He called for the LED lighting to be reduced, particularly on the emergency vehicles of the police service.

While trying to improve illumination on emergency vehicles or to make emergency vehicles more conspicuous, he said, “We are also contributing to damage on the roadways.” In his contribution to the continuing debate yesterday in the Senate on the bill to amend the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act, Shrikissoon asked rhetorically, “Have you ever tried to drive behind a police vehicle flashing in front of you and you are afraid to overtake it no matter how slow they are driving because you could be ticketed?” He continued, “It is either you slow down and let the police vehicle go ahead, or you follow close behind and take the blinding lights.” He quoted an American Public University Systems writer who said that research shows a potential for LED lighting to be a distraction specifically as a result of the highly focused and intense light it produces.

Drivers, he said, are distracted by things outside of their vehicles.

He also quoted serving police officers in the United Kingdom who said that new strobe sirens fitted to police cars are so bright, they are blinding motorists and causing accidents.

In terms of digital billboards, Shrikissoon said evidence points to them being distractions on roadways.

They catch the eye and can heighten road safety risks in heavy traffic and in other traffic conditions, he said. Latest research on billboards, particularly digital billboards, and their impact on road safety, he said, shows that drivers tend to take their eyes off the road “for dangerously long gazes” especially when the display changes messages every six to eight seconds.

When driving from north Trinidad to the south, he said, he finds it very distracting when on approaching Chaguanas there is a big digital billboard flashing against a background that is “white light.” These types of billboards, he said, seem to be increasing in popularity as they seem to be profitable. Questioning whether or not they are regulated, he asked Government to look at it.

While the legislature was trying to improve road safety, he said, it also has to create an enabling environment to do so.

What were the sentiments surging in Caribbean hearts yesterday morning as the captains of Bangladesh and England walked out for the toss in an international cricket contest that does not feature the Windies? Can we imagine the emotions of Garry, Rohan, Lance, Clive, Viv, Andy, Deryck and others? The premier teams in any form of cricket contesting for supremacy. An historic occasion — no Windies.

And what of Cameron and his motley crew of new-age managers? They were quick to swagger a few months ago, lording over their critics. Through no fault of theirs, despite their incompetence, in a momentary flash of aberration they were able to bask in the euphoria generated by the serial success of our under-19 and senior women and men teams which mounted the podium, after mastering opponents in the relevant international T-20 championships.

When will these inhibitors unfetter themselves of the hubris which prevents their seeking advice of their “betters?” It is one thing to claim being affronted by what they deem as harassment from regional politicians.

It is quite another to ignore the concerns, pleadings even, of Caribbean people and especially the informed opinion, goodwill and expertise of those who know and can assist.

In this regard, they should be guided by the enlightened observation of sports psychologist Dr Rudi Webster, who in a recent piece in a local Sunday newspaper drew attention to the following: “Imagery might be the highest form of mental energy.

Reason (and logic) can analyse and organise but only the imagination can create the future.” But dare we hope? Alas, the future of Windies cricket appears to be in the hands of a coterie of individuals seemingly incapable of making the distinction between merely wishing for something to occur and purposefully creating the circumstances that will make it happen. As the sage said, “The state of mind must be belief, not mere hope or wish.” Bangladesh and, soon we may come to know, Afghanistan understand the difference.

WINSTON R RUDDER Petit Valley

Discussions on the acquisition of fixed scanners were also underway with the port authority, he said.

As soon as the legal issues are cleared up, Dillon said, the mobile scanners will be put to use at the Port of Port of Spain, Point Lisas and other ports.

In response to a question during yesterday’s sitting of the Senate on measures being taken to improve the monitoring of containers being brought into the country, and in view of a recent find of a quantity of arms and ammunition at a courier company in El Socorro, Dillon said the Ministry of National Security will continue to work with the Customs and Excise Divisions of the Ministry of Finance with respect to security at the ports. He expressed appreciation to the national security agencies that worked together with Customs and Excise and made the discovery of the weapons in El Socorro.

He was advised by the Comptroller of Customs, he said, that the Customs and Excise Division was using its canine outfit and guards of the preventative branch to carry out its monitoring and security duties. They would be enhanced when the scanners are put into use, he said.

As to whether any arms and ammunition would have slipped into the country through the ports, Dillon said, these matters were being thoroughly investigated by the police and other security agencies.

Additionally, to enhance port and national security, Dillon said,recently, the Comptroller of Customs was included as part of the Government’s strategic operations team. The team includes the Commissioner of Police, Chief of Defence Staff, and Director of Strategic Services Agency. The team meets weekly.

Coming out of the strategic operations team’s joint border protection study, he said, there is a recommendation to establish a joint border protection task force. This is being considered.

Commenting on the ruling made by Justice Frank Seepersad in the San Fernando High Court on Wednesday, Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Stuart Young said this injunction was not in place when Seepersad made his first ruling on May 19 to stop the implementation of the tax.

In a statement on May 24, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said legal counsel advised that no injunction was in place at that time to prevent property owners from submitting valuation forms on a voluntary basis.

Imbert has repeatedly said the current exercise is an information gathering one and is not the tax’s implementation.

Young confirmed to reporters at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s that, “the matter is going to be appealed.” He said the State’s attorneys would file the notices of appeal either yesterday or today.

Young also reminded reporters that the Court of Appeal will hear the State’s appeal of Seepersad’s May 19 ruling when it sits at the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain on Tuesday.

He underscored that, “this Government has always said it will abide by the legal process.”

Confirmation of the significant gas discoveries in the Savannah and Macadamia exploration wells off Trinidad’s south-east coast, was one of five announcements by Chief Executive of Upstream at BP, Bernard Looney .

“Today is about celebrating recent successes: The completion of gas contract negotiations with the National Gas Company (NGC); The long-awaited sanction of the Angelin project by BP largely supported by the successful negotiations; The safe start-up of two projects — Sercan II with our partner EOG (EOG Resources) and the Trinidad Offshore Compression project (TROC); “The imminent start-up of the Juniper project and…we have found gas in commercial quantities in our two exploration wells — Savannah and Macadamia,” Looney said. Asked how soon gas from these two wells would come on stream, Christie said production is expected to start in the 2020 to 2021, time frame .

“The gas from these discoveries would go to both Atlantic and the domestic market. So this is a benefit to both sides of the equation in terms of where our supplies go,” Christie said. Regarding bpTT’s plans to increase gas production prior to 2020, Christie reiterated Looney’s earlier announcements adding the company has an offshore compression project which would start in the 2020 time period .

“So what you should hear from (this) is a plan to get production to a healthy level and sustain that production level for the medium to long-term.” Energy Minister Franklin Khan, asked if the find meant an end to TT’s gas shortage, said: “I don’t want to be so predictive but BP has shared some good news today .

Shell hasn’t come public with their plans as BP has, but Shell has some good news to share and I hope they will share it shortly with the population .

“As I said earlier, EOG is the unsung hero in the Trinidad gas market. They have been quietly doing small developments and they’re contributing a fair amount of gas. More importantly, all of EOG’s gas goes to NGC…So between those three companies, I would want to say that by early 2019, if we haven’t made the gas curtailment issue disappear, we’ll be fairly close to that,” Khan said .

Warner appeared in the First Court and was not called upon to plead. On Wednesday, investigators received instructions from Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore Paul to charge Warner with the murder of Len Fortune whose partially burnt body was found under a mattress at his home at Ibis Street, Fanny Village in Pt Fortin on May 22. The house was ransacked. Police detained three villagers but after receiving instructions on Wednesday, two men were released. WPC Vanessa Callender-St Clair of the Homicide Bureau (Region III) charged Warner.

Unchecked State spending is the traditional way things are done.

And calling for investigations thereafter is the traditional way things are done.

Also, nothing coming of investigations is the traditional outcome from the way things are done.

However, laying down regulations and checks and applying sanctions to prevent lavish unchecked expenditure isn’t the way things are done.

If Sports Minister Darryl Smith accepts an invitation to five or six further sports engagements, who’ll pay the bills for those engagements? Also, if other ministers/State employers have similar engagements, who’s to absorb their bills? Taxpayers? Doesn’t the PNM Government believe that racking up $151,000 ($59,000 plus $92,000) in unplanned, unnecessary expenditure is reckless? When Finance Minister Colm Imbert did a detailed audit into ministerial overspending for the last 20 years, what was the total he got?

B JOSEPH via email

After a lifetime of observation and reflection, we find that our dreams for meaningful change remain dreams, and ascension to office by various political parties (with the possible exception of the National Alliance for Reconstruction) simply provided opportunities for a privileged elite and their cronies to “live off the fat of the land.” The trusting population of TT is expected to condone without murmur incidents of conspicuous consumption that involve unnecessary foreign trips, visits to ancestral villages, purchases of luxury vehicles subsidised by taxpayers, and embarking on expensive and unnecessary retreats to very exclusive venues.

Loopholes that provide for personal assistants and advisers are quickly filled by party hacks and relatives, some of them then proceeding to display their ineptitude in every way.

In TT , the views of the ordinary people are often contemptuously ignored as the elites of the State and their followers seize every opportunity to access any perks that can be even remotely connected to these officials’ positions and activities. I strongly resent this tendency to treat the population as mindless fools.

Was it necessary to have a dozen employees attend a prize-giving ceremony in Tobago? Was it necessary to hire four vehicles, or was it the responsibility of the Tobago House of Assembly to supply transportation? What adjustments were made to reduce cost as mandated by the Prime Minister? Furthermore, the argument by the Minister of Sport that because Caribbean Airlines and Magdalena Hotel are government-owned entities and therefore whatever money spent remained in government coffers is so flawed that I wonder at his competence to be a government minister.

He should realise that not all the money spent will go into the State’s coffers because a substantial amount would be costs incurred as a consequence of taking this inflated group to Tobago, and furthermore the taxis are not owned by the State.

I am of the view that critical thinkers in TT should come together to challenge these spurious excuses. Only then we can bring these excesses to an end.

I also believe that travel for meetings can be greatly reduced by using technologies such as Skype and video conferencing.

Furthermore, the various permanent secretaries and CEOs should be more vigilant in curbing wastage of taxpayers’ money.

DAVID SUBRAN via email

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young made this point clear at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s. Addressing a news conference at Piarco International Airport on Wednesday upon his return from Chile, Rowley condemned “the derogatory manner” in which Almagro dealt with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with respect to the ongoing tensions in Venezuela.

Asked whether Rowley’s position would jeopardise TT’s relations with other OAS member states, Young replied, “Absolutely not. TT has been very, very cautious and very calculated and very definitive in its position at the OAS with respect to Venezuela.” He said Rowley simply indicated, “that the opportunity for the OAS to have intervened and mediated in the Venezuela situation was lost by a very unnecessary aggressive stance, taken by a public servant who became the Secretary- General of the OAS.” He stressed TT was within its right to put this position forward.

“Our participation at the OAS on this matter continues. We continue to maintain our standard which is we will not allow there to be the railroading of any democratically- elected government and in particular our closest neighbour,” Young said. He added, TT continues to be involved in the sideline discussions, hoping that good sense will prevail with respect to this matter.

Young said TT-Venezuela energy discussions are progressing very well and Venezuelan Energy minister Nelson Martinez could be in TT for talks within the next two weeks.

He said even if there were no energy talks “on the table,” the position taken by Rowley is reflective of the supportive relationship between TT and Venezuela over the years.

“Saturday is now called Firework Saturday by the committee, because we saw the ball flying out of the Stadium more than in. The same effect when you see fireworks going up in the air, that was what they were seeing with some big hitting.” Every match will last four overs, with each player batting and bowling for two overs in what is expected to be an exciting day of cricket. Defending champion Mark Deyal will defend his crown against Marlon Richards and Imran Khan, along with the Tobago pair of Navin Stewart and Marcus Daniel among others.

“We say it is fireworks, it is terrific bowling, explosive batting, brilliant fielding by the Tobagonians who have been training.

The technical team have retained the majority of the squad who were used as fielders last year.” Today the fieldsman from the Tobago Premier League will be confirmed, while the draw will take place tomorrow.

The winner will get $15,000, while the losing finalist will cop $5,000. Some of the other prizes up for grabs are the best batsman in the group stage, best bowler in the group stage, most outstanding fieldsman and most catches taken by a fieldsman.

Phillips said there will be one rule change. Previously, if a player bowled a wide he was penalised two runs but did not have to bowl the ball over.

In this year’s tournament, the player has to bowl the ball again while still being penalised two runs.

Phillips thanked the sponsors for coming on board in these tough economic times. “We are thankful. We have gotten a new sponsor – National Lotteries Control Board is now the gold sponsor. We have Newsday, Bmobile, FCB, Tobago House Assembly.

The private sector has stayed and stepped up to the plate.”