On Wednesday, Attorney General Faris Al Rawi said the DNA legislation which was passed in 2011 allows for all prisoners convicted and remanded as well as the arrestee population and all officers from the protective services, Customs, Prisons and Immigration to submit themselves for DNA testing so that the information could be placed on a DNA database.

The AG also said he expects the lab to be set up by September or even earlier and added that the legislation makes it mandatory for the DNA test to be carried out on certain individuals.

However, President of the Police Social and Welfare Association (PSWA) Inspector Michael Seales yesterday lashed back at the AG claiming that he will have a legal fight on his hands if no consultation is carried out on the matter with the PSWA and other relevant bodies.

He said Government can legislate to do anything but once you have to impact on terms and conditions, you have to have a discussion with the representative unions and it cannot be the position that the Government could legislate without consultation.

“The membership of the Association can assure that although they have nothing to hide, (it) will challenge that legislation in court. “You can legislate but you cannot abrogate the rights of an individual under the Constitution.

“So any officer will have the full protection of the law and must not be in a position that he is disenfranchised because of the law. I think the Association will recommend consultation because the membership will have to have a clearer picture why they need a DNA data base, but without consultation it is a recipe for chaos”.

He noted that whenever a request is made for DNA tests to be carried out on any officer, the executive will meet with the membership to arrive at a consensus on the matter.

Yesterday President of the Prison Officers Association Ceran Richards said that he had not yet discussed the matter with his membership but added “The same haste and energies the Attorney General is extending to gather data for their DNA data bank we want the same haste and energy applied for the protection of prison officers on and off duty, that we call for Law Enforcement Act and although the Attorney General has set up a commit to treat with it we want a committee and the Attorney General to move with the same haste and energy having these laws brought before the parliament to protect law enforcement officers in this country who are under constant attack from the criminal element”.

He said that It appears that the state is not interested in the officers’ safety and security, “so we want the same enthusiasm haste and energies applied to this particular fundamental area.

We want politicians as well to take the same DNA tests” Newsday understands that Government is in negotiation with experts from England and the United States with a view of getting the best persons to set up the DNA lab.

The DNA regulator has already been contracted and is in the process of recruiting suitably qualified persons locally to assist in the setting up of the lab.

The corporation said it understands the difficult time the farming community is experiencing given the aftermath of Tropical Storm Bret. The Corporation therefore is waiving its market fees for a period of one week which will take effect from next Monday until Sunday July 2. No fees will be charged to farmers and other users of the following facilities; Northern Wholesale Market, Macoya; Southern Wholesale Market, Debe; Orange Valley Wholesale Fish Market; Port of Spain Wholesale Fish Market and; Valencia Farmers Retail Facility Market Namdevco in its release said that through its mandate which is to create, facilitate and maintain an environment conducive to the efficient marketing of agricultural produce and food products through the provision of marketing services and the stimulation of business investment in the agro-industrial sector of Trinidad and Tobago, takes this opportunity given the current challenges that are being faced by our farmers to reinforce our commitment to provide services that develop the agricultural sector

From day one, with The Road Show organised by Victor Crosby in tribute to his brother Earl, to the finale comprising the Steelband and Traditional Mas Street parade funded by the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and The Arts with input from the National Carnival Bands Association, the festival played to appreciative audiences throughout the week.

The revamped programme which saw the return of Pan Explosion and Jazz Beat to the Carl “Beaver Henderson” production of We Kaiso, and additional free events, attracted a greater public awareness and participation, said a media release. Film night drew one of the largest audiences, ever. We- Connect which was geared toward schoolchildren was a moving, motivational event, and the big band sound of Errol Ince and the Music Makers won rave reviews.

The CIC congratulates the 2017 honoree, Woo Ling’s Supermarket, a third generation business serving the people of St James for over 70 years. It also extends its gratitude to Joan Yuille-Williams and acknowledges the assistance from the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services (NGO Unit), the release said.

Contributions also came from MHTL, Nestle, Rent A Amp/Standby Power, Carib, Caribbean Bottlers, Angostura, National Carnival Commission, National Lotteries Control Board, The Diabetes Association, Kenneth Atwell Creations, Flo Essence, Marlene Goddard, Murchsion Brown, WACK 90.1FM and i95.5FM, and St James Police Station, among others.

The CIC thanks all entertainers, artisans, suppliers, media, committee members and especially those who attended the events for keeping WeBeat alive for yet another year.

This year’s production was in tribute to the late Earl Crosby, founder and first president of the CIC.

In reply to Mark’s listed question on an emergency fund to help flood victims, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said $25 million was alocated for distribution via the Ministries of Works, Social Development, Rural Development and Local Government, and Agriculture.

Mark asked that given the severity of dislocation, could the sum be increased to $100 million.

Young replied that Cabinet has decided on $25 million, and asked if the Opposition is aware of the country’s financial state.

Saying the sum is now $35 million, he said the Opposition used to work in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Mark pressed, to ask if the sum could be reviewed.

Young replied, “The Government is always reviewing its position.

At this stage the allocation is $25 million.” In a separate question, Mark asked of the number of schools still shut due to Bret? Education Minister Anthony Garcia replied that originally 10 schools were shut but most had since reopened.

Five schools had stayed shut due to inaccessibility due to flood waters, including Warrenville TIA and Warrenville Presbyterian which shut yesterday because the Caroni River had overflowed its banks. He added that three other schools had been used as shelters, of which one (Valencia Government School) has since returned to use by pupils.

Works Minister Rohan Sinanan told Independent Senator Paul Richards of works on watercourses, namely clearing Tacarigua River, de-silting Cipero River, and river control gangs clearing debris. He is waiting for water levels to fall before decisions are made on the Oropouche Lagoon, Caroni Basin, North Oropouche River Basin and Caparo Water Basin.

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, in reply to a query by Mark, said his ministry has already received hundreds of applications for relief assistance from farmers especially in Tabaquite, Orange Grove, Penal and Woodland.

Cuffie made the announcement on Wednesday while responding to questions from reporters at the National Library and Information Service’s (NALIS) Public Service day in Port of Spain.

He said Government intends boost recruitment and address unemployment by making it possible for people to be directly recruited by various ministries rather than through the Public Service Commission.

“What we have is that we have reduced the time for recruitment – and I announced it in Parliament last week – public servants can now be recruited through ministries rather than the Service Commission which was the central department for the recruitment of public servants. So now ministries can recruit under the ambit of the service commission. So that makes it far easier for us to get additional public servants.” Cuffie added that the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in the public service and the use of additional ICT for communication and partnerships had been approved by the Cabinet.

The Mininster said he was optimistic that this initiative would go a long way in enhancing the performance of the public service.

“The technology and that is ICTs, are being used more and more to perform the public service function and we have gotten an increase in the number of ICT resources available to the public service.

Last week Cabinet approved the government’s plan to treat with the public service that will see more ministries being interconnected so that public servants in one ministry can better connect to public servants in another ministry, and once that plan is implemented, you will see a far greater performance of the public service through ICTs.”

Most everything that happens here that is important enough to attract public attention or outrage is immediately framed within a political and therefore ethnic paradigm.

Personally, this tendency has become so sickening that I begin to wonder at times whether we are wasting our time financing the education of our people.

As soon as something atrocious or out of the ordinary happens here, the first question we hear is: “What kinda people involved?” The answer to that question provides the vindication to indulge in the bigotry of racial profiling and irrational cultural generalisations.

So, as is expected in these types of issues, we have begun to believe the ethnic caricatures we conjure are the truth. Professionals at the highest echelons of their professions exhibit the same bigotry which is generously distributed across our entire cultural spectrum.

This perverse ethnic and cultural conditioning begin to manifest itself in pre-adolescence in this country. If you think I’m wrong, I invite you to listen to any radio talk show.

We falsely proclaim that we are a rainbow people. That is only a veneer. Many foreigners who have lived here for significant lengths of time have remarked that we are just about the most racist society that they have encountered.

Negative racial profiling has been cited as a definite cause of individual indiscipline among minority groups in schools in the US. Racial stereotyping surprisingly often enough emanates — at times innocently — from teachers, whether of the same or different race.

The psychological burden imposed upon the child is pretty weighty considering that his/her home situation might be stressful as well. This type of “stress” frequently leads to alienation and delinquent behaviour.

The shift from delinquency to deviance to criminality is almost natural. The further grouping of “like-minded” individuals into gangs is not too far-fetched.

It is long past the time that we explore this issue scientifically in our environment so as to preemptively curtail the excessive social pathology that plagues the country.

A proactive approach such as this might find greater success in the medium to long term.

Surely, our “reaction” to rising criminality thus far has been a failure. There is a need to explore the education system to eradicate “system-related” issues that foster negative ethnic and cultural conditioning as a vital means of tackling existing escalating social pathology and criminality.

STEVE SMITH via email

The Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Minister was out for a day’s journey to Tabaquite, Moruga, Debe and Woodland, to see first-hand some of the hardest hit areas on Wednesday.

He also visited the Orange Grove, Felicity, Rio Claro areas on Tuesday.

Minister Clarence Rambharat spoke to affected farmers affected. He noted that the main issue was the loss of crops which were nearing the end of their productive cycle; the loss of new plants and seedlings; and a factor that little attention is paid to, the deluge of mud, rubbish and bamboo/tree parts left in the fields.

There are also farmers farming along a watercourse and farming on lands that they do not have leases for. Further, the Minister noted that farmers deal with expected rainfall as part of their practices. “We are dealing with weather where fields are deluged with water that cannot drain off quickly. There are measures in place to deal with water; but some levels of rainfall cannot be handled in low level areas.” Despite stating that the extent of the damages was a ‘discouraging’ one, Minister Rambharat stated that he knows that the farmers are ‘very resilient’.

He also encouraged all farmers to contact their Extension Officers at the Country Offices.

The Minister also shared that in light of the flood damage across the country, specific actions were taken, including: * that ADB’s Field Officers and other staff identify borrowers affected by the Tropical Storm and, as far as possible, make arrangements with these borrowers to assist them as they recover; * that the Permanent Secretary arrange to have the requisite staff set up from next Tuesday at locations close to affected farmers, to receive requests for assistance, and that these requests be considered on a priority basis having regard to existing policy and available resources; and * that immediately all Ministry staff and physical resources in all divisions be utilized to assist communities across the country, particularly farmers and fisherfolk.

Some of the farmers on hand to speak directly to the Minister were Andy Badal, Hadyn Frederick and Elvis Ramlal. Accompanying the Minister on this tour were staff of the County Offices, Regional Administration South, Regional Administration North, Forestry, Engi

He was especially concerned that the new bill ditches provisions in an existing 1999 Act that mandates sanctions against prosecutors caught abusing the system such as by offering improper inducements to defendants.

Sturge said that on one hand prosecutors seek to lift up such persons to ask juries to believe their word, yet will not themselves enter plea-deals with them due to fears of facing penalties under the 1999 Act, noting that four past Directors of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) had stayed far from using the Act.

Sturge said that just as such accused persons had snitched on their former partners in crime, so too were they likely to also turn on the prosecutors with whom they had struck a plea-deal. “You are dealing with the scum of the earth who will turn around and bite you.” Sturge cited the British case of the “Guildford Four” and the American case of the “Central Park Joggers” to show that prosecutors have knowingly pursued false prosecutions against persons later proven to be innocent.

He cited a local case, “Barry Brown and Others”, where it was later proven that the police and prosecutor had knowingly set up suspects, but without consequence when unearthed. “You know what happened to them? Nothing. That’s a lie. They got promoted.” He said one officer got promoted to be one rung away from being a Commissioner of Police, and could still fill that spot one day. Sturge feared that the current bill eviscerates the existing Judges Rules that has safeguards against involuntary statements being taken from suspects for court evidence. Sturge also warned of the plight of accused persons being defended by “green” lawyers from the Legal Aid scheme, who could easily be intimidated by the police when visiting his client in a police station.

“If the police just opens his mouth too hard, he (lawyer) would run out of the station.” Sturge urged that a fresh provision to mandate that an experienced lawyer be given to a suspect on a murder charge.

AiA is the Applied Creative Arts, Outreach Unit of the Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) of The University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine.

Now in its 26th year, the Discovery Camp seeks to provide a facility where children can engage in a fun and educational artsbased process using art, dance, drama and music as learning and developmental tools.

The camp’s theme titled Memories gets its name from a classic calypso by the Sparrow in which the Birdie croons into memory the names, the lives, and work of important cultural icons who have passed on.

“With the passing of Narcenio “Se?or” Gomez and Sir Derek Walcott between 2016 and 2017 (among others), Arts-in- Action felt it timely to find ways of memorialising these important contributions to Caribbean cultural life and civilisation, especially for a young generation who run the risk of (perhaps) never hearing these names,” said a media release.

“We seek to engage our young campers in taking a journey and learning more about our past icons.” Memories runs for two cycles from July 10 to 29 and August 7 to 19, Monday to Friday, 9am – 3pm at the DCFA at Agostini Street in St Augustine.

For more info: 289- 4242 or email@artsinaction.org

Neval Chatelal and John Thomas have joined forces for a revolution in the concert experience at the Central Bank.

Sangeet means dance, music and singing while opera tells the story of our lives. To this end, the cast intends to take patrons on a magical journey blending songs, movements and cultures from around the globe.

The prowess of opera will be infused with the haunting strains of the sitar while the ragas will be sweetly blended with the sounds of the pans.

Sangeet Opera will also feature Nalini Ackal – famed local belly dancer; Indian dance and choreography from Shaheed Ali and the Suryarmika Dancers; animation from Kieron Sargent Dance Company; the sounds of Soul Soprano Llettesha Sylvester flying in from New York especially for the show. Also perfroming will be L A Rose of the Ultimate Rejects; Kyle Richardson –local musical theatre extraordinaire; Nikita Gastby, newly- discovered Lydian Singers soloist; Eastern Chorale soloists including Maxine Greaves, Tanya Rawlinson, Kiana Tinto, Brendan Prince and Noel Espinosa and an all-star string quartet of David Frank, Nariba Herbert, Wasia Ward and Inge Schuler flying in from Cairo, Egypt.

Chatelal plans to delight with the premiere of Tukur – a collaboration with parang queen Alicia Jaggasar. It is a chutney parang creation. He will also perform Humsafar, his latest release of the Bollywood remake Badrinath Ki Dulhania which has been receiving rave reviews, said a media release.

Thomas and Chatelal will introduce an interpretation of Shankaram composed by Sri Sri Sri Ganapathy Saccidananda Swamiji. Thomas has established a firm reputation for high quality productions and promises to deliver his trademark sound of his operatic training infused with pop, the release said.

There will be no intermission for the 90-minute event being held for two nights from July 1 – 2 at 7.30pm and 5.15pm respectively.

For more info: 357-5183, 767-2856 or Alicia Jaggassar Facebook.