Gerald Hadeed via email

How many more must be injured or killed? I refer to cyclist Keiana Lester who was badly injured in a head-on collision with a car.

I hope her recovery will be total and that in short order she would be ready for the roads again.

I noticed that calls were made to have more cycling lanes. That might be a good idea for places like the Queen’s Park Savannah.

Cyclist I am not, fan I am and I believe that most of the cycling is done on the main roads of the country.

In my neck of the woods (Indian Walk), I have seen numerous cyclists pass my way.

To the organisers of those road events I humbly suggest a simple safety device.

Request a police outrider and have two or three vehicles at the back of the pack with visible flags and flashing lights.

Cyclists should be in single file and if the event is competitive all precautions should be taken (eg when the need arises to pass another cyclist) to avoid any mishap.

It may be a good idea to advertise the route so that motorists, pedestrians and the people in the neighbourhood would be sensitised.

Even the police on the route should be informed. No effort should be spared to ensure safety.

Sahadeo Ragoonanan via email

The worst was seen on Monday when all members of the Opposition in the House neglected their salaried, social and political responsibilities by boycotting this crucial sitting of Parliament to all “socialise” in another room in the Parliament building.

FATCA was enacted in the US in 2010 and most of our private financial institutions have signed on. The Government is however struggling to get this critical piece of legislation passed. We must get our house in order soon or be left behind and face the consequences.

Our current status gives the global perception of incompetence and creates contention after asking for a second extension.

The Government has been trying to conclude the FATCA debate which the current Opposition started while in government but now it seems to have a self-seeking political agenda motivating its counter- productive actions.

FATCA is fast becoming the global model for combating offshore tax evasion and promoting transparency. Does the Opposition have something to lose by supporting the legislation? If not, then it must stop blocking this initiative to catch these white-collar criminals and the corrupt politicians that abuse public office.

In the US the Internal Revenue Service, through the US Treasury Department, will only begin updating the list of countries with Model 1 and Model 2 Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGAs) on January 1, 2017. We have been granted an extension. The US Government “strongly” recommends that TT passes the FATCA legislation by next February. In a September 30 release, US Ambassador John L Estrada reiterated that the bilateral FATCA agreement has already been signed by both countries.

The legislation is however needed to implement the commitments in the agreement.

This is only one element of a broader plan for cooperation between the US and TT as a part of a wider global compliance effort.

This type of unparliamentary behaviour by the Opposition is testimony to how disconnected politicians can become when in office.

The UNC appears to be seeking its own political agenda above the agenda of the citizenry. The private, business, governmental and other sectors all stand to suffer from TT ’s non-compliance with FATCA.

The citizens of this country will not find it easy to forgive the UNC if it continues to block passage of this legislation beyond the already contentious granting of extensions.

Ronald Huggins St Joseph

Minister Arias’ visit to Trinidad and Tobago resulted from a commitment made during the Official Visit to Venezuela, earlier this month, by Prime Minister Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley where he engaged in wide-rang ing discussions with Venezuelan President His Excellency Nicolas Maduro, aimed at deepening the bilateral relationship.

The Venezuelan Minister indicated that opportunities for joint collaboration exist in the areas of lumber and the downstream energy sector which would be mutually advantageous.

It should be noted that Venezuela currently has 500,000 hectres of pine forestry while Trinidad and Tobago has a developed downstream energy sector. Minister Gopee- Scoon expressed keen interest in exploring areas for collaboration including the possibility of Trinidad and Tobago serving as a distribution hub, both regionally and internationally, for products emanating from Venezuela.

The Ministers undertook to pursue the expansion of trade between both countries through appropriate bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Discussions also took place regarding music and culture.

Minister Gopee- Scoon cited the Creative Industries as a sector identified by the Government in its diversification agenda. Accompanying Minister Arias was Venezuela’s Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Her Excellency Coromoto Godoy Calder?n, Mr Jean Urdaneta, President, Maderas Del Orinoco and other Venezuelan Officials.

In a phone interview with Newsday on the official announcement of the changes being made to the 25 year old St Lucia Jazz and Arts festival, Arnold said, that each festival has its own model.

He said the festival organisers would have examined their own offering as festival tourism organisers and decided what was best for them.

Arnold said the festival moved from the jazz model to a bigger summer festival.

For 2017 Tobago Jazz Experience, Arnold noted, that the event was working with a smaller budget of $12 million.

Arnold noted that the festival the fringe festivals normally sponsored by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) would now be sponsored by other stakeholders of the festival.

Arnold said the event’s organisers were in the process of completing final contracts for next year. He said, when asked of the lineup for the event, that it would be a blend of international headliners and Caribbean stars.

Representatives for the St Lucia Jazz Festival 2017 when contacted said the event would now become a longer festival incorporating different genres of which jazz would still be a component.

The St Lucian Tourism Minister, Dominic Feedee was quoted as saying that the festival as it was costing the board too much in terms of resources.

“We are seeing the problem more now that coconut has a good name in the health aspects. It is all over the world. In Trinidad and Tobago we are finding products that do not taste like any of the range of coconut waters available,” he said.

Addressing the opening of a three-day Regional Training Workshop on Coconut Product Development and Processing yesterday in Port-of- Spain, Paul said, “We have some serious processing problems that we have to look at.” Noting that bottles are labelled “coconut water”, he said, “the word ‘coconut’ is used high and dry all over the place. Sometimes the product has no coconut in it at all.” Advising people to be careful about what they drink, he said, last week he bought a one litre bottle of what was labelled coconut water. He said, the product had a medicinal taste towards the end.

He recalled earlier in the year when the local public health inspectorate pulled a product labelled coconut water off the shelf because it was found not to be coconut water.

“We have to be careful about what we drink and the quality control aspects,” he said.

Noting that there is a variety of coconuts, he said that the coconut water and its nutritional value depends on where and when it is harvested.

“The demand for coconut water is so high,” he said, that people are harvesting the fruit at five or six months of their development when the nuts should be harvested closer to nine months as indicated by the Food and Agricultural Organisation.

The early harvesting of coconuts for its water, he said, is unlike farmers picking their fruits ahead of maturity to get them to the market.

Apart from artificial coconut water flavours, Paul said that processors sometimes add water to the sweet tasting coconut water and so dilute it.

Frozen coconut water is imported from Guyana, he said, and it has a shelf life of six months after which it begins to lose its quality.

“I really want to publicly thank you for facilitating this journey. You have been my strength, my encouragement and my motivation. For all that you have done, I am eternally grateful. I love you with all my heart.

You have been the wind beneath my wing.” He also praised his wife, Nyoka Mason, for her support through the years.

Mason said he is humbled by the abundance of goodwill that he has received, but is ever mindful that goodwill can be nebulous and can dissipate if expectations are not realised expeditiously.

“My life journey to this place was never easy.

I encountered many a hurdle on the road to this juncture, some constructed by fellow men, some just simply appeared and, to be honest, some were carelessly self-manufactured.” He said he embraces this new chapter with the understanding that the transformation of Point Fortin will depend a lot on whatever the council does over the next three years.

The new Deputy Mayor is Kennedy Richards.

Four others were sworn in as aldermen.

They include: Leslie Anthony Chang Fong, Ronnie Wayne Williams, Saleema Jaleema Thomas and Rudranath Maraj.

Justice Frank Seepersad made the call as he ruled against a fireman who challenged the Public Service Commission’s decision to bypass him for promotion.

Ian Green, a Fire Sub-Station Officer (FSSO), sought promotion to the post of Fire Station Officer.

He contended he was the most senior officer on the list of FSSO’s who were considered for promotion and as a holder of a Masters degree and post-graduate diploma in Human Resources Management as well as an associates degree in Management, he had the requisite qualifications for promotion as outlined in the Public Service Regulations.

While the Chief Fire Officer was willing to accept Green’s qualifications, Seepersad pointed out that the Chief Personnel Officer was not as his qualifications did not accept the technical aspects of the job.

“The claimant’s dilemma brings into sharp focus the need for considered and calculated decision making in terms of tertiary education. Far too often persons have pursued courses which are not relevant to the specific areas of expertise within which they operate. While the pursuit of high education must always be applauded the benefit derived therefrom would only be realised when courses pursued have a practical impact within the scope of work engaged by or contemplated by the individuals who pursue same,” the judge said.

“There has been a trust to pursue traditional professions and management qualifications but the market appears to be saturated in those fields and a clear and decisive national policy agenda should be established to properly guide those interested in higher education towards areas where there is a demand, such as pursuit of courses in the field of science and technology,” the judge added.

In dismissing Green’s judicial review claim, the judge said the commission did not act unreasonably and had considered the Public Service Regulations and that Green did not demonstrate that he had the qualifications to be considered for promotion.

On November 15, there was confusion in the Senate when Leader of Government Business Franklin Khan indicated that Government was not proceeding with debate on this bill because of legal advice it received from the Treasury Solicitor.

Quoting part of the Treasury Solicitor’s opinion, Khan said, “In the interim, I am of the view that the Provisional Collection of Taxes Order 2016, continues in operation and will continue in operation until Finance Bill Number Three and the relevant orders 2016, completes its full passage in the Parliament and the Act is assented to by the President.

This process must be completed within a four-month timeframe, beginning October 20, 2016 and ending on February 19, 2017.” Quoting further from the opinion, Khan said, “I (Treasury Solicitor) am of the view, that it is permissible for the State to collect and continue to collect online purchase taxes and the rest (of taxes).

At the time, Opposition Senator Wade Mark charged that Government was imposing taxes illegally on the population and hinted the Opposition may challenge the matter legally. At a news conference on November 16, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the taxes outlined in the 2016/2017 Budget are all “perfectly legal

As such, Education Minister Anthony Garcia says the planned reform of The Education Concordat of 1960 (The Concordat) would ideally include measures to “strengthen the role of the Church”. “We have looked at The Concordat to see how best we can make (it) more effective, so that the Church can recognise its responsibilities.

I’ve been saying publicly that if the Church, through the (school) boards, owned the schools, they would have a corresponding responsibility to the schools.” Garcia added that giving religious bodies more say would put an end to some groups, “sitting back and saying, ‘We don’t own the schools’ and doing nothing.” “Therefore we are hoping, in the reform of The Concordat, (to) put measures in place to ensure that the Church plays its role more effectively and in many areas.

For example, repairs and maintenance, (and) construction of schools __ The Church must not leave that only up to the Government.

They must play their part.” The Education Minister made it clear that “there is absolutely no intention of diminishing the role of the Church.” “There’s absolutely no intention of separating religion or the influence of the Church in education.

We are very pleased and satisfied with our system of education, except to say that we recognise that the Church can play a more effective role.” Garcia reiterated his stance on denominational schools during a press conference about the recommendations contained in a report on the Education Ministry’s February 2016 “National Consultation on Education”.

The press conference was held on Thursday afternoon at the ministry’s head office, St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain.

“One of the major recommendations (in the report) that was accepted by Cabinet, was that the role of the Church should be strengthened…Cabinet has agreed that the Church should continue in its role in education and we will put things in place to strengthen its role,” Garcia told reporters