Advising parents of Form III, IV and Lower XI to go ahead and purchase the necessary textbooks for their children, Education Minister Hazel Manning said when the money from the Government’s book grant became available, “it would then replace it (the money spent by parents).”
Speaking with Newsday yesterday from the Mucurapo Junior Secondary School, the Minister revealed that there were four core subject areas for which books had been approved for Forms I and II, under the Textbook Rental Loan Programme. Acknowledging that parents would be asking about the other books, Manning said, “There are about four subjects in the secondary school system that we have approved books for.” These four areas are Maths, Language Arts, Science and Spanish. Claiming that in approximately “two weeks or so,” notices would be released regarding the cards, she explained that books would also be provided in specific areas for primary school students as well. Sources at the Ministry of Education told Newsday a week ago that they would soon be releasing the rules and regulations governing the usage of the books under the Loan Programme.
Newsday understands that if the books issued to students under the Loan Programme were damaged in any way, their parents would be held responsible and will be required to pay for the book. Unlike last year, the books will now become the property of the school, and principals in the respective schools will have to develop a mechanism for transferring the books from one year group to another. The following books have been recommended and are going to be provided for primary school students under the programme “Provision of Textbooks for Primary Schools” in Reading — The TT New Republic Reader by Porter; Language Arts — Language Arts for the Caribbean by Worral, Ward, Derrick, Ince and Forde; Maths — Primary Mathematics for Caribbean Schools by Furlonge, and Science — Let’s Learn Science by Singh. In addition, only Standard II students will receive a dictionary by Lindsay Knights and Andrew Dalhunty; while only Standard III students will be the lucky recipients of the Caribbean Junior Atlas (Third Edition).
Cuban doctors, who will begin to arrive tomorrow will be housed at “private accommodations” for two to three weeks while they are being acquainted with TT’s culture and language, Health Minister Colm Imbert said yesterday.
Questioned about the location of accommodations he said: “You’ll find out in due course.” He later said the media is very innovative and can find out this information. Imbert was “not certain” about the cost of accommodating the Cubans but said it was “taken into account in the programme.” Imbert told Newsday that he did not think this question was “too relevant at this point in time.” He said the Ministry had a budget for doctors and nurses however, he did not have the details yesterday.
Speaking to the media after the launch of the Health Services Accreditation Programme, Imbert said the Ministry received “offers” from small hotels and members of the public to accommodate the Cuban doctors and nurses. “We are dispersing the doctors throughout the country so it would be impractical to have them staying in one place such as the hostel in Port-of-Spain,” said Imbert in response to an article in yesterday’s Newsday about the doctors’ quarters at Port-of-Spain General Hospital not being ready for the first batch of doctors. At the last project meeting he attended, July 31 was the targetted deadline set for refurbishing the hostel for the doctors to arrive in August and September.
Imbert said he approved the purchase of furniture for the doctors’ quarters but could not say how much money was being spent. “We continue to search for accommodation; we are using a real estate agent so there will be a mix of public and private accommodation,” said Imbert. It will not be required until August 15. The doctors will have two weeks of orientation to “improve their language skills.” They will also be exposed to TT culture and “medical practices peculiar to TT.” Twenty-five Intensive Care nurses are due to arrive with the doctors and Imbert said two of them would be sent to Sangre Grande Hospital so the Children’s ward could function. He said a 24-hour nursing presence is required and five dedicated nurses were needed. Three local nurses will be “sourced” to work with the Cubans so the ward could be re-opened in the next few weeks.
BAGHDAD: The US military said yesterday it had confirmed that the two sons of Saddam Hussein, Qusay and Uday, had been killed in a fierce gun-battle in northern Iraq.
“We’re certain that Uday and Qusay were killed,” Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez told a news conference in Baghdad. “We’ve used multiple sources to identify the individuals.” Sanchez said the US military had been given a “walk-in” tip that Qusay and Uday were in the villa in Mosul that was raided by US forces earlier yesterday. He said it was a six-hour operation that involved various military units including special forces. “We had a walk-in last night that came in and gave us the information,” Sanchez said, adding that they expected to pay the $15 million reward offered for information leading to the death or capture of each of Saddam’s sons. The US military was still working to identify two other bodies recovered from the villa after the battle, he said. Four coalition soldiers were wounded in the operation and were being treated, he said.
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw welcomed the news that ousted and hunted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusay had been killed in a firefight with US forces in northern Iraq yesterday. “Uday and Qusay Hussein shared their father’s responsibility for the many years of suffering by the Iraqi people,” he said in a statement issued by the foreign office in London. “They had the opportunity to hand themselves in to justice and answer for their crimes. They refused to do this. “It goes without saying that we would much have preferred this. But the news that Saddam’s sons are no longer a threat to the security of Iraq will be a reassurance to the Iraqi people,” he added. A foreign office spokeswoman had no comment on the fate of Saddam who is at the top of the US most wanted list of former members of the Iraqi government.
Carnival Messiah, by far the largest theatrical production to be staged in Trinidad premiered at Queen’s Hall last Monday evening. Platinum sponsor Republic Bank was the host of the “black tie” event which included a cocktail reception prior to the production.
Hundreds of guests including ministers of government, dignitaries and members of the artistic and business community were treated to portrayals of traditional Carnival and Ole mas characters as they anxiously awaited the arrival of both Prime Minister Patrick Manning and President George Maxwell Richards. Upon the Prime Minister’s arrival, the greeting party including Carnival characters, Blue Devil and the Midnight Robber, flocked to his car. By that time, most of the guests were already seated in the auditorium.
The scene was totally opposite when the President arrived. He was greeted by a member of the board of Queen’s Hall and the two faithful Carnival characters, then ushered in to be greeted by Republic Bank’s Managing Director Ronald Harford and the rest of the welcome party at the entrance of Queen’s Hall. In what appeared to be a mad rush for time, the President was quickly escorted up the steps leading to the auditorium while the first lady was left lagging behind. The reception then came to an end as the more formal part of the evening took place inside the auditorium.
OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday declared that he was not interested in finding solutions to the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago with Prime Minister Patrick Manning unless Manning is ready to talk constitutional reform.
The United National Congress (UNC) political leader made this statement yesterday even as leaders of several of the country’s business organisations met behind closed doors at Whitehall with Manning, National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee and Acting Police Commissioner Everald Snaggs to work out solutions to the nation’s crime problem. “I am not interested in this nonsense,” Panday declared. According to Panday, crime in the country today “is centred around a lack of constitutional reform in TT.” The UNC leader stated that the Opposition would only be prepared to discuss crime or any other issue affecting the country with the Government “when the Prime Minister is interested in constitutional reform.”
Since the October 2002 general elections, the UNC has consistently alleged that the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) is in league with criminal elements and has refused to support key pieces of legislation (such as the Police Reform Bills) in Parliament until the Government undertakes constitutional reform in TT. Several of the business organisations which met yesterday at Whitehall have been calling upon the Government and Opposition to adopt a bi-partisan approach towards crime in the country.
“THE police are under-equipped and we need more skilled policemen.”
These were the words of President of the South Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Wayne Mose, as he spoke to Newsday over the weekend on the crime rate and its relation to the business community. Mose said at present, “People are being taught to commit crime with the newest technology while at the same time, the police are using outdated technology. Therefore we have a problem right away.” He added that the use of Forensic Science and Criminology should be more prominent “in our fight against crime” since criminals were constantly developing new techniques and schemes.
The Chamber President added that the police service should seek to employ the services of relevant professionals, and pay them proper salaries. He noted that well-qualified individuals may be deterred from entering the protective services because of the low salary and substantial responsibilities. To effectively battle the rising crime, Mose also saw value in the social education of children and enforcing of laws, since he added, “It is no good passing laws if they are not going to be enforced.” He admitted that though the South was not hit hard by crime as is the case in Central Trinidad and the East/West Corridor, south businessmen were on a “heightened sense of concern.”
The Ministry of Education yesterday broke its silence surrounding the incident which occurred at the Barrackpore ASJA Primary School almost one month ago where 16 students fell ill after consuming milk which had been delivered to the school under the School Nutrition Programme.
In an exclusive interview with Newsday, Education Minister Hazel Manning admitted that they had only received the results of investigations conducted by Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) last week. She confirmed that “something was wrong with the milk”and added, “We have put a stop to it,” referring to the milk being provided by the Palo Seco Agricultural Enterprises Ltd (PSAEL), the Minister said they were “about to meet” with the company “to chat with them on the results.”
In a release almost one month ago, PSAEL revealed that they had taken a decision to discontinue operations at its Chatham milk processing unit, following a visit by health officials. The release had further stated that PSAEL was conducting its own internal investigations, and that as a safety precaution, it had decided to withdraw all its milk products from the market. When Newsday contacted PSAEL’s General Manager Francis Bertrand at the time of the release, he had stated investigations were continuing, and that it would be inconclusive to say that it was the milk which had triggered the incident.
Regarding the closure of PSAEL’s processing plant, Bertrand added that it was done as a precautionary measure and that they would be re-examining their operations at the plant. When Newsday contacted Bertrand yesterday, he stated that following PSAEL’s internal investigations, it was found that “there were some production and mechanical equipment problems which most likely would have contributed to the spoilage or poor quality of that batch of milk.” He revealed that a decision had been taken to leave the plant closed, and following recommendations of CARIRI’s report, PSAEL would soon be undertaking physical improvement works to the facilities. However, he added that before they re-opened, PSAEL would be seeking CARIRI’s approval.
OH WHAT a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive. George Bush and Tony Blair now have cause to appreciate the truth of this maxim after they deceived the world about their reasons for invading Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. Apart from the chaos they have created in that unfortunate Middle Eastern country, where so-called “coalition forces” are now reaping a bloody backlash, both Bush and Blair are engaged in a rear-guard action at home to defend growing criticism about their pretext for launching their illegal invasion. In fact, the inbroglio over the fraudulent intelligence upon which they based their case for attacking Saddam Hussein’s country has now led to the death of one top British official, Ministry of Defence weapons adviser Dr David Kelly, who committed suicide near his home in Oxfordshire last Friday. A quiet, mild-mannered microbiologist, Dr Kelly apparently could not take the publicity and the official pressure when he became identified as the source behind two BBC reports that Downing Street had inflated or “sexed up” evidence about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in order to justify the invasion. BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan, in his May 29 radio report, also quoted his anonymous “source” as saying that the government had insisted on publishing a claim that Saddam Hussein could deploy chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes, despite the doubts of intelligence experts.
The controversy triggered by David Kelly’s suicide has provoked attacks from all sides, including accusations that the two BBC reporters, Gilligan and Susan Watts, who appeared on the analysis programme Newsnight, had inaccurately reported the comments the scientist had made to them in separate confidential contacts. The BBC, however, has remained steadfast in defending the accuracy of their reports. In reply to these charges, Gilligan stated: “I want to make it clear that I did not misquote or misrepresent Dr David Kelly. Entirely separately from my meeting with him, Dr Kelly expressed very similar concerns about Downing Street’s interpretation of intelligence in the dossier and the unreliability of the 45-minute point to Newsnight.” We are inclined to believe that the two BBC reporters told the truth; indeed, as Tory legislator Michael Fabricant pointed out, there is no evidence to suggest that they misrepresented Dr Kelly’s comments. However, with respect to this bitter dispute between the broadcaster and the government, the world will have to wait on the findings of a judicial inquiry into the events leading to Dr Kelly’s suicide.
As far as we are concerned, however, the fact is already undeniably established that both Bush and Blair acted on entirely false intelligence information in launching their destructive invasion of Iraq. What Dr Kelly is reported to have told the BBC reporters can only provide supporting evidence of their deceit and recklessness in the act of terrorism they have inflicted on the Iraqi people. The buck, with respect to this illegal invasion and the continuing misery of the Iraqis, stops with them; they are both responsible for and guilty of a horrendous act of aggression which has slaughtered thousands of innocent women and children and, ironically enough, now includes the lives of their own soldiers who have become the sitting duck targets of a retaliatory guerrilla war waged by Iraqi loyalists. In the face of this monumental miscalculation, it is morally imperative that both Bush and Blair should at least step down. The US President is coming under increasing fire from the Democrats over his foolish Iraqi adventure and it would be interesting to watch the reaction of the American people as he seeks another term in the White House.
On Monday 14th July 2003 Indian Cultural Icon Moean Mohammed,71, passed away after ailing for some time. The government awarded him the Hummingbird Gold Medal in 1973 for his contribution to the development of culture. A cultural pioneer in television and radio broadcasting, Mohammed was widely regarded as one of the legends in the Indian cultural field of Trinidad and Tobago. He played a pioneering role in the introduction of local Indian programmes on Trinidad and Tobago Television. The death of such an Indian icon went virtually unnoticed by the national media, government, and members of the national community. Since the passing of Moean Mohammed there has to date only been seven reports in the print media regarding Mohammed. The Newsday carried the initial report on the passing of Mohammed as well as a report on the funeral. The Newsday in fact was the only newspaper that reported that Moean had died. Another daily newspaper and a weekly newspaper each carried reports on the funeral. Buried within all three Sunday newspapers were commentaries on the contributions on Mohammed.
The media’s treatment of Mohammed’s death should be compared to that of a similar cultural icon Andre Tanker who died February 28th 2003. This content analysis comparison is not meant to diminish the contribution of Tanker but merely to highlight the media’s disparity of treatment of an Indian cultural icon and by extension, Indian culture. The death of Tanker saw over fifteen impressive reports on his death in the print media. Editors saw Tanker’s passing as worthy of front-page placement and extensive coverage in the electronic media. For example on Sunday 2nd March 2003 the Sunday Newsday’s bold front page headline was ‘Andre Tanker Dies.’ Even the events at Tanker’s funeral generated news worthy stories. On Friday 7th March, the nation read in the Newsday ‘Andre Tanker’s daughter cries: ‘I want my Daddy back.’ Fr Garfield Rochard’s statement at the funeral ‘politicians cannot unite Trinidad and Tobago and only artistes can harness the spirit of the people’ was carried by the media. Other newspapers reflected a similar coverage. Was the cry of Aruna Mohammed (Moean’s daughter) given similar coverage? The address by the Imam at Moen’s funeral went unreported in the national media. The address by Minister of Culture, Penelope Beckles, went unreported in the national media. Ironically the death of Popo (May 1st – 6th 2000) prompted Sundar Popo’s promoter to level similar claims of media bias when compared to coverage given to Kitchener (February 10th -15th 2000).
Mohammed’s contribution to Indian culture cannot be under represented. Mohammed began in the 1950s radio with ‘Indian Talent on Parade’ and 1962 went into television with ‘Indian Variety’ and later co-founded ‘Mastana Bahar.’ The latter of course was the training ground for many Indo-Trinidadian artistes. Mohammed is also associated with the development of the ‘chutney’ art form. Some persons even credit Moean with coining the phrase ‘chutney’. With ‘chutney’ music being accepted now as part of the national culture it is indeed bewildering as to why the media and others ignored the man who played an instrumental role in developing ‘chutney’. The lack of coverage on the death and life of Moean Mohammed by the Port-of-Spain media is consistent with their general attitude towards Indian culture in TT. Indian culture by the Port-of-Spain media is viewed and promoted as an exotic limited sub-culture of an insignificant section of the national community. It is irrelevant that approximately 49% of the national population is persons of Indian origin and this population has a need to see their culture on the national stage. Instead steelpan and calypso are projected alone as national culture ably assisted by a political directorate with no sympathies for the Indo-Trinidadian population. In this worldview of the Port-of-Spain media the Indian and Indian culture does not figure.
The role of the media in presenting a balanced view is critical and indeed deserving of constant monitoring to ensure balance. Trinidadians get much of their information about political, social and cultural activities through the media, giving the media an important agenda-setting role. Since media companies filter out information about certain political views and cultural activities as well as disseminating them, it is important for us to scrutinise what the media are saying and the influence the media has on the nation. The media has to be viewed as one of the reasons that Indian culture is still being relegated to a sub-culture and not part of the national culture. The responsiveness of a political system to the attitudes of the public is central to democracy. Public opinion projected by the media influences policymaking such as cultural funding by the State and Corporations. Being locked out of the mainstream media has the consequence of being locked out of decision-making processes.
Given this thesis it is no surprise that the State via its tourism body TIDCO will attempt to create Tobago as the Gospel capital of the Caribbean while not similarly considering to make Central Trinidad the Ramayan capital of the Caribbean. It is also perhaps the reason why the Ministry of Culture agreed to the Tanker’s family request for $15,000 the funeral expenses. Moean’s family got no financial support from the Ministry of Culture. There is an immediate need to conduct an ethnographic study that examines how the media is altering the nature of culture in TT. Thankfully there are several Indian radio stations that carried extensive programming celebrating the life of Moean Mohammed. Indeed Mohammed as an early pioneer of Indian programming in Trinidad built the foundations that all Indian stations now enjoy. No other electronic media house saw it fit to report on the life and contribution of Mohammed in a significant manner. The Indian presence is deemed almost irrelevant to national life this perhaps can be best also seen in the maintenance of the ‘Trinity Cross’ that denies all non-Christians national recognition. So once again it is left for the Indo-Trinidadian community to recognise and honour their own.
THE EDITOR: The Ministry of Education has committed itself to the process of decentralisation, to the extent of appointing an Assistant Permanent Secretary (a first in the Public Service) to oversee the programme. In achieving this laudable objective, however, the Ministry must ensure that it provides effective safeguards against pitfalls involving funding of the decentralised operations, defining limits of authority and, in particular, micro-management, a practice which is antithetical to the concept of decentralisation and is perhaps its greatest enemy.
In respect of funding, decentralisation places tasks that were never originally envisioned on outposts that were not developed with such tasks in mind. These tasks require equipment, technology and personnel which are not now available and for which provision must be made. The absence of funding for these improvements would make nonsense of any decentralisation thrusts. Limits of authority must also be defined in clear, unambiguous terms so that the public officers charged with carrying out these decentralised functions would not be confused by vague terms which give rise to a multitude of interpretations. Just as importantly, there is an imperative for such public officers to be given authority to do their jobs, without being second-guessed at every turn. It has become too easy in our culture for someone with connections to go over the officer’s head and have a decision with which they don’t agree overturned. This is particularly prevalent where political influence is used. The constant fear of having decisions countermanded would render an officer ineffective and neutralise any benefits to be gained from decentralisation. Officers must know that their decisions are valid even if subject to review.
It is, however, just as imperative to have structures in place for legitimate challenges of decisions following clearly-defined procedures. No authority, whether centralised or otherwise can be above challenge. The danger of course is the politician who attempts to placate with the superficial assurance that measures will be taken. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and it is only when these safeguards are actually in place that the populace can be assured that they will be given effect. In too many instances promises have not been kept and excellent proposals have failed, simply because it was taken for granted that the obvious would be done, and it wasn’t. The country must demand no less from the Ministry of Education.
KARAN MAHABIRSINGH
Carapichaima
