Government should never be a burden to its citizens.

No government should impose a traffic fine that is more than the fine for possession of arms and ammunition. No citizen should be so burdened by taxes that it stifles one’s ability to support one’s family.

Almost every political party in governance over the years seems to lose touch with the population shortly after being elected to serve. Ministers of government believe they no longer have to account to the people and blatantly refuse to answer pertinent questions with arrogance. Rather than showing empathy for citizens, they bold-facedly make excuses for incompetence and indifference to human suffering.

Projects to improve our infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion, enhance agriculture, increase tourism, restructure our healthcare and education are shelved for short-term projects geared towards repaying party supporters.

No longer are politicians concerned about simple things like improving our water distribution system, local government restructuring, structured police patrols, regulating squatting on public and private lands or ensuring that our justice system is elevated to a place where citizens can once again trust our courts to effectively and efficiently deal with conflict resolution.

Perhaps governance blinds those in office to the realities on the ground. The people are saying: We are willing to pay property tax but not the complex structure that is being proposed.

Simply increasing the old taxes by a percentage in keeping with changes in the economy, like a 1,000 percent increase on the old taxes, is a better and less costly structure that is proposed. The proposed new traffic fines are punitive rather than fair.

Local government reform is long overdue. Legislation to reduce the case load in courts, introduce plea bargaining, reform the prison system and set up special courts to deal with violence and gun-related offences are long overdue.

The Ministry of Works and Infrastructure’s failure to deliver, the Tobago ferry service, the state of our roads, the lack of attention to buildings like the Red House, Whitehall and President’s House all point to incompetence. Mass transit is a serious requirement to reduce traffic congestion, not a political football.

WASA must be able to deliver a better water supply and restore roads with immediate effect or be restructured in partnership with the private sector. Tourism, agriculture and sports are areas where the Government can earn foreign exchange and provide employment for the many graduates that continue to join our workforce. It’s time to reduce the reliance on Government for sustenance and replace the initiatives with creating avenues for self-development and business growth. This requires partnership with the business community.

It’s time to listen to the people again. The nation cannot wait for election after election to change government and hope that in office someone will hear the cries of the people.

STEVE ALVAREZ via email

Before the Lower House passed the legislation which amended the country’s marriage acts, Singh said there are increasing numbers of female-headed households with three times more females under 19 who are heads of households than males. Singh also said the country had to look at the effect of Carnival on sexuality and the availability of legal abortions and sex education in schools, suggesting these were all of greater importance than the legislation of early or forced marriages.

However, Minister of Arts and Culture Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly challenged Singh’s association of Carnival with sex, saying many people enjoy the season in ways that enhance their cultural expression. She questioned what she said was his fixation with Carnival and sex while she thought Carnival was equated with culture.

According to Singh, family life experts estimate that about 15 per cent of all live births are to adolescent parents with the average age of first sexual intercourse being 14. He said there were about 3,000 pregnancies a year in schools and wondered how the legislation would deal with that situation. He added that when the last census was conducted by the Central Statistical Office in 2011 more than 40,000 children were born to persons under 19 and 6,000 children were born to persons under 14, which he said was a high indicator of teenage pregnancies.

He said, “These statistics demonstrate that only a fraction of those were in the context of marriage and related to such social scourges as incest, rape, and generally early cohabitation as a socio-cultural norm.” He said statistics prove that girls have almost equal access to educational opportunities as boys – 97 per cent – and have been excelling through to tertiary levels where they have been outnumbering and outperforming boys. He said gender equality in education has seen this country ranked higher than many developed countries and these statistics make the legislation virtually obsolete. He said the study also showed his country had fewer females out of schools than some developed countries, meaning more girls were making use of the education system, so there was no evidence of forced marriages of those who were 12 to 16-yearsold.

“With higher levels of education, girls are delaying marriage and also because of the advice of parents, religious leaders and elders.”

The hand behind those creations is Natasha Stoute-Burnley and she provided Sunday Newsday with a tour of her designs at her Arouca home last week. Her clay designs, including snakes, frogs, turtles and beetles, decorated her garden area, turning it into a verdant wonderland. Inside her home there are a number of shelves with more items: cars, worms and even cute mice in baby strollers.

“Its a lot of random stuff,” she said.

Stoute-Burnley works in liquid clay, terra cotta and white clay.

During the interview she demonstrated pouring the liquid clay into a mould. The mould is then kept tight with rubber bands. After a few hours the mould is removed and cleaned it. It has to dry out well and is then carried to be “fired” and then painted, both actions multiple times depending upon the item. One piece could take weeks.

Stoute-Burnley, 43, from Arouca and mother of two, was born to a father who was government painter and a mother who did a lot of jobs including tiling and caring for children.

Both her parents have passed.

Stoute-Burnley recalled that growing up she was always creative and would do things like basket weaving, knitting and sewing or make snacks like paw paw balls and tamarind balls. Her passion was always hair, though, and she care for the hair of her two sisters. She did cosmetology at Arima Senior Comprehensive and her profession is hair technician. In a recommendation letter from a teacher dated May 1991 she was described as “industrious and businesslike with a personality that (enamoured) her to everybody who knew her.”

The road to Random Creations began with her long time love of cacti of which she had amassed a small collection.

She recalled that she would go plant shopping with a friend but found it difficult to find pieces to put in the small cactus pots or to decorate the garden area. She would find a few plastic frogs, some mushrooms and fairies but she wanted to have her own pieces for her miniature gardens.

She was inspired four years ago when her sons’ father purchased a worm decoration for her garde. She purchased a piece of clay and brought it home.

After having it on a shelf for a month she began making decorative worms out of it. She made the error, however, of making the pieces solid instead of hollow but learned to improve her craft since then.

She started to craft more things and her friends and co-workers began expressing interest in the items and how they were created.

“It was different from anything anybody else was doing.” She said that she focused on a garden theme and all the work was done by hand even when it is poured from a mould it is still painted and details added. She is self-taught and through the internet, her “best friend”, she was able to learn how to paint.
On the name of the business she said a friend called from the United States commented on the variety of her items and came up with the name Random Creations. She used the worm as the logo because this was the first piece that inspired her.

“I am inspired by everything around me. It is never one thing on my mind to create.” People began asking to buy her items but she wanted everything to be professional before she started selling. She registered her company in November 2014 and also printed call cards and t-shirts designed by her graphic designer son Ezra.
She was also encouraged by friends to attend plant shows and his first appearance at a show three years ago, which was also hosted by Eastern Horticultural Club, “was a hit.”

“Everybody loved the beetles, worms and snakes.” She said after that appearance she received calls from people from South Trinidad and a woman from Guyana.
Her aunts from the United States ordered some items with patriotic colours for souvenirs.
She has taught at two vacation camps and showed the children how to make butterflies.
Stoute-Burnley said that she loves to teach children and introduce them to clay. She recalled that a married couple visited her at her home and she taught them to do some pieces.

She said her pieces are nice enhancement for gardens. They start from just $15 and Stoute-Burnley said she likes to make her things very affordable.

She said that people are in awe when they see her work and ask questions like “this was done here?” “In Trinidad?” “You did this?” “Locally done?’ They would also describe her pieces as “beautiful” and one person told her she “loves everything.” At one plant show a patron told her that she could not leave her booth because of all the great items. She said people are amazed that is not imported from Japan or china.

She said her pieces are not just ornamental but useful and one of her friends uses her clay shoes to hold stationery.

She added that they are a great gift for someone who really loves plants and they can get unique, inspired pieces which can be left outdoor and hold up to the weather.
She has made plant pots into shells, turtles, snails, owls, mushrooms and even Buddhas.
“You name it, Random Creations have it.

And it’s all hand done.” She teaches adults by appointment and expressed hope that she will be able to teach more children.

You can check out Random Creations on Facebook @randomcreations, call 778-0443 or email randomcreationstt@ gmail.com

He is also recommending a system where mental health officers could be called to help calm a mentally ill person with a sedative, taking them down with “ a needle” instead of bullets.

Deyalsingh was responding to reports of a soldier shooting Edison Thompson, 45, of Princes Town on Friday.

Thompson, who was aboard a bus on Henry Street, Port-of-Spain, attacked a soldier with a hammer and was shot in the buttocks. He was taken to Port of Spain General Hospital where he died. He was the forth mentally ill man to be shot and killed by a member of the protective services.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday, Deyalsingh said global reports state that with every successive generation, not only did the number of cases of depression increase, but the people who suffer from the illness were younger. In fact, he said the second highest cause of death in people ages 16 to 29 was suicide.

“We know mental illness is going to increase.

Different factors are bringing on mental illness in terms of poverty, unemployment and other societal issues… If it’s increasing, our encounters with people who are mentally ill will be more.

Meaning, we as normal people who are walking, as well as the police officers will have to deal with it.” He said police and soldiers who have to deal with the public should be trained to assess the risk of a mentally ill person, the level of danger that person poses to themselves and to the public.

He said psychological assessment was a part of training at the Police Academy but after a year or two that knowledge could fade. He suggested continual training, especially as that section of the population was increasing.

In the meantime, he advised the police not to rush in but step back; get a plain-clothes officer if possible because the uniform could frighten them; speak to the person slowly, in a non-confrontational manner; if they are rambling, repeat what they say so they know you are listening to them. He said these things could help calm the person and lessen their aggression enough to apprehend the person.

He said people suffering from mental illnesses were “ten time more likely to be a victim of crime” so non-lethal ways of subduing someone was important – possibly by shooting the person in the foot or with the use of rubber bullets or tasers.

However he stressed that, “In the case of life and death situations, you have no choice but to defend yourself because it is either you or them.” Deyalsingh also suggested making a crisis intervention team of mental health officers available to the police.

Therefore, if the police encountered someone with a problem, a team member could be called to the scene.

He said the mental health officers would be better trained on how to talk to the person. The patient may know the mental health officer if they attended a psychiatric clinic in the area and it would be easier for the officer to deal with the person.

In addition, he said the mental health officer would carry a Haldol injection, a drug used to calm an agitated person.

“We could take them down with needles instead of bullets.” To the average person, if a person seemed to be mentally ill because of their speech or behaviour, it was best not to look the person in the eye. In fact, he suggested avoiding all contact as they could be paranoid or have delusions and react aggressively.

If the mentally ill person approached in an aggressive manner, show your hands and back off and tell them that you were leaving. If they still approach in a confrontational manner, then run.

I still haven’t seen anything like it up to now,” she gushed.

“I had never felt that I needed to be part of something so badly.” With the path of her dreams much clearer, Abdool knew that upon her return to Trinidad, she would have some serious work to do. “I joined Crazy Catholic/ DC Shell Theatre and was part of the cast of Rapunzel. It was the first time I did more than just singing on stage.” And she loved it, so she continued to involve herself more and more deeply in the local theatre fraternity. Abdool understudied actress Tova Miller for the role of Maria in the Sound of Music excerpts in First Instinct Productions’ Encore: Live from Broadway concert in 2013.

Her involvement, as well as the mentorship she received while shadowing Miller in the production, gave Abdool a more profound understanding of the craft of musical theatre and the combination of skills that she would need to hone in order to get to where she needed to be.

“I learned from Raymond Choo Kong and other people who had been in the industry for some time that it is more than just about pretending to be a character, that it was about becoming the character,” she admitted, describing it as “one of those pivotal moments.” “I realised what a challenge it all was, especially coming into it so late and not really knowing how to dance properly or to act.” But alongside navigating the learning curve of the musical theatre world, Abdool had some additional learning of her own – of an academic nature. Seeing how much progress there was to be made in her musical theatre work, she admitted that fear set in. “I went into Form Six and did environmental sciences, but while studying for CAPE, I was distracted, researching schools in London that offered musical theatre. I always knew what I really wanted, so I told myself to just get through it.” Abdool passed her exams with flying colours, and by then, the call of the stage was even louder now, booming over the pressure to pursue something a little more “practical.” She decided to apply to the schools she had been researching. With the audition dates just months away, Abdool resolved to take a gap year in order to throw herself into all she needed to learn in that short space of time.

She studied voice at the Vanessa Briggs Academy and began taking drama and dance classes at Noble Douglas and Lilliput Children’s Theatre. “I did ballet and modern for the first time ever. I knew that the auditions were in six months and that I would have to cram 18 years of work into that time, not knowing technique or anything, only knowing that I had to do it anyway.” Half a year of rigorous training later, Abdool found herself in London for her big moment. “When I got to the audition, I saw that there were people there who were just as or even more talented than I was.” But she didn’t allow the intimidation to prevent her from giving her best.

“It was one of those moments where I had to tell myself that if I wanted this, I would have to keep fighting; I gave everything that I possibly could.” Abdool recalled “scary” hourand- half-long dance screenings, as well as the dauntingknowledge that only 800 students would be selected out of the initial 1,700.

Three callbacks and a final assessment round later, Abdool was told she had been accepted into the Mountfield Academy of the Arts.

The audition, she said, “was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do in my life; I have no idea how I got through it. I had come from so far and all the work that I had put in was just enough to get me this far.” Abdool has dreams of being in the West End, where only the very best take the stage to give award-winning performances.

“It would be such an amazing experience to get into the field and work, to be part of productions.

“I want to expand the industry locally but also to come back and help other people who might have the same dream as I do, to let them know that is it possible and that there are things that they can do.” She warned those who are interested in serious performance to arm themselves against doubt and suggestions against following their dreams.

“Many people asked me, ‘Why can’t you stick to something practical?’ But there are so many people who want to do this and feel like they can.” Many of those who trained for the rigours of the stage often find themselves put out of a job by producers who select TV and film stars to play stage roles in order to boost box-office earnings. “I think that the industry is a fickle one,” Abdool commented.

“It’s sad that we have to face these challenges, but I hope that our training will propel us to get the roles that we deserve.” With an increasing number of roles for people of colour it’s also an exciting time for actors who don’t look like the “standard” to get work. “We are looking at diversity in our casts; the harder we try, the more we bring people that are different to the table, and so people who you mightn’t think to see in the roles will be the ones who will get them.” She admitted, “Being a mixed girl, [not getting cast] was a worry of mine, but you have to believe that you will get your breakthrough.” To successfully make her way to Mountfield Academy of the Arts in September, Abdool is hosting To Dream a Dream, a concert of inspirational songs to be held on June 18 at the Bishop Anstey High School Auditorium at 6 p.m. Abdool will share the stage with vocalist Vanessa Briggs and Kerry Ann Duncan, pianist D’Andre Wilson, dancer Shel-Marie Narine, hop-hop artiste Shiselon, spoken-word artists Ashlee Burnett and Darren Narine, as well as the Bishop Anstey High School Choir, directed by Lorraine Granderson, and others.BY Selwyn D Joseph Jr

The Senate approved the Miscellaneous Provisions (Marriage) Bill 2016 amending the Marriage Act, Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, Hindu Marriage Act, Orisa Marriage Act and Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act, changing the legal marriageable age to 18.

Umar Abdullah of the Islamic Front did not agree with the bill and did not believe Government and those supporting the bill thought out the matter properly.

“By raising the marriage age to 18, it will definitely put a strain on our social and family infrastructure.

Here you are telling people if they have intercourse and the girl becomes pregnant, they need to either have to abort the child or if she wants to have the child she can not get married to the young man.” “How are we going to treat with that relationship between the girl and the boy? Obviously the boy has committed a criminal offence. You are looking at the boy serving time in prison. How is that going to auger for the young child that would be brought up in a home where there is no father?” He said since abortion was against the law, the girl would have to go to her family and ask for help without the support of the father.

Abdullah stressed that children getting married should not be the norm but it was necessary when no one had been able to deal with the issue of children having sexual relationships.

He said what should be done is to try to curb teenagers from having sexual intercourse. He said parents and schools could not do anything about children having sex, and the government had not introduced programmes to stop or reduce occurrences.

In addition he said the country’s society was developed on child marriages. He said many people’s parents and grandparents were married at a very young age, some were arranged, and they were successful.

“Our social infrastructure has broken down tremendously, the government has done nothing to bring it back to that pristine form, and they are going to let the courts legislate our basic rights as a family structure… When we interfere with God’s law we pay for it in the long run. We will have a wrecked society.” In a radio interview, general secretary of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Saba, Satnarayan Maharaj, commented on the bill and said, “We believe that the practice of our religion is guaranteed under the Constitution and any attempt to take away that constitutional right can be challenged. We are awaiting advice of legal team on the way forward.” Anglican Bishop Claude Berkley, on the other hand, was in agreement with the move as he believed it was important to keep pace with international standards and basic human rights.

He said it would make it easier to regulate the treatment between male and female relationships so that claims of exploitation of young people could be standardised and properly monitored. At the same time he said, “I hope if there are any other considerations after we have looked at this for a period of time, a case would be made if there are differences in opinions.”

Ghany said that while Prime Minister Theresa May’s stature had been weakened by her party’s loss of seats, the key point was that her government remains in power.

“If Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was forming a coalition government then there would be a lot to talk about,” said Ghany.

“But as of now there is no change in the government of the UK.” Given that May had called the election ahead of time to try to build her numbers in Westminster ahead of her Brexit negotiations with the European Union, had her loss of seats now destabilised her government and the whole picture of Brexit? Ghany opined no. He said if May had been forced to resign this might have been the case, but as it is, she had got the Queen’s permission to form a minority government, and is also getting interim stability from the DUP.

Nonetheless, Ghany said there exists a very real possibility that May would face a leadership challenge this summer, even as her failed personal gamble to try to win more seats had led some of her party’s sitting MPs to lose their seats.

Mulling all possible factors that may have influenced the vote, including recent terrorist attacks in Manchester and London, Ghany said, “There is a lot going on, and a lot to ‘unpack.’” A key issue was how the result would affect May’s negotiation of Brexit with the EU.

Ghany said, “It’s a tricky political situation.

A reduced parliamentary majority for the Conservative Party means that the party’s Eurosceptics are more influential.” In contrast, he also said the DUP in Northern Ireland could push May’s government towards a “softer Brexit,” such as having a softer border with the Republic of Ireland.

Ghany said the election reflected many parallel narratives such as immigration, security and terrorism, and the left/right dialogue.

Speaking to reporters at the launch of his constituency’s Food For All God’s Own initiative in St Augustine, Ramadhar said this was his biggest disappointment in the debate.

Ramadhar, an attorney, said while the Opposition’s position was that the debate on the controversial issue was a no-brainer, the Government had used child marriage in what he called a “constitutional game play.” “When you started by saying that this bill required a constitutional majority but because of a strategic decision, they made it a simple majority, what you have done is that you have interfered with the parliamentary democracy – the right of the Opposition and all those who supported them to have a say in the legislative move,” Ramadhar said.

He also accused some Government members of “demonising” the legislation by suggesting that those who showed some level of resistance to outlawing child marriage were paedophiles.

“That, to me, is really immature in the worst possible way,” Ramadhar said. “My argument had been that I had no problem supporting the legislation. However, it should have been a constitutional majority . It was a simple majority but it was unanimously supported.” The former legal affairs minister said he was not concerned about any potential fallout to the passage of the legislation.

He said the society was a mature one and people were given their voice in the Parliament.

“The Government has its policy decisions, that is their right. They were elected to govern and, therefore, we can’t have it all our way,” he said.

“I spoke on that bill and I felt that all minorities need to be respected but at the end of the day a decision has to be made.

“Yesterday (Friday), a decision was made by the Parliament and as a democracy, we have to respect that whether we like it or not.” The legislation has effectively raised the legal age of marriage to 18.

In a telephone interview on Friday, Look Loy said, “We’re starting with a full slate of six games across the country .

The referees are in place, the commissioners are in place, the venue are in place and the teams are in place.” Look Loy is not expecting any hitches today and boasted the TTSL will “be off and running.” He noted though that he is displeased that the TTSL kicks off without their Cup opener .

“I’m not happy that we had to start without the Super Cup that we had planned for but life goes on,” he said .

Recently, Matura United’s management announced their disagreement to the League’s decision to remove them from the fray due to non-payment of registration fees .

“That is a non-issue,” an adamant Look Loy stated. “The League has rules, the rules were applied .

The rules of the League are pay to play .

They were given several extensions, they did not meet the bill, so they have been suspended .

“We can talk about them re-entering the League next season .

This is the first time in the 16 years of the Super League that when we’re kicking off, everybody has paid.” The mouth-watering clash today will see FC Santa Rosa (the 2016 Premier Division winners) against Cunupia FC (the 2016 Championship Division winners) squaring off at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Arima from 3.30 pm .

Look Loy acknowledged, “I believe the technical gap between the Pro League and the Super League (clubs) are becoming increasingly imaginary. The level of the Super League teams is increasing and we expect a tough season this year. All of the clubs are going to make it a very competitive season.” Look Loy is also the owner, president and coach of FC Santa Rosa but is not worried about multi-tasking .

“I consider myself good at time management .

And I’m not the only person (doing two tasks). The vice-president of the League is the manager of Defence Force, one of the committee members is the manager of Siparia (Spurs) and (another) is the coach of Bethel (United). This is the nature of the League, the nature of our by-laws .

The leadership of the League comes from the clubs.”

He must bear in mind that even with the recent find of more gas, our natural resources are not going to last much longer. Not only that but with the falling prices of gas and oil worldwide, this country will find it difficult to maintain its financial stability if it continues to rely solely on the income from oil and gas. Poverty will in the meantime grow at an alarming rate, which in the end will lead to more crime and unrest.

It is now essential that the PM puts diversification at the top of his list to ensure the survival of this nation, as sooner rather than later our politicians will have to kiss goodbye to easy money flowing into the Treasury.

GA MARQUES via email