities to Health, as well as acting in the post of Prime Minister.

Indeed, Kamal, as he was popularly known, was considered one of Dr Williams’ right-hand men, so much so that, decades after Dr Williams’ death in 1981, the party’s choice of George Chambers over Mohammed continues to be interpreted as a reflection of the PNM’s sidelining of East Indians within its ranks.

This may or may not be a valid view. Chambers was one of three deputy leaders in the PNM, the other two being the late Errol Mahabir and Mohammed. But when, after Williams’ death, President Sir Ellis Clarke called on all three men to reach a decision, Chambers reportedly declared that he was not interested in succeeding Dr Williams. And because neither Mahabir nor Mohammed were allegedly willing to capitulate, Sir Ellis ended up appointing the apparently reluctant bridegroom Chambers. 

As Clarke later explained, “The view I took...is that an appointment must be made forthwith. Otherwise you endanger the country...The result was that there was a deadlock. I had to resort to the one who had eliminated himself to hold the fort.”

Mohammed himself later denied that there was any stand-off between himself and Mahabir, saying, “I was the most senior and experienced man for the job, and it was given to Chambers.” In a 1995 interview with the T&T Guardian, he asserted that he had been passed over because of what he described as “political race”. 

Additionally, when the PNM marked its 50th anniversary in 2006, Mohammed was not afforded much recognition for his contribution to the party. This may have been petty politics at play, since it was former prime minister Basdeo Panday who gave Mohammed his first post-political recognition by appointing him Caricom ambassador during the United National Congress’ tenure in 1991-1995.

Apart from this, however, Mohammed never displayed any serious disaffection over his treatment within the PNM and continued serving the party. It is possible that he recognised that his presence as an Indo-Trinidadian within the Afro-supported PNM served to defuse the racial rhetoric that always simmered in the political pot. After all, even before getting involved in national politics, Mohammed was well-known as a promoter of East Indian culture, mainly through his one hour per week radio programme “Indian talent on parade”, which started in 1947. 

Indeed, the success of Indian-format radio stations today was built on the foundation laid by Mohammed a half-century ago. 

And, for decades, his presence virtually ensured that the Muslim vote would go mostly to the PNM—a state of affairs that only began to change after the UNC’s first stint in office in 1995.

Now that he is dead, the party which he helped found is unstinting in its praises. That is to be expected, but Mohammed has been given equal accolades from the opposing UNC as well. That shows how in his twilight years he transcended the politics at least to the extent of being claimed by both sides.

At a time when the UNC is engaged in a heated internal election, it might be considered a heresy to speak of Dr Rowley in any praiseworthy manner. Upon publication of this article, I will be bombarded with accusations of having turned PNM. Notwithstanding, I am a firm believer that credit must be given where it is due.

In dealing with broad societal differences, we must be careful lest we overemphasise or underemphasise the part played by different religious and cultural groups. This year, Hindus and the Maha Sabha celebrated Divali with the rest of the country with great pomp and festivities.

Despite the tenuous economic conditions which surround us, the Government did not compromise the amount of funding which the Hindu community normally receives. 

It was also pleasing to see the scale and propriety of the Divali celebration which was hosted by the PM at the Diplomatic Centre this year. In my view, it was a genuine attempt to reach out to all communities and to make good on his election night speech. It was indeed a lovely function.

Praise must also be showered upon the new Speaker of the House, Ms Bridgid Annisette George for instructing that the prayer traditionally recited in the Parliament, be amended to include the Sanskrit word “Namaste”. Whilst the word “Namaste” is repeated by many people worldwide on a secular basis, it is in fact an original Sanskrit word in the Hindu faith. It forms part of many Hindu prayers (mantras) and an entire chapter in the Vedas (First Hindu Scripture) is called the “Namakam” because of its repeated usage in same.

The Hindu community welcomes the amendment of the ‘Parliamentary prayer’ as the word ‘Namaste’ invokes a universal and spiritual connection between God, man and fellow man. It is also considered a greeting carrying a message of peace and recognition of the divinity that connects each and every one of us. 

Furthermore, this development augurs well for nation-building as it shows a dedication to the principle of inclusiveness to the different faiths of this country. On the other side of the politics, a lot of rumbling is taking place within the UNC. Mrs. Kamla Persad Bissessar SC still appears to have the edge over her competitors. 

On the ground, people generally have no adverse comments to make and view her as someone who genuinely tried but failed. This is a view which I also hold. However, criticisms by her detractors are varied and numerous.

Regardless of how you calculate the votes and spread the losses across the marginal seats, the recent outcome of the election petition appeal, the fact remains that she was at the helm when the party suffered a number of defeats. 

Under her stewardship, internal elections were not called when they were constitutionally due. Many feel she ignored her loyal supporters to keep the perception of a “partnership” alive. Now, her internal opposition is saying she should step aside as a matter of political principle.

Mr Roodal Moonilal is not a favourite on the ground. He is viewed as arrogant and lacking in substance. His contributions in the Parliament have not been impressive but he is famed for his picong on the political platforms. 

In his favour, is the fact that he is young and has been with the Party since its inception. He has served his Constituency well. His slate is being portrayed as the right mix, although many have doubts about many of the aspirants. He certainly has a fighting chance in the internal votes. He could carry some constituencies, including his own.

Mr Vasant Bharath is recognised as a smooth talking super minister. Yet he does not appear to be connected with the ground like Bissessar or Moonilal. A major reason for this might be the fact that he was not an elected Member of Parliament for the past five years and served only in a ministerial/senatorial capacity.

The fact that Bharath is not a member of the parliamentary chambers might prove to be his downfall, if not the fact that Fuad Khan does a lot of talking in his corner. The general perception is that Fuad speaking is not necessarily a good thing in any circumstance.

My only grouse with all of the candidates is their presumptuousness that, should they win this internal election, they will automatically lead the UNC into the next general election. 

If you are speaking of strengthening the party and not oneself, one would have thought that a promise would be made to hold the next internal election in three years time when it is constitutionally due. After all, strengthening a party does not only take place at the base but at the top as well.
Fresh faces and new styles of leadership alone will not cut it in the next general election. 

Citizens on either side of the political divide are already on the hunt for the ‘ideal’ candidate to lead and they will not settle for anyone who they must support by default.  They are looking for a “Justin Trudeau” personality to win the next general election.
Good luck to all candidates.

Kevin Baldeosingh

Last Monday, the owner and an employee of a brothel in Central Trinidad were arrested for trafficking two Venezuelan women and causing a ten-mile highway pile-up due to maccoing. 

The fact that the women are Venezuelan is, of course, incontrovertible evidence that they were being forced to do sex work rather than choosing to be prostitutes. After all, would these women have really left the socialist paradise created by the late Hugo Chavez to come to Trinidad to have sex with men? Activist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh would surely say No, and should be called by the Director of Public Prosecutions to present evidence on behalf of the State, not including tulsi leaves.

These arrests have achieved three important goals for Trinidad and Tobago. First, citizens now know that all the time spent by Members of Parliament in 2011 to pass the Trafficking in Persons Act has not been wasted, since two people have been arrested four years later. Secondly, the police officers in the Counter Trafficking Unit have finally been able get some exercise other than the thumbs twiddle. And, third and most important, T&T will be praised in the US State Department’s next report on human trafficking.

Moreover, since these Venezuelan women could not have left their socialist paradise to come to capitalist T&T of their own free will, they cannot be charged for being illegal immigrants. The DPP’s office should bear in mind, however, that the defence might argue that the women came here to get toilet paper. But these rumours of a toilet paper shortage in Venezuela are probably just vicious US propaganda.

After all, since Venezuela is a socialist paradise, the people are eating more nutritious food and hence have less waste to excrete. This has resulted in lowered demand for toilet paper, hence created the illusion of shortages: and I am sure that MSJ leader David Abdulah will be willing to take the stand to testify to this.

But, even if there was a Charmin shortage in Venezuela’s socialist paradise, this would still mean that the two Venezuelan women were human trafficking victims who couldn’t obey the red light. After all, the Act defines trafficking as, “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion...” And what is more coercive than denying two-play tissue to a person with a gripe? 

And, talking of crap, the CTU says it has rescued 26 women from traffickers in the past three years, yet it has not charged anyone for driving passive aggressively in the fast lane. So add Number Two with these Venezuelans, and the CTU should definitely consult with this country’s leading crime expert, Pastor Clive Dottin, who just last Sunday morning on 102 FM was telling the radio-listening public how human trafficking was linked to the drug trade and how he had recently gone to a place where “slabs of cocaine” were being handed out to persons old like himself.

The Seventh-Day Adventist pastor didn’t say whether he had gone to this place with the police, the drug-dealers, or the Holy Spirit: but no doubt all this inside knowledge of the criminal underworld will help sever the octopusitic tentacles of the squidistic trade in human beings.

But what does the future hold for these women? Guardian reporter Shaliza Hassanali should interview Venezuelan psychic Yesenia Gonzalves to answer these questions about human trafficking. And, while I am neither clairvoyant nor a unicorn, I assume that the two Venezuelans will be returned to their socialist paradise, where they are guaranteed a job if not work. I also assume that they will be able to support themselves and their families, since they didn’t choose to come to Trinidad to get money for sex.

After all, if that were the case, it would mean that they really didn’t have any better options, but this of course is impossible since they are citizens of a socialist paradise.

So ipso facto they must be victims of human trafficking and a bad drive, and this would also apply to any Colombian, Dominican and Guyanese women found in similar circumstances, unless they are really ugly in which case this would be proof that they are really illegal immigrants. But this also means that no Trinidadian women in any brothel can ever be charged for prostitution ever again since, with religious leaders in T&T blaming sex for all our social problems, none would choose sex work over store work.

• Kevin Baldeosingh is a professional writer, author of three novels, and co-author of a Caribbean history textbook.

Gone are the days of adults reprimanding children. Today, children are cussing teachers, their parents, police and so on, as the law has made them untouchable. To speak to them loud is abuse. To strike them for misconduct is abuse. To debar them from acting as they like to the disgust and endangerment of wider society is abuse. So children have gone wild.

To discipline a child a teacher literally has to grovel and beg the child to straighten up his/her character over a period of days. Or for some very unruly and obstinate children over a period of years. Some never turn around and land on the wrong side of the law. To suspend a violent and law-breaking child, school principals must make a dossier of the child's infractions and get the consent of the child's parents to keep him/her out of school.

Unfortunately, much to educators' dismay, today's parents will side with the foolish behaviour of their children, making quick correction a mammoth undertaking.

B Joseph, 
via email

I welcome the appointment of the Economic Advisory Board by the current Government, which has two advisory tasks before it; the first is to bring the economy into a reduced but more efficient and effective, steady state given its dependence on the energy sector earnings that appear to be constrained, possibly, for the long haul; and secondly to reconstruct the economy, to diversify it, such that we do not depend on one related set of commodities.

The objective of the first task can be stated succinctly as to match the aggregate demand of the on-shore economy to the current and severely reduced supply of foreign exchange earned by the country. There is a view that we can successfully ride out this economic decline by maintaining government spending via borrowings and sale of assets. However, such spending simply exacerbates the demand on-shore for foreign exchange. 

Another view is that aggregate demand can be reduced by the devaluation of the T&T dollar and another is that the same result can be achieved via fiscal means. My concern is that despite the warning of Dr Rowley before the last elections that we need to tighten our belts, the last Budget suggests that Government spending and its fiscal measures will place little constraint on on-shore aggregate demand.

The reconstruction of our economy is a more difficult task since it seeks to encourage the on-shore current and potential businessman, entrepreneur, to move away from the lower risk commercial activities of using foreign exchange earned predominantly by the energy sector to provide the needs of the population, towards the more risky activity of globally competitive export companies in a diversified economy.

The fundamental characteristic of such a reconstructed economy is that it is adaptive, ie, its entities should be capable of altering their structures, behaviour and interactions with others in response to the emerging economic pressures (global warming, climate change, depletion of natural resources and their drop in prices, shortage of clean water, the need to provide food security, deal with increasing crime). We may know what we have to do; the problem is how do we build these entities in this high risk and uncertain global and complex environment?

Being able to learn and acquiring knowledge are at the heart of being able to adapt. We appear to be very keen on learning, on education, and boast that some 60 per cent of our secondary school cohort proceeds to tertiary education/training. However, much of this simply teaches us, if anything, how to handle known risks, known situations— ie it is associative learning. This makes us no match for competitors who can learn, invent, be innovative and so outperform us economically. 

An important part of the required learning is the acquisition of the ability to recognise early signals from the economic environment, for example, that basic commodities are now cheap given the prolonged downturn in the global economy, that shale gas is now plentiful and its evolving technology will keep it competitive even in this current low price scenario for gas, and that the pressure of global warming and climate change will be the death knell of petroleum economies, even though such reserves exist.

But recognising these signals is not enough because they may not foretell the unknown economic risks and challenges. The skill we need to develop is to be able to collate the different signals, differentiate among them and in so doing learn, acquire, the ability to generalise and be able to respond to new signals from the environment that we have not seen before. 

This learning process of the details of the threats and opportunities aids the development of this adaptive capacity to respond to future and unknown threats; we may even be able to foresee a Taleb Black Swan!

But how do we acquire such learning/knowledge? Our schools, universities, training institutions give us formal knowledge—facts, figures, techniques via lectures and the like, the focus of our present education system. The other kind of learning is knowledge gained through experience and interaction—learning through successes and even failures. 

This latter kind of learning builds on formal learning and gives us the capability to adapt in this continually changing economic environment—this kind of learning is necessary if we hope to be world class producers of chosen goods and services. 

Today, however, we are economically unprepared for global competition given out current skills and economic experiences.

Building such an adaptive economy is not instantaneous. In my previous articles I have spelled out the process to create the Innovation Diamond (in particular the Centres of Excellence) aimed at building such an expanding helix of entrepreneurs and innovators and their institutions.

Mary King is an economist and 
former government minister.

I have seen Mr Bhoe Tewarie as a frontliner in the Kamla Persad-Bissessar attempt at retaining the leadership position. 

Mr Tewarie was the Minister of Planning in the last government. I wonder if Mrs Persad-Bissessar is aware that 137 appeals at the Advisory Town Panel (a board that fell directly under the Minister of Planning) were not signed off on by Mr Tewarie, even though they were all recommended by the board. As such, the present Planning Minister, Mrs Camille Robinson-Regis, has asked for a review of all these matters, as this is her right. 

Please note that some of these appeals are up to three years old and interviews were already done, only for the then Minister to sign off on. In addition to this, Mr Tewarie had boasted about the “Land Act,” which he said would have been proclaimed in May 2015. Up till this day… no Land Act. I have just one question to Mrs Persad-Bissessar, “Why have people around you who cannot deliver to the public?” 

Elaine Peters,
Marabella

While Santa was fine tuning his North Pole operations, marshalling reindeer and sleighs while reviewing wish lists from the world’s children, this year one of his emissaries arrived early in Trinidad, in the guise of jazz trumpeter Etienne Charles, who aided by his musical elves, showered a sold-out Queen’s Hall with everything they’d wished for and more at last Sunday night’s one-off concert. 

A Fatima alumnus who soared out of the island to pursue his studies at Florida State University and then the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, the 32-year-old Saga Boy has rapidly established himself as one of the leaders of a new generation of Creole jazz musicians, who are infusing mainstream jazz with the diverse traditional rhythms and melodies of the Caribbean. His penultimate album Creole Soul topped jazz charts in 2013 and his recently launched Creole Christmas, which provided last Sunday’s playlist is destined for similar acclaim. 

The album is impressive, conceptually and musically, not least because it draws on the local seasonal repertoire, delving back to the heyday of Lionel Belasco as well as including such international favourites as This Christmas and I’ll be Home for the Christmas, but the live performance surpassed all expectation, validating previous glowing reviews which invariably cite Charles’ ebullient and daring improvisation. 

Brilliant soloist as he is, “Creole Saga Boy’s” Christmas package came gift wrapped, firstly in his seasonally coloured plaid waistcoat and tie, two tone shoes and signature pork pie straw hat and then by a band as talented and full of seasonal spirit as its leader. Enjoyment and delight could be read on the faces of all assembled in Queen’s Hall and for once at a jazz concert there were no sleeping heads slumped on gently rising chests, no accompanying snores. 

Playing to his partisan home crowd, Creole Saga Boy dived straight in the deep end, easing into the first set with his arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Sugar Plum Fairy. This choice of opening number was a mark of Charles’ eclectic taste and confidence, a gamble which might have astonished those who don’t know of the Sugar Plum’s association with Christmas. 

A senior Saga Boy and local jazz icon David “Happy” Williams laid the melodic foundation on his double bass, accompanied by Orisha master drummer Everald “Redman” Watson on congas, immediately framing the whole performance with roots beats and colour. Jacques Schwarz-Bart’s tenor sax riffed into the evocative soundscape joined by Alex Wintz’s lyrical guitar before Charles veered off into minor mode, taking the band on one of those mystery tours which returns to its melodic motif, as surely as a track off the Miles Davis classic Kind of Blue. 

We all travelled North in the next number for the American Negro Spiritual, Go tell It On the Mountain, sung by another stateside Trini, Florida-based Roger “Golden Voice” George, whose version I preferred to Mykal Kilgore’s album take. George gave a controlled bluesy rendition embellished by flourishes from Charles, building to the crescendo on Kris Bowers’ Roland keyboard, before the effortlessly gentle conclusion. 

Riding the vibes like a seasoned cabaret comedian, Charles then explained the concept for his Creole Christmas album, which was: “Based on what I played on my stereo on Christmas morning.”  Reminiscing that the first local song he learnt was Tell Santa Claus, provided the intro to this Trini classic, which rivals the child-centred narrative of The Little Drummer Boy. 

Hauntingly sung by George, as the story of the barefoot boy begging his impoverished mother to ask Santa to send a trumpet and ‘constantina’ to relieve his loneliness picked up momentum, bebop energy from alto saxman Brian Hogans and stylised body movements from Charles (recalling the one-legged stork posture beloved of flautists and guitar heroes), steered the song beyond pathos or sentimentality, in a beautifully crafted interpretation of a Good Samaritan’s gift to a small boy. 

Having evoked sentiment Charles then sat down on his cajon, to join master drummer Everald “Redman” Watson, in a tribute to the recently deceased Junior Noel, Redman’s longtime fellow drummer and the Orisha rhythms Charles draws on. The first set was wrapped up with George delivering the American classic This Christmas, his velvet baritone hinting at Stevie Wonder’s phrasing. 

The second set opened with a galloping Venezuelan Joropo interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Chocolate, or Spanish Dance, with a distinctly local Spanish parang feel evoked by Venezuelan cuatro maestro Jorge Clem (hailing from Cumana where Rio Manzanares originates) and Clarita Rivas on maraca. A racing-speed duet featuring Clem’s cuatro and Charles on cajon elicited the evening’s loudest roar of approval, recalling the atmosphere of spontaneous rural rum-soaked parang sessions. 

Acknowledging our own Christmas musical heritage came two Lionel Belasco compositions-Roses of Caracas, an Antillean Waltz and then Juliana. Roses began slowly with deliberate piano steps joined by Hogan’s caressing clarinet and Charles with muted trumpet creating an aura coloured by formal elegance.

Then the defining syncopated swing of the Antillean Waltz registered and in the ensuing swirl Charles switched to cajon for another duet with Clem’s cuatro, Schwarz-Bart trading sliding riffs with Wintz’s guitar as a prelude to a Happy Williams double bass solo, who passed on the melodic motif like a baton to some cheeky flourishes from Charles culminating in what can only be described as a zip, trumpet and body flipping upward in unison. Juliana brought Trinidad’s own Paganini—Stanley Roach, Creole fiddler extraordinaire—back onstage for one of his all too rare public performances.

Robert Munro, local cuatro maestro joined the ensemble for another swinging arrangement (reminiscent of biguine) introduced by cuatro and cajon, with unforgettable sequences from both cuatros and Roach’s violin. 

Charles’ research into early kaiso has led to yet another fruitful collaborative relation ship with the man who keeps it alive. So nobody was surprised when Charles introduced “extemponian” the Lord Relator, resplendent as ever in tux and tails. First he gave us his own excellent seasonal advice—Make A Friend for the Christmas, Charles’ muted trumpet underscoring his laconic delivery and couldn’t resist a stale yet topical Thanksgiving joke which went something like: “Thanksgiving isn’t popular anymore, especially in Russia. Putin says he don’t want to have anything to do with it anymore, especially Turkey.”

Famous for his Spoiler renditions, Relator introduced the surrealist’s Yuletide special-Father Christmas: “Very difficult because of Spoiler’s phrasing, and Etienne doesn’t help jazzing it up.” In fact Charles added absurdist brio and melodramatic colour along with the rest of the brass, to make this the evening’s comedic climax. 

A night no one wanted to end romped out into the pre-Advent night with “a down home version” of Relator’s Christmas is Yours Christmas is Mine. As patrons dispersed as sated as though they’d just spent a Christmas Eve night “with food on the table, drinks at the bar and music on the porch”, many could be heard anxiously enquiring when was the next Etienne Charles concert. Maybe Santa will bring him back for the Christmas self.

Expect a crazy, fast-paced lead up to Carnival 2016 which actually begins this evening with the launch of the International Soca Monarch this evening, at 5 pm, on Brian Lara Promenade, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, between Frederick and Henry Streets. 

An explosion of soca is expected for the four-hour-long programme as most of the popular artistes will be performing.

The 2016 Carnival fetes begin even before the Christmas season officially ends on January 6 with the staging of Tribe ICE on the evening of January 2, at Jean Pierre Complex, Port-of-Spain. 

But, before this, before this year ends, on December 27, Pan Trinbago Inc will host the launch of Panorama 2016 with a Massive Cooler Party at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, at 2 pm. 

Billed to perform are Massy Trinidad All Stars, Supernovas, Desperadoes, Pan Elders, Arima Golden Symphony, San Juan East Side and Jah Roots, plus DJs KC Klass is Class and Smooth.

Twenty-four hours after the Tribe shindig, on January 3, all roads lead to the spacious courtyard of Trinity College in Maraval for the 2016 edition of Soka in Moka. 

Music will be by The Asylum Vikings, featuring Bunji Garlin and Fay Ann Lyons; Roy Cape All Stars, featuring Blaxx and Ricardo Drue; Dil-e-Nadan, frontlined by Raymond Ramnarine; as well as DJ Ryan.

The feting continues the next weekend on January 9 when The Old Hilarians’ All-Inclusive Carnival Fete (2016 edition) will take place at the school’s compound on Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain from 5 pm to midnight.
 
Twenty years ago, The Old Hilarians’ Association, the alumnae association of the Bishop Anstey High School, hosted its inaugural all-inclusive Carnival fete as its contribution to the fund-raising drive that was focused on the 75th anniversary of the school. 

At that time, the school’s buildings were in a dilapidated condition and as a denominational Government-assisted school, in 1995, repair and restorative works were mostly self-funded.   

Twenty years later, the Old Hilarians’ All-Inclusive Carnival Fete is now a must-attend event on the Trinidad Carnival calendar. 

It has earned its reputation as one of the premier all-inclusives on the Carnival social calendar, and the planning committee works hard to keep that reputation intact.

The fete is renowned for its premier entertainment and its wide array of premium food and beverage offerings.

“Music, or Die Trying” has been CC’s credo since her entry into the local music industry and this time around she is determined to make her mark on the music landscape. CC, born on June 26, 1989 in Belmont, was christened Crystal Charles and has always had a natural passion to be an entertainer. “All I do is focus on my music,” said the singer. “I have been performing for as long as I can remember.”

Highly motivated and confident that she has the ability to perform and entertain alongside the world’s best, CC credits her late father as the main inspiration for her talent. She said: “I honestly love music and dancing. I have family who sing and dance on my father’s side of the family, so I think I inherited this love for the performing arts from him.

“The first time I ever sang in front of people was at my school (St James Secondary) graduation. I sang Mariah Carey’s Hero and when I was finished I had people crying with emotion.”

CC actually began singing at age ten doing so in her school choir, church and by participating in the community, schools talent shows and competitions, with the solid encouragement of her family, teachers and friends. She entered her first amateur competition (Synergy Soca Star) in 2007, with a La Vern Als composition, Jam Meh For Carnival. 

In 2008, CC again entered Synergy Soca Star and this time she made it to the Top 12 with the high energy composition Wine Down Low, written and produced by Umi Marcano.

CC’s first major break came in 2009 when she signed a three-song deal with the Non Destructive Label. Her three pieces—Crossing the Savannah, What Yuh Want Tonight, Dreamer—proved her versatility over soca and its hybrid genres like chutney and groovy. 

Inspired and motivated, CC challenged herself and entered the International Soca Monarch where she made it to the semi-final.

In 2010, CC had her first “real” hit—Steam—featuring Benjai and Kernal “Kitch” Roberts. The song was written by Roberts and was produced by  G Master and Roberts on the AMA rhythm. This rendering saw a wave of popularity, resulting in CC being a nominee for the 2010 Soca Awards in the category of Best New Artiste. 

In 2011, again working with Roberts, CC released Dais It Dey, a single which received heavy rotation on the airwaves, both locally and internationally.

The following year CC took a hiatus from music to give birth to her daughter, Mia. Returning to the studio from maternity duties, CC was back at it again releasing a song called Soca Ah Luv Yuh in 2013, again making it to the semi-finals of the International Groovy Soca Monarch competition. 
CC continued to grow in the soca industry and last year she joined forces with the Road March icon SuperBlue to release Party Behind Meh, produced by Samuel Jack at Studio 21. 

This single placed her once more in the semi-finals of the International Soca Monarch, this time in the Power category. For Carnival 2016, CC is keen to soar even higher and hit the jackpot with the release of her first single, Carnival Day, written by Sancha Samara and again produced by Samuel Jack of Studio 21.

“The songs I normally sing are usually rude girl songs,” said CC, “but this one is more a sweet melody, sing along, playful song about Carnival day. I am very pleased by the response of the public to my song which is being played regularly on the airwaves. All I want is for people to enjoy and appreciate my music.”

CC has been thankful for the success afforded to her thus far and has enjoyed every moment of it. She intends, through her  dedication, hard work and passion, to become more recognised in the local and international soca music industry.

“I hope the whole of T&T and the Caribbean could hear my song and my music. I am entering the International Soca Monarch competition again and I am hoping with crossed fingers that I could make it to the final this time. I have made the semi-finals of this competition on four previous occasions and next year I really would want to go further.”