Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar have written to Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, congratulating her and the Barbados Labour Party on her “historic” victory at the polls on Thursday.

In a letter dispatched yesterday, Rowley lauded Mottley and the BLP on the resounding victory and re-affirmed his Government’s commitment to strengthening and deepening the already excellent bilateral ties which exist between T&T and Barbados.

Citing the nature of her party’s electoral success, Rowley opined that this was a “clear indication of the confidence that the people of Barbados have reposed in the vision for their future as articulated by you.”

Rowley also said he looked forward to the reopening of a resident Diplomatic Mission in Bridgetown, a move he views as critical to the advance of the bilateral agenda, and to solidifying the exemplary relationship shared by both countries.

Persad-Bissessar, who shares a “good friendship” with Mottley, said the significance of Mottley’s landslide victory “cannot be understated.”

Having shot into the history books in 2010 when she became the first female prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Persad-Bissessar told Mottley “Caricom and indeed the world looked on in awe not only as you became Barbados’ first woman Prime Minister but also leading your party to capturing all 30 seats.”

Mottley, she said, had built a “formidable record” in the political arena and her “determination to succeed, your acumen and strength of spirit are admirable.”

Persad-Bissessar the victory “has already touched so many lives and serves as an inspiration to women and girls to witness the shattering of yet another glass ceiling.”

The region, according to Persad-Bissessar, “has much to be proud of,” as she described Mottley as a “trailblazer in women’s political participation and indeed leadership.”

In her letter dated May 25, Persad-Bissessar expressed the hope that Mottley will “be blessed with good health and continuing good judgement that will allow you to discharge your duties effectively and to the benefit of your countrymen.”

She said she had “noted with great joy,” Mottley’s victory speech, where she declared her win as a “victory for the people of Barbados and indeed I know you will serve them well.”

She added that it was a “source of great pleasure for me to congratulate you, as I am sure you are aware we now share a common place in our hearts for May 24.”

“The campaign is over we need to get back to work.”

Mia Amor Mottley, 52, made the call yesterday after taking the oath as the eighth Prime Minister of Barbados, less than 24 hours after she the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) to a clean sweep in the May 24th election, joining a small group of Caribbean women who have led governments in their countries. And the new Prime Minister got down to work immediately, as she held discussions with officials on the state of the economy.

Mottley wore a canary yellow suit, offset by a multi-coloured but predominantly blue shawl for the swearing-in ceremony at Government House, witnessed by Governor General Dame Sandra Mason, her parents Elliott Deighton Mottley, a barrister who sat in the House of Assembly for a relatively short time, her mother Santa Amor, other relatives, friends and party supporters.

Mottley took the oath with the Bible and swore “true allegiance to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, her heirs and successors.” She also swore to give my counsel and advice to the Governor General “for the good management of the public affairs of Barbados.”

“In all things,” she pledged “I will be a true and faithful Prime Minister.”

Attorney Dale Marshall also took a similar oath as Attorney General.

Speaking to the media afterwards, Mottley said the remaining Cabinet members would be sworn in tomorrow and while she wants the ceremonial opening of Parliament to be held in two weeks there is a logistical challenge to work out as “the Parliament was not built to accommodate 30 seats on one side.”

But she wanted to “get on with the business of setting the country right.”

Immediately after the swearing-in yesterday, Mottley was due to “take briefings on the economy.” Over the course of next week, she said “I hope to put in place a financial discovery team to get a true state of the government finances, we cannot fly blindly.”

She said Barbados “needs consensus to move forward,” and intends to keep Barbadians informed to this end by holding post-Cabinet meetings with the media at least twice a month because “in the absence of an official opposition we have a greater duty to keep the public informed at all times.”

“Deeply humbled,” by the mandate of the population, she said, “We have a responsibility to ensure that all voices will contend in this country, we will ensure the systems will reflect that. My mantra will continue to be many hands make light work.”

The Prime Minister said she had also reached out to social partners to meet on Monday “to set the framework by which we go forward.”

Those meetings with the private sector, unions, churches and non-governmental organisations will be held “twice a month particularly during this period of getting the mission critical right.”

Her priorities are: to stabilise the economy, payment of the foreign debt, stabilising the foreign reserves, addressing issues of transportation, garbage collection and the south coast sewage project.

The Prime Minister is also concerned about the backlog of criminal cases which she said is more than 10,000 at this time. It’s a mandate for newly sworn in Attorney General Dale Marshall, whom she said also has the task of “presiding over the legislative agenda and advising on a number of contracts that have to be reviewed because of the liabilities to which the government is exposed.”

One of the first pieces of legislation to be laid in parliament will be the Integrity Bill.

Asked about the oil sector, she said the country intended to have “emphasis on the maritime jurisdiction.” She recalled that when she was AG “we did arbitration with Trinidad and Tobago and secured 99 per cent of what we had been arguing for years.”

Mottley also made it clear Barbados will remain in the Caribbean Court of Justice.

“We were the government that worked to establish the CCJ,” she said, adding it “represents one of the best examples of independence in a court across the entire globe.”

Her message to regional heads is that Barbados is serious about Caricom, adding the country will attend the heads of government meeting next month in Jamaica. There are two issues Mottley said are priority for Barbados under her leadership, the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) and LIAT.

Barbados is the largest owner of LIAT and Mottley said “there are issues there relating to LIAT that have to be confronted in the next few weeks.”

Mottley has admitted the road ahead will not be easy. The country has a huge national debt and has experienced a decline in tourism, a major source of the country’s gross domestic product.

May 24th, 2018 is now a historic day in Barbados, after that country elected Mia Amor Mottley, political leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), as its first female Prime Minister yesterday.

Mottley’s election came eight years after Kamla Persad-Bissessar was elected as T&T’s first female Prime Minister on the same day in May, and follows in the footsteps of Jamaica’s Portia Simpson-Miller, Dominica’s Dame Eugenia Charles and Guyana’s Janet Jagan.

Sir Ronald Sanders opines that the “essential ingredient” in the rise of these women “was not their gender, but their readiness to take on the rough and tumble of politics.”

Mottley got an overwhelming mandate as the BLP captured all 30 seats in the Parliament. Opponent Freundel Stuart, leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), has taken full responsibility for the defeat of the party which has been in power for the past 10 years, eight of which he held the post of Prime Minister.

As she claimed her hard-fought victory, Mottley continued in the mode in which she campaigned, making the victory not just about her, but the people. She told Barbadians her election was not historic simply because a woman had been elected Prime Minister, but “because people have claimed their future with an interactive mode of governance and that is what we shall give you.”

In the absence of an official Opposition, Mottley said: “We will have to evolve institutional arrangements to allow Barbadians to have a greater say in the governance of the country.”

Her government, she said, was committed to putting in place “a framework for initiatives that come from you.”

It is a signal which Mottley had sent throughout her campaign.

In a frank interview before the May 24th election, Mottley made it clear that she was about service to the people and “communication is going to be critical.”

“Those who expect as Mr (Basdeo) Panday said politics has its own morality, find somebody else, that is not what Mia Mottley is about,” she said.

Her brand of politics has been defined by “Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro,” two men whom she said she has always had “a soft spot for,” while she has also been influenced by Martin Luther King.

Mottley has been leader of the Opposition since 2013, a position she previously held from 2008 to 2010. She is the Member of Parliament for Saint Michael-North East and in the period 1994 to 2008, held a succession of ministerial portfolios.

She first entered politics in 1991, when she lost an election race in St Michael North East against Leroy Brathwaite by less than 200 votes.

Between 1991 and 1994 she was one of two opposition senators in the Upper House, where she was shadow minister of culture and community development. During that time, she also served on numerous parliamentary joint select committees on areas ranging from praedial larceny to domestic violence.

Following the BLP’s victory in the 1994 general election, Mottley was appointed to the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture in September 1994, under Prime Minister Owen Arthur. At the age of 29, she became one of the youngest Barbadians ever to be assigned a ministerial portfolio. During her tenure, she co-authored the White Paper on Education entitled Each Child Matters, which draws the link between better education and job fulfilment.

She was elected General Secretary of the BLP in 1996. In that same year and again in 1997, she served as chairman of the Caricom Standing Committee of Ministers of Education.

Mottley was appointed Attorney-General and Minister of Home Affairs in August 2001 and is the first female (in Barbados) to hold this position. She is also the youngest ever Queen’s Counsel in Barbados. Mottley, who has a trademark deep voice, said “it’s a family affliction,” explaining that both her mother and sister have deep voices.

As BLP leader, Mottley admitted she had “taken a beating on a personal level,” but she takes it in stride.

As she takes up leadership in Barbados, she prays “to remain humble, for discernment to be empathetic, to be tolerant, because those things mean a lot to me. If you want to get on the wrong side of me treat people badly. If you want to get on the wrong side of me be offensive to people in the manner in which you deal with them. I fundamentally believe in fairness and giving people opportunity.”

Barbadians, she said, “know me and those who don’t know me have a sense of who I am. I will continue to keep my heart open to Barbados and my brain open to all ideas where they come from.”

From the platform as she claimed victory on Thursday night, Mottley rallied the nation telling them each person has a role to play.

“We shall do this rebuilding of our Barbados together as a people.”

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar will “pay a hell of a price” for her comments on the issue of on-the-job trainee Nafisah Nakihd being disallowed from wearing her hijab at the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College in St Augustine.

This was the threat from Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha secretary general Satnarayan Maharaj yesterday, as he banned Persad-Bissessar from the school’s compound.

As an immediate punishment for her comments, Maharaj also revoked the invitation given to Persad-Bissessar to deliver the feature address at Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College for its upcoming Indian Arrival Day function. He also warned that Persad-Bissessar will pay a political price in time to come during an interview on his organisation’s TV Jaagriti yesterday.

A clip of that interview was later shared on social media sites.

On Monday, Nakhid was told he could not wear her hijab on the Lakshmi Girls’ compound if she were accepted to do her training there. She subsequently chose to leave the compound, noting she felt discriminated against as a devout Muslim. Maharaj has countered that anyone who is accepted to teach at the school has to conform with its code of conduct, which does not allow hijabs to be worn because it is a religious symbol not affiliated to Hinduism.

The Ministry of Education, agreeing the decision by the school board seemed discriminatory, has since referred the matter to the courts for a ruling.

On Wednesday, Persad-Bissessar joined the chorus of condemnation over the issue and released a statement urging the school’s board to reconsider its decision, and also called on the Minister of Education and Attorney General to move swiftly to have the matter resolved.

Maharaj yesterday took Persad-Bissessar to task for her comments.

“Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, I want to tell you that we are going to free up the Hindu vote. Another thing I want to tell you Kamla, we sent you an invitation for our Indian Arrival Day programme on Wednesday at Lakshmi College, you are due to talk but I want to tell you now I have revoked that invitation, you are not welcome on our compound. Kamla Persad-Bissessar you are not welcome on our compound,” Maharaj said.

“You take for granted...you can behave anyhow, do what you want, eat what you want, drink what you want, play the a.. all over the place and the Hindu is still going to vote for you.

“Kamla those days are over. We are asking the Hindus to free their vote, vote for whichever party has the best programmes, vote for whichever candidate is the best candidate, not because they are Indian and Hindu or woman. The Hindu vote is going to be freed up no more voting because you belong to the same race or the same class. Kamla you are going to pay a hell of a price.”

One of newly-sworn in Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s biggest ‘unofficial’ supporters, international pop star Rihanna, yesterday congratulated her on her achievement.

Replying to a friend on Instagram following the election results yesterday, Rihanna said Mottley “deserves it.”

Mottley later responded by thanking Rihanna for her “love, support and blessings.”

At least two Caricom leaders also extended congratulations to Mottley, the first woman to be elected prime minister of Barbados.

Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell described the victory as “unprecedented”, reminding Mottley that as she faces challenges ahead.

“I am confident that this overwhelming mandate will be used to provide a new opportunity to address the priorities of all the people of Barbados,” Mitchell said.

“Your record of inclusiveness will indeed take on new meaning in this period, as you aspire to live up to the expectations of the people for change and economic advancement; even as you work with your colleagues to advance the regional agenda.”

Mitchell, the only politician to have led his party to a clean sweep of Grenada’s parliament on three occasions, said he was personally looking forward “to working with you in addressing the many common and challenging issues of our time, including promoting the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as our final court.”

“Those of us in the region who view the CCJ as extremely important to the completion of our independence and our own democratic consolidation, must work together to ensure that the Caribbean, as a family, fulfil this objective,” he said.

St Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, who is also chairman of the Organisation for Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), congratulated Mottley, saying this was a historic day, not just for Barbados but also for the Caribbean.

“The people of Barbados have spoken and delivered to Mia Mottley a highly impressive and extraordinary victory and on behalf of the government and people of Saint Lucia, we congratulate the Prime Minister-designate and her team,” Chastanet said.

“I personally congratulate Mia on this achievement and recognise that she has made history in Barbados and the Caribbean, joining an elite group of first female leaders in our region.

“I have no doubt that Ms. Mottley will continue to work for the good of the people of Barbados and the region and we look forward to working with the new administration to advance the causes of the Caribbean and strengthen the bond between our countries. We wish the BLP team much success and continue to wish the people of Barbados much prosperity.”

No rent is being paid at this time for any storing of material at the Kay Donna compound, says Works Minister Rohan Sinanan who has reiterated he has an interest in that parcel of land which the State intends to acquire for the Curepe interchange.

In Parliament yesterday, Sinanan was questioned by Oppositions MPs on his status and/involvement in the matter of Government’s acquisition of the Kay Donna land for the Curepe Interchange.

He said he would have recused himself from any arrangements.

At Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing Sinanan had said he hasn’t benefitted “anything” from Government’s expected acquisition of the land. He said he had declared an interest in the property before and that would have been declared “up front to the Integrity Commission for the last 15 years.”

Finance Minister Colm Imbert, detailing the acquisition process - involving his Ministry’s Valuations unit - assured Sinanan “has absolutely no part to play in this process and if the Minister gets anything at all, it will be based on the Valuation Commissioner’s valuation.”

Yesterday Sinanan said no land has yet been acquired. “But negotiations are ongoing with the relevant parties and State agencies responsible for land acquisition.”

He was asked under what terms and conditions China Railway Construction Ltd had moved on to the Kay Donna compound. Sinanan said negotiations are ongoing “with the relevant parties and permission has been granted for ancillary works.”

Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal sought to find out the rent or fees being paid by the Works Ministry or other agencies to Kay Donna owners for storing materials there. He asked if Sinanan is owner or part-owner of the land to be used for the interchange.

Although House Speaker Brigid Annisette-George did not allow the questions, Sinanan subsequently answered, in replying concerning a time-frame for the acquisition.

Sinanan said,”There is no rental being paid at this time for any storing of material at the Kay Donna compound. I do have an interest in the land at Kay Donna and both parties are hoping at the shortest possible time the relevant agencies responsible for completing negotiations will complete it.”

“The Works and Transport Ministry has no role in the acquisition of the lands and I would have recused myself from any such arrangements,” he said.

Sinanan also said the Galleons Passage ferry was not delayed in Panama for five days. He said it was to scheduled to arrive in Cuba last night or early today. He said minor modifications were needed for Panamanian pilots to board the vessel and the cost was minimal.

UNC activist Devant Maharaj, however, said, “As we embark on Indian Arrival Day celebrations, I note the ‘Fatel Razack’ which brought people to T&T from India in three months in 1845 also came from a location across the world. But the ferry’s taking longer to reach T&T in 2018 than the ‘Fatel Razak’ took to reach T&T in 1845.”

Also during yesterday’s session Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh “bouffed” UNC MP Roodal Moonilal following questions on operationalisation of the Couva Hospital.

Deyalsingh declared the People’s Partnership Government neglected the renovation of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital Central Block, repairing labs at San Fernando General Hospital and Mt Hope Hospital and fixing issues in the Food and Drug and other divisions “to build an 80-bed children’s hospital for $1.9b when the Wendy Fitzwilliam Children’s Hospital is only 70 per cent used — we didn’t need another 80-bed children’s hospital.”

“Those other facilities were critical - not a hospital for children in Couva. (With that) you told the people of Diego Martin, Port-of-Spain and other areas, you didn’t care about them. Worse, you opened the hospital two weeks before election in 2015 and closed it the same day — so why you asking me to operationalise it when you closed it.”

Two assault rifles and a hand grenade were among seven weapons, and a quantity of ammunition discovered by Western Division officers in Maraval during an anti-crime operation yesterday.

The exercise which began at 2 am and ended at 1 pm. It was spearheaded by acting Snr Supt Neville Sankar, and included officers from the Criminal Investigations Department, Maraval Police Station and the Western Division Task Force.

Acting National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds referred to the police exercise in responding to a question from Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal in Parliament yesterday.

Hinds said the operation follows a meeting between National Security Minister Edmund Dillon and divisional commanders of the Police Service on Tuesday.

He said there have been other major police operations since then. The meeting focused on strategies for upgraded technological (intelligence gathering/crime detection) systems and ways to increase synergies and information-gathering networks.

Divisional commanders reported on detection rate improvements, firearm seizures, patrols, surveillance/monitoring mechanisms and evidence gathering and community engagement initiatives. There has been a spike in gang-related murders in the Western Division over the last few weeks.

During yesterday’s exercise, officers executed several search warrants for narcotics and ammunition, at several houses throughout the Maraval area. Officers found two assault rifles, a high-powered shotgun, three pistols, a pistol adapter, eight magazines, 1,000 rounds of assorted ammunition and a hand grenade.

Officers also seized 174 grammes of cocaine and 736 grammes of high-grade marijuana.

Police also confiscated six exotic parakeets and a capuchin monkey, which are considered be be protected species. Thirteen people, all priority offenders, were arrested. Investigations are continuing.

Eleven days after Scotiabank employee Rostan Mahabir was almost killed during a robbery in San Fernando, his alleged attacker, Allister McDavid, appeared in court charged with robbery with violence.

Police said that Mahabir, who remained warded at the San Fernando General Hospital in a serious condition yesterday, expressed happiness when he was told that McDavid had been charged.

Officers also informed his colleagues at Scotiabank, San Fernando of the development.

McDavid, 30, a labourer of Fyzabad, appeared before San Fernando magistrate Alicia Chankar, who read the charge that on May 14, along Penitence Street, San Fernando, he was in possession of a firearm, which he used to rob Mahabir of a laptop bag valued $400 and a Lenovo laptop valued US$1,000, during which time, he used personal violence.

Court prosecutor Sgt Parsan Ramsumair informed the court that neither the stolen items nor the firearm was recovered.

McDavid, who was unrepresented, told the court that he had obtained the services of an attorney but she was not present in court and he could not remember her name. The matter was adjourned to June 22, in the San Fernando Second Court.

Initial reports stated Mahabir, 28, of Carapichaima was just about to enter the bank at the corner of High Street and Penitence Street where he worked as a premier relationship officer. It was just before 8 am when a man approached him and stole his laptop bag, shooting him in the process.

The suspect escaped and Mahabir was taken to the hospital where he underwent surgery. Four days later, McDavid was arrested at a house in Fyzabad by South Western Division Police. He was transferred to the San Fernando CID where he was charged yesterday by Cpl Shaun Mohammed.

Three men are expected to be placed on a series of identification parades this weekend after their reign of terror on unsuspecting bank customers was ended by police.

They were arrested shortly after they robbed an elderly couple on Thursday.

Police said the men, including one who was recently released from prison, were already being sought for questioning for rape, home invasions, robbery and other offences.

Police said the men were staking out customers in the carpark of a bank in La Romaine, San Fernando, looking for potential victims.

Around 1.30 pm, Thursday, a couple, ages 79 and 78, had just withdrawn money from the bank and was driving home. The suspects tailed them in a silver Nissan Tiida and as the couple entered their yard in Duncan Village, the suspects ran out and stole the woman’s bag and left.

In the bag was $250, a pair of eyeglasses valued $3,000 and a cellphone valued at $500. Police officers were contacted and within minutes, an operation was co-ordinated by Snr Supt Zamsheed Mohammed, ASP Peter Ramdeen and Insp Don Gajadhar.

A man suspected in several recent murders in South and Central Trinidad and two Spanish-speaking women were among eight people arrested when police raided an apartment building in Princes Town yesterday.

The operation by Southern Division CID, Southern Division Task Force and the Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit also led to the recovery of two pistols in the apartment, which police will test in order to determine whether they were used in recent crimes.

According to reports, the building along Manahambre Road, Princes Town was under surveillance for some time. Around 3 pm, the teams led by Sgt Ramlogan, Sgt Parasram, Cpl Nanan and Cpl Ramdial raided the building where they found the women.

In another apartment, they found the pistols and arrested six men.

"The On-The-Job Training (OJT) Programme does not discriminate according to race, class, or religion."

This was the assurance by Education Minister Anthony Garcia who yesterday said there was no need to develop parameters via which OJT trainees would now be selected for schools across the country.

Garcia described the OJT Programme as an informal public service initiative which afforded people workplace experience and training.

He said it had nothing to do with a person's religion or ethnicity.

Garcia said "There are persons who are qualified who cannot get a job at the moment and the OJT Programme grants persons the opportunity to get some experience in the workplace."

Administered by the Ministry of Labour, Garcia said successful OJT applicants are presented with either a one-year or two-year contract, depending on the placement.

Asked if a person's race or religion is considered before being placed, Garcia emphatically replied "No."

He said, "If that is done, one can argue that there is discrimination on the basis of race or religion and placements have nothing to do with that."

Denying the placement of Nafisah Nakhid at Lakshmi Girls' Hindu College last Monday was a deliberate move designed to provoke or spite the head of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Garcia said his ministry was not involved in the decision as to who would have been selected for placement.

Uncertain if Nakhid had been placed at another school up to yesterday, Garcia said the entire incident was unfortunate.

Likening Sat Maharaj to a blushing bride waiting to be wooed by the PNM, Barataria/San Juan MP Dr Fuad Khan says he is waiting to see how much money the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha gets from the Government now that he has publicly called on Hindus to disassociate from the UNC.

Responding to Maharaj's condemnation of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for supporting a Muslim OJT teacher Nafisah Nakhid, Khan said he expected that kind of response from Maharaj.

"It is always better not to anger anybody who is at the level of Sat Maharaj. The Hindu base that follows Sat, most of them have died off. The young Hindu really and truly don’t listen to Sat these days," Khan said.

"I hope Sat is not just doing this so that the PNM will feel they could woo him and send more money to the Maha Sabha. I hope its not an excuse for him to be the blushing bride who says I’m available for wooing so send change into my coffers. Let us now look to see how much money he getting from Government."

However, Khan said he agreed with one thing Maharaj said. "I agree with him that people should vote based on what they could do for the country and not based on the religion. At least some sense comes out of his mouth sometimes. That is the only way that people can go forward, when they stop voting based on a religion. I never believed in that."

They will disregard his call—Lee

Meanwhile, Pointe-a-Pierre MP and former UNC chairman Dr David Lee said people will disregard Maharaj's call for disassociation with the UNC.

"I think the citizenry is well educated and I'm sure that when the time comes they will know the correct leader and party," Lee said.

Asked whether the other UNC MP's were in support of Persad-Bissessar's stance, Lee said the UNC caucus had not met on the matter. He said Persad-Bissessar will speak on the issue today when she attends a function at St Joseph.

Maharaj: Regret what?

Responding to Khan yesterday, Maharaj said Fuad should publish the survey he did which shows young Hindus no longer followed his teachings. With regard to his comment about Maharaj waiting to be wooed by the PNM, Maharaj said "Khan is a chameleon. He should ask how much money ASJA is getting from the PNM, how much money the other Muslim groups are getting. Whatever the boards get is in the public accounts and Fuad Khan can check it." Asked whether he regretted his statements about Persad-Bissessar and if he intends to apologise, Maharaj said "Regret what? I am responding to an attack on our integrity and freedom to worship. I won't speculate about that apology."

Four guns and 73 rounds of ammunition have been seized, while 18 people have been arrested for gun and ammunition related offences in south Trinidad.

In the first incident, around 4:45 am on Friday, Sgt Jaggernauth and other officers executed a search warrant at Moolchan Trace, Thicke Village, Fyzabad, where they arrested a 34-year-old electrician for possession of three rounds of 5.56 ammunition. They said the ammunition was found in a car belonging to the electrician.

Hours later, police arrested eight people including two Venezuelan women after one Bernadelli pistol, one Tanfoglio pistol, a black ski mask, and 21 rounds of ammunition were found at a house at Marcano Avenue, Princes Town. The suspects, aged 19 to 34, were charged with possession of arms and ammunition.

In the South Oropouche district, officers led by Sgt Sheldon Ablacksingh went to Ralph Narine Trace where they saw a man acting suspiciously near the savannah. Police said the man ran off and was held a short distance away. A Colt .38 revolver and six rounds of ammunition were found in his pocket.

At 5:45 pm on Friday, Sgt Jaggernath and his team went back to Fyzabad where they executed another search warrant at Gamble Street and found 40 rounds of 9 mm ammunition hidden inside a brown hutch in the living room. Seven people, ages 21 to 30, including three labourers and a nursing assistant were arrested.

Meanwhile, around 2:12 am yesterday, police arrested a Claxton Bay man after a revolver loaded with three rounds of 9 mm ammunition were found in his possession as he walked along Moodie Stewart Street, Marabella.

During an anti-crime exercise in Fyzabad, three other people were arrested for narcotic offences. Among them was a 23-year-old labourer of Tyson Trace, South Oropouche, who was held with four grammes of marijuana; a 32-year-old man of Almond Drive who was arrested for possession of four grammes of cocaine, and a 36-year-old shop proprietor of Easy Street, Fyzabad, who was arrested for three grammes of marijuana.

The accused will appear in the San Fernando and Siparia courts tomorrow.

My name is Neil Marchan and I’m an electronic games store clerk. People say “Marchan” is a part-French name but I really don’t see the French relation to it. I’m from San Juan. I always pronounce “San Juan” properly. I never say, “Sah Woh.” Well, I travel to work so I might ask the driver, “Sah Woh?” The Croisee, is always the “Kway-Zay” though. Being the tallest in any crowd has its advantages. People assume you know more than people of smaller stature. They figure, bigger in size, bigger in thinking.

My younger brother is almost as tall as me. But both my parents are considerably shorter. I’m in a relationship right now. No children, but I want children. Her name is Ayanna Pereira. I hope my sons, when they come of age, will tell me, “Daddy, this is the newest thing in games!” I’m very frightened to start an on-line game like World of Warcraft. If I get too immersed in it, that’s where trouble can start.

I was never a bully in primary school. I was more of a quiet person and, at that age, the quiet ones usually get picked on. So, being picked on was kind of a norm for me. But, because of my size, they kinda thought twice before doing anything more. I remained a fairly quiet person basically throughout all school days, but I mingled a lot more in secondary school. I wasn’t climbing trees as a boy. I was playing video games.

The very first game I played was New Mario Bros for the first-first-first Nintendo system. That blew my mind away, simple as it was back then. I spent way too much time playing that game. I guess that’s what pushed me to say I could do more with playing games than just sit down and play games. I wouldn’t say the PS3 is better than the Xbox. I would say it’s an alternative. It depends on what type of game you want to play on the system. All my friends have PlayStation 3s. They used to have Xbox, but changed. I’m the only one who hasn’t gone PS3. As yet, I cannot play against my friends on-line on an Xbox.

The average gamer is going to be a bit of a nerd. I have a little bit of a talent for spotting a video gamer when I see one. It’s something like a brotherhood, but more of an unseen sort of communication. Most gamers have the same mentality and the outward appearance follows that mentality: how they dress; how they act; how they communicate. There’s a concept of “gaydar,” where gay people recognise one another, and I’d say that, to some extent, there’s a concept of “gamer-dar.” If there were two gamers in a crowd of 30 and I was given a chance to interact with all 30, I’d probably pick out the two gamers.
I don’t think there’s a “gaming community” in Trinidad.

Most gamers are guys. But gaming is not really a guy thing. I have turned my significant other into a gamer. I loaned her my PSP (PlayStation Portable) and she’s addicted now. She asking, “So when am I getting the PS3?” Most gamers tend to listen to the same type of music. Which is a little bit of everything. Music and gaming are very much intertwined. Listening to the right sort of music mentally gears up your mind and adds to the experience. Racing games tend to have fast, upbeat music. Is not really to say video games are for nerds. Most of the so-called nerds are people like me: they quiet; they don’t interfere with others or look for fights. They’re peace-going. So they tend to look for things along those lines.

I read books relating to gaming or comics. And the occasional newspaper. I’ll watch movies based on electronic games but with a very heavy heart. Most of the time, they get details and facts wrong. To a diehard gamer or comic reader, it’s very annoying. There are many types of games: adventure games; shooting games; role-playing games. I don’t really play RPGs. I’ll play a couple of shooters—Halo is one of my all-time favourites—but it’s mostly adventure, platform or hack-and-slash games. Mini-quest games. Bottom line of my job: I’m there to sell. Games. Systems.

Very few people come in and say, “I want this game.” Normally, people don’t know what they want to buy. The first thing I ask is, what type of game you like to play? Based on their answers, I deduce the most appropriate game for them to buy. Games aren’t cheap so it’s important to recommend the best-suited game. Last thing I want is someone complaining, “You sell me this game and I don’t like it!” The oldest gamer I sold to is around 60. The youngest will be six or younger. Most are teens or in their early 20s.
The best part of the job is selling to the young-young kids. Just to see their face light up when they get their game!

The down side is people might have second thoughts about games and ask a million and one questions. But, again, too, you expect that so it’s not really a down side. It’s more of an up side, actually.
A Trini is a survivor. No matter what happens around us, we manage to provide for our loved ones. And we have a knack for getting along. Trinidad and Tobago is a place where I am happy living. We don’t have major riots or anything extremely bad happening to the country.  It’s hard raising up a family anywhere in the world nowadays but, as compared with outside, it’s much easier here.

Read a longer version of this feature at www.BCRaw.com

The Anti-Gang legislation will come into effect from Monday, giving the police the all clear to pursue and prosecute all members from criminal gangs.

Sources said the Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit (OCIU) of the T&T Police Service has been keeping close tabs on approximately 2,459 suspected gang members nationwide whose names, whereabouts, and alleged activities are known to authorities.

In a statement from the Attorney General's office yesterday, it was said that Cabinet had given instructions to President Paula Mae-Weekes to proclaim the Anti-Gang Act, 2018 on Monday, having had written approval from the Cabinet, Judiciary, and the T&T Police Service.

Meant to strengthen the criminal justice system and assist law enforcement in its fight against crime, the act was passed in Parliament on May 4 and assented by the President on May 15. However, it did not come into force immediately as Section 2 of the act stated it shall come into operation upon proclamation.

"As such, the Government immediately commenced the process of consultation to ensure readiness by the key stakeholders for the implementation of the act," the AG's office said.

The release stated that the ad-hoc proclamation of the act under the People's Partnership resulted in millions of dollars in payments by the State for wrongful arrest in the failed state of emergency.

"In all the circumstances this Government was keen to ensure that only upon official consultation and confirmation by stakeholders that instructions were issued for the proclamation of the Anti-Gang legislation. The Commissioner of Police informed by way of letter dated May 23 that the T&T Police Service supports the immediate proclamation of the Act. The Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit (OCIU) is in a position to take a leadership role in the pursuit of criminal gangs and the prosecution of the members and leaders of such gangs," the release said.

In a letter dated May 24, the Judiciary also informed that it had no objection to the Government proceeding to proclaim the act.

Once the act is proclaimed, the TTPS will be tracking down and arresting all gang leaders.

During an interview late last year, AG Faris Al-Rawi said the OCIU had been hard at work gathering intelligence across the nine police divisions. He said the act will help in rooting out criminal elements and reducing T&T's crime rate.

Yet another voice representing the Hindu community in T&T is speaking out against Satnarayan Maharaj’s call for Hindus to “free their vote” and support his ban on Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar from the Lashkmi Girls' Hindu Collage compound in St Augustine.

Businessman Surujdeo Mangaroo, who told the T&T Guardian his statement was not linked to or on behalf of the National Council of Indian Culture to which he is an affiliate, took to his Facebook page yesterday to give his perspective on the content of Maharaj’s interview on Friday on TV Jaagriti and to affirm his concurrence with the boycotting of this year’s Maha Sabha Indian Arrival Day celebrations.

In the “Sat holds no Hindu hostages,” headline release, Mangaroo said the Maha Sabha over the years have fooled themselves to believe that their stranglehold on the Hindu schools and mandirs equate with some command of the Hindus who patronise these establishments.

Mangaroo slammed Maharaj for what he describes as abhorrent and vile statements made by the Hindu leader on Friday. He said Maharaj is unbecoming of the largest Hindu organisation of T&T and labelled his vocal attack on Persad-Bissessar as the “last straw,” of Maharaj’s opinionated and contentious spews. Mangaroo underscored what made the attack even worse was the fact that it came in response to Persad-Bissessar’s defending of the constitutional rights of a Muslim female on-the-job trainee.

“The issue is not of religious rights but of simple human rights and dignity. Maha Sabha media last Friday humiliated the large cross section of the Hindu community. It is prehistoric positions as this one on the hijab that has resulted in the pulling away to form a multitude of rival organisations and mass conversions over the years,” Mangaroo said.

Mangaroo said Maharaj misrepresented that the Hindu community was now free to support whoever they wanted. He asked Maharaj to explain just when the Hindu community was imprisoned by any one Hindu organisation.

Political analyst Dr Indira Rampersad says Sat Maharaj and the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) do not command a political base as it is a religious organization. She also said Hindus were free to vote for whoever they liked.

She was commenting on the declaration by the secretary general of the organization Sat Maharaj that it will be freeing up the Hindu/SDMS votes.

Rampersad said yesterday “We have to remember that a day in politics is like a lifetime and two years are multiple lifetimes. So we have two years to go and in that time, everything said by Maharaj will more than likely be long forgotten and that impinges on the implications for the future and Persad-Bissessar.

“The Hindu vote does not belong to the SDMS. It is the largest body representing Hindus, but is a religious organization and has never been perceived so much as a political organization.

“It was not a question of freeing up votes because no one was obligated to vote in any particular way, members have voted for the PNM, UNC, COP, and a multiplicity of small parties and never committed themselves to any organization.”

She said Maharaj himself flirted with the PNM, his daughter, Vimala Tota-Maharaj was a senator with the UN, and the organisation was at one time with the COP.

Rampersad said there was a core separation between church, State and politics, however there were overlaps, but the church did not carry political bases and neither the SDMS.

The ministry should have been more sensitive—Sagewan-Alli

Political analyst Indera Sagewan-Alli, meanwhile, said the blame rested firmly at the feet of the Education Ministry that was totally insensitive to a country where even though there was some degree of tolerance, there was also a high degree of intolerance and intolerable practices among the varied religions and ethnic groupings.

She said that was the reality in T&T that cannot be hidden from a Government and a ministry especially one in education.

Sagewan-Alli said they should have been extremely sensitive to this reality and make a much better choice than to send a young girl wearing a hijab to a Hindu school which catapulted the entities into this situation.

She said the conversation should have been how to ensure equitable and transparent treatment of all people and their circumstances in T&T.

Sagewan-Alli said every individual in the country had the responsibility to decide who they wanted to put in Government with their voting finger.

1 head shot

Twenty-two-year-old Daniel Fevecque is this country’s latest murder victim. The father of a two-year-old girl was gunned down on a construction site at Shine Street, Port-of- Spain, yesterday around 1.30 pm.

Reports are that Fevecque, from Gonzales, was in the company of co-worker Keith Walcott at a building where they were both working when a gunman opened fire on them killing Fevecque instantly.

Walcott who was also shot was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital for treatment. The building where Fevecque died was said to be owned by One Caribbean Media/Trinidad Express.

Police said there has been no known motive for the killing but suspects it was gang related. Fevecque’s killing has pushed the murder toll in T&T to 216 for 2018.

Man stabbed to death

Stabbed multiple times, a man believed to be a missing Penal construction worker was found lying dead in a drain off the Penal/Quinam Road yesterday.

Last night his parents were waiting to identify the corpse which matched the description of their son, who was last seen alive on Thursday.

Investigators said they received a tip off around 1 pm and officers led by Sgt Jaggernauth went to Penal/Quinam Road where they saw the body lying face down.

He was wearing blue jeans and a white and grey polka dot shirt. There were multiple stab wounds to the body. District Medical Officer Dr Rassia visited the scene. Officers from the Homicide Bureau led by PC Cromwell and Cpl Mungalsingh transported the body to the San Fernando mortuary where an autopsy is expected to be done tomorrow once his identity is confirmed.

The deceased is believed to be a 27-year-old from Mulchand Trace, Penal Rock Road, who was a roof and metal fabricator.

Girl, 12, still missing

Samdayah Singh raised her 12-year-old granddaughter Hailey Kinsale from birth and on Thursday her worst fears were realized when Kinsale failed to return home.

The 12-year-old child had gone to play with friends at the basketball court near her Roy Joseph Street, San Fernando home. When night came and she failed to come home, Singh grew worried

Fearing the worst, Singh walked over to her friends' homes but they all said she was not there.

Singh said she did not believe that Kinsale ran away since she was not that type of child.

Singh said Kinsale's parents were very worried about her.

"If anybody have her, please send her home. She is only 12," Singh pleaded.

She also denied that Roy Joseph Street was a crime hotspot saying she lived there for 32 years and Kinsale was known by everyone. Saying she did not know if Kinsale was abducted or if she went away with someone.

Anyone with information on Kinsale's whereabouts can contact police at 999, 555, 911, any police station or call 800-TIPS.

RADHICA DE SILVA

“Boycott Maha Sabha’s annual Indian Arrival Day celebrations!”

This was the call of a Hindu Spiritual leader via a Facebook post release yesterday.

Satyanand Maharaj, of the Satya Anand Ashram Temple of Truth and Bliss, was responding to Sat Maharaj’s “vexation” call on Friday on TV Jaagriti, for Hindus in T&T to “free their votes” in the upcoming 2020 general election.

In his release, Maharaj told Hindus in T&T who did not agree with the sentiment, to boycott the popular Hindu organisation’s annual Indian Arrival Day Celebrations on May 30, 2018.

He said the secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha was unprincipled and archaic in his position regarding the “no hijab wearing” issue in Hindu schools run by the Maha Sabha board. And went on to describe the organisation’s stance as an embarrassment to the Hindu community of T&T.

“The crude and loutish rant of Sat Maharaj on Friday via the Maha Sabha media radio/TV Jaagriti, only underscores the issues surrounding the hijab. With the exception of few die-hard Maha Sabha supporters, there is little support for the banning of the OJT’s hijab and how it was done by Sat.”

The hijab issue remains a very divisive one, he said. “The educated young Hindu along with others do not identify with the antiquated thinking of Sat’s Maha Sabha of exclusion.”

Last Tuesday the story of OJT Nafisah Nakhid broke when she posted her experience on social media of being disallowed to perform teaching duties at the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College in St Augustine, because of her religious wear.

The story sparked outrage by some citizens, even from the Hindu community and subsequently received the attention of former opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who issued an official release in support of Nakhid.

Her decision to do so was also met with fire from Sat Maharaj, on the same televised show, where he viciously “clapped back” at Persad-Bissessar calling her a hypocrite and warning her that she would “pay a hell of a price” in the 2020 general election for her open support for Nakhid. He also banned Persad-Bissessar from the school’s compound where she was due to deliver an address on Indian Arrival Day.

In Persad-Bissessar’s defense, Maharaj called for the boycott of the celebrations. “It is incumbent on the Hindu community to send an unmistakable message to the Maha Sabha that the position of Sat Maharaj is unacceptable...”

Murdered school footballer Noah Simmons made a difference in his crime-riddled community before his life was snuffed out and in remembrance of him, the Marabella Family Crisis Centre has named their football field in his honour, calling it Noah’s Ark.

During a charity football match between youths of Shiva Boys College and Marabella Family Crisis Centre, held in honour of Simmons at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium yesterday, MP for Pointea- Pierre Dr David Lee presented a cheque to Bossiere to assist in setting up the Ark.

Lee said the Ark will offer a chance to youths to improve their lives even though their community was infiltrated by criminals.

Chief Executive of the centre Terrence Bossiere said the Ark will be a haven for the youths of the Marabella Trainline who wanted to be freed of poverty and criminal elements. He said five youths currently sleep in the Centre even though it does not have proper windows or a back door.

“Football is the love for the youths. We have a ground where we need to do some work because there are stray dogs around and we always have to be cleaning up. We will fence it around. There is a homework centre there as well and we have OJT’s coming and helping the Trainline children with their homework. There are youths who face challenges and need security and safety.

We provide it. The Trainline children get school assistance from OJT students on Mondays and Wednesdays and we have seen the benefits because our children are now passing for good schools,” Bossiere said.

Saying Noah was his mentor, Bossiere said the Ark will be open to the people of the Trainline and sports will be used as a deterrent to crime.

Noah was shot dead at a cousin’s home at Marabella on May 8, the day he turned 16, by a man who warned him to stop speaking to a girl in the community. He was a star footballer at Shiva Boys College and was instrumental in the success of the school when it took home the championship title for the Under-14 team in 2016.