THE EDITOR: I write this note as a response to a letter to the editor in your newspaper on Tuesday September 23, 2003 penned by Rabrindra Moonan of San Fernando and entitled, “Let Fuad be UNC leader.” Firstly, let me state categorically that Rabrindra Moonan is a failed politician who lost what was considered a safe UNC seat in San Fernando during the local government election of 1999. If that by itself wasn’t bad enough, Rabrindra Moonan now attempts to chastise Dr Fuad Khan for his position on the way forward for the UNC. May I remind Mr Moonan that Dr Khan has won four consecutive elections at the national level in a marginal constituency. His strategies and campaign styles speak successfully for themselves. Dr Khan remains the only Member of Parliament from the winning UNC marginals of 1995 to retain his seat up to today.

What Mr Moonan wants to do is take the UNC down the road of co-operation and an “intellectual” approach to organisation. Isn’t this the same route taken by the National Alliance for Reconstruction? Where are they today? Does Mr Moonan now want to carry the UNC down that road? I think it’s enough for Mr Moonan to bury one political party. he wants to bury another one, but we in the UNC will not let him. He can pretend to be UNC all he wants, but we know that he is just a weak imitation of a now defunct political institution looking to wrestle for control of the UNC. If the UNC is to engage in co-operation with government without a commitment for constitutional reform, we would have surrendered one of the very few options open to us as the major opposition party.

What we need in the UNC is a vigorous campaign of civil disobedience, not introspection and co-operation. We need to fight the PNM and not amongst ourselves. Rabrindra Moonan was totally out of place to publicly attack the position taken by Dr Fuad Khan MP, given the fact that he himself was and still is a failed politician. Mr Moonan will be well advised to take his policies and strategies and go help the NAR or Citizens Alliance if this is the way he wants to go, but we in the UNC are rebuilding in our own way, vibrant and reinvigorated. With all our parliamentarians together, we will soon have the PNM on the run.

A ANDERSON MORRIS
San Juan

THE EDITOR: I would like to respond to Wendy Campbell’s article on Sunday September 7, 2003, “The dictation passage that bowled thousands of SRP hopefuls.” She said most of the SRP applicants have passes at CXC level yet failed the dictation exercise. She went on to say that maybe these applicants passed through the multiple choice problems where they just had to “tick” the correct answer without doing any kind of hard thinking. I want to tell her she is absolutely correct. I have been a teacher for over 20 years at a secondary school and I am totally against multiple choice examinations because they are just guessing games. Also, there is the school-based assessment project (SBA) which students must hand up before the examination.

Students hardly fail that part because most of the time the teachers help the students. What makes it worse is that the teachers correct the project and send up the marks to CXC headquarters. These teachers do not want to look bad when the students fail, so they pass nearly everyone. These SBA projects carry nearly half of the marks and with good guessing at the multiple choice paper, the students can pass the exam without gaining many marks from the written examination. I taught some students this year and they can hardly read or spell properly and didn’t even make more than ten marks at their Easter term test, yet they pass the subjects with the SBA projects and the multiple choice questions. Something is wrong and no one is listening; they are only boasting about the number of schools being built, but the education system is failing. Stop these SBA projects and multiple choice exams now. Let the teachers work harder to get success. The teachers know the short cut to get passes in their subjects. If this is done, then one will see the real results from the CXC examinations as shown with the SRP exams. The SRP examination was a blessing in disguise, so that the Education Minister can see the product from the education system.

ANTHONY GITTENS
La Romaine

THE EDITOR: In light of the recent opening of the law term, one notes that there are currently several high profile cases engaging the court’s attention. In this regard, one wonders whether Queens Counsel will be retained by the State to prosecute Yasin Abu Bakr and San Fernando Mayor Ian Atherly who were charged with attempted murder and tampering with a ballot box respectively. In the case of the State versus Basdeo Panday, in what is considered a minor charge, the State retained well-known British Queens Council Sir Timothy Cassel to prosecute. Cassel has been involved in high profile cases in Trinidad over the years such as the Dole Chadee trial.

Given that the charge against Mr Abu Bakr is much more serious than the charge laid against Mr Basdeo Panday, one would expect that a QC would be retained to prosecute Mr Bakr. These are supported by the Chief Justice who in his recent speech at the opening of the law term said in the past guilty persons have been acquitted because of the inexperience of counsel for the State. I suppose it is also accurate to say that innocent people have been imprisoned.

MARTIN MAHARAJ
St Augustine

THE EDITOR: FFOS hereby responds to statements made by a Mr F Richards of Point Fortin in his letter to the editor, “No asthma or rash for ALNG” (Newsday, September 22 2003). Mr Richards is obviously ignorant of published facts.

1) FFOS did hire a certified medical doctor to interview and physically examine residents in Beach Road and Newlands. This medical professional, on the instructions of FFOS, also conducted a preliminary survey of residents in the area which raised serious questions about blister skin rashes and the sudden and unexplained increase in asthma among children and adults.
2) Mysteriously, Mr Richards fails to make any possible connection between ALNG’s toxic emissions from flaring the respiratory ailments and blister rashes reported by residents living in close proximity to ALNG. It is clear to us that this Mr Richards has not taken the time to examine the medical data from the Point Fortin Area Hospital which confirms that Point Fortin is in fact booming with asthma.
3) Mr Richards does not understand the elementary arithmetic of ALNG revenues in which Point Fortin receives a pitiful $7 million per annum while ALNG exports a whopping $19,000 million per annum from our natural gas. When the gas runs out in 15 years, Point Fortin would have reaped TT $105 million while ALNG would have repatriated TT $280,000 million.
4) Unfortunately many citizens believe that foreign corporate interests supersede local public interests especially where the foreigners dangle the proverbial two cents carrot for the “Richards” of our society.
Mr Richards is correct that FFOS does not speak for all the residents of Point Fortin and we have never claimed to, but we are quite willing to represent those Point Fortin residents who seek our help in protecting their quality of life.

GARY ABOUD
FFOS

THE EDITOR: This is to inform the many people of Trinidad and Tobago who look down on security officers, and to open their eyes to the fact that security officers in the country are not all brainless. I am an estate constable attached to one of the government ministries for many years and I have first hand knowledge of the many officers who are very educated. Some of them have entered the service with academic certificates having as many as nine passes, and over the years many have gone on to study in different institutions of higher learning such as the University of the West Indies, Cipriani Labour College and others, and have obtained certificates, diplomas and other achievements.

On many occasions while interacting with staff members in the public service many officers and myself have experienced a lot of criticism and other mean acts by public servants and even some members of the public because we believe that they are of the opinion that once you are a security officer you are brainless and stupid; but I am here to tell them that there are a lot of officers who are more academically inclined than many of them who sit behind desks with in and out dips. We the security officers in the various organisations are asking people to get their facts straight before making assumptions and stereotyping the men and women who are employed in the security services of this country. The people need to take into consideration that maybe the jobs that some of them would have liked to be employed in were not available at the time they were seeking employment and this job may have been the quickest and easiest to obtain. Finally, I am very happy and proud to say that many security officers including myself have achieved their goals in life and are doing fine because they are gainfully employed and have put their money to good use.

J FORTUNE
D’Abadie 

THE EDITOR: I would just like to express my views on what should be good customer service and what I think it should be like. First of all, I’d like to know why there are so many people in the customer service field, whether they are government employees, store clerks or private company’s front-men who are the ones interacting with the public, yet show no admirable skills required for their position of work. Shouldn’t these people be kind, courteous, willing to be helpful and above all, have general knowledge pertaining to their field of work? I have found that many of the people in this position are not qualified to carry on the duties necessary to ensure that customers are satisfied.

For example, store clerks sometimes let personal matters affect their emotions in the work place. Most times we receive an unpleasant reaction and it’s not fair to customers to walk into a place of business and be treated with a negative attitude. Business owners should train employees, reinforcing proper social conduct with regards to greeting and attending to customers. I would like an attendant to greet me with a simple genuine smile, “hello, good morning/afternoon, may I help you?” If I choose no help, they can then tell me, “well, my name is…… if you need my assistance I’ll be right over there, feel free to call on me.” I think that is a most appropriate greeting instead of an attendant who either ignores me or one who constantly badgers me trying to get me to buy something. That’s all I have to say, thank you very much.

KAREN   ALI
Chaguanas

THE EDITOR: I wish to respectfully recommend to the Hon Prime Minister Mr Patrick Manning that he should reconsider very seriously giving weekly media conferences. Why? I believe that it is in his best interest and that of the country since his last pronouncement of a merger of the UTC and FCB which he deliberately put out in the public domain to hear reactions (which I believe was foolhardy). I am now of the view that “no news is good news and too much make-up news is trouble.” I should also like to suggest to the Hon Ministers of Health and National Security that they do likewise. It is all well and good for people to say we need to be informed, but being ill- or mis-informed, is another matter. I say until you come with something solid to say, it is better to keep quiet.

B  SANDY
Maraval

THE EDITOR: I have noted with bemused interest that letters have been sent to the newspapers in an apparent effort to demonise Mr Michael Leggerton, president of Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation. This is an orchestrated move by certain individuals within the organisation who are upset by the president’s new thrust which interferes with their devious agendas. This is why a simple response to a journalist’s Inquiry has snowballed into cowardly public witch-hunt.

The fact is that certain elements within my organisation who have dragged this body to its lowest depths are now fighting for their very survival. The president’s prudent and efficient management style has exposed them for what they are — inept, bungling mismanagers. This smoke-screen is necessary to draw members’ attention away from the effective work carried out by the president. TUCO has been able to climb out of the financial mess it had found itself in and is now on the road to prosperity. This action, being pursued by deceitful members, is nothing more than a serious low-blow. I call on my president to ignore these detractors and pursue his goal to make TUCO a self-sufficient and successful organisation. Go ahead Mr president, the majority of the members of TUCO is behind you.

STEVE “THE ORCHID” JAMES
St James

THE EDITOR: With respect to a few grouses:
Airports Authority

(1) Every time I land in Trinidad, once out of the Customs area, I am bombarded with gentlemen asking me if I want a taxi. After the sixth or seventh time it gets really annoying. Why can’t the relevant authority put a system in place where arriving passengers requiring a taxi can go to a designated area and get the first available taxi? Surely this is not a difficult problem to overcome.
(2) Car Park: Firstly, there are not enough parking spots. Secondly, why aren’t parking spots for the disabled properly allocated, identified and monitored?
Immigration
When is the Immigration Department going to get its act together and allow citizens of TT hassle-free entry in to TT? Why do we have to line up and have forms and passports stamped. Can’t we do like the US and just show our passport. Come on people, let’s keep up with the times.
Minister of Works and Transport
I recently called the Drainage Division to complain about the huge, old, rusty, barge which has taken up residence at the month of the Diego Martin river (between Westmoorings East and Westmoorings West). I was advised by a very pleasant lady that previous complaints had been received and that the owner of the barge had been contacted to remove it.
To date this has not been done. Would the owner please remove the barge immediately as it is blocking the free flow of the river, it’s dangerous as it could shift causing damage to nearby property and it is unsightly.
On another matter of interest, there is another smaller barge, which is 99 percent submerged at the mouth of the river. The barge obviously sank and has been abandoned by its owner. Can’t the relevant authority hold the owner responsible for removing the barge or at the very least charge him for the cost to remove it?

ANGELA   RAMKISSOON
Westmoorings

THE EDITOR: One must congratulate Lloyd Cartar for his very informative letter “Why Unit Trust cannot be merged.” I for one will immediately withdraw my funds from Unit Trust if there is any merger with a bank. Prime Minister Manning must give serious consideration not to attempt any stupid thing like putting the Unit Trust under the bank of First Citizen Bank. The Prime Minister must retract. He must say that the Unit Trust will be given more power and it is one of the best run financial institutions in Trinbago, and it will not be merged. Thanks Lloyd.

HARNAM AN SINGH
Vancouver, British Columbia