A daily-paid worker at the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) who was serving time in jail continued to be recorded as present for work and on the payroll. The situation was identified in July last year. Sources said the man’s colleagues knew he was incarcerated yet they continued to mark him present and a salary was paid.

That is just one example of irregularities affecting the state agency adding to its massive $117 million debt.

Another claim is that funds from the Public Sector Investment Programme were being used to pay salaries, according to a preliminary audit.

In March, Government announced that it would conduct a manpower audit into the CDA starting this month. This comes almost one year after line minister Camille Robinson-Regis received two audits—one internal and one financial—into the CDA’s operations.

The cash-strapped CDA’s debt includes non-payment to hundreds of companies, private citizens, suppliers, restaurants and caterers. The CDA is also owing close to $10 million in lawyer fees, has a $60,000 food bill to clear and a pension liability of more than $50 million.

The T&T Guardian was told that the CDA, “has no money” and its revenue has reportedly been on the decline for the last 18 months. Several projects have been stalled.

“CDA income cannot cover expenses of salaries alone, much less pay suppliers,” an employee said.

A source told the T&T Guardian: “The CDA is operating on a deficit and the current board and management are struggling to meet monthly expenses.”

One of its tenants, Royal Bank, whose rent was close to $36,000, is set to move out of Chaguaramas this month. Earlier this year, the bank announced that it was going to reduce its staff. The changes are in keeping with the bank’s strategic plan, which included merging the operations at its Chaguaramas and Westmoorings branches.

Sources within the CDA said there were employees who were misfits for many positions as they lacked qualifications and “did absolutely nothing all day.”

“People are receiving salaries and there is no documentation. Almost all the monthly positions fall into that category,” the source said.

“The CDA has no work for some of the positions.”

Several weeks ago, CDA chairman Gupte Lutchmedial said the authority’s debt was more $100 million and that the CDA is grappling with mismanagement and misuse of public funds.

Chaguaramas is a 14,500-acre peninsula located on the north-western part of the island. The CDA governs the area and all of its investments.

No approval for restructure

A contention over the past few weeks has been a restructuring exercise which got the attention of president of the Public Services Association (PSA) Watson Duke.

A senior officer in the CDA, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed the process was illegal.

“According to the CDA’s organisational structure as stated in the Draft Estimates, these (positions) no longer exist in the CDA but it is still printed in the Draft Estimates. That is proof that the structure has not changed officially.

“There was no approval to change it, so if you check here, these are the salaries still pegged to ranges. Therein lies that the organisation restructuring is illegal. We did not have the requisite approval. This alone will prove that. If we had gone through the CPO for approval, this would have changed for fiscal 2017.”

Duke said it was unbelievable that employees in the CDA could be paid new salaries for which there was no approval. He said the CDA salaries came from State funds.

Duke said the CDA is run by a board and that no minister could pay the CDA money.

“It has to be done through a particular channel. It must first be approved by the Board of Directors, then they must give the CEO the go ahead and the CEO must instruct the human resource department to go ahead and pay, so if CDA workers are paid money, it must have been money that came through the right channels.”

He said while the CPO did play a role in the inter-ministerial committee, the committee was always headed by the Finance Minister.

CDA chairman responds

Lutchmedial, when contacted did not deny some of the claims but said an audit is being done by Charles Bobb-Semple of Gloria Eastman and Associates.

Asked what was the way forward for the CDA to boost revenue, he said: “We are on a cost-cutting exercise and we are looking at ways of increasing revenue. We have to streamline the organisation and cut off the wastage.”

Trinidad is shrinking and changing as it becomes increasingly vulnerable to storms, flooding and other natural disasters which cause coastal erosion and the retreating of the shoreline.

In Columbus Bay, in West Trinidad, the coastline has retreated by 150 metres since 1994, losing 6.5 hectares of land.

In the western part of Guayaguayare, the shoreline retreats annually by approximately one metre per year.

In Cocoa Bay, north of Manzanilla, the retreat is slightly more accelerated at 1.45 metres annually.

“The country is shrinking in some parts but it might be expanding in others, but the number of areas where it is shrinking is a lot more than the areas where it is expanding,” said Michele Lemay, Integrated Coastal Zone Management Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB).

Lemay has spent much of the past two decades in the region, doing research on coastal erosion and providing expertise on the subject.

In an interview at the IDB office in Port-of-Spain, Lemay said at a national level, in the last decade, from 2005 to 2015, there had been a five-fold increase in Trinidad of storm events, erosion and flooding when compared to the decade prior.

She said this also coincided with an increase in coastal erosion.

“T&T is becoming more vulnerable and when you think about the cost of this in terms of getting to work, taking kids to school, damages to property and household, you see the more obvious effects,” she said.

“It happened in Matelot and Grand Riviere, before that it happened in Manzanilla and Mayaro. We found that the frequency of erosion and flooding in the coastal zone has increased considerably, even in Tobago.

“Sea level rise is going to worsen things and speed it up but we do know that up to the year 2100 there is a potential of 1 metre increase for sea level rise but I think in T&T there is more research needed to bring down the global models and come up with local numbers.”

Lemay said the Caribbean was more vulnerable than other places because countries are on the hurricane track or have more frequent storms.

“Caribbean islands are very densely populated so there are a lot of infrastructure along the coast. The more you build your shoreline, the more you create circumstances where you can have coastal erosion.”

She said the IADB had made recommendations for government to focus on priority areas for mitigating measures.

The areas identified were Speyside in Tobago, Mayaro, Guayaguayare area, Cocos Bay and San Souci as they are worse affected in the sense that when events happen, flooding or erosion they affect communities which are isolated.

“The idea is to promote people to stay at least 50 metres away from the shoreline for construction. Sometimes you have private ownership of land right up to the beach. You can tell people, this is your private property but do not build hard structures too close to the ocean.”

Lemay said T&T already had an advantage over other countries in the region in terms of research from the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) and installation of a Coastal Protection Unit under the Ministry of Works in 2014.

“What is needed is much closer monitoring of the shoreline. You can measure how it retreats, in some cases it moves forward or becomes more steep which is a clear sign of erosion.

“Our shorelines in the Caribbean are very vulnerable to storm events, flooding and erosion and traditionally the solution has been to build emergency structures when houses start losing their land and things like that. An integrated approach combines technically advanced solutions with regulatory measures and science.

“The work of the IMA and coastal protection unit is going in that direction.”

She said other measures needed to take place such as involving residents of affected communities in solutions like planting mangroves across the shore.

Marissa Nelson, who has been warded at the High Dependency Ward at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope for the past five months for weight loss treatment, is now battling health complications and depression. This was revealed by her 68-year-old mother, Sylvia Nelson.

Last September, Marissa, 32, who at her heaviest weighed 600 pounds, was featured in the T&T Guardian when she appealed for help to deal with her morbid obesity. At the time she was in need of specialist medical care, urgent medication and a 24-hour caregiver.

Marissa suffers with lymphoedema, which left her limbs enormously swollen. She packed on the pounds after taking a cocktail of tablets to deal with her medical condition which left her confined to her bed for four years.

Touched by Marissa’s plight, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh offered medical help and provided a team of specialists to help with a weight loss programme.

She was removed from her home last November and taken to the hospital where she began intense treatment.

Last Christmas, Deyalsingh paid a surprise visit to Marissa at hospital. She said then that it was her best Christmas ever as she had lost some weight, was undergoing physiotherapy and had been put on a low carbohydrate, low fat, high protein diet.

However, according to her mother, she has been facing some challenges since undergoing two surgical procedures in recent weeks

Nelson told the T&T Guardian: “One was a gastric bypass surgery and the other was to remove the oversized growths on her legs which were hindering her from walking.”

Nelson said after the gastric bypass, Marissa began vomiting.

“Now doctors saying that they might have to go back in again because she still vomiting. She can’t eat anything solid. She does only drink the gravy from the soup they giving her.”

Nelson said the doctors believe something was wrong.

“They put some dye in her and they see somewhere was blocking but when they went in they say they not seeing the blockage. The doctor say she not supposed to be vomiting so I don’t know what wrong.”

Nelson, who uses a wheelchair, is unable to visit Marissa at hospital but speaks with her daughter by phone every day.

She said Marissa’s condition was further complicated when she fell six days ago.

“They were trying to get her to stand up to give her therapy and she fell on all her weight,” she said.

On Friday, the stitches in Marissa’s leg snapped.

“When I spoke to her this morning she said she was in a lot of pain,” she said.

Nelson said Marissa’s health has been worrying her.

“I glad in a sense they helping she, but when I hear she fall and the stitches burst I get worried. I does be stressed out because I find she suffer so much.

“When she think she going there to feel much better she has to go through all these things,” Nelson said.

“She keep saying that she missing we. It’s over five months she in the hospital. Yes, I think she is depressed. If it was me I would have been depressed too because that is not an easy thing to go through.”

Last Tuesday, members of the T&T Defence Force and Toco/ Sangre Grande MP Glenda Jennings-Smith completed work on a remodelled bedroom for Marissa.

Nelson said she has no idea when Marissa would come home to enjoy her new and spacious room.

“That is one question I can’t answer. The way she lost the weight so fast she has too much flab on the arms which they still have to remove, so she would not be home in a hurry.”

Yesterday, Deyalsingh said he could not give out information on any patient, including Marissa, and advised that we speak to her doctors.

Deyalsingh did not name Marissa’s doctors.

Residents and commuters affected by the temporary traffic disruptions along the South Trunk Road, South Oropouche since Thursday have been assured immediate relief by Works Minister Rohan Sinanan.

Sinanan gave the assurance as he toured the affected area with ministry and Nidco officials.

“What happened is that a bush fire caused some damage to the underground pipes. Because the pipes were plastic it affected the pipes and caused the entire roadway to sink,” he said

Sinanan said as a precautionary measure the entire pipeline infrastructure will be replaced.

The minister and his team also visited the Beetham where major

construction works on the southbound section of the culverts has started. The work is due be completed by tomorrow and lanes re-opened to commuters.

The project, which will run for four weekends, will see the replacement of two aged culverts running across the Beetham Highway, and will assist with alleviating flooding in the long run.

“This will definitely help with the flow of water because if you look at what is coming out you will see that it has been blocked for years.

“Five years ago it was realized that the culvert started to fail and the water wasn’t running in it and I think this could be part of the problem why we have the water on the Bus Route side that backs up. We’re hoping to get a great ease with some of the flooding once this project is finished,” Sinanan said.

In the last stop of his impromptu visits, the minister visited the Port of Port of Spain where he witnessed first-hand a delay with the 4 pm sailing with the Fferry being loaded at minutes past 6 pm.

Teens Shania Ali and Semoy Ramdhanie who were reported missing last week are safely back home with their families.

In connection with the disappearance of Ramdhanie, 13, a 21 year-old man from Barrackporeis currently assisting police with their investigation. He was due to be handed over to the Child Protection Unit yesterday.

On April 9, Ramdhanie left her Freeport home and when she failed to return home hours later, her mother, Indira Ramdhanie, filed a missing persons’ report at the Gran Couva Police Station.

Investigators got a lead and found her at a house in Barrackpore on Thursday. On January 28, Ramdhanie also went missing, but returned home weeks later.

Ali, 16, of San Fernando, left home around 7.25 pm last Wednesday. By 9.45 pm, her aunt Natasha Williams reported her missing to San Fernando police. She returned the following day and told police that she had been with relatives in Sangre Grande. 

Solid Waste Management Company (SWMCOL) workers will soon collect their back pay.

Last week the workers staged protests over unsafe working conditions at the Beetham Landull, as well as ovee non-payment of the balance of their back pay. There were similar protests at the Forres Park and Guanapo Landfills.

President of the Industrial General and Sanita0.*ion Workers Union (IGSWU) Robert Benacia said yesterday he had been told the workers will be paid.

“The ministry called and notified SWMCOL that they have a cheque available for the back pay so they could start to distribute the money to the workers,” he told the T&T Guardian.

Benacia said he will continue to calls for a site visit by Public Utilities Minister Fitzgerald Hinds to see conditions at the landfill.

“There was four days of protest and on Thursday the workers relaxed because nobody was enthusiastic about working,” he said.

“While I am happy for the workers there is continued disrespect to the union and the workers. We not tolerating that, especially for the risk we taking. If we didn’t protest we would not get that money.”

Benacia said health and safety remain a serious concern that needs to be addressed. He said the workers face hazardous conditions with waste material, air pollution and other concerns.

Hinds declined comment on the issues raised by the union when contacted yesterday.

Bloodied as a result of cuts to her body made by the blade of a knife and weakened by repeated strangulation, she could fight no more.

On realising what might be her demise, she mustered the strength in that moment to look at her attacker, who was about to rape her and asked: “If you are going to do this to me, can you at least use a condom?”

This was her point of escape.

Kit Evans-Ford is a victim and survivor of a vicious and violent crime that almost took her life in 2008 while working in the Eastern Caribbean.

The 32-year-old mother of two, author, retreat leader and teacher shared her testimony with the large gathering of families, friends and concerned citizens at the Peace Rally and Concert Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

The event was held to mark the culmination of 40 hours of prayer followed by 40 days of action, which was led by the Non Violence Begins With Me Movement to restore peace to the land of T&T.

At the event, which was endorsed by Guardian Media Ltd, Evans-Ford, the feature speaker from the US, gave a detailed description of the horrific event that, for some time, left her with a post-traumatic stress disorder.

But more than her emotional recollection, her bigger story is that she overcame and her attacker is now serving a 46-year prison sentence.

Her message yesterday centered on non-violence with compassion being the main ingredient.

In the voice of former US President Barack Obama, Evan-Ford shouted “Yes We Can” in fact lead lives of non-violence individually and as a country.

“Even when bad things happen in our lives, in our country or the world, even after that, hope peace, love and healing is possible,” she said.

Evans-Ford commended the Living Waters Community, who was responsible for her visit, creating the Non-Violence Begins With Me Movement and organising all the activities promoting non-violence that would have passed over the 40 days which began on March 3.

Borrowing the words of American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, she said to the crowd: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world.”

She said in hosting such events and supporting such movements, it shows people understood that non-violence began with each person as an individual.

Evans-Ford said while everyone may not have been a victim of crime, they may have been a victim of something else or may have victimised someone.

She said it was through grace of God, counselling and testifying that her healing came.

In a subsequent interview with the T&T Guardian, Evans-Ford shared a few points on how society could live and breathe non-violence on a daily basis.

“There are different ways in which we react when we are violated or see violence in our community. Often times we avoid it, even making accommodation for it because we feel this is how our community is so there is nothing we can do, we will just have to accept it for the way it is. But that is not true because violence has root causes and the root causes are what we need to get at,” Evans-Ford explained.

She said violence could take on many forms and was not only perpetrated using a weapon. There was violence in the form of molestation, verbal and emotional abuse, abandonment etcetera, she said.

Her reasoning,though, was that in most cases perpetrators of crime were usually themselves victims of crimes.

She said this is why the cycle of violence continued.

She said while the act of violence by someone must not be negated and we must stand firm on justice, at the same time a level of compassion must also be met in order for healing to take place.

“My attacker turned out to have been a serial rapist. When we heard of his story, it was found he was a victim of abuse and abandonment. While this gave him no right to harm others, he may have chosen violence to deal with his pain and to really get back at the person who hurt him, but usually if you can’t, you will hurt others.”

She said her organisation, Overcoming the STORM, aimed to inspire and help others understand that healing was possible.

“I do this by teaching nonviolence, through the performing arts, and counseling. Helping you move from hurt to healing,” she said.

Evans-Ford will be in T&T until Friday. She will be attending several institutions to speak and will be interviewed on GML’s Sky 99.5FM later this week.

Also supporting the event were numerous artistes and performers. Among them were The Love Movement choir, calypsonian Karene Asche, Aaron Duncan, 2Cents Movement, Mungal Patasar and Soul Man to name a few.

Greetings in the name of and in support of non-violence were also brought through various institutions heads and activists for peace.

Veteran mas designer Brian Mac Farlane was the event’s stage coordinator and told the T&T Guardian it is the hope of the movement that the event would become an annual one.

Abount the event

The Non Violence Begins With Me Movement is a group of concerned citizens who came together in late 2016 because of genuine concern about what was going on in the nation.

Rosemarie Scott, committee member, told the T&T Guardian the aim of the movement was not to point fingers at those who were commiting crimes, or at the police and the Government, but to promote that non-violence began with ndividuals and that everyone had a role to play in changing the situation in the country by addressing themselves and seeing how they were contributing to violence.

“So we launched 40 hours of prayer to start followed by 40 days of action,” she said.

Scott said the movement toured the country, even going to Tobago, speaking in schools, hosting vigils and encouraging every denomination and religious organisation to get on board. This did happen with an inter-faith service on March 4 at the Living Waters Community headquarters in Port-of-Spain.

Asked if she felt change would come, Scott said not overnight, as a lot of work had to be done, but things had to start somewhere and she believed it was a good start.

​

Soca artiste Rodney “Benjai” La Blanc is recovering at home following a brutal attack outside a night club in Guyana on Sunday morning.

A media release from Le Blanc’s attorneys Gideon Mac-Master, Keith Scotland and Joel Roper, states that the artiste had just wrapped up his performance at Pulse Entertainment’s soca theme party at the Palm Court Night Club, Georgetown.

Le Blanc was standing in a nearby car park in the company of his manager and other people when the driver of a vehicle in the car park reversed into them. When alerted to the presence of the group, the driver came out and pointed a firearm at them. At that time, the other occupant of the vehicle exited the passenger’s side and hurled a glass object at Le Blanc.

“We say nothing more of the incident at this time, other than to give the perpetrators of this heinous and unprovoked assault the assurance that we have ascertained their identities and will invoke the full legal apparatus against them, including vigorous pursuits of criminal and civil litigation to ensure the justice is served,” the release stated.

Le Blanc was the feature act in the Palm Court Night Club’s Easter Phenomenon party.

Guyanese news site Newsourcegy reported that Le Blanc was struck across the face with a bottle following an altercation with club patrons. He was standing outside the club chatting with a group of fans when a car almost reversed into the group.

The report stated that one of the fans allegedly knocked on the car to let the driver know that he was too close. The driver, a regular at the club known as Imran, got out of the car and began shouting at the group. Le Blanc attempted to quell the situation and the driver threatened him with a firearm. Another occupant then got out of the car and struck him with a bottle across his face with a bottle.

He fell to the ground with blood gushing from deep cuts close to his ear and jaw. He was rushed to hospital where he underwent emergency treatment. It was reported that he received over 20 stitches. Le Blanc filed a report with Guyanese police before leaving the country.

Former transport minister, Stephen Cadiz, under whose watch the Super Fast Galicia cargo vessel was contracted to operate between Trinidad and Tobago, wants to know why after 20 months in office the Government is now releasing the vessel on allegations of corruption without putting a proper alternative in place.

“Why are they doing this to Tobago?” he asked.

Cadiz said with the exception of the Government, none of the stakeholders, including the Tobago Chamber of and truckers, had a problem with the Galicia.

“The Galicia was 100 per cent on time while in T&T and it’s departure record was 99.9 per cent with no failure.”

He said investigating corruption has nothing to do with getting a proper vessel to replace the Galicia.

Cadiz said under his watch the Galicia was contracted in 2014 precisely because the Warrior Spirit was functioning on only one engine.

“When it came to our attention in December 2014 the Warrior was operating on one engine and we could not get the agents to respond in a comfortable manner, we felt we could no longer continue with that contract. The Warrior’s contract was supposed to end in August 2016.”

Cadiz said the Galicia arrived for that sole reason. “Can you imagine the mess we would have been in if the Warrior with its one engine, loaded with passengers and cargo, shut down? The safety and security issues we would have had?”

Cadiz said by January 2014, they started to look for a new vessel and by May that year the Galicia sailed into T&T.

He said the Government, if it wanted to, could have taken the decision to release the Galicia in a similar manner without any interruption in the cargo service to Tobago. “They had 20 months to do it.

“But in 2017, you are now looking to lay blame on a government that demitted office in 2015.”

Cadiz declined to comment on allegations of corruption in the procurement of the Galicia, only saying he is waiting on the Attorney General to complete his criminal investigation. “If there’s corruption, find it, deal with it and lock people up.”

The former minister expressed concern for citizens of Tobago who depends heavily on goods coming from Trinidad.

“The real issue is what is going to happen when there is no cargo service to Tobago?”

He charged the whole issue of corruption into the Galicia being touted by the Government is a major distraction and threw back allegations at the Government.

“To just allow the Galicia to sail out of the Bocas without putting something in place smacks of mismanagement, irresponsibility and just, basically, chaos.”

Cadiz questioned the tendering process of a replacement for the Galicia. “I heard the port chairman saying they are receiving offers daily.

“What is the tendering process for the new vessel? Where are these offers coming from? Who’s vetting these people?”

Concerning claims by the Hyatt Regency, located on the waterfront, it was experiencing “earthquakes” because of the movement of the Galicia, Cadiz said, if anything, that point to questions about the structural soundness of the hotel.

“Maybe somebody needs to do a proper structural survey of the Hyatt,” he suggested.

AG: EVIDENCE OF CORRUPTION

​

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has said there is evidence of corruption regarding how the Super Fast Galicia’s six-month contract turned into a two-year stint.

He said documents relating to the procurement of the Galicia were passed to him by Works Minister Rohan Sinanan upon instruction of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

“On the face of it, yes, there is corruption, including by those who were high office holders. The transactions are not on all fours.

“The timing, method and the particulars of the procurement, held side by side with the Cabinet knowledge and approval, are essential features of analysis in the report which I will produce,” al Rawi promised.

Lisa Greenidge’s world changed completely when her daughter, Kizzy (Keziah), was three months old. Greenidge took Kizzy for her first vaccination and a couple hours after she had her first seizure.

“Her body stiffened up, she started drooling and her eyes were just staring,” Greenidge, 41, recalled. “After that she had three to six seizures each week right up until now.”

Greenidge said Kizzy was diagnosed with a seizure disorder with no explanation provided. But the story did not end there. Kizzy was also later unofficially diagnosed with autism. “When she was about three, a friend of mine saw Kizzy on the ground in a store screaming and throwing a tantrum and suggested she might be autistic.

“I took her to the Austism Society of T&T (ASTT) and found she was somewhere around the middle of the austism spectrum, not severely austistic but not highly functional.” And thus began a journey of weeping and joy and learning for Greenidge, one that changed her into a better person, she said.

“Kizzy taught me patience, how to find joy in the smallest things, how to deal with situations. And how to pray and have faith.

“She’s the same little girl I always wanted and loved.” Greenidge spoke to the T&T Guardian as thousands around the world celebrate World Autism Awareness Month.

Recalling some particularly bad times, Greenidge said, “One time she was in the kitchen with me, because I take her with me everywhere I go, and she had a seizure and hit her head on the gang tank.

“When she fell, the area between her eyes and her nose split down to the bone.” Greenidge, who has two elder sons, said she worked as seamstress before Kizzy was born and was always on the go.

She said she and her husband wanted a girl to complete their family and Kizzy was planned. Her baby girl appeared like a normal child, until she got her first vaccination. Greenidge said after Kizzy’s first seizure, she immediately resigned from her job to devote all her time and attention to her. She later began home schooling her child.

Greenidge patiently taught her little girl, who would hug and kiss her but never look her in the eye, how to make eye contact. “Whenever she wanted something, like juice or tea, I used to hold it right up to my face until she looked at my eyes.”

Through her teaching, Kizzy knows her Alphabet, colours and words. She is also a whiz at putting puzzles together. “You can mix up four different puzzles in one box and Kizzy would put it together without even looking at the pictures.”

Kizzy loves flowers and cannot pass one straight, and animals, Greenidge said. Through the ASTT, headed by Teresina Sieunarine who formed the organisation after her own son was diagnosed with austism, Kizzy was taken for therapy with Horses Helping Humans run by Karen Stollmeyer.

“Kizzy loves a white horse called Jo Jo. If she had her way, she would stand next to him all day, patting, feeding and cleaning him.” Greenidge has a word of hope for parents who may feel hopeless about an autistic child. “Don’t be discouraged. There’s help.”

Satisfied with the progress it has managed to achieved through efforts to reduce school violence and indiscipline within recent months, the Ministry of Education says it remains committed to eradicating such adverse behaviours.

In a release proclaiming a reduction in the number of incidents of school violence and indiscipline, ministry officials said it was evident through the records which had confirmed a clear decline in the number of students being suspended within recent times.

The ministry said a total of 5,257 suspensions was recorded among secondary school students in 2015 and this was reduced to 3,940 last year.

Officials said this represented a 25.5 per cent decline at the secondary level and similar developments were taking place at the primary school level as data indicated that 296 students had been suspended in 2015, while in 2016 the total number of primary school students suspended was 254, a reduction of 14.18 per cent.

Meanwhile, a review of the suspension summaries for 2015 and 2016 revealed that less than one per cent of the nation’s school population of 220,000 students were involved in disruptive and harmful behaviour.

The rate of extended suspensions also declined from 132 in 2015, to 48 in 2016—representing a 64 per cent reduction.

The Education Minister is the lone authority with the power to grant extended suspensions.

Happy over the declines which are anticipated to continue throughout this year, Minister Anthony Garcia has on several occasions attributed it to intervention strategies implemented over the last 19 months.

Armed with these statistics, ministry officials last week denied there had been an increase in school violence and indiscipline.

Instead, they said social media had falsely created an impression that violence among students had risen significantly, which was created mainly in part because of the sharing and re-sharing of videos showing students in uniform engaging in violent behaviour.

They claimed this had contributed to the wrong public perception about violence and indiscipline in schools.

Among the strategies being used is a direct approach to equip students with skills in conflict resolution, effective communication, emotional intelligence and problem solving—along with efforts to engage parents and provide them with the information, techniques and tools necessary to support their children.

At schools, the ministry has also improved the supervision of students during the teaching and non-teaching times by deploying school safety officers who, working in tandem with security personnel and deans are tasked to ensure safety of the students both from internal and external threats.

Alongside all these strategies, the National School Code of Conduct is also enforced and with on-going training for principals, deans, heads of departments and teachers in classroom management, conflict resolution and problem solving, it is envisioned that this can be further reduced,

Having already realised success at the level of the Learning Enhancement Centres where students are placed while on suspension, officials said they continue to provide a safe and nurturing environment for students who have committed infractions.

Students on extended suspensions are assessed and a programme developed to address their social and academic needs, as officials work to ensure they leave with the necessary skills to make responsible choices and avoid inappropriate behaviours.

With all of these strategies falling under the framework of the School Based Management Model currently being utilised by the ministry, officials said it encouraged schools to engage with stakeholders on how best to eradicate school violence and indiscipline.

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to provide an environment which was conducive to the teaching and learning process, as part of government’s National Development Strategy to produce a more disciplined, caring and tolerant society comprised of happy, healthy and educated people.

They came bearing gifts of song, dance, and even the spoken word at the annual Easter Resurrection Stars concert put on by Heaven Touching Earth International Ministries (HTEIM), Montrose Chaguanas.

Quite aptly titled was the concert having taken place on Resurrection Sunday. It was to say the least a talent filled four-hour-long show that kept patrons in the church’s transformed auditorium edging their seats as they awaited the unfolding and unpredicted action that came flowing swiftly and smoothly along from all 18 contestants.

Indeed as the judges indicated toward the end, it was a tough decision in determining who were the best as it seemed all came with their A game, showing just what they were made of.

Carol Fidler led the competition performing in first place with a self written social commentary titled Time to Pray. Her advice in song suggested to make wise choices as choices determines the course of one’s life. And to pray at all times that you may not fall into sin.

She was followed by Ronnie Ragbir who chose to do a cover version of renowned South-African born gospel and jazz singer, Jonathan Butler’s; I stand on Your Word. His rendition was heart tugging and well received by the audience who cheered him on.

A pore raising mime done by Jeremiah Fresco to the song I Never Lost My Praise earned him a standing ovation and subsequently the award for best dressed performer. But it was Beverlyn Selkridge who took it to another level with her distinguished vocal range. Her performance and

delivery of the song I Never Lost My Praise, originally done by gospel singers Sandi Patti and Larnelle Harris, was done with such ease but with much conviction. Many a time during her performance one felt as though one was in the live audience of the once famed and now defunct Scouting for Talent. She too, received a standing ovation.

Impressive original compositions came from Marina Arthur, Michelle Davis, Dominic Hamiliton, Lyndon De Gannes, Sue-Anna Kinsale, Malik Inniss, Roxanne Holder-Heywood and Makinde Hudson. Holder-Heywood and Hudson were also the recipients of awards for best original composition and people’s choice respectively. Both were encored toward the end of their performances. Hudson was encored even a second time upon receiving his award for his offering, Can’t Stop the Praises.

Two special highlights of the evening were Brianna Mitchell and the group titled The Sisters. Mitchell doing a prophetic dance, gave an emotional performance that was even emotional for her as tears were seen streaming down her face at one point. Her performance earned her the award for best performance.

The Sisters, quite reminiscent of the 1990s R&B group SWV, was the lone group performance for the evening. They walked away with the award for most promising and most outstanding performance. Not only was their matching wear something to note, but the delivery of their cover version of He Wants it All, originally done by American gospel family band Forever Jones, was awe-inspiring. Their voices complimented each other as well as their harmonizing was on point, owning them cheers and thunderous applauses throughout their performance.

A special tribute was made to the Apostle of the church, Gillian Selkridge, as she was thanked for her obedience to the vision of God and her many sacrifices over the years to ensure His vision manifested. She was serenaded by Aaliyah Selkridge and Pastor Anthony Moses, director and creator of the event and also the head of the church’s music and arts ministry.

As tributes continue to pour in for Congress of the People (COP) stalwart Carol Cuffie-Dowlat, MP for Barataria/San Juan Dr Fuad Khan has also added his voice, describing her as nothing short of great.

Khan said he had the privilege of working with Cuffie-Dowlat since 1995 when he first entered politics.

“Carol was known to all as a politician who stood up for principles and morals within the United National Congress, and even when she joined the Congress of the People, she still attempted to bridge the two parties to work under these ideals.

“In the course of this principled struggle one could not fail to see her determination and dedication, not only to uniting these two factions at the leadership level, but also their members,” Khan said.

He said during the founding of the People’s Partnership, and subsequent to the coalition demiting office, Cuffie-Dowlat

contributed important analytical advice and opinion which had a tremendous influence on the working class, youths and intellectuals.

In recollecting memories with Cuffie-Dowlat Khan said, “I remember so often in our conversations, that she had the ability to blend heart and mind on an issue without losing focus on either element.

“ It is clear from the response of persons from varying fields and political parties that Carol had a profound impact on everyone who met her. I personally consider it a privilege to have known and been able to work with Carol for the past twenty years”

He described her as a mother, friend, politician, radio announcer and a proud Trinbagonian, adding that her legacy would

live on through her loving and decades of public service.

“Carol represented all of what is best in the working class and social movement in our country, and is truly an historic figure who will be recognised by generations to come,” Khan added.

T&T is in a time where there are “crucifixions aplenty” as the murder toll continues to spiral. Murders, even those killed on Holy Thursday, and drive-by shootings seem to be the norm.

But, through Christ’s love, there is hope.

This was the Good Friday sermon delivered by Fr Carl Williams, Interim Rector of the Holy Trinity Cathedral Port-of-Spain.

He said violence pervading the country was also a reflection of what was happening in the wider world including chemical weapons used in Syria, Christians beheaded in Egypt and Middle East.

Saying it was important to remember Good Friday and it’s teachings, Williams added, “Good Friday is not simply about remembering a terrible event long ago, but about actually finding our own place at Calvary, that hill just outside Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified.

“If we fail to see the part we play in our world’s pain and brokenness, we miss the deepest truth of Good Friday—the chance to know an unimaginably forgiving love flowing from the cross.”

He said the prisons and death rows were bursting at the seams with people society had abandoned.

The earth itself, Williams added, was also being “crucified day by day” by a human race which was reckless in its refusal to end the carbon poisoning.

Regarding the tough economic times, he said it has left many just barely surviving while greed, selfishness, unforgiving and unrepentant hearts flourished in many people.

“We need to have a joint select committee of politicians, businessmen and women, trade unions, teachers, farm workers etc everyone to look at unequitable parallel income and how we assist persons in earning a decent wage befitting wealth of T&T.

“But if we let ourselves off too easily, and fail to see the part we play in our world’s pain and brokenness, we miss the deepest truth of Good Friday—the chance to know an unimaginably forgiving love flowing from the cross,” Williams said.

But, he urged, that if people saw God’s bottomless love, it was one that would face every hurt.

“And if they see God still keep loving and forgiving us even into death, then something new will begin. The cross is all God has to bring us home.

“God is not an emperor who will coerce, a great manipulator in the sky who will force this world to change. The only power God has to change us and to heal our world is to win our hearts—to show us perfect, unstoppable love, a love that keeps pouring out moment by moment,” Williams said.

He said Good Friday also paved the way for forgiveness as God slowed the world a love that can forgive and heal all.

“ This love is ready to absorb the worst of our lives and what we do to each other, to smother all of it in its unimaginable depths, to free us and to draw us into real lives,” Williams added.

Two Coast guardsmen are among 99 people held during police exercises over the Easter holiday weekend in the Southern Division.

The coast guardsmen were held in separate exercises, both for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol. A report stated that on Saturday, PC Ramsaran and other officers were carrying out a breathalyser exercise at Cross Crossing, San Fernando. Around 3.15 am, they stopped a vehicle that was playing music loudly. The occupant, a coast guardsman from Chatham, reportedly attacked the officers after being asked to step out of the vehicle. He was subdued and taken to the San Fernando Police Station where he was administered a breathalyser test. He is expected to appear before a San Fernando magistrate today on charges of DUI, disorderly conduct, assault and resisting arrest. During another roadblock, a coast guard officer from Granville was arrested for DUI. The officer is currently on suspension from the coast guard.

In the weekend operation coordinated by Snr Supt Zamsheed Mohammed and carried out by ASP Ali Mohammed, Insp Don Gajadhar, Sgt Ramroop and others, 23 people were on outstanding warrants, four roadblocks were set up, 104 tickets were issued for traffic offences, 76 people arrested for various offences, 10 people were arrested for DUI, 14 drug blocks were searched and 438 stops and searches were done.

On Friday, officers from the San Fernando CID and Southern Division Task Force searched the King’s Wharf area and found a firearm hidden in an old refrigerator. No one was arrested. Around 2.30 am, Sunday, PC Tika and PC Young were searching hotspot areas. On driving through Lucky Street, La Romaine, they saw a known troublemaker in the area walking with a bag in his hand. On seeing the police, the man dropped a bag and ran off. A Glock 17 pistol loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition and a packet containing six grammes of marijuana was found in the bag.

There is no health without mental health which is just as important as physical and spiritual health.

This means that focus must be placed on depression as a common mental disorder that affects people of all ages, from all walks of life in all countries.

Speaking at a workshop on depression at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Mt Hope last week - PAHO/WHO Country Representative Dr Bernadette Theodore-Gandi described national discussions as timely as she said, “Considering that close to 50 million people in the region of the Americas are living with depression which is about five per cent of the population.”

As the number of people living with depression in the region increased by nearly 17 per cent between 2005 and 2015, Theodore-Gandi said it was appropriate that this year’s celebrations had been launched among a youthful crowd as, “Adolescents and young adults are among the groups particularly affected by depression, along with women who are pregnant or have recently given birth and older adults.”

She added: “Depression causes mental anguish and can prevent people from working and participating in family life and community life. At its worst, depression can lead to suicide.”

With close to 65,000 people dying by suicide every year in the Americas, Theodore-Gandi said T&T was ranked third among countries in the region with a high suicide prevalence rate.

Citing the negative consequences of depression such as high work absenteeism, lower productivity, reduced income, decline in quality and standard of living and family life, increased health costs and welfare expenditure, Theodore-Gandi urged persons to understand that depression was both preventable and treatable.

She said international economic data revealed that by investing US $1 into the scaling up treatment of depression and anxiety, it had led to a US $4 return in better health and a person’s ability to work.

With treatment usually involving therapy or medication, or a combination of both Theodore-Gandi said greater collaboration with the education, employment and social sectors were critical as greater awareness was needed about mental health and reducing the associated stigmas.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is asking the public to hold strain while Government searches for a new vessel for the inter-island ferry service. He made the call yesterday as he said Government refused to be blackmailed into negotiating another five-year contract with the owners of the Super Fast Galicia.

Speaking during CNC3’s Morning Brew as the issue of the public’s woes with the ferry service over the Easter weekend were being discussed, Rowley said the “only assurance” he can give to the people of Tobago is that the Government will do all it can to ensure a proper ferry service is restored as soon as possible.

“The owners of the vessel had taken their boat off the service because the terms that they have demanded of the Government cannot be met,” Rowley said.

“The boat has come to the end of its contract term. The Government had properly sought to negotiate, and in fact there was an agreement confirmed by lawyers that there was an 18-month arrangement in place which would have taken us until October 2017.”

The Super fast Galicia is set to end its run in T&T on Friday after Government refused to enter into a new contract arrangements with its local agent Intercontinetal Shipping.

But Rowley said the situation deteriorated because “the owners have determined that they want a three-year (contract) with a two-year extension.” He said that would have effectively given the owners of the vessel a five-year contract. Furthermore, he said the owners indicated that if that demand was not accepted by the Government “they will pull their boat off the service and they then gave us an ultimatum of Good Friday and that is what we are dealing with now.”

Rowley said the Government found that particular arrangement to be unacceptable. He said the Government would not accept the renewal of such a contract, which he said would have “benefited specific people”.

He stressed: “The Government which I lead will not be so blackmailed and will not countenance that, and that is the cause of the problem.”

Rowley, who was in Tobago for the Easter weekend and was speaking via telephone on the Morning Brew programme, said the Government was now looking for alternative vessels to operate the sea bridge.

He said the recently appointed board of the Port Authority of T&T is tasked with this assignment. He added that the tender process ends on April 24 and at that point the Port Authority will open the tenders to determine what alternative vessels are available and the Government will move expeditiously to choose one of those vessels and to get it to Tobago as quickly as possible, including a vessel from Guyana.

Rowley admitted that in the coming days “there will be some disturbance, there will be some inconvenience.” He said Tobagonians were being asked to “understand what the Government is being asked to deal with, but to rely on the fact that the Government is doing everything possible to solve it in the quickest time.”

He stressed: “The Government is responding to an attempt to extract from the Government and people of T&T the terms and conditions which are unbearable and which are in fact the subject of criminal investigations at this point in time.

He said the Office of the Attorney General was currently “examining the conduct of person or persons who have put the country in this situation and the Office of the AG will report to the country at the appropriate point in time as to what these actions are.” 

GETTING IT RIGHT

In a story on Page A5 of Saturday’s T&T Guardian, headlined, “Ex-prisoner gunned down weeks after freedom,” we inaccurately reported that murder victim Quincy Alleyne has recently been released from prison. Mr Alleyne in fact was never incarcerated. We apologise to his family for the embarrassment caused by error.

A 21-year-old Salybia tradesman charged with a sexual offence against a minor was granted $200,000 bail by a Sangre Grande magistrate yesterday.

Sherlon Pierre appeared before Senior Magistrate Debra Quintyne in the Sangre Grande First Court charged with one count of sexual penetration under Section 18 of the Children’s Act.

The charge was laid by Cpl Felix of the Sangre Grande Child Protection Unit.

When the charge was read to Pierre he was not called upon to plead as the charge was laid indictably.

However, the police prosecutor objected to the granting of bail.

Attorney Jerry Boyer, who represented Pierre, pleaded with Quintyne to be lenient on his client, noting that Pierre was in custody since Sunday and the prosecutor had ample time to conduct a proper investigation and acquire tracing. He said his client should not be deprived of his constitutional liberty due to the inefficiency of the State.

Boyer noted that Pierre had no pending matter, no previous conviction and was not a flight risk. He said he was employed as a tradesman and lived with his parents.

Quintyne then granted Pierre $200,000 bail to be approved by a clerk of peace. She then adjourned the matter to May 11.

It is alleged the victim went on a church camp to Salybia over the weekend. She went on a kayak trip down the Salybia river, but at some stage the accused stop the kayak and asked her to come out. It is alleged the accused then had sex with the victim. The victim subsequently reported to her mother what had happened and they both went to Matura Police Station where a report was made. The Matura police then referred the matter to the Sangre Grande Child Protection Unit.

Cpl Felix took the victim to the Sangre Grande Hospital where she was medically examined. A warrant was then issued for the arrest of the accused and he was held on Sunday.

​​RALPH BANWARIE

A solider and his girlfriend, who are accused of attempting to export a quantity of cocaine hidden in scented candles, have been granted a total of $600,000 in bail.

Collin Clarke, 26, of Cunupia, and Charlene Giles, 24, of Savannah Terrace, Diego Martin, were each granted $300,000 bail after they appeared before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court yesterday. They were also given a cash alternative of $75,000.

The couple was arrested during a sting operation set up by members of the Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau (OCNFB) and the Customs and Excise Division at international courier DHL’s office in El Socorro, San Juan, last Thursday.

They are alleged to have had in their possession a box containing 24 packages of scented candles which were found to contain cocaine. The package, inclusive of the drugs and candles, weighed a total of 1.8 kilogrammes.

Clarke was charged under Section 154 of the Customs Act with attempting to export a prohibited item, while Giles was charged with cocaine trafficking. They were not called upon to plead to the charges as they were laid indictably.

Clarke, who had been enlisted in the T&T Regiment for the past five years, was hit with two additional charges over illegal items found at his home during a routine search after his arrest. He was charged with possession of 50 rounds of ammunition and harbouring a package containing uncustomed goods (items for which no duties were paid) under Section 213 (c) of the Customs Act.

Clarke could not immediately access his bail yesterday, as it did not cover the two charges for possession of the items that were allegedly recovered at his home. He was remanded into custody and ordered to reappear in the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court this morning to answer those charges.

Clarke was represented by Collin Partap and Irshard Ali, while Richard Clarke-Wills represented Giles.

The couple will reappear before Forde-John on May 11.

Coast Guard officer David Elton Clement will have to return to court on May 18 to be sentenced, after he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on Good Friday.

Clement, who yesterday appeared before Magistrate Natalie Diop in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court, was also charged with resisting police officer Surjeet Ramcharan in the course of his duties, behaving in a disorderly manner and driving while playing loud music.

He was arrested around 2.55 am on Friday at Lady Hailes, Cross Crossing, San Fernando. He pleaded guilty yesterday to driving under the influence but not guilty to the three other charges.

Clement was represented by attorney Adele Acosta, who told the court her client is very disciplined and was commended in 2016 for his outstanding dedication to his job. She said he was deeply remorseful and embarrassed and he was not one who regularly partakes in consuming alcohol. She said on the night he was arrested, Clement was drinking light beers and was under the mistaken belief that he was not over the prescribed limit based on the type of beverage he consumed.

Acosta said when he was arrested he had gone to the Cross Crossing in San Fernando with his wife to buy gyros to eat, as he thought the food would have lessened the possible effects the light beers had on his system.

She said this was Clement’s first offence before the courts and there was a Chief Petty Office present in court who was willing to speak on his character.

The lawyer said he stood to be penalised by the Coast Guard if he is convicted of this offence and it would affect his promotions within the service. A part of his job, Acosta said, is driving frequently as he liaises with officers of the army and the police service.

Asking that Clement be spared jail time, Acosta said he is willing to consent to community service or a chance to further mitigate. She said he was also willing to attend Arrive Alive sessions so he could be better informed on drinking and its effects.

Police prosecutor Sgt Kassiram Lutchman said tracing was unavailable and asked that the prosecution be granted time to have Clement traced.

Diop granted the request and allowed Clement to remain on the bail he was granted at the police station. She advised him to register with the probation officer’s office in San Fernando yesterday and deferred sentencing for the DUI until a probation officer’s report could be made available.

When Clement returns to court on May 18, a date will set for trial for the other three charges arising out of the same matter.