The problem with surfactants is that they also strip the natural oils produced in your scalp that is meant to moisturise your hair. For people with naturally oily hair, shampoo may not be a problem, but for those of us who have naturally dry hair, shampooing can become a cycle of stripping your natural oils and piling on moisturiser and oils to replenish your moisture.

Personally, I have very coarse hair that is extremely dry. It is a struggle to keep the brittle feeling at bay. After trying several different products I came across the concept of a shampoo-free regimen. For just over one month, I left the shampoo bottle alone and tried the “nopoo method” to keep my hair and scalp both clean and moisturised.

The first cleanser and conditioner combo I found was baking soda and apple cider vinegar.

I started with one tablespoon of baking soda in one cup of warm water. I would mix this in an applicator bottle and apply to the roots, massage gently for a few minutes and rinse. The second step was to dilute two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in one cup of water and spray all over the hair (not the scalp) and then rinse thoroughly.

After this I would apply leave in conditioner and a little oil to seal my hair. I did this twice weekly for just over two weeks and this process worked fine for my hair, my scalp was clean; my hair was not as dry as when I shampooed. I believed that I found the key to maintaining my hair.

Upon doing some more research, I found that constantly using baking soda can eventually cause the hair to become MORE brittle. The alkaline pH of the baking soda (approximately 9.5) over long periods of frequent use could never be a good thing when hair prefers a pH of around 4.5. I found that the high pH of the baking soda is good to lift the cuticles and effectively cleanse the hair, but too much of this can cause breakage.

Another pH-balanced alternative for cleansing the hair is clay. Bentonite clay or rhassoul clay mixed with water and apple cider vinegar in a 1: 3: 1 ratio and applied to the scalp and hair left my hair smoother, shinier, and even more moisturised than using the baking soda and vinegar rinses alone. I used this mixture for another week before I decided to reduce the vinegar rinse to once every three washes and add a rinse-out conditioner to the process. For three weeks, I washed and conditioned my hair twice weekly using the bentonite clay wash, a moisturising rinse-out conditioner, a leave-in conditioner and oils to seal.

This experiment went on for a total of five weeks and I found that my hair is not dirty or greasy, but is soft and well moisturised. There is also less broken hair when I comb.

From this (short) experiment, I found that that eliminating shampoo benefitted the condition of my hair and scalp tremendously. The plan is to continue to tweak this regimen to include deep conditioning and clarifying steps.

If you struggle with hair that seems to always be dry or if you would just like to reduce the amount of chemicals you apply to your skin and scalp by extension, maybe going “no-poo” could be for you.

Attorney Cedric Neptune will have a herculean task ahead. He must be given the resources he needs to fulfill his new mandate .

Furthermore, there must be no repeat of the appalling one-year delay that elapsed since the expiry of the term of the last inspector, Daniel Khan .

The functions of the inspector are of utmost importance. As noted last week by president of the Law Association Douglas Mendes SC, the inspector’s role includes ensuring prison rules are complied with by those charged with guarding prisoners. The inspector must act as a watchdog, seeing after the health and welfare of people detained in jail .

“Although a person who has been convicted of a crime or who is detained pending trial is constitutionally deprived of his or her right to liberty, the other protections which the Constitution affords are not suspended in the meantime,” Mendes noted. “The inspector plays a crucial role in ensuring the State lives up to these obligations and expectations.” The criminal justice system is designed to fulfill several social aims .

One is to serve justice. Another is to protect society. And a third is to rehabilitate. None of these objectives can be fulfilled if prisoners are maltreated .

The inspector’s role is to help safeguard the integrity of the system by providing transparency and allowing for accountability. He must ensure that even those who are behind bars are not forgotten by society .

But there are also tangible matters of national security at stake .

Unjust treatment behind bars not only places prisoners at risk, it endangers society as a whole. We risk radicalising prisoners by subjecting them to degrading treatment .

When they eventually emerge from the system they will potentially return to society with an unstable mindset or a desire to enact vengeance .

Neptune’s training as an attorney is a good indicator of his ability to remain impartial in all the circumstances .

That is a quality that will be important to his performance of his legal duties. His experience as a former police officer from 1988- 2007, and as legal adviser to the Homicide Bureau of Investigation South from 2003 to 2007 gives him a unique vantage point from which to approach his duties .

However, Neptune’s background as a police officer also potentially puts him at a disadvantage. Prisoners may perceive him as being aligned to the system against which they may wish to record grievances .

It is hoped Cabinet has weighed this when it came to its decision and has determined Neptune’s experience overall readies him to overcome any obstacles he may face .

We take this opportunity to wish Neptune well and to also hail the efforts of his predecessor Daniel Khan who was a vociferous advocate of prisoners’ rights who authored the first-ever report of the inspectorate .

It is essential, moving forward, that the State ensure there is no repeat of the year-long delay that elapsed between the end of Khan’s tenure and this announcement .

One year is far too long a time for such a vital post to remain vacant .

The news of the appointment comes amid developments in relation to another key vacancy. The Police Service Commission last week announced that it has now hired the firm of KPMG TT to assist in the recruitment and selection of a new Commissioner of Police .

Unfortunately, that process is expected to take at least four more months .

In contrast, Neptune will have little time to adjust to his new role .

He will have to dive straight in. We wish him best of luck .

Richards, the bronze medallist in the men’s 200 metres, is part of the Trinidad and Tobago men’s 4×400-metre relay team who advanced to today’s final at 4.15 pm – the last event of the 10-day contest.

TT have been drawn in lane seven, along with France (lane two), Great Britain/Northern Ireland (lane three), United States (lane four), Poland (lane five), Spain (lane six), Cuba (lane eight) and Belgium (lane nine).

In yesterday’s second of two heats, the TT quartet of Renny Quow, Richards, Machel Cedenio and Lalonde Gordon placed second in a season’s best time of two minutes 59.35 seconds.

The United States triumphed in a world-leading best of 2:59.23, with Belgium third in 2:59.47.

Rounding off the field were Great Britain/Northern Ireland (3:00.10), France (3:00.93), Brazil (3:04.02), Botswana (3:06.50) and Japan (3:07.29).

Advancing from the first heat were Spain (3:01.72), Poland (3:01.78) and Cuba (3:01.88).

The other relay teams (men’s and women’s 4x100m), as well as double Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott, all flattered to deceive yesterday.

The foursome of Keston Bledman, Kyle Greaux, Moriba Morain and Emmanuel Callender were fifth in the first heat of the preliminary round in the men’s 4x100m relay in a time of 38.61 seconds, trailing the United States (37.70), Great Britain/Northern Ireland (37.76), Japan (38.21) and Turkey (38.44).

And the women’s quartet of Semoy Hackett, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Khalifa St Fort and Kelly- Ann Baptiste placed sixth in yesterday’s final, clocking a season’s best time of 42.62. The United States copped gold in 41.82, followed by Great Britain/ Northern Ireland (42.12), Jamaica (42.19), Germany (42.36) and Switzerland (42.51).

Brazil (42.63) and Netherlands (43.07) took the bottom two spots.

Walcott finished seventh, out of 12 entrants, in the javelin final, with a best throw of 84.48 metres – on his first attempt.

Germany’s Johannes Vetter prevailed with a best of 89.89m (also on his first attempt), followed by the Czech Republic pair of Jakub Vadlejch (89.73) and Petr Frydrych (88.32).

In practice at San Fernando General Hospital in the orthopaedic department, no one could imagine that at age 15, while a fourth form student at Presentation College, San Fernando, Chackan received devastating news that he had Type One diabetes.

Then began a journey that would change his life.

Despite his diabetes, Chackan swam competitively, was a member of the Sea Scouts, earned himself eight Grade One’s at Ordinary Level and eight distinctions at Advanced Level, won an open national scholarship and graduated from UWI with a degree in medicine.

He is now an advocate for diabetes prevention, sharing information and experiences from the other side of the physician’s desk.

On July 31, Chackan was chosen as a Young Leader by the International Diabetes Federation to educate citizens about chronic diseases, all part of an effort to employ the child advocate model of creating awareness.

The federation, Sunday Newsday was told, has an activist in every island. Chackan, who is from Ste Madeleine, remains mighty proud of the strides he has made.

“I sincerely hope that my success story will drive others to embrace diabetes not as a dysfunction but as an opportunity to show it (diabetes) that you are indeed the boss.” Proper management through diet, exercise and medication has become part of his routine.

But it was not always so easy, for Chackan recalled his emotions as a teenager when doctors broke the news to him.

“It was at the tender age of 15, I came face to face with this frightening dysfunction for the first time. Confusion, anger, worry, despair and sadness all mixed into the horror which overcame me as I lay on my bed at the Princes Town Hospital. It was there that the doctor uttered using utmost sympathy, ‘You have type one diabetes. It is not a death sentence.’” Chackan said the words stung him “like a whip.” “Words could not describe the heartbreak which almost brought me to tears.

As I lay numb, I hoped it was just a dream but it wasn’t.” Chackan was determined not to let diabetes become his life and take away the joy of living.

He chose management and education over complications and never allowed himself to be at the mercy of “the dysfunction”. With the support of nurses at San Fernando General Hospital, whom he lovingly referred to as “Aunty Marion”, “Aunty Zobida” and “Aunty Jackie”, and his parents Krishna and Farida Chackan, his outlook took on a positive dimension. His life-changing moment came in August 2007 when he took part in a camp for children living with diabetes.

“It was at this amazing camp that I gained the realization that I am not dealing with diabetes alone.” Chackan said the experience strengthened his belief that he could overcome the disease.

“Camp provided not only useful ideas and tips for management but also increased peer networking which provided untouched emotional support whenever needed.” In ten years, Chackan grew from camper to counsellor and eventually doctor and now has the chance to not only to learn from his peers but also to share with them as a professional.

He is single and his parents continue to play an integral role in his helping him manage diabetes.

“My physician is always just a phone call away and other medical staff such as nurses and certified diabetes educators give hints which doctors may not have time to relate.” Despite his outstanding achievement in academics, Chackan considers his greatest accomplishment is managing diabetes so well in the past ten years that he has no complications with any of his organs.

“This is a goal, we, as persons living with diabetes should strive for.”

The story follows a young man’s journey as he navigates youthful love and the onset of strappings of adulthood, and has captured the hearts and imaginations of generations for the past 50 years. The novel has stood the test of time, given its universal themes that unravel in the familiar, wondrous rural landscape of Trinidad. For many fans of the book, Green Days reflects themes and struggles that citizens of our islands can identify with, even in 2017.

Dara E. Healy, who plays Ma Lammy in the film, mother of protagonist Shellie, is familiar with the power to be claimed in the telling of our indigenous stories. A dancer, actress, writer, and communications consultant, Dara heads local cultural organisation Idakeda Group and is the founder of ICAN (Indigenous Creative Arts Network).

“I had read Green Days before, so it was really a question of re-acquainting myself with the book,” Dara says of the preparation for her role. “It was an interesting challenge, having to locate myself in that time period, to understand Ma Lammy’s backstory, the historical setting, and the values that someone like her would have held.” To help with her characterisation, Dara called upon her relationship with her grandmother, Ida, who she saw in Ma Lammy.

She describes both the novel and film as a sensitive story of a teenage boy discovering himself, romantic relationships, and sexuality. “The book captures a sense of the era and the simplicity of village life,” she explains, adding that the film is ultimately about relationships, survival, and family.

Of the character she portrays in the film, Dara sees Ma Lammy as a strong and deeply spiritual woman, a resourceful breadwinner for her family who is full of love and fierce protective instinct for her husband and son. “I admire that she works hard and keeps a close watch on her son. I like the fact that she loves her husband and is deeply spiritual. I believe she has a great deal to teach women about the subtle skills involved in keeping a family together,” Dara says of the strong representation Ma Lammy brings to the story.

Dara expresses that the women in Green Days are all present and active participants in the story – not simply auxiliary stereotypes – and are real in their interactions with other characters. She believes this is a strong point of the film, with such overflowing and honest representations of women throughout the story. She also thinks Ma Lammy’s story is the story of many women in the region, on various levels; the character enjoys simple pleasures like Christmas and food, she is strong and focused, but also layered with multitudes.

She says another strength of the film adaptation is its portrayal of a time and feeling in our nation’s history that many may be unfamiliar with, and she applauds the relationship between Ma and Pa Lammy who are portrayed as a couple very much in love. She says this is topical in the face of the dysfunction of relationships today. In fact, Dara’s work with Idakeda focuses on facilitating cultural interventions in schools and communities, tackling issues such as domestic violence, incest, anger management, and self-esteem. In many ways, her work on Green Days intersects with her personal callings, reflecting on the humanity some say we have lost as a nation and society.

The Green Days film will be yet another national milestone of our stories, landscapes, and creators immortalising our island, people, and experiences on film. Dara says this is a powerful way of introducing a society to itself – through storytelling. “We need to find ways to use technology to reveal the TT experience … Capture information about who we are at a deeper level and use it to drown out the negativity that proliferates on social and other forms of media,” she says of the cathartic power telling our own stories can have on a society.

“Use technology to help give young people who may be attracted to crime a reason to love themselves, their country, and find their purpose.” Through her work with ICAN, she has mentored talented young people from San Juan South Secondary in Theatre, Movement and Dance.

“It is personally very satisfying to see how the Performance Arts motivates and inspires young people to overcome challenges and excel in every aspect of their life,” she says of her work with ICAN. “Through our work I’ve definitely found my purpose – that of serving as a catalyst to educate, inspire, and heal through my skills as an artist.” As for the representation of the film being true to the novel, Dara assures audiences that the producers took special care to transfer the ethos of the novel’s pages to film. “They made it a point to be very respectful of the legacy and presence of Michael Anthony; they treated him as an elder and took the time to create a film that would honour him as the author of the story being told.” She encourages everyone to go see the film upon its national release in support of the visual telling of our stories as a nation and region.

Ever the educator, she hopes schools and higher learning institutions include the film in curriculums as part of their educative processes, as well. She is firm that storytelling and respect of traditions and cultural pieces can rekindle positive attitudes in our future generations.

“We need to create more positive visual projects to boost our national identity and sense of who we are as a united Trinidad and Tobago.”

The victim Naylan Farrell, 43, of Quarry Street, East Dry River, Port of Spain, was up to last evening warded at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH).

Police said at about 7.30 pm, Farrell was conducting sales at Pleasantville Circular near the Village Plaza where two gunmen announced a hold-up. The gunmen robbed him of $200 and fired two shots at him, one of which struck his right knees. The gunmen then ran off and Farrell was taken to hospital.

In a separate incident, La Romaine resident Jahdi Williams, 27, was shot and wounded early yesterday when he attempted to intervene in an altercation with patrons at a bar. Up to last evening Williams, of Claude Street, remained warded at SFGH in a serious condition, police said.

Police state that shortly after midnight on Friday, Williams and a friend Rydel Ramoutar, 29, were liming at Turning Peak Restaurant and Bar of La Plaisance Road, La Romaine. An argument broke out between Ramoutar and three patrons, one of whom struck him with a glass bottle.

Police said Williams attempted to intervene but another patron pulled out a gun and shot him in his back. The armed patron and his accomplices fled and Williams was taken to the hospital.

An arrest is yet to be made in either of the shootings which Southern Division police are investigating.

Questions surrounding the legitimacy of Dyer- Griffith’s candidacy had been previously cited to prevent the election from being held on July 9.

The other two candidates are Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan and Dr Sharon Gopaul- McNicol.

In a brief interview yesterday, general secretary Clyde Weatherhead said the party had the relevant mechanisms in place including the location of polling stations and ballot papers for the election.

“We have polling stations in place and the ballots are being printed as we speak,” he said.

Asked about the legal action which had been filed in the High Court and whether this would cause the election to be postponed again, he said tersely: “I would not be able to discuss that.” Outgoing political leader Dr Anirudh Mahabir, also in a brief interview, deferred comment saying the party had issued a media statement on Thursday and would not comment further.

In a media release, the party stated that legal action had been filed in the High Court by COP member Kirt Francis against Mahabir and Weatherhead.

The COP stated that attorneys acting on their behalf had written “rejecting demands” made in the legal proceedings which also sought to prevent 34 other members from voting in the election.

“In refusing, to agree to those demands, attorneys for Mahabir and Weatherhead, also began advancing arguments in opposition to Francis’ threat to seek injunctions to prevent the election from proceeding as decided by a general membership meeting of COP members on July 23 which was part of an agreement with Francis arising out of his first pre-action protocol letter which caused the postponement of the July 9 polling day,” the COP stated.

The party continued: “There seems to be a concerted effort to prevent the COP from holding elections and continuing to build itself as a real alternative to the established political parties.”

A love for reading is what Book Buddies hoped to inspire in children for its programme which began on July 31 and ends tomorrow.

“It is to address the need for building strong reading habits in children. It is also an opportunity for them to be creative,” said Marcia LaBorde, the lead facilitator and coordinator of Book Buddies.

Book Buddies focussed on the reading habits of children from five to 15 at NALIS, Port of Spain.

Sixty children were invited to participate in the free programme from the environs of Port of Spain North/ St Ann’s West. However, they have had a turn-out of roughly 48 children.

There were two sessions–morning and afternoon. The children spent an hour and a half reading, then discussed what they read and played games surrounding the themes in the book. To conclude each session the children would spend one hour in the NALIS Children’s Library.

“NALIS has collaborated with Book Buddies in providing this lovely venue for us to have these holiday sessions and in providing activities for the children in the morning and afternoon. The activities NALIS provide are chess, craft, movies and storytelling.” For the two weeks the children read one of the books from Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series–Lions at Lunchtime. The series takes readers on a journey to different countries where they learn fun facts about various cultures and animals in different parts of the world.

“We try to stay away from academic reading and strive to make it fun by incorporating creative activities.

It is important to instil the joy and pleasure of reading in children because once they have that joy it motivates them to read more and to .

learn more.” The children were quite involved and outgoing, with 10-yearold Daniel Noel sharing his view on the programme.

“I am having a lot of fun with Book Buddies. I enjoy the games that Miss plays with us,” said Daniel.

LaBorde was assisted by Maria Corneal, who is also a school teacher.

She thanked Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West MP Stuart Young for sponsoring this programme.

Book Buddies has been in existence for the past three and a half years, inspiring the joy and pleasure of reading in children.

They are located along Long Circular Road.

Within the past year, the sector has been underpinned by retrenchment, stalled negotiations and increasing hopelessness among workers.

On Friday, president of the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Trade Union Vincent Cabrera, at a news conference, again complained about the continued retrenchment of workers, not the least of which is the reported dismissal of some 49 workers at Guardian Media Ltd.

Cabrera claimed last week that an estimated 4,000 people have been put on the breadline over the last year. Responding to the rally, last Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley did not address calls by the trade union for an urgent meeting with him but rather, extended an olive branch to the leaders, urging them to return to the National Tripartite Advisory Council (NTAC), which was formed in March 2016 as a mechanism to address the socio-economic challenges confronting the country.

“The Government, with a wider responsibility for the entire population, would hope that the workers representatives would acknowledge the reality and outcomes of our strained circumstances and return to the tripartite approach enabled by the Government, rather than rely on threats, bombast, finger pointing and insults, since these invectives would do little to assist us in treating with the harsh realities of our current circumstances as a nation in the midst of an economic downturn which is driven largely by our location in external markets beyond our control,” Rowley had said in a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister.

But today, one week after the rally, labour leaders told Sunday Newsday they have no intention of returning to the NTAC until the Government truly re-commits to the process for which the council was originally conceptualised.

“It has to be meaningful, with substance and based on mutual respect,” said Michael Annisette, president of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC).

Annisette said he took no solace in the prime minister’s statement after the rally.

“Extending an olive branch and then saying ‘go back’ rather than sitting down and seriously addressing the genuine concerns that we have articulated would not solve the problem.” The labour leaders suspended their involvement in the NTAC in March, over the Government’s decision to dismantle the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC) and replace it with two regulatory bodies. They contend that the plan to abolish the TDC was made without any consultation with the labour movement and flew in the face of the spirit of the NTAC.

Describing the move as the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” Annisette argued that it was disingenuous of the Government to establish the NTAC and continue to act in a high-handed manner.

“When the Minister of Tourism (Shamfa Cudjoe) made the announcement that Cabinet has taken a decision to dismantle the Tourism Development Corporation, we realised that all of these workers would be affected because there was not any discussion whatsoever,” he said.

“What is the purpose of having a National Tripartite Advisory Committee and then Cabinet is still free to make whatever decisions they want that affect the livelihood of people and impinge on the workers that we represent?” Anisette, who is also president General of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union, said the labour sector suspended its involvement in the NTAC on the basis of principle.

The veteran labour leader said, though, there were other issues which factored into the decision.

“We left the process because of some of the actions over a period of time that the Government would have taken without consultation and/or discussions with the trade union movement and that is the reason why we would have left,” he said of their decision to temporarily quit the NTAC.

Given the Government’s failure to treat meaningfully with the issues plaguing the sector, Annisette argued that tripartism and social dialogue should be legislated “so that any government that comes into power they will have a mandate through legislation to say that there must be social dialogue.” President of the Transport and Industrial Workers Union (TIWU) Roland Sutherland said the trade union movement has been disrespected for as long as he could remember.

He said the union leaders’ decision to withhold their support for the NTAC reflected this view.

“The relationship in terms of some of the activities that has been taking place where labour is concerned, shows that we continue to be disrespected,” Sutherland said.

“In my own case with MTS workers (TIWU), negotiations are over. However, the Government is not signing off on the negotiations for the workers to get money.

That has been going on almost for two years now.

“So, labour needs to be shown the respect it deserves before we get back behind the table in NTAC. What is the sense you in NTAC and whilst the discussions taking place, the labour movement is being disrespected and taking a pounding.

That don’t make sense.” To end the apparent stalemate, Sutherland said good sense must prevail.

“The Government needs to respect the labour movement so that we could feel our contribution is being respected whenever we sit down and talk.” Ozzie Warwick, chief education and research officer of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union, told Sunday Newsday the labour movement had observed, long before the People’s National Movement assumed office, that TT would have faced economic difficulties.

In light of that, he said they agreed that the only way to weather the storm would have been to seek national consensus on sharing the burden of adjustment.

Warwick said by the time the NTAC was up and running, union leaders had formulated what he called Labour’s Economic Alternative Plan, which they presented to the council for its consideration.

He claimed there was no feedback.

“It was meant to be a proposal and an alternative to austerity because when we looked across the globe in terms of how various countries were dealing with their crises, some countries took austerity which led to stagnation and social chaos while other countries, including the United States, took another path, investing in stimulating the economy so that the economy would grow.” Warwick claimed several countries, utilising the latter model, emerged from their crises.

He said while NTAC meetings were being held, mass retrenchment was taking place in the country.

“That just cannot work. So we would have left,” Warwick said of labour’s decision to leave the NTAC.

Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that tripartism can work, “if all three parties are genuine, show respect for one-another and at least have a common goal.” He added: “Once those elements are there, tripartism can work. But you have a situation where government and business are engaging in actions that are completely counter to the interests of one (labour).

“So, it is almost as though the two gang up on the one. You can’t stay there and take all that blows.

Anybody thinking objectively would agree that that cannot be fair.” ILO director says consensus possible Claudia Coenjaerts, new Director of the International Labour Organisation Organisation (ILO) Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, said consensus within the framework of tripartism was not elusive.

“In tripartism, you can actually find that sweet spot where you can get consensus,” she said in a television interview on Thursday.

“But it takes a lot of emotional intelligence to get us there and I think it is also about becoming more aware that we (three parties) have the same interests in mind.

“We all want sustainability – workers, employers and Government.

We all want prosperity. We all want to come out of the crisis. It’s probably just the way we think we will get there is a little bit different.” However, Coenjaerts said the tripartite process was hard work.

“We face it day to day in the ILO. It’s kind of the breath of our life,” she said. “But really it takes consistent, serious and sustained work.” Saying tripartism, by its very nature, was a “tumultuous affair,” Coenjaerts said: “It is meant to be quite passionate, quite fiery and so you need to do a lot of investment, a lot of cultivation so that when the going gets tough, as we see now, you can actually bear the fruits of having built that relationship.” Coenjaerts, a Belgian, said several islands in the region have committed to tripartism, namely Barbados, Jamaica and Grenada.

Regarding Jamaica, she said: “They actually developed a good practice over the years. They have gone through very hard economic times with the IMF agreement but it has brought them to the table and they have really developed a practice of working together on matters.” Coenjaerts said governments should not attempt to implement “parallel systems” without the sanction of all of the players in a tripartite body.

“That is where we still need to work on getting it right – that the mechanism we set in place is truly given that role. I do believe the social partners will actually come back to the table.”

In speaking to your reporter Carol Matroo on July 27, at the San Juan Health Centre, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh spoke some truths about women’s role in the family that were encouraging to read.

His speech demonstrated a knowledge of women’s contribution in the home, and I particularly liked his remark: “As a member of parliament I am so disappointed with the way men abdicate their responsibility to their women folk, their children and their families.” His statement here is so reflective of what we are seeing in our communities and it is a reality that is too prevalent and not at all good for solid family foundations.

The thrust of his speech was quite favourable of women’s realities and it was good that he emphasised that contraception cannot be a woman’s responsibility alone. She is not a “lone ranger” in a relationship, and the word “relationship” itself conveys mutuality.

It was good that you carried this news item.

Sandra Edwards Malabar,Arima