No doubt in an effort to connect and associate with the Muslim community for the commemoration of Eidul- Fitr, he chose to wear a white “topi” which is normally used by Muslims during the five daily prayers.

To wear a hat rather than to appropriately dress in the traditional “jubba” indicated to me the MP’s intent to dramatise his presentation.

We should therefore not be surprised by the events thereafter in Parliament. Did the MP orchestrate the events?

S RAMJON La Romain

Randolf Scott, 60, pleaded guilty to having 4.5 grammes of the illegal drug in his possession.

Magistrate Cherril- Anne Antoine scolded Scott, who is also diabetic, telling him he must find an alternative given his delicate situation.

“You have to be careful about what you put into your body,” Antoine said.

“Let the doctors recommend something for you. I understand when people get their legs amputated they get something called phantom pain. But no, not cocaine.” She ordered him to pay $1,000 forthwith or, in default, serve one month in jail with hard labour.

When Scott’s name was called yesterday, a woman identified as his daughter told the magistrate about Scott’s disability.

The courthouse does not facilitate access for people using wheelchairs.

Three policemen from the Court and Process unit went downstairs and lifted Scott and his wheelchair into the courtroom.

If this means anything at all there is always hope for the ultimate redemption of this country regardless of its challenges at this time. However, the effort toward redemption needs further help.

For example, we do have a national problem because we do not know our own West Indian history. Nor for that matter world history.

I note that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has stated that he wants to see a greater emphasis on the teaching of history in the education curriculum.

I have also noted that among the priorities of the Ministry of Education is to “emphasise the teaching of our country’s history and geography in schools.” As a student of Trinity College, in the fifties, we were fortunate to study history in all its manifestations. After being grounded in medieval history in the early forms, by Third Form we had the choice of studying either West Indian history or West Indian geography as we prepared for O-Levels.

I remember that our founding principal, Peter Helps, an Englishman, taught the first forms about the several matters including the Hegira, Prophet Muhammad’s (upon whom be peace) flight from Mecca to Medina, in 622.

By Sixth Form we were doing European history and a special course within Caribbean history — emancipation to apprenticeship.

Unfortunately, today many people do not know such basics like the fact that the first Muslims to come to Trinidad were Africans. They preceded the Indian Muslims who came during indentureship. All the Africans had been enslaved but they came from different places, some from America and others from the continent.

And they were literate in Arabic.

The information about the African Muslims is very well documented. There are references in the reports of Brig- Gen Sir Thomas Hislop (governor from 1804 to 1811), Rev JH Hamilton, a rector of the Church of England (1841) and references in various African Muslim petitions to the British Government.

There is a great deal of information in the works of Dr JD Elder (1969), Dr Carl Campbell (1975), Prof Michael A Gomez (2005), and Dr Brinsley Samaroo (2010), among others.

The importance of the African Muslim presence in Trinidad has also been noted by Gomez who said that “…African Muslim presence (in Trinidad) constitutes one of the largest, most organised, most vibrant, most enduring, and most influential African Muslim communities in all of the Americas prior to the 20th century, perhaps rivalled only by their coreligionists in Brazil.” Before the 20th century, African Muslims in Trinidad lived at Guaracarite (Hausa Road), Mayo, Mandingo Road (just south of Princes Town), Quare Village in Valencia, Manzanilla, Belmont and East Dry River. In Belmont there were a number of African Muslims who were Mandingos, Hausa, Fulani and Yoruba.

Jonas Mohammed Bath emerged as one of the most prominent African Muslims in Trinidad. Mohammed was born in 1783. He was brought to Trinidad during the early 19th century as a slave of the British Government. Because he was literate in Arabic, he served as imam and Commissioner of Affidavits among Muslims in Port of Spain.

He formed a Mandingo society.

The group owned land and property.

Under his leadership they “formed a distinct society of themselves strictly bound together by their Mohammedan faith” and operated with the mission of emancipating their members from slavery.

Bath would seek out newly arrived Mandingos who had been enslaved. He usually purchased their freedom and in some cases was able to have them repatriated to the continent.

Bath Street in East Dry River is named after this African Muslim.

AIYEGORO OME Mt Lambert

Chicki Portello, Kareem Gomez, Levi Joseph, Anthony Charles and Israel “Arnold” Lara left the courtroom in the Port of Spain Magistrates Court as acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle was seeking to update them on the status of their case.

Earle-Caddle was telling them that the transcripts for their case were not yet available, but the group, whose frustration led to a near-riot last month to protest former chief magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar’s appointment as a High Court judge, was having none of it. They walked out on Earle-Caddle who was in mid-sentence.

“We making jail,” said one of the men, raising his voice.

Another said it was a “sad story.” Their protests were heard down the corridor and downstairs in the prisoner holding cells at the courthouse on St Vincent Street.

Their case was adjourned to July as were several others called before the acting chief magistrate yesterday.

Murder-accused Nigel “Dufu” Mayers and his two co-accused were also agitated but did not create a row, instead putting several questions to Earle-Caddle.

Among them were the status of Ayers-Caesar which had been raised on June 1 by Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, SC.

Earle-Caddle responded that the former chief magistrate’s status was public knowledge.

After Ayers-Caesar’s elevation to the High Court, the Judiciary first said her appointment as a judge would not have any negative impact on the administration of justice and on, in particular, those matters over which she had been presiding. But the day after the prisoners’ protest, the former chief magistrate resigned.

Ayers-Caesar, who presided in the Eighth Magistrates Court in Port of Spain up until her elevation to the Supreme Court on April 12, resigned as a judge on April 27.

Most of the cases were adjourned yesterday to July 24, but one of the men will return on July 10 to receive a further status update.

We have been spared a great disaster.

Yes, we had some flooding and damage to property, but most homes remained standing. There was considerable distress in certain areas but few injuries and only one man lost his life while running across a makeshift crossing in the rain. Our people rose to the occasion and for the most part utilities have been restored and the clean-up has started. Recovery is on the way.

Now, however, comes the hard part. Though God spared us from the worst of the storm, Satan is trying to brew a new one. One based on division and hatred.

People, please do not fall for his devices.

For us to move forward now, we need to first appreciate our great blessing and be grateful to God for His love. Secondly, love one another. Unite to assist those in need. And those in need, make your request known certainly, but be prepared to be reasonable, patient and honest. Pray for a grace that takes you through this “wilderness” season quickly and successfully. Focus on accessing all that is available to you and receiving wholeheartedly all that is being proffered. Do not be distracted.

ANISA GRANT via email

It is usually accompanied by a back-in-times “playlist” which includes songs about floodgates that were not maintained, rivers that were not dredged, illegal dumping of refuse, abuse of the hillsides, illegal buildings constructed over drains, uncontrolled squatting etc.

Our politician play this game to the hilt with promises to set up commissions of inquiry, aerial surveys from helicopters, distribution of hampers, and snap appearances in knee-deep water well clad in boots.

The reality of the present flooding suggests we have reached nowhere in terms of dealing with this perennial problem.

In days gone by it used to be considered a south/central affair.

A few years ago we saw what floods could do in north Trinidad when the Diego Martin River burst its banks.

If we do not deal with this issue all our efforts at diversification, improving infrastructure etc could be wasted.

As we face the future let us admit we are not prepared for any disaster here.

The opening for public education and for State intervention exists now. There is need for public education. The reality is that given our present practices, if we suffer a serious hurricane the entire country will be under flood waters. If the position of the State is that we have to wait for the waters to subside before the authorities swing into action, then we are all going to die. In a chaotic situation, as exists now, the compensation and support required from the State would be impossibly huge.

The laws for the construction of buildings must be enforced.

Land use practices have to be enforced. Squatters have to learn that it is not in their interest to build in certain areas. People must be educated about the effects of illegal dumping. People have to be shown how their individual actions can come back to haunt them and when they do not learn, law enforcement must prevail.

So the solution is civic responsibility and good governance.

The floods provide a fertile opportunity to start.

SAMUEL LOCHAN via email

The first such sailing will take place in July when the boat heads to St Vincent Carnival scheduled for July 10 and 11.

Wesley Hall, IT and general manager of Lovely One Shipping Services Ltd is excited about the service his company is embarking on in the Caribbean.

“At present, Lovely One is providing a fast ferry service between the islands of Trinidad and Grenada but our early feature sailing will be to St Vincent for their Carnival. We would be looking at the economics and how long it would take after that initial sailing, before we decide to provide a full-time service to St Vincent as well.” Lovely One is operating from the Cruise Ship Complex in Port of Spain and has security, customs and immigration services in place.

The boat is based in Grenada and leaves there on a Wednesday morning at 5am and arrives in TT at 9am. It leaves Trinidad on Friday at 5am, arriving in Grenada at 9am.

Hall explained why that schedule is in place. “Traders use to leave on a Tuesday night and travel as crew on the same boat with their goods and take some 15 hours to get here and vice versa, but it was deemed risky.

Hence the reason traders were no longer being allowed to travel on those Caricom boats. But since May, since operating on a trial basis, they have been welcoming the passenger service now being provide by Lovely One.” Asked why he felt compelled to offer the service Hall said: “Given the high cost of flying, we decided to do something for these regular people. So we contacted Capt Neville Wade from Dominica, and he decided to purchase the Lovely One boat and after talks with him we agreed to be the agency for it, do the marketing, handle the whole business aspect and push the service, working as a team.

“Now it is much more affordable, much safer, comfortable, less sailing time and so far the traders are on board albeit mostly from Grenada, but we are going to offer Lovely Long Weekends sailing with packages and specials to promote vacation travel twice a month, or any special event happening between both islands.” Hall said they are working closely together with the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA ), as well as the hoteliers in Grenada, in an effort to put together vacation packages, that will also include ground transfers to and from the boat, and they are also in the process of putting a similar operation in place for Grenadians to come visit Trinidad. The regular sailing costs US$224 return, inclusive of taxes, four hours max sailing time, with passenger service allowing for two regular pieces of baggage, plus one carry on piece.

The four-year-old boat is fully remodelled and certified in St Kitts and Nevis by International Register of Shipping, Maritime overseas consultant (LLC 721 US1 Suite 202, North Palm Beach, Florida, 33408, USA), that meets all international standards, and has been checked by the local port and given certification to operate here.

The boat can carry 250 passengers but if necessary could accommodate 350. But that is not their plan says Hall who insists it’s all about comfort first.

Lovely One, a double-decker boat, is fully air-conditioned with television, a cafeteria, and soon, full Internet access. There is also a sick bay medic on board.

If there is need for packaging, the company would provide that service as it offers a shipping service also. Hall said they work with other boats that would get those packages shipped.

His is excited about the St Vincent Carnival, for which Lovely One will leave Port of Spain on July 6 and return July 12. The price is still being worked out.

For the Grenada Carnival the boat will sail every morning at 5am to Grenada from August 9 to August 12. Those travellers will have the option to return to TT from Grenada from August 16 to 19.

Hall said: “We are still in talks with local guest houses and hotels and also looking to get an audience with the Tourism Ministry to get on board with the programme, because we want to offer special events packages in between the regular sailing schedule.” For more info: www.travellovely1.

com or Facebook: Travel Lovely One Shipping Services Ltd.

According to reports, Pradeep Bridgelal parked his vehicle outside Munroe Road Hindu Temple, at about 9 pm on Saturday, and went inside where prayers were being recited. He returned at about 11 pm to discover the glass smashed and his valuables missing. Cunupia police were alerted and they carried out enquiries resulting in the arrest of a 36-year-old man, of Munroe Road.

The suspect was held with a small amount of cocaine rocks and some of the stolen items. He was taken to the Cunupia Police Station and will appear before a Chaguanas magistrate today.

According to reports, the woman was asleep at her home when she was awakened by a masked man armed with a gun and a Chinese chopper.

The victim claimed she was ordered into the living room where she was robbed of a gold chain and a pendant worth $4,000, an $500 ID band and a $400 Blu cell phone.

The woman was then sexually assaulted.

Following the act, she was ordered into the kitchen where the man ordered her to wash her face and mouth. He then fled. The victim made a report to the Rio Claro police and the suspect was identified five feet four inches tall with a dark complexion.

She was taken to a district medical officer where she was examined.

Investigations are continuing by the Rio Claro police.

Traumatic shocks including incidents of domestic violence, relationship issues or the death of a love one are just of some of the many influencers of self-imprisonment.

Victims of these unfortunate circumstances often accept the imprisoned situation as normal, and in so doing deny themselves of a healthy and fulfilling life; they also revert to silence and secrecy thinking that no-one cares for them. Because they avoid rational analysis of the situation, they often blame themselves for all that went wrong, when in fact, they may have been used as collateral damage.

As women, we were all bestowed with wisdom and freedom by the Almighty and these gifts must be fully embraced.

Words such as shame, humiliation and rejection should at all times be excluded from our vocabulary as these are the words that encase us into our prison walls.

I have said repeatedly in this column that life does not always offer to us all that we expect, and therefore, we must always be prepared to effectively address untoward occurrences particularly those that negatively impact our emotions.

As women, we have a responsibility to develop personal social cushions strong enough to weather any emotional storms; many of our clients have expressed self-anger at their oversight in not dealing with these critical issues.

Committing yourself to reclusive confinement when your emotions are disturbed is usually accompanied by abandonment and extreme levels of guilt which, if left unattended, can even lead to suicidal thoughts. Another impediment which some women invite into their lives is secondary validation on how to navigate their lives, and from the reports that come in to the IWRN, this is indeed a killer.

Again, I repeat to all the women out there to cease and desist from seeking validation from others on how to live your life… that is the biggest deterrent ever known; continuously attempting to satisfy the demands of others is a recipe for stress which also leads to lifestyle diseases.

Releasing yourself from self-imprisonment starts with understanding who you are, setting some realistic goals and remaining focused and on course as you steer your life’s ship.

For more info on the upcoming sessions on Excellence in Intonation, contact the IWRN.

Sandrine Rattan is a communications/ branding consultant, author and president of the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) Contact: thecorporatesuitett@gmail.com or intlwomensresourcenetwork@ gmail.com or 283-0318.