The House of Representatives will sit from 2.30 pm on Monday to debate a motion to adopt this report. After it is approved, the House will debate the Bill.

When he laid the report in the House last Friday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said, “We leave the report open for the signatures of the Opposition.” Imbert is also the chairman of this JSC.

The other members are Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat, Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, Caroni Central MP Dr Bhoe Tewarie, Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen, and Independent Senators Hugh Russell Ian Roach and Taurel Shrikissoon.

The Bill requires a three-fifths majority for passage in both Houses of Parliament.

This equates to 25 votes in the House and 19 votes in the Senate. In the House, this means at least two of the 18 Opposition MPs must vote with the 23 Government MPs for the Bill to pass.

In the Senate, Government needs four votes from either the nine Independent senators or six Opposition senators to add to its 15 votes to pass the Bill.

Last year, the Opposition walked out of debate on the Bill twice and boycotted the debate on another occasion. On January 6, Government bowed to the Opposition’s request to send the Bill to a JSC. Last week, the Parliament issued a statement inviting the public to comment on the Bill.

On Tuesday, the Senate also approved the names of senators to sit on the JSCs established to deliberate on the Gambling Bill and the Insurance Bill. The former JSC comprises Imbert, Al-Rawi, Young, La Brea MP Nicole Olivierre, Chaguanas West MP Ganga Singh, Couva South MP Rudy Indarsingh, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, Coppin, Government Senator Foster Cummings, Opposition Senator Wade Mark, and Independent Senator Melissa Ramkissoon.

The membership of the latter JSC consists of Imbert, Al-Rawi, Public Utilities Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, Portof- Spain South MP Marlene McDonald, Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee, and Tabaquite MP Dr Suruj Rambachan. Both committees must report to Parliament by March 17.

The meeting was held in collaboration with the Caroni Central Member of Parliament Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie at the Reesal Hardware on Mission Road.

Over 300 residents attended the meeting to air their concerns.

A resident who identified himself as a religious leader told police officers criminals no longer had respect for religious institutions.

He recalled recently that his church in Freeport was broken into and electronic equipment stolen.

This matter is still being investigated.

Other residents said they are concerned with the abuse of power by police and a lack of police presence in the area.

One resident said police officers most often do not respond in a timely manner to reports.

“Drug dens are flourishing in residential communities,” another said.

The meeting was attended by senior officers including DCP Deodath Dulalchan, ACP Surajdeen Persad, Snr Supt Kenny McIntyre, Supts Richard Corbett and Michael Jackman.

The officers told residents that their support is critical in the fight against crime.

Dulalchan vowed to work with MP Tewarie in keeping the criminal elements out of the district and restoring peace. He also said there would be an increase in patrols across the neighborhood and officers will also investigate claims of drug dens in the area.

Tewarie told residents not to be afraid to speak out. “Say what you need to say and let us find a way of moving forward from there,” the MP said. “I want to remind the DCP and his team of the 12 plus murders that we have had over the last year in Caroni Central…

something that was unheard of in a place like this,” Tewarie said.

“We need to team up to find solutions to this spreading plague of robberies, violence and murders.

Let’s start with the criminal enclaves within, then the criminals who migrate here to plunder and exploit,” Tewarie advised.

Supporting indigenous cultural art forms continue to play a pivotal role within the group’s corporate social responsibility (CSR ) pillars and it is for this reason, in addition to their sound leadership and dedication that First Citizens did not hesitate to renew the agreement for a second term.

Such an investment is deemed wise as it assists in the development of the next generation of pannists, while ensuring the posterity of the national instrument, the bank said in a media release.

Supernovas was formed in 2010 by members of Surrey Village, Lopinot community under the leadership of Amrit Samaroo, son of the late arranger Dr Jit Samaroo. Supernovas is one of the rising stars in the pan world.

In the National Panorama Small Band Category the band placed second in its debut in 2012, third in 2013, first in 2014 and second in 2015. In 2016 Supernovas played in the Large Band Category final, placing second to Desperadoes.

The band continues to perform to rave reviews across TT with some 20 performances outside of Carnival.

First Citizens Supernovas will play at position 10 in the National Panorama semi-final at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain on Sunday At last Thursday’s prelims the group’s chairman, executive and senior management were on hand to witness the performance in Lopinot. The bank said it wishes the band all the best for Carnival 2017.

According to a recent statement, the ministry said the request usually comes via an email asking people to send personal financial information to the address: ministryoffinancefortrinidad@ gmail.com.

The ministry said this is a FRAUDULENT address, stating that the ministry uses the “gov.tt” domain and not domains such as gmail.com; hotmail.com or yahoo.com.

According to the statement persons are using fake Facebook profiles associated with the fraudulent address to gather information on the pretext that the ministry, the International Monetary Fund and similar bodies are offering grants and loans. The statement said some of the aliases used by the fraudsters are: “Kathy Ann Thompson” and “Melina Haynes”. It added that in some cases persons were contacted by phone and asked to provide the information.

The ministry is asking persons who receive such communication to contact the ministry’s Corporate Communications Unit at telephone number: 612-9700 Ext 2805/6/8/9 or visit the ministry’s website: www.finance.gov.tt for clarification of the services offered by the ministry.

Rowley, speaking Monday night in the first in a series of ‘national conversations’, said: “You call on the Prime Minister to do something about crime. I’m not in your bedroom! I’m not in your choice of men! You have a responsibility to determine who you associate with and know when to get out. And the State will try to help. But then when the tragedy occurs and it becomes known to the police, the police must now go the extra mile to ensure that there is detection.” The statement drew widespread disapproval and outrage from women across the country who said the Prime Minister was blaming victims of violence for choosing violent men. Facing a tsunami of public disapproval, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi defended the Prime Minister’s statement, saying it was “taken out of context.” Mahabir-Wyatt however, was not convinced.

“Claiming these words were taken out of context and do not mean what they say, sounds like one of (US President) Mr Trump’s references to ‘alternative facts’. If they do not mean what they say, whose “responsibility” are they referring to?” “We wish to point out that Jamilla De Revenaux had gotten out of the relationship when she was murdered in MovieTowne. Rachael Ramkissoon, a 16-year-old student murdered on her way to school, was not in a bedroom or a relationship with her murderer.

Shannon Banfield, a young woman murdered and stuffed in a shelf was not in a relationship with her murderer,” Mahabir-Wyatt said.

Rowley made the controversial statement in response to a female member of the audience who raised concerns about these very incidents which hinted at a rise in violence against women.

Enraged by Dr Rowley’s answer, Mahabir-Wyatt, a former Independent Senator asked, “What is the Prime Minister talking about? What ‘reality’ is he in? Is he blaming women for “choosing” their attackers? How exactly do they do that? Do men (who are) about to kidnap and kill a 16 year old girl have a sign across their foreheads that say, ‘Danger! I am a murderer’?” Mahabir-Wyatt said the country’s women felt betrayed by Rowley’s statement because he did not direct his attention to men. “He is not warning men about their tendency toQwards violence.

Their easy resort to abuse when rejected. He is telling women to ‘choose more wisely’. How do we do that with an unknown rapist, or psychopath,” she asked.

(See Page 10A)

I’m not in your choice of men.

You have a responsibility to determine who you associate with and to know when to get out and the State will try to help.” This comment by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley during his ‘Conversations with the Prime Minister’ forum on Monday in Maloney, caused a tidal wave of condemnation and outrage among the nation’s women, many of whom took to social media and via press releases (from advocacy groups) demanding a full apology from the prime minister for comments deemed as victim shaming and victim blaming.

Rowley’s response, in a press release last night, was unequivocally unapologetic and in fact stated he sought to “empower” women to make “smart” choices.

A release from the Office of the Prime Minister said Rowley’s remarks were misinterpreted by some groups which claimed he blamed the victim for the heinous incident on Sunday at MovieTowne, when Jamilla De Revenenaux’s throat was slit.

“The Prime Minister was conversing with the people and his statement has been taken out of context. He categorically rejects this interpretation of his statement,” the release stated.“ The Prime Minister, being a father and grandfather and understanding the importance of the association we keep and our personal well-being offered further empowering advice to our women, by advising women that, ‘you have the responsibility to determine who you associate with and know when to get out’. The Prime Minister wants women to be empowered to make smart choices.

The Prime Minister does not blame the victims of domestic violence but rather sympathises with the victims and the families of both the victims and the perpetrators.” The statement urged domestic violence victims to call a help-line,

STATE HAS A DUTY Head of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies Dr Gabrielle Hosein said emphatically that it is not women but men and the State, who have a responsibility for male violence. “Women have no responsibility for male violence.

Men’s violence is entirely their choice and occurs in situations where they are exercising control, and in a wider context where male superiority is considered ‘natural’. This all leads to an invisibility around male violence except when it becomes severe,” Hosein said.

Women, she said, do not seek a relationship with an abusive man. “Abuse develops over the course of a relationship when certain factors come into play such as a pregnancy, when women get their own jobs and the man loses his. Abuse and its severity tend to develop over time,” she said.

“It is therefore not an individual issue but a societal issue, a public health issue and a citizenship issue. Greater vulnerability to violence defines women in TT,” she said, adding that the State’s response to violence against women has never been adequate at the level of policing, social services, the court system, and anti gender- based violence training in schools. “The protection order system needs to be completely revamped, as it is not working in women’s interests,” Hosein insisted. (See Page 5A)

WOMANTRA, AMEEN ROAR Gender advocacy group Womantra yesterday demanded that Rowley take responsibility for the damage “he caused to the integrity of his office.” The group demanded that he apologise for his “terrible lack of judgement and faulty reasoning” behind the comment.

“Women are not killed because they have made a bad choice in men but because their lives are not valued as much as male aggression is and the ownership of female bodies is. We are watching closely and await your response,” Womantra said in a release.

For her part, Opposition Senator and UNC Chairman Khadija Ameen said Rowley’s statement reeked of ‘machoism’ and was reckless and insensitive.

Ameen, who spoke during yesterday’s sitting of the Senate, reminded Rowley that former Port-of-Spain mayor Raymond Tim Kee was forced to resign after blaming women for crimes committed against them over the way they dressed. This after Japanese pan player Asami Nagakiya was murdered during Carnival 2016.

Ameen said in the same way Tim Kee’s statement was unacceptable, Rowley’s, “is totally unacceptable because this is the same type of thinking that says victims of rape are responsible for the rape.” Declaring that Rowley lacks understanding on the issues of victim shaming and victim blaming, Ameen called on him to, “do us one favour.

Google ‘victim shaming’.

Google ‘victim blaming’. Have a read and then come back to us.” Ameen said that as a father of two daughters, she is calling on Rowley, “to examine the psychological effects of violence against women and look at violence in our nation from a different approach…for the sake of this country.” Repeated attempts by Newsday to contact Camille Robinson-Regis, chairman of the PNM’s Women’s League, for a comment on Rowley’s statement proved futile.

SOCIAL MEDIA ABUZZ Meanwhile, many ordinary citizens yesterday used social media to express anger over what they described as “insensitive” statements by Rowley.

One man said, “When a man meets a woman in the beginning, he acts well-behaved and puts up a very decent front and is only after he wins her love and gets comfortable, is when he start to show who he really is.” The man added that Rowley should have talked about providing women with access to legal representation, promoting gender equality in schools, bringing greater attention to violence against women and giving free self defence or martial arts courses to women. Another man opined on social media that the prime minister humiliated all female victims of domestic violence. “Rowley your speech is sending the wrong message to abusive men and also to victims,” the man said.

(Additional reporting by Darcel Choy and Sean Dougla

Ramroop, a yam vendor of Ramdass Trace Extension in Santa Flora, appeared in the First Court before Magistrate Armina Deonarinesingh who read the charge that sometime between January 27 and February 2, at Field Road, St Clyne in Santa Flora, he murdered Simms. Sgt Darryl Corrie of Homicide Bureau Region III laid the charge.

An autopsy performed at the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James, proved inconclusive because of the advanced state of decomposition.

Yesterday, at the court hearing, Charlene Kalloo represented the accused together with attorney Roopnarine Rambachan, who was retained by Ramroop’s relatives.

Addressing the magistrate, Kalloo raised two concerns on behalf of her client, the first being that Ramroop is a State witness in a capital matter and his safety is paramount while he remains on remand.

The second concern was that Ramroop has kidney problems and needs proper medical care while in custody.

Attorney Rambachan told the court that Ramroop’s relatives have not seen him since last week Friday and wanted to visit him at the Siparia Police Station.

Court prosecutor Sgt Anthony Baptiste responded that relatives can visit him at the prison where there are facilities to accommodate them.

After taking note of all issues raised, Magistrate Deonarinesingh remanded Ramroop into police custody and adjourned the case to March 7.

Speaking at his constituency office in Debe Junction, Moonilal said one would have thought the Prime Minister would seek to offer policy solutions to domestic violence.

“There was nothing like that.

He essentially blamed victims that they made a bad choice, as if they were choosing between original and spicy at KFC.

“This really is scandalous but not surprising. It is outrageous and deserves the sternest condemnation because in effect, the Prime Minister appears to be blaming victims for their circumstances.

There is no explanation to rationalise violence against women or children,” Moonilal said.

He added that even before becoming prime minister, Dr Rowley had displayed a lack of sensitivity in addressing complex social problems.

He then challenged Rowley to assume the role of National Security Minister, “instead of gallerying all over the country in a hoax called a National Conversation.” “He should become the leader of National Security and provide leadership to law enforcement agencies.

Not making comments, bouffing up criminals, bouffing up women…that is not fighting crime and that is not leadership,” Moonilal said. He hoped government was not using taxpayer money to fund the ‘Conversations’ series.

AG DEFENDS PM

For his part, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi stoutly defended Rowley, saying the Prime Minister’s comments were taken out of context. Speaking yesterday after the opening ceremony of the ARIN-CARIB Steering Group Meeting, AG Al-Rawi went so far as to imply that the media had narrowed in on that one particular statement by Rowley, without giving sufficient coverage to everything else the PM said.

“Dr Rowley is known for speaking in a very straightforward and forthright manner. And last night (Monday) I was at the event and Dr Rowley went through the background of the domestic violence issue…people having protection orders and in one case in particular, notwithstanding the court’s assistance and the police assistance for a protection order.

“He then went on to deal with the issue of a person who breached their own protection order and was tragically murdered.

It was after going up to that run to the wicket, that he then said what he had to say. The question that came from the floor had to do with what is government doing about stopping incidences like this,” Al-Rawi said.

But quite frankly, the AG continued, how does the government go into the physical relationship between persons when there’s a protection order, when the police are involved, when the social and probation officers are involved, when the entire family knows of the situation and then the murder is committed? “I think he was speaking to the boundaries and practicalities and that’s the way his comment was actually put.” (Additional reporting by Akilah Holder

But we cannot under any circumstances condone the facetious warning issued by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to the nation’s women on the matter of crime.

“You call on the Prime Minister to do something about crime, I’m not in your bedroom, I’m not in your choice of men, you have a responsibility to determine who you associate with and know when to get out and the State will try to help,” Rowley said. “But then when the tragedy occurs and it becomes known to the police, the police must now go the extra mile to ensure that there is detection.” He said one-third of the murders in the last month were domestic- violence related.

The only person who is to blame for a murder is the murderer. If a man kills a woman out of tabanca, he does so in part because this society has told him that course of conduct is permissible. Rowley should not repeat this message. He is completely wrong to imply that women victims “look for that” through sexual or relationship choices while leaving the role of the man unaddressed.

This is not the kind of stance we expect from a prime minister, particularly in these times when violence against women has alarmed the nation.

Most of the recent high-profile cases involving women have not been due to domestic violence but appeared to be instances of entrapment.

Rowley has come perilously close to the infamous victim-shaming remarks of his former Port-of-Spain mayor Raymond Tim Kee. In that case, Tim Kee shamed one woman, murdered Japanese pannist Asami Nagakiya. Rowley has tarnished women at large.

The timing could not be worse, coming close to the one-year anniversary of the murder of Nagakiya.

Ironically, that murder is one of the many unsolved crimes the nation is today calling on the State to resolve.

Tim Kee resigned for his blunder.

At the very least, Rowley must now apologise.

Meanwhile, we want these prime ministerial conversations to continue.

Going forward the organisers would do well to take a hard look at the format for the exercise.

Monday night’s event appeared to be well attended. However, many people simply used the microphone to deliver soliloquies. Some compromises to the format can easily allow the widest possible participation. It would also be good if the PM could be allowed an opportunity to engage more, rather than there being a topdown kind of set-up.

Another major talking point from Monday’s exercise was the question of crime and the Police Service’s ability to tackle it. Saying this country’s ratio of citizens to police exceeded global standards, Rowley expressed the view that there are enough police officers. Such a view came as the president of the Police Social and Welfare Association, Insp Michael Seales, said police feel tired.

Instead of this back and forth, it would be better to allow the manpower audit of the Police Service, which is being overseen by a committee led by criminologist Prof Ramesh Deosaran, to do its work. An audit might recommend a more efficient allocation of resources or it may come up with a number representing a shortfall between current skills and the needs of our society. In the end the issue of crime is not a numbers game.

We may devote above-average resources to fighting criminals.

The fact remains that we have an above-average crime situation.

All in all, Monday’s exercise was a welcome exercise but with a showing left wanting. Still, we look to these conversations continuing without the distractions that a careless thought from the stage could create.

The Collins English Dictionary defines “integrity” as the adherence to moral principles and honesty.

The Integrity in Public Life Act No 83 of 2000 provided for the establishment of the Integrity Commission to make new provisions for the prevention of corruption of people in public life by providing for public disclosure, to regulate the conduct of people exercising public functions, to preserve and to promote the integrity of public officials and institutions, and for matters incidental thereto.

Everyone in public life is required to file a declaration of income, assets and liabilities with the commission.

The schedule to the Act lists the people in public life as follows: (1) Members of the House of Representatives; (2) ministers of government; (3) parliamentary secretaries; (4) members of the Tobago House of Assembly; (5) members of municipalities; (6) members of local government authorities; (7) senators; (8) judges and magistrates appointed by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission; (9) members of the boards of all statutory bodies and State enterprises; (10) permanent secretaries and chief technical officers.

On May 21, 2016, the Integrity Commission issued a list of the names of more than 1,400 people in public life who had failed to file their declarations with the commission for the period 2003 to 2014 as required by the Act.

The list was published in the Express on May 24, 2016, the Guardian on May 25, 2016, and the Newsday on May 27, 2016 and included several current and former government ministers.

Three former mayors were also named.

The commission had notified defaulters that it intended to make ex parte application to the High Court for orders directing such people to comply with the Act, and for the imposition of such conditions as it thinks fit.

A person who failed to comply with the directions of the court commits an offence and is liable, on conviction, to a fine of $150,000.

Since the publication of the list of defaulters, some of the people named have complied with the Act. However, since July 19, 2016, there has been no published update on this matter by the Integrity Commission and I assume that everyone has complied.

Were these officials unaware of the requirements of the Integrity in Public Act? How does the world view Trinidad and Tobago’s performance with respect to its integrity in public affairs? The 2015 Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International rates Trinidad and Tobago as 72nd in the world with a score of 39 out of 100. A “failed score”. But there is worse.

The 2016 Corruption Perception Index gives Trinidad and Tobago a score of 35 out of 100.

This reduces us from No 72 in 2015 to No 101 in 2016.

I am utterly ashamed and emba r – r a s s e d by this u n a c – ceptably poor performance and so s h o u l d you.