NEWLY APPOINTED President Maxwell Richards  yesterday congratulated the Pastor and members of the Woodbrook Pentecostal Church on their proposed Church Complex, which promises to seat over 3,000 persons upon completion. The complex, which is being constructed at Gallus Street, Woodbrook, is expected to be constructed at an estimated cost of almost $23 million.

While giving a report on the project, Apostle Turnel J Nelson explained that the building will comprise an auditorium that will be able to seat over 3,000 persons including mezzanine and balcony seating,  two dedicated conference rooms with a seating capacity of 350, four multi-purpose conference rooms with lower capacities, basement parking, state-of-the-art electronic system, a three level administrative annex at the rear and a video and audio production facilities. In addition a satellite system will allow the option for live church services to be broadcast from the Complex to viewers around the world.

Nelson explained that the structural cost is an estimated $18-$20 million dollars with an additional 2.5 million for furnishings. Nelson explained that the initial stage of the project has already been funded and they are now “aggressively pursuing other efforts to raise the necessary financing for the other phases of the project”. Nelson also called on the corporate community to assist with funding the project. He noted that the government has enunciated their vision of making Trinidad and Tobago a developed country by the year 2020 and pointed out that the church complex will complement the efforts of the government in this regard, while providing a place where the youth of the nation could be exposed to teachings that will strengthen the spiritual, moral and social fabric of the society.

While delivering the address at the function Richards pointed out that one cannot escape the bombardment of our minds with negative influences and reminded that the church had a role to play in bringing positive influences to the members of its congregation and the world at large. He encouraged the church to continue the work they were doing and congratulated them on the project. He also pointed out that “more things are wrought by prayer than this world could dream of”. The complex is being constructed by a team of consultants including CEP Limited, Urban Architectural Systems Limited, ENCO, R Cecil Davis Enterprises Limited and CMG Professional Services.

A MALABAR man was arrested by Arima police yesterday morning after a loaded pistol which was stuck in his waist fell onto the road as he struggled to escape from the officers.

This is the sixth illegal firearm recovered by Arima detectives within the past two weeks, and the third seized over this weekend. According to reports, around 10 am Ag Cpl Mark Maharaj, PCs Naim Gyan, Gosine and others were on enquiries in Malabar when, on reaching Phase One, they saw a 21-year-old man standing at the side of the road. On seeing the police, the man tried to run away, but he was held a short distance away. While police tried to frisk him, the man struggled in an effort to escape. As he continued resisting, a Browning nine-millimetre semi-automatic pistol fell from his waist and was quickly retrieved by the police, who overpowered the man and arrested him.

The weapon had 15 live rounds in its magazine. The man was taken to the Arima Police Station where he was questioned. He will be placed on an identification parade today and appear before an Arima Magistrate tomorrow charged by Ag Cpl Maharaj with possession of arms and ammunition. The officers later arrested three men who are wanted for a series of armed robberies. The three will be placed on identification parades.

Aggressive tendencies in school children are rising because they are acting out the breakdown of the family and attacking authority figures—teachers who are vulnerable because of the Rights of the Child and Person, said Archbishop Clarence Baisden at yesterday’s Spiritual Shouter Baptist Liberation Day celebration at City Hall.

Archbishop Baisen said an “evil administration” is at work in the country. He said he was not blaming anyone in society but the evil spirits. “If they get your children, they feel they have a better chance against God.” Citing scripture throughout his sermon, Baisden was blunt in his criticism of the attitudes of some parents. He said some are not concerned with the salvation of their children as they were preoccupied with other things. The State (schools and teachers) had a part to play in the socialisation of children however, Baisden reminded parents that they were primarily responsible for the moral and spiritual training. Quoting from Proverbs, Baisden admonished children to listen to their parents even if they (the children) had their own agenda. He said parents should not show favouritism as this can cause sibling rivalry and children will hate each other. Parents must also let children know that God had a specific role in their lives.

Baisden said children must be taught respect in the home, streets and schools. “Keep children from electronic games of violent savagery and pornographic literature.” Bishop Ruby Hunte said families today are suffering from “wanting syndrome”. She said parents would try and fulfil their children’s wants because they themselves did not have as youths. Hunte said when these children got older, they went astray because they cannot get what they want. Despite criticisms about “this generation” she said parents were not counselling their children. “We are making this generation,” Hunte declared. People should also treat each other as family in the workplace by showing love and understanding. She said production can be better when there is oneness in the workplace.

TWO men have been charged for last Wednesday’s murder of St James resident Ashley Mathlin, 18, who was attacked and stabbed to death while walking along Bournes Road, St James.

The charges were laid by Detective Sgt Nandram Monilal of St James CID, and followed instructions from Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Geoffrey Henderson on Friday. The two men aged 34 and 38 from St James, will appear before a Port-of-Spain magistrate tomorrow to answer the murder charge. Investigations were spearheaded by Snr Supt Glasgow and Insp Cadette. Sgt Monilal and officers from the Homicide Bureau met with DPP Henderson on Friday. Henderson later perused the case file and autopsy report, following which, he gave instructions for the laying of the murder charge. Mathlin was reportedly walking along Upper Bournes Road, St James around 10.35 pm, when he was ambushed by four men who had alighted from a van. The men beat Mathlin who, as he fell to the pavement, was stabbed in the left side of his chest and died.

Today is 64 days since 21-year-old Keisha Sandy, of Black Rock, Tobago, literally disappeared and has been reported missing.
Her family is convinced that she was kidnapped.

An employee of Tateco Credit Union, Keisha, as is customary, transacted business on behalf of Tateco at Scotia Bank in which she deposited a sum of money and withdrew $14,000, around 10 am on January 27. She never returned to the office. Between Scotia Bank on Carrington Street, downtown Scarborough, and the Tateco Building on Wilson Road — just about 400 metres away if you walk south on Wilson Road, through the Scarborough (NIB) Mall and virtually into the bank — no one so far can say what happened. Keisha disappeared. “As a family we don’t believe that she would have done something like this or gone of her own free will; so if someone is being taken against their will, they have been abducted, they have been kidnapped,” Keisha’s aunt June James, speaking on behalf of the family, told Newsday. “Whether or not, you know, force has been used; you know, if in any way her life has been threatened, we believe that it is not something within her character that she would have gone willingly.”

James, who resides in Florida but is back home to “keep the issue alive” acknowledged the family was well aware of the various rumours circulating within the island community, mainly that Keisha had absconded with the money. And here, she stressed, she was appealing to Tobagonians to disabuse themselves of this quite popular preconceived notion and really assist in the search for Keisha. “Well, if we are incorrect, then we can deal with that then, but we are confident that she would not just do something like that,” she asserted. James feels prompt attention was not given to the matter in the early stages immediately following Keisha’s disappearance. She told Newsday there has been a report that Keisha was seen in a car with three men, one of whom was driving while she was seated in the back seat with the others, on the day after her disappearance. This was reportedly around 9 am on January 28, and the car is said to have broken the traffic light at the Rockly Vale junction.

However nothing has come out of the police investigation to date. Police would only say they are following certain leads, with inquiries being carried out by Detective PC William Nurse, of the Homicide Bureau, in Tobago. Keisha’s family is interacting with the police continuously, James explained. “Yes,” she says, “the family has considered the possibility that she could be dead.” But James stressed they have kept hope alive, even though they have heard absolutely nothing from Keisha since January 27. She acknowledged that the whole matter is so baffling. It’s like Keisha vanished into thin air! James appealed to members of the public, anyone, with any little bit of information, no matter how insignificant it might appear or would have appeared then, to come forward. She told Newsday the objective is to locate, to find Keisha, “whatever the circumstances of her disappearance:. You can contact 685-7105 or 686-5485.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police Glen Roach has said that the police is making an “extra effort to provide quality service” but this cannot be fully achieved without the help of the people.

Roach made this statement while speaking to a Community Town Meeting held at the Erin Primary School Friday night which was hosted by the South Western Police Division. The Deputy Commissioner said the Police Service is aiming at providing “holistic satisfaction” so that everyone can feel safe. He also expressed a desire to provide police officers while in training with public relations skills so that they may be pleasant and effective in their duties. Roach emphasised the effectiveness of “community policing”. Just over 100 residents turned out for the meeting to talk about issues affecting them. Their concerns ranged from frequent larceny to inadequate supply of vehicles and manpower at police stations and the attitude portrayed by some of the police to residents who feel targetted.

PCs Warren and Taylor of the Erin Station came in for high praise from residents who described them as committed. Some asked for more attention to be given to the matters of street children loitering on the beaches and also occurrences of guns and ammunition coming in at nearby beaches. They also voiced concern over the announcing of roadblocks which they think reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. Snr Supt of the South Western Division Dennis Graham sought to address the matters and assuaged fears saying that police would be making attempts to patrol the beaches more often and have an “equitable distribution” of patrols so all can feel safe. He reminded them to work together with and help the police.

Among the other high ranking officers were Ag Supt Ganga of the South Western Division, ASP Singh (West), ASP Mc Millan, Ag ASP Sampson Brown, Sgt Honore (Fraud Squad), Sgt Valdez and Ag Sgt Gunness. Calysponian Weston Rawlins (Cro Cro) was also present. The villagers expressed hope that the rapport between police and community would continue.

Minister of Health, Colm Imbert, on Saturday announced that cancer patients will soon benefit from a new, state-of-the-art oncology centre to be built within the next two years at a cost of $150 million.

He was addressing the handing-over ceremony of the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society’s mobile clinic at the society’s offices at 26 Rosalino Street, Woodbrook. Effusing over the promised cancer centre, Imbert said: “We will be able to treat everybody and every form of cancer in Trinidad and Tobago. We will bring people from Canada to train local staff. Two years from now people suffering from cancer will no longer have to travel abroad but will be treated here at very low cost, or if I have my way, at no cost.” Saying that cancer respected no-one regardless of race, class or age, and that cancer affected one in five families, Imbert remarked: “This is a very serious disease.” He vowed to continue his Ministry’s annual $1 million grant to the Cancer Society.

Praising the society’s work, the Minister said: “Today’s event is very significant. The secret [of treating cancer] is early detection. Fifty percent of cancer patients can be treated if the cancer is detected in time.” Imbert also said he wanted to expand the Government’s current pilot programme of offering free medication to an initial group of 65,000 old age pensioners suffering any of the four chronic diseases of diabetes, hypertension, glaucoma and some cardiac diseases. Imbert said: “We want to expand the programme in five stages: One, old age pensioners and those getting the disability grant; two, all persons over age 65; three, all persons over age 60 years; four, all persons under age 16; and five, the entire population. I hope to expand the diseases treated – arthritis, asthma, depression and many other chronic diseases. It is my hope to treat everyone from the cradle to the grave for all chronic diseases.” 

Cancer Society chairman, Dr George Laquis, said the mobile unit would be used to take pap smear samples, perform breast and prostrate examinations and would be assigned to Tobago. He said that the cancer causing the most concern locally was cervical cancer which he said was caused by a sexually transmitted virus. He said the mobile would help the society to screen persons vulnerable to cervical cancer, persons who might not otherwise be able to afford the transport fare to the society’s Woodbrook office. “We are going to go out into the community.”  Dr Laquis used the event to launch the first edition of the Cancer Society’s annual magazine, Cancer Chat, paying tribute to its editor Joanna Bharose. “It is written for the public, educating people on cancer awareness and cancer prevention.” He added: “Deaths from cancer are too high. We still have to fight the scourge of tobacco. We will lobby the Minister of Health for tobacco anti-advertising legislation”.

The United National congress has extended fraternal greetings to the Baptist community on the occasion of Baptist Liberation Day.

The UNC offered its full support for the Baptist community and pledged its continuing assistance in bring about a better understanding of the trials and tribulations of those who pioneered the religion over the years.  The party also expressed its pride in contributing to the level of awareness of what it referred to as “one of the greatest religions of our ancestors”. The party wishes to re-emphasise the fact that it was the UNC, led by then Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, that was determined to grant the Baptist community its own holiday. The party also pointed out that the then opposition PNM was opposed to the labelling of the holiday, wishing instead that March 30th be considered a Public Festival Day. The statement went on to say that it was under the UNC administration that the government agreed to provide five acres of land in Orange Grove to strengthen the institutions of the faith and allocated 25 acres in Maloney for the establishment of a Spiritual Park.

THE ASSOCIATION of Principals of Assisted Secondary Schools (APASS) is calling on the Ministry of Education to “treat all schools with an even hand” by staffing the denominational secondary schools with a better “quota system” and remuneration packages for qualified teachers. The APASS represents over 41 Assisted Secondary Schools across the country.

A press release from the APASS stated that the staffing of the secondary schools is discriminatory since the quota system dictates the allocation of one non-graduate post for every two graduate posts. This, according to the Association, threatens to undermine the efficiency of the schools. The association pointed out that the policy that is now in place is contrary to Section Four of the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago, which provides for the right of the individual to equality of treatment from any public authority in the exercise of any of its functions.

In addition the association noted that the policy ignores the collective agreement which governs the terms and conditions of the service of teachers and guarantees that teachers be classified in accordance with their assessed qualifications. It also discriminates against the students assigned to denominational schools who are entitled to equal quality teaching as their counterparts in the government schools. It also serves as a disincentive to teachers in the denominational schools who feel victimised by this quota system and must accept salaries that are not in line with their qualifications and which frustrates the administrators, who are constrained by the system and find it more and more challenging to maintain a high quality teaching environment in their schools. The APASS is now calling on the ministry to abide by the terms and conditions of the service of teachers, which guarantees remuneration in line with their assessed qualification.