The exhibition opened yesterday in Arima and continues until August 19.

Burrows chatted a bout her second solo exhibition during an interview at Newsday offices in Port of Spain.

Asked about the early signs of talent, the 31-year-old from Petit Valley said all small children will paint or draw but “the difference between me and other people is I never had a reason to stop.” In primary and secondary school, Burrows entered art competitions, and won for the first time when she was 15.

She also entered the On the Wall/Off the Wall competition in 2009 for emerging artists and one of her paintings was placed on the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain for two years. One of the people involved in the competition was the president of the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago Courtney Williams and Burrows was asked to join, participating in group exhibitions.

In 2012, she had her first showing War and Peace together with fashion designer Josette James. Burrows recalled doing extensive hand-painting for the exhibition. She has also had three exhibitions with fellow artist Gabriella D’Abreau. This weekend’s exhibition, however, is the first show “completely on her own.” Burrows has done so many group shows that going completely on her own was not a scary proposition. She explained that the venue, Akimbo Art Gallery, focuses on the local artisan market including art, soaps and other handmade creations.

Her theme is an exploration of inner strength.

Everyone, she says, who is a determined, hard worker may try their best but at times it is not enough. You must re-evaluate your life, dig deeper and find things to keep going and this could be as simple as a kind word or gesture.

Gardening, which Burrows now enjoys, works into the theme of growing things, growing your own food and growing yourself.

While some people do art as a hobby to relieve stress this was not the case for her.

“Art is not my hobby, it’s my passion.” Burrows considers herself a mixed media artist because she works with different materials.

The artwork in New Hope is a combination of acrylics, inks and colour pencils and it will feature 15 pieces and she may do an additional two. She discussed three of her pieces: Glow, Legacy and We Are One.

For Glow, Burrows was inspired by the space theme and she had been watching documentaries about outer space phenomenon.

In her work she tied the space setting into the theme of hope.

“Typically humans are so obsessed with their own problems and their own difficulties that sometimes if you step back and you look at all creation, everything, we are just a little dot and everything that we are experiencing now is going to be gone within a second. If you imagine all of this, all of the planets and everything, all created, and you are just like one little spot in the universe it will make you realise how small our problems are and how easily, if you just take a step back, it could be solved.” Glow, which is acrylic and inks, is about looking towards the sun, the future and knowing that something good is on the way.

For Legacy, which is colour pencils and pastelles, Burrows started drawing someone with dark, smooth skin, and the more she drew the more it reminded her of a younger version of her grandmother.

Her grandmother was a single mother who took care of her children and had her own house. Burrows was in her early teens when her grandmother passed away in 1999 and remembers her as a strong woman who inspired her to move forward. Legacy is also her first colour pencil portrait. Although she prefers abstract paintings, Burrows realised for different stories she wanted to tell she needed to incorporate the human form.

Her third piece, We Are One (acrylic and ink) features a father with a child on piggy back which shows that “we are family working together as a unit.” Burrows observes that family members are the ones who give the support needed to go the extra mile, Burrows observes.

On her creative process, Burrows explains when she was younger she would just draw but now, especially as she is into portraits, she would sketch out her ideas before and then decide on a date to do the piece.

Asked about her training, Burrows did art up to Form Five but studied engineering at university and then did a Masters of Business Administration degree. But she found art allowed her to be more bold.

Also working in sales helped her to better interact with people.

Burrows does not have any favourite local or foreign artists but recalled seeing an exhibition by an Indian artist, years ago, whose use of detailed patterns inspired her.

She also has “art buddies”, among them D’Abreau and Reuben Gonzales, who influence her and her attitude towards art.

In past exhibitions, D’Abreau did more figurative work, while hers was abstract, but Burrows notes they are both attracted to bright and bold colours.

As artists and friends they support each other, encouraging each other to not give up in challenging moments.

Burrows finds the difficult part of marketing herself and her art is that she is not a naturally outgoing person but says “you need to have a strong network and ability to market yourself to make your work desirable.

You also have to make people want what you have.” The responses to her art have been good especially since she switched from strictly abstracts. She started an Instagram account and has had the best reception there. The comments have included, “oh my God, I love it”, “amazing”, “I love the colours” and “genius.” Burrows has given her best effort in her latest exhibition and is hopeful she will receive many red dots (which indicates the pieces have been sold).

But more than this, she wants her exhibition to inspire hope.

“When you look at it you must be inspired to do something, do some gardening. You should be excited to see it. Everybody would have their own interpretation. I want you to think about what you saw and leave in a better mood than you came in.” New Hope opened yesterday at Akimbo Art Gallery, 27 Prince Street, Arima and continues until August 19. Monday to Friday 11.30 am-5 pm and Saturday 11 am-6 pm.

For more information email akimbotrinidad@ gmail.com.

And, with the thrust toward diversification, it also has placed renewed focus on the jobs that would enable this country to emerge from the current economic crunch and along a path to sustained growth.

Specifically, the advertisement sought foreign nationals who could speak English and work legally in Trinidad to fill positions such as passenger service agents, airport baggage and ramp handling agents, cargo agents and handlers, aviation security agents, wheelchair assistance, gas and diesel mechanics, supervisors and managers.

Duke, who also accused the company of violating the country’s labour laws, argued that these positions could easily have been filled by locals.

“Why are they allowed to box food out of one’s mouth and say it is for foreign nationals only?” he asked. “Why is it that this company is recruiting foreign nationals when there are people here who can do the same work?” Swissport Trinidad and Tobago has issued a statement, saying the company has been compliant with the country’s labour laws and regulations.

However, the company did not address specific concerns about its desire for foreign nationals to fill positions at the two airports.

The company said it was “a responsible employer” which prided itself on “its longstanding reputation as a competent and efficient provider in the service of the aeronautical industry of Trinidad and Tobago.” But president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FITUN) Joseph Remy said he supported Duke’s concerns.

He described the ad as “insensitive,” saying it was published at a time when the PSA started to raise “particular issues” relating to the terms and conditions under which locals are working and the threat of job security.

“And in the face of that, you see this ad inviting foreign persons to apply for jobs in Trinidad and Tobago when there are competent local persons available to do the same jobs.” Remy said the labour movement was not against foreigners working in TT “but there has to be a policy position relative to how that is done and that policy cannot be one that will infringe on one’s constitutional rights for access to what the local economy provides.” “And, as such, we believe it was insensitive of that company to place that ad at a time when the PSA was raising some industrial relations issues because it says to us directly that the ad is in response to the concerns raised by the PSA and it is their response to the threat to withhold their labour for improved terms and conditions of employment,” he added.

Saying FITUN totally condemned the ad, Remy said the Ministries of Labour and National Security must carefully scrutinise the process for work permits in cases where foreigners have applied.

“They must note the impact it is going to have on the local labour market and the impact on the wider economy.” Remy said the jobs for which Swissport International was seeking foreigners could be accessed locally.

“There is a supply of labour for those jobs and as such, we should tap into that supply source instead of going foreign. And we believe that this is a real indictment against a sovereign nation,” he said.

“It says to us that they have no care for government policy and they feel they could come here and do what they want. And they believe that because the country is in an economically challenging time and we are looking for direct foreign investment, that they could do what they want and get away with it.” Urging the Government to stand firm on the issue, Remy said the fact that the company has placed an ad for jobs on the local market suggests, too, that educational institutions are not churning out what the local demand requires.

“That means we have a supply side situation and that is something that has to be corrected. We can’t be giving so many people tertiary education and we still have a shortage of skills sets throughout the country. Something is wrong.” According to Remy, TT ’s labour market is in a very precarious state “because no one can put their finger on the real status of where we are in terms of what are our absolute needs and what is our supply situation.” He added: “So, we don’t know what are the key skills sets and jobs that are required to carry the economy forward and we don’t know what is the supply side of it, whether we are churning out from our secondary schools, trade schools and tertiary institutions, the requisite skills sets to match the demand of the labour market.” Remy claimed such information has not been readily available from the Ministries of Labour and Planning and Development.

Claiming that unemployment rates were increasing rapidly, the veteran trade union leader wondered what would become of graduates of secondary and tertiary institutions given the ongoing retrenchment in several sectors.

“But then you are seeing vacancies being advertised for foreigners to come in the country. That to us says that something is fundamentally wrong.

Our planning is really atrocious.” President of the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union Vincent Cabrera claimed on Thursday that an estimated 4,000 workers have been put on the breadline since September 2016, far surpassing the period 1985 to 1993 in which close to 7,000 people were retrenched.

He feared that the rising unemployment could lead to increased criminal activity.

Remy said there was no apparent nexus between the Ministries of Labour and Planning and Development in terms of conducting a manpower analysis.

“We are in an absolute mess and nobody is taking a handle of the situation.” Remy said the National Tripartite Advisory Council, from which union leaders have temporarily suspended their involvement over the Tourism Development Company issue, would have been the think-tank to address critical labour and economic issues.

“We would have been able to provide the government with certain outputs that would have allowed them to do certain things differently. But the politicians continue to do things wrong and expect to get different results.” Technology jobs of the future But Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis, responding to Remy’s claims, yesterday said her ministry was already carrying out an analysis of the jobs that are required to take TT out of its economic slump.

She said the research, thus far, has shown that information communication technology, artificial intelligence and other technology-related fields will be the areas of opportunity of the future.

Robinson-Regis said jobs in the areas of human organ engineering, climate change and memory augmentation (the process by which one’s ability to retain information is increased) also will be in demand by the year 2030. “This is in the context of not only what is happening currently nationally, regionally and internationally, but what future trends indicate,” she told Sunday Newsday.

Robinson-Regis said an analysis was being carried out against the backdrop of the Government’s National Development Strategy Plan (2016- 2030) with research undertaken by the Central Statistical Office as well as through a technical cooperation agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank to conduct a Manpower Strategy for Trinidad and Tobago, part of which has already been initiated through the Global Services Promotion Programme of her ministry. Robinson- Regis said the Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise was a key partner in this exercise.

She said Government was also involved in the development of a manpower strategy at two levels – sector- specific and aggregate.

The minister said the strategy entailed relevant research and was intended to identify human capital requirements, implement actions to develop required skills and, ultimately, support the achievement of the country’s economic goals through a clear direction for the human resources of TT moving into the future.

Robinson-Regis said another IDB project, specifically targeting the youth, also was among the ministry’s plans to support the labour sector.

“The IDB has approved a regional technical cooperation (plan) called ‘Support for Productivity and Youth Employment Initiatives in the Caribbean’ with the aim of addressing low productivity and youth unemployment,” she said.

“It is also intended to improve skills building, the labour market and will identify potential public private partnerships for youth employment.” Robinson-Regis said TT , Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas have been invited to participate in the IDB-executed initiative.

She said the IDB and Ministries of Labour and Planning will be partners in this collaboration once full approval has been obtained.

Ahye was third in heat five in 11.14 seconds to earn the last automatic qualification spot in the heat. Winning the heat was Brazilian Rosangela Santos in 11.04, a personal best, while Mujinga Kambundji of Switzerland also qualified after finishing second in 11.14. Jamaican Simone Facey earned the last qualification spot in the heat when she was fourth in 11.29.

Running in heat six, Baptiste qualified after finishing fourth in 11.21.

Winning the heat was Daryll Neita of Great Britain in 11.15, American Deajah Stevens was second in 11.17, Jamaican Natasha Morrison was third in 11.21 and Ewa Swoboda of Poland was fifth in 11.24 in a season best time.

The top five all qualified for the semi-finals.

TT junior sprinter Khalifa St Fort did not advance to the semi-finals.

St Fort was fifth in heat two in 11.44. Winning the heat was Jamaican Olympic champion Elaine Thompson in 11.05.

Canadian Crystal Emmanuel was second in 11.14 and American Ariana Washington was third in 11.28 to earn qualification to the semi-finals. The top three in each of the six heats plus the next six fastest athletes progessed to the semi-finals.

In the men’s 400m heats, TT runners Lalonde Gordon and Machel Cedenio qualified for the semi-finals. The other TT representative Renny Quow did not qualify. Gordon finished second in heat one in a season best time of 45.02.

The top five athletes in the heat qualified. American Fred Kerley won the heat in 44.92, while Kevin Borlee of Belgium was third in 45.09.

Cedenio was third in heat two in 45.77 to earn the last spot in the semi-finals from the heat.

Winning the heat was South African Wayde Van Niekerk in 45.27, while Italian David Re was second in 45.71. Quow was seventh in 45.95 in heat five.

The first three in each of the six heats qualified for the final along with the next six fastest athletes.

Today, Cedenio will line up in heat three of the men’s 400m semis, while Gordon will face the starter in heat two. The TT pair will aim for a place in Tuesday’s final.

Baptiste will compete in heat one of the women’s 100m semis, while Ahye will be in heat three.

The final of the event is also scheduled for today.

Domonique Williams will be this country’s only participant in the women’s 400m event when she participates in heat four today.

Also today, TT will have two athletes in the men’s 110m hurdles.

Ruebin Walters will face the starter in heat two, while Mikel Thomas will line up in heat five aiming for a spot in the semi-finals later in the day.

Ofra Highlighter If you favour a blinding highlight, Ofra’s selection is for you. Rodeo Drive, which is a sun-kissed golden hue is their best-selling shade. With a smooth formula and a rich sheen, it’s clear to see why this highlighter is such a hit!

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Poured The best thing about this creamy highlight is that it is fingertip-friendly. It will be perfect if you want a low maintenance, radiant glow. It is easy to store in your makeup bag or purse, making it ideal for travel. Pop a small amount of highlight onto the high points of your face. If your shoulders or collar bones are exposed, dab some highlight there too. This is also a wonderful option for those with drier or more mature skin, since it won’t be as drying as a powder.

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator The creamy texture of this powder highlight allows it to glide onto the skin and last all day. The shade Gilded Honey is stunning on warm-toned tanned skin, while Charming Pink will brighten and illuminate cool-toned fair skin.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder The particle size of these powders is so _ ne, they will never accentuate texture. You won’t achieve a blinding glow with these powders, but rather a soft, subtle, re_ ned, lit-from-within look. These will be excellent for those with mature or textured skin.

Sleek Makeup Solstice Highlighting Palette This is a palette consisting of four highlighting shades: one cream and three powders. The shade range makes it very versatile. Layer the powder on top of the cream highlight for a stronger glow.

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops The ultra-concentrated formula gives a liquid metal sheen. Not for the faint-hearted. It can even be used on top of powder without disturbing your makeup.

Additionally, you can mix these drops with your foundation or moisturiser to sheer it out and create a softer, more wearable look.

Marc Jacobs Beauty Dew Drops Coconut Gel Highlighter This highlight is a hybrid of makeup and skincare. As the name suggests, it contains five different forms of coconut to hydrate and nourish the skin. You can use this under or over your foundation, depending on how strong a glow you desire.

Colourpop Super Shock Highlighter Colourpop is notorious for having affordable and amazing products. These highlighters have a longwearing creamy formula that is buildable and easy to blend. The shade Lunch Money is a flattering soft gold hue. If you really want your highlight to be seen, layer any powder highlight over this one.

Bonus: I’m always asked what my favourite highlighting brushes are. I enjoy the Real Techniques Setting Brush because it’s small and fluffy with just enough density to apply a generous amount of product, while blending it for a seamless finish.

The ELF Small stipple brush is great for liquid or cream highlight because it’s soft and will apply the sheerest layer of product for a natural look.

The Morphe Y14 is hands down my favourite highlighting brush. It is a small and slender brush, with a lightly tapered tip. It’s just fluffy enough to give you a precise highlight while also blending seamlessly with the rest of your makeup.

Much buzz has been had over the book’s film adaptation of the same name, which will premiere later this year as the opening feature film of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF). This year not only heralds the film’s premiere but also marks the novel’s 50th anniversary, proving that it has defined and inspired many generations – and will continue to do so as the story is presented through the medium of cinema.

Nadia Nisha Kandhai will appear in the role of Rosalie, a main character in the book and one of Shell’s, and many of the village’s young men’s, love interest.

Having read the book at the age of 11, Nadia describes herself as young and insecure at the time of her first reading. She shares that her first book report was done on “Green Days”, and that she remembers Rosalie being her favourite character because she so wished to be like her.

“Rosalie was beautiful, wealthy, and confident – things a young girl aspires to be,” says Nadia of the traits that drew her to the character inked on the pages.

Fast-forward ten years and the soon-to-be-released film stars Nadia in the role of a character who she has had visions of for the last decade; something she never thought possible when she first became entranced with the novel before her entrance into secondary school.

It was a chance encounter at Piarco International Airport with Christian James, the film adaptation’s producer that led to Nadia landing the role. James approached and asked Nadia if she was familiar with the novel and that he was making the book into a film. “He said I looked exactly how he had pictured Rosalie, and encouraged me to audition.”

A second-year medical student at the UWI, St Augustine, Nadia says she had never done anything like this before. Her dreams have always been set on becoming a medical doctor and she describes herself as always having been academically inclined.

“This was way out of my comfort zone!” she says laughingly, adding that her friends and family encouraged her to audition. Although unsure of the outcome, the audition process went in her favour which came as a surprise to everyone, including Nadia herself, as she had no prior experience in acting or drama – “Besides being a very overdramatic person, as my mum likes to say,” she beams cheekily.

Before production began, she was immersed in a whirlwind of dance recitals and scene rehearsals in a short space of time, ahead of the filming schedule, which lasted 26 days.

However, the characterisation of Rosalie was not a hard one to come by for the newcomer. Several people joked that Nadia was the embodiment of Rosalie Gidharee. Of her onscreen portrayal, she says, “I am the character. It wasn’t hard for me to play Rosalie because I was reading her lines as myself. The girl you see onscreen is purely me, not someone just talking the talk and walking the walk.”

She also became friends with many of the actors off screen, and says she savoured every moment of playing her version of Rosalie.

“’Green Days by the River’ is one of my long-standing favourite books,” she says of her attachment to the novel’s rich, poignant, and nuanced stories of youthful frolic, familiar lush island imagery, and familial duty and honour. “It truly shaped the way I saw responsibility and the expectations of other people, and gave me insight on life in the 1950s in Trinidad.”

She believes that film adaptations of books should retain as much of the written word’s spirit when translated onscreen, painting the words into real life. “The film breathed life into the book, making it come alive in swirling colours and sounds,” she describes, adding that the adaptation is true to the novel’s story and characters. To the novel’s many fans and enthusiasts, Nadia says “Prepare to see your imagination projected onto a screen; I promise you’ll love it [as] we loved making it.”

She hasn’t seen the finished product yet, and will be just as mesmerised and moved as audience-goers upon the film’s premiere. She praises the film as author Michael Anthony’s words “wrapped up in the wafting greens and swirling blues of a seaside town, one long lost but recovered by producer Christian James and director, Michael Mooleedhar, who are true visionaries.”

For folks who are fans of period piece films, especially those set in our tiny island, Nadia says you are in for a visual treat.

Ahead of the film’s premiere, she looks forward to the well-deserved interest locally, regionally, and internationally. She plans on graduating in the future and realising her dreams of becoming a doctor, but says excitedly that she would not turn down the chance to act again in the future if the opportunity presents itself.

Her last words to readers and film enthusiasts alike, ahead of the “Green Days” premiere in September, are, “This film has the ebb and flow of the Mayaro waves, strong emotions and weak wills of youth, together with enchanting sequences of lush trees and flowing rivers. This film is about duty and love. This film is about life.”

Check out some of Nadia’s song covers on her Soundcloud at Nadia Nisha/Nadia Kandhai, or follow her on Instagram @nadinishi

Pensioner Harold Ramnarine,75, and his common-law wife Sundra Watie, 65, were asleep when four men smashed the front door of their home at about 2 am yesterday.

They live at Ramsabad Trace, Barrackpore, and, according to a police report, the masked men used a hacksaw to prise open a lock of the family’s front door. Two of the men were armed with guns and the other two with knives.

The report said Ramnarine and Watie were awoken by the noise to be confronted by the men who demanded they hand over all their money.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday at their home yesterday, a traumatised Ramnarine said he was still in a state of shock.

“I keep getting flashes of what occurred and I am so deeply hurt and shocked but I am also lucky to be alive,” said Ramnarine. “My wife and I were spared because of prayers. They said they were going to kill us before they left, I believed they were really going to kill us.” Ramnarine lives in Canada but had returned to Trinidad only hours before and retired to bed with his wife.

“Would you imagine this is what I came back to?” Ramnarine asked.

“I see myself as a brave man but this place is a scary to live.” Ramnarine said that at about 1.30 am he was awoken by noises coming from the front of his house and the sounds of his dogs barking repeatedly. He said, “It was only within a few seconds these four men barged into our bedroom and demanded that we hand over money.

They pointed the guns to our heads and shouted, ‘We come for both of you today, give us all your money, we will kill you!’ “One of them had his arms around my neck and another one had his hands around my wife’s neck. My wife was crying hysterically, I could do nothing to help her. All I could do was pray.” The burglars then used the duct tape to seal the couple’s mouths and tie their hands and legs together before they forced them to lie on the ground.

The four men then ransacked all the rooms. “After they took all the money I had in my possession, they returned to the bedroom and threatened to rape my wife,” Ramnarine said. “They said they had got what they wanted and now it was their time to have fun with my wife.” He said his eyes were closed and he continued praying. “I knew their was an angel right in the room with us, because the men left suddenly in a haste. Tears also came to my eyes. I think about what happened and I still I am fearful.” Ramnarine said that when the men ran out of the bedroom he could hear the engine start to his green B14 which was parked in the yard of the home. “I knew they had also stolen my car but I just wanted them out and out of our lives,” a traumatised Ramnarine said.

The burglars also escaped with $2,000, two bottles of Scotch Whisky and CAN$1,000. Barrackpore police officers are investigating.

It is either of two things: someone is not communicating effectively that these are among the harshest economic times we have ever faced as a country, or someone just does not care. It is impossible to believe the latter. Since it was labour on show, trade union leaders with their threat of worse to come, must know that some of their bluster is counter-productive. But it behoves all to be aware of some key economy variables which should form the backdrop to all action.

In recent years, we have suffered a decline in energy earnings due to lower prices and falling output.

This has been directly responsible for lower government revenues.

Income fell by 35 per cent to $37 billion between 2014 and 2016.

Total revenue was lower by 24 per cent in the first half of the 2016/17 financial year despite energy receipts being higher in the previous fiscal year. We have also seen our net international reserves drop from $10.4 billion as of May 2014 to $8.95 billion at the end of May, resulting in export coverage moving down from 12 months to 10.

To address the deficit, the initiatives taken by the government included drawing down US$251 million (TT$1.7 billion) on the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF) on March 16, as well as borrowing domestically to help finance its operations during the first six months. These steps were taken because the government did not, by its own admission, want to stall the economy and cause suffering.

The government had hoped that it would not have to introduce austerity measures. Clearly market conditions in the hydrocarbon market suggests that more aggressive fiscal consolidation measures are required.

Government also borrowed $3.5 billion on the domestic capital market through the issuance of three bonds. The Mid-Year Budget Review pointed out that the new set of borrowing has increased the ratio of public sector debt to GDP from 60.1 per cent at the end of 2015/16 to 61.1 per cent of GDP at the end of March. Generally, the IMF has considered a ratio of 60 per cent as a threshold above which the result is negative growth.

Currently, we are seeing companies such as the Agricultural Development Bank, undergoing wage negotiations with resulting staff protests fully supported by the union. One has to wonder as to the financial state of the company, especially since they are allocated subventions that we are not even sure they receive. Can the company afford salary increases to the tune of 14 per cent at this time? All stakeholders need to exercise care about the positions they advance, especially as the IMF has called for policy changes such as fiscal adjustment, structural reforms to enhance our foreign exchange earnings capacity, procurement reforms, easing the costs of doing business even further, modernising financial supervision and reforms to increase the scope of growth and diversification.

While the unions must calm the waters, and negotiate hard, the government must more effectively communicate and present the true state of affairs, engage the population, lead by example, present a vision, an economic plan on which we all can agree, and get buy-in from key stakeholders. Clearly what is being demanded does not appear to reflect any appreciation of the current economic conditions.

The private sector, especially those operations that are still reaping huge profits, must desist sending people home, and instead must appear to be understanding of the difficulties faced and offer solutions that appear conscious of the suffering of the less deprived. Our key stakeholders must be more mature in the face of extreme challenges: nothing less is acceptable. It can’t be that we just don’t care.

According to the ministry, the national policy will also provide a holistic framework for achieving equal opportunity for all citizens with disabilities. The ministry said it is in keeping with its mandate and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which was ratified in 2015 as well as the 2030 development agenda.

Qushiba La Fleur, president of WeCare Deaf Support Network and acting executive officer for TT Association for the Hearing Impaired, told Sunday Newsday that she attended two consultations for the new draft policy.

She said at the consultations participants called for education and employment of persons with disabilities to be areas of focus. She also recalled one participant complaining that while ministry officials would say what they want to do “implementation takes a long time” or never happens at all.

La Fleur said they want companies to have their buildings suit the needs of persons with disabilities as employees but some were saying it is too expensive to make their buildings disabled friendly and prefer not to hire or engage with them. She said this was especially the case for deaf people as companies believe it will take time and cost them money.

“In our country we not seeing the importance of ensuring things are implemented. The fact is we should not be asking for it to happen but it should be mandatory.” In terms of education, La Fleur said there should be specialised curriculum for children with disabilities and trained teachers. She said that it should not just be an overall course for special education because a teacher of the deaf, for example, would not be able to teach a child with Down syndrome or autism.

She said for deaf children they are not as successful academically as they could be because the resources are too limited to ensure they more have access to schools and there is no curriculum designed for the deaf and hard of hearing.

La Fleur pointed out that despite Trinidad and Tobago signing on to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities the challenge was implementation and following through.

On the draft national policy she said her concern was that it was not specific. She gave the example of education and training and said that you cannot just say you will provide these things without specifying the appropriate support services and teaching aides.

“With disability you need to be specific.” She said the policy did not mention specialised curriculum geared towards children with disabilities.

She said the association can provide sign language interpreters for students but deaf students need additional technology as well as special education teachers.

She pointed out that the policy mentioned providing sign language training for parents and communities which was “fine” but this would not help deaf children when it comes to education.

La Fleur said most of the policy had been discussed before but reiterated that it does not address specifics.

“You have to break it up and be specific. Children with cerebral palsy, various disabilities, Down syndrome, how do you facilitate their needs? What are the necessary things they would need?” She said there is much information online regarding the UN convention so locally there is no need to reinvent wheel as some of their codes which are suitable for this country can be used.

Blind Welfare Association executive officer Kenneth Suratt told Sunday Newsday that he read the draft policy and made comments.

He recalled a disability policy being discussed 25 years ago but there are still no laws for the disabled. He said the United States has celebrated more than 25 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Suratt said TT should have had a national policy but is way behind time and needs to move quickly towards legislation.

“If you do not have laws a person who is blind cannot challenge the system. A policy is just expressing an intention. We need laws to protect the disabled and we going on almost two years to sign off on the charter.” He said the process has been too long at the draft stage, consultation and moving from green paper to white paper.

“I am tired of it.” Suratt said there is a draft building code to accommodate the disabled and a policy for housing but they are not law so people are not compelled to implement them and there is no way to challenge the situation. He said the Equal Opportunities Commission was the only body that had laws which speaks for the disabled.

He said the Ministry of Education has a policy for the disabled but again it is not law. Suratt said blind children were being refused entry to schools because they had no aide, there was no braille or large print.

“We must move swiftly into law.

If you don’t do (something) the disabled person take you to court and straight to Privy Council.” He said he was happy that child marriage laws were amended but questioned when there was going to be laws to deal with the disabled.

“I tired of policy. Too much of talk. I ask them when we going to see draft legislation. And that is what the conversation should be.

Not policy.” Suratt said the association would like to know when Government will draft laws before their five years are up.

Happily spared the ravages of bad weather, so far, and the political and social upheavals that plague our neighbours, we ought to celebrate our privileged status. In the first place, we could practise the art of thankfulness.

Ingratitude is a ‘sin of sorcery’, because when we fail to return thanks, we are setting ourselves up as the architects of our good fortune, making little gods out of our gifts of body and mind, ignoring the God, from Whom all good gifts flow.

We need to look at our responsibility to the persons and groups whose lack demands a response from us. The Fathers of the Church warn us that whatever we have in excess belongs, by right, to those who are in need. Not to give to them is to be guilty of theft, frightening thought! While holidays may be the dominant flavour of the month, back-to-school is also a preoccupation of many families. Here is a practical and accessible way to return thanks for our own good fortune, and to come to the help of the future generations as parents confront the bookstores for books and school supplies.

And as we enjoy the benefits of our islands, we celebrate the transfiguration of our landscape after rain, the flowering trees, the accessible beaches and trails, all the benefits of Nature that we take as part of our birthright.

In this month, let us remember and assume our responsibility for the care of the Earth, as Pope Francis so insistently reminds us.

It is a cause of shame that every year, we are confronted with the spectacle of flooding due to our carelessness and abuse of our environment.

Clean-up campaigns should become unnecessary because each citizen assumes responsibility for the appropriate disposal of waste. We cannot claim First World status when we act without regard for our home.

And finally, ‘render to God the things that belong to God.’ We lament the loss of our moral compass and the resultant slide towards anarchy that we notice in our society. The only corrective is a return to reverence for God in our daily life.

We have to obey the Commandment of love and the Ten Commandments so we can once again recognise the other person as a neighbour and see the radiance of God’s face reflected on every person and every aspect of Nature.

If only we could allow ourselves to see beyond the ordinary to the reality that hides in plain view we would experience a return to something like the harmony described at the dawn of creation. But we’re so afraid of one another and afraid to be taken for a ride that we prefer to hide.

Only Jesus risked being a Fool for God!

A statement issued by the ministry said Imbert noted comments made by Permell that he was still a policyholder and wanted the balance of money owed to him.

The ministry said its records indicate that on May 22, 2012, Permell accepted the former People’s Partnership government’s offer for purchase of his Clico policies by virtue of deeds of assignment and declarations of trust in respect of two executive flexible premium annuities with Clico.

The ministry said Permell received the sum of $75,000 in cash for each policy with the rest being paid in bonds.

In full and final settlement in May 2012, Permell relinquished all claims to these policies.

The ministry said Permell signed a clear and unequivocal waiver of all future claims against Clico with respect to these policies.

The ministry said it had been advised that Permell no longer had any contractual relationship with Clico.

Permell has said he was neither a Clico nor a CLF shareholder.

However, he has maintained that he was a Clico policyholder