A NAKED man was allegedly shot in the abdomen Monday night by a Sentinel security guard, who claimed in a statement to the police that he was dealt some blows by the same man, police sources said yesterday.
The naked man, who is said to be mentally unstabled, is warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) in a stable condition. He was one of two people shot in separate incidents Monday night, the other victim being 30-year-old PH driver Ronald Matura, who also is warded at the same institution. Reports are that around 11.09 pm, the plain clothes Sentinel security guard was on duty at the NP Service Station, Eastern Main Road, Laventille. The security guard said he saw a naked man running towards him and began “swinging some blows” at him. The security officer told police that he drew his service revolver and shot the naked man once in his abdomen. Police were notified and a party of officers from the Besson Street Police Station visited the scene and took the victim to the city hospital.
In the other shooting incident, police said around 10.15 pm, Matura was working his PH taxi along Quarry Street, Laventille. Matura was approached by four men, one of whom was armed with a firearm. Matura was robbed of $8 then ordered into the rear seat of his vehicle. One of the four men then took possession of Matura’s vehicle. Police said the men drove to the Gonzales area, where Matura attempted to escape by fighting with the gunman who was seated in the front passenger seat. As a consequence, police said the vehicle stopped and Matura jumped out. While running, Matura heard a loud explosion then felt a burning sensation to the upper right side of his back. A report was made and Matura was taken to the hospital by officers of the Besson Street Police Station, who are continuing enquiries into both shootings. Matura is reported to be in stable condition.
THE POLICE Service Commission (PSC) is to make an appointment for the post of Commissioner of Police in due course, PSC chairman Kenneth Lalla told Newsday yesterday.
Lalla said he could not say how soon the appointment would be made but that: “It will be done very soon.” He also said that no decision has been taken to advertise the post of Commissioner of Police. In the meantime, however, Lalla said Acting Commissioner of Police Everald Snaggs would continue to act in the position. The PSC chairman said further that the person who is appointed for the post must be the most suitable. Lalla added that the Police Service Comm-ission would propose its Commissioner of Police choice to Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who he said must be consulted in accordance with the Constitution. Snaggs began acting in the position on July 15 after outgoing Commissioner of Police Hilton Guy went on pre-retirement leave. Guy’s pre-retirement leave officially ended on September 21 – his 60th birthday.
Since Snaggs took over the Commissi-oner of Police chair, Lalla said, Snaggs has brought a “breath of fresh air” to the TT Police Service. At an impromptu press conference last week, Lalla had told the media it is quite clear that Snaggs and the Minister of National Security have been able to mobilise the resources and take control of the management of the Police Service. But yesterday, however, Guy, retorted that if Lalla were suffocated with a “breath of fresh air”, he would not even recognise it. “He (Lalla) is there too long,” Guy said. Guy added that he has never had problems with the Police Service Commission, only Lalla. Lalla had said at the press conference that previous Commissioners of Police had complained of being “toothless bulldogs” in managing the Police Service. However, Lalla stated categorically then that the Commission is only responsible for appointments, promotions, discipline, confirmation and removal of officers.
HUNDREDS of mourners turned up at the All Saints Anglican Church yesterday to pay tribute and say their final goodbyes to 74-year-old Dr Walter Jones, who died at the St Clair Medical Hospital last Wednesday.
The wide cross-section of the community who were at the service stemmed from the fact that Jones was a serious educationist, avid sportsman and faithful Masonic lodge man. Among the number of QRC Old Boys, past Government officials, sportsmen and former public servants were Emmanuel Carter, Reginald Dumas, Ainsley Mark, John Donaldson, Anthony Smart, Deryck Murray, Gus Ramrekersingh, Overand Padmore, Anthony Campbell, Desmond Cartey, Zalayhar Hassanali and the Cumberbatch boys, Nigel and Raphael. Attorney at law, Henley Wooding, paid glowing tribute to Jones in his eulogy. He spoke of Jones going to London as a youngster to further his studies in Math and Physics. Upon his return to Trinidad, Jones went to teach at Presentation College in San Fernando before moving to Queen’s Royal College (QRC). Wooding said QRC was the inspiration of Jones’ life in those formative years.
However, during the sixties, at the start of the schools’ expansion project, Jones accepted the challenge and became the first principal of the Arima Government Secondary School. He eventually retired from the teaching service in 1989. Woodley said Jones had the capacity to receive and respond to situations and would give meaningful comment or advice during his teaching years while also being a great father to his four children. But as serious as Jones took his teaching, he had an equal passion for sports, mainly cricket, football, basketball and tennis, some of which he actually played. Jones also held administrative positions in the Colleges Football League, the TT Football League, the TT Umpires Council and was a member of the Queen’s Park Cricket Club. Wooding summed up Jones as honest, sincere, kind, serious and at the end of it all, “Well done!”
Officiating at the service were the Rt Reverends Clive Abdulah and Rawle Douglin, Reverend Canon Claude Berkley and Reverend Father Carl Williams, while a collection was taken up for the QRC Old Boys Association for its school restoration project. Jones’ body was later taken to the St James Cinerary for cremation. Jones, whose wife Shirley passed away two years ago, leaves to mourn his children Judith, Gillian, Susan and Stuart and his three grandchildren.
Despite assurances by the Education Ministry that private secondary institutions would be paid outstanding school fees for students by the end of this week, principals at these schools are demanding that proper terms and conditions be outlined before accepting additional students as the new academic year begins.
Principal of the St Bede’s Vocational School and Abbot of Mt St Benedict, Fr Francis Alleyne, spoke with Newsday yesterday and confirmed that they had indeed received a cheque from the Ministry for students who were at the school since last November. However, he stated that they were a bit skeptical about accepting new students and that they would prefer a written contract signed before additional students are admitted to the school. Fr Alleyne revealed that as of tomorrow, they would once again be allowing students whose places had been bought by the Ministry to enter the school.
In a letter dated September 12, Fr Alleyne regretfully informed approximately 100 students that they would no longer be accommodated at the school due to the non-payment of fees by the Ministry. When Newsday contacted the Open Bible High School, we were told that they were still awaiting a reply from the Education Ministry as regards a letter enquiring about the payment of fees. A source at the school said they were only aware of what was being reported via the media, and that the Ministry’s claim that fees would be paid yesterday is yet to be fulfilled. Explaining that they had not pursued the action of barring students to the school due to this claim, and which is a last resort, the source said for the last several years the school was paid monthly. However, it is being stated that following recent contract arrangements, the school will be paid on a term basis. Communications assistant at the Education Ministry, Hilton Braveboy, said the ministry is working on rectifying the situation, and according to a release on Monday, was committed to ensuring payment in the shortest time possible.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) Trevor Oliver, in response to the situation, is calling for equity in the school system as children in private schools are being “cheated” of the right to uninterrupted schooling. Oliver told Newsday that the Ministry should have monies allocated for children assigned to these institutions, and that they should be guaranteed at least five years’ education. Questioned as to whether TTUTA had spoken with the Ministry, Oliver said there has been no dialogue but that it was “amazing” that they would actually contemplate assigning more children to schools when they had not paid for the present population. Describing the situation as “undesirable,” Oliver concluded that the Ministry needed to understand that “very good ideas can turn out to be disastrous” if not implemented correctly.
The involvement of the University of the West Indies in the field of Early Childhood Education, through carefully programmed courses at its School of Continuing Studies, will, even as it sets needed standards for the teachers themselves, lead to pre-school graduates entering primary school better geared to adjusting to the formal world of school work.
It will bring a sense of pride and commitment to the teaching of infants below the age of five, with many of the teachers viewing themselves for the first time as professionals, rather than as doing a job, because they may see themselves as ill-prepared to do anything else. The truth, however, is that all too many of the teachers involved in Early Childhood Education today, because they are unqualified and ill-equipped, do immeasurable harm to the children whose minds they are expected to develop. Some of them are drop-outs from the education system, and are not in a position to make a meaningful contribution to the educational development of the pre-school children. Many of the “teachers” find difficulty in spelling simple words, cannot form proper sentences, have a problem with syntax, as well as with the pronunciation of words. In the process they pass on all the minuses to the children they are expected to help. One of the reasons, however, why “teaching” at pre-schools has not attracted the better-equipped is the relatively low pay offered. Indeed, up to a year ago, there were pre-school teachers who were paid as little as $900 a month, and because they were expected to remain at the institution until parents came to collect their children, were in essence being paid below the legislated minimum wage.
A more appealing salary structure to complement the Early Childhood Educators course being offered by the UWI School of Continuing Studies, will in the medium and long term attract persons who will clearly be better motivated. It should be made clear, however, that salary is not the only motivating factor in attracting persons to the teaching of pre-school children. There are instances where individuals who are both community minded and qualified help out on a voluntary basis at these centres. But the UWI School of Continuing Studies pre-school courses will assist in placing pre-school teaching on a higher and more acceptable plateau. Sixty-eight students were expected to graduate on Friday from the Early Childhood Educators programme, including seven from Grenada, St Lucia and St Kitts. The backlog, however, of teachers needing to be trained is formidable. What is heartening though is the involvement of the students from the three other Caribbean islands, which lends a CARICOM flavour to the exercise, a knowledge that the territories recognise that there is a problem and are prepared to deal with it. Government provides funding for salaries for pre-school teachers, but this should be upgraded if more persons are to be encouraged not only to pursue the UWI School of Continuing course, but to remain and/or seek employment at existing child development centres. In addition, there is a need for the physical structures of some of the schools to be upgraded, and for cleaners to be appointed on a part-time basis to tidy up the centres at the end of the day.
The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago has commented on the speech by the Chief Justice Mr Sat Sharma at the opening of the Law term last week. The statement signed by the Association’s President Karl Hudson-Phillips QC, is reproduced below: At a meeting on Wednesday Septembe 17, 2003 the Council of the Law Association discussed the speech of the Chief Justice at the opening of the Law Term on Tuesday September16, 2003.
The Council took particular note of the comments by the Chief Justice concerning the relationship between the Judiciary and the Executive and in particular the office of the Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago. It continues to endorse the absolute requirement for total independence of the Judiciary in the discharge of its role as the arbiter in disputes between citizens and citizens and between citizens and the State. The Council has been aware for some time of the possibility of a Government denying funds to a Judiciary with the intention of making the Judges more pliant to the will of the Executive. The Council wishes to assure the Chief Justice that if ever such a situation were to arise the Association would be most vocal in support of the independence of the Judiciary.
In the past three years two eminent jurists have expressed differing views as to how the administrative arrangements between the Judiciary and the Executive should be structured. Whether the Chief Justice interfaces with the Attorney General or, as he suggests, with the Prime Minister some interfacing with “politicians” is unavoidable. The relationship between the Judiciary, the Executive and the Parliament is arranged in different ways in different countries. In the United Kingdom, until recently, the Lord Chancellor as the highest judicial officer sat in Cabinet. That office has now been abolished. In other countries the appointment of Judges is subject to either direct election or parliamentary approval. In Trinidad and Tobago Judges are appointed on the advice of an independent commission and the Attorney General “argues” the case for the Judiciary in Cabinet and answers questions on its behalf in Parliament. Whatever formula is used, the Council sees the question essentially as one of the necessity to have persons of integrity, balance and fairness holding the relevant offices. Whatever system is devised for the relationship between the Judiciary and the Executive — and the Chief Justice admitted difficulty in proposing an alternative formula — the success of it will depend on those operating the system possessing the qualities stated above. The Council regrets any impression that because an Attorney General is a political appointee for that reason he or she is incapable in some way of faithfully representing the views of the Judiciary to the Cabinet.
Over the past six years the Council of the Law Association has made recommendations for a change in the system of appointment of Senior Counsel. What the Council maintains is that there must be greater involvement of the Council in the process and regretted the statement that the conferring of Senior Counsel status was “a licence to print money.” The present procedure for appointment to the office of Senior Counsel is to be found in the Extraordinary Gazette of February 15, 1964. This requires members of the Bar desirous of appointment to submit their applications to the Attorney General. On receipt of the application the Attorney General is required to consult the Chief Justice. After such consultation the Attorney General submits his recommendations to the Prime Minister who will advise the Governor General. On October 10, 1997, a further Extraordinary Gazette was published dealing with the question of appointment of Senior Counsel. This publication invited attorneys who wished to be considered to submit applications for appointment as Senior Counsel. The publication also set out the requirements which applicants were expected to meet. At the same time the then Attorney General appointed what he referred to as a Consultation Committee of three Senior Counsel to assist him in the task of assessing the suitability of applicants for appointment. The Attorney General at the time also indicated that he had attempted to obtain the views of the Chief Justice and through him that of all the Judges. There was correspondence at the time between the Council and the then Attorney General. Several points were raised by the Council but there was no suggestion that the Attorney General as titular head of the Bar should be omitted from the process. The Council did not then express the view that the admitted independence of the Judiciary necessitated any greater involvement by the Chief Justice in the process of selection of Senior Counsel.
While the present arrangements continue, it is hoped that the Attorney General will continue to consult the Chief Justice and indeed, through him, all the Judges. It is also expected that the Attorney General will consult the Council and that the independence of the legal profession will be respected and maintained. The Council has been long of the view that enhanced terms and conditions of employment for holders of office in the department of the Director of Public Prosecutions are the key to maintaining proper staff levels and to attracting and retaining experienced staff. The rationale for the recent improvement in the terms and conditions of employment of medical officers was to narrow the gap between them and other professionals in the private sector. The same is equally applicable to professional staff in the department of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The meeting concluded by endorsing all initiatives by the Chief Justice to strengthen the administration of justice and in particular the administration of criminal justice.
Karl T. Hudson-Phillips, QC
President
THE EDITOR: I have been reading with great interest the views of Dr Fuad Khan on the proposals of Winston Dookeran’s document “An Agenda for Change.” Dr Khan has been forthright in his “analysis” and, according to him, this country revels in rewarding mediocrity.
He further states that the UNC does not need any intellectual to be its leader or in fact anyone who will bring structures and organisational skills to assist the party. Based on these requirements, I strongly recommend Dr Fuad Khan to be the next leader of the United National Congress. With Fuad Khan as leader, the UNC will regain government by marching in the streets, by businesses closing as a form of civil disobedience, by doctors closing their private practices as a form of protest and by supporters storming and occupying the houses being built by the PNM.
In his quest for victory at the polls, Fuad will instruct his parliamentarians to not attend any sittings of the House. Instead they should spend their time shouting, screaming and throwing temper tantrums. This will surely frighten the PNM and cause them to hand over power to the goodly doctor. As an advice to Dr Khan’s campaign for the next elections, may I humbly suggest that he use the slogan “Fight Brainless With Brainless.” This is a sure winner as he will not have to explain himself to the population. Best of luck, Fuad.
RABINDRA MOONAN
President
Lunacy Inc
San Fernando
THE EDITOR: The Government of Trinidad and Tobago does not own the Unit Trust Corporation and to describe the UTC as state-owned as occurred in several news reports, is entirely incorrect and misleading.
In fact, the Government does not own one single cent of Unit Trust whose owners are more than 400,000 unit-holding citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. As such, the Government cannot decide on the future of UTC, nor on the matter of its going public. That is entirely for the Board and the unit holders of the Unit Trust Corporation. I write this as a concerned and reasonably informed citizen of this country in response to news stories of a proposed “merger” between First Citizens and the Unit Trust Corporation. Because UTC is a trust owned by unit holders — and is not traded on the Stock Exchange — it cannot legally be merged with a banking corporation like First Citizens Bank. The situation is complicated by the fact that FCB is totally responsible to, and controlled by the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. FCB’s shares are owned by the Government but it is controlled by the Central Bank.
The organisations, UTC and FCB are entirely different and separate organisations and are as “un-mergeable” as oil and water. Most importantly, you cannot merge a trust with anything! The articles, the memoranda, and the law do not permit it. An ancillary, popular myth that has been flying high these few hours, is that RBTT’s Peter July endorses all such mergers. This is a distortion of what July said, and such a distortion is untrue, as the RBTT banker was referring to banks, and not trusts. Another distortion and myth is that a FCB/UTC “merger” has the support of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. No where has the Central Bank made such a statement, and it cannot, because you cannot merge a trust!! The swirl of confusion does not end there. One report has it that Clarry Benn has been given a six-month extension as Executive Director, on the firm understanding that “when time for retirement comes….individuals ought to retire.”
The fact of the matter is that Clarry Benn departed as Executive Director one year ago when he attained the age of 60, so he does not have to retire, as he has already retired! Benn is now on contract, a situation largely influenced by the fact that there is a dire shortage of suitable experienced financial executives in Trinidad and Tobago. Further, a high Government source said that very senior personnel were hired in consultancy positions because they were not employed by the state. Clarry Benn is not employed by the state either.! For the records, the Unit Trust Corporation is not part of the Public Service. Its compensation, personnel and retirement arrangements are not part of the Public Service, and are based on surveys of the local community. What is sad and possibly dangerous about speculating publicly about a merger between a bank and a trust, is that it could undermine the confidence the public holds in the eminently successful Unit Trust Corporation many of whose unit holders have been panicked by the thought that their very solid investment is now going to be handed over as part of a merger with the bank. This concern needs to be put to rest immediately as such a thing cannot occur! The funds of the UTC remain under the ownership and ultimate control of the unit holders who are protected by Law from having their funds used for any purpose other than intelligent investments such as are done by mutual funds. People in high office are urged to be cautious and careful lest they make pronouncements that are grossly inaccurate and misleading and can destroy people’s lives by outlining uses of their hard earned funds that are entirely impossible.
LLOYD CARTAR
Westmoorings
President of Merryboys Cricket Club, Patrick Rampersad has waded into the senior national cricketers during a feature address at Lengua, south Trinidad on Saturday.
Rampersad was at the time addressing players and members of the Valleyboys Cricket Club during their 46th annual prize giving ceremony at the Lengua Civic Centre, Princes Town. In an attempt to explain to his audience why the junior national teams were successful and not the seniors, the highly respected Rampersad said: “When these guys reach a certain stage and get a few pictures in the newspapers and see themselves on television they get too big for themselves. They stop being focused and the problem arises with discipline. “I am asking all the youths present here today to take a keen interest in your development and don’t get swell-headed, as your career may be very short.”
Rampersad also mapped out a development course for the club and asked the executive to prepare a three to five-year plan. “You must ask the question if you are happy wih the level of cricket you are playing right now. If you are not happy with that, then ask yourselves what you can do to improve your standing in domestic cricket. “After this sit down with the members and map a course that would take you to the next level,” Rampersad suggested. During the 2003 season, Valleyboys finished third in the Southern Superleague. Rampersad asked the club membership to embrace the community as their partner. “This is no idle boast but Merryboys Cricket Club have the largest following in domestic cricket today. This did not come about just so, it was an effort by the management of the club who had a development route mapped out,” he said.
Merryboys are the National League Division One champions. The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board’s (TTCB) executive member also called on Valleyboys to offer scholarships to the young children in the area as this will bring parents and children into the fold of the club. Also addressing the gathering was home-town boy and Member of Parliament for the area Subhas Panday. He congatulated Rampersad for an excellent feature address and called on his fellow villagers to follow the lead of Merryboys to get ahead. He lamented the fact that without discipline a cricketer can reach nowhere and called on the elders in the club to nurse the youths. Panday also took a swipe at the Princes Town Regional Corporation and called on two councillors present to made proper representation for better facilities in and around Princes Town. Former assistant secretary of the club, Vishnu Tikasingh, a former chairman of the then Caroni County Council was also on hand to present greetings and brought more than the club bargained for. “I am here today for a specific reason and I told no one about it before. Well recently I acquired about three acres of land in this area and I am willing to donate this lot of land where the Civic Centre is for my fellow villagers,” Tikasingh said.
President of the club Frankie Khan who came in for tremendous praise during the function from all speakers donated $500 to begin a youth development programme. Meanwhile the Singh family dominated the awards function by winning nearly every prize that was up for grabs. The Valleyboys Club, made famous for producing former Trinidad and Tobago and Indian international player Robin Singh, is one of the oldest clubs in the area and have a heavy input of his family on their roster. His brother Rajendra Singh won the “Cricketer of the Year” award, while his other family members Indesh and Videsh were among the “Five Cricketers of the Year.” Vallelyboys Honour Roll Five Cricketers of the Year: Rajendra Singh, Indesh Singh, Videsh Singh, Lindwall Anamalee and Sunil Maraj. Cricketer of the Year: Rajendra Singh. Most Promising Player: Zaffar Ali. Club Member of the Year: Munroe Dinoo.
TEENAGER Giselle Salandy has been denied a special licence to fight as a professional under the auspices of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Board of Control.
This decision was taken last Thursday after the Boxing Board headed by the experienced Melchoir Taylor heard a passionate plea for special consideration to be given to the talented Siparia schoolgirl. Salandy’s manager Cecil Forde and her adopted father/trainer Curtis Joseph told the special sitting of the Boxing Board that if the youngster is not granted a special licence to fight by next month she will be stripped of the Ibero-Latin American title. The 16-year-old captured the Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) championship late last year by defeating Paolo Rojas of Colombia in Curacao. The authorities in the Dutch island had granted her a licence to fight despite her tender age. But yesterday Taylor, an internationally recognised referee said his board discussed the matter thoroughly after the presentation by Forde and Joseph but could not accede to their request. “We are all sympathetic to their plight as we would not like to see Salandy lose her belt. But the law clearly states that a boxer must be 17 years of age to be granted a licence to box professionally in Trinidad and Tobago,” Taylor said yesterday.
He said it is not within the jurisdiction of the Boxing Board of Control to grant a temporary or special licence like what is requested by Salandy’s handlers. “These licences do not exist. So our hands are tied. We wish her well and would like her to go on to better things in the ring but the Boxing Board cannot break the law. To do so would create a situation where we would have to resign our position,” said Taylor. He said the legal brain on the Boxing Board, Elton Prescott has given his considered opinion on the matter after the lengthy meetings on Thursday and a decision was made to write Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Roger Boynes and apprise him on the development. “I personally delivered the letter to the minister’s office. However I understand he is away for two weeks on Government business and one can only assume that he will address the situation when he returns,” said Taylor. He agreed that the laws governing the Boxing Board of Control, drafted in 1933 were antiquated but stated that he is not in favour of changing the age requirement which is the current bone of contention. “I would not tamper with this law. I am not in favour of lowering the age requirement especially for women. We know what kind of sport boxing is,” said Taylor.
He said although the Act which governs the Boxing Board of Control grants discretionary powers, the Salandy matter falls squarely into the hands of the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs. Taylor said that his understanding is that the Prime Minister can intervene and bring the matter to his Cabinet. Parliament can then be asked to amend the law said Taylor. The Boxing Board chairman said in three months Salandy will be 17-years-old and will fulfil the age requirement to get a professional licence to fight in Trinidad and Tobago. “In the interim we wish her well. We told her adopted father we were very happy that he has shown an interest in her continuing education. We are very supportive of him and wish to see Salandy pursue her boxing career and achieve success in the future,” said Taylor.
