At yesterday’s weekly police press briefing at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain, Acting Sen Supt Inraj Balram said the division has also seen a nine per cent reduction in reported serious crimes, when compared to the same period last year, from 554 to 506.

The attributed the successes to the dedication and commitment of the members of the division and the residents of the various communities who continue to work with the police to ensure safety and security.

“The detection rate of 64 per cent is the highest in all the nine divisions in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service,” Balram said.

“With regard to reports of robberies, we have had a 21 per cent reduction from 131 in 2016 to 103 for 2017.

We have also realised a 42 per cent reduction in break-in offences from 149 in 2016 to 86 in 2017.” Balram also said the division found and seized 50 firearms of various types, which was the same amount for 2016, and they had achieved a 17 per cent reduction in murders from 18 in 2016 to 15 for this year.

He said while the division had achieved a commendable record of performance for 2017 so far, he was very concerned about gun-related violence and the murders.

Balram said the number of guns removed from the streets spoke to the volume of illegal firearms circulating in the country.

“The officers of the South Western Division have conducted in excess of 16,651 patrols for the year thus far, both mobile and foot, placing great emphasis on hot-spot patrolling which has indeed proven to be very effective.

Several exercises were conducted for the year relative to DUI where, for the period under review, a total of 6,122 persons were administered DUI tests and 407 were arrested and charged.” Balram said the division has nine coastal divisions and 24-hour coastal patrols have been implemented.

When asked if there was an increase in the arrival of illegal Venezuelan immigrants, he said, “No, we have not noticed any significant difference as compared to last year.”

The major find took place during a seven-hour police operation in Couva. The suspect who was interrogated for several hours, remained in custody up to press time.

Business Day spoke with Managing Director of JSL International (Trinidad) Limited (JSL), Javid Ramcharitar, to find out more about its contract with Transocean Limited (Transocean) and about how JSL has used this ‘downtime’ to increase its operational efficiencies.

“As a country, I think we are very blessed to have those nine vessels cold stacked within the Chaguaramas basin because it generates a lot of opportunity for companies like JSL while promoting the use of local content (and) earning forex. We are the local agents for those vessels. The presence of these vessels here has generated 100-plus jobs for TT nationals. The vessels have been cold stacked in Chaguaramas since early 2015.”

Ramcharitar declined to say how much JSL earns from its Transocean contract but he did confirm that payments are made in US dollars.

“Companies like JSL should (therefore) be encouraged because we bring in forex. It’s also a significant contributor to the country’s forex supply because those vessels are also supposed to pay fees to the Government of TT. From what I understand, they are paying those fees to the Ministry of Transport but I don’t have details.”

According to an article published in another local newspaper on January 8, 2017, the ministry was reported to have lost out on at least US $35 million because it has been “slow to conclude negotiations with… Transocean”

Business Day contacted the ministry, seeking an update on this matter but up to press time, a response was still pending.

JSL is a one point of contact service company, providing support services to companies in the upstream energy sector. Established in Trinidad in 2008, JSL’s corporate headquarters are located in Houston, Texas. Apart from its support operations base presence at Caribbean Dockyard’s (CARIDOC) 26-acre yard in Chaguaramas, JSL has a presence in more then ten Caribbean and Latin American countries. They include Colombia, French Guiana, Grenada, Guyana, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Nicaragua and Suriname.

According to its website, “the JSL International Group of Companies shall establish 100 percent Market Domination in all of the regions that we operate in by offering its Unparalleled Single Point of Contact Model for Logistical and Project Support Services to the Upstream Energy Sector.”

Asked what sort of support JSL provides to Transocean’s cold stacked vessels, Ramcharitar said this included hiring “all of the personnel that they require for the vessels, all of the catering for those personnel, assist with any third-party support and services, coordinate all relevant Customs and Immigration formalities and provide ‘home to work’ round trip transport for the personnel who are based on the rig. They are on a two-weeks on, two-weeks off shift.

“Ship Gear I and Ship Gear II officers; similar to the classification of able-bodied seamen or motormen, basically act as ship security officers, they deal with the day-to-day reporting – things like adherence to all of the HSE (health, safety and environment) procedures, emergency response procedures, on-going monitoring and surveillance.”

Transocean is one of the world’s largest offshore drilling contractors, based in Vernier, Switzerland.

JSL was hired in 2016 after Transocean parted ways with its previous, overseas-based, agent. While Ramcharitar declined to speak about what led to the change in agents, he did tell Business Day that JSL was “approached by Transocean in mid-2016.”

“There is no specific (end date) for the cold stacking contract; basically once the vessels are here, we will provide support services to them,” Ramcharitar said.

According to the website, www. monitor-systems-engineering.com, cold stacking, “is a cost reduction step taken when a rig’s contracting prospects look bleak or available contract terms do not justify an adequate return on the investment needed to make the unit work ready.

“For example, a conventional GOM jackup might see its costs reduced from US $30,000 per day when operational to as little as $2,000 per day when cold stacked. Cost savings primarily come from crew reductions to skeletal levels. Steps taken to protect the rig’s facilities include applying protective coatings, filling engines with protective fluids et cetera.

“With the costs of crewing up, inspection, deferred maintenance, and potentially refurbishment acting as deterrents to reactivation, cold-stacked rigs may be out of service for extended periods of time and may not be actively marketed. A return to service can be a costly proposition, often requiring tens of millions of dollars for refitting costs,” Monitor Systems Engineering stated.

Asked why JSL chose Chaguaramas as the base of its local service operations, Ramcharitar cited the area’s sheltered, deep water harbour, the presence of a Customs and Immigration post, the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) port facilities, ease of access to potable water, fuel for bunkering and the presence of “a lot of infrastructure in place within the Chaguaramas area to support the oil and gas sector, as compared to other port facilities in the country.”

However, the one way in, one way out, road connecting the Western peninsula to the rest of Trinidad is something which Ramcharitar said needed to be addressed.

He recommended the use of a ferry service between Chaguaramas and Port-of-Spain for people who work in the Western peninsula, thus reducing the traffic jam associated with the area during peak drive times.

Until an alternate route or mode of transport is introduced, JSL has flexible working arrangements for onshore staff, encourages them to carpool, and tries to hire qualified people who live in Chaguaramas and neighbouring communities.

Regarding its strategies to deal with “recessionary pressures”, Ramcharitar said, “over the past two years, we have been ensuring across-the-board adherence to international best practice and standards.

“We did this by initiating a drive towards obtaining ISO certification. We started working towards that in 2015 and I’m very proud to say that JSL has successfully been awarded ISO 9001 2008 certification for the provision of manpower resourcing for the upstream oil and gas sector.

“We are the only company in the Caribbean and South America that has been successful in achieving this certification. The certification has given us a strategic and competitive advantage because it allows us to be able to focus, not only on the drilling contractor market but also the operators within TT (such as bpTT and Shell),” Ramcharitar stated.

Business Day also spoke with JSL’s Finance Director and Chief Compliance Officer, Avinash Mohan.

“Operating transparently is crucial within the energy industry.

So our focus, across the company, has been on ensuring compliance with anti-bribery and anticorruption regulations.

This extends from the board of directors to management, employees and even to third-party sub-contractors, vendors and customers.” Mohan explained that JSL promotes compliance through on-going training on an online platform which it developed in partnership with TRACE International. “They are the standard setters in terms of anti-bribery, anticorruption, compliance.” Activity may be relatively slow in TT but JSL is using its Chaguaramas base to provide support services to drilling activity offshore in Guyana and Suriname.

“We’ve seen an uptick in activity over the last year and a half. There’s been a lot more frequency and dependency in terms of offshore drilling programmes that’s been happening in both countries.” In addition to this, Ramcharitar revealed that on July 4, 2017, JSL was awarded the agency services and logistical support contract to support Transocean’s drilling contract in Grenada on behalf of another operator.

“We are supporting the entire project from Chaguaramas.

The Transocean rig, Development Driller III, is currently drilling offshore Grenada in the Nutmeg-2 block. We’ve been providing support services, including some personnel.

The contract is for however long Transocean is there,” Ramcharitar stated.

According to an August 2, 2017, article on www.

upstreamonline.com, “Russian-backed player tests Grenada waters”, “Little-known Russianbacked company Global Petroleum Group (GPG) is drilling an exploration well south of the Caribbean island of Grenada, following a rich oil and gas trend that has yielded multiple discoveries off Venezuela’s Gulf of Paria and TT.

“Information on the well has been described as extremely tight.

Upstream has learned that the company spudded Nutmeg-2 in late June, using the Transoceanowned semi-submersible Development Driller III in about 400 feet of water,” the article stated.

For more information on JSL, visit its website, www.jslinternational.net/

The victim has been identified as Lorenzo Mc Leod, 31, of Saddle Road, Santa Cruz.

According to reports, a man parked his car in the garage of his St Michael’s Road home at 8.15 pm on Tuesday and went to bed.

When he got up at about 1.40 am yesterday, he saw two men pushing his purple B15 car out of the garage.

They later drove off in the car while the victim telephones police.

Minutes later, the police intercepted the car along St Michael’s Road and a shootout ensued.

McLeod who was shot several times, was taken to the Arima District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 3.20 am. A revolver was recovered at the scene. McLeod’s body was sent to the Forensic Science Centre in St James for autopsy.

Investigations are continuing.

“He was well aware of the problems within NTAC,” Roget told reporters during an interview outside Tower C of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre.

However, Roget was not totally dismissive of the Prime Minister’s call for dialogue.

“We are committed to dialogue and tripartism,” he said.

However, Roget stressed for dialogue to be successful, labour must sit at the table “as an equal to the other partners.” Roget said the issue in the economic circumstances facing the country was, “How do we really reset the clock in terms of the sharing of the burden of adjustment?” He said JTUM would not accept holding discussions with Government and the business community, while workers were being sent home. Roget did not think NTAC was a failed experiment.

However, he believed Government “did not live up to its responsibility” when NTAC was launched last March.

Roget said the labour movement’s call last Friday to Rowley for a meeting in two weeks time, remained on the table. Asked what labour would do if Rowley did not heed that call, Roget quipped, “Stay tuned and fasten your seat belts.”

Recently, the country’s economy has been negatively affected by fluctuating oil and gas prices and as a result, the GDP in Trinidad and Tobago contracted 10.80 per cent in the third quarter of 2016 over the same quarter of the previous year. It is expected, however, that Trinidad and Tobago will experience a modest recovery in growth over the coming quarters, driven by rebounding natural gas production.

By all indications, this expected economic growth is something that we citizens are all looking forward to.

The question is though – is GDP really an accurate measure of economic growth? Gross domestic product is the most commonly used measure of a country’s economic activity. It basically reflects the value of all final goods and services legally produced in an economy in a given time period and often correlates to the standard of living and the extent of economic development in a country.

GDP, however, excludes any unpaid activity as well as illegal activity, and also fails to account for reductions in quality of life and losses to natural disasters or crime. Additionally, even per-capita GDP does not necessarily reflect the wealth of the typical citizen, as a majority of low-earning citizens could be offset by a small group of very high earners.

Former Microsoft Corporation chief architect Edward Jung once called GDP a misleading indicator that sabotaged development and innovation, and a growing number of researchers, economists, industry leaders and policy makers have made it clear that they think GDP is a poorly devised relic. An example of this is where GDP can increase after a major flood or grow rapidly after a disaster.

If all of Port of Spain burnt to the ground, the rebuilding effort might positively impact GDP. This is because GDP is very susceptible to the broken window fallacy — false signals of rising prosperity when obvious destruction has taken place.

Gross domestic product is certainly a valuable tool but unfortunately, it misses out on a number of effects, which together have an impact that is rather larger than the percentagepoint statistical revisions economists squabble over. It measures income, but not equality, it measures growth, but not destruction, and it ignores values like social cohesion and the environment. Another of the larger problems can be summed up in one word: debt. GDP only deals in positive numbers, so doesn’t consider future obligations. Obviously it is easy to boost the economy by borrowing from other countries and also from future generations, in the form of resource extraction and depletion.

Interestingly, International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde, Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and MIT Professor Erik Brynjolfsson noted at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, “GDP is a poor way of assessing the health of our economies and we urgently need to find a new measure.” In the end, GDP measures only output and makes no claims on the quality of that output, let alone on subjective concepts such as social progress or human happiness. It can obscure growing inequality and encourage the depletion of resources.

It cannot differentiate, for example, between spending on education versus purchasing cigarettes and fails to account for the value of social cohesion, education, health, leisure, or a clean environment. We can agree with the academics in that GDP is a universal, objective and very useful measurement, however, we should recognise its limitations. Increasing GDP should not be government’s only objective and GDP alone cannot be considered a definitive measurement of human welfare. As we look forward to the rebounding of our economy at some point, we need to understand that an increase in economic growth does not equate to progress.

Ultimately, we need to hold our politicians to better account. Should we should shape government policy on GDP alone?

I am interested in serving on a board of directors. How do I get selected? How can I prepare myself so that I add real value? What are the traits of successful female directors?

~ Aspiring Director

DEAR INNOVATOR,

According to a global study done in 2015 by MSCI ESG Research, which included more than 4,200 firms, the average percentage of women on boards is 15%. If this holds true in Trinidad and Tobago, where women represent half the national population, we clearly have work to do.

It is important to understand that boards of directors can have great influence, as they make decisions that can impact us, our community and our country. That’s why it’s important that corporate boards truly represent a company’s or country’s constituents. Boards of directors choose CEOs. They make decisions about compensation, whether to buy, sell, or merge with other companies, and how much priority a company gives to issues other than profits, such as corporate social responsibility.

More women should aspire to serve on boards of companies, NGOs and institutions, so that their voices can be heard in the national conversation. But in order to serve effectively, you must understand the role of directors, what you bring to the table and how you can build your own brand of competence.

HOW ARE YOU SELECTED?

According to a 2012 PwC Annual Corporate Directors Survey, public companies use a number of sources to recruit new board members:

This clearly shows that the best way to be considered for a board position is to be part of a strong network of business leaders, who will recommend you when directorships become available. Boards will look for directors with expertise in different areas, depending on the strategic direction of the firm or institution. These can include industry experience, financial expertise, corporate governance experience, risk management or legal expertise, etc.

You should create a dossier about yourself including chronological and narrative bios highlighting your experience and interests. These documents are critical to marketing you to prospective boards. It is important to expand your presence on social media sites such as LinkedIn, where you can join relevant groups like 20 /20 Women on Boards.

You also need to understand if you have the time to serve. Board service requires a significant investment of time. Between preparations, travel, meeting time and committee work, the average director can spend up to 300 hours a year on board matters, so it is important to decide in advance if this is a realistic commitment that you are ready and willing to make.

THE ROLE OF DIRECTORS:

The role of a director varies from organisation to organisation, but broadly speaking, their key purpose is to ensure the company’s prosperity by collectively directing the company’s affairs, whilst meeting the appropriate interests of shareholders and stakeholders. In addition to business and financial issues, boards of directors deal with challenges and issues relating to corporate governance, social responsibility and ethics.

In a public company, the board of directors is appointed to act on behalf of the shareholders to run the day to day affairs of the business. They are directly accountable to the shareholders and each year the company will hold an annual general meeting (AGM) at which directors provide a report to shareholders on the performance of the company, outline future plans and strategies and if eligible, submit themselves for re-election to the board.

THE TRAITS OF

SUCCESSFUL DIRECTORS

In order to be considered for a board position, you need to:

– Demonstrate knowledge of the business and industry.

– Prove you are part of an effective professional network.

– Provide evidence of professional achievement.

– Understand corporate governance.

AFETT is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2002 with the goal of bringing together professional women and engaging in networking opportunities, professional training and business ideas. ASK AFETT is a column meant to address issues and concerns of professionals seeking advice to assist in progressing in their careers. Today’s response was written by AFETT member, Lara Quentrall- Thomas, Founder and First President of AFETT, and Chairman of Regency Recruitment & Resources Ltd – www.regencytrinidad.com . Learn more about AFETT at www.afett.com, search for AFETT Events on Facebook, follow us @AFETTEXECS on Twitter or contact us at 354-7130. Email us your career-related questions at admin.afett@gmail.com.

Perhaps you just want to make a point. It is a risky gamble though often resulting in increased levels of distrust, which makes moving forward even harder. More seriously though, a divisive public strategy that targets particular social groups has the potential to spin way out of control, far beyond the boundaries of wage negotiations.

In peacekeeping they say talks between opposing sides has the best chance of success when the dispute is “ripe”. This means essentially that the sides – say the government and striking workersfind themselves in a mutually hurting stalemate. The concept is based on the notion that when the parties find themselves locked in a conflict from which they cannot escalate to victory and this deadlock is painful to both of them, although not necessarily in equal degree or for the same reasons, it is then that they will seek an alternative policy. One would like to believe that the parties to a dispute would seek a mediated solution when they see that reaching an agreement would be in the best interest of the constituency that they claim to be representative of; in the best interest of the country even. However, leaders who can rally both sides to rise above their self-interest to sacrifice for a greater gain are rare. Nelson Mandela was one such. Rather, leaders tend to move to resolve their conflict only when they are ready to do so; when alternative, usually unilateral, means of achieving a satisfactory result are blocked and they feel that they are in an uncomfortable and costly predicament. At that ripe moment, they are amenable to discussing proposals that offer a way out.

The difficulty of course is that by the time parties get to the negotiating table brinkmanship and public rhetoric have broken down trust between the parties to such an extent that it becomes extremely difficult for either side to see the opportunities available to them for mutual agreement. Both sides read ill-intent into every statement made by the other. Not just that, emotive public rhetoric is hard to step back from. The authors of dissent become emotionally invested in the dislike that they articulate about others, and they begin to believe that their own support is dependent on the discontent that they sew against “the enemy”. In effect, they lose faith in their own ability to lead their constituency into good times.

At the same time, injustice and impunity are equally sure to erode trust particularly in an atmosphere where the scarce availability of facts gives way to perceptions so firmly held they become hard to dispel even when facts emerge.

Furthermore, rational dialogue becomes extremely difficult when people feel powerless to improve their lives even as they perceive others as being supported to better their lives.

This it seems is where we have found ourselves: Deep lack of trust on all sides. The collapse of the National Tripartite Advisory Council several months ago represents lost opportunities to promote the interests of all sides while still acting in the national interest. All is not lost, though. There are constructive rumblings about talks between the trade union movement and the government which both sides should embrace, possibly with the help of a neutral mediator. Success will depend entirely on how much both sides want to achieve a mutually acceptable resolution.

It will not be easy, but resolving conflict never is.

“We’ll be appointing investigating officers in instances where we perceive students have not been truthful in their declarations,” he said. Students caught trying to cheat the means-test for assessing their true entitlement to a GATE grant, could find themselves fully debarred from the subsidy now and in the future, Garcia warned.

“I want to ask all students to ensure that the information they submit as a result of the means testing, is accurate, so that sanctions or withdrawals will not have to be applied. Over and over we have been asked what we can put in place to ensure integrity of the process, I am appealing to students to ensure that integrity is maintained so we will not have to send investigating officers to your homes or workplace to verify accuracy of the information.

“You could run the risk of having funding debarred or future access to GATE denied and we don’t want that.” Garcia said while Government is committed to everyone accessing tertiary education, the country no longer enjoys its former economic largesse when oil and gas prices were high.

He said new measures aim to save about $100 million per year out of the usual GATE annual cost of $600 million. The income- based means test will ensure persons truly in need of state assistance will get the maximum benefit available, he said. Saying people are confused by misinformation over GATE, Garcia spelt out the entitlements.

Students with a household monthly income of under $10,000, can get 100 percent GATE funding.

For those between $10,000 to $30,000 income, the GATE funding is 75 percent. Students whose households earn over $30,000 will get 50 percent funding. “Cabinet has decided that wherever a person’s household income falls, that person will still be eligible for some measure of GATE funding.” Garcia said students will be funded only for one undergraduate and one postgraduate degree.

“So the programme hopping we saw in the past will be no more.” He said that for post-graduate students, GATE funding will be accessible only to students whose programmes are aligned with the country’s development needs and which are approved by the Accreditation Council (ACTT).

Asked if the ministry has a list of the aligned courses, Garcia deferred to Teresa Davidson, head of the ministry’s Unit for Grants and Funding, who said the list is being compiled by the Ministries of Planning, Labour and Finance.

For the upcoming academic year, this aligned list will not be applied, Davidson said.

Garcia said new students over age 50, won’t be able to access GATE, but continuing students who reach age 50 will get funding to complete their programme. He said his ministry’s website contains details of the means testing.

Davidson pointed out that the means test only deals with income, unlike a previous eightpage means test used in 2004 to 2006, which included questions on family assets. Garcia said that even with means-testing, students fees will be modest.

He said that for a student to pay 25 percent of the $12,000 annual fees of the Faculty of Social Studies, would work out at just $250 per month. Minister in the Ministry of Education, Dr Lovell Francis, said the GATE debate covers just a 20 percent portion of the university fees, with the State paying the rest. “So you are being asked to pay a fraction of a fraction,” Francis said.

Also at the briefing yesterday, ACTT executive director Michael Bradshaw said the tertiary student population is estimated at 56,316, enrolled in 1,697 programmes approved the council at 12 accredited institutions, led by the University of the West Indies. Inclusive of non accredited bodies, the student population is 67,500, he added.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has also urged the trade union organisations to return to the NTAC even as they called for a meeting with him to discuss an MOU which he had signed with them prior to the 2015 general election. A statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister last Friday said the tripartite approach was the “most meaningful forum to address the myriad challenges which all parties must face as we seek to overcome and survive the current economic crisis to which we have been exposed since 2015 and which is very likely to remain a factor in our circumstances well into the medium term.” In early March, the country’s umbrella trade union bodies suspended their participation in NTAC and cited government’s decision to dissolve the Tourism Development Company as “no consultation was held with the Communications Workers Union” on the decision to dissolve the company.

The labour organisations were the National Trade Union Centre; the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and NGO’s and the Joint Trade Union Movement.