Where is their authority? Muslims must know that whatever is lawfully given without being greedy for it and without asking for it is a gift. It is lawful to accept a gift otherwise the person giving the gift will suffer mental agony.

Among the members of the Islamic Brotherhood, gifts and presents are the things which make firm the cement of the grand superstructure of unity.

Gifts remove enmity and malice.

Gifts cannot be revoked except between fathers and sons.

Gifts must be returned with gifts as they cement love.

Prophet Muhammad accepted gifts and gifts were returned by him. He said gifts should be sent to one another because a gift removes hatred. He also said to send gifts to one another because it removes rancour from the heart.

Muslims must not only listen to elders and preachers but find out the truth from reading.

May Allah bless us all, guide and protect us this year and have mercy on us to do the right thing.

AHAMAD KHAYYAM Curepe

In a TV6 television news interview on Tuesday, he urged police accountability in the anti-crime fight. “If I was in charge of the police we would get results. If we were not getting results I would be the first one to fire myself if I ran the Police Service,” he said.

“Leadership at the top of the police needs to be held accountable.” Estrada mourned the recent murder of Brazil schoolgirl, Rachael Ramkissoon, 16, and other females, as he urged that more be done against crime . “We spend a loft of resources here in training and to just see the homicide rate continue to spiral out of control”. Apparently referring to Police Complaints Authority head, David West, remarks on rogue officers, Estrada said, “In any organisation you have five or 10 percent of bad actors and he was right to say that and I support him. In any organisation if someone says ‘we’ve got 100 percent of folks doing right, they are lying to themselves.” He warned that as for police officers, soldiers too can have corruption can set into them if they stay on the streets for too long doing crime-fighting.

Estrada said the law-courts too must do more against crime.

“You need judicial system reform,” he said. “It’s mind-boggling to me that you could arrest someone for a crime and they don’t come to trial for two to seven years.” He urged more persons to practice good corporate social responsibility for helping Laventille (where he grew up), saying many persons want help which will be a big investment in the country’s future.

In a response yesterday, during a press conference, Ag Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams said he would be the first to walk (resign) if he were dissatisfied with his efforts against crime and the results, but said a basket of 12 serious crimes (including larceny) have shown a marked reduction.

“If murder was the only crime to occur in TT, I would have resigned. But if you look at the numbers for 2015 and 2016, those are the lowest serious crime totals for the last 33 years. Would you judge (someone’s performance) on one item,” he asked.

Williams said that a shooting could turn into a wounding which itself could end up as a murder. “You cannot discard and say judge me on murder.

You have to look at all the violent incidents.” In a brief telephone interview – before yesterday’s press conference, Williams told Newsday: “In simple language, the US Ambassador is a foreign diplomat and I will not in any way be disrespectful to him.”

However, Rowley said many State enterprises have not been submitting this information.

“It is worth noting that many large and important state enterprises have not produced audited financial statements for over five years and that under 15 percent of all the stateowned enterprises submit their audited financial statements in the stipulated period, even where the law requires it.” He warned that “This will no longer be tolerated,” adding that, “The Ministry of Finance has been instructed to insist that State Enterprises comply with this obligation. There will be consequences for non-compliance.” The Prime Minister made the comment while delivering the feature address at the State Boards Corporate Governance Seminar 2017 held at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. Its theme was achieving effective corporate governance in the State sector.

Dr Rowley added that too many of the State-owned enterprises are under-performing and that some might even have deviated so far from their original purpose “that they have become the problem they were created to solve.” To fix that he said the Government will reform the way the State Enterprises are governed while acknowledging that the Government itself may have become part of the problem and it is necessary to look at how Parliament, Ministers and Ministries interact with the State Enterprises, under their charge. “We accept that there are legitimate questions, for example, as to whether some State Enterprises have sufficient autonomy; or whether the roles and responsibilities of the State Enterprise boards and the supervising ministries are sufficiently clear,” he said.

He said that despite the appropriate laws, regulations and codes, the situation calls for attitudinal changes and because of this the Minister of Finance had recently issued a stern circular to all State Enterprise management and boards to submit their financial reports, whether audited or not, in a timely fashion.

“We do not utilise the EHS ambulances, those are accessed by people on the roads or from people’s homes where they pick up the patients and bring them to the institution.

The RHAs have their own network of ambulances,” he said, adding that the EHS was set up for emergency cases only.

Stuart said any injuries sustained if the ambulance got in an accident, only the driver of the vehicle was covered by insurance.

The nurse and attendant were only covered under Workmen’ Compensation.

Meanwhile, the National Insurance Property Development Company (Nipdec) last year received $245 million to deal with drug shortages in the country. However, Stuart said there are still some essential drug deficiencies, particularly psychiatric drugs.

One drug in particular, the long-lasting Modecate injection which is essential for the treatment and maintenance of schizophrenic patients and those with paranoid psychosis, is in short supply.

Stuart said they recently got a supply of Modecate, but as there was such a backlog of patients awaiting the medication, it may not last for very long.

There was also a shortage of Valium (injection and tablets) for epileptics, anti-psychotic tablets and morphine the latter being a cancer patient’s only reprieve from excrutiating pain. Drugs that are scarce at the St Ann’s Hospital are Seroquel, Haldol, Stelazine, Depakote, Ativan and Valium.

At the Sangre Grande Hospital there was need for mannitol, morphine and metaraminol.

Stuart said these were just a fraction of the drugs in short supply at hospitals

Little Christina Persad, a standard three pupil of the Rousillac Presbyterian Primary School, only learnt of her mother and step-father’s deaths after the autopsies were performed at the Forensic Science Centre, St James yesterday.

Christina’s grandmother Nicole Anthony, 45, told Newsday that relatives did not know how to tell a nine-year-old girl that her mother was killed.

“How do you do that?” she asked. The emotional grandmother said she and relatives waited until late yesterday evening before telling the girl what occurred. “When we told her what happened.

She screamed and screamed and she bawled. She kept screaming saying she wanted her mother now.

It hurt watching how hurt she was, it really hurt me to tell her that her mother was not coming back,” Anthony said. Christina was the only child of her mother and Anthony said their bond was unbreakable.

On the morning of the killings, Christina was spending the night at her grandmother’s (Anthony) house.

“My granddaughter could have been dead.

She could have been killed with her mother and step-father in the house, but she was spending the night with me. I look at her and see she is not doing well now. She is struggling to cope. She is hurting now that she knows,”Anthony said.

Christina, she said, will now live with her father.

“Relatives and I would be there for her always, but I know it would not be easy,”she said. Christina’s mother and step-father were shot once and twice to the head respectively as they lay on their bed in their Limefield Road, Cochrane Village home on Tuesday morning.

Police said that at 1 am, gunshots were heard inside the couple’s house.

Anthony, who lives nearby, heard the shots and ran to her daughter’s house to investigate. On seeing the bodies of her daughter and son-inlaw covered in blood on the bed, Anthony screamed, causing other neighbours to run out to see what had happened. The couple, she said, were soaked in blood. Her daughter, she said, appeared dead while Mohammed groaned and said to call an ambulance.

Investigators later found a bag of marijuana in the roadway. It is believed that in their haste to get away, the killers dropped the bag of marijuana.

Anthony was a security officer while Mohammed worked part-time as a labourer in the Point Fortin Borough Corporation.

Funeral arrangements are still being made by their families and up to press time, no arrest had been made as investigations continue.

The Movietowne C3 cineplex was designed with an easily identifiable Times Square, New York theme, with a replica of the statue of liberty hanging over the main entrance to greet you as you enter.

The cineplex’s design is unique from its other locations in that the restaurants, bars, and arcades that usually surround the theatre were placed inside the same building as the theatre itself. It contributed to the theme as patrons can now walk down a “boulevard” flanked by the Coney Island arcade, Rizzonis, and Ruby Tuesday restaurants along with the flashing lights and advertisements of Times Square.

The cineplex was made with an investment of $150 million and will employ some 500 persons. The C3 location will be open to the public on Friday from 3pm. General admission will cost $50 for normal screens, $60 for super screens, and $65 for 3D movies.

Founder and Chairman of Movietowne, Derek Chin, in his address at the inauguration said, “The evolution of Movietowne isn’t just a successful business story. It is one going against popular opinion and tough market conditions.

The obstacles of bureaucracy, of dealing with several administrators and administrations couldn’t derail it. The challenges to convince our local commercial banks and marketing experts couldn’t dissuade it. The decline in the movie industry in itself at that time and disbelief of those who were leaders then couldn’t distort the focus of the movietowne dream.” And the Movietowne dream will extend its local borders this year with the fifth cineplex to be opened in Guyana later this year. Chin said that St Vincent also invited the franchise to invest there with “very attractive land concessions” with further invitations to explore similar ventures in Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, and even Toronto, Canada.

As a message to young entrepreneurs, Chin said that “naysayers” will always be in abundance, but that there are times “when you must follow your own gut.” Chin’s gut has led to an enterprise that continues to attract an average of 1.6 million patrons to its doors each year despite the difficult economic times suffered over the last year and a half.

Trade Minister, Paula Gopee-Scoon, congratulated Chin and his team on the successful opening, and thanked the company for its contribution to the local film industry.

“It will also provide an additional distribution outlet for our local films to be viewed by a much wider audience in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Gopee-Scoon.

“Avenues of this nature are critical to the development of our local film industry and it gives local producers the added confidence that the production of films can be transformed into a commercially viable business enterprise.”

Within in a day of its public launch, Uber has not only acquired thousands of fans willing to try it, it has also attracted the attention of the Works Ministry and the Attorney General.

On the one side, the travellers are looking for the fastest, cheapest way to get home in the face of a broken public transport system. Their irritation is rising against the government on the other, which is now belated seeking to determine the legality of Uber.

Caught in the middle are the PH or ‘private hire’ drivers, who have functioned in a curious space for decades. On paper, their operation is illegal. These cars are not licensed taxis and cannot be insured as such. Yet, they have been the main source of transport to and from the majority of communities in TT for decades, as successive governments did little to improve the accessibility and reliability of public transport. They have also been ineffective in stopping the operation of the PH drivers themselves, who face little more than the occasional ticket.

But Uber could be a game changer. A release from the Works Ministry on Monday challenged the company’s ability to operate on this jurisdiction using private vehicles for hire. Based on this justification, an obvious issue which arises is, will the government finally be dealing the PH issue and, how are they going to go about it. Moreover, how do the PH drivers feel about the new competitor in their space?

When Business Day went to talk to them on various taxi stands around Port-of-Spain, many did not know what Uber was, or had heard about it on the radio news but were unsure as to how it worked. Once it was explained to them, they seemed unfazed by its presence, as well as any possible action the government may take against them.

One driver in particular, Mitchell*, told Business Day his prices were already in line with what Uber was charging, so he wasn’t worried.

“The taxis in the airport charge $190 for a trip into Port-of-Spain. Some of these fellas charge $175 for a one-way trip to the airport. I charge $125.”

He thought the only PH drivers who would have cause for concern, were those who were overcharging passengers. The extra competition would force them to lower their prices, or out of business.

As to the future of the app based taxi service, Mitchell was resigned to its presence in TT.

“If people like it and the prices are reasonable, it is going to stay.”

But that still may be up to the government to decide.

For his part, Faris Al Rawi, Attorney General, saw both the good and the bad side of Uber. He said during an interview earlier this week:

““On the one hand, it is quite a very interesting, positive step, with its registration exercise, and its security, which is a step beyond Trinidad and Tobago’s PH system. But on the other hand, there is a collision with the existing laws in Trinidad and Tobago.”

Mentioning the Motor Vehicles Act was currently before a legislative committee to examine possible amendments to the legislation, the AG said a “balancing act” had to be struck between Uber’s positives and enforcing the law. The concerns of insurers also had to be considered he said.

However, Al Rawi, gave no details on what this balancing act would entail.

How local taxi services operating under the Uber model are to be treated is another grey area. Two of these, Reach and Droptt have been operational for some time. We reached out to Andre Attal, one of the owners of Droptt for his opinions on the matter and whether he thought it was likely his business would be suspended until the appropriate legal amendments were made. As of press time, we were unable to speak to him.

Mitchell’s approach was pragmatic. If Uber was going to become a permanent part of the landscape, then he would find a way to benefit from it, possibly, even signing up with the service.

“It’s an extra dollar,” he told Business Day, “And I need always need the money.”

*Not his real name

The fall-off in attendance at Carnival events, acknowledged by the bodies themselves, suggests that they are losing touch with what audiences want to see and experience. There also seems to be no clear strategy on how to win them back.

In the absence of identified markets, a plan to build and keep them and most importantly, profits, can Trinidad Carnival be said to be an operational business model at all? And in light of this, why do people continue to justify dipping into the public purse, reasoning that there are hundreds of millions to be made, when the “business model” does not support this? Some of the carnival agencies are beginning to realise this.

Business Day obtained a July 2016 NCC report, which puts forward some ideas to change product offerings, bring audiences back and promote Carnival activities year-round.

The report, acknowledges, among other things, the mismanagement of Carnival’s administration process, the overly long Panorama and Dimanche Gras shows, the excessive waiting times for masqueraders to cross the Savannah stage and the overall lack of creativity in the presentations.

Possible solutions advanced were modifying the length and formats of both shows, having bandleaders draw lots to see who would take the stage first as well as stretching out major Carnival activities over the course of five days at different locations and giving greater prominence to activities such as “old time mas,” to appeal to different tastes and interests. The measures were placed in the context of sustaining a wider Carnival industry throughout the year.

In fairness, it should be noted that TUCO made an attempt, just a couple of weeks ago, to reduce the number of performers in Dimanche Gras, cutting both costs and the show’s length. For some reason, instead of the proposed 8 calypsonians and one song, the upcoming Dimanche Gras now has 16 performers, clearly the opposite course they would have wanted to take. Why? Economist Gregory McGuire told Business Day that this was the direct outgrowth of the “hustle mentality” that has permeated the Carnival.

With ever increasing prize money and heavy subsidization regardless of performance, essentially, everyone’s hand is out for their share, an attitude McGuire said is best demonstrated by pan players who hop from band to band with the hope of collecting multiple stipends. This, in turn, narrows stakeholders’ vision, causing them to miss opportunities right in front of them. He drew reference to seeing several tourists wandering by Despers’ pan tent on Ash Wednesday last year.

McGuire said he went into the yard and spoke with its management, pointing out the lost chance to earn some money by offering those tourists a tour of the facility.

“Imagine when I told him that he could have charged each tourist US$25 to enter the pan tent, experience a tour, possibly hear the band play, do you know what he said? He said it sounded like a good idea, but the Tourism Ministry and Pan Trinbago had to get involved,” said McGuire, “This, from the champion steelband, who would have had the influence to ensure their involvement.

But then again as an organisation, they didn’t need the money. They had just won $2 million.” The short shelf life of Carnival, which McGuire said ended on Carnival Tuesday, versus the hundreds of millions spent on it annually, virtually ensured that no year-round, economically viable activity could be based on the festival.

In the face of this and other problems, McGuire said the time had come to favour practical solutions over theory and talk. One such idea is the implementation of a Carnival Museum.

Business Day asked McGuire how this would have been different to other ideas broached in numerous documents over time.

The economist explained that under this business model, the museum was a permanent structure, encouraging year-round participation in and monetization of the Carnival Arts.

The museum would feature three sections, covering pan, calypso and mas, he said. Every year, winners from each sector would be added to the collection, featured in their own exhibit, permanently. McGuire said this was likely to foster more creativity, as the songs and costumes will be accessible for all time. As an added bonus, composers and masmen could be offered some small monetary compensation for having their work in the museum, engendering competition to produce the best.

McGuire proposed an admission fee of around US$25. Foreign visitors would be offered the chance to interact with the exhibits, listen to songs, even purchase a costume and play mas if they wanted. In 2014, 412,000 tourists visited this country.

McGuire said if even a small portion of these visited the museum, it would represent millions of dollars in earned foreign exchange in a time of declining energy revenues.

Meanwhile locals would also have to pay a fee to enter the museum, albeit a lower one. The economist said it was important that the country’s youth connect with the heritage in a meaningful way to prevent its loss.

McGuire also said we must understand the reality that few locals are trained to run a museum effectively and profitably. Therefore, we should look outside for this skill.

Additionally, he said management positions at the museum should not be offered as a form of political patronage, something that has dogged and hampered the proper management of state agencies.The museum, he said, would be an expensive undertaking and should be constructed with borrowed funds.

“Look at the benefits of hundreds of millions being spent on something earning revenue throughout the year as opposed to something costing hundreds of millions to produce every year, without significant earnings to show for it,” said McGuire.

This business model, he suggested, is the one that should be adopted for Carnival enterprises across the board.

“As we are always seeking new ways to improve our processes and produce more efficiently, we have been in discussions with stakeholders about an opportunity to invest in a more cost-effective alternative fuel. If implemented, this fuel will replace the natural gas currently used by the six gas turbines for power generation. The company is mindful that the savings in natural gas can fuel two petrochemical plants similar to the new Mitsubishi plant next door to its facility at the La Brea Industrial Estate.

“The company is also looking toward the use of this alternative fuel as it seeks out opportunities in the Caribbean region because we are certain that based on new technology, this will be a cheaper source of fuel than most countries in the Caribbean are currently using.” D’Andrade made the announcement while speaking at the recently held annual general meeting of the Union Estate Electricity Generation Company Limited; the 100 percent owner of TGU.

Located at the La Brea Union Estate, La Brea, TGU intends to install an advanced model industrial wind turbine this year at its subsidiary power plant site in La Brea.

D’Andrade said this would be done “as a pilot project to study and develop an appropriate interface between the intermittent power of wind turbines and stand-alone but unique electrical system that is available in Trinidad and Tobago (TT).” “Though solar panels are now at their cheapest and battery storage technology is greatly improved, this form of electricity generation is currently more expensive than the country’s power generation cost. The company anticipates that, once the regulatory framework for renewable energy is established, it will be well-prepared to be an active participant in the development of this sector of the power industry.” As part of its financing initiative, TGU was required to have its operations, maintenance and financial model reviewed by an independent engineer. The Bookrunner banks, Scotia Capital of New York, Credit Suisse and RBC Capital of New York, together with their attorneys, Milbank, agreed to retain the international engineering company, Black and Veatch Management Consulting LLC (Black and Veatch).

D’Andrade said, “after completing their due diligence and review, Black and Veatch reported, ‘TGU’s Equivalent Availability Factor has averaged approximately 94 percent from 2012 to 2015 which is higher than the industry average of 88 percent…for power plants in the United States region. The significance of this endorsement will be better understood when I demonstrate the many opportunities for growth which TGU has created without returning to GORTT for any financial support whatsoever.” The chairman later expanded on this, noting that “TGU has repaid its ultimate shareholder, GORTT, all the advances incurred as the debt for the construction of the power facility totalling US $554 million or TT $3.8 billion via a series of short-term loan facilities.” TGU did so by securing several short-term loans, “some in record-breaking time, to meet the repayment of GORTT’s advances, as requested.” The company accessed a TT$960 million or US $150 million short-term secured loan facility from First Citizens Bank, following which TGU then accessed a US$150 million or TT$960 million short-term secured loan facility from Credit Suisse Bank, subsequently followed by a US$600 million or approximately TT$4 billion short-term secured loan facility to retire the previous two short-term secured loan facilities and complete the repayment of GORTT’s advances in the time required.

“TGU has also paid dividends to GORTT totalling approximately US$222 million or TT$1.4 billion. It is with pleasure that I can announce for the year 2016, TGU will pay indirectly to GORTT an interim dividend of US$15 million or approximately TT$102 million. In effect, the Company has already repaid GORTT more than the total it advanced for the construction of the 720MW Power Facility,” D’Andrade said.

Looking at TGU’s growth and expansion plans, D’Andrade said the company’s operations in 2016 “created the ideal opportunity for increased growth as it remains a strong asset on the balance sheet of TT.” “The company now has expanded opportunities for continued contribution to GDP and GORTT’s revenues without any further injections of capital (advances) from GORTT. The company can now invest in operations and maintenance (O&M) and IPP capital expansion initiatives which can generate (or retain at home) foreign exchange as it creates additional high valued jobs for nationals of TT. The company is currently exploring opportunities within TT and the wider Caribbean area as a first step.” D’Andrade pointed out though that “these opportunities would not be possible” if TGU was not an owner of an Independent Power Producer (IPP).

He later warned that if the GORTT and the people of TT were to lose ownership of the company and/or TGU “there will be crucial consequences.”

The people who must make these choices are no different from the rest of us as they confront the challenge to create a safe and secure environment for themselves and the rest of their charges.

It’s so easy for many of us to take for granted a great deal of the things others consider as luxuries. Having a home is one such luxury… a safe place where people can feel comfortable among their loved ones and neighbours. Sadly, though, this is still not the reality for many of our fellow citizens.

Owing to our awareness of this challenge, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce has joined forces with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity for this year’s annual Leaders Build.

On Sunday March 19, 2017, top executives and business leaders from within the ranks of our Membership will put on their hard hats, tee-shirts and jeans, and take up tools (instead of their smartphones), to work alongside Habitat homeowners, to build dwelling places they can now call ‘home’.

The objective of this initiative is to assist hard-working, low-income families to construct homes and communities in which they can survive and thrive.

One simply never knows from where the next generation of entrepreneurs and business owners would emerge to make their mark in the world, so support is forthcoming all round.

It must be understood, however, that this is not a hand-out, but more of a ‘hand-up’. With the Habitat model, the family must contribute to the construction process and enter an affordable mortgage arrangement to facilitate re-payment. That pride of ownership, coupled with the feeling of independence goes a long way in generating a positive outlook on life for many beneficiaries of the programme.

The TT Chamber truly believes that the dignity of the individual must be preserved and respected; and we express this ever so often through our advocacy and our shared commitment to projects that promote sustainability and the advancement of the communities in which we work.

Through Leaders Build and in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, we have the chance to transform the lives of hundreds of families, and by extension, open the door to education, health, security and a sense of dignity.

We at the TT Chamber would like to encourage Corporate Trinidad and Tobago to invest time and energy in Leaders Build. In-kind donations of building materials and even land would also be accepted.

None of this ought to be viewed as a quick fix solution to poverty alleviation; instead, it should be embraced as a platform for change that could last for generations to come.

Families which formerly depended on social services can now more comfortably contribute to the economic base of their communities… all because they no longer have to worry about basic shelter for their loved ones! Safe and affordable housing is an important mechanism for breaking the vicious cycle of poverty in our country. We invite you, members of our business community, to make the difference.

We at the T&T Chamber welcome your involvement on this journey to foster resilience in our communities.

Work with us to create a country where everyone has a decent place to live, in dignity, comfort, peace, and safety.

To find out more about Leaders Build, please contact the TT Chamber on 637-6966 Extension 1310.