Leaders of the top business organisations throughout Trinidad and Tobago yesterday said they were not ready to comment on the proposed rise in National Insurance contributions.
Some National Insur-ance contributions made by employees and em-ployers are expected to jump by close to 50 percent in the next six weeks. Anthony Hosang, president, Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA) said he was not in a position to comment at this time. “We are looking into it. We have received a presentation from the National Insurance Board (NIB), but we are not in a position to make a comment.” Hosang said he was also awaiting a report on the matter from a committee in the TTMA. A spokesperson for the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce said they were also currently reviewing the presentation made by the NIB and will comment on the matter in a timely manner. Speaking at a post-Cabinet news conference last week, Prime Minister Patrick Man-ning said the Govern-ment had given a commitment to increase the National Insurance benefits and “that commitment will be honoured.”
OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday yesterday said Attorney General Glenda Morean’s contradictory statements about the Integrity Commission indicate mass confusion within the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) on the issue of integrity.
On Sunday, Morean denied there was any decision to scrap the Commission and said President George Maxwell Richards was in the process of making appointments for the new Commissioners. Newsday understands that three new Commissioners will be sworn in tomorrow at President’s House. However Panday told Newsday the AG’s statements clearly indicate that the PNM has no idea what it wants to do about the Commission. “Obviously, the PNM had no plan. It is an indication that they have no legislative agenda,” he declared. The United National Congress (UNC) leader said he clearly recalled that on July 5, Morean told the Senate that the Commission would be either “restructured” and “re-engineered” or even completely replaced by an Anti-Corruption Commission. Panday maintained that the original Integrity legislation drafted under the UNC was the best way to proceed. “That is why we put it forward,” he stated. According to AG Morean, the UNC’s legislation would have involved the creation of two anti-corruption bodies — the Integrity Commission operating under the Integrity in Public Life Act and the Anti-Corruption Commission operating under the Prevention of Corruption Act, which the UNC planned to amend.
Morean said two options which will be considered by Cabinet on Thursday will be either the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission envisioned by the UNC (with some adjustments) to replace the Integrity Commission or a strengthened Integrity Commission. She explained that in either case legislation which requries Opposition support would have to be brought to Parliament. Morean was optimistic that the UNC would support that legislation. However Panday said he could not give that assurance because Government has not consulted the Opposition on that matter.
OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday yesterday said the United National Congress (UNC) has information about ongoing secret meetings involving Agriculture Minister John Rahael and top People’s National Movement (PNM) officials about how to divide Caroni (1975) Limited’s lands amongst themselves and friends of the ruling party.
Responding to a NACTA poll released on Sunday which said Panday’s political demise was sealed because of his failure to address the concerns of sugar workers during the UNC’s six years in government, the former prime minister replied: “Polls can say what they want. I know differently. I came from the sugar workers. I am on the ground every day with the sugar workers. They know it is Ramesh (Maharaj), Trevor (Sudama) and Ralph (Maraj) who are responsible for where they are.” However Panday agreed with the poll’s suggestion of a mad grab for Caroni lands in the wake of the company’s closure two weeks ago. He claimed the UNC had information about ongoing “secret meetings” between Agriculture Minister John Rahael and top PNM officials about how Caroni’s lands could be divided amongst friends and supporters of the ruling party. “We (UNC) have been saying that for a long time,” he stated.
The UNC leader also agreed with other NACTA findings which predicted the rise of several ghost towns in Central and South Trinidad following Caroni’s closure. Panday however dismissed some of the poll’s other findings which said the UNC did nothing to secure the interests of sugar workers, whether in or out of government, or find ways to make Caroni a viable and profitable enterprise. “They (sugar workers) were never treated in this manner,” Panday said. In an interview with Newsday last Friday, Panday said sugar workers knew that having won the 2000 general elections, the UNC should have been in government until 2005 but that trio (Maharaj, Sudama and Maraj) betrayed the party to the PNM. Maharaj has been holding regular meetings with sugar workers since Caroni’s shutdown, promising to champion their cause. Panday described Maharaj’s motives as purely political. “I don’t think sugar workers will be fooled.” Two-thirds of the respondents in Sunday’s poll reiterated that the UNC will never return to government under Panday’s leadership. UNC parliamentarians Winston Dookeran, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Dr Fuad Khan and Kelvin Ramnath were identified as possible successors to Panday.
AGRICULTURE MINISTER John Rahael said Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday’s claims of secret meetings among People’s National Movement (PNM) officials to divide Caroni (1975) Limited’s lands were “a figment of his imagination.” Responding yesterday to a NACTA poll which said sugar workers were afraid that he had his “eyes set” on Caroni’s lands, the Minister told Newsday that sugar workers had nothing to fear. He said that fear arose from the fact that he was a businessman but he is now a Government Minister. “I am no longer a businessman. I have absolutely no interest in State lands whatsoever,” Rahael declared. Rahael said when he served as Port-of-Spain mayor from 1996 to 2001, he never used his office for personal gain.
He explained that Government did not need to create a company to get its hands on Caroni lands because those lands were already owned by the State. He also dismissed the poll’s findings which claimed ghost towns would arise in Central and South Trinidad due to Caroni’s closure. The Minister said the people of these areas were very resilient but Panday, former Attorney-General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union (ATSGWTU) President-General Rudranath Indarsingh chose only to look at the negatives in Caroni’s closure and were missing the bigger picture. Rahael said improvements in the agricultural sector are already becoming visible and this process will be expedited once Caroni lands become available. He added that the newly-formed Estate Management Business Development Company will ensure proper and equitable use of Caroni’s lands for agricultural and non-agricultural purposes.
THE sod was turned yesterday for the start of construction of the TT$50 million UWI-Institute of Business (IOB) campus at Uriah Butler Highway, Champs Fleurs.
The facility on 66,000 sq ft is expected to be completed in 19 months, February 2005. It will comprise three main buildings to accommodate at least 700 students. At the ceremony, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute, Dr Bhoe Tewarie, said it was a major step in the realisation of finding a home for the Institute. Describing the Institute as a unique experiment between the UWI and the private sector, Tewarie said while the Institute had very little tangible assets to call its own, it had built a brand reputation since its inception in 1989. He said the Institute had used rented facilities until 1995 when it was able to house its administration and classrooms under one roof. Minister of Tertiary Education, Danny Montano, in his remarks at the ceremony, said government was very happy to have been able to guarantee a $7 million loan over a 21-year period for the construction of the TT$50 million facility. He noted that from 1993 to 2002, the Institute produced 721 graduates with post graduate degrees as well as trained 15,000 at various other levels of business education. Minister Montano said the site for the Institute was appropriate since it was next to the Mt Hope campus, as well as the soon to be COSTAATT campus. He dubbed the area the “corridor of learning.”
Montano further pointed out that the reputation of graduates of the Institute was better recognised in the industry compared to their colleagues at the UWI, and they were being “snapped up.” Director at the Institute, Arthur Lok Jack, in his remarks, said the sod turning was another chapter in the school’s history. He reiterated that it was created to fill a strategic gap in the University’s offerings to the local business community. He said from the outset the Institute had surpassed expectations and has grown into a local, regional and international force. He said its academic programmes have multiplied with the Institute now offering three MSc degrees as well as two MBA’s. Lok Jack also announced “ambitious plans” for the Institute. These include a Central American Study Programme, where IOB students will travel to Costa Rica to practise their Spanish and visit businesses. A Doctor of Business Administration degree, which should be introduced soon, together with a revision of existing academic programmes, the introduction of new specialisations, the use of novel technology for teaching and greater collaboration with top notch business schools like the Helsinki School of Economics and Business, Thunderbird and Manchester Business School.
The Sangre Grande Health Centre resumed service yesterday morning with an additional Maintenance, Training and Security Company Ltd guard on duty.
However, while staff was back on the job after two days off, the situation was not “back to normal” said a nurse at the facility. The promised police presence has not materialised. “They said they would get the police to pass by, that has not happened.” The health centre shut down last Wednesday after an irate man threatened to “shoot up” the facility because he did not receive immediate service. He was attempting to see a dentist but did not arrive in time to get a number to queue up for service. The dental clinic was also seeing fewer people because the dentist had a meeting to attend. Nurses are also upset that the Primary Care Nurse Manager said staff would be transferred since they were “traumatised by the experience.” The nurse said this plan would be resisted and staff was “standing their ground.” She said staff is seeking a meeting with their union — the Public Services Association — on the issue.
Chief Executive Officer for the Eastern Regional Health Authority Essau Mohammed said “de-traumatisation” sessions took place last Thursday and Friday for staff. Although there was not a full attendance those who did attend benefited. He said another guard was hired and plain clothes and uniformed officers from Sangre Grande Police will intermittently visit the facility. Mohammed is also seeking to address concerns raised about overcrowding at the health centre. The ERHA is expecting a $65 million allocation in the new fiscal year for construction of a new facility and Sangre Grande Hospital. For the interim, Mohammed said options such as constructing an additional room or moving to a new building are being examined to deal with the congestion at the Centre. Senior officers from the Sangre Grande Police said based on information they received from the guard on duty the man who threatened staff did not have a gun. Investigations are continuing.
Based on figures for the year thus far, the rainfall level is well below average.
Emmanuel Mulchan, Chief Meteorologist stationed in Piarco, said that apart from the months of February and June, Trinidad did not get close to the anticipated levels of rainfall. He however stated that from past experience he has noticed that there is a tendency where nature somehow makes up for the low level in the latter months of the year. And with the forecast for an active hurricane season, it may well impact on the rainfall level in the coming months. Below is a break down of the calendar recording of the last seven months, taken at midnight to the next midnight. Regarding the number of systems that have emerged to July, there have been seven (7) in the North Atlantic, Caribbean and Mexico range. Two of them, Claudette and Danny reached up to hurricane status, another two, Ana and Bill were tropical storms, while three of them never got stronger than tropical depressions. Mulchan noted that there was nothing developing in the air to suggest that there is going to be another system any time soon. When asked about the reason for such intense heat these days, Mulchan blamed it on the high humidity and light winds.
PHILADELPHIA double-murder accused Cyprian Diaz has claimed that he did not kill his Trinidadian common-law-wife, Pramatee Ram-charan-Celestine, and her New York-born husband, Eugene Celestine on the morning of June 17 at their West Philadelphia home.
Trinidadian Diaz, 58, related this to his twin brother, Felix Diaz, who spent six weeks in Philadelphia and returned last Wednesday. Felix Diaz told Newsday yesterday that he visited his brother twice at the Philadelphia Correctional Institution. He said he did not ask his brother anything about the incident because he only wanted to be there for him. However, Felix Diaz said, his accused brother cried and blurted out that he did not kill anybody. “I didn’t want to pressure him any further. I just wanted to be there for him and to see him,” Felix said. Asked who did the killings then, Felix said: “I don’t know. It appears there are a lot of things still being hidden about the incident.” Contacted yesterday Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Mark Gilson said he did not expect to hear anything different to what Cyprian Diaz has claimed. “A lot of people say that in prison. A lot of people say they did not kill anybody,” Gilson said. The lead prosecutor in the case also said that Cyprian Diaz’s two sons, Michael and Randy, witnessed the shooting.
Gilson also said that Cyprian Diaz has still not given a statement to the police, but that it was his constitutional right not to. The accused’s court-appointed attorney Thomas McGill was not available for comment, but his assistant Tyrone Norwood said he understands their client would deny killing the couple. The attorney also admitted that no one actually witnessed their client pull the trigger. However, Norwood said he would like Cyprian Diaz to explain his children’s statements to the Philadelphia police. “There was no coercion to get the statements,” Norwood said. He added that Cyprian Diaz physically took his children and showed them their mother’s body. He said they were upstairs the two-storey house at the time of the shooting. Norwood further said the defence team would have to sit down with their client to find out from him, “what kind of defence he wants us to produce for him.”
The double-killing was widely publicised in Philadelphia newspapers, which claimed that the accused lived with the couple, along with his two children, both of whom are now in protective custody with the Department of Human Services (DHS). Michael and Randy are also the sons of the slain woman. Felix Diaz also told Newsday that he intends to file for custody of his two nephews. The custody hearing comes up on November 8 at the Philadelphia Family Court. Cyprian Diaz is to make another appearance at the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Centre on September 30 for a pre-trial conference. At a hearing on July 9, Cyprian Diaz waived his preliminary hearing and Gilson said this was done so as to spare his two sons from reliving the ordeal. Sources had told Newsday then that when someone waives their preliminary hearing it generally means that the defence wants to make a plea bargaining agreement, but Gilson said he had not heard from Cyprian Diaz’a attorneys with respect to a plea bargaining agreement.
A FISHERMAN was yesterday fined $200 by a San Fernando Magistrate before whom he appeared, charged with cursing San Fernando Mayor Ian Atherly on the weekend.
Asked to explain the reason for his bad behaviour, David Jones, 41, admitted to Fourth Court Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan that he had consumed too much alcohol, which caused him to “cuss” Mayor Atherly. Magistrate scolded Jones and imposed the fine. He had up to today to pay the fine or in default, serve 31 days imprisonment with hard labour. Prosecutor Cpl Kassim Ali told the court, around 11.25 am on Saturday, Mayor Atherly was visiting the San Fernando Central Market. As he was approaching the Fish Section, Jones looked in Atherly’s direction and started to shout obscenities at Mayor Atherly.
An annoyed Mayor Atherly reported the matter to the San Fernando police and a party of officers including Ag Sgt Bovell, Cpl Charles and PC Rangoo quickly went to the market accompanied by the Mayor, who pointed out Jones to the officers. Jones was arrested and taken to the San Fernando police station where he was charged. In imposing the fine against the father of two, Magistrate Rambachan chastised Jones for his rude behaviour towards the Mayor, saying, “your behaviour Mr Jones, was quite atrocious.”
YET another prisoner sentenced by a High Court judge at the “President’s Pleasure” for murder, is seeking to have the sentence quashed.
Edmund Fonrose, 40, is contending that it is unconstitutional for the President of the Republic to determine the duration of his sentence. A similar motion was filed last week by murder accused Chuck Attin, who, at age 17, was sentenced at the “President’s Pleasure,” for the infamous Westmoorings murders. Fonrose, who set fire to his family’s house in 1981, in which his mother and grandmother were burnt to death, was found guilty but insane, by a jury. Justice Ivor Blackman, in accordance with Section 64 and 65, ordered Funrose detained at the “President’s Pleasure.” In jail for the past 22 years, Fonrose is seeking to be released on the ground that he feared being kept in prison for the rest of his life by virtue of being held at the “President’s Pleasure.” In fact, Fonrose is the longest serving inmate incarcerated at the “President’s Pleasure.”
The motion, filed by attorney Gerald Ramdeen, instructing attorney Mark Seepersad, raises the question of the constitutionality of the sentence “at the President’s Pleasure.” Under Section 74, the President is head of the executive branch of Government of which there are three branches (Judicial/Executive/ Legislature) in all democratic governments. According to the grounds in the motion filed at the Hall of Justice, Port of Spain, only the court (Judicial branch) can determine the length of a sentence. Under the separation of powers doctrine (Judicial/Executive/ Legislature), the ground stated, the duration of a prisoner’s period of incarceration cannot be left up to the “President’s Pleasure.” But Section 64 and 65 of the Criminal Procedure Act, gives power to a judge to so impose such a sentence, if a person is found guilty but insane.
The motion, however, is contending that those sections contravene the Constitution in which the executive (President) does not have the power to determine the duration of a sentence. The motion is seeking to have those sections of the Criminal Procedure Act, declared by the court to be invalid. The attorneys, pleading that Fonrose’s sentence was therefore illegal and unconstitutional, is seeking to have a High Court Judge order his immediate release.
