“The indications are that the UNC will retain control of Chaguanas in spite of a very stiff challenge from the PNM for control of the Borough. The Mayor Gopaul Boodhan, who has a relatively high favourability rating among the 14 incumbent Mayors and Chairs, is well liked among voters on both sides of the divide and is putting up a stiff resistance to hold the borough for the UNC,” said NACTA.

“At best, the PNM can win only four seats in Chaguanas which will give it a tie for the contested eight seats. But PNM is leading in only three seats while the UNC is leading in five of the eight seats up for grabs and is guaranteed a minimum two aldermen. The PNM is guaranteed only one alderman with the other alderman going either way.” In an addendum, NACTA added, “They are pleased with Mayor Gopaul Boodhan in Chaguanas.

But UNC is still struggling to hold on to the city because of poor representation from some of the reps.” The addendum also said that in each marginal seat in the corporations of Sangre Grande, San Fernando, Siparia, Rio Claro, Chaguanas, the PNM is leading.

“Whether the PNM controls a borough or not and is in opposition, it is leading in all of the marginals,” NACTA said. “While voters express dissatisfaction with PNM, they are still sticking with the PNM. They are displeased with representation in Sangre Grande and San Fernando, for example. but they are still voting PNM.” NACTA’s original statement said that the PNM has consistently led in the polls since last March till now and is projected to retain all the local governments it currently controls.

“The findings of the poll show the PNM winning some cross over support (from the traditional UNC base) that could help it in marginal seats in Chaguanas, Rio Claro, Barataria, Siparia, Princes Town, and Sangre Grande.

“UNC is not gaining cross over support although PNM supporters are widely dissatisfied with the party.

The findings show PNM could wrest one local government from the UNC and tie another one.”

Plaza succumbed to his wounds one week after he was shot, along with four other persons in D’abadie, early in November.

The officiator for the service prayed for angels to guide Plaza’s soul to the almighty and assured the congregation that they would be reunited with him in the afterlife, but his prayers and preaching could barely be heard over the wails and cries of Plaza’s close relatives, who still could not come to terms with his death.

“My daddy gone! Oh God! My daddy gone!” wailed one of Plaza’s two daughters during the final viewing of his body. The child could have been seen being escorted out of the church with tears streaming down her face as she cried and screamed for her father.

Other relatives were equally unable to contain their grief as they made their way out of the church and toward the burial site.

Tears could have been seen in the eyes of every relative, friend and loved one who gathered at the church to pay their final respects.

On November 5, Plaza was shot, along with his nephew Kevin and another relative, Frank Joseph, during a brazen drive by shooting at John Lane, D’Abadie.

According to reports the group of men were liming on the street at about 3.45 pm, when gunmen rolled up to them in a white Nissan Tiida, with no licence plates.

The occupants of the vehicle fired on the group, and the men scattered in different directions, attempting to escape.

Newsday understands that the gunmen got out of the car and gave chase to the fleeing men shooting them all several times.

Witnesses reported hearing more than 50 gunshots during the incident.

Frank and Kevin died at the scene, but Plaza was rushed to hospital where he fought for his life while in critical condition, until Saturday last.

Plaza was buried at the Santa Rosa RC Cemetery.

The bandits were said to have made off with at least $11,000 in items and cash.

According to reports, at about 8 pm on Tuesday, two men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, stormed into the Wong Kong Restaurant located on the Eastern Main Road in Barataria and announced a hold-up.

The men relieved the conductor of the roulette table of $5,000 and an iphone 6 mobile phone, with an estimated value of $6,000.

The men then made their escape on foot.

The two men were said to be of African descent, and one was said to be clad in a red t-shirt, and had a cap over his face, while the other was said to be clad in a blue t-shirt. Police are now on the hunt for the two bandits.

A little over 12 hours later, another robbery was committed, this time in a red band maxi, which was making its way along the Priority Bus Route.

One of the victims, who wished to keep her name anonymous recounted the traumatising ordeal, which occurred at about 9.30 am yesterday.

“It was just a brazen robbery,” said the victim who works in the Port-of-Spain area.

The victim said she boarded the maxi taxi yesterday morning as it was passing through the Arouca area, but when the driver picked up a suspicious looking passenger in the San Juan area near the Croisee, she became worried.

“We passed through a few roadblocks and, although we were not stopped by any police officers, the man seemed to slump down in his seat every time we got close to police.

“The man was fidgeting and acting very strangely.” Her fears were realised as they crossed under the flyover in the Beetham area.

The man stopped the maxi, then as he went to pay, he whipped out a firearm and announced a robbery.

The man then proceeded to rob the taxi driver of cash and the occupants of jewellery, cellphones and other items.

The man then hopped out of the maxi with his loot in hand, and escaped on foot, across the Priority Bus Route and along the Eastern Main Road.

A report was later made to the police about the incident.

The victim told Newsday yesterday that while she believes that persons should be more aware while travelling, it seems that there is not much that commuters can do to protect themselves from bandits.

Investigations into both incidents are ongoing.

“I will not be shamed to say ‘I do not know’ nor will I fail to call in my colleagues where the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.” Majestic and profound words taken from the rights of passage for graduating medical doctors.

I refer to it in the context of the absence of an epiretinal membrane specialist surgeon at the San Fernando General Hospital.

There is an excellent, competent group of young doctors at the Eye Clinic. Their screening, diagnoses and recommendations are par excellence.

But their good intentions, energies, devotion and great work ethics are frustrated and stymied by the lack of the specialist surgeon.

I have a few workable suggestions that I feel can be woven into the healthcare fabric which can ease the anxiety of both patients and staff: 1. Inform the people of the status of the recruitment process for the surgeon.

2. Doctors without Borders can be an option.

3. Deserving young doctors should be sent to train in the specific field.

4. Request the services of the few specialists who work privately.

There are over 150 patients anxiously awaiting epiretinal intervention.

Why should someone approaching or into their golden years be unnecessarily saddled with the dreadful possibility and debilitating anxiety of losing their sight? Why should the indigent pay for the lenses used in cataract surgery? There are no ophthalmic eye drops in the pharmacy. I and other patients are helpless victims to our own demise. Yours is a difficult and thankless job and I understand the constraints within which you operate. The greatest gift you can bequeath to us is clarity of vision, peace of mind and vitality of life.

I do hope my plea is not met with empty rhetoric devoid of intent but that positive action would be forthcoming.

SAHADEO RAGOONANAN via email

Indeed, quite clearly, what we have been witnessing is a tit for tat which has centred on the performance of a central government which was elected one year ago for a five-year term of office.

Needless to say, this is not what a campaign for representation, at the local/community level, should entail.

Let me say upfront that I am of the view that one non- compromising criterion for qualifying as a local government representative should be residence in the area for which representation is being sought.

The present exercise is far from what is required. Thus, the holding of meetings with all the paraphernalia, trappings and bunting of a general election campaign, led by political leaders, will not achieve what is desirable, that is, the act of drawing the individual elected close to the community he/she is mandated to serve.

Furthermore, of the two major contending parties for local government office, only one has attempted (and even this, in my opinion, in a half-heartened manner) to address the burning question of local government reform. Indeed, I am yet to hear anything worthwhile from the other platform in respect of local government reform, its speakers having been discussing matters (such as the national crime situation), which fall within the ambit of central government activities.

What I am postulating is the need to change the format and the “ingredients” for local government elections, bearing in mind that a local government election is not a general election at the national level — a situation which some may consider utopian, given the “insatiable appetite” of the professional politician.

In the relatively recent past, I have made suggestions which, in my opinion, would advance the locus standi of local government in TT , among which are: (a) The use of proportional representation in local government elections.

(b) Taxing powers being given to local government bodies to enable them to finance certain activities (such as matters of the environment and scavenging) which may fall within their ambit.

(c) Local roads, including their maintenance, be the responsibility of local government bodies.

(d) Certain responsibility be given to local government bodies in respect of school boards including repair of school buildings.

Needless to say, I am not hopeful in respect of any of these items.

ERROL OC CUPID Trincity, Tacarigua

He has long been in politics at the local government level and is aware that sometimes supporters, in their enthusiasm, can get carried away. Regardless of who wins, we still have to live with each other the next day.

Rambachan is a survivor of local government elections and has on his political CV his auspicious record as a mayor of Chaguanas.

In the final analysis, on poling day, political image could mean everything.

LYNETTE JOSEPH Diego Martin

Please explain how a candidate can win the most votes and still lose the election in a contest that purports to represent the voice of the people.

KARAN MAHABIRSINGH Carapichaima

“In any election campaign, it is important to know what the party stands for and, secondly, given the way the campaign has been going, we find that there is a deterioration in the position of and approach of political parties especially the other side where basically they have resorted to bacchanal and kind of foolishness and we simply want to say, as the UNC, that we stand for something in this Local Government election and that we are committed to certain things in the Local Government election,” Tewarie said.

Asked afterwards why Local Government reform issues had not been raised on the campaign platform, Tewarie said the issues had been addressed at several meetings but lamented that the media had focused on the “juicier” parts of the campaign speeches.

“Well you heard some of it on the platform, part of the problem is the press,” he said, adding, “given the nature of press engagement of the public, it has been to highlight the things that are juicier, so in a way the message of government and governance and delivery and people-centred development has been lost,” “So we thought it was important to isolate this issue of the policy position of the UNC and to make it as clear as daylight to the press and through the press,” Tewarie said.

Rambachan also chimed in on the issue saying: “we have been putting this on social media and the last one had about nearly 9,000 hits as we have been using social media to get the message out also. But Dr Tewarie is very right, we have been speaking out about Local Government reform since the campaign began but the media is not really picking up on the Local Government reform.” Meanwhile, Tewarie said the Opposition party was in favour of Local Government reform, though noting the need for “constitutional protection for Local Government” given the questionable role of the Ministry of Rural Development.

“Is it complementary, is it supplementary or is it in competition with Local Government themselves?” he asked.

Asked whether the UNC would cooperate on Local Government reform when the Bill was tabled in Parliament, Tewarie said: “yes we are for Local Government reform and we will work in the legislative branch with the government in order to effect reform but we have a significant qualitative difference in our understanding of what that reform is.” “We agree there should be greater decentralisation, we agree there should be greater devolution of power, we agree there should be more autonomy for Local Government, we agree that Local Government should have financial stability and predictability and therefore be able to carry out their work on the basis of a plan.

At a People’s National Movement (PNM) rally at Five Rivers, Arouca, on Wednesday, he refuted claims by several media houses that the election campaign had dwelt on trivia such as the cost of roti dinners, even saying he had spoken of UNC spending on other national festivals.

Citing research that says 84 percent of what a person hears is not remembered, he said that this is the local government election where the PNM has spoken most about the relevant issues of local government reform which will bring governance closer to the people.

Saying some observers are saying that in this election both he and Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar are fighting for their political futures, Rowley quipped, “My political future in the PNM is very secure. If other people have a problem, that is their problem”.

“On local government reform, they (UNC) gave no response. They have not engaged the issue, except to say that if we try to do what we have said we’ll do, they would lie in wait in Parliament to try to block us. That’s their only response to our crusade on this long standing issue of local government reform.” Accusing the Opposition of a record of obstructionism in Parliament even amid the need for a special majority to amend Local Government, Rowley said that even without Opposition support he will deliver “23 seats worth of local government reform”, and the next time he will deliver “30 seats worth”, presumably based on his hopes for the next General Election results.

Likewise, he accused the Opposition of being obstructionist towards the very Gaming Bill that the Opposition had previously drafted, using the lack of accompanying regulations as an excuse to not back the Bill.

The Bill is needed, he said, because gambling has let some persons become filthy rich, while possibly facilitating corruption and a destruction of the country’s social fabric.

He told supporters that even if they morally do not like gambling, it is better to have regulated gambling under the Bill than have it unregulated as now obtains.

Regarding the campaign, Rowley said he’d received a very warm welcome at a walkabout in Charlieville, declaring that no part of the country is off-limits to the PNM’s ambitions in this election. He even mouthed former prime minister, the late Patrick manning’s battle-cry, “We will beat them in the North, we will beat them in the South…”.

Regarding crime, He scoffed at Persad-Bissessar’s claim that crime is high because the Government has dismantled measures put in place by their predecessors.

He demanded to know what these measures were, even as he said the National Security Council is now working better under his leadership than it was under hers

Todd Ryan opened the scoring before setting up another scored by Elijah Belgrave for the Lawmen in the first half of an electrifying second game of a double-header at the Ato Boldon Stadium after Ma Pau Stars had edged Courts Morvant Caledonia United 1-0 thanks to a late Jerrel Britto strike.

The result snapped a six-game winless run in the Digicel Pro League for the Richard Hoodcoached Police, moving three spots up into sixth with eight points, ahead of their First Citizens Cup semi-final clash with Ma Pau Stars from 6 pm at the Ato Boldon Stadium.

Morvant Caledonia and Defence Force will meet in semi-final one of the First Citizens Cup from 4 pm at the Couva venue on Sunday for a place in the final on December 2.

But first, action in the League continues tomorrow with a top-ofthe- table clash between San Juan Jabloteh and W Connection when the League moves to the Brian Lara Recreation Ground in Santa Cruz for the first time from 6 pm.

The breakthrough arrived for Police on 38 minutes when Ryan smashed a ferocious 25-yard freekick into the top corner, beating a fully-stretched goalkeeper Andre Marchan, who had moments before kept out a Christon Thomas effort.

Belgrave then made it 2-0 four minutes before the break with a diving header off a right side Ryan cross.

In the earlier game of Tuesday’s double-header, Ma Pau Stars looked the better side against Morvant Caledonia.

But it wasn’t until the 83rd minute that Britto broke the deadlock to earn Ma Pau the 1-0 win to move up a spot into fourth on 13 points—six points adrift of leaders Central FC.

Britto, picked out in the area by substitute Jason Scotland, held off a challenge before firing past goalkeeper Marvin Phillip.