PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning has apologised to Chief Justice Sat Sharma for what was viewed as a “discourtesy” but what was really “an oversight”. Manning stated that he had met with Chief Justice, Sat Sharma, and apologised for not informing him about the decision to relocate the Parliament. But, contacted last night, CJ Sharma said he was not concerned about whether the Parliament was moving from the Red House. His concern was the accommodation for the magistracy. He noted that millions of dollars had been spent to have proper accommodation for the magistrates in Port-of-Spain. “What will happen to the magistrates? This cannot be looked at in isolation. There are also problems at other courts where prisoners have to remain in the prison vans,” Sharma added.
The Prime Minister, speaking at the post-Cabinet news conference yesterday, added, “To us, it is not a new matter. To us it is an old issue and therefore we proceeded on the erroneous assumption that everybody understood it and was on board,” adding that the idea of creating a new city centre was enunciated as PNM policy eleven years ago. But the Chief Justice said times had changed, pointing out that the judiciary was not a club. Manning went on, “If it is that the Government erred by not first advising the Chief Justice — again, eleven years later — before the announcement was made, it had no difficulty whatsoever in apologising to him and I apologised.” But in the face of growing criticism about his Government’s decision, the Prime Minister is “confident” and “convinced” that people would “buy into” the idea when they see the finished result. It happened with the Brian Lara Promenade and the Hall of Justice, he said, pointing out that there was a lot of controversy over those projects at the time they were conceived. Told that people felt that the whole decision to relocate the Parliament was being driven by a desire on his part to move his office into the Red House, Manning asked: “But how could that be so? It was not my choice. It arose out of a Technical Team report.”
On reports that he was trying to build his own personal monument, Manning replied: “Me? I should invite you all to see where I live in San Fernando. And then you would understand how I think… I live in a townhouse of which I am very proud and which I didn’t want to leave. And for the record, the car that I own is less costly than the cars owned by most of you all. I own a PBC Mazda 323, a used car. Tell me if those are the actions of somebody who is interested in building edifices.” Manning, who promised to give the media a tour of Whitehall, “so you can see it is quite inadequate”, said the only reason the UNC returned to Whitehall was “because Eric Williams occupied it”. Manning said when the sod was turned at the Twin Towers, the architect stated that 50 years from today people would ask not how much the Towers cost, but who built it. “It was a point I never forgot,” the Prime Minister stated. “Picture it. A city centre based on Woodford Square — the people’s parliament, three arms of the democracy surrounding …and the city centre being pedestrianised.” He said the recommendations of the Technical Team were based “largely on the country’s history, recognising that the Red House has traditionally been the seat of government”. Reminded of the fact that the Red House was stormed in 1990, Manning said: “Well they killed Butler in Charlie King Junction in 1937…What does that mean?” Manning also noted that there was a lot of controversy over the Hall of Justice at the time it was built, which is now also regarded as “an edifice to our democracy”.
THE 18-18 stalemate arising out the 2001 general elections has been blamed for the reduction in drug seizures in Trinidad and Tobago for 2002.
While the TT Government continues to co-operate with the United States in the fight against the drug trade and money laundering, the inability of the PNM Government to convene Parliament in 2002 limited further progress in strengthening counter-narcotics capabilities. This is contained in the 2002 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) which was released in the United States earlier this week. The document contains a status report on 140 countries. According to the report, the TT Defence Force and the Police Organised Crime and Narcotics Unit (OCNU) carried out monthly counter-narcotics operations co-ordinated through the Joint Operations Command Centre (JOCC). For the first nine months of 2002, the various agencies seized 227 kilos of cocaine and 175 kilos of marijuana. According to the 2001 figures, the Police/Defence Force seized 772 kilos of cocaine and 634 kilos of marijuana.
Despite the political stalemate in 2002, the report stated that the TT Government continued to participate actively in regional counter-narcotics initiatives. The Government, according to the report, continues to fund a three-member US Customs advisory team which has been working closely with the local Customs and Excise Division. The Government also continues to fund an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) team which is working with the Board of Inland Revenue to strengthen penalties for financial crimes and to establish a criminal investigation division. The international report revealed that the TT Government took steps in 2002 to upgrade the facilities of the law enforcement agencies – acquiring two additional aircraft for the air wing of the Defence Force and upgrading the radar capability. Although the JOCC does not have a permanent commander, the report says that the unit remains a model for inter-ministerial co-ordination in the area of drug interdiction operations. The last commander, Rear Admiral Richard Kelshall, resigned his post after the UNC lost power following the 18-18 tie.
The INCSR points out that cocaine had been found at both Piarco and Crown Point International Airports in 2002. “Intelligence and actual seizures reveal that most of the narcotics smuggling is done by couriers and in air cargo. Increasingly, human couriers are being used to smuggle cocaine into the US.” The report states that young American couriers have been detained with newly obtained passports. For 2002, 15 Americans were detained in TT prisons, while the DEA reported an increase in drug swallowers transitting Crown Point Airport to Europe. The INCSR reports that in 2002, no charges of drug-related corruption were filed against any senior official. The report points out that the Government increased the staff of the Police Special Investigations Unit, renaming it the Anti-Corruption Squad.
The North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) is paying $25,000 daily to the School Nutrition Programme (SNP) to supply meals to St Ann’s Hospital after its kitchen was ordered closed last Wednesday by the County Medical Officer of Health, St George East.
The SNP began providing breakfast, lunch and dinner for the hospital’s 700 patients last Thursday. A source indicated that the meals have been arriving late and patients were complaining about the meager rations. Meanwhile, repairs have not begun on the kitchen area, although the Health Ministry issued a release stating that this would happen at the end of this week. Newsday has been informed that repairs to the kitchen are expected to begin sometime next week as the NWRHA has received quotations for the work. Arrangements were also reportedly made for the kitchen at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital to supply 600 meals to St Ann’s thereby cutting down on the number supplied by the SNP. PoSGH was initially supplying approximately 300 “soft meals”. But the source has refuted these claims stating that the NWRHA has arranged for the SNP to continue providing meals until next week. The NWRHA is making plans to refurbish an area at the St Ann’s hospital to accommodate the kitchen, however the Public Health Inspector has to visit the site and determine its suitability.
Trinidad and Tobago will be giving its Caricom partners cheaper oil prices, but only for fuel which is to be used for electricity generation. This was announced by Prime Minister Patrick Manning yesterday at the post-Cabinet news briefing at Whitehall.
Manning said a proposal was being developed along this lines, which is to come before the Energy Committee on Tuesday. Manning said it would mean that government would be foregoing some revenue. The plan involves putting a cap on gas oil and fuel oil prices, which have risen astronomically. The Prime Minister said Trinidad and Tobago could not afford to give the same relief for gasoline for cars and for gas prices in general. In explaining the rationale for the decision, Manning said many of the Caricom countries see themselves as facing “economic destruction” if oil prices stay at the current levels for any length of time.
Manning said one also had to recognise that Trinidad and Tobago was the largest market in Caricom, and Caricom was this country’s second largest market (United States being the first). He said the balance of trade in favour of Trinidad and Tobago was “huge” and “therefore many of the countries in the Caricom region were subscribing to the view that some form of recycling of the resources ought to take place to bring about some balance”. Manning said many of the Caricom countries could not compete with industries in Trinidad and Tobago. He said therefore it is left to Government intervention to address this situation. He said a Caricom team is looking at a variety of options, but in the interim, the Trinidad and Tobago government “unilaterally” decided to provide the relief in the form of lower oil prices.
Manning noted that in the oil boom days, Trinidad and Tobago provided liberal assistance to its Caricom partners. He said this help was viewed negatively by the beneficiaries who looked upon TT as having imperialistic designs. The Prime Minister said TT had learned from those errors and it was determined to avoid them.
THE Dhanraj Singh Murder Trial yesterday resumed in the San Fernando High Court with the appearance of British Queen’s Counsel Timothy Cassel who took over prosecution of the former Local Government Minister for murder.
Cassel, who has been hired by the State to lead the prosecution team, began replying to legal submissions on an issue which attorneys defending Singh had raised with the judge last week. It was Cassel’s first apearance in the trial which began almost three weeks ago (February 17). Singh is facing trial for the murder of Hansraj Sumairsingh, chairman of the Rio Claro/Mayaro Regional Corporation. The murder is alleged to have been committed between December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000 in Mayaro. When the trial came up for hearing on January 7, attorney from the Department of Public Prosecutions, Devan Rampersad, had indicated that Cassel would not be available until March. Justice Baird, however, fixed the case to start on February 17. Rampersad, an acting assistant Director of Public Prosecution, took charge of the case for the State until yesterday when Cassel made his appearance.
When hearing resumed yesterday, the jury of 12 members and one alternate was brought to court from the hotel where they had been sequestered for the Carnival weekend and where they would remain for the duration of the trial. Justice Baird welcomed Cassel to the First Assize Court. In reply, the Queen’s Counsel said that he had never been to San Fernando and it was indeed a delight for him to be there. “I know I would certainly enjoy it,” Cassel said. Attorney Ravi Rajcoomar apologised to the court for the absence of lead defence attorney, Karl Hudson Phillips QC who is in the Hague for his swearing in as a judge of the International Criminal Court and is expected to return on March 12. Proceedings got underway yesterday with the judge ordering the jury back to the hotel to return next week. He then began hearing submissions by attorney Rajcoomar. Cassel then replied and continued until 2:30 pm. He will continue this morning when hearing resumes.
LATE night limers in Port-of-Spain were ordered away from Independence Square, Frederick and Queen Streets around midnight, after police reported getting the strong scent of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) emanating from that area.
Police based at the Mobile Unit on Independence Square sent a distress call to Fire Headquarters on Wrightson Road around 10.45 pm, requesting help after the overpowering smell pervaded Frederick Street and Independence Square.
As a precautionary measure, firemen and police officers parked their marked vehicles at strategic points between Frederick Street and Independence Square and maintained a careful vigil while they waited on experts from NP to arrive on the scene.
According to Acting Fire Station Officer (FSO) Bernie Castillo, firemen who arrived on the scene discovered the smell was the strongest at a man-hole on the western side of lower Frederick Street, where several popular malls including Town Centre, Colsort Mall and Excellent City Centre are located.
Dozens of limers stood in silence on Broadway opposite the Cipriani Roundabout, as firemen armed with high-powered torches searched for the source of the gas. Firemen suspect the leak most likely came from inside one of the malls on Frederick Street. Around 1 am, NP engineer, Stephen Arneaud, arrived on the scene and police, under Insp Lennard Gay, were out patrolling the perimeter where the gas scent was strongest.
Traffic was diverted from the blocked-off areas, and late night travellers had to seek taxis on the perimeter of the downtown area.
Up to press time the search was still on for the source of the gas leak.
CENTRAL Division police were up to late evening searching for a relative who they believe can assist them with their investigations into a shooting incident in which a nine-year-old girl was wounded while sleeping early yesterday.
The child, Alicia Lewis, is warded at the Mount Hope Medical Sciences Complex in a satisfactory condition, police sources told Newsday. Reports are that around 3 am yesterday, Lewis, a student of the Chaguanas RC School, of Dass Trace Extension, Enterprise, was at home asleep on a couch in the living room with her elder sister, Angela Lewis, 26. Relatives, according to the report, heard a car pull up. This was followed by three loud explosions, said by the police to be gunshots. After the gunshots were heard, police said the car drove off. It was then that relatives noticed that little Alicia was bleeding from a gunshot wound to her right leg.
The child was first rushed to the Chaguanas Accident and Emergency Department via an Emergency Health Services (EHS) ambulance. She was then transferred to the Mount Hope Medical Sciences Complex, where she remained up to late yesterday. A report was made and a party of officers under Cpl Glen McKenzie of the Chaguanas Criminal Investigations Department (CID), and including photographer PC Balkissoon and others visited the scene and conducted investigations. Asked what was the motive behind the shooting, senior officers said they were baffled, but were trying to locate a relative, since they believe their investigations will be helped tremendously by this person. No arrests had been made up to late evening and Cpl McKenzie is continuing investigations.
POLITICIANS cannot unite Trinidad and Tobago and only artistes can harness the spirit of the people. This was the declaration yesterday by Fr Garfield Rochard as he spoke at the funeral service for musical icon Andre Tanker at the Church of the Assumption in Maraval. Tanker, 61, died last Friday of a heart attack.
Fr Rochard told the mammoth congregation that Tanker was very similar to the legendary King David of Israel. He said 3,000 years ago, David realised that political patronage was not enough to unite the 12 tribes of Israel and discovered that music was the means to achieve that objective. Rochard added that “32 years ago, Andre attempted to put the the Good Shepherd’s Psalm into our music”. Music, he explained, highlights the highs and lows of a society and brings people together. “Political unity is not enough. Politics will not unite us. Politics will make a poor showing of it. We have a task to unite the spirit of this country,” the priest declared. Rochard said the church would work together with the nation’s artistes to uplift and unite the people. Fr Rochard also lamented the country’s continuing “tendency to reject its icons”. “We don’t beat people in their weak moments to a frazzle. We have to lift them up,” he said. The assembled congregation was a virtual who’s who from the nation’s political, economic and cultural circles and other notable personalities. Among those present were Culture Minister Pennelope Beckles, Junior Culture Minister Eddie Hart, economist Lloyd Best, former Attorney-General Anthony Smart, celebrated author Derek Walcott and former Road March champion Austin “Superblue” Lyons.
Residents of Marray Trace, Siparia spent the Carnival weekend cleaning soot and ash from their windows and furniture following a massive bush — fire which ravaged the 10 acres of forest reserve in their area.
According to a resident of the area, Kishan Ramkalawan, the fire started on Carnival Sunday and spread through the area within a short space of time. Fire fighters from the Penal Fire Department spent hours on Sunday clearing the bushes and wetting the houses in order to keep flames from spreading. The forested area which is protected by the State is known to breed such animals as deer, monkeys, squirrels, manicou, lizards, tattoo, ant eaters, iguanas, snakes, and birds such as the Scarlet Ibis, Water Crow, Blue Gene, Scarlet Ibis and the Parakeet. These endangered species are seen on the age old trees that occupy this forest area.
Ramkalawan told Newsday that during the course of the night, trees were heard falling from the distant forest. “The fire has been penetrating the dry twigs in the ground and while many believe that the flames have gone completely out, this is not the case. The fire starts again and then we see smoke from the deep forest,” he said. He noted that while hunting in these areas has been prohibited, the forest fire destroyed most of the wildlife that had been living there for many years. Citrus farmer of the area, Tony Nandlal, said that while his crop was not affected by the flames, he is worried about the river which is the source of water for his crops. “The fire destroyed the plants and trees, which surround the river and as a result of this, the river banks are now weak with no roots to hold up and anytime there is any sort of flooding the river will burst and there will be more flooding in the area,” he said.
Four years ago, 17-year-old Alana Ward stepped into the Carnival Queen business for the first time representing the Ivan Kallicharan Carnival band.
Ward went on to place third in the National competition. The next year saw Ward as queen of the Barbarossa Band and she subsequently won the National competition with her then portrayal, “It’s All In The Game”. Now with Legends for the last two years, Ward won the National Carnival Queen competition for the second and third consecutive years with portrayals “Dance The Butterfly” and “Fire In The Sky” respectively. Ward, now 21, yesterday candidly stated that it was by sheer determination she was able to achieve that level of success. “When I want something, I have to get it. That started the first year I won the title. I was then told that in order for me to keep the challenge trophy, I would have to win the competition for three consecutive years so I set out to do just that”. When asked how it felt achieving her goal in winning the queen title for the third time straight, Ward, said: “I don’t think it really hit me as yet, but I’m taking it in slowly now that I am away from all the action. I think it’s now beginning to sink in”.
Curtis Eustace, National Carnival King 2003, said yesterday he simply carried out the normal Ash Wednesday Eustace tradition started by his deceased father Tedder. He journeyed to the Valencia river for a ‘lime’ with family and friends for the most part of the day, then it was up to Mt. St. Benedict yesterday to give thanks and praises to the Father for his success. Eustace started playing king seven years ago for Barbarossa. That year he won the national title with “The Matador”. His next couple titles came from portrayals “Dis Is We Carnival” (1998) and “Rough Rider” (2000). Then with “Jabmolassie” (2002) and this year’s “D Sky is the Limit” Eustace 34, again copped the coveted crown.
