The event will continue each Monday until February 13. Starting promptly at 5 pm, the hour-long, work-out session will take patrons through a wide range of exercise routines, led by Gerard Alfonso and the effervescent instructors of Limitless Fitness.

For those wanting to take things up a notch or two, the workout experience will be introducing the Beacon Fitness Circuit for high intensity training, a competition element which will be facilitated in pairs. To keep the tempo going, some of the season’s hottest soca stars will join the exercise fans during the sessions, singing their selections for the Carnival 2017. There will be lots of prizes and giveaways from Digicel’s partners such as Beacon, Kotex, Pepe’s Distributors Ltd, Blue Waters, Monster, Degree, Gatorade and Nature Valley. Other giveaways will include Carnival costumes and tickets to some of the hottest fetes.

The Joint Select Committee of Parliament was not very complimentary about many of the capital projects embarked upon and the abysmal failure of the management to ensure that best practice was followed.

This has happened repeatedly in the past with the company bleeding vast sums of taxpayers’ money with no accountability. Each time the issue arises the undertaking is given that measures are being put in place to avoid such wastage in future. Sincere promises are made that the steps being taken will return the company to financial stability in short order.

Occasionally the tongue slips and the country, if it is paying attention, learns that there is a payment due shortly, which will have to be either funded by borrowing or deferred. The unwary might be misled into believing that with the strategies being proposed the way is clear.

When one considers the level of incompetence at managerial level that led to the current predicament, what reason is there to believe that this will in fact happen? The Prime Minister gives the assurance that the Corporation Sole will monitor the situation carefully, with the support and able assistance of a number of prominent persons in the society.

Mr/Ms Editor, please forgive my cynicism, but Mr Mottley would be well advised to maintain his distance from any such undertaking.

Its failure, which is as certain as night follows day, will certainly taint his sterling record as one of the outstanding management practitioners in the country.

Cynicism may not be the best way to approach the exercise but the competence of the Corporation Sole inspires little confidence. The sooner the Prime Minister makes the decision to replace him, the sooner the country could start remedying its financial difficulties.

KARAN MAHABIRSINGH Carapichaima

Although the article did not yet name the student, Ramkissoon of Murchison Castle Street in Ste Madeleine immediately became concerned. This is because Rachel lived with her mother Katherine Nicholas, (from whom he is separated), at Talparo Trace, Brazil.

She was a Form Five student of North Eastern College (NEC) at Sangre Grande.

Ramkissoon admitted that the news “troubled” him adding that as a parent, it had crossed his mind that if ever something like that were to happen to his daughter he would not know what he would do.

Minutes later while watching the television programme Beyond the Tape, a photograph of the murdered teen was shown with the face blurred. The victim’s identity was still not revealed.

However, Ramkissoon told Sunday Newsday that by just looking at the partially blurred photograph, his body “went cold” as he realized he was looking at his first-born’s corpse. Rachael was her mother’s only child. Ramkissoon has two other children.

“I immediately dialled her number and the phone went to voice-mail,” Ramkissoon related.

“So, I called her mother but I did not get through. I called another relative and when I asked her for Rachael she said, ‘She supposed to be home’.” The father added: “When I called back Rachael’s mother, she said she was in the station. Immediately I knew the body was that of my daughter. I got confused one-time. I started to pace up and down, I didn’t know what to do. I still can’t believe this really happened. What did they do to my daughter? I can’t imagine the torture she went through before she was murdered. Her teeth were broken, I wish this was just a bad dream,” he said wiping tears from his tears. “Rachael was a scholar. She always came first in her tests. She was always studying.

She wrote Maths and English in Form Four and passed with distinctions. She wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up and was studying hard to get all her subjects so that she could move on to do A-Levels.

Rachael left her home on Friday morning to go to school but never made it to her destination.

According to reports, at about 1.30 pm a hunter found her body in a bushy area near Balata Trace in Arena, lying face up. She was still in her school’s uniform and investigators believed she may have been strangled and possibly sexually assaulted. Reports are that Rachael, who was up studying late the night before, woke up late and as such missed her regular school bus transportation.

An autopsy is expected to be performed tomorrow at the Forensic Sciences Centre at St James.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday at the family’s home at San Raphael, one of Rachael’s cousins and schoolmate, Eliza Francis, noted that they were “like sisters”.

She described Rachael as a very humble, not too materialistic and unselfish individual.

“She was just into her education, always smiling, always fun and always made something into a happy moment,” Francis said.

Francis recalled that on Friday when she did not see Rachael at school, she assumed that her cousin had returned home “because she missed her transportation”.

“It wasn’t until the news broke out on social media that a body was found in Balata Trace that everyone got concerned. Relatives believe that Rachel must have known her killers because she would not have gone into a car with persons she didn’t know,” Francis said.

Balata Trace, the cousin explained, is approximately a 10 minute-drive from Rachael’s home. She added that it is a densely forested road which is extremely lonely and one of a few roads that lead to the Arena Dam.

Other members of Rachael’s family said that Rachael was so driven by her thrust to succeed in life, that she was already saving money to build a foundation for a house in Brazil.

Officers of Region Two Homicide Bureau based at the Arouca Police Station are continuing investigations.

Doodnath had to settle for being SRC vice-chairman after Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh, a former UNC member of Parliament, was proposed by the party as its choice to serve as chairman in the election of the council’s executive last December, following the November 28 local government elections.

Doodnath’s declaration of independence was contained in a note to council members— reference VC to CM 2– -and dated January 14, 2017._ The Siparia East/ San Francique South councillor, who successfully contested three local government elections under the UNC, disclosed his disappointment with how he was informed that Ramadharsingh, who served as Minister of the People and Social Development in the People’s Partnership administration before his firing over sexual misconduct allegations, was chosen to be chairman of the SRC.

Insisting he supports Ramadharsingh, Doodnath lamented learning that he was the party’s choice for chairman one hour before the election process of the council on December 14, 2016.

“Having been chosen by the political leader of the United National Congress, Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh has now been appointed as the chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation and I recognize him as such,” Doodnath stated, adding, “of course I am disappointed that I was not given the opportunity to continue with the plans and programmes and the vision I had for the region of Siparia, in that capacity as chairman of the corporation.” “And I asked myself, ‘Is it because of me?’ The fact that I was chosen to contest the local government elections for a third time, coupled with the fact that I was chosen to be the vice chairman of the corporation for this new term, leads me to believe that most certainly, ‘It isn’t because of me,” he added “And I am very satisfied about that! The political leader has spoken.

I recognize that no one holds a ‘deed’ to any political office. I am happy to serve as councillor and now as vice chairman,” he stated, adding, “Of course what I was peeved about was the communication process, or lack thereof.” “However, just as I was deemed to have been the most effective chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation ever (2010/2013 and 2013/2016), I now pledge to be the ‘best ever’ vice chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation,” he stated.

“In my new role as vice chairman, I pledge, just as I was doing when I was chairman, to look after the interest of all of the people of the region, without fear or favour, and in an independent manner as well,’ he stated.

Doodnath continued, “It’s noteworthy though, ‘communication’ issues still abound within the council, amidst the corporation, and elsewhere, and so in the interest of all of the people of the region, regardless of political affiliation, I wish to declare that, in continuing to work towards an equitable and fair distribution of the corporation’s resources, I will be adopting an independent position on all issues that come before the council, and I will be guided by conscience and merit _in all of my deliberations.” “I am now declaring myself as an independent member of council,” he stated.

Contacted for comment, Doodnath acknowledged he had sent a note to the council but declined to comment on its contents saying he had not sent a copy to the media.

UNC chairman David Lee also declined comment saying he was unaware of any correspondence between Doodnath and the SRC.

And the January 23 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election, just days away, is no exception.

Of the 39 candidates contesting the election, 14 are women.

The ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) has three candidates, two of whom are first-timers in the election race, while the Christlyn-Mooreled Tobago Forwards and the fledgling Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP), each have four women on their respective slates. The Movement for Transformation (MFT), led by former PNM minister and Tobago East MP Eudine Job-Davis, also has a slate of three women.

More than an attempt to make up numbers in the 12 electoral districts up for grabs in the poll, women comprise more than one-quarter of the slates in the respective political parties – a reality, they feel, reflects a need to play a more significant role in the island’s development.

“Women carry a political organisation, yet they have always been afraid to come forward,” said Beverly Ramsey-Moore, the Tobago Forwards candidate for Black Rock/Whim/Spring Garden. “But, I want to commend all of the women who have given of themselves to public service.” Ramsey-Moore said the number of women in the political fray this time around suggests a desire to have their voices heard.

For her part, though, it is an opportunity to continue the work she began years ago.

“My campaign has been going really well because people are aware of my track record of service to people and communities throughout Tobago,” she said.

No stranger to politics, Ramsey- Moore served as the representative for what was then known as Black Rock/Whim in the THA, between 1992 and 2000. Despite the misgivings of many, she said women have a tremendous role to play in politics on the island.

“It (politics) has never been as easy for us as it has been for the men,” she observed. “You have to be thick-skinned and able to withstand the personal attacks and the way some men treat women generally. That is perhaps the reason why many women have shied away from politics, But, I really want to commend those who have offered themselves.” Ramsey-Moore, manager of the Black Rock-based Katzenjammers Steel Orchestra, said a return to the THA, would give her an opportunity to be “closer” to its resources to assist the less fortunate and build stronger, more dynamic communities.

She told Sunday Newsday: “We need to provide support to our families because they are the bedrock of our society and if we want to rekindle that love and move Tobago forward, we need dynamic women to play a more powerful role.” Ramsey-Moore praised Tobago Forwards political leader Christlyn Moore, whom she said, was brave to take up the mantle of the party’s leadership.

“We have never had a woman in charge of the THA and I think that Moore is special. She is a brilliant lawyer and very grassroots – a woman of substance who needs to be given an opportunity to lead Tobago as Chief Secretary,” she said.

Asked if she was inspired by any of the female politicians on the island, Ramsey-Moore said former Tobago MP Pamela Nicholson was her mentor.

“I admired her fighting spirit,” she said of Nicholson. “Sister Pam carried Tobago on her head. When she spoke and passed through your community, you saw that she really cared about people and she made an impact in sport, community development and the youth.” The Tobago East MP from 1981 to 2000, Nicholson, a teacher by profession, was the first Tobago woman to be appointed as a government minister and the first MP to represent both Tobago East and West. The Charlotteville-born politician, now maintaining a low profile, was among a small core of women who, through their involvement in Tobago’s politics, helped advance the quality of life for the island’s citizens over the years.

These include another former PNM Tobago East MP Eudine Job-Davis, now leader of the newly-formed MFT, which is contesting just three seats in the election, and attorney Deborah Moore-Miggins, who, for over two decades, was part of various political groupings, including the now defunct Democratic Action Congress (DAC), the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) and more recently, the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP). The latter is not contesting the THA election. During her stint in the THA, Moore-Miggins also had served as minority leader with her own People’s Empowerment Party. Others who have been part of the Tobago political scene include Cynthia Alfred, a one-time Deputy THA Chief Secretary and representative for Bacolet/Mt St George; Claudia Groome-Duke, outgoing Secretary for Health and Social Services, and Secretary for Community Development and Culture Dr Denise Tsoi-a-Fatt- Angus, who, last July, was one of the candidates in the PNM Tobago Council leadership race.

Tr a c e y – D a v i d – son-Celestine, outgoing representative for Parlatuvier/L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside and Secretary for Tourism and Transportation, had also contested the leadership of the PNM’s Tobago Council.

But there is a new generation of women keen on taking the baton from those who have gone before. One such woman is Sparkle Taylor, the Tobago Forwards candidate for Parlatuvier/Lanse Fourmi.

At 28, Taylor is hoping to tackle issues relating to the youth, women and the elderly if elected as the representative for her area in the THA.

“Women can impact children’s rights and gender-sensitive issues, things that men may not look at in a particular way.

We have to be part of the decision-making process,” Taylor said before the start of a walkabout in Speyside, Tobago East. The Castara native, who has worked extensively in social services, said people were crying out for help in all facets of life and needed change.

“I can’t get away from it. I often see about people before myself,” she joked.

However, the former Roxborough Secondary student, who regarded Ramsey-Moore as one of her mentors, observed that many young people have not expressed an interest in voting.

“I have to capture them, not through speeches on platforms but by walking through the communities,” she said.

Looking ahead, Taylor wants Tobago to ultimately feed itself. She also called for greater respect for fishermen, whom she insisted, must be treated as professionals. Tobagonians, she said, must be able to live off the tourism sector.

For consultant Dr Faith B Yisrael, the PDP’s candidate for Belle Garden/Goodwood, it was Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s perceivably dismissive attitude to questions about the government’s proposed Sandals project which encouraged her to enter politics.

She told Sunday Newsday: “It was prompted by the utter disrespect of the prime minister on Sandals.

The people kept asking for information on it but instead, he said other islands had already accepted it, insinuating that Tobagonians were stupid and should stop asking questions. That was the final nail in the coffin.” Yisrael, who holds a doctoral degree in Public Health, said her move to enter politics, was also triggered by the absence of concise data in the THA.

“I have worked in the THA for several years and I realized that many of the final decisions made were not based on data and correct information but were taken haphazardly,” she said.

“So, I said instead of complaining, I should be part of the solution.” Yisrael, who teaches at COSTAAT, said women have long been involved in the decision- making process.

“We have been at the backbone in all spheres of life-making decisions, so politics is just about taking that to the next level,” said Yisrael, who is in her late 30s. She added that the Watson Dukeled PDP’s mandate going forward was informed by the “bowels of the people on the ground.” “That is why it is a mandate and not a manifesto,” she said.

On the hustings, Yisrael said, people have been complaining about bias in employment opportunities and the distribution of services.

“They simply want that to end,” she said.

Although pleased with the number of women who have offered themselves as candidates in the election, Marisha Osmond, PNM aspirant for Golden Lane/ Plymouth, said there was still lots of room in the inn.

“It is still not enough but I am glad that women are coming to the fore to have a greater say in governance and the in the lives of people,” she said. “It shows that they are no longer timid and are willing to offer themselves for public scrutiny.” A teacher at St Andrew’s Anglican School, Osmond, who contested the Plymouth/ Golden Lane seat in the 2001 THA election, said a restructuring of the village councils throughout the island was high on her agenda.

“They have not functioned as they should because of the absence of proper channels and systems,” she said. Osmond said she also was interested in developing mechanisms to bridge the gap between average Tobagonians and their respective representatives in the THA.

“Too often people complain about not seeing the people they put in power and people can really become saturated by their (THA) Divisions. So, proper structures need to be put in place,” she said.

Osmond, who was involved in party groups as a young girl, regarded the PNM as the only entity to lead the THA.

“I love their policies and structures. It shows that it is much more than a party. The PNM is an organization,” she said.

Minister of Local Government Kazim Hosein spoke with radio station i95.5FM about the campaign which was launched at the Foreshore, Audrey Jeffers Highway and with the theme “team up to clean up”. “We are going into Diego Martin.

We are going to clean all rivers, all drains, all empty lots. And speaking about empty lots while CEPEP was cleaning an empty lot (yesterday) morning they found a firearm among other things,” he said. He reported that the firearm and some bags were to be delivered to the police. He further reported that they would be shredding all tyres and picking up all derelict vehicles “that have been there for years and years and years” and they would also be demolishing dilapidated buildings “which have been a menace”. Hosein later told Sunday Newsday, in a telephone interview, that the response to the campaign has been “phenomenal” and they had been moving derelict vehicles, cleaning open lots, picking up a lot of stoves, fridges and fallen trees and cleared a few dilapidated buildings.

He said the tyre shredder was expected to come out today He reported that close to $1 billion in equipment was out yesterday including excavators, dump trucks and backhoes and they were all in full use. He said that everything is volunteered by the business community and contracting community.

There were also a number of volunteers and NGOs assisting yesterday. He reported, however, they have experienced some obstacles and some people who did not want their place cleaned.

“We come to clean up and we are going to clean up,” he declared.

Hosein explained the plan is to clean the entire Diego Martin Regional Corporation from yesterday to Friday and then Saturday they will move into the Port-of-Spain City Corporation. The campaign will then go to the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation and then continuing throughout each of the other 11 remaining corporations.

Also attending the launch yesterday were National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, Sport Minister Darryl Smith and Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat.

The football loving public of Trinidad and Tobago, eager to see its team on the world’s biggest stage, await the name of the man to be entrusted in getting us to Russia in 2018.

We hope this time the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) will be a bit more meticulous and do its proper research before announcing its next hiring.

The sudden resignation of Belgian Tom Saintfiet after barely over a month at the helm shocked the country but really should not come as such a great surprise given Saintfiet’s coaching history.

In the last seven years, Saintfiet has incredibly coached 11 teams including this country. A journeyman throughout the African continent at places such as Namibia (2008-2010), Zimbabwe (2010), Shabab Al-Ordon (2010- 2011), Ethiopia (2011), Young Africans (2012), Yemen (2012- 2013), Malawi (2013), Free State Stars (2014) and Togo (2015- 2016), Saintfiet made quick stops in Bangladesh (2016) and Trinidad and Tobago (2016-2017).

TTFA president David-John Williams, at Saintfiet’s unveiling in December last year, stated that the coach was affordable and perusing his resume we can clearly see why.

We note with keen interest that the players have written a letter to the TTFA giving their suggestions as to who should be the next head coach. And while we do not condone employees telling their employers what to do, their action shows that the players have lost faith in the TTFA being able to make a rational and logical appointment.

The theoretical separation of powers in the local football structure seems to have already been eroded with reports of coaches not being able to select the players they wish. Saintfiet, in a parting shot at the TTFA stated, “I never got the chance to work with the players nor staff requested”. This follows another report under former coach Stephen Hart about administrators meddling during training sessions. There was also a bust-up between team doctor Terrence Babwah and Hart with the former resigning amid claims that Hart played goalie Jan-Michael Williams against Honduras in a qualifier when he was deemed unfit. Hart has categorically denied playing an injured goalkeeper while Jan-Michael has also come to the defence of the ex-coach.

The World Cup qualifiers resume in March and one month has already been lost due to the poor decision making of the TTFA in handing the reins to Saintfiet. Whoever is the new coach will have less than two months to meet his players and get them tactically ready to take on the likes of Panama (March 20) and Mexico (March 28) and jump-start the floundering 2018 campaign.

Sports Minister Darryl Smith has gone on record telling this newspaper he hopes a local coach will be given the chance to lead the team. We concur with the Sports Minister given the short space of time available before qualifiers resume.

Some of the names being bandied about include 2006 World Cup heroes Dennis Lawrence and Russell Latapy, England-born Terry Fenwick, W Connection coach Stuart Charles Fevrier and Colombian Francisco Maturana.

We hope that the next coach will be given all the tools necessary to get the job done and more importantly be given the freedom to implement his ideas and conduct his work with the players. Although win less after two games, all is not lost but the TTFA needs to select the right man this time and show faith in him for the foreseeable future.

With the news that FIFA will expand the World Cup to facilitate 48 teams from 2026, planning starts from now.

This is the challenge facing our society as it moves into 2017 and beyond. In other words, can we survive well if things continue as they seem to be? Of course, individualism, energised by a spirit of independence, has been a trigger for capitalism and even economic progress. But this was, and is still so, when individual effort also contributes to the group, community or society. Groups, too, can be selfish, “concerned only with their own personal profit or pleasure,” even at the great expense of other groups. Incidentally, our Constitution, driven by what is called “liberalism,’’ rests upon “individual rights and freedoms,” leaving ‘’collective responsibility or cooperation’’ to socialist constitutions – however unsuccessfully. If the measure of a healthy society is the extent to which it shows great promise of becoming socially, politically and economically progressive, then the question arises: What is the evidence that our young, post-colonial society is heading in that direction? Is it that the multi-sectoral, multi-ethnic and pluralistic political structure of this country has thrown up overwhelming barriers against mutual generosity and the reciprocal spirit of cooperation? Is the society too young to carry such heavy burden? Is there much more selfishness than this young society can bear? This is not a new question – not for us or many others – narrow self-interest vs general welfare.

There has always been great hope – from pulpits to parliaments – that people’s selfishness would be inevitable but minimal enough so as not to punish the welfare of the group or community. The hope is that the stronger the group or community gets by cooperative action, the greater the eventual benefit for all individuals in the group or community.

This is the time, the very moment, that this society must face this challenging proposition. To continue as we have been is to court disaster for everyone here.

Selfishness in people and even in animals has been seen as a survival mechanism – even for the preservation of the species etc. But there may be more than this to humanity as Adam Smith, the early founder of economics, speculated: “How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principle in his nature which interests him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it except the pleasure of seeing it.” In today’s intense struggle for personal status and wealth, such an unconditional humanitarian proposition seems filled with more hope than reality. Look around. In fact, this is one of the more serious challenges facing our education system – how to build the civic character, the spirit of cooperation of students in the midst of a severely competitive, exam-driven system.

Twenty years ago, many prominent intellectuals, especially those in behavioural economics, felt they had found a sure formula for socio- economic progress – especially for developing countries bereft of natural resources. This formula was called “social capital,” meaning the extent to which citizens and groups cooperate, trust, establish civic movements, share interests, etc.

Look around. Make an assessment for this society. How much social capital do you think we have? The amount of “trust’’ people have in their institutions provides crucial relief against selfishness and renegade individualism. A culture of selfishness grows to the extent that people feel those who should care for them do not care. Or when very unjustly treated. In basic “game theory” experiments, it was shown how people rather lose some in order to stop others from winning, though if they allow the others to win, they too would gain more.

The clash between selfishness and generosity entered a controversial book (The Selfish Gene) by Richard Dawkins who used many examples to show that animals (bees eg) can work selflessly for others as if genetically programmed. For us, it seems a bit less selfishness and more co op e r at ion all around will make the country socially and economically stronger for all, you don’t think?

Speaking following the launch of the National Clean-Up Campaign on the Foreshore, Audrey Jeffers Highway in Port-of-Spain yesterday morning, Dillon told reporters that as a father of two girls he feels the grief of the family and the nation was mourning with her family.

“It saddens me,” he said of Rachael’s death.Chairman of the United National Congress (UNC) David Lee, in a statement, described the recent murder of the teenager as a further sign of the “decay of our society and evolution of our twin-island Republic into a land of lawlessness where there is no respect for human life as yet another young girl has been robbed of a bright future and life of brilliant possibilities.” He recalled the outrage last December of the murder of 20-yearold bank clerk Shannon who was found dead at the IAM store on Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain.

“It was only one month ago when the nation was shell shocked by the gruesome murder of Shannon Banfield who was found dead in a department store. So our nation has reached the point where are citizens are no longer safe in stores, public places, their own neighbourhoods, using public transportation and conducting the same day to day business they once did freely in the past,” Lee said. He noted citizens had lost lose their “peace of mind and continue to desperately clamour for some form of relief or solution to this “national catastrophe” while the ruling PNM administration continues to “abandon the population in the fight against crime and all endeavours to protect their lives.” Lee pointed out the Opposition party had attempted to raise the issue of crime in the Parliament but Government has used the standing orders to shut it down.

At a public meeting in Glen Road, Scarborough, on Friday night, Charles told a gathering of mostly redclad supporters that he was forced to defend the party’s stewardship during an interview on Radio Tambrin. He said the programme’s host had asked him if there was bias on the part of the PNM with respect to employment opportunities for Tobagonians.

Charles, a former THA presiding officer, said he pointed out that the Assembly comprised 60 to 70 per cent of the island’s labour force and it was not conceivable that all of these workers would be PNM supporters.

“So, we have been doing what we do with fairness,” he said, noting that Tobago had a population of just 65,000.

Charles, who is contesting the Black Rock/ Whim/Spring Garden electoral district, said Tobago was too small to “develop along party lines.” “I am willing to engage talent where talent exists,” he said.

However, Charles warned that those who seek to undermine the PNM will be called to account.

“Do not undermine my organization.

When we do that, there will be conflict,” he said.

“In the interest of Tobago, we cannot build a peaceful island that way. You cannot gamble or risk your future.” As head of the PNM’s team hoping to retain full control of the Assembly after the THA election next week, Charles said as Chief Secretary he would like his legacy to be one that placed the island on a growth path in a range of areas, including the economic revitalisation, tourism, agriculture, health and light manufacturing, all of which will be supported by a “robust” education system.

Public sector reform, he stressed, was a must.

“Persons must be paid on time,” Charles said, alluding to the inefficiencies in the system. “No secretary (THA) prepares a pay sheet. Why is it that we behave in way where people are not paid on time?” In the same breath, he said people must be willing to give a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. “If we have to progress, we have to fix this to the way it should be. That is part of the vision to take Tobago to the next level,” Charles said.

Charles said the promotion of an entrepreneurial and creative culture in Tobago also was a priority.

“You know the saying that the Devil finds work for idle hands.

Well, for those who want money, we are prepared to ensure that every citizen earns a decent income and since the State can’t employ everybody, we have a responsibility to facilitate that development,” he said. “You just have to come with clean hands and a pure heart.” Charles urged supporters to take the message of the PNM throughout the island.

“We are about preserving the gains we have made over the past 16 years,” he said.