He was speaking yesterday during the sitting of the Lower House of Parliament.

He reported that the UNIMED Group Health Plan for monthly paid officers was introduced by the People’s National Movement (PNM) government after negotiations with the Public Services Association and the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association with effect from April 1, 2004 as a benefit for members of the civil and teaching service and holders of certain offices within the purview of the Salaries Review Committee.

He said that currently the plan has a membership of 30,231 comprising 22,544 individuals and 7,687 family members. He explained that the plan provides coverage for major medical up to $1 million and also surgical benefits, medical benefits, diagnostic servcies, prescribed drugs, hospital services, dental services, vision benefit and death and disability benefit.

Imbert said since its introduction, the plan has been heavily utilised by its members and in 2012 family coverage was included for members. The monthly contribution is $129 per month and $287 for family coverage and contribution ratio is 60/40 for employer and employee respectively.

“It should be noted that these rates are among the lowest in the industry. Over time the cost of medical services and procedures has continued to increase simultaneously with the usage of the plan by its members. There has also been increased usage of the plan especially with the introduction of family coverage.” He said industry statistics indicate increases in costs over the past five years in diagnostic services of 15 per cent, prescribed services of 20 per cent, and hospital services of 30 per cent. He explained that the existing rates of contribution, together with the increasing cost of healthcare and the usage of the plan by its members “have had a negative impact on the financial resources of the plan and the plan is currently in deficit.” He said to address the situation, the review of contributions has been engaging the attention of the management committee.

“However, while this is being finalised members of the plan have been experiencing difficulty in the settlement of their claims.

If the current financial situation makes it extremely difficult to treat with claims (which) persists without corrective action by the State, the UNIMED Group Health Plan for monthly paid officers would become insolvent.

Such an occurrence would be a regressive step for public officers in terms of the benefits which they currently enjoy, and have enjoyed since 2004 because of the PNM, while its impact on the members of the plan would be quite deleterious.” He continued, “Further, should the operations of the plan cease, it is anticipated there would be an increased demand on the existing public health care system with significant negative consequences including delays being encountered at public health institutions and a resultant increase in lost man hours.” Imbert said that Government has reviewed the situation “including the impact on the health and well being of public officers and recognises the value of a healthy workforce in the delivery of its services.” He said to clear the current deficit in the plan “as we are a responsible, caring PNM Government”, the Cabinet took a decision yesterday to inject $2 million into the plan “to ensure its continued viability.”

While we are grateful for the safe return of this well-known citizen, an even greater outcome will be the successful apprehension and prosecution of the perpetrating elements. In fact, that is now a matter of utmost importance given the risk of copycat crimes occurring. It has been reported that sums of money were paid as ransom.

We must express concern over whether this incident is the resumption of a dark and dangerous chapter in our history. The kidnapping-for-ransom problem peaked years ago but under former Minister of National Security Martin Joseph was virtually eliminated.

While Joseph’s overall tenure can be criticised for record-high murder rates, no one disputes that it was under his watch that the kidnapping problem was eradicated.

But should we interpret this week’s developments as a worrying sign of resurgence? The Police Service, the Anti- Kidnapping Unit, the Cyber Security Unit, the Task Force, the Criminal Investigation Department, and the Strategic Services Agency must be given the tools and resources they need in order to get the job done.

This is not only a matter of protecting funding, but also implementing plans that have long been drawn up for the benefit of these entities.

There is also an international aspect to the crime problem which must also draw the attention of officials.

The confluence of transnational crime with local criminal enterprise cannot be underestimated.

This is particularly so in a country which has been deemed vulnerable to various forms of trafficking, whether of drugs, of arms or of human beings. Often, there are interstices with money laundering. The impact of these shadowy activities on surface crime levels is a matter that is not adequately mapped. Indeed, this is the design of those involved in such activities.

Our crime situation is serious, but we should also be concerned about regional developments.

For example, the deterioration of the crime situation in Jamaica is a direct threat to regional security and prosperity. According to police statistics, up to Tuesday, 712 people were murdered, compared with 593 people over the same period last year. This represents an increase of 119 or 20 percent.

In response, the Jamaican government has promulgated legislation to give law enforcement authorities power to treat designated areas as hot spots, with commensurate powers to search premises and vehicles without warrant. In this country, joint police and army patrols and resulting “lockdowns” have become the status quo, even if there is no tailor-made legislation for these activities.

An attempt to pass such a law lapsed in the last Parliament.

Over in neighbouring Venezuela, the situation is even more perilous with crime and violence coming against a backdrop of a crippling economic crisis that is threatening tremendous political upheaval.

These matters affect us in various ways. They destabilise economies we need for our own economic recovery. And they also set in motion demographic shifts, introducing new hazards to our shores.

It is hoped Thursday’s close call will spur authorities to nip in the bud any developments which could worsen the picture in the long run.

“One of the most disturbing things that have come to us as a Cabinet in the last 20 months.” Young was speaking yesterday during an Opposition motion on crime in the House of Representatives.

He said that the previous administration did not lay in Parliament statutory reports on interception of communications between 2010 and 2015 when it is supposed to be laid annually.

He explained the reports would say how many people were intercepted, how many warrants were sought and what happened to it.

He recalled that former government minister Devant Maharaj went to court over the reports not being laid but the judge pointed out that Maharaj was part of the administration that had not laid the reports and did not grant the order He said National Security Minister Edmund Dillon worked with those responsible for the report and got it done.

Young reported that in 2013 only nine warrants were sought by the Commissioner of Police from the courts but “no warrants were sought by the body charged with the responsibility and who has the possession and the control of the equipment, the Strategic Services Agency (SSA).” He said that the number of warrants applied for by the SSA was zero.

“So under them for a whole year they didn’t apply for a single warrant. But you know what’s interesting? Let me tell the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

You want to talk about talk on phone and who spying on who (sic)? In that year not a single application was made to court for a warrant but they listened to 283,418 conversations.” He said not one of these conversations were for evidential purposes.

“Macoing,” said some Government members.

Young questioned if this was the reason the previous administration did not want to file the report when they were in government. He said this administration would not be so irresponsible and they laid the report in Parliament in the first year they were in government.

He also criticised the previous administration on the LifeSport project for “breeding” the Carapo gang and other gangs, for damaging relationships with foreign partners on security – relationships which the current administration has had to rebuild – and for dismantling facial recognition installed to recognise known criminals at the ports of entry from 2010 to 2015.

Residents recall the plan by former minister of works and transport Franklin Khan, who spoke of a strategy to minimise flooding and gave residents the expectation that something positive would be done soon.

At a mass meeting in Caparo he promised that a dam would be constructed in Mamoral and that would be the end of all the flooding.

The price of land and property would escalate as investors would flock to the area. The budget was close to $175 million and the money for the dam was ready and waiting. Dutch experts were brought in to advise the Government and they held numerous meetings with residents, all to no avail.

Additionally, students from a major US university carried out research on the flooding and how it could be tackled. But that too was to no avail.

The flooding issue even became a social studies subject on the secondary school curriculum. I personally hosted a group of CAPE students from St Joseph Convent in Port of Spain and held several media interviews highlighting the plight of the people of Caparo.

So where is the money allegedly put aside to undertake this project? Scores of residents had started looking for places to relocate. The Mamoral Cemetery was to be relocated. But nothing has happened.

The Caparo River was at one time one of three major rivers in Trinidad, the others being Caroni and Nariva. It used to be 30 to 40 feet in width.

Now, despite intermittent cleaning, it is about 40 inches wide.

In my over 50 years in public service, part as a councillor, I advocated that the Caparo River could have been developed into a tourism destination, along with the AB Carr Building, named after the former colonial secretary of the then colony of Trinidad.

But these suggestions were never taken seriously.

For those who do not know, when it floods in Caparo there is no movement of goods and services.

The Brasso Caparo Valley Road, the main thoroughfare to Chaguanas, Rio Claro, Mayaro, Arima and San Fernando, remains impassable for several hours, if not for days. Residents are isolated from the rest of the country.

On behalf of the people of Caparo and environs, past generations, present ones, and future ones, I appeal to the powers that be to get serious about human lives and intervene with a positive solution to the perennial flooding.

Flooding in Caparo must move beyond Bret.

PARAS RAMOUTAR Caparo

We are laying the groundwork for a sad world as opposed to a brave, new world. Here is how I visualise that world: We will walk down the road oblivious to everything around us, not noting the few trees that are left because we will be living in a dust bowl that resulted from not taking global warming seriously.

While walking, we will not even notice people anymore because an electronic device will permanently be fixed to our heads.

It will be difficult to see a neurologist because these doctors will be swamped with patients who have neurological disorders and brain tumours, a result of being hooked up to electronic devices all the time.

We will become silent, suspicious people reluctant to speak to anyone because the slightest disagreement will trigger someone to shoot us.

No one will speak about skyrocketing crime because it will be a norm by then. We will become resigned to senseless murders in the same way that people in wartorn areas of the world live with terrorism.

There will be a whole new mindset because optimism will be replaced by cynicism. Expectations will be low. Everyone will be apathetic and empathy will no longer exist.

We will be callous, uncaring individuals still entrenched in instant gratification because the electronic devices that are the centre of our lives have become more sophisticated and more capable of turning us into zombies with gnarled fingers that are a result from pushing buttons non-stop.

Our eyes are larger — saucer-like — because of the amount of time we watch computer screens (actually saw a picture of this on the Internet), and our ears are starting to look like those of the late, great Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy because we truly are becoming aliens now — aliens of ourselves.

Hyperactivity will reach new levels because our brains are overloaded circuits bombarded with information. We never experience solitude. In the future, we won’t be able to settle to watch a television show. We will simply flip from channel to channel in a restless state of inability to process information.

No amount of burglarproofing will keep people out of our homes or even out of our bank accounts because the feeling of entitlement that everyone feels today will have reached a whole new level 50 years from now.

People will hack our bank accounts and credit cards, steal our cars by remote control and come into our houses to take whatever they want to take. Well, they do a lot of that now, but it will be the norm 50 years from now.

Most people won’t even realise when it’s happening because they’ll be hooked up to some device.

Few people will be reading books because children will be exposed to technology far too early.

There will be fewer professionals in the future because less people will want to devote years to education in this instant gratification environment. The number one problem for elderly people will be dementia. Because people gave up using their memory and no memorisation skills were being taught in schools, people rapidly lost their memories. Elderly people in the future will not have the luxury of nostalgia because they will have no memory left.

If this isn’t the world we want, then we had better examine how we are living today and combat this push-button culture of instant gratification.

O t h e r – wise, we will be d o ome d to the dystopian world that we create.

Maglione, the President of CCCAN Felix Calderon, President of ASATT Wendell Lai Hing and the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, Darryl Smith.

ASATT president, Lai Hing, said it was a challenge to organise the tournament but said it was heartening to see how everything came together nicely.

“It has been a challenge from the start and it continues to be a challenge, however, when you look at the teams present and the athletes roaring to dive in the pools, being in whichever aquatic discipline, and you see what happens in the pool, you realise that being here and being a part of this is worth the while,” he said.

The athletes and invited guests were serenaded by the Couva Joylanders as they played the steelpan during the opening ceremony and were also treated to special entertainment from the Shiv Shakti Dancers.

With the CCCAN Championships being a part of the sports tourism drive by the Ministry of Sport, Smith said, “With Sports Tourism being at the top of our priorities, it gives me great pleasure to open these gates on behalf of the government of Trinidad and Tobago.

Over the past weeks and weeks to come, we have invited over 75 countries to our shores and 25 of them are here and will be taking part in this CCCAN tournament.” The Minister made note of the country hosting the most international tournaments in a year thus far, stating there is more to come when the nation plays host to the CPL final in September.

Smith distributed medals and trophies for the water polo championships as the awards were distributed during the opening ceremony.

In the first swim event of CCCAN, following the formal launch, the 13-14 Girls took to the main pool for the 800m long course (LC) freestyle where TT’s Jada Chatoor copped the silver medal, finishing the race in nine minutes and 18 seconds, just behind Honduras’ Michelle Ramirez gold medal time of nine minutes and 16 seconds.

Daniela Alfaro (9 minutes, 21 seconds) representing Costa Rica took home the bronze medal in the category.

Jada’s brother, Graham Chatoor, secured the bronze medal position in the Boys 15-17 1500M LC freestyle event, finishing behind Puerto Rican Alexis Soto and Panama’s Andres Lares.

Soto stopped the clock at 16 minutes and 17 seconds to claim gold, followed by silver medallist Lares’ time of 16 minutes and 31 seconds and Chatoor rallying to bronze in 16 minutes and 14 seconds.

TT’s Gabriella Donahue yesterday copped silver in the Girls 13-14 200m breaststroke in 2:48.33 On the second day of swimming action yesterday, Team TTO’s Dylan Cater set a national record in the 18 & Over 100m Butterfly event after darting to the wall in 53:87 seconds, as he led the heat.

N’Nhyn Fernander of the Bahamas finished behind Carter in 55:90 seconds. Team TTO’s Christian Awah finished sixth in the heat and also qualified to the next round with his time of 57:87.

Arielle Dickson copped bronze in the Girls 11-12 200m LC breaststroke in three minutes and nine seconds.

She finished behind Jamaican Sabrina Lyn (3 minutes, 3 seconds) and Mia Neckles (3minutes, 4 seconds) representing Grenada.

In the Mixed 11-12 200M Freestyle preliminary relays, Team TTO was represented by Zarek Wilson, Kadon Williams, Zoe Anthony and Savannah Chee-Wah where they finished third with a national record of one minute, 53 seconds in the event.

However, the Bermuda and Jamaican teams also broke their national records in the race, finishing in one minute and 51:42 seconds and one minute and 51:59 seconds, respectively.

In the preliminaries of the Girls 13-14 200M Breaststroke, Gabriella Donahue of Trinidad and Tobago finished second in the heat in a time of two minutes and 51 seconds, just behind Puerto Rican Paola Guerra’s time of two minutes and 48 seconds. Team TTO’s Brianna Bocage was disqualified in the event.

Gabriella then led from the front in the 50m Breaststroke heats, stopping the clock at 31.28 seconds, split seconds ahead of Logan Watson-Brown of Antigua (31.91) and Danielle Titus’ time of 31.97 representing Barbados. TT’s Jahmia Harly also qualified for the next round with her time of 32:58 seconds.

TT’s Christopher Dieffenthaller led the Boys equivalent of the heats with a time of two minutes and 30 seconds. He was closely followed by Bajan Nkosi Dunwoody’s time of two minutes and 31 seconds in the event.

In a press release, Persad-Bissessar said: “Rowley must explain his re-appointment of Marlene McDonald to his Cabinet, who was the subject of a police investigation over allegations of fraud and misconduct and a probe by the Integrity Commission.” In March 2016, after newspaper reports alleged that McDonald played a role in the allocation of an HDC house to one Michael Carew who was described as a friend, Rowley revoked McDonald’s portfolio as Housing and Urban Development Minister.

Randall Mitchell was appointed to take her place and police later launched investigations.

Rowley’s decision to remove Hinds, whose portfolio was already reassigned from Transport Minister to Minister of Public Utilities, is also being questioned by Persad-Bissessar. “He must tell the country what has changed since his removal of the Member from his Cabinet and now her reinstatement in the Cabinet. Further, the Prime Minister should explain why, for a second time, he has removed MP Hinds from a substantive portfolio.” The Opposition Leader also accused the Prime Minister of having no economic policies to save the country from collapse other than taxation. Persad-Bissessar said the policy of taxation is now being furthered in Rowley’s appointment of Allyson West, “a tax expert from PWC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)” as a Minister in the Ministry of Finance.

Persad-Bissessar said the reshuffle of Rowley’s Cabinet comes in the midst of a crime rate that is spiralling out of control as seen in the vicious double murder of 13-year-old Videsh Subar and Rose Mohammed on Wednesday and yesterday’s kidnapping of Gregory Laing, owner of Puff n’ Stuff bakery in San Fernando.

The sequence of events leading up to Zeng’s murder on Tuesday night was related by police sources yesterday who said that one of the bandit was masked and the other had no mask and his face was clearly seen in the video recording.

The footage also revealed Zeng’s husband Pinya Pochntan was about to close the doors of the mini mart at 9.15 pm, when the gunman and his accomplice pushed him to the ground and entered.

Bryan Beckles who rented the property at which Zeng, 33, operated her businessplace, yesterday told Newsday that her funeral will take place today at the Santa Cruz Roman Catholic Church at 9 am and cremation will follow at 11 am at the Crematorium in Long Circular Road, St James.

He added that relatives of Zeng who are from Guangdong in China were informed of her murder on Wednesday but they are unable to come to Trinidad for the funeral. He said Zeng’s husband and two children have been staying at his home since the murder.

The children, Beckles said, are not aware of their mother’s death, believing her to be still warded at hospital.

“They will have to be told and soon because they will have to attend her funeral. I am in a quandary as to how to break this news to them,” Beckles said

McDonald replaces Fitzgerald Hinds as Public Utilities Minister with Hinds now a Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General.

At the post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday Rowley said Mc- Donald was first appointed to the Cabinet in 2015 and it was then when people were making “disturbing allegations.” He said there was one particular block of allegations which caused him to ask McDonald to remove herself as Housing Minister, since it dealt with how she conducted herself at that ministry.

“Those investigations to my knowledge have taken place by the authority whose job it is to determine whether a person in public life has conducted him or herself in a manner in keeping with the tenets of the Integrity of Public life Act,” Rowley said.

He said that last October, the Integrity Commission indicated to McDonald that they found no basis that she breached the Integrity of Public Life Act and on that finding, he had no difficulty in reappointing her.

On Hinds’ new appointment he said the main reason behind this move was to assist the Attorney General’s office as there will be a lot of activity in the coming year.

“You would have seen that we are pushing through the Parliament a very aggressive legislative programme and in that programme a lot of it has to do with the criminal justice system and also, we have a very big item which should be landing in Parliament at the beginning of the next term. And that is this whole question of Tobago’s self government discussions.” He said Hinds was very versatile and is a tremendous asset to Government. On former Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre’s re-emergence as a Parliamentary Secretary in that ministry and whether this was done to assist Energy Minister Franklin Khan who is still recuperating from major surgery, Rowley said, “a little way yes.” “But it’s more related to the workload of the ministry and assignments the ministry will be undertaking all in the context of doing things that have been left behind for too long,” he said. He said the Ministry was not what it used to be in terms of the amount of experience and expertise and as a result, things have fallen by the way side.

(See Page 9A)

The Making Of The Perfect Trini Man premieres at the The National Academy for The Performing Arts (NAPA), Port of Spain on July 1 and continues on the 2, for two nights only.

RS/RR Productions has in the past presented entertaining and award winning plays such as Mary Could Dance, Scandal, One Night Stand, Love Thy Neighbour, Real Housewives of Port of Spain, Looking For Mr Big, Men Are Dogs, Bailout, Eat Ah Food and the recent hit Hotel 21, just to name a few. The play premises a night of craziness laughter and fun as audiences will have a look at Raquel (Nikki Crosby) and her unique mix in finding the perfect Trini man.

Man Callaloo….

The Making Of The Perfect Trini Man is about a young successful, business woman whose lover just recently walked out on her for another woman. Depressed and disillusioned she decides on a very unconventional method of finding the right man. Just one will not do for guaranteed fidelity or even eternity.

So she gathers a group of Trini men mix up in character and disposition to trap the right one, but plans don’t always work out the way it should. Things always have a way of going terribly wrong.

See what happens in this rump, comedy as Raquel delves into the male psyche. See what she finds in this crazy comedy about women and Trini men.

The cast also includes: Richard Ragoobarsingh, Debra Boucaud Mason, Sunny Bling and Aaron Schneider. The play is directed by Debra Boucaud Mason and Richard Ragoobarsingh.

Tickets are also available at all our advertised outlets.

For further information visit RS/RR Productions on Facebook and Instagram.