Seepersad-Bachan made this claim hours after Rowley said Le Hunte was a TT citizen and would be appointed once the “communication glitch” regarding his citizenship is clarified.

In a statement, Seepersad- Bachan said anyone taking a ministerial oath of office must be familiar with the provisions of the Constitution.

She claimed when Le Hunte was sworn in last Thursday, he did so, “despite knowing that he was in direct violation of Section 42(1) (of the Constitution).” She said it is “a serious disrespect to the citizenry” to have Le Hunte reappointed.

On this basis, Seepersad- Bachan said Le Hunte, “should be disqualified from holding any public office at this time.” She said transparency and accountability in public life demands that existing or prospective Cabinet ministers, respect the Constitution and the rule of law. Saying the issue of corruption in government should start at the top, Seepersad-Bachan said if Rowley is serious about solving the problem of corruption within his administration, “he should therefore lead by example.”

“We must instill in our children that importance of obedience and giving of themselves, just as Ismail did, upon realizing the task that had been asked of his father. For it is only in this way that we can come together as one,” Hosein said in a message to mark Eid Ul-Adha, observed annually on September 1.

“We must promote the values of having a strong character in our younger generations and to all our fellowmen. Live above reproach and this way, we can progress together as a nation.” Hosein said Eid Ul-Adha reminded Muslims of the importance of obedience to the Almighty and one’s parents.

“This is a message that we can all draw from – that we have a duty to our younger generations to inculcate the ideals of sacrifice, hard work and devotion.” Hosein said Eid Ul-Adha commemorates Abraham’s unyielding commitment to his faith, such that he proved his willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail.

“Almighty Allah recognised his devotion and intervened, letting a lamb take Ismail’s place.

It is the holiest Islamic observance,” he said. “Every year on Eid Ul-Adha, the Islamic community worldwide comes together to mark the end of the holy pilgrimage, Hajj, and to give honour to the spirit of sacrifice which marks this celebration.

“For Hajj, we leave behind our worldly possessions to make our pilgrimage to Mecca. We stand together, men and women, as equals before God. And in so doing, we recognise and honour the great sacrifice that our forefather, Prophet Abraham (Peace Be Unto Him), was willing to make; and are able to reflect on the many ways we as individuals and collectively, can make sacrifices in our daily lives to demonstrate our devotion and do good for humanity.” Hosein said during this holy observance, Muslims are called upon to make sacrifices to the Almighty by dividing meat into three portions: one for ourselves, another portion for family, and a third portion for those in need.

He said this sharing represents the key lessons of Eid Ul-Adha – sacrifice, equality and charity.

Police sources said the exercise was conducted between the hours of 4 pm and 6 pm.

The police received information which led them to upper Haig Street, Carenage, where they searched an abandoned house. As a result, police found a pistol and a magazine with nine rounds of 9mm ammunition.

No one was arrested in connection with the find.

“There are vendors who have been registered already, those are the vendors who will be allowed to remain on Charlotte Street. All other vendors, we are asking you to remove yourself in an orderly fashion.” Mayor Martinez added , “We are going to ask our police service to assist us in ensuring that the areas are properly regulated.

Charlotte Street is the first street we have started the regularisation process, however we are moving to the other streets thereafter.

Once the process is completed on Charlotte Street we want to ensure that vending is properly regulated throughout the city.” Martinez said although vending occurs in all cities around the world, there are rules and process vendors have to follow to ensure the city remains a successful city.

“How it is done? It is regulated.

Vendors are allowed to vend in certain parts and ply their trade in a very decent manner.

They are young entrepreneurs, but at the same time they must be regulated.” He said discussion are being held with the police to further collaborate on new and innovative ways to enhance the safety and security of the burgesses and citizens of the city of Port-of-Spain.

This motion was passed during the city corporation’s statutory meeting yesterday at the City Hall, Knox Street, Port-of-Spain.

According to Akil Durham, Councillor for Belmont North and West, the funds will be financed by donations and contributions from the public and private sectors. He said the money will be authorised by the Council to be allocated to the fund.

In moving the motion, Durham explained some of the ways the funds will be used.

“The money under the fund will be utilised for charitable causes within the city, emergency relief due to a natural disaster, accidents and mishaps within the city, scholarships to needy students and members of the community within the city of Port-of-Spain.” He continued, “Promotion and hosting of national culture, artistic, religious celebrations and anniversaries as well as city receptions.” He said the decision of the motion will be sent to the Minister of Local Government for approval.

Ramdharine said 49 percent of the accidents over the last three years involved a single driver and his/ her vehicle. He believes that the drivers who travel alone are at a higher risk as they are more likely to fall asleep or get distracted and if left unchecked, the number of road fatalities will surpass that of 2016.

“The police service would like to see an enforcement of the laws by citizens,” said Ramdharine who quoted the number of speeding tickets issued this year alone to be 13,002. He also said that the highway and traffic branch alone have issued 21,606 suffix penalty tickets.

Road safety Coordinator, Brent Batson advised parents of students who are attending new schools to do a “dry run” of the unfamiliar route before school starts. He said that as the new school term begins next week motorists should be especially aware of the expected traffic that comes with it. He warns drivers to be more alert not just for themselves but for the people around them.

Police officers will be out there in their numbers to try to manage the traffic situation.

He said that while there was cause for celebration for this milestone occasion, he emphasised the importance of preserving children and youths to continue TT’s legacy of productivity and self-sustainability.

“This morning at the military parade, we heard the bands belt out the sweet sounds of Ras Shorty I, ‘Watch out my Children’ and the lyrics of this soung reminds us how precious our children are to the future of this nation’s progress. And I quote from Ras Shorty I ‘Walk cautiously children, be alert. Sober thinking leads onto righteousness and happiness is spiritual bliss.’” He further urged citizens to engage in deeper introspection, throughout their lives, citing TT’s long history of cultural diversity and cooperation, he said that central to any nation-building initiative was the mutual respect amongst citizens.

“We must generate a genuine appreciation for our nation and regard for the art of disagreement and yes it is indeed an art.

“Where differences of opinion are shared in an environment of mutual respect and objectivity. We are after all a callalloo of cultures.

Trinbagonians let us forge a better future for ourselves and our children.” During his remarks Carmona also extended his well-wishes to TT’s athletes, including paralympian Akeem Stewart and the national men’s 4×4 relay team, who recently won gold at the World Athletics Championship in London, earlier last month.

This year’s holiday was the first not to feature the annual revelation of National Awards and a distribution ceremony.

While there have been concerns over the degree of consultation involved in the decision of President Anthony Carmona to shift this aspect of our annual celebration to Republic Day, the move may have the intended effect of fostering a longer and, perhaps, deeper engagement with ideas of nationhood. Why should we limit this engagement to one day alone? If we were tasked with setting out a wish-list for our nation as we enter yet another year, several items would quickly rise to the top. The first has to be the elimination of crime. It is true there are many forms of serious crime and murder. But we feel the State has a clear role to play given the fact that the vast majority of killings, whatever their motivation, involve firearms. We must take guns off the streets.

And though crimes of passion involving situations of abuse and dysfunctional relationships may seem like matters completely outside of the remit of the State, these events reflect something of the larger society within which they occur. The State may not be able to stop a man from murdering his partner; but it can bring that man to justice speedily.

When the gravest offence of murder seems to have a detection rate on the lower end of the spectrum, it is clear the State is not doing enough to deter these types of crimes.

And attitudes, too, call for social intervention by both the State and civil society groups. We must continue to educate and to campaign against violence against women.

Corruption, too, is a matter of grave concern, as noted by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley this month. The perception is that corruption affects public procurement and also the workings of key institutions such as the Police Service which, though comprised of hard-working men and women, does not have an effective watchdog.

What cannot be countenanced, however, is a situation where members of the public feel they can attack police officers. We need the police to enforce law and order. Without them, the rule of law falters. We condemn any act of violence against the police in the strongest possible terms.

Our wish list would also have to set out goals for the economy.

Not only would we like to see an increase in revenue and a shrinking of the deficit, but the very structure of the economy needs to change. There should be a greater diversity of income streams, a fairer allocation of wealth nationally and sounder systems to manage public spending and revenue collection from powerful corporate bodies.

Some of these powerful corporate bodies are also financiers of political parties, which leads to the next item: campaign finance reform. Will it ever see the light of day? Our culture is also rich and is perhaps our most under-valued resource. How can we do a better job of highlighting its breath and also fostering its perpetuation? There is a direct link between the Carnival arts, music, film, literature and other forms of art and our well-being as a society.

Let us see what good can be achieved as we enter another year.

At the meeting, Deputy Mayor, Alderman Cagney Casimire stated “Issuing stop notices seem to be a challenge in the borough.” He added that buildings are being constructed with additions that have not been approved by the council and serving stop notices are important in taking action against owners. Building Inspector, Ian Murrell confirmed Casimire’s comments stating that residents and business owners are ignoring stop notice requests or simply refusing to come out to receive the notice.

Murrell stated that only four out of the 12 stop notices which were recommended to be issued were successfully delivered to the relevant parties.

Morris-Julian expressed her dissatisfaction with this figure, stating “Four out of 12 is unacceptable. It seems as if people are not taking these notices seriously.” She further stated that this called for the council to examine why the public thinks it is permissible to ignore an officer from the Arima Borough Corporation. “Accepting these notices are not optional, it is something that must be served,” she said.

Morris-Julian stated that she believes the corporation is being forced to pursue court action against lawbreakers in Arima. “We are ready to go to court. No one will get away,” she said.

She stated that both small home owners and big businessmen must be held accountable for their illegal actions. She said, “It seems if someone puts up a shed, we are there in the morning, but when it comes to big businesses there is a problem.” Casimire spoke of one particular business in the borough that has extended their wall onto the pavement. “On the side of Hearty Foods, there is a wall built straight to the end of the road, which allows patrons of the club upstairs to be received. The extension leaves no room for our burgesses, especially the students of neighbouring schools to use the pavements and on the opposite side there is a car park which is more dangerous for students,” he said. He called for a show cause notice to be issued to the business, as well as other businesses who are currently not upholding the building regulations of the borough.

Morris-Julian commended the Chief Executive Officer, Cheryl Sirju-Chong for her impeccable integrity and quick action which led to the arrests of two persons in a recent fraud matter. She stated, “The Arima Borough Corporation will not stand for corruption of any form, whether it is ten bags of cement or $100 000. It is not our money, it is the people’s money and we must treat it with respect.” She added that all arms of the corporation are working together to stamp out corruption.

The tenders will be opened at 2.15 pm on the same day. The Authority said it reserved the right to cancel the tender process at any time and is not bound to accept the lowest or any tender. Tender documents providing more details can be obtained between 8 am to 4 pm. On Monday, the Authority issued tenders for the provision of a suitable passenger ferry and a cargo vessel for the seabridge.

The TT Express, Cabo Star and a water taxi are the vessels currently servicing the seabridge. The TT Spirit is currently on dry dock . The Express is scheduled to be dry docked once the Spirit returns to service.