Hell, Janet Jackson recently became a first-time mother at age 50. Thanks to science, recent advancements in fertility treatments mean that a woman’s biological clock can be silenced, allowing older women to do what was once unthinkable – become pregnant and give birth to a healthy child. Older women are defined as women who get pregnant and give birth at 35 and older.

And while I am glad for all those women who choose to go down that road, it is one I will never again tread. I say “again” because I was no spring chicken when I became a mother and would have had just about ten percent of my eggs left.

According to Medical Daily, “At 20 weeks of pregnancy, a female foetus has a fully developed reproductive system, complete with her entire life’s worth of eggs — six to seven million to be exact. But by the time that woman is 30, she will have lost nearly 90 percent of her eggs, and at age 40, only around three percent of them are left. Most women are no longer able to become naturally pregnant in their mid- 40s. However, while a woman’s eggs have an expiration date, the uterus, or where a fertilised egg will attach and grow, does not.” Uterus aside, it must be noted that the risk of dangerous complications associated with carrying a child and giving birth significantly increase as a woman ages, among them gestational diabetes; high blood pressure during pregnancy; premature birth; having a baby of low birth weight; needing a C-section; having a child with chromosome abnormalities; and experiencing a miscarriage. Additionally, pregnancy takes a more physical toll on the older body, as the symptoms of pregnancy and the weight of carrying a child can be especially more stressful for older women than it would be for younger women.

I spent almost seven months of my pregnancy in a horizontal position on my mother’s couch because the usual symptoms associated with it – spotting, nausea and vomiting, fatigue – were amplified. My doctor explained that this happened more as a result of genetics than age, which I didn’t doubt. My mother often recalls how she fainted outside a church when she was pregnant. When I was able to get my 85-pound self off her couch in my third trimester to go out, I upstaged her and fainted in Pennywise, HiLo (now Massy Stores) and RBC. I’m fairly certain, though, if I had been younger – say in my 20s or late teens – I would have been much more resilient.

Children have a way of demanding attention from the moment they make their grand entrances into the world – day and night until they are about 40ish. The constant changing, feeding, cleaning, hugging and kissing, reading to and playing with and all the activities surrounding taking care of my son was and continues to be a wonderful experience, but trust me it can be exhausting.

He is super hyper and there are days when I wish I was younger to be able to keep up with him.

Things like relaxation, me time, shopping (grocery or otherwise) in peace are all things of the past. My life has morphed into a rush-to-do-everything scene, not that I am complaining. In fact, I can’t imagine life without it and him. If, however, given the opportunity to change anything about it I would certainly have chosen to have him at a younger age just so I could keep up with his round-theclock meanderings.

Fortunately or unfortunately for Janet, her experience in this area will be vastly different because she has nannies and housekeepers at her disposal.

Studies in recent years have shown that being an older mom has many advantages. One Swedish study, “Advanced Maternal Age and Offspring Outcomes: Reproductive Aging and Counterbalancing Period Trends” found that women who postponed fertility to pursue more career opportunities saw more positive long-term outcomes in their children.

“When the researchers analysed data from siblings who essentially had a similar home environment, they noted that the sibling born when the mother was older was taller, stayed in the educational system longer, was more likely to attend university, and performed better on standardised tests than the siblings born when their mother was younger,” the findings of the report published in Psychology Today said.

In another study, “The Relationship Between Maternal Education and Children’s Academic Outcomes”, it was found that because older mothers may have stayed in school longer, their extensive vocabularies when interacting with their young children would have enriched their (children’s) language skills. “Children exposed to more enriched language environments demonstrate more advanced language abilities. Mothers with higher levels of education likely have many friends and family members with high levels of education to act as role models to their children,” which generates influences that promote academic success, the research said.

Some older moms tend to give more parental time and attention, one study found. “More moms who choose to start families later have made strides in or met their career goals, saved money from being in the workforce longer, or increased their earning potential before having babies,” allowing them the luxury of worrying and working less and spending more time with their children.

And for me the findings of this particular study is the frosting on the cake, as it just may increase my chances of living to see all of the ten grandchildren, going on all the vacations and riding in the limousine the boy promised to give me when he grows up.

“A study in Menopause Journal examined older mothers’ life expectancy and found that women who had their last child after the age of 33 are likely to live to 95. In fact, researchers reported that these women had twice the chance of living to 95 or older than those who had their last child before their 30th birthday.” Here’s to a long life, Janet!

These moves may seem simple, but done right, you’ll feel the burn after just one round. The key is keeping your core tight at all times.

The goal of this all body circuit is to use two dumbbells of moderate weight to stimulate an increase in muscle and strength while keeping the intensity high enough to burn fat and it’s only 30 minutes.

It’s a series of combination super sets; a weight bearing exercise coupled with a core or cardio move. Only rest 30 seconds between sets and 1 minute between groups

Here’s the routine:

Dumbbell squat to shoulder press: 20?3 sets Mountain Climbers: 30 secs

Walking lunges with bicep curls: 20?3 Jump rope: 1 min

Dumbbell swings: 20?3 Jump squats: 15

Stiff legged dead lifts to upright row: 20?3

This sinister and illogical prejudice rears its ugly head in all aspects of our lives – including our beliefs about food! Though we may like to believe that we are beyond any form of prejudice in the kitchen, we may be surprised to learn just how much racism and xenophobia have shaped some of our attitudes to eating.

Take our default attitude to MSG for example – an ingredient that is unquestionably accepted as unhealthy, and therefore undesirable, by vast swaths of the population. MSG (short for monosodium glutamate) is a naturally occurring, flavour enhancing compound which is widely associated with Chinese food and other forms of Asian cuisine.

MSG has been proven by scientists and health experts alike to be a relatively benign substance, no more harmful than a bit of simple sugar or salt. Yet, many of us still truly believe that MSG is bad for us. What’s going on here? The prejudice against MSG can be traced back to a letter published in the The New England Journal of Medicine in 1968 in which a Chinese-American doctor complained about the headaches that he would supposedly suffer from every time he ate at a Chinese restaurant in the US. While the author of the letter makes only a passing reference to the presence of MSG in the food, the letter went the 1960s equivalent of viral, and readers across the country took his letter to be an admission of the unhealthiness of Chinese food, and specifically of MSG. The letter even led to the birth of the term ‘Chinese Restaurant Syndrome’ which was a collection of uncomfortable symptoms said to come from eating Chinese food.

This, of course, all turned out to be paranoid nonsense, but it was influential and lasting nonsense, born out of the fear of the unknown.

This unfounded prejudice has buried itself deep into our collective psyche, which is why many of us continue to give MSG filled Chinese food a suspicious side glance.

This form of vaguely racist thinking about food is nothing new. Though coffee and coffee houses are now an intrinsic part of European culture with bustling caf?s weaving their way through all of the great European cities, during the Middle Ages, believe it or not, coffee was considered by many in the West to be an evil drink. Many political and religious leaders of the time associated coffee with the Muslim empires of the East, warning their followers against partaking in what they called the “beverage of Islam.” Imagine how much poorer off the West would be if it didn’t undo this terrible illogical prejudice against what one Catholic priest at the time dubbed “an infernal black beverage called coffee.” Hindsight may make these kinds of beliefs about food seem obviously prejudiced now, but they were widely accepted as fact at the time. This is something to keep in mind about whatever ‘truth’ about food that we may take for granted now.

I often have the depressing realization that most of my adult years have not been spent in learning new things, but in un-learning all of the prejudiced beliefs that I was indoctrinated into. Admitting one’s own prejudices is never fun, and it’s sometimes daunting to think how much un-learning we have to do. But if we wish to live in a more rational, humane world, then we have to embark on the difficult journey of dismantling our own illogical prejudices, including the prejudices that have spilled over into the kitchen. The good news is that when it comes to food, this freeing of the mind from negative stereotypes will open up a whole new realm of culinary possibilities and delicious foods.

I’m not a person that sets much store by external validation or vilification but it’s nice to be recognised every now and again. It is all a matter of perspective and values and those are completely subjective. What one individual considers substance, another calls difficult and unreasonable.

It is not easy being a person of substance in today’s society. In addition to the knocks you take in the process, there is the self-sacrifice and extreme patience required. Additionally, you have to endure the ridicule of those who choose to live by a different set of values. Being a woman or man of substance is a conscious decision you must make and commit yourself to and be ready to pay the cost.

Having substance means embracing very specific values and being willing to not just talk about it but actually live those values. That is no easy feat. When others get the luxury of wearing nice clothes and driving nice cars, even chatting over the latest handset, a person of substance is busy sacrificing and working toward a long-term goal. This is equally true if you are a mother investing in her children or have decided to pursue tertiary education. Sacrificing in the short term, to do the things that need to be done for long term success, is not easy. We all know a person (or two or more) that is experiencing extreme hardship, the kind where you just have to ban your belly, keep your head down and not look left or right until it’s over. We also know an individual or two that went for the quick fix and landed in a whole heap of trouble further down the road. It simply comes down to a single question, are you going

to have character or be a character?

I am reminded of an article I read some years ago about a mother that rented out her home and slept on the porch to help raise money to put her two sons through law school in the UK. When her sons were admitted to the bar, unlike other stories that spoke of the lawyers struggle to succeed, the story of these two guys was about the incredible sacrifice of their mother that made it possible for them to be there. That is what it means to be a person of substance. It is difficult for a long time and the cost is high but the pay off at the end is even sweeter.

I have a saying, if it was easy everyone would do it. I think substance is the thing that can really differentiate one individual from the designer clad, branded, faceless throngs. There are few willing to make the sacrifice to get to the next level, of developing character or success. We don’t want to have to sacrifice for anything anymore. Somehow over the years we have become a society obsessed with instant gratification. Unfortunately there isn’t a credit card that can buy or a website where you can get character and substance. You get these two the same way individuals have for millennia, through hard times and sacrifice. All those lovely values we casually claim, but have yet to be tested, are nothing more than conjecture until they survive some real hard times. When you claim a certain set of values but live by another, that doesn’t make you a man or woman of substance, it makes you a hypocrite. In the real world you don’t get credit for the work you don’t do.

We tend to have a shortcut culture, where we buy degrees to get the fancy posts or pretend we have a qualification we haven’t earned or just brazenly steal money rather than work for it. These methods ensure temporary success but if you sacrifice and pay your dues, no forensic audit in the future can take it away from you. Don’t be fooled by luxury cars and palatial residences, designer clothes or the latest tech toys. These things are all fleeting and if earned fraudulently, won’t be around for long. What matters is what you are made of as an individual. Someone that can’t succeed without nepotism and cronyism, won’t survive outside the small pond that is Trinidad and Tobago. A person of substance will have the tenacity to survive and the will to endure and will flourish no matter the environment.

I make no apologies for being a woman of substance. I’ve paid a great price to be such and I work at it daily. I made a decision to make my child my priority and that does not make me unreasonable or difficult. It makes me a mother that puts her child first. There is only a limited time when my child would need these investments of my time and resources, it won’t be forever. So now is when I make him a priority. There isn’t a lime or fete that takes precedence over his needs in my opinion. When he’s grown and no longer needs me, I wiIl be first in line for every party and I won’t be apologising then either. Want to raise children with good character? The best way to do it is to become a person of good character and substance yourself. Model that life and be a good example. In today’s world, where brass-faced hypocrisy seems to be the order of the day, the way you live your life may be the only chance for your children to see how to live with subst

Complement it with warm tones.

Green is a happy partner with earthy tones, which bring out its warmer side. A variety of shades can complement a bottom-of-the-pond green, like strong orange and soft terra cotta, barely there beige and ochre.

Consider by the power of small accessories in helping to build a colour scheme.

Tie in the floor.

Patterned floor tiles indoors remain hugely popular, geometric ones can be a nice twist on the more traditional encaustic tile designs that have led the way.

For a more contemporary look, opt for details such as flat-fronted, handleless cabinets and a slightly less historic shade of green. Instead of having a vibrant floor, you also could try hanging a large, framed abstract print or advertising poster in complementary colours.

Highlight the history.

The historic look is another emerging kitchen trend, and inky green is the perfect shade if you want to hark back to simpler times. Black and navy are two other popular options, but there’s something about British racing green that instantly conjures up the past.

Pair it with marble countertops or backsplashes to enhance that built-to-last feel, and choose your lighting with care. Vintage originals or thoughtful reproductions with a gentle industrial edge will top off the downstairsat- Downton-Abbey effect.

Boost your room design with art.

Art can enhance a kitchen and can cement references to any era you might be tapping into — whether Colonial, midcentury modern or anything in between.

Flirt with gray.

Picking a shade that borders on deep gray is another way to use green in a modern space, as gray has such contemporary connotations.

There’s a convention in kitchen design when using two colours of cabinet that the lower units are dark, while the upper ones are the paler shade. However, a reversal of the unspoken rule can work in a large airy kitchen with a high ceiling. In a small room, you may find that having a dark top section and a pale lower section gives you the feeling that the walls are falling in on you, so research carefully before committing to a colour scheme.

Go for all over.

Intensify your chosen green by painting all your woodwork in it too. The effect can steer the kitchen into homey, rather than smart-classic territory, and it works wonderfully.

Stick to a strip.

Perhaps you already have your kitchen in place and fancy just a refresh? Or maybe you’re not up for committing to green as your cabinet colour? You can still let the colour shine in your cooking space, and a greentiled backsplash is one way to do it.

If you have wood accessories or features in a pale stain, consider sprucing them up with a new stain (always try out stains and coloured wood oils on an outof- sight patch first, regardless of the shade pictured on the label).

Play with a trio.

Mix up a selection of greens to create depth in your design. To find compatible shades, try picking three from a paint colour card. Try them out on sheets of paper, and tape them on different walls and surfaces around your kitchen to see how each looks in the light and how well they work together.

Wow with a feature wall.

Look around your kitchen space to see if you have a full-height wall you could paint. If you don’t, you could choose one floor-to-ceiling cabinet to turn green, and tie it into your design with a narrow backsplash in the same shade. You could use tiles for your backsplash if you can find ones in exactly the same green, or paint the backs of cut-to-size tempered glass to match.

During the formal part of the event a ticker tape message flashed across the screen: “Breaking News. President Barack Obama pays a surprise visit to Trinidad,” creating a buzz of excitement.

Shortly after the MC announced the arrival of the former president, Reggie Brown, a six feet two inches tall American actor, writer and comedian with strikingly similar features to Obama walked in, surrounded by the ‘Secret Service’.

Brown later described the experience to Sunday Newsday. “None of the guests knew I was coming and we caught them all off guard. That’s one of the best parts of my job, getting to see first-hand the audience’s reaction as ‘the president’ enters the room.” Of the event he said, “The people were shocked and greeted me with a warm Trini presidential welcome. I think that they responded well to my jokes and after I spoke everyone wanted a photo or an Obama selfie.” He added, “The audiences here in TT are some of the best in the world and they always show me love. I’m looking forward to returning again and maybe catching a Carnival.” Brown was last in TT in 2011 when he did six comedy shows. He said when he got the call from Ross Advertising to come to speak at the new MovieTowne complex, tailored as a big New York theme, he was told that Derek Chin, one of this country’s big developers was very excited about the opening and so was he. “For years, I have been anxiously awaiting an invitation to return to Trinidad and last week it came. I had availability in my schedule and jumped at the opportunity. I was looking forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones.

“It is good to come back after six years. I ran into some of my old friends that I made at my last comedy tour here.” He was taken to the Black 2 Blue Cooler fete his first Carnival fete experience.

“I didn’t know what to expect. I heard different things from different people.

Some people said expect to get muddy, wet, all these things, so I went wearing shorts, T-shirt, gym shoes and it was fun. We partied from 4-9 in the morning,” Brown said, adding with a hearty laugh, “Yea! It was mind-blowing. You guys are crazy.

Really. You guys party like I have never experienced anywhere in the world. I have to come back for Carnival one of these days.” Following a bad experience with his last manager in 2012, Brown said he became his own manager, started his own website and released an Obama Gangnam Style video that took his website from the bottom page of Google straight to the top. He said, “I regained control of my career with 100 million worldwide views of that video, and for the past four years I have been managing myself, doing bigger and better events and bookings than ever.” Last year Brown did a movie with Brad Pitt called War Machine, which is set to be released soon. He has also made appearances in Barbershop 3: The Next Cut with Ice Cube (Calvin Palmer) Nicki Minaj (Draya) and Common (Rashad), and appeared in Nickelodeon’s Ho Ho Holiday Special (2015). Additionally, he has made repeat appearances on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, Lip Sync Battle, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Huckabee and Comedy Central’s Workaholics.

However, one of his crowning achievements was actually meeting then President Obama in February 2012. He said “The look on the president’s face was priceless and it was a moment I will never forget.” Outside of the US, Brown has fulfilled engagements, all impersonating the former US president, in 19 countries including South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Mexico, Australia and London, just in the last year.

But now, given that the presidency has changed Brown has started delivering his keynote speech called “How I Became President of the United States”. He said, “It still has the Obama effect where I come out in character to make everyone drop their jaws and start with a comedy set. Then about 20 minutes in, I switch it up, deconstruct that character, literally removing my makeup in front of the audience and then I share my story. I talk about how I overcame all the major challenges and setbacks I had to go through in my life and career, the ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, including the loss of my dad, my criminal ex-manager and how I ultimately ended up living out my dreams through impersonating a father figure I wish I always had, President Obama.

I launched the keynote last year in Brussels and have performed it in Mexico, Microsoft India and other internationally recognised speaker’s organisations.

It has been very well received and I am already booked to perform it throughout the rest of this year.” However, he added,“ While it is the gift that keeps on giving, I don’t want to solely stay in this character for the rest of my life.

I just booked my first role outside of Obama on a show called Just Add Magic where I’m playing a newscaster.

That was released on Amazon on January 13.”The past eight years Brown says have been such an amazing experience. “I have entertained audiences all over the world and some of the CEOs have even offered me jobs to help me in my transition.

I always felt I had a greater calling in life.

I love helping people and something on the humanitarian level is in my heart. I am still trying to figure out how I can make the world a better place. I feel like I am one idea away from something big. I just know that at this point, we have to save the planet. There is no alternative, where else can we go? Conservation is something that I live in my everyday life, and something that I am passionate about.” While most of his time is now spent performing his multimedia comedy show for private and corporate events, Brown said he is now in a sound place and doesn’t have to rush into anything in which he doesn’t want to be involved. If, however, he is invited back to TT , Brown said he would be return in a heartbeat to do more shows, saying it’s been an opportunity of a lifetime.

Of his just concluded weekend of fun in the sun Brown said, “I’m glad I experienced that breakfast cooler fete (Black 2 Blue), the boat experience (out to Monos Island), visits to Smokey and Bunty (where he did karaoke) and the birthday party (where he joined the rhythm section).” He said he was particularly glad that nobody knew who he was outside of his TT friends.

“I’m glad that a lot of people don’t know who I am when I’m out. Celebrity is a tricky thing. When I am the president, you see how overwhelming that could be. Everyone wants a picture of you….engage in conversation…I try and give as much as I can and never want to turn anybody away, but it’s a lot of time and energy and sometimes you just want to relax.

“First and foremost, life shouldn’t be about money. I’ve always put my happiness first. To me being ‘rich’ is being happy. Right now I am focused on my happiness and trying to figure out how to make the world a better place.”

Yesterday, Wack 90.1 FM radio personality Terrance Guevara, armed with the national flag resumed the long trek but this time he had family, friends and supporters accompanying as they took off from Chase Village, Chaguanas. Motorists honked their horns as they passed the small group who started the trek at 6.30 am, some even stopping to buy water and offer words of encouragement as they neared the capital city.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday upon reaching the Brian Lara Promenade, Port-of-Spain yesterday, Guevara, 33, who began the walk after being challenged by a caller to do more than just talk about the crime rate in Trinidad and Tobago, said the real journey has now started.

“Basically, the goals have been achieved. This is about reaching to Portof- Spain, yes, but also sending a message to the community and the country that one man could make a difference.

One person could make a difference, one issue, one idea could make a difference,” he stressed.

He continued: “It was successful in the sense that persons are more aware of what is taking place in the country. Other youth organisations in the country, radio stations, media houses need to take a bigger step in trying to curb the violence and crime in the country.” Guevara, who started solo on Monday, was grateful to get the extra support on his second attempt to Port-of-Spain.

‘‘We’ve had young persons and old persons and persons I never met in my life came out and gave that support and that is so very important because even though we live in separate communities, it is the same things that affect us — crime, violence and especially violence against women’’.

Will we see Guevara getting involved in more social awareness activities in the future? “The next step is to really try and get some of the (government) ministries more mobilised.
This crime thing goes way beyond just ‘aye people doing crime’. They probably don’t know better because they’ve been bred into that. The next step is to try get more organisations involved and see where we go from there,” he explained.

The two will be buried side by side relatives confirmed yesterday. “For better or worse, good or bad, they were like Bonnie and Clyde,” said a relative of Alexander yesterday at the Forensic Sciences Centre in St James.

“They did everything together. They even went to jail together. They were not saints, but they were very good friends and loyal to the end,” said the relative who asked not to be identified. Alexander’s relative said the two were friends for years and Daniel even spent several years living at Alexander’s home.

According to relatives, the two were arrested last year and charged for kidnapping and robbery.

However they were released six months later as the complainant failed to attend court and the case was thrown out for lack of prosecution. A man claiming to be Alexander’s brother told Newsday that both Clint and Damien were called to a meeting in Carapo and were on their way to the Carapo Mosque, when they were gunned down.

“The last conversation I had with my brother (Alexander) was hours before he was killed,” said the man.

“I was lying down in my room and he came in and asked if I had a light and I said ‘boy you know I don’t smoke’.

Then he he pulled me on my toe and said he was going to mosque.

The next thing I hear is that he was killed.” Police officers received a report of multiple gunshots being heard along Simon Road in Carapo.

When they arrived on the scene, they discovered the bodies in a car.

The scene was cordoned off and processed and several spent shells were found. Newsday understands that inside the car, on the bodies, a note was found. Police officers yesterday refused to disclose the content of the note.

While Daniel was described by relatives as a hard working, self employed man. Relatives of Alexander openly admitted that he was involved in criminal activity. “I am not hiding for my brother (Alexander).

He was in that life,” said the man.

“And no matter if you were in that life, and you come out, people would still look at you bad. He was my younger brother, and I love him but I knew what he was capable of.

I don’t know what he did when he left home on Thursday and I do not know how many people he left crying, so I cannot say that he was a good boy.” Relatives of Daniel were yesterday beside themselves with grief, saying that they did not know how to cope with his death.

Newsday understands that he was a father of three and made his living laying tiles.

“I don’t know how we will get through this but he is already dead.

We have to focus on putting him to rest and we will leave everything else in the hands of the Lord,” said a relative who asked not to be named.

Daniel and Alexander will be laid to rest next Wednesday at the D’abadie Cemetery after a service at the Faith Assembly in Brazil.

Thirty seven MPs including from the 15 UNC voted in favour.

No one abstained or voted against. During a brief debate, Opposition MPs expressed concern about Attorney General Faris Al Rawi and Minister within the Ministry of the Attorney General Sturt Young blaming the President and Presidency for lapses that led to the validation bill being laid in the HOR yesterday, and to the Senate today for validation of the THA elections.

Caroni Central MP Dr Bhoe Tewarie said the THA Act was violated because the number of days required by the law between the dissolution of the THA and elections “was not strictly observed.” He said, “It was not a huge error”, mistakes happen and they can be explained and forgiven.

However, he said, the real problem was “the manner in which the error has been presented” and laying the blame at the feet of the President and the Presidency. According to the Standing Orders of the Parliament, he said, it was our of order.

While the election date would have been recommended by the Chief Secretary, Tewarie said, the Chief Secretary would have held informal consultations with the Prime Minister on the date. What bothered him, he said, was “the attempt to be smart.” If the Attorney General had come to the Parliament and say there had been an error having missed “this by a day”, and Government would like the Opposition to support the Bill, there would have been no concerns.

Instead, Al Rawi comes and spend “one hour making a convoluted argument that defy all logic,” and Young coming after to say they were there “to correct what was an error that had nothing to do with what they did, or anyone on that side.” Meanwhile, Naparima MP Rodney Charles said that Government was only made aware of the error by Tobagonian Hochoy Charles, and that, “We are here to validate Government’s incompetence.” Wrapping up the debate, Al Rawi insisted the letter from the Office of the President admitted “that an error was made.” Dispelling claims by Leader of the Opposition Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Charles and Tewarie that the Prime Minister was responsible for the THA elections date, Al Rawi said, the constitution made it clear that the Prime Minister has the prerogative to call the general elections, but in the case of the THA, the Chief Secretary consults with the President, who considers a view and invites the Elections and Boundaries Commission via a writ.

He challenged Persad- Bissessar to say whether she had consulted with the THA when that body had held elections during her tenure as Prime Minister.

Her response, “What difference does it make?” brought laugher to the House.

Al Rawi also contended that Persad-Bissessar missed a similar deadline with local government elections, but there was no issue.

In reply, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Deodath Dulalchan said, “Please engage us to give us more information. I hope these reports are not outstanding but are investigated.” The woman yesterday told Newsday that so far she has not been able to engage the police further, first saying that after the town meeting a top officer bemoaned that the case had happened quite a long time ago (six years) and yesterday morning she had not found the relevant officer present at Morvant Police Station.

She gave Newsday more details of the case. While the man had served jail time for one of the rapes, he is now out and about working as a PH driver posing a danger to unsuspecting females. She also complained that the perpetrator often drives past her and laughs in her direction. The woman alleged that the man has friends in the police station and he once threatened to kill the girl whom he had raped at knife-point. The woman described the man as a “predator and psychopath”.

She claimed that on the day of the rape, when she and her daughter had made the report at the station, one male officer had shouted at the girl and said young people are too promiscuous. That officer was taken off the case, and later on he moved elsewhere, she related.

The mother related a run around in the prosecution of the case, saying a judge had instructed her daughter to seek counselling but amid a series of visits to different NGOs, this was hard to access, and she got it abroad.

The matter had fizzled out, she said. The woman was not confident the police would advance the matter, saying one officer’s choice of words on Thursday had suggested scepticism towards her by promising action if it is true, when instead he should have said, “I will investigate”.