Howard Chin Lee stays — this seems to be the position of PM Patrick Manning. Manning at a post-Cabinet news conference yesterday was adamant that no good purpose would be served by moving his National Security Minister.

“I would like to know exactly how that would bring about new levels of security in the country,” he said, responding to a question on whether he was considering moving Chin Lee in the face of public protestations about the crime wave. Pressed on the issue, Manning said no prime minister could give a definite answer on whether he planned to move a minister or not.  However, he completely dismissed reports in the Guardian newspaper about an extensive reshuffle. On the issue of a state of emergency, however, Manning, who was previously resolute about not calling a state of emergency, moved just a notch, saying that if everything else failed, he would “have no choice” but to go that route. He said Government was using other means to try to control the crime situation. “As of now, we prefer to try everything else before suspending the human and constitutional rights of citizens,” he said. The Prime Minister stressed that he was well aware of the anxiety which existed in the national community on the issue. “The Prime Minister has a very good sense of the mood of the population on this matter,” he said.

On concerns about where the State would get the 1,000 policemen to put on the streets, Manning said it was the Commissioner of Police who brought this proposal to the table. It was not done “on an ad hoc basis but following discussions with the Executive of the Police.” Manning said that as Minister of Finance, he had given the assurance that whatever financial resources were required in the battle against crime, would be made available. “That is not a problem,” he said. Manning again laid some blame on the door of the Opposition, saying that the criminals felt that they can do what they like because “they feel that the politicians are too foolish to get together” to pass strong legislation. He said the PNM recognised since the Deochand Ramdhanie issue that crime needed a collaborative approach. However, Manning said he left the meeting with the Police Commissioner and the business community on Wednesday quite confident that new initiatives were on the way and that there was a better chance that there would be higher levels of security for the country.  He said on the basis of what the Commission of Police had to say, he felt that Everard Snaggs and the Police Service understood and appreciated the circumstances and were moving aggressively to address it.

On the question of changing the police’s 40-hour week to maximise the time that they spent patrolling the streets, especially on nights, Manning said Government would have to assess the costs of “buying out” the time of police officers. Saying that the trade unions tend to resist such a move, Manning said this was nevertheless a long-term objective. The Prime Minister said crime could not be solved overnight because the problems were rooted in fundamental social deficiencies. He said this was why Government had embarked on  extensive social programmes, but the solution could not come in “five minutes.”

OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday yesterday declined to respond to St Joseph MP Gerald Yetming’s view that he resign immediately, the United National Congress’ (UNC) policy of non-co-operation with the Government had failed and the party could never mount an active challenge to the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) unless it removes the stigma of corruption “completely, completely, completely.”

After numerous attempts, Newsday managed to contact Panday but the UNC Political Leader refused to comment upon his former finance minister’s statement. The UNC leader said he was not prepared to respond to Yetming at this time. However, the statements of two Opposition MPs seemed to suggest a divergence of opinion within the UNC over Yetming’s statement. Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma said he saw nothing new in Yetming’s statement, recalling that Panday had publicly stated on many occasions that he wished to retire from active politics when he reached the age of 70. “That is not news,” he stated.  Sharma added that the UNC would be holding internal elections towards the end of 2003 and Yetming could challenge for any post, including that of political leader.  However, Pointe-a-Pierre MP Gillian Lucky saw nothing wrong with Yetming expressing his views in the way he did. “Mr Yetming was very forthright,” she said. Lucky said regardless of whether the other UNC parliamentarians agreed with Yetming’s views or not, it showed there was independence of thought within the party and this was “in the best interest of democracy.”

THE fallout over St Joseph MP Gerald Yetming’s damning assertion that the time had come for a new leader to take control of the Opposition UNC continued yesterday.

Several high-profile members of the party expressed shock and disappointment over Yetming’s statement and declared their unwavering support and allegiance to Basdeo Panday as leader of the UNC. In an exclusive story carried in yesterday’s edition of Newsday, Yetming reportedly said that the question of a new leader and a new leadership were critical to the rejuvenation of the UNC. Leading the charge against Yetming was Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma, who emphatically stated that the party’s leadership was “strong and moving forward.” “There was no need for that kind of call because we already have a leader who is intent on taking the party forward,” Sharma said. However, he added that the party had “internal systems” in place to air dissenting views and said the St Joseph MP had “acted prematurely” in his public call for a change in the party’s leadership. He also pointed out that with the party’s executive elections expected later in the year, dissenting members were free to contest “all positions within the party,” including the post of political leader. Sharma also drew reference to last week’s UNC press conference at Rienzi Complex where the political leader had stated his willingness to make room for a successor that “was chosen by the party’s membership.” In full agreement was Nariva MP Harry Partap, who said that there “is no vacuum in the party’s leadership.”

Partap, who was more vocal in his condemnation of Yetming’s statement, said that the party was in the act of rebuilding for the 2007 General Election campaign. “I am prepared to work with the leader and will continue to work with the leader,” Partap declared. He also took issue with Yetming’s statement that the party was not an “effective Opposition.” He blamed “media blackouts” in both Houses of Parliament for the perception, saying that Opposition MPs and Senators were rarely given “print or air time” on matters of national importance. And in arguing the Opposition’s effectiveness, Partap cited the Anti-Kidnapping Bill which Government was forced to amend mainly due to objections from members of the Opposition. Also lending his voice in defence of Panday was Tabaquite MP Adesh Nanan, who said that there was “no problem with Mr Panday’s leadership.” He reiterated Panday’s earlier statement that the Opposition leader would relinquish the party’s leadership position “when the time comes.” Naparima MP Nizam Baksh went one step further, pointing out that the party had “certain processes to be followed” in appointing a new leader. However, he pointed out that Panday still had the “charisma and leadership” skills to continue leading the party.

Meanwhile, the normally vocal UNC Senator, Sadiq Baksh, who last week boldly declared that the UNC’s leadership would last indefinitely, chose a terse, “I will not comment on Mr Yetming’s statement.” He however reiterated his previous position that the UNC leadership issue had not changed. Subhas Panday, MP for Princes Town said it seems that the newspaper (Newsday) was intent on “bringing down the party.”

Cuban doctors and nurses brought in to deal with the shortage at local public health facilities were whisked from Piarco International Airport to Hotel Normandie, St Ann’s yesterday in a well orchestrated plan to avoid the media.

Arriving aboard a BWIA flight from Havana after 5 am yesterday, the group of approximately 40 doctors and nurses were escorted through the VIP exit and taken to the hotel in three Ministry of Health vehicles. They were met at the airport by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Hamid O’ Brien, Human Resource Manager Ashford Sankar, and Alberto Perez Sierra, the Cuban coordinating the medical workers’ stay in TT.  Perez has been in TT since July 11 working with local officials.  Speaking to the media prior to the arrival of the Cubans, Sankar said a local translation company (he declined to name) will conduct orientation sessions with the doctors and nurses over the next three weeks to familiarise them with TT’s language and culture.  He assured that the Cubans had a high level of English because it is their second language, he said as part of the agreement between TT and Cuba, the medical personnel should have been trained to an advanced level of communication. “When we were in Cuba two weeks ago we found evidence that the training had not taken place,” he said. The orientation course is intended to “sharpen their English” for TT so they will understand TT slangs and colloquialisms.

Sankar said the language will be put into context so when someone tells them “ah get a chook in my foot” they will understand. They will also get familiar with terms like “nara” which is an East Indian saying which means  belly pain. Sankar said they will get information on TT’s system of medicine which operates on a referral basis with doctors functioning in a “firm”—comprising a consultant, registrar and house officer. Responding to a question about the experience of the doctors he said: “Most of these people are mature with between 15-20 years experience,” Sankar added that there were no “young boys”. He refuted reports that accommodation at the hostel at Port-of-Spain General Hospital will not be ready to accommodate the doctors and nurses. He said the work is “well advanced” and the area should be ready this week. “It will be totally completed by July 31; all we have to do is install television sets and refrigerators and those kinds of things.” Some doctors will be housed at private dwellings during their two year stay in TT. The Ministry is using a real estate agent, and officials have been looking at various properties. “All that will hinge on our final decision where we are putting these people,” said Sankar.

At Hotel Normandie, the Cubans were shielded from speaking to the media. Asked if they spoke English one male doctor responded with a confident “yes.” However, there was no further comment from the doctors and nurses. PS O’Brien replied for them saying: “Habla Ingles muy bien.” Officials said a media briefing would take place, but could not say when. The Cubans will rest today and over the weekend before starting their orientation course on Monday. Another batch of 40 doctors and nurses will arrive next month. Cuba boasts of having one family doctor for every 500-700 people and every year 4,000 medical students start medical training at 23 different universities. It has 400 polyclinics and 263 hospitals.

FORMER United National Congress (UNC) government minister Trevor Sudama advised St Joseph MP Gerald Yetming to be prepared to incur the wrath of  UNC Leader Basdeo Panday and his parliamentary colleagues for saying that Panday should go.

Yetming made that statement yesterday in an exclusive Newsday story and also revealed there was widespread opposition in the society towards the Opposition’s policy of non-cooperation with Government. Recalling his own experience in 2001 when he, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Ralph Maraj, spoke out against the UNC’s failure to deal with allegations of corruption, Sudama predicted that Yetming could find himself in the political doghouse for publicly challenging Panday to go. The former minister also recalled that Yetming was one of the persons in 2001 who took no position on the issue of unanswered corruption allegations against the UNC. “He never took a position. I didn’t think Mr Yetming would be so forthright,” he stated. However Sudama reiterated that Panday will not leave because “he doesn’t see a great urgency to do so”.

 He also stated it was pure nonsense for Panday to say that he would remain at the helm until the party chooses a new leader.  “If you want to go, go. It is not a question of waiting until the party selects a leader,” Sudama remarked. The former minister said Panday’s continued refusal to resign shows that “the party is not sufficiently viable to find a leader” or survive without him. He believed that while Yetming was “trying to be diplomatic”, the truth was the UNC needs “to restructure as of yesterday”. Sudama offered his own opinion as to why former UNC frontliners Carlos John, Jearlean John and Roy Augustus had nothing to say about Panday remaining as party leader. “Now that defeat has stared them in the face, they have gone back to where they came. Back to the PNM,” he stated.

A 30-year-old man from Barataria pleaded guilty yesterday before Justice Rajendra Narine at the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court to buggering a 4-year-old girl in 1990. He will be sentenced on Monday.

According to State Prosecutor Nalini Singh, on October 22, 1990, the 4-year-old victim was playing in the yard of John Gregory Howell. He called her into his house, gave her a cake, removed her underwear and buggered her. The girl was crying and bleeding when she returned to her mother. Howell, who was 17 at the time, told the victim’s mother that she had fallen on a nail and injured herself but when confronted by the police, Howell said he had lost control of himself and that he did not know what he was doing. Howell’s attorney, Keith Scotland said that his client’s behaviour on that day must be described as reprehensible and that the Court must show abhorrence to this type of offence.

Scotland revealed that while out on bail, Howell went missing from 1997 and became a fugitive from the law. However, Scotland said that Howell was not a hardened criminal who was beyond redemption and that the Court should take into consideration certain mitigating factors. Scotland pointed out that since 1990, Howell had no other altercations with the law, the incident in 1990 was not pre-meditated and Howell by his guilty plea, opted not to waste the Court’s time. Scotland said that his client had some academic prowess having passed for St Mary’s College after he wrote the 14 Plus examinations at Morvant/Laventille Junior Secondary but because of his actions, he had failed his 4-year-old neighbour, his family and most of all himself.

Two teenagers and a 24-year-old man were yesterday committed to stand trial for the  kidnapping of Wayne Lezama in 2002.

Joseph Williams, 17, of St Francois Valley Road, Belmont; Earl Lewis, 18, and Kent Issac, 24, both of Upper Erica Street, Laventille, appeared before Port-of-Spain Magistrate Ejenny Espinet. Lezama, a Diego Martin taxi driver, was reportedly plying his taxi from Independence Square on the night of August 16, 2002, with three passengers when they overpowered him and took control of his B-13 Sentra vehicle. The men were charged with kidnapping Lezama and theft of the car. The charges were laid by Cpl Oswald Rowley. Following the closing submissions of Defence Attorney Richard Mason, Espinet granted bail to all three in the sum of $90,000 and informed the men that they would stand trial at the next sitting of the High Court.

A 45-year-old man who was known as “Demon” by his neighbours was yesterday sentenced to 20 years in prison with hard labour after being convicted of two counts of rape and one count of having sexual relations with a minor.

Uric Smith was sentenced by Justice Pamela Elder in the Port-of-Spain Fifth Criminal Court to serve 20 years in prison with hard labour for each of the three counts. However, since Smith’s sentences are to run concurrently, he will only serve a maximum of 20 years imprisonment. When sentencing Smith, Justice Elder said that sex with a person under 14 is unlawful and “to leave children alone.” Smith, who was originally from Pembroke, Tobago, lived in a room attached to the victim’s house in Saddle Road, Santa Cruz where he worked as a caretaker. For five years prior to moving into the room, Smith lived in the main house.

The first incident of sexual indecency occurred on November 1, 1998 when the victim was 13 and two incidents of rape occurred into the new year. As a result, she became pregnant at age 14 and was subsequently stopped from continuing her secondary schooling. The victim testified that Smith had threatened her after the first sexual encounter that he would kill her mother, and send her step-father to jail. After Smith was convicted July 9, his attorney, Nathaniel King, requested a  probation report. According to the report, Smith’s neighbours had characterised him as unpredictable and strange, and said that Smith bragged to them that the victim loved him and bore his child. The report stated that Smith said he had never been sexually active in all his life, but later contradicted himself by relating sexual encounters with the victim. He also stated that he was not remorseful because he did not think he did anything wrong.

Justice Elder said that when sentencing Smith, the Court would not take into consideration the negative aspects of the probation report. She said that Smith’s sentence should be an example to society that rapists and child molesters will be dealt with by the law, and that a woman’s right to give consent should be respected. The prosecuting attorney was Alexander Prince.

NEWLY-ELECTED Port-of-Spain Mayor Murchison Brown yesterday pledged that the Port-of-Spain City Corporation (PoSCC) will “give voice to the voiceless” and promote good governance through the building of stronger communities within the city.

Speaking minutes after his swearing-in at Port-of-Spain City Hall, Mayor Brown declared: “In this modern age, people are now strongly voicing their demand for improved standards of living. Our theme for this term of office is building sustainable communities in recognition that we need a new approach to governance. This approach must involve all stakeholders, not only those who have a voice or a mechanism for voicing their concerns but also those in the lower income community, the poor, the unemployed, the disadvantaged.” Brown disclosed that the PoSCC had already intitiated this approach to governance with the help of the Urban Management Programme of Latin America and the Caribbean with two projects dealing with solid waste and HIV/AIDS. “ The Corporation does not possess all the resources to provide for the needs of our citizens and it is only through alliance with our corporate partners and other stakeholders in the city that these needs could be met,” he said.

On the issue of crime, Brown said a joint effort between the POSCC and the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) to place security cameras at strategic locations was successful in reducing crime in the city. the corporation has proven that it has the expertise and capability to have projects economically and efficiently implemented. We have also demonstrated the ability to engage the private sector in creative and constructive ways to develop our city which “has had a positive effect on the reduction of serious crimes in the city.” The Mayor said while key issues such as crime, homelessness and street children still affect the city, he saw “a bright and prosperous future for Port-of-Spain.” Brown said the PoSCC also looked forward to the promise of increased funding for local government and touched upon the Corporation’s efforts to deal with street vending and flooding. He said arrangements had been worked out between businessmen and street vendors for vending on certain days and times and the PoSCC will be speaking with different agencies whose operations could cause blockages in the city’s underground drainage system. At yesterday’s ceremony, veteran councillor for St James East Rishi Lakhan was re-elected as Port-of-Spain’s deputy mayor.

THE TWO UNC Councillors on the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation, yesterday voted with their ten PNM colleagues to elect Joanne Thomas and Lizanne Bolan, aldermen on the Council.

The election of aldermen and swearing in of the 12 Councillors took place at the Corporation’s Hall. Former Chairman of the Corporation — now Member of Parliament for St Ann’s East, Anthony Roberts — in extending congratulations to the councillors, reminded them that their job was not a glamourous one, but one of service to the people whom they represented. He further told them that having been elected, they were the “representatives of the people, and the question of party no longer holds.” There are only two female councillors on the 12- member PNM-controlled Corporation. They are Jennifer Guerra and Linda Hollingsworth. They would be joined by the two female aldermen. By profession, Thomas is a manager and Bolan, a law student.

The other councillors are Henry Nicholas, Dr Jeffrey Reyes, Kwesi Antoine, Junior Jacky, Richard Walcott, James Henry, Santam Ramjit (UNC), Davlin Sherwin Thomas, Christopher Perreira and Nazimool Mohammed (UNC). Reyes is tipped to be sworn in as Chairman of the Corporation. He was vice chairman but served in the capacity of chairman when Roberts was elected as MP. Presiding over the ceremony was Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, Jeanette Simmons. The swearing-in ceremony of chairman, vice chairman and aldermen will take place on Monday.