As a citizen I am not convinced we are getting service for the money we are putting out (too many problems).

This is causing inconvenience and loss of money by the business sector and leading to citizens being disgruntled, something we can do without.

We need to really look further and get more experts involved in locating suitable vessels that will give us value for our tax dollars.

It is better we spend more for the best than to be suffering like this.

While this may take some time in the long run it will pay better dividends.

I understand that many people in Tobago are having a rough time due to the problems with the sea bridge, but we cannot throw away money.

I hope a solution will be found soon.

ARNOLD GOPEESINGH via email

However, with the League on a break until September 8, the players within the club are still being urged to fulfil their contractual obligations, including reporting to training sessions and giving of their best during club matches.

According to a team member, who chose to remain anonymous, “Everybody supports each other. The older ones are helping the younger ones and the younger ones are looking out for the older ones.” However, the Central FC member admitted that the salary issues is putting a damper on things within the club.

“We’ve not been coping (well),” he said. “We have some players from the southern areas and a lot of them have to be virtually borrowing money to come to practice (at Larry Gomes Stadium in Arima or Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo). And it’s been tough, to say it lightly.” The team member acknowledged that the lure of overseas contracts is the main driving force among the current crop of players.

“Most of the players do stick around because of the opportunities to go outside. I think that’s mostly why a lot of the players are there right now.

Players are just looking for the light (at the end of) the dark tunnel, the possibility of getting (an overseas contract). That’s why players try to stick it out.” The 2017 FA Trophy will kick off in mid-September and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TT FA) has announced a number of financial incentives for the teams.

“I think the players will look at it as an incentive but, when you look back at the Pro League, there is outstanding monies from the Pro League (since) three years ago,” the team member noted.

“It’s good that (the TT FA) want to put money into it but its still a damper because you never know if you’re actually going to see that money. So it’s a good and a bad at the same time.” Brent Sancho, owner and managing director at the club, admitted that the 10 Pro League teams were promised by Darryl Smith (who replaced Sancho as the Sports Minister) that subventions would e given throughout the 2017 season.

He pointed out, “We’ve had constant dialogues with the players. We’ve spoken to them.

In some measures we’ve put things in writing, in some measures we’ve spoken to them verbally.

We’ve allowed them to know the scenario.

“It’s a very difficult situation for the players but, at the same point in time, there are clubs (globally) who haven’t paid their players for three months etcetera,” Sancho continued.

“It happens, but the players still have an obligation to train and play games for their clubs. It’s football, that is the way it is.

“One of the reasons why we’re in our financial situation is that we’ve paid players bonuses (that) we’ve had no business paying. We didn’t receive any bonus. But we’ve tried to pay each player. We’ve tried numerous ways of raising funds but, at the same point in time, we still expect the players to come out and train.” With regards to sponsorship of the club, Sancho stated, “We’ve spoken to several sponsors.

They’ve all said the same thing, (due to) the financial climate of the country, they’re not sponsoring.”

The guard remained in custody up until yesterday and investigators were hoping to secure a statement from him.

Police said at about 1:30 am on Monday, burglars entered the building at Chacon Street, Port-of-Spain by cutting a hole in the roof on the eastern side.

The guard, who was on duty, claimed he was held up at gunpoint by the burglars who then used a blow torch to cut away a vault belonging to Western Union. The men allegedly removed $620,000 which was in the vault and then allegedly took the guard into their custody.

He claimed he was dropped off in the Central area and he made a report to the police.

Sergeant Anthony Williams interviewed the guard and later detained him.

Two other people from Laventille were also held but released pending further investigations.

Police are hoping to secure camera footage to assist them in identifying the suspects.

They are expected to approach the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution for directions. Yesterday Assistant Commissioner of Police Irwin Hackshaw and Superintendent Ajith Persad met Williams and reviewed the progress of the investigation.

“Members of the board have met with Mr Mouttet,” she told Newsday. She also said Mouttet, “has requested a number of documents which the Port is addressing.” On August 15, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley appointed Mouttet to investigate the “circumstances surrounding the procurement of the Cabo Star and the Ocean Flower II and the entering into the charter party agreement for these vessels.” The Integrity Commission and the Land and Physical Infrastructure joint select committee (JSC) of the Parliament are also conducting enquiries into the procurement of these vessels.

Lewis also disclosed that the authority was successful in getting an extension on the license of the Cabo Star to transport passengers on the domestic sea bridge.

Lewis said, “I have been advised that the license was extended to November.” This was subsequently confirmed by TT Inter-Island Transportation Company marketing and public relations manager Vilma Lewis-Cockburn.

The event featuring six local rock bands, an Aruban and Canadian band takes place tomorrow at Space La Nouba, South Trunk Road, Gulf View, La Romaine.

“This concert features six local bands, all who have made their own sound within these borders, some of which are flying the flag of Trinidad and Tobago high internationally,” said a media release.

LYNCHPiN, Incert Coin, The Supernormal Band, Alter Rootz, Goodnight Parliament and Bound to Oblivion are the six local bands on the cast. Aruban band This Will Be No More and Canadian Keychain are the two international participants.

According to the release, local band Bound to Oblivion was described as “some of the younger blood in the Trinidad rock scene” and as having what it takes to take TT further in the rock world.

Described as a band which merges TT ’s flavour with rock and roll, fans of Alter Rootz can look forward to hearing the band’s fused sound. “These four individuals have created a sound that encompasses a matrix of Caribbean music fused with the sounds of metal, hip hop, far and Middle Eastern influences. Recently they have come back from representing Trinidad and Tobago in Canada’s Club One Releases Showcase,” the release said. Local grunge-metal band Goodnight Parliament, it said, strives to push musical boundaries and blur the lines of musical genres.

The Supernormal Band, one of the five Wacken Caribbean Metal Battle finalists selected to represent TT in Suriname, will also perform at the concert. The release said, “This four-piece Trinidadian rock band was created in 2008 by founding members Andy Rambharat and Mitch Ramberan and is a melting pot of rock, kaiso, calypso and dancehall…” Described as local hard rock legends, Incert Coin, complete with its new members, will also be there. Fans might hear from the band’s fifth album, And in the end..s’all for naught. Rounding up the TT acts will be Wacken Caribbean Metal Battle finalist and winner, LYNCHPiN.

Another Wacken Caribbean Metal Battle finalist, This Will Be No More, who has toured in Suriname and Mexico, will be the regional act at the concert.

Keychain who has played over 200 shows in four countries this year, including the final night of Festival d’été de Québec (with Gorillaz, Of Mice and Men, etc.), Mexico with Crazy Town, and across Canada with Nothing More, Hed PE and The Devil Wears Prada; will perform some of its hits for attendees.

Tickets are available at various malls.

Several things stood out about the concert, the maturity of audience, the musicians and the choice of songs presented. Parris was in his first full-length concert while Bri was warming the audience with her soothing voice. They both did several solo pieces before coming together as a duet. Strangely, Parris seemed to be off his mark from the start. Listening to him on several previous occasions he came across very well, but somehow he seem outside his comfort zone that night.

Sources said it was not like that in the rehearsals but it just did not click for him. Congratulations must go out to him for going the distance as he got better in the second half of the show. It was also nice to see him do the Kalyan’s classic Can You Love Me.

Other songs he performed included My Love, Love on the Brain, Pledge Allegiance and Permission.

Bri on the other hand chose to use her songs to try to capture the love of her life. Songs like The Very Thought of You, All Night Long (Nancy Wilson), I am Ready for Love (India Arie), Love Song (Adele) and Your love is King (Sade). Her poem, Body over Mind, showed her struggle with love and had the audience wrapped up in her story. Together, Parris and Bri performed Insanity and You’ve Got what it Takes.

The music was exceptional with Tony Paul excelling on his saxophone and flute doing several solos.

Dean Williams was also very good on guitar. Ron Clarke on keyboards also had several solos to add to the variety. Andre Jack (bass) and Shaquille Noel (Drums) complemented them but Noel was too loud at times. Mikhail Salcedo (pan) opened the concert with Bri while Makeena James and Alianna Grant provided background vocals for the night.

Before the audience dispersed young and upcoming comedian and current Kaiso Blues barman Keston James gave several jokes and was warmly received.

However, the ex-TT central defender is looking ahead to the 2018 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF Zone Final Round qualifier against Honduras, which will be staged at the Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva on September 1.

During a media conference at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, ahead of last evening’s training session, Lawrence said, “The boys have prepared well. I think they all understand what the game means, even though it’s all part of the preparation for the Honduras game.

“I think everybody understands the fierce rivalry between Jamaica and Trinidad (and Tobago),” continued the 43-year-old TT coach. “I think (the game) is going to be a very good contest, and a good test for the boys in preparation for the Honduras game.” Lawrence noted that the players are keen to face Jamaica, who finished as runners-up at last month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup – they lost 2-1 to the hosts United States in the July 26 Final.

“I think with games like these (it) is less work for me, from a motivational point for the boys,” said the national team’s coach. “I think its more about controlling the boys and making sure that they play the game in the right spirit. I think the boys are well up for it and all motivated and looking forward to the game.” Yesterday, it was revealed that defender/midfielder Joevin Jones left his Major League Soccer (MLS) club Seattle Sounders, allegedly without authorisation, to return home to join the training squad.

But Lawrence made it emphatically clear that Jones will not join his brother Alvin in the line-up for today’s game.

“Joevin, as of now, will not be part of that game,” Lawrence noted.

“I think we all understand that we need to have written confirmation from his club that he is allowed to play the game, and that hasn’t happened. So Joevin will not play any part of the game unless something changes.” Trinidad and Tobago will be looking to end a three-game losing streak, having been beaten away to the United States (2-0 on June 8), Costa Rica (2-1 on June 13) – both in World Cup qualifiers, and Ecuador (3-1 on July 26).

Asked what will he like to get from this game against Jamaica, Lawrence replied, “I think if we can get a victory, that’ll be good.

But I think (what’s) most important is to make sure that the boys physically understand some of the things that we’ll work on for the Honduras game. If I can see that in (today’s) game I’ll be happy.” Today’s game does not fall on a FIFA international date, therefore it will be a mostly local-based squad available to Lawrence and his technical staff.

Hence the existence of the Agriculture Ministry’s Seed Unit on Lumbar Lane, off the Macqueripe Road in Tucker Valley, Chaguaramas.

The Seed Unit is a year-round source from which local farmers can purchase pure varieties of popular vegetables as well seeds of crops that are more commonly grown here than elsewhere.

The ministry’s Deputy Director of Agricultural Services, Allan Balfour, told Business Day that apart from “producing seeds locally so that Trinidad and Tobago (TT) could reduce our dependency on imported seeds, there was particular emphasis on developing a gene bank and developing a stock of seeds from ‘local’ crops.” Balfour explained that while “most seeds/plants may have come on ships (during Colonial days), we do have plants that are more local or more endemic to our area. For example, saime and lauki, which probably came across from India but in terms of what we term exotic crops, they are now commonly-grown vegetables in TT.” While the Seed Unit is not well known outside of the farming community, its client list also includes what Balfour dubbed “home/backyard gardeners.” “Anyone can purchase seeds from us. We have two types of packages – 100 gram and 50-gram packages of seeds (such as) corn, bodi, pigeon peas and sorrel. The larger bag is typically purchased by farmers while home/ backyard gardeners tend to buy the smaller bag. Similarly, we have 25-gram and 10-gram bags of seeds for smaller vegetable seeds, such as hot pepper and baingan. Prices are very aff ordable and have remained unchanged for the last five to ten years. These prices are heavily subsidised by the Ministry of Agriculture.” Established in 1971 in collaboration with Germany, the Chaguaramas Agricultural Development Project (CADP), as it was known then, occupied 200 hectares (ha) of land on what was then a fairly untouched stretch of Tucker Valley. The site was chosen because there was little to no risk of cross-pollination – no other crops were being grown within five kilometres of CADP.

As stated on the Agricultural Services Division of the ministry’s website (www.agriculture.gov.tt ), “The main programme at CADP concentrated on commercial production of true seed, particularly of vegetables, bodi, hot pepper, sorrel, pumpkin, pigeon pea, ochro, melongene and corn. CADP has the responsibility of catering to an ever increasing demand for these seeds from the farming public. This facility reduces the nation’s dependency on imported seed.” The CADP was relocated in June 2009 to the ministry’s El Carmen Field Station in Centeno, “by Cabinet Minute No. 467 of March 6, 2008”, to accommodate the establishment of Government’s commercial farm in Tucker Valley, popularly known as the Mega Farm.

“Following the closure of the Mega Farm in 2011, permission was granted for the re-establishment of field operations for seed production on approximately 40.5 ha of land at Tucker Valley, Chaguaramas,” the ministry stated. At some point, the CADP was renamed the Seed Unit but its functions remain the same, namely, production of high quality seed material – corn, pigeon pea, bodi, sorrel, pumpkin, ochro, melongene, hot pepper; production of root crop planting material – cassava, yam, sweet potato; production of banana planting material – plantain, soucrier, silk; preservation of key vegetable seeds under cold storage; and conservation of root crop germplasm.

Approval for the move back to Tucker Valley was granted in December 2014, with actual production being relocated from January 2015.

The Seed Unit now occupies half of the land on which it once stood back in 1971. The other half, located directly opposite the unit’s entrance on Macqueripe Road, is now occupied by UPick TT Farm (UPick).

While 100 ha is significantly more land on which to farm than the 40.5 ha available at Centeno, the Seed Unit faces new challenges – a limited supply of irrigation and potential crosspollination from crops being grown at UPick and other farms located closer to Macqueripe Bay.

Balfour recalled that “under the previous arrangement, we had permission to use one of the WASA (Water and Sewerage Authority) wells that exist on the station. We used to pay for an untreated, metered supply of water from one of those wells.

That arrangement no longer exists, so we’ve been producing crops under serious limitations in the dry season…

Eventually, we have to build a well of our own but we don’t have the funds for that right now; a new well would probably cost close to TT $1 million.” Questioned about the decision to move back to Tucker Valley when there are now farms within the cross pollination zone, Balfour said the unit “had no choice but to move back because this is the most ideal location for us.” He added that as Deputy Director, he believes “there needs to be collaboration between us, UPick and any other farms within a five kilometre radius, to work out planting schedules.

This would significantly reduce the risk of cross-pollination and maintain the pure varieties that we have at the Seed Unit.” While there has been friendly, informal, communication between staff at the Seed Unit and UPick, Balfour said “the plan is to formally approach all farms in the area about this issue” by early September.

Production may have moved back to Chaguaramas but much of the unit’s administrative offices and storage facilities are still in Centeno.

“So we have a what we call a redevelopment project; where we are equipping the cold storage unit in Chaguaramas with proper equipment, because right now all the seeds are being stored in an administrative office, re-building of stores, renovating of stores, furnishing the administrative office. Along with that goes all the other supporting or cosmetic things, such as signs,” Balfour said.

On August 6, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat visited the Seed Unit to get a first-hand look at the work being done to produce what the ministry described as “high quality, high yielding, pest and disease resistant seeds in sufficient quantity” for local agricultural production.

Addressing the media that day, Rambharat said the unit “is a very vital part of agriculture in TT. Our farmers use imported seed and planting material but there are some farmers who want some of the more traditional varieties…Because of resistance to pest and diseases, the yield; and around the Corpus Christi planting season, there is a high demand for seeds and planting material.” He acknowledged that “there is still some more work to be done for upgrading the infrastructure and making the place more secure and access to water.” Commenting on the relevance of the Seed Unit, Rambharat said “if we produce the seeds, the farmers will plant, then the consumers can show a greater interest…People are willing and interested in buying local.” “This is one of the priority areas for Government funding that we have identified; with an allocation this fiscal year of TT $1.3 million towards getting it going, and I can see that we will allocate some more for next year, particularly for equipment,” Rambharat stated.

Human trafficking is defined as modern day slavery, and it affects millions of adults and children around the world who are held for the purpose of sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, forced labour, bonded labour/ debt bondage, domestic servitude, forced child labour and unlawful recruitment and use as child soldiers.

The US Department of State recently published the 2017 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report which detailed some of the concerns regarding trafficking across the Caribbean. The report shows there has been an improvement across the region as the majority of countries have improved their Tier placements, which is based on the extent of government action to combat trafficking than on the size of the country’s problem.

There are no countries currently classified in the lowest rank, Tier 3, on account that their government does not fully meet the TVPA’s (Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000) minimum standards and is not making significant eff orts to do so.

The Bahamas and Saint Marti n were the only Caribbean countries appraised as Tier 1 as their governments are deemed as fully complying with the TVPA’s minimum standards. However, no tier ranking is permanent. Every country, including other Tier 1 ranked nations across the world like the US, UK and Germany, can do more to maintain and continually increase eff orts to combat human trafficking.

Human trafficking remains one of the fastest growing illegal enterprises in the world. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates human trafficking earns traffickers around $150 billion a year – a staggering amount that showcases how human trafficking translates into money laundering. But where and how can accountants counter this illegal activity? What part do they play? Well, ACCA accountants across the Caribbean – indeed the world – play an important role in deterring human trafficking throughout the region.

After all, professional accountants have a responsibility to support anti -money laundering initiatives, which firmly puts the finance profession on the front line in tackling this crime. We are the first line of defence in such instances.

In the case of ACCA members, they are obliged to report suspicions of money laundering and terrorist financing (including overseas terrorism, and carry out and maintain records of the compulsory internal staff training on money laundering.

These professionals also have to appoint a money laundering reporting officer to take responsibility for all the procedures, documentation and training; and, have appropriate preventative policies and procedures in place.

They are also advised on the signs to look out for. These could include a sudden and unexplained drop in income of a cash business after a change in ownership, clients using a number of bank accounts, an increase of cash deposits or unexplained third party payments. There are strict penalties for accountants who don’t report their concerns as they cannot wilfully or naively ignore obvious signs of human trafficking.

The fight against human trafficking is a war, especially because the number of prosecutions of human traffickers is alarmingly low. According to the 2015 TIP report, there were only 10,051 prosecutions and 4,443 convictions for trafficking globally in 2014. Finance professionals must use their experiences, in addition to talking to law enforcement agencies to make the connection between the act of money laundering and the source of the income.

There are three aspects to money laundering, known as placement, layering and integration.

‘Placement’ is the transfer of the actual criminal proceeds into the financial system.

That could be through the purchase of a single premium life policy or a work of art.

‘Layering’ is where a smokescreen is created to distance the illicit funds from their source through layers of real or imagined transactions and/or organisations which is designed to hide the trail and provide anonymity.

‘Integration’ is where the funds come back into the financial system as if from normal business transactions or as investment funds to purchase legitimate assets, e.g. the work of art is sold and the proceeds reinvested in a business, which may or may not be legitimate.

Even if a business appears to only operate in one country, its supply chains will cross borders. And selling products or services that rely on human trafficking has financial implications as well as legal and moral ones.

Building a culture where everyone knows what to look out for, and how to report it, is key to good governance in this area Human trafficking destroys the lives of the people exploited in this crime, and as long as finance professionals come together to look out for these signs and uphold their ethics, they can help to reduce and eventually put an end to human trafficking.

“People who run the businesses can tell you, the best work in the Caribbean is in Trinidad — the best capabilities, workmanship, yards.

However, Trinidad has the worst red tape,” Trinidad and Tobago Sailing Association president Mark Loe told Business Day.

Over the past decade and a half, the yachting industry has declined hugely. Between 2000 and 2015, Trinidad experienced a 61 percent drop in yacht arrivals and for 2016 so far, yacht arrivals have fallen by a further 24 percent compared with last year. (See graph) Just checking in to the island is a hassle — visitors in yachts need to fill up almost 15 forms — sometimes in triplicate — to satisfy various Customs and Immigration regulations — including a new one on stowaway information.

“We’ve been asking for years just for them to implement a Single Harmonised Form to streamline the process.

Meanwhile, the other islands competing with us have already introduced it and some… have electronic submissions that you can submit before you dock through a Single Electronic Window.

And their Immigration officers are much more pleasant,” a spokesman for the Yachting Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago (YSATT) said.

Then there’s the seemingly arbitrary way that Immigration grants approvals to for “yachties” to stay on the island.

“Usually… repair works take six months.

Immigration most of the time just stamps a yachtie’s passport for three months. After that, they have to get an extension. For whatever reason, the Immigration Office in Chaguaramas decided it doesn’t do extensions anymore and now these people need to go to in the traffic and confusion of Port-of-Spain to get their extensions,” Loe said.

“Sometimes it feels like it depends on what side of the bed the officer woke up on that day,” another industry source, who requested he not be named, said of the arbitrariness of Immigration decisions.

YSATT noted that they have been clamouring for a standardised list of the Immigration arrival and departure regulations. The Boater’s Directory, what is supposed to be the industry bible for yachties trying to navigate the industry in Trinidad, hasn’t been updated since 2015 because there is no standard.

One example is the randomness to the regulation for pleasure crafts departing after clearance has been given.

Originally it was 24 hours, Business Day was told. Then one day, the instruction became one hour.

Then four hours.

Sometimes, people aren’t even given a grace period and are told to leave immediately. Finally, the industry asked for 16 hours, and thus far, that seems to be the baseline.

As with most of our industries, Trinidad and Tobago’s lack of competitiveness seems to stem from our dependence on energy.

Other Caribbean islands, on the other hand, didn’t need energy, so they knew what they had to do to build their capacity.

Grenada, especially, has set out to carve their niche.

The general consensus from people in the industry who spoke with Business Day is that Grenada has done their homework and set out to take Trinidad’s business, specifically tackling the issues that hit Trinidad hardest — they have friendlier immigration officers, easier check in and a product that engages yachties to enjoy their time on the island while waiting on repairs.

Their products and services might not yet be up to the standards of Trinidad and Tobago, undoubtedly the best in terms of service offerings and experience, but most people agree they will get there, and it will be the death knell for Trinidad if this country doesn’t get its act together.

“They have friendlier immigration officers and more efficient services to check in. They did their homework and they set out to take Trinidad’s business because we’ve ignored our industry,” Loe said.

And then there’s the Yacht-In-Transit tax that was announced in the 2017 Budget last year.

Before, yachties with boats registered outside of Trinidad and Tobago could order equipment and have it delivered to them here without having to pay the Value Added Tax. The Budget amendment meant that this was no longer the case, meaning that if a foreign sailor bought equipment for which he had already paid taxes in his home country, he would have to pay an additional tax here.

The amendment has since been removed, but not before wreaking havoc on the industry.

“It’s a seasonal industry and people plan to be in transit for repairs months in advance. When news of that tax broke, people changed their plans. Now is supposed to be peak time and the marina is empty. There’s no business and companies are either closing or on the verge of shutting down,” Loe said.

The tax turned out to be a boon for Grenada, who had just recently announced the opening of a brand new boatyard, one of the managers at a major repair yard told Business Day. After the tax was announced he said he received up to 50 cancellations “It was such a ridiculous tax. It almost buried us,” he said.

Then there are little things, like general maintenance and getting rid of stray dogs.

“Trinidad is probably the only place you can walk for less than a mile and find every major service you need to fix your boat. Yachties have a culture of walking.

But there a barely any sidewalks, the grass is overgrown and I’ve had to pay personally for medical bills from people who needed tetanus shots from getting bitten by stray dogs,” the YSATT spokesman said.

The Government, has for its part, however, acknowledged the shortcomings of the industry, and has been in dialogue with the stakeholders — notably the YSATT. Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon spoke to Business Day and said Cabinet has already approved a framework to improve the industry and draft legislation to standardise regulations.

One of the most meaningful measures is the approval of the Single Harmonised Form for Trinidad and Tobago, eliminating most of the tedious paperwork. She said some legislative changes are required for its approval, which is currently being handled by the Attorney General.

But she is hopeful the form can be officially introduced by the end of this year, and that legislation can be drafted in three months, and taken to Parliament by August next year.

Gopee-Scoon was aware of the challenges the industry is facing, but she remained hopeful that once these regulations were enacted, it could grow and become a major foreign exchange earner.

YSATT is also optimistic, even though the spokesman acknowledged that they have been making similar requests to the government for nearly 20 years. On a whole though, the people in the industry don’t seem that upbeat about the prospects.

“Grenada’s government is helping their industry, ours isn’t. That’s the reality,” the boatyard manager said.

“The industry is dying.

In fact, it’s probably dead already,” Loe added.