Under the tenure of National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, 1,355 people have been murdered from 2015 to date and Dillon needs to offer his resignation now—or be removed says United National Congress MP Rodney Charles.

And some of the relatives of murder victims showed up outside the Parliament yesterday—along with a crowd of other protesters—to add their voices to the Opposition’s calls for Dillon to step aside or be removed. (See editorial on Page A14)

“My son, Keon Sylvester died one month ago,” Jacqueline Sylvester-Rodriguez said outside Parliament.

“I’m unable to eat, sleep or afford a funeral home. But no-one’s been held regarding his murder! And every day I see more! I’m hurting! I’m like all mothers who’re experiencing this and there are many like me - I’ve lost all confidence in National Security.”

She addressed her cries to Dillon, who had come outside the Parliament to see a handful of People’s National Movement supporters near the crowd. He was urged to hear protesters who Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi had stopped to listen to. (C BX).

Inside the Parliament, UNC’s Charles, in an impassioned delivery of a motion of no confidence against Dillon, reeled off the names of 14 murder victims from his Naparima constituency. He noted 61 murders in May alone - a historic high - and the murders of 50 women who had sought protection orders.

“The Minister has failed women who need protection in T&T,” Charles said.

“Our borders are porous, the Coast Guard is being called the ‘Ghost Guard’—you can’t see them. So we’ve also lost our country, every third woman in T&T is Spanish, everywhere in San Fernando you hearing Spanish.”

Over 2016-2017 Charles said, 1,062 men and 118 women were killed. Some 68 per cent of murders were in the age group 16 to 45 years - the most productive years, with 30 per cent alone in the age group 25 to 35 years. Murders since 2016 also include almost 70 foreigners from Chinese to Guyanese and others, he said.

“People in T&T have been strangled, throats slit, beaten to death, chopped, burnt, stabbed - and 74 per cent shot. The more guns the police seize, the more murders have been committed,” Charles added.

He said murders have been highest in the Northern, Central and Southern Divisions.

“Dillon said in Parliament he was unaware of Port-of-Spain gang wars. The (promised) Enterprise police station hasn’t been built,” he added, saying murders have cost T&T $10-$15 billion in lost productivity as well as tourism business.

Up to now, he added, nobody also knows if the Carnival disruption plot was real.

“Criminals can kill because they know they won’t be caught. If a National Security Minister is unable to bridge the gaps in security, it’s your patriotic duty to resign,” Charles added, calling on the Prime Minister to remove Dillon if he didn’t quit.

Emotional protest outside House

“How long again?”

These were among cries from a crowd of protesters who yesterday called for National Security Minister Edmund Dillon’s resignation outside Parliament.

Kevin Sylvester, brother of murder victim Keon Sylvester, of Diego Martin, said, “My brother was a taxi driver making a trip when he was killed. I’m not a political person but we need to stand up in T&T for all who can’t stand up on this situation.”

Marvin Daniel said his relative Wilton France, of Laventille, was also killed while working a taxi.

“But why they can’t hold anybody for this yet?” he too asked.

Jenny Nicholas, who said she’d lost relatives to crime, said it was time for Dillon to resign.

“He’s failed us miserably, we didn’t come here today to represent any party, we came to tell the country we’re crying too much blood every day - every day it’s a murder. We’re scared to go outside to do anything, even work—it’s time for this to stop!” Nicholas added emotionally.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says there is no question that Trinidad and Tobago has been “and continues to be assailed by an unacceptable level of criminal conduct,” but he is also concerned about a small group of citizens who were spreading lies about criminal conducts on social media which were traumatising citizens further.

And he is also hoping the country will have a new police commissioner in the not too distant future.

Addressing a gathering at a ‘Conversation with the Prime Minister’ in Mt. Lambert last night, Rowley said there is a “small minority of people” who were not satisfied with the level of criminal activity in the country “so they go on the internet and they import other people’s misconduct and ascribe it to Mt Hope, Tunapuna, or Enterprise and traumatise people in their homes.” He said very frequently citizens have to rely on the police to send out bulletins “to tell you don’t take that seriously, it is not Trinidad and Tobago.”

Rowley prefaced his concerns by saying in doing his job as Prime Minister, he’s doing so in a”unique period” where it’s extremely difficult to get information to the public without battling “against a mountain of either naked lies, misinformation, mischief or just outright nakedness.”

He said it’s not that it made the job harder but “it makes the population’s ability to discern fact from fiction harder. It makes the population experience trauma, where no trauma exists.”

Responding to concerns raised by Petit Bourg/Mt Lambert councillor Darren Winchester about the process for appointing a CoP, Rowley said there was a time when the process was simple and the service commission would select someone and the PM would have a veto. But he said that system was changed to give the Police Service Commission the power to appoint one and what is currently in place “is far worse.

Now it is subject to naked partisan politics.”

He said the current arrangement “costs millions of dollars and reputations”, but made it clear “Government and the Prime Minister have no say on the matter.”

The Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) should be replaced with a more independent and transparent body.

This is the main recommendation made by the seven-member committee appointed by the Law Association to review the recruitment process for judges, magistrates and other legal officers employed by the State, such as the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Solicitor General Department and Chief Solicitor’s Department.

The committee, chaired by former Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Judge Desiree Bernard, yesterday presented its 67-page report on the issue to the Council of the Law Association at its office in Port-of-Spain.

According to the report, the committee recommended replacing the JLSC, which currently recruits and disciplines judges, magistrates and all State attorneys at Government ministries and agencies, with a new Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC).

While the JLSC currently comprises of the Chief Justice (CJ), the head of the Public Service Commission (PSC), a retired Appellate Judge and two persons with legal qualifications, the committee suggested that the JAC comprise of seven members. All the members except the CJ and the head of the PSC are currently selected by the President.

The seven members suggested are the CJ, a retired Court of Appeal Judge, a senior attorney nominated by the Law Association, an attorney selected by the President, a human resource professional and two outstanding members of civil society, who would be selected by the President after consultation with the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.

Addressing members of the media at the event, Law Association President Douglas Mendes, SC, suggested that such a body would ensure that process is more democratic.

He said: “It is to expose the process to different voices and perspectives that the commission is not automatically exposed to now.”

Also speaking at the event, committee member Terrence Farrell stated that one of the most keenly debated recommendations was whether the CJ should remain as head of the body.

Farrell explained that they decided that the CJ should remain in place but that the new body should only focus on judges and magistrates as opposed to thousands of State attorneys as well.

Apart from replacing the JLSC, the committee also recommended that the new body should publish the eligibility criteria and the process of selection as there are no extensive official publications on the issues, currently.

Other major recommendations in the report include increasing the retirement age for judges from 65 to 70 and to allow judges to return to private practice after five years after resignation or retirement. Currently, the time period for doing so is 10 years.

“By extending the retirement age to 70, it would allow practitioners, who have met their financial obligations and are willing to give up a very lucrative practice, to enjoy what may be a ten year period on the bench,” Mendes said.

The report is now expected to be discussed by the association’s council, which would then decide whether to accept the recommendations or make amendments. The report will then be disseminated to the association’s members and members of the public. The association is expected to hold public consultations on the recommendations before it moves on to recommending that Parliament implement them.

ABOUT THE COMMITTEE

The committee was appointed by the association in June, last year, amid public furore over the short-lived judicial of former Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar.

After almost two weeks in the post, Ayers-Caesar was allegedly forced to resign amid protests over the 53 cases she left unfinished when she took up the appointment. Ayers-Caesar is currently suing Chief Justice Ivor Archie and members of the JLSC for allegedly pressuring her to resign.

The committee was chaired by former Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Judge Desiree Bernard and included attorneys Rajiv Persad, Rishi Dass, Vanessa Gopaul and Tracy Robinson. Economists David Abdulah and Terrence Farrell, also sat on the committee. The committee held public consultations across T&T and with several judicial stakeholders including current members of the Judiciary and retired judges.

The Galleons Passage will not be sailing to this country immediately, as stated by Finance Minister Colm Imbert, but will remain in Cuba to allow remedial work which the seller agreed to complete, according to the National Infrastructure Development Company.

The new information was released in a statement yesterday and an estimated departure date of July 10 from Cuba was announced.

Earlier this week Imbert told the country that the Cubans were unable to retrofit the vessel and that the government had asked that it be brought to Trinidad and Tobago immediately.

Imbert told the Senate that the Government had taken a decision to “bring the vessel to T&T immediately,” because the seller said although fabrication of one of the canopies had begun, they were having difficulty in getting an airline or shipping company to transport some of the remaining equipment and materials to Cuba. Imbert said Cuba is still “an embargoed country for many countries. Cuba accepts shipments from some European states and doesn’t apparently make it very easy for shipments from countries like Australia.”

Yesterday, Nidco, which has the responsibility for the vessel, confirmed that works which the seller had agreed to do are being done in Cuba.

Those works were identified as: the sealing of the gap between the ramp door and the hull of the vessel, fabrication and installation of the framing for the forward canopy on the vehicle deck, to protect against sea spray and installation of additional anchor rings to secure vehicles on the vehicle deck.

Nidco said those works were “specified in the Memorandum of Agreement, between Nidco and Sealease Limited of Hong Kong (the seller), to better equip the vessel for use on the seabridge.”

The date is confirmed by Nidco which confirmed yesterday that the vessel remains docked at the Damen Shipyard in Santiago, Cuba where works agreed to by the seller Sealease Limited of Hong Kong are being done.

Nidco’s update included pictures of the installation of framing for the canopy on the vehicle deck and fabrication of framing for canopy on the vehicle deck.

Nidco said the works being done are the “contractual responsibility of the seller,” and “all associated costs” are being borne by the seller.

On completion Nidco said the works will be “surveyed by the Classification Society’s surveyor, Lloyd’s Register, prior to the vessel’s departure from Cuba.”

Nidco said on its arrival in Trinidad, the owner’s proposed enhancements will be done on a phased basis, while the vessel is in service.

These enhancements include the installation of full canopies over the sundeck, installing and outfitting additional male and female washroom facilities on the sundeck, installing café/bar facilities on the starboard and port side of the sundeck, remodelling of urinals in the men’s washroom and removal of the existing trough urinals provided, and installing of fixing rails for new seating on the passenger deck, with the existing bench seating to be replaced with Beurteaux passenger contoured seats.

Imbert had put a price tag of US$350,000 (TT$2.35 million) on the retrofitting works to be paid for by Nidco.

A 54-year-old businessman from Westmoorings, accused of fraudulently renting out two barges owned by the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA), has been granted $2 m bail.

Chris Ramsawak, of Schooner Court, Westmoorings, was granted the bail by Magistrate Kerri Honore-Narine after appearing before her in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court yesterday, slapped with 32 money laundering charges over the $8.6 million in rental charges he allegedly collected between October 2015 and April, this year.

Ramsawak was also charged with two offences of obtaining $6,132,105 and US$362,500 through false pretences from the oilfield servicing company that rented the barges.

Ramsawak, the owner of Chris Distribution Limited based in Chaguaramas, was not called upon to plead to the charges.

In applying for bail for Ramsawak, his attorney Wendell Williams claimed that the father of five had a clean criminal record.

However, police prosecutors claimed that he had a pending drunk driving case from 2015. Although Williams claimed that the charge was dismissed, prosecutors were told to report back on the issue on the next hearing on July 20.

Police prosecutors also asked Honore-Narine to impose conditions on Ramsawak’s bail as they suggested he was a flight risk because he owned property in the United States.

Ramsawak was arrested by Fraud Squad detectives at the Piarco International Airport, shortly after he returned to Trinidad from a trip to Miami last Sunday.

Williams denied the allegations as he pointed out that Ramsawak was in the US when he heard of the allegations and chose to return home voluntarily.

Honore-Narine agreed as she ordered Ramsawak to surrender his passport and to refrain from applying for a new one while his case is pending. She also ordered that he report to his nearest police station four times a week.

Honore-Narine placed him on two $1 million bail bonds as some of the offences are alleged to have occurred in Port-of-Spain with the others allegedly being committed in San Fernando.

The investigation was led by Senior Supt Totaram Dookhie, ASP Kent Ghisyawan, Sgt Cornelius Samuel, PC Keston Williams and legal officer Vinel Bassarath.

A boxing coach, communications officer, photographer, HSE officer, housewife and a guidance officer are the candidates contesting the Barataria and Belmont East electoral districts in the July 16 by-election.

For the Belmont East district, the United National Congress (UNC) has announced Lianna Babb-Gonzales, the People’s National Movement (PNM) candidate is Nicole Young while the Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) has offered Felicia Holder.

Contesting the Barataria district for the UNC is Sharon Maraj-Dharam, PNM’s Kimberly Small while Christoph Samlal is PEP’s choice.

The seats in the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation and Port-of-Spain City Corporation became vacant following the death of councillors Pernell Bruno on July 8, 2017 and Darrly Rajpaul on November 18, 2017.

As a newcomer to the political arena, Samlal, 25, a full-time photographer, said he wants to educate, inform and empower electors to have a better options when they go to the polls.

Samlal said he was willing to give up his successful business for the sake of serving his community “because I firmly believe that we cannot reach far if we leave others behind. Progress we must do altogether.”

As a community oriented individual, Samlal said Barataria has been plagued by wanton neglect while burgesses lacked proper representation.

Two weeks ago, Maraj-Dharam, 55, gave up being a housewife and full-time mother of two to enter politics.

Having seen the state Barataria has degenerated with a spate of robberies, unemployment and total neglect, Maraj-Dharam said there was a common cry among burgesses that they have been poorly represented.

As a community activist and having served as a polling agent for the UNC, Maraj-Dharam, who is unemployed, promises to serve the people if elected.

She said her humility gives her the edge over the PNM’s candidate.

“My humility is my strong point. I always try listen to what someone has to say because I believe that the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

Small, who is completing her MSc in Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health at UWI, St Augustine, made her mark in the PNM ten year ago as a youth speaker and has mobilised Barataria’s youths during three successful election campaigns.

She is currently a Health, Safety and Environment officer at a research institute.

“After working closely with our councillor, the late Mr Bruno, I was motivated by his passion for his burgesses and the positive impact of his efforts on their lives.”

Small took up the big challenge to contest the district, promising to bring comfort, safety and security to all burgesses if she get their support.

Boxing coach and pre-school teacher Babb-Gonzales, 45, a mother of three, has promised to knock out her opponents when she gets into the ring.

“Since canvassing in the community I have been warmly embraced by all.”

With Belmont being a PNM stronghold, Babb-Gonzales said with the disenchantment on the ground by the grassroots, the votes may very well swing in the UNC’s favour.

Affectionately called Ras and Reds, Babb-Gonzales said her home-town is faced with a plethora of problems, ranging from shortages of pipe-borne water, deplorable roads, land erosion and lack of public garbage bins.

Holder, 30, a communication officer who resides in Belmont, holds the view that the country is in dire need of change.

She said PEP wants citizens to realise that they deserve far better and power lies in their hands. “Nothing has changed in the country in the last 56 years…so why are we going back to the same old? The people who have been presenting solutions now are the same ones who have presented solutions three years ago in the Local Government Election and we have seen no change for the better. If they are coming with the same rhetoric, why not look for something different or another option?”

She said there were few opportunities offered to young and talented people which needed to be addressed.

As an advocate for the voice of change and progress, Young said she has spent her entire life helping people and empowering youth and communities.

She has worked with the St Jude’s School for Girls, Rebirth House Drug Rehabilitation Centre and the National Domestic Violence Hotline by providing counselling and advice to those in need.

She also hopes to establish workshops for young girls and women so they can live healthy lifestyles.

A 25-year-old La Romaine man who allegedly raped a woman during a robbery at her home has been denied bail.

T’shad Brewster, of Pemberton Street, appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates Court charged with four offences arising from that incident.

He also faced two additional charges stemming from a separate robbery.

It is alleged that he and another person robbed the 51-year-old woman of $485, a pair of gold earrings valued $200, a pendant and chain valued $11,000 and a $4,000 bera at her home on June 6.

It is alleged that they also assaulted her 56-year-old brother with intent to rob him. It is further alleged that Brewster raped the woman and committed grievous sexual assault against her.

Brewster was charged by PC Crawford. He is also jointly charged with Aaron Moses, 18, of Ethel Street, La Romaine, with robbing two men in La Romaine on May 31.

The victims had gone there to inquire about a Facebook advertisement of a vehicle for sale. Instead, they were accosted by two men, armed with a gun and knife, who robbed them of two phones together valued $9,000 and $512 cash. The charges were laid by PC Basdeo.

Brewster was arrested in San Fernando on Monday while Moses was arrested in La Romaine on Tuesday.

Second Court Magistrate Alicia Chankar remanded them into custody for the police to determine if they had been previously charged with any other offences. They are expected to reappear in court on July 20.

T&T could expect $23 billion in investments in the downstream energy sector over the next four years, according to “a secret” Ministry of Energy document.

The projects have the potential to create thousands of jobs during construction and hundreds of high-paying jobs when operations begin.

The document, obtained by the Sunday Guardian, identifies six projects that National Energy is actively pursuing and which the company feels confident of bringing to fruition. The projects range from a methanol to polyolefin plant, two aluminium-based, and one melamine-based downstream operation.

However, an energy economist has warned that the Government should be careful not to count the proverbial eggs before they hatch. The document notes that except for the methanol to olefins complex, the other projects do not require significant natural gas.

However, there is caution since for the last five years T&T has had natural gas shortages, creating possible difficulties for any new investments.

The projects list includes:

1. An Aluminium Ingot Processing Wire and Cable Plant.

2. An Aluminium Ingot Processing Flats Complex.

3. A Solar Park Cluster comprising four plants.

4. A Methanol to Polyolefin plant.

5. A TTPV Wind plant.

6. A Derivative Melamine-based project.

The document reads: “The estimated capital investment for these projects is US $3.5 Bn. All of these projects except for the Methanol to Polyolefin Project are expected to use a minimal volume of natural gas.

The estimated gas usage for the Aluminium Ingot Processing Flats Complex is circa 14 Million standard cubic feet per day and for the Methanol to Polyolefin in 1.73 million tonnes per annum.”

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has in the past indicated that there were several energy projects which the Government was working on, but which they were not ready to announce.

The Sunday Guardian reached out to National Energy for details on the projects including their various stages of development. The company argued that it could not give details because of confidentiality agreements and the fear that speaking publicly could compromise the integrity of negotiations.

National Energy’s email response stated: “National Energy consistent with its mandate from GORTT is currently developing a range of projects in the national interest of Trinidad and Tobago.

These projects are at varying stages of development and are the subject of Confidentiality Agreements with respective stakeholders.

Therefore, any disclosure of the details of projects at this juncture would compromise the integrity of the Agreements. When projects are developed to an appropriate stage, public announcements would be issued by the relevant entities.”

ECONOMIST: A ‘LITANY OF PROJECTS’ THAT MAY OR MAY NOT COME TO FRUITION

However, Energy Economist Gregory McGuire said while it is good that National Energy is pursuing these projects because it shows that there is interest in them from potential investors, the reality is that they are merely a “litany of projects” that may or may not come to fruition.

McGuire points out that many of these very projects were being worked on during the Patrick Manning administration with companies keen to invest in the country, and then the financial crisis hit, the gas shortage became apparent, and a decade later there is no investment decision.

“If I were the Government I would not even speak of these projects until I have an investment decision. Projects have a long gestation decision, and no one knows for sure if they will be successful, but the fact is that they are working on them and that is a clear sign there is interest and a possibility of it happening,” McGuire told the Sunday Guardian.

He said due to the limited amount of natural gas that the projects need it gives them a better chance of coming to a final investment decision.

He pointed to the aluminium projects that in his view will require more electricity than natural gas and with the country having excess installed electricity capacity, could be a good fit.

The economist admits that there will be those who argue such projects do nothing to diversify the economy, but he said should they come to pass they would increase the Government’s revenues and valuable foreign exchange.

The country is a long way from hard times being over, but there will not be any mass retrenchment in the public service and we will not have to go knocking on the doors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has said.

Rowley made the statements during the fourth instalment of the Conversations with the Prime Minister held at the Mt Hope/Mt Lambert Community Centre on Friday night.

The theme of the event was “Working together toward prosperity”.

“We are a long way from hard times being over because last year and even this year we have had a big gap between our revenues and our expenditure commitments, so therefore we were borrowing to close that gap. Even as the Finance Minister says that our revenues have grown a bit there is still a gap between revenue and expenditure, so that is a long way from hard times being over, we still have to borrow to maintain some stability and potential for growth,” Rowley said.

Despite the situation though, Rowley said “not a single gazetted public servant was retrenched in Trinidad and Tobago” and there are no plans for any to be retrenched in the future.

“This Government with the collapse of the country’s revenue took the position to maintain the job levels in the public service, even contracted workers some of whom contracts would have come to an end, we’ve had instances of contracts not being renewed depending on the usage but we have not engaged in mass retrenchments in the public service,” Rowley said.

“As long as we keep going in the direction we are going now, retrenchment in the public service is not in the near future and does not form part of the government plan.”

Rowley was asked whether the country would consider following Barbados in approaching the IMF.

Rowley said the IMF is the “lender of last resort” and under this Government, approaching the IMF seems unlikely.

“Because as leader of this Government upon taking responsibility of this country’s administration and knowing the nature of our resource base and what resources that are available to us and what we can do as a people I give this country the assurance that we will not be considering the IMF as a part of the solution to our problems,” he said.

Rowley said that promise came with the “caveat” however that we as a country do what is necessary to avoid being put in that situation, even if the actions are unpopular.

He said in this dry season the Government expected to build a road from Cumuto to Manzanilla but unfortunately minority views have tied that up in the court.

Minister in the Finance Ministry Allyson West gave an update on the property tax saying additional assessors have been engaged and valuations have begun.

Rowley said early in the next Parliamentary term, legislation to bring local government reform is expected to be enacted.

National Security Minister Edmund Dillon sold the New York City condominium, which was part of a disputed property deal, back to its original owner Neville Piper for US$10, a document from the NYC Department of Finance Office of the City Register has stated.

Attempts to contact Dillon to verify the authenticity of the document proved unsuccessful yesterday.

However, Farid Scoon, one of the attorneys involved in the case, when called to verify whether the information in the document was accurate and if the transaction was completed, called on people to respect the ruling of the United States Supreme Court on the matter.

“What I understood the resolution in that matter to have been was that the record be sealed, save and except Mr Dillon be able to make a statement that there was no wrongdoing found against him,” Scoon said.

Scoon represented attorney Ernest Wilson, the attorney who prepared the deed for the land transaction between Dillon and 88-year-old Piper.

That deed was made last August. Piper’s niece raised questions about the transaction and alleged in court documents that her uncle had been the victim of elder financial abuse, exploitation and fraud.

Dillon was named in an article 81 Guardianship proceedings related to Piper whom he described as a long-time friend.

The issue in question was a valuable downtown Manhattan condominium that Dillon claimed was gifted to him by Piper.

Issues were also raised about the authenticity of the signatures on the transfer documents.

In April, Dillon made his final appearance in the US Supreme Court in New York before Justice Laura Vistacion-Lewis.

When the matter was called before Vistacion-Lewis, she ordered that it be held in chambers.

When the matter was concluded she ordered that the records be sealed.

Although the matter was held privately, Vistacion-Lewis authorised the release of one statement as it relates to the proceedings.

In a release issued by the Ministry of National Security, Dillon said he was pleased to report that the court proceedings in the United States, “with respect to his friend Neville Piper, has been fully and effectively resolved.”

“The Honourable Judge ordered that the record of the proceeding be sealed and restricted, all parties interested in the proceeding from making any public statements, save and except, that there has been no finding of wrongdoing against Minister Dillon,” the release stated.

The condominium in question is located at 301 Cathedral Parkway, Unit 8L, New York, NY, 10026.

Dillon took issue with what he deemed to be several “erroneous and libellous” statements about him regarding these civil proceedings.

Documents purporting to be related to Dillon selling the land back to Piper came to the fore yesterday one day after Dillon faced a no-confidence motion in the Parliament.

The LGBTQIA community should not be considered “pariah” or social outcasts, because they are part of our “new future”, Roman Catholic priest Father Martin Sirju has said.

Sirju made the statement as he delivered the homily at the City Day Thanksgiving service held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port-of-Spain yesterday

The 104th anniversary of the Restoration of Municipal Rights to the City of Port-of-Spain was celebrated yesterday under the theme “Honouring the past, embracing the present, progressing toward a smart future”.

The day began with the Thanksgiving service which started at 9 a.m with Sirju as the officiant.

Delivering the homily, Sirju said the issue of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants must be addressed in a humane manner.

The LGBTQIA community must also be treated humanely too and with inclusion.

“Historically, in western society, the city has always drawn all types. One is inclined to find the bohemian in the city. The city boasts not only of its macro-culture but its subcultures as well,” Sirju said.

“This means that in the city we will encounter persons like the immigrant or refugee. Cities have always had its fair share, and today, more than its fair share of refugees and people regarded as odd or strange, like John the Baptist. We have to find ways of dealing with this challenge that are humane and in keeping with religious and moral values and international law. The same applies to the LBGTQI community. They cannot be considered pariah,” he said.

“We must make room for them for they are part of our common humanity. They are all part of the new or smart future we are striving to create. We may not know what to do sometimes but we follow the general pattern of inclusion,” Sirju said.

Sirju said there several issues pertinent to the gospel that points to the manner in which we can embrace a challenging and perhaps frightening future.

“We need new ways of thinking, to think outside the box, to generate new creative traditions,” he said.

Sirju also decried domestic violence.

“Family life, whatever conforms to family life in our Caribbean situation, must become less violent, more respectful, filled with mutual understanding, devoid of domination and subjugation, especially of women,” Sirju said.

“Women are not the property of men, whether in marriage or common law relationships. Many of them are not angels either; some can be quite cruel. But violence is not the way to assert male authority nor is it a creative way to resolve conflict,” he said.

Sirju said we also need to be more mindful of the nation’s children citing the disparity in the number of children writing the Secondary Entrance Examination (SEA) and those writing Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

“18,000 write the SEA exam but only 10,000 write the CSEC exam. Where are the other 8000? What has become of them? One only has to make 31% to pass the SEA exam. What are the literacy levels of those 18,000 children?” he said.

“Education today needs to be more psychological, socially conscious, specialised and remedial to deal with today’s generation of youth. Education must attend also to things like autism, deafness, eye ailment, trauma in children etc. Unless we do something new our children will continue to suffer. Our future will be neither progressive nor smart,” Sirju said.

Following the service a parade was held throughout the streets of the city.

Cases of domestic violence and child abuse are on the rise in T&T and over the last two years, more than 57,000 applications for protection orders have been made.

According to attorney and lecturer at the Hugh Wooding Law School Alana Jameson during a march earlier this year against domestic violence, the statistics were released from the Judiciary of T&T and covered the period 2016 to 2017.

On June 18 Nadine Smith, 35, was found dead by her three children at her home at Dundonald Hill in St James.

An autopsy revealed that she died from blunt force trauma to the head–she was bludgeoned to death.

Police officers confirmed that Smith, who was married for the past five years, had recently taken out a restraining order against a close male relative.

According to statistics sent to the Sunday Guardian by the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN), in the past two years more than 50 women who obtained protection or restraining orders against their estranged husbands/partners are now dead.

IWRN’s president Adriana Sandrine Rattan, on the heels of Smith’s murder, had called on authorities to review the methods used by women to protect themselves from abusive partners, including the granting of restraining and protection orders from the court.

Last week, Rattan and her IWRN team sent a comprehensive correspondence to Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi requesting urgent attention and amendments to Protection Orders. “We cannot disclose all suggestions and recommendations but we have asked that certain parts of the Domestic Violence Act be amended to specifics which will leave less room for loopholes.”

Rattan also added that the organisation have asked for the AG’s office to conduct training/sensitization workshops for all Judiciary workers and police officers.

Volney called for electronic bracelets

Former minister of justice under the last People’s Partnership administration, Herbert Volney in piloting the Electronic Monitoring Bill 2011 alluded to the fact that protection orders could not be enforced against someone who wanted to harm the other party.

Volney further explained to the Sunday Guardian that he advocated for an order by the magistrate that the person against whom the order is made should be forced to wear a bracelet while the other carried a device so that the monitoring authorities could forewarn of a distance breach of the protection order.

“The police would be notified and the person against whom the order was made immediately arrested for breach and brought up for sentencing. As it is now, the order is worthless to protect the other party,” Volney said.

‘Implement emergency hearings’

A police officer, who wished not to be identified, also weighed in on the issue saying that there must be a process whereby with any application for a domestic violence protection order or any report of domestic violence an immediate detention order accompanies it, in which the alleged offender must show just cause as to why such an order should not be granted/enforced.

“A system of emergency hearings at 24-hour magistrate family courts can accommodate this, especially where vulnerable women with children are involved,” the officer said.

“Unless something is done to give the protection that is needed between the issue date and date of service of these orders there will forever be murder victims who the orders failed to protect, thereby rendering them otiose!”

PROCEDURE TO OBTAIN PROTECTION ORDER
i. The applicant goes to the court’s registry at the respective Magistrate’s Court;
ii. The applicant speaks to the Clerk of the Peace, who identifies the problem and determines whether it is a domestic violence matter or a matter for another court;
iii. The applicant pays $3 in cash or the value of $3 in stamps for filing a domestic violence complaint;
iv. The Clerk of the Peace then prepares the complaint and summons and at the same time fixes the date of hearing within seven days of the filing of the application;
v. The applicant is required to sign the complaint;
vi. The applicant takes the summons to be served on the respondent to the police or may be served by the applicant or his/her agent.

BREACH AND FINES

*An order can last for as long as a magistrate thinks it is necessary; but not longer than three years;
*Once aware of the order, the respondent must comply with its terms;
*Failure to fulfil the terms according to Section 20 of the Act - the first-time breach, the penalty is a maximum fine of $9,000.00 or in default, a maximum of three months in prison;
*On a second breach, the maximum fine is $15,000.00 or in default, imprisonment for a period of 24 months;
*The magistrate can order that the respondent pay the fine and serve time in prison;
*If after the second conviction the respondent breaches the terms of the order, the magistrate can sentence him/her to a maximum of five years imprisonment.
(Source: www.ttlawcourts.org)

THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE (ELECTRONIC MONITORING) BILL, 2011

The purpose of this bill is to make provision for the introduction of electronic monitoring in T&T, at different stages of the criminal justice process and as a condition of a Protection Order, granted under section 5 of the Domestic Violence Act, Chap. 45:56.

Domestic Violence Chap. 45:56

6. (1) A Protection Order may—
(a) prohibit the respondent from—
(i) engaging or threatening to engage in conduct which would constitute domestic violence towards the applicant;
(ii) being on premises specified in the Order, that are premises frequented by the applicant including any residence, property, business, school or place of employment;
(iii) being in a locality specified in the Order;
(iv) engaging in direct or indirect communication with the applicant;
(v) taking possession of, damaging, converting or otherwise dealing with property that the applicant may have an interest in, or is reasonably used by the applicant, as the case may be;
(vi) approaching the applicant within a specified distance;
(vii) causing or encouraging another person to engage in conduct referred to in paragraphs (i) to (vi);

Retrofitting works are continuing on the Galleons Passage in Cuba, ahead of its arrival to T&T.

Currently docked at the Damex Shipyard in Santiago de Cuba, the National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Nidco) confirmed the ongoing works as specified in the Memorandum of Agreement  between Nidco and Sealease Limited of Hong Kong (the seller).

Nidco said it was “To better equip the vessel for the nation’s use.”

The ongoing works include sealing the gap between the ramp door and hull of the vessel; fabrication and installation of the framing for the forward canopy on the vehicle deck to protect against sea spray; and installation of additional anchor rings to secure vehicles on the vehicle deck.
 

Nidco said the works formed part of the contractual responsibility of the seller and that the choice of the dockyard was also that of the seller who would bear all associated costs.

Nidco said “Upon completion, the works shall be surveyed by the Classification Society’s surveyor, Lloyd’s Register, prior to the vessel’s departure from Cuba.”

The vessel is expected to depart Cuba on July 10, and following arrival in Trinidad, the owner’s proposed enhancements will be done on a phased basis while the vessel is in service.

Asked when the vessel was due to arrive in T&T, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan yesterday said it usually takes approximately four days to sail from Cuba to T&T.

He avoided giving an exact date as to when it was expected to go into operation except to say that people would have to be trained.

However, he does not anticipate that much time would be needed to bring the crew up to speed.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert last week said the Cubans were unable to retrofit the vessel and that the Government had requested it be brought to T&T immediately.

Imbert told the Senate that the Government had taken a decision to “bring the vessel to T&T immediately,” because the seller said although fabrication of one of the canopies had begun, they were having difficulty in getting an airline or shipping company to transport some of the remaining equipment and materials to Cuba.

Imbert said Cuba is still “an embargoed country for many countries.

Cuba accepts shipments from some European states and doesn’t apparently make it very easy for shipments from countries like Australia.”

Home owners and business operators who are to be displaced by the Curepe Flyover—officially called the Churchill Roosevelt Highway/Southern Main Road Flyover—are appealing to the Government to give them fair compensation for their properties.

Meanwhile, others who have already agreed to a settlement are yet to be paid by the Government.

Wiping tears, a pensioner asked, “What can I do to stop them from taking my home?”

The 80-year-old woman gestured to her modest home and said “My husband worked day and night to provide for us and my children work hard to maintain it for their children.

“Imagine at this stage of my life, I have to pack up and go and if you see where they want to put us. There are no lights and water and we will have to start over from scratch. I don’t know if I have it in me to survive that.”

The woman said her property had been valued at just over $3 million, but she was only being offered up to $1 million.

People being displaced have been offered relocation to an area close to the Licensing Authority in Caroni at a reduced price.

One businessman said although he had plans to relocate before being approached by the State, he too was not satisfied with the compensation being offered to him.

“It is not enough because they are not considering the income we make as a commercial establishment.”

Another businessman, close to tears, said “This is having a negative psychological impact on us because of the frustration this process has brought. Regarding compensation, nothing has been finalised.”

People in the area continue to occupy their properties because they are yet to arrive at a figure for compensation, he said. “They wanted us to move since last year because they are six months behind but we are yet to receive any money, so we aren’t going anywhere.”

A Valsayn homeowner commiserating with those affected said “We have been back and forth with the ministry more than a year now and it’s been a long slog, but this is the price of progress.”

A man who has been living in the area since the early 1970s claimed that “the unfortunate thing is that people with lesser-value homes have been displaced but Valsayn residents remain untouched.

This is probably because the value of land is higher and Government does not want to get into a back and forth with homeowners that have means.”

At Farah’s Court town houses located at the front of Kay-Donna, a resident said the owner/property developer had left the requisite acreage in anticipation of such a project being undertaken.

A spokesman close to the project claimed the Curepe Flyover had been “altered or shifted so that people at Farah’s court would not be dislocated.

Instead, the poorest people on the other side had to face the brunt of it.”

Alarmed by the effect this project would have on the area, which had remained largely private and hidden away behind Kay-Donna’s high walls, he said “Some of these people have lived here longer than I have been alive and it’s unfortunate.

If they were consulted several years ago and not just six months ago, it would have given them ample time to adjust.”

Franchise holders for KFC and Pizzahut, Prestige Holdings said negotiations were continuing.

Also awaiting payment is Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, who said he was a minority shareholder on the executive team which owns the iconic drive-in cinema. Sinanan:

Asked to respond to concerns raised by people in the area, Sinanan said they have a choice.

“They will get their money and they don’t have to go there (Caroni).

They can go anywhere else and live or buy a property.”

Sinanan expressed surprise that those affected were upset and dissatisfied with the compensation being offered. He distanced himself from claims that he had a role to play in the settlements being offered and the payment of monies.

He said Section 3 notices served in 2013 and Section 4 notices served in the last couple of months were related to compulsory land acquisition.

“The land acquisition being done under compulsory acquisition means the State will have to go through a process of serving notice to the land owners and the commissioner of valuations and the Ministry of Finance will complete the payment aspect. There is a process which is done by the commissioner of valuations and I cannot speak to that as it is not handled by the Ministry of Works.”

Cabinet approves $321 million for project Cabinet’s approval for the entire project which includes consultant fees, land acquisition, contractors fees, and ancillary works stands at $321 million. Sinanan said, however, the contractors’ fees totalled $221 million.

“The overall figure is down by almost $200 million from the previous estimate,” he boasted.

A valuation official from the Ministry of Finance explained that the price to be paid to affected homeowners and businessmen would depend solely on comparable sales in the area.

He said “We therefore will be able to use this as evidence to do the valuation of the subject property.” The senior public servant said “The first thing you must have is evidence of value of similar properties. If you don’t have that, you won’t get anywhere.”

He claimed the Valuation Division would have completed careful calculations prior to negotiating with affected property owners.

Officials at the National Infrastructure Development Company Limited (Nidco), which is the executing agency, confirmed that negotiations are “ongoing with the claimants and their representatives.”

They said there was no established dollar value per square footage. Nidco was unwilling to divulge any further information.

The contractors Nidco has been named as the executing agency, while Planning Associates Limited has been selected as the project engineer.

The team of contractors involved include the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), PCS, and CHASE Engineering. CRCC won the contract for the Arima Hospital which is being built at a cost of $1.2 billion. They also constructed the Scarborough General Hospital, Tobago.

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan has issued a warning to property developers and potential homeowners to make sure they operate within the law or face the consequences moving forward.

Following a visit to the Bagatelle River, Diego Martin, yesterday, Sinanan responded to questions about the flooding which has become the norm in several areas following heavy rains.

He said there was “too much-unplanned development in areas that were not designed for development.”

Surmising that this was connected to higher land prices, Sinanan said “A lot of big developers would have bought land in low-lying areas. In other words, a lot of swampland is now being utilised for housing developments and that is what is posing a big problem.

“Those were areas where the water would have a natural breach and if the water can’t breach into that area, it has to go somewhere.

“Where the water would normally breach, somebody went and filled that land four feet high, put down 200 houses, and the water has to find somewhere else to go.”

Asked if private property developers were following the rules regarding permission to build, the minister said “In most cases they do not have the approval, especially the drainage approval.”

During a meeting with stakeholders including the Housing Development Corporation last week, Sinanan said they produced a map of T&T and advised people of the flood-prone areas that they should stay away from.

Asked if it was possible to penalise some property developers, he said “We do not have a good history of enforcement in Trinidad and that is why a lot of people take advantage of the situation.

“A lot of developers who have the cash to build and do not have to go to the banks actually start building while they are applying.”

He assured his ministry was now collaborating more closely with the Ministry of Planning and the Environmental Management Authority to get it right.

He said “This is a call to citizens who are buying property in any development, first ask if all the approvals are in place because more than 50 per cent of them have no approvals for drainage and even Town and Country.”

He noted that fraudulent documents continue to come to his ministry for approvals. Sinanan estimated that 75 per cent of the flooding the country experiences on a yearly basis was man-made.

Thousands of workers will suffer a loss of revenue if the country shuts down for a week in September, says president of the Greater San Fernando Chamber of Commerce Kiran Singh.

On Labour Day, Joint Trade Union Movement president Ancel Roget gave Government a failing grade during the unions’ annual rally at Charlie King Junction, Fyzabad.

Roget then called on citizens, civil society groups, religious groups, businesses, and non-governmental organization to support their call to make September 7, Government’s third anniversary, a day of rest and reflection.

According to a newspaper report, San Fernando Business Association president Daphne Barlett endorsed Roget’s advocacy but said that one day would not be enough. Bartlett was reported as saying, “Shutting down the country for one day doesn’t do much. Roget has to do better than that. We need a week of total shutdown. One day will not bring any results.”

But Singh said that it was with a certain amount of trepidation that he read about Roget’s request and later Bartlett’s.

He said that while he understood that trade unions want to send a message to the Government, such action can lead to disastrous economic circumstances.

“I join with my colleagues in the T&T Chamber and ECA, saying that any prolonged shutdown is bad.

As a matter of fact, it might be reckless. If a day will send a strong message, so be it, but country must come first.

We already have a lot of holidays in this country and our productivity and work ethic is already low, so I disagree with a week.

It will hurt us, send a message, yes, but don’t cause our citizens to suffer the economic hardships by a complete shutdown.

“Businesses will lose revenue. Thousands of employees will not be paid for any prolonged period of having to stay at home. If essential government services are shut down, how will the nation function? What message would we be sending to the international community?”

Singh suggested that all sectors work cohesively to address government decisions which affect the country and have open and meaningful dialogue to resolve conflicts that arise from time to time.

“Achieving first-world status requires us to live by our three national watchwords: Discipline, Tolerance and Production.”

The Trump administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union effective June 1, 2018. The implementation of the tariffs are designed to protect the US steel and aluminium industry from foreign producers that undercut domestic prices.

The Trump administration said protecting these industries is a matter of national security importance. Trump also stated there is a real issue with global steel markets called “overcapacity”, where there are too many producers making too much steel, the consequence of which is unfair trading practices (such as dumping) at times.

Canada is the biggest supplier of steel and aluminium to the US, accounting for around 17 per cent of the US imports in 2017. The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, stated that Canada would impose a 25 per cent tariff on steel items and a ten per cent tariff on the consumer goods (effective July 1, 2018) in response to the US aluminium and steel tariffs imposed on Canada. Canada has not narrowed its retaliatory tariffs as a wide variety of food products—from yoghurt to orange juice, condiments, whiskey to paper products, plastic household goods, hardware products, domestic appliances, dishwasher detergents, etc are included.

Steel is produced in five Canadian provinces, providing employment for approximately 22,000 people in Canada. About half of Canada’s steel production is exported, and most of it goes to the US. As a result of the 25 per cent tariff, US demand for Canadian steel will fall. Canada’s steel and aluminium industries could lose US$3.2 billion annually in exports to US due to the tariffs. One estimate is that approximately 6,000 jobs will be lost in the Canadian economy as a great number of people are reliant on the steel industry as their means of employment. GDP will take a hit of 0.11 per cent.

Canadian consumers can expect to pay a bit more for products that are imported from the US, which are largely made of steel and aluminium (canned foods/drinks, refrigerators, cars, etc) as the prices would be higher for Canadians under the new tariffs.

The USA also imposed tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and ten per cent on aluminium from China, which took effect on March 23, 2018. China retaliated by targeting 128 US products (including fruit, wine, ethanol, and steel pipes) worth around $3 billion, under tariffs of 15 per cent and 25 per cent, which was effective on April 2, 2018. The US then took new steps in an effort to reduce a $337 billion trade deficit with China and announced that on June 15, 2018, that tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods (targeting the Chinese aerospace, robotics, manufacturing, and auto industries) would be subject to a new 25 per cent tariff starting July 6, 2018

On June 16, 2018, Beijing announced it would retaliate against new US tariffs, saying that it would “immediately introduce countermeasures of the same scale and strength.” China’s finance ministry said it would commence imposing its own 25 per cent tariff on 545 categories of US products worth $34 b including soyabeans, beef, whiskey, and off-road vehicles on July 6. China also threatened to add a further $16 b, targeting US energy exports such as coal and crude oil.

On June 18, 2018, at the brink of a trade war between the world’s two largest economies, President Trump ordered his administration to draft plans for tariffs on a further $200 b in Chinese imports if Beijing does not abandon its intention to retaliate against US duties on imports previously announced.

THE POTENTIAL EFFECT

These trade wars and rumours of wars, may have ramifications for the Caribbean. The impact of the tariffs on the aluminium market can have significant effects on Caribbean countries including Jamaica, Guyana, and Suriname as exporters of bauxite ore and alumina. The tariffs on China, for example, could change the dynamics for China’s investment into Jamaica’s alumina production and divert its plans for future investment. Suriname is looking for an increase in Chinese investment in its bauxite industry, while Guyana is seeking to revive its alumina production and are looking to Chinese investors to move this forward.

From an international trade perspective, tariffs can compromise the volume of international trade and in so doing, slow the growth of world GDP with implications for commodity prices, tourism flows, and remittances. It is likely that this would be short-lived as economists work through and publicise the associated economic consequences.

DR ROGER HOSEIN
Senior lecturer in Economics, UWI
 

When the Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury, a new Britain was born. On board was the first wave of West Indian guest workers, answering a British government advertisement for cheap transport to the mother country to fill the postwar labour shortage.

The seeds of multicultural Britain were duly sown. Further down the line lay the Notting Hill riots of 1958, Joe Harriott at Ronnie Scott’s, the Notting Hill street carnival, the Equals singing Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys, the Clash singing Police and Thieves, football fans throwing bananas at black players, black players becoming international captains, Lenny Henry offering to be repatriated to Dudley, Paul Gilroy’s There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack, the Brixton and Toxteth riots of 1981, Janet Kay trilling Silly Games on Top of the Pops, Courtney Pine’s Jazz Warriors, the London Community Gospel Choir, the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra, Benjamin Zephaniah turning down an MBE, pirate radio, natty dread, funki dred, drum’n’bass, dubstep, grime, Dizzie Rascal. All this was to come.

First, though, first came Kitchener. The Windrush, a former German liner popular with the Nazi naval elite, included onboard Lord Kitchener and Lord Beginner, Trinidad’s top calypsonians. Remarkably, when Kitchener disembarked, Pathe News caught the “king of calypso” on camera. Pathe was documenting “The Great British Black Invasion”. Asked to sing, Kitchener didn’t miss a beat. “London is the place for me,” he crooned, “London, this lovely city …” He had yet to experience smog-bound austerity Brixton, whose labour exchange was first port of call for many of Kitchener’s 500 fellow travellers.

“Kitch” worked his own passage, in clubs and pubs. Soon he, Beginner and others were passing comment on national life on record; the 1950 England-West Indies test match was celebrated on Cricket, Lovely Cricket. The 1951 general election and the 1953 coronation followed while closer to home was My Landlady and her demands for rent. With its wit and side order of double entendre–”Oh mister, don’t touch me tomatoes”– calypso fitted easily into the national psyche.

The musical history of multi-racial Britain is usually elided to omit the 50s, jumping to the Jamaican insurgency of the 60s, but in London at least there was a vibrant scene, ranging from the big band swing of Jamaica’s Leslie “Jiver” Hutchinson to the steel band of Trinidadian Russ Henderson. It was a diverse, global mix drawn to the mother country from different parts of the Empire, with jazz providing the lingua franca.

Little documented, the scene was caught by Colin MacInnes in his 1957 novel City of Spades, whose hero is a West African hustler called Johnny Fortune. MacInnes gives us a glimpse of a secret London of nightclubs and shebeens, petty criminals, prostitutes, corrupt cops, outsiders by race, sexuality or choice. It’s a parallel world to the starchy conformism of drab, respectable Britain.

Black America, of course, played its part, but a new, cosmopolitan fusion that spoke specifically to black Britons was under way. More than bananas had come off the banana boats in London’s docks. It was The Banana Boat Song, a Jamaican work chant, that broke calypso to an international audience.

As the 50s teetered into the 60s, calypso was still popular. Like much else, it would be swept aside by pop, R&B, and folk. In particular, there was soul, whose confident, civil rights-tinged modernism offered a new model to black people across the globe. When Sam Cooke sang A Change is Gonna Come, the racial rulebook changed.

Jamaican music was quickest to pick up the new mood of black America, and add its own innovatory ideas to create reggae. When the Notting Hill carnival moved onto the streets in 1966, it was a Trinidadian, calypsonian celebration, though reggae and its sound systems would come to define the event in the 1970s, when the story of Reggae Britannica takes off. First, though, there was Kitch.

Claudette Spencer was a United States attorney working with the New York Prisoners’ Right Project of the Legal Aid Society when she visited Elmira Correctional Facility, New York in 1984 to investigate some Ku Klux Klan (KKK) activity taking place at the prison.

And as part of her investigation, Spencer had to interview an inmate born in Trinidad and Tobago named Ernest Nurse, who was found guilty of murder.

“I had never believed in the concept of love at first sight, but I think I fell in love with Ernest from the minute I laid eyes on him. From that day in the Elmira visiting room onward, I never stopped thinking about him and his gorgeous smile,” she said.

Luckily, Nurse felt the same way about her.

Nurse told his fellow inmates that he just met the woman he would one day marry.

They laughed at him when he told them it was an attorney.

Spencer was engaged at the time she met Nurse.

She also had a baby daughter named Shahidah.

Spencer did not see Nurse again until six months later when she returned to Elmira to conduct another investigation there.

By that time, she had broken off her engagement with her fiance.

“Most of the conversation I had with Ernest that day at Elmira was personal. We chatted as if we were old friends and had known each other our entire lives,” Spencer said.

Toward the end of the visit, Nurse asked her “Do you think you could ever visit me without the lawyer clothes?”

Spencer said she laughed and told him she could never visit him at Elmira other than as an attorney.

Nurse said he would put in for a prison transfer then.

Nurse was transferred to the Clinton Correctional Facility, in New York.

Spencer visited him there.

“When I decided to go see him at Clinton it was to be as platonic friends...or so I deceived myself into believing,” Spencer said.

“I could hardly believe that six hours had passed. I was sad to see him go back up to his block,” Spencer said.

“I reflected on the relationship that was developing between Ernest and me. I realised that I was attracted to him and wanted more than a platonic relationship,” she said.

Spencer said she fell into a state of depression wondering how she could be falling in love with a man who could be spending the rest of his life in prison.

She saw a therapist.

“For months I agonised over whether I should pursue a relationship with Ernest. But in the end, I decided that since you never knew where you’d find love when you did find it, you had to follow your heart and see where it took you,” she said.

Nurse was transferred to the Sing Sing Correctional Facility, New York.

Spencer followed him and continued visiting him and the relationship blossomed.

In 1989, Nurse broached the subject of marriage.

“There were so many reasons not to marry a man in prison, especially one serving 25 years to life,” Spencer said.

“But with all the reasons not to marry him there was still one reason to get married, and that was love,” she said.

The wedding took place on August 31, 1989, Independence Day here.

“There were no flowers and no wedding cake, but after the ceremony, I bought a pack of cupcakes from the vending machine that we shared with our guests. There was no honeymoon to Hawaii or Mexico, and we had no idea when the marriage would be consummated,” Spencer said.

Eventually, Nurse was allowed a conjugal visit.

Conjugal visits lasted 45 hours starting Saturday afternoon and ending Monday morning.

“We felt like we had died and gone to heaven as we spent time snuggling, watching TV and getting to know each other like we had never been able to do in the visiting room,” she said.

The conjugal visits continued and after a while, Spencer got pregnant for Nurse.

On February 4, 1992, their daughter Zakiya was born.

Spencer helped Nurse successfully get parole.

On March 18, 2003, he was deported to Trinidad and Tobago.

She followed him here the next day.

The couple has been happily married living in Trinidad and Tobago since then.

Now know as Spencer-Nurse she has written a book titled “Memoirs of a Prison Lawyer, Prison Wife”.

The book was launched at her family’s home in Trincity yesterday. She described the book as a coming out.

Spencer-Nurse said her intention for the book was to give hope to people.

“I wrote this book to get out of the shadows and to help those who are still in the shadows,” she said.

The couple now has six grandchildren.

An Arima man was beaten and left for dead near the Aripo River, after a gunman pounced on him and a woman as they sat in a vehicle on Saturday.

Gerald Gomez, 67, was rescued after a retired police officer stopped a passing police patrol, and taken to hospital for treatment. His companion, whose name was not released by police, escaped injury.

Police said the couple was seated in a Nissan AD wagon near the river around 1.30 pm when they were confronted by a masked man, armed with a gun, who emerged from nearby bushes and ordered them out of the vehicle.

Police said Gomez tried to fight off the gunman and was struck repeatedly to the head. The 47-year-old woman ran into the bush and hid, police said.

The gunman drove off with Gomez’s vehicle.

Police said a retired police officer found Gomez bleeding at the side of the road about two hours after the incident and stopped a police vehicle on patrol. The injured man was taken to the Sangre Grande District Hospital for treatment.

The woman managed to stop another vehicle and headed out of Aripo, police said.

Police later intercepted the stolen car in Diego Martin and arrested the driver.

Valencia police led by Sgt Edwards and including PCs Mootilal, Wallace, Boodram, Benoit and WPC Joseph are continuing investigations.

RALPH BANWARIE