Ronald Harford, Managing Director and Chairman, Republic Bank (RBL), yesterday knocked the ruling PNM over its inability to stem the crime wave that has gripped the country. “It really is at a shocking state and it has reached a point now where it is severely affecting the country and damaging the economy,” he said in an interview at his office at Park Street. “Something has to be done. There is no sense saying that you are doing your best to resolve the crime situation. Your best is not good enough and not adequate,” he said. “This situation has to be resolved. If you are in power, you have to solve the problem.” Harford said because of the increase in crime, the high quality human resources, which is absolutely necessary for this country’s development, are fleeing to safer environments. Harford said while the foreign investments in this country are very strong, and the economic forecasts good,  TT is not going to get what it wants out of it once the crime situation persists.

“If the place is not safe and my wife cannot go shopping and my children cannot walk outside, then people are not going to want to come here,” he said, adding, “this is happening to all classes in society, people are very unhappy about what is going on.” He said everyone in society right now are very unhappy about the situation and reiterated his call for something to be done to help solve the problem. When asked is he had any suggestions of his own, he replied: “Desperate situations call for desperate measures.”

The San Juan Business Association has officially declared itself and the business community under a “state of emergency” and implemented a self-imposed curfew for its members, their families and immediate surroundings as part of its concern over the present spate of criminal activity, particularly kidnappings, throughout TT. A release from the Association expressed the belief that the Government had apparently lost control of the escalation of crime. “Members of the Association are concerned, highly emotionally charged and scared for the safety of their families and themselves,” it said. The Association noted that if the current level of crime continues for much longer, TT will not become the financial gateway between Latin America and the Caribbean, but rather the Cambodia and Vietnam of the region.

It said, “This situation is unacceptable and action must be taken to protect the interest of the business community. If the nation is to develop and the economy to stabilise, the Government must deal with crime now.” The Association is of the view that the time has come for the business community to take its own action given the fact that leadership has not been provided by the Government on the issue of crime. It has cautioned against doing anything to attract kidnappers such as buying new vehicles or making major investments into property or other capital investments until the emergency is lifted.

MEMBERS of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS) were up to late evening searching for five kidnap victims, two of whom have been snatched for a total ransom demand of $8 million, police sources told Newsday. “It’s unprecedented (the number of people in captive at any one time),” a senior officer attached to the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS) told Newsday yesterday. The five are teenagers Yves Ayoung Chee, 18; Benedict Bharath, 18; Kendra Kissoon, 19, her boyfriend Mark Samlal, 20 and Damien Schneider, 35 — all of whom have been snatched within the last five days. Another kidnap victim, Darryl Chootoo, is feared dead. They are five of six kidnapped this week, the other being Chaguanas businessman Woodlam Wong who was snatched early Tuesday morning and released later on that night after a $50,000 ransom was paid. Four of the victims (Ayoung Chee, Bharath, Kissoon and Samlal) were kidnapped. Thursday within 14 hours of each other, two at a time, while Schneider was snatched and held on the morning of July 13.

Senior police officers are also now of the opinion that the “two at a time” snatching is a new fashion in kidnapping, designed to get money at all costs. The last two to be snatched were Samlal and Kissoon, who were kidnapped Thursday night in front of Samlal’s Silver Mill Street, San Juan, home. A $2 million ransom has been asked for Schneider’s safe return, while the people who have snatched and held Kissoon called her relatives just after 10 am yesterday and asked for a $6 million ransom.  No ransom has been demanded for the other three kidnap victims, police said. Several people, some of whom expressed surprise at the $6 million ransom demand, came to offer sympathy to the Kissoon family outside their small grocery store on Seventh Avenue, Barataria. Kissoon’s father, Ralph, did not offer any comment on his daughter’s kidnapping.  Her mother, Indra, was said to be taking the kidnapping terribly, while Samlal’s family has refused to talk with the media. “The police told us not to talk to you all,” one young woman who stood at the gate told Newsday. Samlal’s father, Gopie, is said to be a Pastor. Samlal had just returned to his front gate from picking up Kissoon from her workplace at Shoppes of Maraval when a white wagon pulled up behind them. Senior police officials said three armed men alighted from the wagon, ran up to Samlal’s vehicle, pulled the couple out then placed them in their white wagon, which later sped out of Silver Mill Street then headed in an eastern direction along the Eastern Main Road.  Screams were reportedly heard coming from Kissoon.

A report was made and a party of officers headed by acting Insp Coar and including PCs Murray and Silver of the North Eastern Division visited the scene and conducted investigations. Ayoung Chee, son of Dr Wilson Ayoung Chee, and Benedict Bharath were snatched around 5.20 am Thursday at Marli Street, Newtown, after coming from Club Coconuts. Both teenagers attend St Mary’s College. Nolan Cooper, a bar attendant at Club Coconuts, was also in the black Wrangler jeep driven by Ayoung Chee, who was forced to stop because the two men who snatched them had a siren on their black vehicle, and also said they were police. Schneider was snatched in the early hours of July 13 as he was making his way to his Sandhurst Street, Belmont, home. The kidnappers called his father, Martin Schneider, later that day and demanded $2 million for his safe release.  They have also been contacting Schneider’s mother, Maureena. AKS officers under Sr Supt Gilbert Reyes are continuing investigations in all the kidnappings.

A former employee of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) appeared before Port-of-Spain Magistrate Ejenny Espinet yesterday charged with 28 counts of fraud. Hermes Granville, 29, former ADB clerk, of Belle Eau Road, Belmont, is accused with attempting to defraud the total sum of $286,238.95 from RBTT Bank, Park Street using Republic Bank Independence Square cheques payable to the RBTT Bank drawn on the account of the ADB during the period May 2001 to November 2002. The amounts included $15,572.29 in October 2001, $15,319.85 and $15,936.17 in December 2001 and $17,219.38 in January 2002. The charges were laid indictably by Cpl Sarreal Bachoo and Cpl Charmaine Williams of the Fraud Squad. Following the lengthy reading of the charges, Defence attorney and PNM MP Fitzgerald Hinds said, “I observe the charges are laid indictably.”

Espinet informed the attorney that she would not “interfere” with the bail sum. “It’s a substantial sum as well, my lady,” responded Hinds. Granville was granted $175,000 bail by a Justice of the Peace on Thursday night not long after her arrest. Photographers and cameramen from various media houses waited patiently outside the Court in an attempt to acquire images of the accused. MTS security guards attached to the court informed Newsday that Granville “escaped” with the assistance of Hinds through the Magistrates’ carpark located at the Knox Street side of the Court.

IN the wake of Monday’s Local Government Elections, the People’s National Movement (PNM) poses an even greater to the United National Congress’ (UNC) future as a viable political force in Trinidad and Tobago. This was the post-election analysis yesterday from former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj who believed the time has come for “a new force” in TT’s politics. Maharaj told Newsday that the election results show that the electorate was “turned off” to both the PNM and UNC because neither party was able to capture their imagination. However the former AG predicted that the PNM now “poses a greater challenge” to the UNC and the Opposition could lose further ground if it does not arrest its continuing slide from 2001. Maharaj declared that for people to believe in honest government once again, there is an urgent need “for principles and integrity in politics” but neither virtue could be found in either the PNM or the UNC.

The former AG also stated that any political alliance between the UNC and other parties will not work. Maharaj said a “strong, credible alternative” to the Government would only arise from a “new movement” built upwards from the society’s base. He explained that this was the objective he has been working towards since his dismissal as AG from the Basdeo Panday Cabinet. Maharaj shared former minister Trevor Sudama’s views that Panday’s departure as UNC leader was long overdue. He said political parties “must not be built around individuals” but around ideology and principles. “There is no difference in ideology between the PNM and the UNC. There is no real change. All you have instead is exchange,” he lamented. The former AG dismissed suggestions of him returning to the UNC should Panday resign, saying his emphasis was working towards “a social transformation” in TT which ensures equity for all citizens. He also advised the Manning Administration that it “should not feel proud” about the overwhelming victory it scored over the UNC. “The people want a new movement. They have voted for a change in movement,” Maharaj declared.    

A Laventille man who was charged with the murder of 13-year-old Joanna Walker and the attempted murder of 21-year-old Adeola Graham appeared before Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls yesterday. Nassau Charles, 22, unemployed, of Hamlet Trace, St Barb’s, Laventille, is charged with Walker’s murder and Graham’s attempted murder on Monday July 14 at Mentor Alley, Laventille. He was also charged with possession of arms with the intent to endanger life, possession of ammunition with the intent to endanger life, possession of arms with intent to do grievous bodily harm and possession of ammunition with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Walker died of injuries caused by a gunshot. Charles was arrested on the same day of the incident. The six charges were laid indictably by Cpl Steve Sookdeo of the Besson Street CID. Charles told Mc Nicolls that his attorney is Patrick Godson-Phillips who was not in court at the time. Mc Nicolls then adjourned the matter to next Friday.

FORMER Attorney-General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj yesterday declared that were he National Security Minister today, kidnappers would be arrested before they could commit their evil deeds. According to Maharaj: “Kidnapping has been made the norm in Trinidad and Tobago under the PNM.” Referring to passage of the amended Kidnapping Bill in Parliament on Wednesday, the former AG said that legislation alone “will not be decisive in solving kidnapping”. Maharaj explained that the missing element to the effective combatting of kidnapping was detection and Government had failed the Police Service in this regard. He said the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS) comprises over 20 men, has no modern equipment and no avenues to source help from overseas. Maharaj said as AG there were mechanisms in place for mutual sharing of intelligence between TT security forces and their counterparts in Britain and the United States, but he was uncertain as to what became of those arrangements after he was dismissed from the then UNC government.

Maharaj boasted that if he were National Security Minister and had the necessary tools, kidnappers would be arrested “before they left their house” to seize their intended victim. Addressing Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference, Prime Minister Patrick Manning revealed that Government was studying the possibility of freezing the assets of kidnappers and their families, but this would require the Opposition’s support. Maharaj slammed the PNM for “breaking the law, but wanting people to follow the law.” He said while the PNM often speaks about integrity, none of its ministers have declared their financial assets to the Integrity Commission, nor has it brought Equal Opportunity legislation to Parliament. Noting that the Integrity Commission did not have the required forms for declaration of assets, Maharaj claimed it would take “30 seconds” for the necessary procedure to be carried out in Parliament.

PLANNING MINISTER Dr Keith Rowley yesterday stunned Parliament into silence when he revealed that the former UNC government betrayed the nation’s doctors to the tune of $40 million. Speaking during debate on amendments to the Medical Board Act, Dr Rowley left the Opposition shell-shocked when he disclosed that a secret agreement was hatched between the Panday regime and a clique of doctors on the eve of the December 2001 elections. “The destruction of the morale in the medical profession was not brought about by this Government. It was their (UNC) treating with favourites in the medical profession in a way that was contrary to the standard practice that laid the foundations for the problems that we had last year and this year. The doctors who very stridently had been leading strikes and disturbances in the public sector, when our good friends on the other side were in government, leading up to the 2001 elections. Rather than recognise the normal, good practice of industrial relations, they allowed the doctors to approach the Sub-committee of the Cabinet. For the first time in the history of Trinidad and Tobago, that any block of government employees were allowed to negotiate one on one directly with the Cabinet.” Rowley declared. Rowley further revealed that the Cabinet’s Finance and General Purposes Committee met with the doctors who up to that point were claiming they were represented by the Public Services Association (PSA).

“Whatever position they took , the one record that was being broken is that here you had this small group of doctors who had access to the political corridors. They were allowed to go and negotiate their terms and conditions directly with the Cabinet, election week. Arising out of that negotiation, was an agreement for a salary increase which was kept secret from the national population. It was only after they got out of Government and we came in, much to our shock and surprise, we met this agreement in place granting the doctors a $40 million backpay,” he declared. The Minister said while Government had to scrape funds to pay doctors salaries, the Medical Professio-nals Association of TT (MPATT) remained deadly silent on their role in this deal while publicly accusing Government of making no arrangements to pay the doctors. Recalling MPATT’s bleating about recognition as a bargaining unit for doctors, Rowley countered: “They had already as a bargaining body, and they wanted to maintain that position. The doctors having gotten through with that, they believe they can carry on this kind of game of putting the politicians on their backfoot and blackmailing.” He said the issue had nothing to do with race or political affliations. “It has to do with a group of public officers being able to negotiate their terms and conditions in that way,” Rowley quipped. The Minister declared that unlike the UNC, the PNM was fully prepared to subject itself to full public scrutiny and face whatever consequences that follow. Rowley added that the responsibility for the practice of medicine “was not the inherent right of an individual” but was internationally recognised as falling within the purview of elected representatives of a State. He challenged the UNC to prove him wrong.                   

ST AUGUSTINE MP Winston Dookeran yesterday attempted to impress UNC Leader Basdeo Panday into choosing him as his heir apparent, but was cut down in mid-stride by a double salvo from Prime Minister Patrick Manning and Planning Minister Dr Keith Rowley. Speaking during debate on amendments to the Medical Board Act in Parliament, Dookeran accused Health Minister Colm Imbert of trying to regulate the medical profession and “using a political agenda to teach the doctors a lesson”. “To use legislation to do that is an act of irresponsibility,” Dookeran stated. “Beautiful..Beautiful..Good point!” Panday quipped from his seat as Dookeran spoke and frequently gazed upon the St Augustine MP with pride. While conceding there was need for the political directorate to exert some level of control over the health sector, Dookeran claimed the Act would “open the door to a whole new area of confusion”.

Backed by taunting from Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh and Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath, Dookeran claimed Imbert was trying “to establish two classes of doctors in this country” and the Medical Board “had served with dignity”. However when asked by Manning if the UNC had an alternative model to suggest, Dookeran had no answer. The Prime Minister reminded Dookeran about Cabinet’s Standing Committee on the Social Sector and said there was now “a significant shift in public expenditure”, contrary to his (Dookeran’s) claims of Government solely using the public sector as the engine of transformation in TT. “That is a step in the right direction,” the UNC MP conceded.

A SENIOR Local Government Ministry official yesterday said the date, time and place for the drawing of lots to decide the tied Rio Claro/ Mayaro Regional Corporation would be confirmed by next Monday. In an interview yesterday, Local Government Ministry PRO Deodath Ojar-Maharaj told Newsday the exercise would be supervised by the Ministry’s Ag Permanent Secretary Terrance Jurawan as well as the Ministry’s legal advisor. He said several legal technicalities had to be “looked at” before the tie could be resolved. The Rio Claro/ Mayaro Regional Corporation, long considered a UNC stronghold, was shared between the major political parties at last Monday’s Local Government Elections.

The result, a 3-3 tie, saw the ruling PNM gaining seats in the Cocal/Mafeking, Ecclesville and Mayaro/Guayaguayare districts, while the UNC held onto the Biche/Charuma, Rio Claro North and South electoral districts. In a similar situation at the 1999 Local Government Elections, the UNC and PNM candidates shared a 4-4 tie in the Siparia Regional Corporation. That Corporation was controlled by the UNC after their candidate won the drawing of lots. However at last Monday’s Local Government Elections, that Regional Corporation was returned to the PNM by a 5-3 margin