b) Pan on the Avenue in August with 31steelbands.

Given the status of the country’s economy and the difficulty with sponsorship for these similar events, the permanent secretaries of these two government agencies should recommend to the two community-based agencies to collaborate in 2018.

By shifting the We Beat Live calendar of events to August 19- 24, and ending with Pan on the Avenue on August 25, this will thereby eliminate the duplication of funding by the Government.

It must be the civic responsibility of all, including community- based organisations, to share in this burden of adjustment.

LANCELOT SARJEANT via email

Knight Riders have an unassailable lead at the top of the standings with 16 points after earning eight wins and one loss.

Knight Riders will also welcome Shadab Khan back into the squad after the Pakistani had to return to Pakistan briefly for fitness and medical tests. The Tridents are in a keen contest with the Guyana Amazon Warriors to earn the fourth and final spot of the knockout phase.

Knight Riders will face the second placed team in qualifier one at Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba, on Tuesday, from 8 pm. Either Jamaica Tallawahs or St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will finish in second position.

Last night, Tallawahs were hoping to seal second place with a victory over Amazon Warriors in Jamaica.

The winner of qualifier one will qualify for the September 9 final at 9 pm. On Wednesday from 8 pm, the eliminator between the third place and fourth place teams will take place. The winner will play the loser of qualifier one in qualifier two on Thursday at 8 pm for a place in the final. All matches in the second phase of the tournament will be played at BLCA

Cedros councillor Shankar Teelucksingh said concerns are mounting that the vast acreage of the floating mass is perilously close to active oil wells in the Gulf of Paria. Speaking with Newsday yesterday, Teelucksingh said the piece of land was seen near the south west Soldado rock. He wants the authorities to place markers or issue a bulletin to seafarers.

“We are fortunate that it didn’t pass through the south west oil field because it would have caused some devastation to those active wells,” Teelucksingh said.

“The last report we got is that it was heading towards one of the Venezuelan oil rigs. It is moving very slow under strong current and poses a threat to marine vessels.” He said he was aware Petrotrin (Trinmar operations) is monitoring the movement of the “island” which, Teelucksingh said, was spotted on Thursday about two miles off Icacos.

He said one fisherman who visited the island reportedly caught three iguanas. “We know what is on top (island) as there is healthy vegetation. From what I have been told, the plant life including the trees are very healthy. We are also being told it could be more than the two to three acres we believe it to be.” Teelucksingh, a resident in the Cedros community and also employed with Trinmar further told Newsday formations which appeared in the sea in the past have been different to what is now being seen.

Newsday also spoke to Dr Glen Ramadharsingh, chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation who said he and a team will visit the area tomorrow to get a first hand look and be better informed. “It is something we are monitoring as we are being told it can affect oil and gas exploration,” he said.

“This needs a proper investigation.”

The issue was raised yesterday by president of the Co-operative Credit Union League Joseph Remy at the funeral for hiker Richard Baird who fell to his death while returning from a hike to the Aripo waterfall on August 19. His body was found at the bottom of a precipice three days later. An autopsy revealed the father of six, of Rousillac, sustained a broken neck.

The funeral for 55-year-old Baird, a computer technician at Petrotrin, was held at the St Benedict’s RC Church in La Romaine.

He was also the treasurer on the League’s board of directors and served on various committees at the level of the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions.

Remy told the large gathering that the regulatory framework guiding hiking organisations should include registration and operating licences, evidence of expertise and establishment of medical, safety and security systems.

“And in the event of incidents, mandatory investigations must be conducted to ascertain liability,” Remy said.

Remy questioned whether Baird’s death would be the catalyst for advocacy by his peers for State-sanctioned regulations for such events or if his death would be just another statistic to be ignored.

He said as president of the national umbrella body for credit unions in the country, he and the organisation will be failing if they leave issues like this one unattended.

“While we consider Richard to be a victim on this occasion, and sadly so, we pledge in the interest of those of us who are left behind, to pursue with our country’s leaders, the issue of legislation and practices to govern hiking with appropriate safeguards and attendant consequences for non-conformance.” Remy said Baird was more than a friend or colleague; he was a brother, mentor, leader and a man who spent all his years “looking out for everyone”.

To the Baird family, Remy said: “Rest in the comfort that Richard certainly did his duty for his country and his people. We want to thank you for the privilege of sharing such a great life with us. He was a true co-operator and a friend. We will surely miss him and his vast contribution to the co-operative credit union movement and the quest for equity and economic and social justice.” Many friends, colleagues and relatives paid tributes to Baird and thanked him for his contributions which, they said, enriched their lives in different ways.

Deacon Harold Woodroffe, who officiated at the funeral, recalled fond moments with his friend Baird.

The body was taken to the RC Cemetery at South Oropouche for burial

Roodal Moonilal for comments which, Rowley said, were meant as a “dog whistle” to certain people suggesting that the government was using its power to persecute people of East Indian descent.

Rowley delivered the rebuke during a 6.30am news conference at Piarco International Airport before leaving the country for a medical checkup in the US. He is scheduled to return by the end of next week and Minister of Finance Colm Imbert will act as prime minister during his absence.

Rowley said Moonilal, in commenting on Tuesday’s arrest of former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, alleged the move was oppression by the government.

He said Moonilal was “implying that it is executive action by the Cabinet and this party, not actions of an independent police under the guidance of an independent Director of Public Prosecutions ,where the requirements are for information to be converted into evidence and for evidence to be acted upon under the guidance and watchful eye of the DPP, a place where the Cabinet has no presence or involvement.” Rowley continued, “He is saying that this arrest of his former colleague is political action on the part of the government and he went further to say it is action against persons of East Indian background and he named a number of East Indians who had been through the court process and attaches this recent development to it and is indicating to the country that the law enforcement in this country is based on your racial complexion.” He said Moonilal, however, neglected to tell the country that he, himself, was under investigation by the police in connection with the alleged mishandling of more than $400 million at the Estate Management and Business Development Company Limited (EMBD) in August 2015, just before the last election.

Rowley said the Attorney General’s office and a State enterprise had gone to court to complain about eight or ten people, including Moonilal, who were named in connection with that matter.

Furthermore, Rowley said the course of events which led to Ramlogan’s arrest had its genesis in the previous administration.

“Let me remind the national community (that) under the last government, one day we woke up and the news that came out of the government was that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had fired the attorney general and also fired the minister of national security of that government for allegations of wrongdoing that would have taken place on the part of persons in that government.

“That took place before the last general election under the instruction and the hand of Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

The police, under the instructions of acting Commissioner (Stephen) Williams, opened an investigation into these matters and that investigation has been going on and has gone on continuously to the point where, a few days ago, former attorney general Anand Ramlogan was arrested with respect to charges levelled against him.” Reached for comment yesterday, Moonilal told Newsday he is considering suing Rowley for slander and intends to send a letter, upon his return, asking for particulars of the accusation made against him and “the police investigation into the EMBD and whatever possible involvement I have had in that.” He also issued a statement in which he accused Rowley of executing an early morning “hit and run” attack against him and other members of the Opposition.

Moonilal told Newsday Rowley gave information which suggested that he had “intimate and personal” knowledge of an ongoing police investigation “and he has also come to a conclusion saying when I am in court as if he is certain that I will be charged.” Asking how Rowley would know this, Moonilal recalled the prime minister once expressed no confidence in the Police Service to curb crime in TT. He said he had written to Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams who had not yet responded.

He said he was not aware he was the subject of any investigation and he had never been questioned or spoken to about it. Moonilal said Rowley’s statement was reckless and constituted misbehaviour in public office for which he would also consider reporting Rowley to the Integrity Commission.

He claimed the prime minister’s latest comments suggest he has done a 180 degree turn on the issue. Moonilal also alleged this raises the question as to whether there is, “collusion between elements of the police service and the political directorate.” Vowing that neither the Opposition nor himself will be silenced, Moonilal said it was unfortunate Rowley chose to, “sow the seeds of division in our nation.” He regretted that Rowley did not use the briefing to comfort the people of Tobago that transportation problems on the seabridge would be resolved soon or address lingering concerns over the re-appointment of Robert Le Hunte as Public Utilities minister. Le Hunte was sworn in, for a second time, on Thursday (Independence Day).

Newsday spoke with the team after the victory and Maharajh said, “The team started training together just two weeks ago and with us qualifying for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games, through this race, hopefully we can take things to another level by hitting world standard times.” He continued, “This in itself is an achievement as we had an amazing ride and it feels good to be the top Caribbean country on Independence Day, so there is no better way to salute.” The veteran of the youthful team, Adam Alexander, added: “All of us here are really good friends and it is really a group of fun guys. We just transferred that energy on the track and this was the result.” Campbell, however, could not replicate his performance in the Men’s Scratch, finishing 13th overall in the category. The event was won by Argentine Hugo Velasquez who was followed by silver medallist Brayan Gomez of Columbia and Clever Martinez, representing Venezuela, riding into third. In the Men’s Keirin, Colombian Fabian Puerta copped the gold medal ahead of his Argentinian opponent Leandro Botasso while Flavio Cipriano claimed the bronze medal in the event.

The Women’s Team Pursuit saw the United States capturing the gold medal in a time of 3:24.94.

Mexico came second in a time of 3:28.85. Cuba (4:36.31) defeated Columbia (4:40.02) in the third place ride off to secure the bronze medal. The Canadians stole the gold medal in the Men’s equivalent by ousting the United States with their time of 4:02.37. USA only managed a time of 4:04.94 in the gold medal ride while Chile (4:09.31) cruised past their Argentine rivals (4:11.31) for the bronze.

It was not all smooth riding for TT and its fans who were left stunned when rider Keron Bramble and his bike went airborne into the crowd just before entering the back straight, during the final qualification round of the Men’s Scratch. Bramble swerved to avoid a collision with two other cyclists as they crashed into each other, forcing him to manoeuvre wide but that only sent him crashing into the railing and he pitched head first into the stands. He was then removed from the stands via a stretcher and rushed to the Couva Health Centre.

Yesterday, the TT CF confirmed he suffered no broken bones and was back at the NCC, where he was resting comfortably and viewing the event. However, due the injuries he sustained to his shoulder and torn muscle tissues, Bramble would not be competing in the remainder of the Pan Am Championships. The cycling tournament continues today at 10 am with entrance free to the public and this evening at 6 pm with an entrance fee of TT $50.

Last Sunday, Guaya saw their unbeaten run halted by Club Sando Moruga, who recorded a 1-0 win at the Grand Chemin Recreation Ground, Moruga.

Club Sando Moruga are ninth on the points standings, one place higher than Siparia.

And Guaya will be hoping that the support from their home fans, at the Guayaguayare Recreation Ground, will do the trick as they avoid a second straight loss to a lower-placed squad. This match is timed to begin at 4.30 pm.

Three games will kick off at 4 pm – Club Sando Moruga against Queen’s Park at the Grand Chemin Recreation Ground, Defence Force versus Police at the Hasely Crawford Stadium’s Training Field in Mucurapo, and Cunupia FC against WASA at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima.

Other League One matches on tomorrow’s agenda will take place in the sister isle Tobago. At the Canaan/Bon Accord Recreation Ground, 1976 Phoenix FC will oppose the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT ) from 5 pm while, an hour later, Bethel United FC will face off against FC Santa Rosa at the Mt Gomery Recreation Ground.

League Two leaders Prisons FC are on a bye, and either of these three teams (Central 500 Spartans, Perseverance Ball Runners and Petit Valley/Diego Martin United) can jump to the top spot today.

Central 500 Spartans and Petit Valley/Diego Martin United will square off at the Edinburgh 500 Recreation Ground, Chaguanas from 7 pm while Perseverance Ball Runners will entertain Harlem Strikers at the New Settlement Recreation Ground, Caroni.

The game at Caroni will kick off at 6 pm, the same time as the Marabella FCC-Youth Stars encounter, which will take place at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre

If supporting local content is an objective worthy of support (as I believe it is), then the Government should determine up front by how much and for how long (on a reducing scale) it was prepared to subsidise local programming until that element as well could be profitable.

But that and God’s face we are not likely to see.

How many times must taxpayers bare the burden of inefficient governance, helpless witness to obvious ineptitude. No wonder the country sinks deeper into economic and morale malaise. From sea bridge, to accelerated crime, to rising unemployment, to “visionlessness” on a way forward.

I am bombarded by people hungry for a sense of hope. What can I say when those who were given the reins keep messing up like this. Mr Ministers, who are your technical advisers? Your rationale for such a move needs to be made transparent to the public. We need to know what are the costs involved? What is the time frame for profitability etc? But even without such projections, I stake my professional reputation that this is as bad a move as was closing down ttt to open CNMG; crazy dog chasing its tail to no avail.

INDERA SAGEWAN-ALLI via email

As part of the Ministry of Tourism’s “Stay to get away” campaign several tours were organised to take the media to various tourist destinations.

This tour was guided by Courtenay “Bush Man” Rooks, managing director of Paria Springs Tours, who created the rappelling trend at the falls.

On the way, Rooks pointed out that there was a lot of fun things to do in TT and said he has been surfing, mountain biking, hiking and bird watching every year.

The journey to Avocat began at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain. Arriving off the Arima, Blanchisseuse Road, the bus stopped at Pop’s House where the team picked up harnesses and helmets and began the physical 45-minute trek to the waterfall.

Soon, we were knee-high in the cold waters of the Marianne River, navigating through slippery rocks, logs and trees. We occasionally stopped to observe the beauty of the rainforest while Rooks pointed out intertwined trees, acting as a natural protection for the ecosystem in the event of a hurricane.

“What is fascinating about rainforests is many people think that the forest is here because of the rain, however, studies have shown that it is actually the forest which produces the rain,” Rooks said.

When we arrived at the base of the waterfall, we were greeted with a a downpour. The group strapped on their harnesses to prepare for the rappelling adventure. We began our crash course in rappelling as a rope and large tree became our practise pad. Meanwhile, Rooks hiked to the top of the 72-foot waterfall to fasten the ropes to the hooks. He had drilled and anchored hooks into the rocks himself almost two years ago after learning rappelling from a friend who teaches the technique in France.

While some were adventurous enough to climb to the top, others opted to stay at the base of the waterfall and enjoy the river experience.

The waterfall is surrounded by rocks and trees which provide a serene landscape for a relaxing swim in one of the clear shallow pools of the river. At the top, we all experienced moments of fear at the edge, while some reconsidered the adventure. Rooks was the first to rappel down the waterfall, showing the proper technique.

All anxiety was soon forgotten as one after the other we had our own rappelling adventure.

We all agreed that the first phase, which was a cautious climb down, was the most terrifying, however, after being swung under the cascading waterfall, the feeling of excitement took over. Those who were timid on their first try rushed back to the top to have another go at the rappelling experience.

The river-goers who met the team at the river were shocked to see rappelling being done and said that they wished that they could have joined in.

Rooks said he began rappelling at Avocat because he wanted people to get a different experience at the waterfalls. The youngest person to have rappelled was four while the eldest was 86.

So said Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Darryl Smith yesterday, in response to a Facebook post issued by national women’s 100-metre champion Michelle-Lee Ahye.

The 25-year-old Ahye, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, stressed that the TT’s women’s 4×100-metre relay team (Kelly- Ann Baptiste, Ahye, Reyare Thomas and Semoy Hackett), which earned bronze at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, was yet to be recognised for their efforts but the gold-medal winning 2017 IAAF World Championships men’s 4x400m quartet (Jarrin Solomon, Jereem Richards, Machel Cedenio and Lalonde Gordon) was likely to gain recognition and rewards for their success last month in London, England.

Smith, in a telephone interview yesterday, said: “Since 2002, (after) the last national sporting policy (was implemented), we (have been) doing consultations across the country.

“We have a final draft which the Ministry’s technocrats are finalising now and it’s going to be taken to Cabinet in September (this month), where it can be approved,” he continued. “A major part of it will be elite athletes funding, the rewarding of athletes, the grassroots policy, the sports tourism and so on.

But the major part of it is the rewarding of athletes, and how we deal with elite athletes at the grassroots (level).” In her post, Ahye said, “Ok, so the guys 4x400m got gold at World champs this year, they got a lot of praises and probably going to get rewarded for it. Ok I understand its gold…

but back in 2015 the women 4x100m got bronze with a NR (national record) but mind you, that was the first women team to get a medal and up to this day, WE ARE STILL WAITING TO GET RECOGNIZED FOR THAT MEDAL. Smh (shaking my head) but they always recognize when the guys get a medal smh… I’m so over it… I’m really thinking hard about running for another country.” Smith pointed out, “Right now a lot of athletes are complaining how the current policy, which was there before we came (into office), is cumbersome and not user-friendly. We want to look at that.

“So once it’s presented and approved, the country will be blessed with a new policy,” the Minister continued. “I’m very excited about it and optimistic that, moving forward under this new policy that we can put this to bed for a while. We want to push the athletes to reach as far as possible as they can by supporting them, especially in these tough times.” He went on to add, “We’re also doing a youth policy as well and that’s going to be launching in 2018.” Asked if local athletes are so disgruntled by the state of affairs that they may want to switch allegiances, Smith replied, “If an athlete wants to migrate to a next country, for whatever reason, I can’t stop them (from) doing that. It’s a free world and people can make that choice.” Ahye featured in the women’s 100m at yesterday’s Diamond League meeting in Brussels, Belgium. She placed fourth in 11.07 seconds, the same time as Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteguonor, but the Nigerian was adjudged third after a photo- finish.

Olympic 100m champ Elaine Thompson of Jamaica triumphed in 10.92 seconds, followed by Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast, who clocked 10.93.