A heavy and persistent downpour of rain washed out the second match of the Angostura Cricket Classic series between Rush XI and XS XI at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain Village, Couva.
The shower left the outfield wet and play got underway late with Rush XI sent in to bat by XS skipper Dinanath Ramnarine. They were soon in trouble as pacer Richard Kelly made life for the batsmen difficult on a seaming wicket. He accounted for two wickets and another fell via the run out route, as Rush XI, skippered by West Indies batsman Daren Ganga reached 34 for three wickets off 13.4 overs. A heavy downpour then pelted down on the NCC outfield and drove the players off the ground. About 20 minutes after the mopping operations started and just when play looked possible again, the rains came again put paid to any notion of further play.
The umpires officially called off play at 2.45 pm. XS won the opening fixture of the three-match series on Saturday with a 62-run whipping of Rush XI, although Dave Mohammed scored 61 and grabbed three for 30 for the losers. Trinidad and Tobago’s team manager Omar Khan told Newsday after the abandonment yesterday the match will not count as part of the series. “We will play two matches next weekend right here, and maintain the three-match series,” Khan said. The teams will return to the NCC on the weekend with the winners walking away with the $4,500 first prize.
ANGOSTURA CLASSIc SCORES
Rush XI 34/3 (13.4 overs) (Andy Jackson 11, Richard Kelly 2/14) vs XS — Match abandoned due to rain.
THE EDITOR: But seriously, kudos for Imbert, failure for Hazel Manning. The Minister of Health has brought to Trinidad and Tobago. Cuban doctors who cannot speak the English language. Minister Colm Imbert (I) together with Keith Sancho (S), Ashford Sankar (S) and Dr Rampersad Parasram (P), are giving the Cuban doctors a three-week crash course in English Language. This has since been extended to four weeks. Following this crash course, they will become fluent in English and will then be able to practise medicine in TT.
Trinbagonian students who have been speaking English for over 15 years of their lives, wrote the English Language examination at CXC but close to 50 percent of them failed. It is now stated that approximately one quarter of Trinbagonians cannot read and write properly. The recent results of the SRP examinations are testimony to the language incapability of Trinba-gonians. UWI, also, is not satisfied with the English Language capability of its students and has an entrance English Language test as well as a compulsory English Language course for most students in many faculties. Recently, one doctor had to wait an extra year before beginning to practise since he only passed his medical examinations but failed the English Language course.
But in three/four weeks, Cuban doctors will be taught successfully the English Language by the Ministry of Health. It is thus recommended that the Ministry of Education be made a Junior Ministry within the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health must be commended for their enthusiasm about training Spanish-speaking doctors in the art of speaking the English language. It is also recommended that all students be given this crash course, during the month of April so that they will be prepared for the CXC examination in May. I am sure that the Parasram, Imbert, Sancho and Sankar team will assist in this venture. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service should also invite Parasram, Imbert, Sancho and Sankar to give crash courses in English Language. But seriously, the Ministry of Health should assume control of the Ministry of Education immediately; otherwise English may become our second language.
PHILIP AYOUNG-CHEE FRCS
Port-of-Spain
THE EDITOR: “I could never vote for anyone who favours the destruction of innocent life in the womb,” Derrick stated. Bluntly, Larry replied, “I am opposed to abortion as much as you are Derrick but there are other issues you know.”
Sincere and well meaning Christians who oppose abortion too often speak of it as if it were on par with tax cuts, National Insurance and equal rights. There are many Larrys out there. Maybe you know a Larry. You want to be fair-minded and you do not want to be labelled a “one issue” voter. If you really think about it, abortion is more than an “election issue.” God, the Lord Jesus Christ, speaks to some of the politics issues of our day, but in a way that gives the Christian plenty of “wiggle” room. For example, God speaks about taxes. He tells us to give to Caesar what is his. However, he does not talk about tax structure or the Board of Inland Revenue. Therefore, Christians may debate on how much they think “Caesar” should be taking or about how he should be taking it. God speaks about salvation but not about how to save the National Insurance System. Therefore, Christians may debate about the pros and cons of privatisation or land acquisition.
God speaks about caring for the elderly but not about Medicare. Therefore, Christians may debate about the best way to help the elderly pay for prescription. God speaks differently, however, about destroying innocent human life and there is no “wiggle” room. He says, “You shall not murder.” We must not forget what abortion is. All the rhetoric surrounding abortion has deceptively blinded us to the truth. We hear it described as a “right,” a “choice” or a “medical procedure.” It becomes too easy even for the Christian to see abortion as just another one of those “election issues.” Think about it. What is a candidate who supports abortion rights really supporting. Abortion is not on par with a woman’s right to have her innocent child murdered. Abortion is a grave sin. Abortion assaults God’s word of truth about the sanctity of human life and therefore, assaults the WORD himself WHO became flesh that we may have life. Abortion is a sin against God, who is the Author and Redeemer of life. Abortion is not just an election issue, but because abortion destroys human life, it is a “spiritual issue.”
Not only does abortion kill a child, it forever wounds a woman. Although she may at first feel a sense of relief that her “problem” has been solved, eventually the reality of this unnatural choice sinks in, when it does, the guilt and shame can be devastating. This awful reality can bring the same devastation to fathers, grandparents and siblings. Abortion can destroy relationships within families as well as between God and an individual. As I said before, abortion is more of a spiritual issue than an election issue. Therefore, a Christian cannot debate the pros and cons of abortion anymore than they can debate the pros and cons of rape, stealing or adultery. Abortion cannot be “right” for in God’s sight it is a fundamental wrong. It is such a fundamental wrong that when it comes to voting, a candidate’s stance on the issue is irrelevant if he or she favours abortion. A vote is not a passive act. The voter participates in promoting the agenda of the candidate in an intentional act.
When it comes to abortion or to the proposed clamour for legislative amendment by persons who want legal sanction for “Abortion on Demand,” Christians must obey God rather than man. Those who have been called in grace and adopted as God’s children through the merits of Jesus Christ cannot sanction the destruction of pre-born children. However, the body of Christ is compelled to defend the cause of the weak and needy. The church is compelled to be a light to those trapped by the deeds of darkness. The Church’s gospel message of forgiveness is the only source of true hope and healing needed by those struggling with an abortion decision. Abortion is an atrocity that wounds women and destroys relationships. What kind of morality do we want in our leaders who will be making decisions about human embryo research, genetic manipulation, cloning, assisted suicide and euthanasia. The redeemed people of God are compelled to take action in favour of the morality that reflects God’s love for life and exemplified on the crown of His Son — Jesus Christ. Abortion is a spiritual issue and in that light — a sin. The Christians cannot vote for sin. We must vote for life.
PARTICIA ROBERTS
Lawyers for Christ
Port-of-Spain
The family of 23-year-old Shaun Mc Leod is calling for an investigation into his death. Mc Leod died on Friday after being arrested by police for using obscene language.
When Newsday visited the family at their Kroomen Settlement, South Oropouche residence they said they wanted their questions answered and the matter to be investigated by the Police Commissioner. His common-law wife Mackiba Cowan said she got the news of his arrest from a friend Seon Andrews, before 10 pm on Friday. Her husband along with friend Seon Andrews and another man had left Douk’s Bar on Pointe-a-Pierre Road around 9 pm and walked to Library Corner. Mc Leod was contracted with Denny’s Enterprises and worked at the Point Lisas Atlas Methanol Plant. Cowan said she was told by Andrews that they went into the KFC restaurant but then left to go to the Royal Castle outlet. On their way there Mc Leod used obscene language and a van of police stopped to arrest him. She added that Andrews further told her the police held Mc Leod and attempted to handcuff him to a nearby post.
Andrews went to Cowan’s home and informed her of her common-law husband’s arrest. They then hurried to San Fernando. She said that at Library Corner one eye- witness told her, “They really beat that man and then carried him down.” Cowan said she reached the police station around 10.10 pm and started to enquire about Mc Leod’s whereabouts. She said that there were conflicting reports. Some said that he was not around while others said that he was taken to the hospital after he had collapsed in the cell. Cowan admitted, “From that I knew something was wrong.” An emotional Cowan continued by saying that she then left for the San Fernando General Hospital. When she arrived at the Accident and Emergency Department she asked the desk clerks about her husband. They said they knew nothing because the police had brought him in dead at 9.30 pm.
She felt it strange that the police also claimed that he was taken to the station at the same hour — 9.30 pm. She said that people witnessed Mc Leod being taken into the station alive. Cowan who is the mother of a two-month old baby, Shane, says she also intends to name him Shawn, in remembrance of his father. She is also pleading with witnesses to the alleged incident to come forward and provide evidence. Mc Leod’s mother Sharon Mc Leod said that she went to the police station around 2 am Saturday and pleaded for an explanation of the circumstances surrounding her son’s death. She said she “…wanted to know what was really going on, but everybody told a totally different story.” The mother of the deceased said that it was only around 8 am Saturday that they were allowed to view the body at the mortuary. She said there was froth at the side of his mouth and his left wrist, left shoulder and around the fingers were swollen and “blue black in colour.”
She said also that his jersey was torn and wrapped around his neck while his pants was torn on both sides. She noted that his pair of steel-tipped boots was missing. His mother also said that her son normally received his $900 salary but police only gave them $51. She said one police woman told her they found “a couple of hundred dollars” on him. The saddened mother added, “Nobody deserve to die the way my son did, everybody knows my son as a real nice and respectful man, he was never a violent person.” The deceased’s mother added, “We want a total investigation into the matter, I can’t understand this situation. We want to get to the bottom of this.” A post mortem is to be conducted on the body today and senior officers said they would comment later.
A San Juan man became the country’s latest road fatality after the vehicle which he was driving ran off the roadway and plunged down a precipice at Morne Cocoa Road, Petit Valley. Reports revealed that around 6.30 pm on Saturday, Khimraj Boodram was driving his vehicle along the Morne Cocoa Road, when he lost control of the car which plunged down the precipice. Four other occupants of the car suffered serious injuries.
Officers of the Fraud Squad investigating the attempt to process three illegal wire transfers amounting to $4.7 million said yesterday that arrests were imminent.
Officers have been able to ascertain that several more illegal wire transfers were made without being detected and they feel that a group of persons is responsible for defrauding the company of millions of dollars. Newsday learned that officers have been able to make a major breakthrough in the investigation since they have been able to ascertain where the attempted illegal wire transfers were made and who might have had access to the facilities to make such transfers. Several employees of a bank are also expected to be quizzed in connection with the scam. Last weekend, 21 TSTT employees were questioned by Fraud Squad officers in connection with an attempt to effect the illegal transfers through company bankers. Fraud Squad officers said yesterday that the employees were questioned following a report made last Friday to the police by TSTT. The report, lodged with the police, involved the attempt to process three illegal wire transfers amounting to $4.7 million. The transfers were discovered by the Company’s finance personnel on Friday, and stopped before they could be effected.
A senior TSTT official told Newsday that police were pursuing the matter and the company could not divulge more on the investigation because it was now at a very sensitive stage. Newsday learned that the employees who were quizzed about the attempted illegal acting were also questioned about their role in recent kidnappings throughout the country. Fraud Squad officers said yesterday that they were vigorously pursuing the investigation along certain lines and they were hopeful of making a breakthrough shortly. Officers claimed that they intended to further question a few employees who were already quizzed over the weekend. They added that based on information received, TSTT may have been defrauded in the past through illegal wire transfers and an expert in this field may be called in to assist in the investigation. Last year the police were called in to probe a $420 million fraud at TSTT. TSTT is the sole licensed provider of telephone services in Trinidad and Tobago. The company is jointly owned by the Government, which owns 51 percent, and Cable and Wireless, which own 49 percent.
The parts of wreckage found on the Moruga beach early Saturday are believed to be part of a rocket owned by ARIANE SPACE.
Ariane Space, a French company formed in 1980, is the current leader in commercial space launch services. It established a launch facility in Kourou, French Guiana in 1966. The wreckage is not believed to be linked to the latest $17 million cocaine find in the Moruga area recently. The piece of fuselage found on Saturday is white in colour, and measured about 16 feet in length with the words “DEFENCE ORBITAL.” Below the writing, was an insignia: ARIANE SPACE. The words were written in red with blue stars and the markings are similar to a rocket owned by ARIANE SPACE. The last launch was on June 11, 2003.
In that launch, an Ariane 5G space vehicle carried two satellites into orbit. The first was the Optus and Defence C1 satellite, jointly owned by a company called Optus and the Australian Department of Defence and its purpose was telecommunications. Some of the markings on the wreckage appear similar to the national flag of Australia. The second satellite was owned by the Broadcasting Satellite System Corporation of Japan and was intended for use in digital TV broadcast. Officers of the Civil Aviation Authority said yesterday that they will be contacting officials of ARIANE SPACE today to find out if the wreckage found is owned by that company. Officers of the CAA returned to Moruga yesterday and made arrangements to have the wreckage removed. Hundreds of persons went to the Moruga beach yesterday to view the wreckage.
Officers of the Arima Police Station are investigating two reports of shootings at Reid Lane, D’Abadie.
Reports revealed that around 12.30 am, Anthony James, 28, and Clifton Liverpool, 32, were liming at Reid Lane, when they were confronted by three men armed with guns. The gunmen ordered the three to lie on the ground and shot James in the right thigh while Liverpool was shot in the left leg. The gunmen then fled the scene. A report was made to the Arima Police Station and the two victims were taken to the Arima Hospital where they were treated and warded. Investigations are continuing.
BASDEO PANDAY will resign as United National Congress (UNC) Political Leader in January 2004. This was the hint given by party chairman Wade Mark as he spoke to reporters following a special UNC national retreat at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre in Couva yesterday.
“The UNC is on a rebuilding and re-transformation thrust to take over governance of the country from the People’s National Movement,” he said. Mark said a 15- member working committee headed by St Augustine MP Winston Dookeran has been created to develop strategies that will help the UNC return to government. He further revealed by November 30 the party will have a new constitution and internal executive elections will be held in early January, in which all posts (including political leader) will be contested thus paving the way for Panday to resign in early 2004. Panday has repeatedly expressed his desire to retire from active politics at age 70 but has also insisted that he would not leave the UNC vulnerable to political predators.
At the retreat, Dookeran presented a paper surrounding which heavy discussions took place in respect of “an action plan that will soon be implemented aimed at future governance.” The meeting was attended by all 16 UNC MPs, senators, 53 local government representatives and other party officials. After Dookeran presented his paper, the retreat was split into seven workshops to discuss the report in detail. “Most of the reports submitted by the groups centered around equity and justice, policy issues, philosophy and ideology of the party and the need for national re-unification,” Mark said.
UNC Strategy Officer, Dr Roodal Moonilal spoke about “the collapse of education which was taking place, with ten schools not re-opening and books and book grants not being distributed on time.” He said it was a disgrace and the UNC will right all those matters when re-elected. He also said the Government had no clue about the crime and , “any plan they have put forward has blown up in their faces.” Election officer Dr Tim Gopeesingh is in charge of “re-shaping and re-fashioning the country’s constitution” and said the party held several meetings throughout the country to gather info about re-designing the party’s constitution. Mark described the meeting as “extremely successful” with people expressing concern about the state of the country under the PNM.
WITH Parliament due to prorogue on September 12 (Friday), the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) will be in a hurry to get answers from the Government on key issues and pieces of legislation when the Senate sits tomorrow at 1.30 pm.
Topping the UNC’s things-to-do list will be finding out when the declaration forms for public officials for the Integrity in Public Life Act will be laid in Parliament. Despite promising last month that the forms would be laid in Parliament on its resumption, Attorney General Glenda Morean said the forms were still being examined by the recently-appointed Integrity Commission. The forms are part of a broader package of legislation which is still under review by the Legislative Review Committee. Speaking in the House of Representatives on Friday, former AG Kamla Persad-Bissessar criticised the Government for not bringing any of the legislation it promised to Parliament. Housing Minister Martin Joseph will answer questions from Senate Minority Leader Wade Mark about whether lands being used for housing in Tunapuna are State or privately owned and provide details of all lands purchased on the private market for the purpose of satisfying Government’s housing policy or programme.
UNC Senator Jennifer Jones Kernahan talks land issues with Agriculture Minister John Rahael. Opposition Senator Sadiq Baksh will ask Works Minister Franklyn Khan whether there was a pre-qualification exercise for the Piarco Airport Runway Overlay Project while Independent Senator Professor Ken Ramchand will ask Trade Minister Ken Valley to give an update on the status of restoration work on the Red House. Debate will continue on a motion by Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift to affirm the Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) (Extraditable Offences) Order 2003. The Senate will also discuss Ramchand’s motion for a Technical University of TT and Opposition motions on Equal Opportunity legislation, prevention of corruption and regulation of the banking sector. The UNC’s no-confidence motion against Senate President Dr Linda Baboolal remains off the Senate Order Paper.
