As a person born in 1938, and growing up through the 1940s and 1950s, I am acutely aware of the glass wall that existed between the society of local and expatriate whites and our African and Indian brothers and sisters. We could look through this glass barrier, and open it slightly for some to pass through to work or serve, but not to join the privileged on the white side of the glass.

Remember, one could not see a black face working in the banking sector prior to 1970.

Today, peoples of all ethnic backgrounds (and in some instances, all ethnic backgrounds in one person’s face) are leading our professional, commercial and industrial sectors.

Some might add our governing sector here as well, but the persons — of whatever ethnicity — in governance represent incompetence, corruption and racism. Let us acknowledge that the residual core of racism in our society continues more steadfastly in our politics than in our social structures.

I touch lightly on our local experiences with culture and racism to try to establish a comparison with the evil of racist hatred that endures in America. I was a university student in Houston in the mid 1960s.

The police once raided my apartment because a student from Nigeria attended a party there. The following day, the cops returned, to tell me (excuse the language): “If you want to let a ‘nigra’ in here, it better be to clean the place or fix the plumbing.” I walked through a picket line of the hooded KKK to hear Stokely Carmichael speak on campus. It was scary, they came right up to you and stared into your face, and you had no idea who was behind that hood.

Some change has come to America since those days. But the core of the ignorance and racism, and those words are interchangeable, still pervades that society. America’s pretentious flag waving and posturing about equality and fairness allows too many of their citizens to live in denial of the brutish hatred which resides in their underclass – that ignorant, insecure and violent sector which pervades their society.

The media flatters them with the title White Supremacists. But these people are– as all Americans know– the lowest levels of intellect and achievement. They live in failure, business-wise, competence and achievement.

Admittedly, every now and then, out of the evils of self-hatred and prejudice, someone wily enough, exploiting false issues, can rise to wealth and even leadership — somewhat like a stubborn turd in a toilet bowl, which you cannot flush away. You may extend the analogy as you wish.

However, the current rise of Nazism and hatred is driven by the open encouragement of the President of the United States, who openly encourages the Klan and Nazis to feel that they are welcome to sow their hatred across the land.

Europe’s post-Renaissance conquest of the Americas and Africa and their introduction of the atrocity of slavery to the Americas was the beginning of America’s racial problems.

Their delay in ending slavery and the continuing cruelty and dehumanising of African people extends unto the current time.

America may be the most powerful nation on earth — economically and militarily— but it is nowhere close to being the most democratic, the most decent or the most fair to its citizens across the board.

The problem is that most Americans do not know this, they live on an illusion embedded in them that theirs is the finest, most decent, most democratic country on earth.

And this is simply not true.

Throughout history far more injustice, evil and cruelty has been imposed by white humanity upon other peoples than other peoples could ever impose upon whites.

The myth of a white supremacy in America is shattered by assessing achievement along ethnic lines, in terms of physical superiority (sports and athletics), science, engineering, medicine, everything, as more and more blacks and Asians carry America’s flag.

And then compare the successes (if any?) of those pathetics who are white and seek to claim superiority.

Americans themselves have the correct expression for these people.

They are “white trash”.

And as ugly, noisy and ignorant as those may be, they are still a small minority. But a river of decency and inclusiveness runs deep but too silently through American society.

And this river must flow purposefully to wash away the hatred espoused by the ignorance of the white trash, regardless of the offices held by those who esp o u s e the hatred.

It is now up to you, decent America.

In a statement issued by the Communications Unit of the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, last evening, the ministry said Crawford was listed as an individual in the United Nations 1267 (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List on Friday. Crawford’s listing came after a proposal was submitted by the TT Government to the committee established by the United Nations Security Council to review Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities.

Should Crawford wish to be removed from the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List, the statement said, he or a representative may submit such representations to the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs.

Alternatively, the statement said Crawford or his representative may apply directly to the United Nations Office of the Ombudsman to petition his removal from the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List.

The FINA World Junior Swimming Championships were first held in 2006 in Rio de Janeiro and the last edition in 2015 was held in Singapore. Many Rio 2016 medallists made their international debuts at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, and both Yorke and Thompson will participate in their first ever World Juniors.

Thompson recently returned from the Bahamas, winning TTO’s first ever swimming medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games, where he took bronze in the 50m freestyle. He qualified for ‘Worlds’ in the 50m breaststroke, but will also compete in the 50 and 200 free, and the 100 and 200 breast. Yorke qualified for ‘Worlds’ in the 50m butterfly, but will also compete in the 100m and 200m butterfly events. Both athletes represented Trinidad and Tobago at the Carifta and CCCAN Swimming Championships this year, with Yorke doing the treble gold this year in the 15- 17 male CARIFTA 50, 100 and 200 fly.

The team leaves today and will be coached by Joseph Mc Leod, who also accompanied Thompson to the Commonwealth Youth Games. Thompson will be the first to face the starter when the meet starts on Wednesday as he lines up for the 100 breast, while Yorke will close curtains for TT on August 28 with the 200m fly.

The 6th edition of the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships is open to females aged between 15-18 and males between 14-17. Over 600 young promising swimmers will be taking part in this six-day competition. 93 National Federations will be represented in Indianapolis.

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.

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.

Morean won the 15-17 female 100m freestyle in a personal best 1:00.83, to erase the 2015 record of Kaisha Rouse of 1:01.05. She achieved a second gold when she went on to win the 50m breastroke in 37.02. Naomi Walters won gold for TTO with her 38.20 clocking in the 11-12 female 50m breaststroke. Her teammate Isabella Edwards won bronze in 38.65, adding to the bronze she won earlier in the 100m freestyle (1:05.67). Joy Blackett sped to the wall in the female 9-10 100m backstroke to win gold and set a personal best time of 1:20.04.

Blackett took bronze in the 100m free (1:09.43) just behind her teammate Amelia Rajack claimed silver (1:08.39). Blackett went on to earn a third medal, achieving bronze in the 50m breast in 40.22. Jamie Williams won TTO’s 4th gold with his 31.26 time in the 15-17 male 50m breaststroke.

TTO’s Nathaniel Pascall clinched bronze in 31.26.

Eight and under Isabella Mendoza picked a couple of medals with silver in the 100m freestyle (1:20.27) and bronze in the 50m breaststroke (48.06). Liam Carrington earned a double bronze in the eight and under 100m freestyle (1:12.05) and 50m breast (44.12). Zachary Anthony was the bronze medallist in the 9-10 male 100m freestyle (1:07.65), with Keishawn Daniel (1:02.07) and Prince Moreau (1:02.36) taking silver and bronze in the 11- 12 male equivalent. Daniel also copped silver in the 100m back (1:12.91) ahead of teammate Sheni St. Hillaire (1:14.39) who took bronze.

TTO were in the medals again with 13-14 male Jordon Mc Millan grabbing 100m free silver in 56.68. Kristoff Vialva and Derelle Augustine got bronze in the 11- 12 male (36.46) and 13-14 male (33.51) 50m breast respectively, with Analee Maharaj taking silver in the 13-14 female equivalent (37.38). Giovanni Rivas and Caitlyn Look Fong snatched bronze in the 9-10 male 100m back (1:20.92) and 11-12 female 100m back (1:18.25) respectively.

Day One of the Goodwill Swim Meet came to a premature end due to poor lighting, but the events that failed to swim off were expected to take place yesterday.

After one day of competition, TTO lead the point standings with 265 points, ahead of Suriname (214.5) and Bahamas (181). Hosts Guyana are currently in 4th with 155 points.

On July 23, at NDATT’s annual general meeting he was elected president, along with a new executive, and intends to make the association the voice of theatre.

NDATT, which was formed in 1980, “aims to foster an interest, develop and help facilitate all aspects of the art of drama in Trinidad and Tobago; protect and ensure the freedom of expression for dramatic artists and promote all aspects of drama.” The previous executive, led by Trevor Jadunath, had been described as “dormant” in some media reports.

Etienne, however, said dormant was “a bit strong” as there was an executive in place but it was stymied by resignations and the migration of an executive member. He said the executive was still there and accessible.

He reported there was research taking place, including veteran actor Michael Cherrie looking into the establishment of an actors guild and the conducting of a general survey. He said they also attempted to have a Cacique Awards, an annual event honouring theatre practitioners, which had not been held since about 2010. Etienne was a recipient of a Cacique for his first full length play, Red House Fire back in 1998.

He described it as “unfortunate” that the awards were not being held as it represented and acknowledged excellence in theatre.

He recalled that around the time the Cacique was being held there was an exponential growth in practitioners.

“It left everyone in a state of limbo. We need to get back to that. Where the association and the profession reach the point where we celebrate excellence.” Etienne, who had been on the comedy circuit for some time and returned to theatre last year, recalled that he was part of the staging of the play Bitter Cassava and he saw excellence.

Regarding NDATT, Etienne said there was a disconnect and not a collective voice and it was the immediate task of the new executive to be accessible and “repair that bridge.” He stressed he was not casting aspersions on the previous executive adding that systems break down at times and need to be rebuilt and renewed.

He said there was a “nucleus” of young, strong actors who are largely without a platform and they need to find a way to “corral that energy.” He explained that the association must provide a space for directors, producers, actors, singers and stage crew to meet and discuss how to make their craft better.

Etienne said that he has been blessed that he is able to live off his craft for 19 years, adding that he has also embraced corporate Trinidad. He said there was a need for others who have been able to live full time as theatre practitioners to share their stories. Asked how many full time theatre practitioners there are locally, Etienne said it was difficult to say.

He added that a number of practitioners teach more than they practice. He said it is unfortunate NDATT has a virtual office and not a physical office space because it takes away from the “beauty in the tangible” of being able to sit across from someone to talk. He said along with creating spaces and education, focusing on communicating with the membership and finding out their needs was also important.

A strategic plan He said the most immediate agenda item is to get the executive on a retreat within the next couple of weeks and to come up with a strategic plan for the next couple of years. He stressed there will be tangible objectives and it will be informed by what the membership requires to offer them value for their investment.

Etienne believes they should have mandatory youth representation as he has “no intention of being president for life.” He said no one in the executive, which has a two-year term, was there for glamour and no one was being paid or will personally benefit.

“The people who derive the benefit is the membership. That is the way it has always been and will continue.” Asked about the size of the NDATT membership, Etienne said the financial members who voted were 120. He said, however, there is a larger group of non-financial members which they plan to pull back into the fold.

“I expect the number (of members) to triple in the coming months.” He said they represent theatre as a whole and default theatre graduates form universities and secondary school and people who take part in Best Village were by default their constituents.

“We speak for theatre.” He said when they address an issue it is not just for their paid members but it was about stimulating an industry.

On the setting up of an actors guild he said it adds structure for someone looking at theatre as a career. He explained that in any other profession you have clear definition of rank, remuneration and specialities, but currently people get qualified in theatre and then have to “hustle” .

“The guild would take the hustle out of this and have professionals earning their keep.” He said there was also a shortage of legitimate performance spaces and competition from other sources such as churches, government ministries and conventions. He explained that each venue has its particular issues in terms of seating and availability for bookings.

He said in the short term they have to “make do” in terms of spaces and focus on developing practitioners so they can then demand more spaces and better spaces. He also pointed out that every community has a community centre which are largely closed during the week and can be used as theatre spaces.

Etienne also spoke of a need for decentralising of theatre and to have more work in Central and South. He said they also have to look at the needs of Tobago and added that there was a tendency to forget the “Tobago” part of NDATT.

In terms of advocacy, he said there is a system in place where people get back 150 per cent of funding into theatre via tax break. He said with this people can invest in different types of work and not just what they think would be profitable.

He said, however, people were having difficulty in even getting information on the facility and as an association they have to levy these arrangements to add value to their membership. On the local theatre audience, Etienne said the crime situation was a factor but it was not the only one. He recalled that from 2008-2012, he started to see new faces and younger faces attending shows and he was informed that they learned about the events via social media.

He said the issue of attendance at shows was based on how it is presented. He explained there were producers who had built a clientèle over a number of years and their advertising has a certain tone which attracted patrons.

He said NDATT has to find similar ways to assist producers with their marketing plan and strategy and the use of non-financial resources. He added the strongest word is word of mouth and they also need to take advantage of social media.

He said there were “all kinds of theatre” taking place but an audience will only look into what they have heard about.

Etienne said his wish would be to open a newspaper and see a catalogue of theatre events including dance shows, musicals, plays by graduating students and consultations of working backstage. He also wished the standard would be high and people would participate at various levels.

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.

Facing Rampant Recruits, Wreckin Crew posted 78 for seven batting first with Ezekiel Sampson scoring 31. Brian Gangoo (3/21) and Keshore Boodhoo (2/7) were the top bowlers for Rampant Recruits.

In response, Rampant Recruits were reduced to 48/8 with Zephon Richards scoring 12, while Clint Dookree (2/15) and Wasim Jumon (2/15) both snatched two wickets as Wreckin Crew won by 30 runs.

Wreckin Crew also got past BBM by five wickets. Sean Hallett cracked 15 and Steve Alfonso contributed 13 but BBM could only score 57/7. Wreckin Crew got to 58/5 with Nicholas Dothadeen making 16 and Ravi Saith pitching in with 13. Andy Gosyne tried his best to contain the Wreckin Crew batsmen taking 3/12.

SUMMARISE D SCORES : Wreckin Crew 78/7 (Ezekiel Sampson 31; Brian Gangoo 3/21, Keshore Boodhoo 2/7) vs Rampant Recruits 48/8 (Zephon Richards 12, Clint Dookree 2/15, Wasim Jumon 2/15). Wreckin Crew won by 30 runs.

Furniture Boys 85/4 (Billy Seerattan 39, Navin Babwah 19; Anthony Reece 2/20) vs Anthrax 74/6 (Sheldon Thomas 16, Reynold Ramsaran 15, Alex Frederick 14; Vernie Ramkissoon 2/8, Sean Nepaul 2/20). Furniture Boys won by 11 runs.

BBM 57/7 (Sean Hallett 15, Steve Alfonso 13) vs Wreckin Crew 58/5 (Nicholas Dothadeen 16, Ravi Saith 13; Andy Gosyne 3/12). Wreckin Crew won by five wickets.

Reload 109/7 (Hanuman Moonsammy 35, Dave Baboolal 23; Riaz Mohammed 2/14, Shane Davis 2/16) vs Gameover 89/6 (Christopher Jagmohan 29, Vishal Jagessar 24; Donny Supersad 4/16). Reload won by 20 runs.

S&S Web Source 117/2 (Rajin Kumar 53, Avian Mejias 39; Kareem Baptiste 2/8) vs Surrey One Stop 77/6 (Kyle Ramoutar 33, Devon Baptiste 11). S&S Web Source won by 40 runs.

For Ameuzment Only 132/6 (Anthony Lara 54, Frankyln Rouse 46; Kenny Aaron 3/21) vs IDK 64/8 (Naldo Sammy 2/6, N Boodoo 2/7). Ameuzment won by 68 runs.

Tacarigua Royals 61/4 (Abidh Emamalie 26) vs Drifters 62/8 (Hospedales Singh 20, Darren Modeste 10; Ravi Sookwah 2/14). Drifters won by two wickets.

Suicidal Crew 70/5 (Devon Adonis 34) vs Strike Force 64/6 (Stephen Reyes 26; Yohan Sirju 2/5, Kevin Ramsuarran 2/13, Timmy Singh 2/13). Suicidal Crew won by six runs.

Responding to email questions from Spotlight, Julius, a40, described life growing up in Sea lots as very eventful yet challenging.

“Eventful because I always was at the forefront at community activities to show my talents and challenging because due to circumstances of stigma it was difficult to get certain jobs because of the address but yet there’re a lot of people I knew and grew up with who never used that as an excuse but persevered.” Julius said he had a very happy childhood and he “learned a lot which shaped me to be the man I am today.” “I lived Sea Lots – that’s where I’m from but not who I am.” Julius first discovered his musical talents while singing a song by US R&B artist Bobby Brown called Rock Wit’cha. He was encouraged to take part in the community talent show.

“I always had a knack to create, write and perform and that was the moment I discovered this is something that’s a part of me and I have to utilise it to my full potential.” At the age of nine Julius got to opportunity to perform for TT’s then prime minister, Arthur NR Robinson.

His big break was in 1991 when he worked together with calypsonian David Rudder on his song The Future Belongs to Me.

“That experience with David Rudder sort of brought me to the forefront of the music scene in a big way, because an opportunity for me being a village talent and being thrown into a major project like that it was a blessing.” Julius explained that he was always an avid observer at Coral Studios in Pioneer Drive, a pivotal production house for major calypso and soca artists in that era and where Rudder’s song was recorded, and he hoped for a chance at a young age.

He recalled that he witnessed Chris “Tambu” Herbert recording the songs Journey and No No We Eh Going Home in that studio and “countless others.” He said that was the point where soca/ calypso and ragga soca crossover was born.

“It made me accept that this is where I need to go so I had to learn the business and get experience and come again.” He caught the eye of soca superstar Machel Montano while performing with the Sea Lots community called group Yard Men College, and worked on a number of songs alongside the Xtatik/Mad Bull crew.

He has also shared the stage with fellow Caribbean and international artistes including Red Rat, Superblue, Lord Nelson, Kevin Lyttle, MX Prime, Sparrow, Walker, Buccaneer, Machel Montano, Farmer Nappy and Fay Ann Lyons- Alvarez. He considers one of the highlights of this phase of his career was when Julius joined Jamaican dancehall artiste, Shaggy, on his hit “It Wasn’t Me” during a performance in Trinidad at the Real Unity concert. He was said to have suggested Julius for the performance because of his “milky melodious vocals.” THE BIG APPLE Asked why he left Trinidad to move to the United States Julius said it was “all about social responsibilities being able to contribute to my family.” “The expectations of someone as an expatriate being able to contribute to home rather than being in the community. The light always seems brighter in the dark. And as a youth coming from an atrisk community I just thought I will be able to make a bigger contribution from abroad, in a different environment. I wanted to be able to change the narrative in my village at home with positive change or being able to repatriate funds and knowledge and come back home with a wider global perspective, all the while still focusing on soca being the core.” Now based in New York City and performs with his band 7 IghQ the Band. He described the group as his “band of brothers and sisters who believed in my journey musically and agreed to invest in my vision.” The group was crowned winners and the first Caribbean band in America’s biggest free music festive, Artscape, in 2012 and also special guests at the Baltimore Book Festival, “along with countless cities delivering the love and passion of Caribbean and soca music culture whilst flying that flag high.” For 2017 Julius has revisited his track “Hold Me” from seven years ago together with producer extraordinaire, Faraoh Black (Brent Toussaint) who also produced Bunji Garlin’s Gimme the Brass, Machel and Walker’s With or Without You and Runaway.

“To me, he was the perfect fit for this new age, soca-meets-islandpop combined with EDM.” The official lyric video for Hold Me is available on YouTube.

Julius is also working on other tracks and a lot of collaborations. He has a special project with local soca artiste Jason “Shaft” Bishop entitled I Bleed Soca. He has also collaborated with Jamaican dancehall veteran Flourgon on an Ed Robinson- produced track entitled Feel and both this track and I Bleed Soca are to be released soon.

He is also penning a number of tracks with his friend FojoMan and they have a writing team where they compose for other artists.

“But if I have to go through the list of upcoming projects I would say I’m happy because I continued to exercise that creative muscle and there’re too much to list,” he said laughing.

DREAM COLLABS Julius said his musical style has always been versatile but the emphasis is all about soca – Trini soca, Caribbean soca – “but with influences.” “It’s more metropolitan, cosmopolitan. I feel there’s a lot of breadth and width when experimenting with other collaborators.” He said, while still focusing on soca as the core, there is a wider range of experiences in the New York metro area and “the versatility and quality of my vocals opens up different interpretations of genres.” “Adding that R&B flavour, that smoothness yet energy, that Beres Hammond vibe, that calypso fusion on modern terms.

That NY seasoning with the shadon beni from Trinidad as the main ingredient.” Julius lists his influences as David Rudder, Machel Montano, Michael Jackson, (American Rock and Roll/R&B singer) Frankie Lymon, James Brown, Chris “Tambu” Herbert, Calypso Rose and Ras Shorty I.

On dream collaborations Julius said he would love to collaborate with Machel Montano again, Aaron “Voice” St Louis, Nailah Blackman, Kerwin Dubois and Bunji.

“There’re others but those preferably because their vocal projection, their creativity, their energy.

it’s all about what I stand for. And when I say ‘stand for’ that’s in terms of that sound that makes you want to really have a good time. That’s the new sound we are experiencing in the industry whilst keeping that true dedication to the soca as we grew accustomed to hearing.” He said his dream international artist to collaborate with is a hard choice because he is “a music junkie.” “They’re both not here with us right now who are Michael Jackson and Prince. But of who’s alive I’ll say Ed Sheeran, Andre 3000, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars (or) Enya.” Despite being based in New York Julius said in a way he has never left this country “because the Trinidadian and West Indian culture community in London, Canada, NY, Miami, NY, LA, Boston and countless other cities in the US these places have a huge West Indian presence, culture and influences.” “I left the island but never left my culture.” Julius and his team putting together a tour for 2018 in the US incorporating music festivals, colleges and universities with huge West Indian student presence. He will start his tour, however, with promotional appearances in Trinidad Carnival. “I’m doing a strong push on the NY scene because I’ve created a niche here for myself more directly.” Asked where he sees in the career in the next years Julius responded “I see my music being remembered and enjoyed.” “For instance Paul Mc- Cartney and Kanye West had a collab. There’re 60’s, 70’s and 80’s rock stars who’re still performing.

We also have Calypso Rose winning a French Grammy. So it’s not about the next ten years: I’m in this until I die. Singing soca until my very last breath, I bleed soca.” You can find Julius on Instagram @ Juliustheartiste, on Facebook at juliusentertainment and on Twitter via #juliusdartiste.