Dead is Stephen Nero, a father of one from Denny Road, Valencia.

At about 8 pm on Friday, residents of Hamilton Road, Wallerfield heard a commotion and called the police.

Officers arrived to find the body of Nero near his car with multiple stab wounds to the upper back. Police said it appears Nero put up struggle and after he was stabbed he ran and collapsed.

Sunday Newsday was told by family members they believe Nero was lured to his death.

His sister Christine Granderson said Nero normally finished working at about 5.30 pm on Fridays, because he is a Seventh-day Adventist.

“He always stop working around 5 pm or so. He was seen all day yesterday (Friday) with a female friend of his (that) he was dating and it didn’t seem as though he worked yesterday (Friday) because my other siblings said they saw him around Arima with the same individual during the course of the day,” said Granderson.

“My brother is a humble and kind hearted person and always willing to help those in need. He was not known to the police and was not involved in drugs or criminal activities.

I don’t know why someone would want to take his life. They took him from us. He was such a joyful being.” Sharon Nero, another sister, recalled a time when she was getting her daughter’s school supplies in Arima and her brother called out to her. She said she would never forget the smile on his face.

“I love my brother so much. He is with God now and will be surely missed. Those who have committed this gruesome act will have to answer soon.” Investigations are continuing.

And they are hoping that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s 2 pm meeting tomorrow with key stakeholders in Tobago at the Magdalena Grand Hotel, will bear fruit.

Ray Thomas, owner of the Mt Grace Feed Depot, is maintaining a wait-and-see approach to the meeting and is willing to keep an open mind.

“Yesterday was yesterday. It has passed and gone,” Thomas told Sunday Newsday.

“Life must go on. We have to think about tomorrow. We can’t worry no more about the past. So, it is really interesting that we got a meeting and I will really like to hear what the Prime Minister has to say about the present situation and where do we go from here.” He said, however, the problems on the sea bridge reflected the fact that the relationship between the two islands has never been truly complementary.

Thomas added greater attempts should have been made years ago to implement a State-owned inter- island ferry service.

“Over the years, I see Tobago not being recognised as an arm of Trinidad and vice versa because as much as we need Trinidad, there are businesses in Trinidad that sell to Tobago and we will represent some part of their sales,” he said.

“As much as we need the goods, Trinidad’s suppliers need to sell to Tobago and I think more emphasis should have been paid years ago in terms of (implementing) a proper inter-island ferry service for Tobago, having the regular routine maintenance and bearing in mind as the ship and boats get older, they need to put things in place to repair, so that we don’t ever end up in a crisis situation,” Thomas was alluding to the TT Spirit, which is currently off the run.

“Too many times we have one boat and it is working well until it is not working at all,” he said.

“We started off working well, when we had the two fast ferries, the Warrior Spirit and the (Super Fast) Galicia, everything was fine.

But we also knew the two fast ferries were ailing and had a life span of about 15 years.” Thomas lamented that Tobagonians often had to “take what we get.” “As much as it’s a backward step in having a barge (Trinity Transporter), people were forced to put goods and services on a barge because it boils down to this is the only option until better can be done.

“But better should have been negotiated before it reached to this crisis situation. In years gone by, it has been the trend, it continues to be the trend where we operate in crisis mode and this is what we have and this is what we have to accept.” Forced to intervene in the sea bridge imbroglio, the Prime Minister is expected to meet with Works Minister Rohan Sinanan, Tobago MPs Shamfa Cudjoe and Ayanna Webster-Roy and representatives from the Tobago Chamber of Commerce, Tobago Hoteliers and Tourism Association, Tobago Truckers Association, Tobago Unique Bed Breakfast, Self-Catering Association, among other groups.

The meeting follows Sinanan’s announcement, two weeks ago, that the contract for the Ocean Flower 11, procured from the Canada-based Bridgeman’s Service Group, was terminated after the company failed to deliver the vessel by an extended August 1 deadline.

It was subsequently revealed that the vessel had been plagued by technical problems after a sea trial in Panama.

The sea bridge is currently being served by the T&T Express, water taxi and the Cabo Star cargo vessel, the latter which was leased from Bridgeman’s on a one-year contract at a daily rate of $US22,500.

There has been mixed views about the Cabo Star’s suitability to service the sea bridge.

The Government has come under fire for its handling of the debacle with calls from several stakeholders, including retired head of the public service Reginald Dumas, for Sinanan and members of the board of the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT) to resign over the situation, which has created dire straits for Tobago businessmen and average travellers.

Rowley, who apologised for the dilemma, has since appointed an independent investigator, businessman Christian Mouttet, to probe the circumstances surrounding the procurement of the Ocean Flower 11 and Cabo Star.

The PATT, Integrity Commission and Parliament’s Joint Select Committee, also have launched investigations into the procurement of the vessels.

Mouttet’s appointment has sparked controversy in several quarters with some questioning his suitability to lead the investigation given his alleged ties to several high-ranking members of the People’s National Movement.

Mouttet, a former president of the TT Chamber of Commerce, has reportedly begun his investigation and is expected to present a report to the Prime Minister in 30 days.

Some observers are viewing Mouttet’s appointment as a sign that Rowley has lost confidence in Sinanan and the PATT board.

The issue remains in abeyance pending the outcome of Mouttet’s investigation and that of the other bodies.

In the interim, though, Thomas said his agricultural feed business, in existence for the past 20 years, has been affected tremendously by the problems on the sea bridge.

“The only place one wants to be is in their business and you only want to leave when you have to,” he said.

“When you are forced to leave because of the situation, lack of planning or foresight, then it affects you grossly because you are away from your business and it is an additional cost to be away from your business.

“If when I leave, I bring more, then I am growing. But when I leave to try to salvage to stay alive, the expense goes up and everything is lost during this period of crisis.” The Signal Hill resident said Tobago entrepreneurs, within the past few months, have been under “serious, serious pressure” in trying to keep their businesses afloat. “Many of us are fighting to keep our heads just above water.

People have loans to pay.

“People have commitment to meet and it is very, very challenging now for the people who are still in business. I know they are actually in a backward position in terms of goods and service and to supply to meet the demand of the average Tobagonian.” Thomas said the Cabo Star, whilst facilitating a need, has impacted the earning power of many Tobago businessmen.

He said while the Galicia had the capability to move 80 to 100 trucks, the Cabo Star can only manage onethird of that capacity.

“Because of that situation, stock would have been depleted fast and you are never able to restock because you have a situation where, when you go to the port no sailing is guaranteed because you now can only have 30 trucks, one third of what you have as normal traffic from Trinidad to Tobago and vice versa,” he said.

“People actually started to lose because you don’t have stock to maintain and to supply the market and keep your staff employed.” Cancelled sailings, he said, also have led to higher storage costs for people who rent trucks to transport their merchandise “because when they load today, they have no guarantee they will come today.” Thomas added: “So, when they get their forms, it will remain on the port to try again tomorrow. The driver will then want to charge more because he is inconvenienced.

His truck is then tied up, he cannot do anything in Trinidad unless he choose to offload the truck and load it back, which does not make sense.” To compound matters, Thomas said people could not take the chance to transport perishable goods such as oil, cheese and butter via the trucks “because there is no guarantee you are sailing and you stand to lose.’ “So, people were just bringing a few perishable items that can stay on the truck in case they did not get on the vessel for the next day.” Thomas said the situation led to a lack of certain items in supermarkets and other businesses.

“So, now your cost has gone up, your expense to operate has gone up and still there is no guarantee in terms of going to get as much goods as you want because we still have the fact that the boat can only carry 30 to 40 vehicles, trucks or trailers depending on the size.

Thomas also said the absence of another fast passenger ferry will continue to affect tourism in Tobago.

“You will not have much tourists coming to the island because a boat carries 840 passengers, one trip to the port.

A plane only carries 68 people. So the flights for the day will only carry 680 persons while one trip with the boat carries more than all these plane flights. That is just to say how important these fast ferries are to us in terms of moving traffic or persons to and from Tobago.” Thomas said Tobago needed two fast ferries with the capacity to carry 1,000 to 1,200 passengers as well as a carrier that can transport both passengers, trucks and containers “so, when one goes on drydock, which they should do (for) their regular routine maintenance, we are not heavily affected.” Anson Beckles, who operates his small business from a panel van on the streets, said Tobago was in dire need of another fast passenger ferry. He said the void left by the absence of another ferry had led to uncertainty at the port.

“Anytime we approach the port for tickets we get scared one time because we don’t know how we coming back up from Trinidad.

And sometimes we go twice a week,” Beckles said.

“Sometimes, when we go by the port for tickets they tell we that we have to go on stand-by and we not sure of coming back up. I don’t know when this thing will stop.” Beckles, who sells a variety of women and men’s merchandise, said his earnings had dropped considerably because of the situation.

“Sometimes, the turnover is okay and sometimes it is very slow.

Some of the things you have to sell it back for the price you pay for it because you have to get back your money.

When I look at the money I have invested, I realised that I am not making it back,” he said, adding the problem was compounded by the economic downturn and fewer tourist arrivals on the island.

Ferry facts

The procurement process for the Ocean Flower II and Cabo Star, acquired from Canada- based Bridgeman’s Service Group, is under probe by prime ministerial appointed investigator businessman Christian Mouttet. There are also investigations by the Port Authority, Integrity Commission and a joint select committee of Parliament.

* Ocean Flower II: Basically a fast-ferry passenger vessel. It could also accommodate threetonne trucks, cars, panel vans, light cargo.

* Cabo Star: Basically a cargo vessel that can accommodate close to 100 passengers.
The T&T Express and TT Spirit are currently operated by Inter-Island Transportation Co Ltd.

The Spirit is currently on dry dock.

* T&T Express: A fast-ferry passenger vessel which also can accommodate small vehicles and light cargo.

* TT Spirit: A fast ferry passenger vessel which can also accommodate small vehicles and light cargo.

On Monday three men, one of them a US citizen, were allegedly held in the sanctuary with ibis parts by game wardens. They appeared before a Chaguanas magistrate on Tuesday and the matter has been adjourned to September 5.

One of the game wardens who held the men was Richard Ramlogan, Game Warden II, and he spoke with Sunday Newsday last Thursday during a patrol of the sanctuary.

The size of the sanctuary is 5,611 hectares and Ramlogan explained that only part of the area is prohibited.

In that prohibited area no one is allowed without a permit or they will be subject to a fine of $20,000. Those who are granted a permit are usually people conducting tours and those coming from Madame Espagnol River through to Blue River.

There are 186 species of birds in the swamp including herons, egrets, wading birds, cardinal, kingfishers, jacanas and, of course, scarlet ibis. There are ibis in other parts of the country but the sanctuary has the highest concentration.

The birds are attracted to all the fish and crustaceans left on the mud flaps when the tide goes down.

Within three minutes of the tour a scarlet ibis could be seen flying overhead. The wardens estimated the ibis population at the sanctuary at 15,000 though they are migratory.

Ramlogan said poaching had been a problem for a very long time. The poachers shoot the birds or use red cloth as decoys to lure them in and capture them in transparent nets. On how the ibis was being sold, Ramlogan said the going rate was three for $100 though it had been higher.

“Poachers try to elude us all the time.” He said that before holding the men on Monday, the last case was in 2013 when a man was found with 18 carcasses and was sentenced to 18 months jail. Sunday Newsday could find no other reports online of people being held for ibis poaching though we were informed of a case in around 2003 involving the chairman of a statutory authority who got off on a technicality.

In both the recent case and the case in 2013, Ramlogan was involved.

He has been a game warden for 17 years and had been working at the sanctuary for a decade but was transferred and only returned in July. He said now that he was back at Caroni he was pushing harder to have patrols, especially with increased poaching.

“It’s getting hard. Men coming and really poaching,” he said.

Ramlogan said it was difficult finding the carcasses of the ibis.

“You feel sick. Get a sick feeling when you see these things.” He said, however, wardens felt good when they hold people after months of looking and searching.

“Finally capture and get some justice. Let the nation see what really going on with these people.” Ramlogan said there were four wardens assigned to the sanctuary and honorary game wardens who assist occasionally. He said, however, the sanctuary should have eight more wardens for a total of 12. He also called for a second boat to patrol, radios to keep in contact and for support staff when they bring in perpetrators.

The other wardens said they had issues with getting equipment including bulletproof vests, accessing uniforms and having timely training for new game wardens.

“We begging for years (for more game wardens),” one game warden said. He said it was a constant game of cat and mouse with poachers and while they outgunnned and outnumbered the wardens “we still hold them.” At about 2.20 pm, the patrol encountered two men on a rusty boat.

Ramlogan asked them where they were coming from and why they were on the prohibited side. One of the men responded that they had engine troubles. The wardens then checked the bags and let the men go. Ramlogan said the men were likely looking for oysters; the swamp is popular place for catching oysters, which can be seen bejewelling the mangrove roots, and crabs.

Asked what message he would have for people buying scarlet ibis meat Ramlogan said, “The only time people stop buying is when they ban curry. We have an attitude when we have an appetite for everything.” He said there was a time when people would not catch caimans to eat but that was becoming a trend.

Another warden said their message is zero tolerance and “no begging” which they have experienced.

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, speaking during an interview yesterday, responded to some of the concerns by the game wardens.

On expanding the prohibited area, he said they had to look at the issue very carefully.

He said the main reason was the Felicity community used part of the swamp for their livelihood–as there was a lot of crab catching, harvesting of oysters and shellfish–and for their own recreation.

“I haven’t received any recommendation in terms of expanding the protected area. If we do receive, we will look at it.” He said an exercise with the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations on managing the sanctuary was two years into a four-year project.

He said they would look at the issue of the size of the prohibited area in terms of the long-term preservation.

He said based on the last arrest, he visited the site that night and attended the court case the following day.

“Because I wanted to get a good feel of how we’re doing in terms of dealing with the patrols, dealing with the arrests and also dealing with the court prosecution side of this.” He said he interacted with some of their officers and knew the areas that needed strengthening.

The fine for poaching the ibis is a maximum of $1,000 or three months imprisonment.

Rambharat said he recognised that they had to increase the fines and this was a matter for the Parliament. He added that when Government laid legislation to amend the Conservation of Wild Life Act, there would be a recommendation to increase fines possibly to the level of what existed for turtles.

In 2011 the Fisheries Act was amended to give full protection to all sea turtle species and then in 2014 they were designated as environmentally sensitive species under the Environmentally Sensitive Species Rules, 2001. This prohibits injury or sale of the species and the destruction of its habitat and the penalty for causing damage to an Environmentally Sensitive Species is $100,000 and imprisonment for two years.

Rambharat said increased fines for poaching of the ibis “will see a greater level of protection and maybe people would think twice about going into that.” He expressed hope that in these cases the Judiciary could “send a signal in terms of, not just the symbolic importance of the scarlet ibis but the importance of all our protected animals in the country. All our protected areas.” He said, on social media, people had commented that the hunting was because people were “hungry” but he recalled a case where the poachers were found with bottles of scotch, rum and cases of beer.

“And that does not represent hunger to me.

It’s obvious that people get some sort of excitement about going into the area like that and we want to curb their excitement through the appropriate prosecution methods.” On game warden manpower, he said the positions were filled by the Public Service Commission and game wardens in general were undermanned by 50 per cent. He said he asked Public Administration Minister Maxie Cuffie to look into the possibility of having the responsibility to hire public servants delegated to the ministry. He noted there were specialist positions like game wardens and forest officers and animal health positions.

He said there was a lot of interest and there were graduates of the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry who would love to work in the ministry but they had not hired one for more than five years or even longer.

“And I would like to see the system freed up to allow us to either support the Public Service Commission more in recruiting or do the recruiting ourselves.” On the wardens’ concerns about equipment, Rambharat reported he told game wardens and the Forestry Division that “it is difficult to support a request for resources if I’m not seeing work done with the current resources. So if you have one boat I want to see that boat fully utilised. I want to see action being done and then I can make a case to my colleagues for the allocation for more resources.” He reported the Emperor Valley Zoo came forward two weeks ago and said they were prepared to provide a boat and honorary game wardens.

He said when officers went into the field they had to deal with people with arms, ammunition and illegal drugs “and people who are prepared to defend their illegal activities by force and our officers have to be equipped and ready to respond.” He also said bulletproof vests would On a tour: Visitors enjoy a tour of the Caroni Bird Sanctuary.

be made available to the wardens.

“I am on record as saying that I do not want anybody enforcing the law out there without bulletproof vests or without appropriate equipment and training.

That work has become very dangerous.” He said, in terms of wild life enforcement laws, they had been doing a lot more than what happened previously and in the last hunting season, October 2016 to March 2017, they doubled the number of offences they dealt with.

“I think we are in the right direction. And there will be no let up.” Glenn Wilkes, member of the Field Naturalists Club, said the eating of the ibis was part of a major problem with society.

“Everything is dominated by money. Once you have something to a make dollar from…people doing it.” He said the issue was a broad spectrum from the well-to-do person down to “the fella scrunting and wanting to make couple dollars doing it.” Wilkes said wild meat was now quite popular and very expensive.

He said he lived in St Lucia for a number of years and the fines associated with poaching protected species were so high that it would make people think twice. Wilkes said the current penalties in TT were so low they were no deterrent at all.

“If you make $500 selling a piece of wild meat and they catch you and charge you $200 they will laugh at you.” Wilkes also said there was a need for education as the average child did not relate to the scarlet ibis other than it being on a stamp or a dollar.

“Once they understand their heritage, they as children can put pressure on adults (not to hunt the ibis).” Wilkes said there was a big market for ibis and people wanted to have it for a “cook up.” “If the market vanishes people won’t do it.”

Citizens deserve an explanation, he said, adding he is also awaiting the results of the investigation. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister appointed businessman Christian Mouttet as the sole investigator of the procurement process of the Ocean Flower II and Cabo Star leased from Canada-based Bridgeman’s Service Group. The Port Authority, Integrity Commission and a Joint Select Committee of Parliament are also carrying out their own probes.

Interviewed after a tour of Point Fortin and La Brea yesterday, Sinanan said the investigation centres on the procurement process used by the Port Authority which he said his ministry had no part in.

“This has to do with the Port Authority,” he said. “I am also awaiting the results of this investigation and I don’t see the need to step down at this point.” Sinanan said trade union leader, NATUC president Michael Annisette is calling for his resignation claiming that as minister he did not sign the charter party agreement to stop the Super Fast Galicia from leaving .

“Mr Annisette needs to go back in history and he will realise that the charter party agreement for the Superfast Galicia vessel ended in April of 2016,” Sinanan said pointing out he became Works and Transport Minister in November.

Sinanan said any negotiations to keep the Galicia would have been before April.

When he became to the line minister, the problem with the sea bridge already existed and it was then he started to put things into place. He first had to provide a cargo vessel and had asked for three months to solve this issue. At the time two vessels needed to be fixed and one was sent to dry-dock, but there were more problems than was anticipated.

“This is why we had to bring in a vessel to solve an interim problem,” he said.

Earlier Sinanan toured the constituencies accompanied by La Brea MP Nicole Olivierre, along with councillors Arlene Ramdeo, Christine Neptune, Maurice Alexander and Shankar Teelucksingh. The minister was taken through the major roads to get a first hand look at the deteriorating road conditions.

The tour began along the S S Erin Road where members of the Siparia Erin Road taxi drivers got the opportunity to highlight their concerns about the poor conditions..

Particular attention was paid to the roads from Quarry Junction to Santa Flora, and from St Cyprian’s Anglican Church to the end of the Los Bajos stretch. The team drove into Palo Seco Beach Road to view the collapsed access road.

The team stopped at Palo Seco Government Primary School to look at the state of drainage in this area. He also visited Erin Beach to examine the coastline.

Sinanan then toured the site of the collapsed road in Coromandel and other areas before going to Point Fortin where he toured Salazar Trace, Parrylands and Vance River. The tour ended at La Brea where the minister again looked at deplorable road conditions.

He promised to schedule repairs to the most critical areas in the earliest possible time.

(See page 10)

Haleema, who suffers from a blood condition, had been rejected by the administrators of the Children’s Life Fund. The officials questioned the basis for the diagnosis of the child as well as her eligibility, stating beta thalassemia major was not life-threatening.

In this space a few days ago, we called for better systems to be put in place to screen applications for assistance from the Children’s Life Fund. In Haleema’s case, the matter went all the way to the board of management of the fund where it was given careful consideration.

If it was clear the child could not qualify under the law because of the nature of her condition, the issue should never have taken so long to be resolved.

The case also raised disturbing claims – reportedly made by a High Court judge presiding over a lawsuit filed on behalf of Haleema’s family – who accused the fund administrators’ of acting callously.

They have not responded.

Be that as it may, the question that arises from this case relates to matters beyond the remit of the board of management.

As a matter of policy, the State should determine whether only the most critical cases should merit assistance.

The aim of the Children’s Life Fund is to provide funding in cases where a child faces death, where treatment is not available locally and where affected families are unable to pursue the necessary treatment abroad due to financial limitations.

Often, serious conditions require treatment in order to preserve the patient’s quality or life or prevent more serious conditions from developing. Why should children suffering from these diseases be denied simply because they are not yet at death’s door? It is for Parliament to determine the scope of the State aid provided in these cases. Cases like Haleema’s demonstrate the need for a review of the Children Life Fund law.

There is also a need to bolster medical expertise locally. If the State has trouble doing the latter, then it definitely must do the former.

And what of the Couva Children’s Hospital? Could this facility play a role in handling cases, whether serious or life-threatening? It is wonderful to see how many private entities have come forward to donate funds to Haleema’s family to facilitate her treatment.

It is not often appreciated how much big business contributes to society. This ranges from large multi-national firms such as BP to small, family businesses that operate within local communities.

There are also countless NGOs to which citizens, daily, turn in the face of appalling gaps within the public sector.

At a time when the State is strapped for resources, it is particularly heartening to know that the private sector can be counted on to offer help when help is needed.

This does not absolve the State of its duty to fulfill the social contract.

Rather, it is complementary to it. Civil society has a role to play in helping our State achieve its fullest goals.

The various companies that have come together to assist Haleema show us the potential for something more long-term.

Pending any review by Parliament of the current arrangements, perhaps the time has come for a charitable organisation to be formed to cover cases that do not fall under the Children’s Life Fund? For now, we congratulate those who have lent a helping hand to Haleema and wish her all the best.

For decades, we have failed to realise and understand that nothing can be done to progress our country if we refuse to work together and across party lines. This ideology of partisanship that our first prime minister, Dr Eric Williams established and entrenched needs to be abolished, along with the falsehood that he was a patriotic statesman.

And when I say work together, I don’t mean the recent publicity stunt qua meeting between a Prime Minister with no ideas, and an Opposition Leader with no shame. What I mean is that there must be meaningful dialogue and genuineness from all sides; all stakeholders; every single citizen; otherwise our country would remain completely and totally paralysed by politics.

Bi-partisanship is only impossible without sincerity. What the country needs is a sincere leader whose loyalty is to the holders of our passports, and not holders of party-cards. Every time I reveal my destiny of becoming the first prime minister to lead a bipartisan cabinet, the immediate response is always derision and scepticism because no one believes in that kind of “utopian” rhetoric. Trinbagonians believe that there is nothing more corrupt than politics and no one more dishonest than politicians; therefore anyone who follows a path of politics will eventually become corrupted.

I, however, strongly disagree and firmly believe that politics does not change anybody; it merely reveals who those people have been all along. Frankly, integrity constructed on solid foundation cannot easily be shaken because of power and/or wealth.

Too many of my compatriots believe that nothing can be done about the incompetence we have parading as governance for the past several decades. And too many people believe that the democratic dictatorship of the UNC -PNM system is incorrigible and that it is impossible to destroy because no one votes on issues– only party. I, however, have faith in the electorate. I have faith that a viable non-partisan option presented with the right leadership will transcend all biases that have, for far too long, corrupted our politics and our people.

The recent success of president Emmanuel Macron in France, and even that of American independent senator, Bernie Sanders, during the 2016 democratic primary elections has solidified my belief that this corrupt system can be collectively torn down by an enlightened electorate.

There is so much to get done and we are running out of time.

As mentioned before, the solutions are out there but the folks in our parliament aren’t interested in implementing anything that isn’t politically beneficial.

For dealing with crime and reforming the entire criminal justice system, we have endless research and personal knowledge from criminologists like Renee Cummings and Prof Ramesh Deosaran. For the economy and helping us diversify, there is no dearth of intelligent economists but we could start with Dr Roger Hosein for his views on what to do next. And for the other issues like corruption, infrastructure and public transportation, there is an endless supply of knowledge and opinions to use as a starting reference.

So even though the ideas are all there, it boils down to political will and the need for votes; who dares interrupt the corruption that runs rampant in the Police Service, Coast Guard, Army, Licensing, PTSC, Customs, Immigration and every government ministry? With a registered electorate of just over one million people, the potential votes from corrupt people and their families is a huge chunk of prospective voters, and there is nothing more important to any of our politicians than that figure.

Moving the Beetham landfill from being a welcome sign to our capital city and building new prisons are also necessary issues requiring urgency but both continue to receive resistance from residents in earmarked areas; however, making unpopular decisions is part of being in government.

Additionally, no government wants to implement contemporary legislation on employment and labour to replace the existing unconstitutional mess we call a labour justice system because who wants to lose the votes of the labour movement, which is estimated to be somewhere between 5,000 people and “the balance.” How long are we going to allow corruption, trade unions and criminals to run our country because of political paralysis? I think 2020 is a good time to turn over a new leaf. Remember, the paralysis of Trinidad and Tobago due to politics is still temporary but if we do not attempt to rehabilitate the system now, permanent paralysis is inevitable.

The child is warded at the Intensive Care Unit of the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital, Mt Hope. On Friday, she underwent emergency surgery however due to complications she did not respond well. Yesterday, relatives kept vigil at her bedside hoping for a miracle.

Police probing the incident said they are yet to interview a woman about how the girl suffered the extensive injuries. The woman, a nurse, had asked police to give her time to seek legal counsel before making herself available for the interview.

Several people have already been questioned including the girl’s parents. The girl lives with her father.

Two Saturdays ago, the girl’s father left her in the care of the woman.

When he returned he noticed bruising on his daughter’s head and the woman told him the child fell down.

However, by early Sunday morning, the girl became gravely ill and she was taken to the hospital. On examination, doctors believed the girl sustained injuries from a beating and this prompted a police investigation.

The Children’s Authority in a statement yesterday reported they are working with the police in the investigation.

The authority said the matter was brought to their attention when the child was admitted to hospital.

“The authority is horrified and strongly condemns the actions of those responsible for the brutal abuse of the child. The organisation is once again reminding the public that preventing child abuse is everyone’s responsibility.

“In fact, if you see, hear or are suspicious about the treatment of a child in your family or neighbourhood you should immediately make a report to the police or the Children’s Authority,” is said in the release.

The authority is calling on anyone with information about this incident to make a report to the Police at 999 or to the Children’s Authority Hotline at 996 or 800-2014.

Dead is Junior Pena, 71, of La Pastora Street, Siparia.

A friend went to check on Pena at about 10.30 am yesterday. The friend contacted the Siparia police when Pena did not answer when he called out his name.

Police said Pena’s body was in an advanced state of decomposition.

Pena’s nephew Kevon King identified him. An autopsy is expected to be conducted tomorrow at the San Fernando Mortuary.

Sgt Ali is investigating.

I didn’t ask which grass they were talking about.

I’ve heard that he wasn’t built for sprinting but he defied his genes and did it anyway. I heard that he comes from a parish where the dasheen is different and that’s responsible for his athletic prowess.

Someone who lives in the same parish swears by that. I heard that he can’t run long distance. He’s not trained for that but he’s still the fastest human alive.

I heard that he had no discipline.

Eventually success turned him into something resembling disciplined.

I heard he ate junk food. I heard that he hid in the trunk of a car to avoid training.

He’s a practical joker they said. I heard that his sense of fun added to his popularity. I heard people say he is a show off. He said he was simply having fun. I heard he never left Jamaica to train elsewhere.

I’ve heard about his records. I’ve heard him declare his greatness.

I’ve heard the many things the media reports. I’ve heard the things the man on the road says.

I’ve heard from here, there and everywhere that the man was great. I’ve watched him walk onto the tracks to receive his gold. I’ve watched him compete. I have seen his ease, I’ve seen his confidence.

I’ve seen and I’ve heard. But, there are silences.

I’ve never heard much about Bolt’s training regimen. I’ve never heard anyone talk about his sacrifices.

I’ve never heard anyone talk about his parents’ support. They seem invisible. I’ve never heard anything about his daily living. I’ve never heard about his joys and sorrows.

I’ve never heard about days that he wished he didn’t have to train. I heard that he has a physical disability, but I didn’t hear how he overcame it. We see, we hear, we silence the parts that we don’t want to be a part of our reality. We live in worlds of make believe. We live in worlds of hush hush too.

We hear things that are convenient for us. In parts. Rarely in wholes. And I wonder whether wholes can ever be achieved.

We celebrate the greatness in men. It’s all well and good. They inspire us to push harder. But what about moments of failure? How do we push past those? I wish those stories could be told. I wish the kids could know what to do when adversity hits them; how to cope, how to deal with it.

Not many of us have coaches to monitor us, not a great many have people who absolutely believe in us.

How do we navigate the turf? How do we know when to run barefooted? How do we know which training ground is best suited for us? How do we know what constitutes balance? How do we know which opportunity is best missed, which one is best taken? I saw him struggle through those last races of his career last week, saw him fall to the floor when that hamstring gave up, heard the accusations against the IAAF, read about how London didn’t deserve him. I heard that everyone else was to blame.

But this was Bolt. He had nothing else to prove. He is retired now to a string of medals and honours. His greatness will live after him.

But what happens when another athlete falls? What happens when another person doesn’t achieve her personal best? What happens when an injury sets you back and you aren’t the fastest human alive? I heard that the Government is now thinking against diversification.

I heard about Trinidad and Tobago’s gold, saw the race run and felt proud of the island.

The music died down fast in the oppressive humidity of the island.

I never heard much about the grass in TT . I now hear that we should support local. Ground provisions were on the Prime Minister’s list. I hear the air is polluted with Saharan dust. But the season passes and the wind will blow it further out for the time of pilferers and plunderers caulking cracks with our natural resources has passed.

The time has come now when we celebrate our own grass and dasheen.

About time that we guard our own gold.

(Note: I admit to loving Eliot Weinberger’s What I Heard About Iraq, Vol 27 No.3 · 3 February 2005).

“The problems associated with the late release of results, those problems do not reside with the Minister of Education. It is not the fault of the Ministry of Education.

The fault rests directly on the shoulders of CXC.” The results were released online yesterday though some students were still having difficulty accessing their results. Garcia said he was informed yesterday by Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan that the CXC internet portal had been opened–no specific time was given–and the students could access their results.

“However while I am in my constituency office in Arima I am still getting calls and concerns from students and parents that they not seeing results online,” he added.

He said he would have to deal with those specific issues from his office tomorrow.

Sunday Newsday saw posts by students and parents who had accessed their results but there were also calls to the media by parents complaining about the results still not being available.

Garcia said the results were scheduled to have been made available on August 9 and he was unhappy over the delay which had caused students “unnecessary stress.” After the initial delay the results were supposed to have been made available online on Friday from 10 pm but this deadline was also missed.

“Today (yesterday) is 19th August and some students still having difficulty.” Garcia said he was dissatisfied with the late release which was unfair to students and many were anxious with respect to acceptance to colleges and universities.

The minister pointed out that the deadline date for some foreign universities was Friday and students not being able to access results “put them in a quandary.” He said he and his ministry were being blamed for the delay on social media but reiterated that it was the fault of CXC. He said there was still no information from CXC on the cause of the delay.

He also said a number of principals contacted him expressing their dissatisfaction with the way CXC has been operating, both in this case and on previous occasions.

Garcia said he scheduled a meeting with secondary school principals this week to discuss some of the concerns the schools had been having with CXC.

“In many instances it is unsatisfactory,” he added.

He said following that meeting he would decide the next step.

He also said he wanted to ensure the integrity of the examination was kept and the confidence the population had in CXC was maintained. “I respect CXC as a regional institution administering a regional examination.” CXC Assistant Registrar Cleveland Sam asked that queries be sent via email and told Sunday Newsday yesterday in a telephone interview they would be forwarded to the CXC director of operations.

Principals at secondary schools in San Fernando said they had to depend on students to inform them about the outcome of the results.

Naparima Girls High School principal Carolyn Bally Gosine told Sunday Newsday she had been trying to access the CXC results since Wednesday. “I am sitting behind the computer still awaiting the results to download and it simply wouldn’t,” she said.

Bally Gosine said several students contacted her to report their outstanding performance but she could not do an assessment until she received all the results.

It was a similar situation at Naparima Boys College where principal Dr Michael Dowlath also said he was unable to access the results online and received reports from students about their results.

(reporting by Denisha Simeon Nylo Intern)