N Touch

Mohammed replaces Hoyte in Windies team

FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD off-spinner Anisa Moham-med has been included in the West Indies women cricket team as a replacement for fellow teenager, 19-year-old Vincentian fast bowler Clea Hoyte.

The 14-member Windies team are currently engaged in a 10-day camp, under the watchful eyes of coach Ann Browne-John and technical adviser Gus Logie, at the Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre, Balmain, Couva, ahead of the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) tournament in Holland from July 19-29. The IWCC competition will see the WI squad facing Ireland, Japan, Pakistan and Scotland and the hosts for two spots to the 2005 Women’s World Cup in South Africa. Hoyte, who was due to leave with the squad for Holland on Friday, sustained a shoulder injury and subsequently failed a fitness test. Mohammed, from Sangre Grande, had the highest wicket aggregate and average at both the West Indies senior championships in Grenada in June and the juniors in St Lucia in April.

Team — Stephanie Power (captain), Felicia Cummings, Envis Williams, Nelly Williams, Shane De Silva, Anisa Mohammed (Trinidad and Tobago); Debbie-Ann Lewis (Grenada); Nadine George, Doris Francis, Phillipa Thomas, Verna Felicien (St Lucia); Candacy Atkins, Indomatie Goordial (Guyana); Juliana Nero (St Vincent); Manager — Cinda Bobb (St Vincent), Coach — Ann Browne-John (TT).

Beckles star for UPS in Sunshine windball

Nigel Beckles with three awesome batting displays led UPS Penal to victories in their last three matches of the Sunshine Frosted Flakes/NSL windball cricket series.

Beckles terrific run started against A Boys when he smashed 57 in his team’s total of 225/6. A Boys were then routed for just 72 — giving UPS a victory by 153 runs. In the second game against New Recruits Beckles struck 101 in UPS total of 185/6. In reply New Recruits reached 100 all out, losing by 85 runs. Last Sunday against Strikers, Beckles was in his elements again striking 78 as UPS batting first made 144/8 in 25 overs. Strikers were then dismissed for just 34 with Suresh Heeralal ending with the magnificent figures of 7/10.

SUNSHINE FROSTED FLAKES WINDBALL CRIC-KET SCORES
UPS Penal 225/6 (Nigel Beckles 57, R Phillip 38) def A. Boys 72 (S Ramnauth 3/14, G Nelson 3/18) — by 153 runs.
UPS Penal 185/6 (Nigel Beckles 101, R Sankersingh 41) def New Recruits 100 all out (D Boodoo 3/34, Suresh Heeralal 3/30) — by 85 runs.
UPS Penal 144/8 (Nigel Beckles 78) def Strikers 34 (Suresh Heeralal 7/10) — by 110 runs.

Verdict on the UNC

THE SIGNIFICANT and not unexpected inroads made by the People’s Nationl Movevment into regional councils traditionally held by the United National Congress in Monday’s local government elections must send an unmistakable message to the UNC that the time has come for change. We had made it clear from early that this was the major issue in the elections, that the contest would essentially constitute a poll on the performance of the Opposition party and its leadership, that UNC supporters would use it to express their feelings on the state of the party, its policies and its future prospects under the present leadership.

The results of the elections could not have delivered a clearer verdict. The UNC suffered a humiliating defeat, with the PNM winning nine of the 14 councils, 80 of the 126 seats, and making historic inroads into areas long considered as UNC territory. Following its defeat in the General Elections last October, Monday’s results must now force the UNC to undertake not only a change in its image and leadership but also in its disruptive, unproductive and bankrupt policies, unless, of course the party cares nothing for the expressed disenchantment of its supporters, its own self-respect and its role as a credible opposition force.

When the UNC lost the General Elections last year, the country expected that Mr Panday would gracefully step down as he had indicated. But in characteristic style, he changed his mind. Now he has led his party into the worst political defeat it has ever suffered, due in large measure to his own tired, predictable and inept performance, and it is now left to be seen whether or not this disaster will convince him that he has nothing more to offer the UNC and the country and quit, or whether or not the party has the courage and concern to remove him if he decides, inspite of everything, he “nah leaving.” Instead of facing the critical implications of his party’s defeat and his own role in it, Mr Panday reacts in typical fashion by expressing his surprise that the PNM did not win more seats given the extent of their corruption. Indeed, the energy and earnestness of Mr Panday and his UNC colleagues in now attempting to unearth corruption within the PNM government should strike many as something of a sick joke.

As far as we are concerned, the results of the elections give us cause for hope and optimism. It demonstrates to us that, to an increasing extent, the instinctive appeal to ethnicity, the tiresome and ill-founded charges of racial discrimination, the  politics of negativism, of opposition for its own sake, of seeking to frustrate for no good reason efforts at solving the serious problems of the country are being seen for what they are and are provoking the rejection they deserve even within the heartland support of the UNC. Our country can only benefit from the results of this election. While the PNM must be pleased with their historic victory, we expect the governing party will also appreciate the fact that it imposes on them the challenge of consolidating their new won support in Opposition areas and to ensure that they administer the affairs of the country in a transparently equitable fashion, in a way that will refute all long-standing suspicions. Their handling of the restructuring of Caroni, now off to a good start, should present a crucial opportunity. 

For the first time, it seems to us, the PNM has clearly crossed the country’s political racial divide and we dare to express the hope that this crossing will lead to a greater understanding and appreciation on both sides and a greater measure of unity in our pluralistic society.

PANDAY’S SWANSONG?


The grinding defeat of the United National Congress by the People’s National Movement in Monday’s Local Government Elections represents not simply a dismissal of a Party, which held the reins of Central Government for six years, 1995-2001, but the generalship of its political leader, Basdeo Panday.

The PNM took control of areas, which, for what seemed like generations, had tacitly borne the stamp “Opposition Property”, winning such unlikely seats as Edinburgh/Longdenville and Enterprise North in Chaguanas; Apex/Fyzabad — Siparia; Hindustan/Indian Walk/St Mary’s and Moruga in Princes Town and California/Point Lisas. Panday’s tiresome leadership style, with which the voters had clearly grown disillusioned, had been a factor. But what perhaps had been the critical factor had been the clear reluctance of the Panday-led UNC Administrations of 1995-2000 and 2000-2001 to deal sensibly, or at all, with the issue of the approaching end of preferential entry status of Trinidad and Tobago sugar to the European Union, and the loss of employment it would trigger, particularly in Central Trinidad.



Had the UNC Government explained to the sugar workers and their families that the end of the Lome Convention, under which preferential entry of sugar to the EU had been guaranteed, and the United States position upheld by the World Trade Organisation WTO on the principle of preferential entry, meant the limiting of sugar industry earnings, the workers and by extension the voters may have stayed with the Party. In turn, had the Government put in place mechanisms for dealing with life after Lome, they may have held on to the areas they lost to the PNM. But only may. Instead, the United National Congress, clearly afraid to be the Party to restructure Caroni 1975 Limited, and put an end to more than 9,000 direct jobs at Caroni, and untold thousands more indirect jobs, hemmed and hawed. A UNC Administration should have marketed the idea of new job creation through the distribution of land to sugar workers (by way of lease arrangements or as separation gifts to workers of say 20 years service and more) for agricultural development. 

And rather than the present People’s National Movement Administration having to be the one to offer sugar workers separation benefits 24 percent in excess of what the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union had negotiated with Caroni under a UNC Government, this had it been done during 1995-2001 would have reaped political rewards. Instead, what the sugar workers perceived, or indeed had been allowed to perceive, however unintentionally, was that an allegedly corrupt UNC Government had not been prepared to concern itself with such a trivial thing as their (the sugar workers’) economic future and welfare and that of their families. To add insult to the proverbial injury, the leadership of All Trinidad had taken issue with Government’s offer of a Voluntary Separation of Employment Programme (VSEP) to sugar workers. The Union sought and won an injunction in the Industrial Court, preventing (during the life of the injuntion) the employer from offering the VSEP and/or from implementing it. It was a tactical blunder, which in the end would be a contributory factor in the UNC’s loss of political face, and ipso facto poor showing in this week’s Local Government Elections. It was an absurd situation. Here, in effect, was a Union, which had agreed to a level of separation benefits for its workers, objecting, for whatever the reasons advanced, to a 24-percent enhancement of those same benefits.

Several workers, anxious for an early receipt of the 124 percent separation benefits, with which they could have gone into small business, including sugar cane production, protested that they had not instructed the Union’s leadership to object to the offer. In the end, with the issue settled and the injunction lifted, the Union would shamelessly announce it would advise the workers to accept the VSEP offer, and seek to advance their new position, by inference, as a victory. The argument, or rather lack of it, was unclear. What was clear on Monday, however, was that the United National Congress’ sugar base would have none of it and had begun to unravel.    Several reasons have been advanced by UNC spokesmen for the Party’s humiliating display in the Elections. One was that the PNM Government had embarked on a programme of projects — pipe laying, electrification and what have you. But did the UNC Administration in late 2002 not embark on a hurried programme of road paving, which, unfortunately, had shown the darker side of the Government, what with the cost of materials suddenly skyrocketing, and inferior work being done in many areas?  Just for the record: Was it by coincidence that some of the pumps at WASA’s Cascade pumping station, suddenly went on the blink on Friday, virtually on the eve of the Local Government Elections, resulting in several areas of St. Anns, being without pipe borne water.  Many affected residents received “a merry dance” on enquiring of WASA when water would be restored.  Surprisingly, water was suddenly restored on Monday afternoon.

It does strike one that Monday’s Local Government Elections may very well be Basdeo Panday’s political swansong.  He led his Party to a 20-16 defeat in last year’s General Election, and to a 9-4 Regional Corporations defeat on Monday. Some three years ago, I had described Panday as irrelevant to the political process in Trinidad and Tobago Today, he is even more irrelevant. The sugar belt, in particular, which has been “short changed” by the United National Congress has hit back at the Party. The sugar belt has seen many Opposition parties representing it come and go. Bhadase Sagan Maraj’s People’s Democratic Party, gave way to the Democratic Labour Party, and his leadership to that of Dr Rudranath Capildeo. Later, the leadership shifted to that of Vernon Jamadar. But the Jamadar-led DLP would, in turn, give way to the United Labour Front, which went even beyond the sugar belt, to embrace oil and other areas, allocating it to wider based support, with such figures as George Weekes, Raffique Shah and Errol McLeod. The ULF would lose the support of Shah, President General of Trinidad Islandwide Cane Farmers’ Association, and oil, and, weakened, form an accommodation with the Democratic Action Congress and Organisation of National Reconstruction to form the NAR, from which the ULF faction would break in 1988 to form Club ’88, and later the UNC. The UNC, like the ULF, the DLP and the PDP have failed because of leadership styles and focussing on the sugar belt alone. The time may be ripe for a truly national Opposition Party, as perhaps the ULF had reached out to be and failed because its leadership failed.

On Marli Street, crime, and the ICC

Our intention when we held a press briefing on Wednesday July 9 was to throw some light on the Marli Street and ICC issues because of the amount of misinformation in the media and misunderstanding by citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. Of course, the steady diet of misinformation is the cause of much of the misunderstanding.

On Thursday, July 10, was pleased with the accuracy, clarity and moderation of the Guardian’s and Newsday’s stories about the press briefing. I cannot similarly characterise the Express’ headlines that “Barriers will stay at Marli Street, says Austin,” and “US HITS TT on crime” (my emphasis). I knew immediately that these inaccurate headlines would reflect negatively on me and other Americans, especially given the emotionalism already pervading these issues. Regarding Marli Street, I direct readers to a quotation in the Express article taken from my statements: “We did not block the street. We attend to the barriers and perhaps I’ll leave it there.” This quote makes it perfectly clear what our role is with respect to the barriers. To say that I shall “leave” the barriers there is not to say that the barrier “will stay.”

Furthermore, the Express article mentions that I quoted from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations “in another attempt to explain the presence of the police barriers.” What I quoted was Article 22.2 of this Convention: “The receiving State is under special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity.” That is, the local authorities bear the responsibility for the security of the Embassy. Local authorities were responsible for the placement of the barrier, and local authorities can remove the barrier at their discretion. I did NOT say that the barrier will stay because I do not have the authority to make that decision. Nor did I say, as stated in a question to Prime Minister Manning “that the barriers will not be removed” (Newsday, July 11, 2003, p 5).

On the matter of crime, the Express article quotes me as responding with the following statement to a question about “whether the US Government was dissatisfied with the efforts at containing crime.” “Are we dissatisfied? We think that more could be done but we are not out there fighting crime.” The Express also reports that I refused to provide any more information because I feared giving “valuable hints, particularly to those involved in the drug trade.” Newsday (Friday July 11, 2003) reports that National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee revealed two days earlier that the TT government plans to upgrade the country’s existing coastal radar network. The article also reported that “the American Government will be purchasing two vessels for the Coast Guard to use in maritime, anti-narcotic operations. Readers should now understand my statement that “more can be done” to fight crime.There should be no need for me to so soon remind readers about our position on the ICC because Thursday’s Guardian (p 3) and Newsday (p 5) provide laudable accounts of my comments at our press briefing on Wednesday. However, a statement in one of Friday newspapers leads me to repeat that we are not telling TT or any other country not to support the ICC.

The Article 98 Agreement we have been trying to sign with TT and other countries is based on Article 98.2 in the Rome Treaty that created the ICC. The United States did not ratify the Treaty because our efforts to have important flaws removed failed. Statements about President Clinton signing the Treaty are misleading when they omit his recommendation against ratification while the flaws remained. Additionally, contrary to statements about our desire to have our war criminals escape prosecution, our Army prosecuted at least 23 cases from the Vietnam war. Moreover, during President Theodore Roosevelt’s time, a GENERAL was prosecuted for war crimes committed in the Philippines. As for other crimes, we often punish the guilty more severely than local jurisdictions seem likely to do. The media have an important role in any nation, to provide reliable information. Columnists and reporters alike must remember that misinformation, disinformation, and sensationalism destroy their credibility. Columnists are expected to opine, but it is dishonest to marshal evidence selectively like an attorney in an advocacy procedure. Too many members of the media in this country and elsewhere do a great disservice to readers by engaging in these discreditable practices while trying to give a different impression.

Sangre Grande hospital attendants cry foul

THE EDITOR: This is a copy of a letter written to the Minister of Health for his attention.

The hospital attendants attached to the county hospital, Sangre Grande, have written and appealed to the authorities to get this complaint settled by the Hospital Services Administrator, County Hospital, Sangre Grande, the President, Public Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago, the Director Compensation Management of the Chief Personnel Office and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, but to date our complaint has not been addressed.

Excerpt from our letter is mentioned hereunder:-
For about four years the hospital attendants of this medical institution have been handling cooked food, drinks, milk and porridge from the kitchen to the wards and Extended Care Unit which is contrary to our job specification. This complaint is about a temporary arrangement between a former attendant and a hospital manager. Before the attendant retired he used to get compensatory time off (CTO) for days worked on public holidays and on weekends.However, after he retired other hospital attendants have been performing similar duties but we are not getting any CTOs. In keeping with good industrial relation practices in the first place we are not supposed to be performing this duty at all and it was the fault of the hospital manager to clean up this mess before the manager left the medical institution, so that attendants would not be in this situation today. Our colleague benefitted while he was working but it is unfair for us to be doing the same work and we are not benefitting.

Subsequent to our letter, the Public Services Association sent a representative from the union who met with the Hospital Services Administrator and the elected representative of the Hospital Staff. The Hospital Services Administrator gave us the assurance that things will be put in place to resolve this matter. This has not been done. We shall be much obliged if you can cause steps to be taken to rectify this matter.


R KHAN
Sangre Grande

Sacrifice of Indian culture

THE EDITOR: I had the misfortune of witnessing the WABC 103FM Mela on TTT. While the occasion was intended to celebrate the 10th anniversary of 103FM, it seemed more like the sacrifice of Indian culture on the altar of political expediency.

As it were what passed for chutney was nothing more than vulgarity, semi nudity, crude lyrics, and of course, the alcoholic overtones of “rum till I die.”One notes that as a result of the ongoing efforts of WABC 103FM to win audience listernership, the average chutney routine is now a scandalous wining exercise, laced with hip hop, dub, and soca. The themes were as pathetic as they were senseless. Prominent among the disappointments were Ms Nisha Baksh’s semi nude appearance on stage, which had her looking more like a stripper than hot chutney diva. And her performance of “ah doh want no dahl belly — Ah want a bony man” confirmed this. Her routine went on forever as Ms Baksh was joined by Andy Singh and his hip hop nonsense. This duo’s routine extended into “Shamilla (take way mih man).” Indeed, people who took their children to the show to see Indian culture in action must surely have been disappointed. Both Avidesh Samaroo and Vedesh Sookhoo should know better than to lead their people down the road to obesity, alcohol and suicide.

Not content with this display, the concert took a political twist as Culture Minister Penelope Beckles took the stage to convey her congratulations. From her laudatory speech, one noted that she must have lived elsewhere all of her life. While she heaped praise on Indian radio stations, she never stopped once to consider her party’s animosity to Indian culture as the Mastana Bahar experience is the most profound example. She got a CD compilation which I am sure is in the same place as the Bhagavad Gita Mr Manning got from the NCIC. Moreso, one is deeply grieved that the Minister would request “Rum Till I Die” since this song, despite a favourite with the non-Indian community, contains loud and potent alcoholic/suicidal overtones which are devastating and should be a source of shame for the Indian community. It was abundantly clear that when they first debuted on the airwaves, 103FM breathed new life into Indian culture, and imbued a new sense of self confidence among Indian people as instead of begging for audio space, Indian culture now had its own space.

In closing, I wish to draw 103FM’s attention to the one year celebrations of the HCU Communications Group held at the Aranguez Savannah about two weeks ago. This is a good example of Indian culture maturing whilst making no compromise to accommodate the nonsense that wants to find its way into our cherished musical customs. Maybe 103FM should have hired HCU to do its Mela.


MS LYSTRA MARAJH
Glencoe

Caricom gets US backlash

THE EDITOR: Caricom as a formidable entity in the region not in the foreseeable future. There are still endless problems to sort out. We are yet to determine where we stand in the scheme of things: with regard to our strengths and limitations, and our fortitude and vision. Unfortunately for us, we are captives of our tunnel vision. There is an old saying: if you don’t know where you going, any road can take you there. We in the Caribbean walk around like ostriches, with our heads buried in the sand. The blind leading the blind.

I am alluding to the US/Caricom standoff in the (ICC) fiasco. As ridiculous as it may seem, this is just America’s way of “giving it” to Caricom for its show of disapproval for the US handling of the US/Iraqi war. Less we forget, the US senator for Caribbean Affairs visited the Caribbean voicing US dissatisfaction with regard to our expressed sentiments favouring Iraq. To use his words: “We would like to know who our friends are.” This utternance went over the heads of our Caricom leaders with each one of them eating his apple, yet expecting to have it. We alienate our benefactors yet we expect their support. One does not have to be in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Diplomatic Corps to know that this impasse has to do with Caricom’s adamant disagreement with the US handling of the US/Iraq war and very little, if anything, to do with its (US) demand for immunity from prosecution of US citizens wanted for crimes.

The Mafia, a US criminal organisation, was famous for making its adversaries offers they could not refuse. In this case the inverse is applicable; the US is making Caricom an offer it cannot accept. The US is clandestinely giving Caricom the message that is known elsewhere if not in TT, which is: who pays the piper calls the tunes. We “pussyfoot,” when it comes to politics in TT and the region, but in other parts of the world politics is regarded as serious business. Our brand of politics is practised solely in the region not elsewhere. Major countries are in the new millennium, sad to say, we are not. Just to illustrate what we have to deal with in the region in the form of politics. The US military funding to TT alone, between 1999 and 2002, amounted to well over $40.2 million (TT). Yet Dr Gonsales, the PM of St Vincent allegedly remarked that the US military aid ban on six Caricom countries would not have a great impact, since he did not view the aid as being that substantial. As fate would have it, while the words of the PM of St Vincent were still reverberating in the region, the affected islands in the region were already looking to TT for financial assistance. The few misguided islands in Caricom, with which unfortunately TT happens to align itself, should be aware of the fact that Caricom accounts for about 25 percent of business in the region, while the US accounts for well over 40 to 45 percent. No one should harbour the thought that I am pro-American and anti-Caribbean, neither is true. The fact of the matter is: that we are being led by a few incompetent people in the region, with vendettas of their own making that we should be guarded against; lest we end up as another Venezuela or Cuba in the region, with the moniker — “Caricom”.  My advice to the people of the region: it is not folly to question the intents and motives of our “so called leaders,”

In conclusion: our Foreign Affairs Minister and Prime Minister would have us believe that the issue that has taken centre stage has to do with the failure of six Caricom states to grant immunity exemptions for any American having to face trial by the ICC, which could not be further from the truth. The US position is just a backlash, for Caricom’s anti-American posture in the US/Iraq war. The US senator of Caribbean Affairs plea to Caricom remained unheeded. Caricom persisted in flexing muscles it did not have. We should have learnt from major countries like China and Japan who remained neutral throughout the entire war.The President of France spoke out against the US, initially, but was forced to visit the US subsequently, with the view of mending fences with the US. His meeting with President Bush was primarily for damage control. If the president of a major country as France, can “eat humble pie” to circumvent retaliation from the US, so can we. Actions like these are necessary for acceptance in the global sphere, which we are pursuing.  Nothing is wrong with being forthright and belligerent, but we should be cognisant of our limitations and could learn from  the President of France how and when to recant. Delusions of grandeur, coupled with unprecedented miscue, got us into this impasse with the US; and being well known for our stranglehold on deadlocks, only divine intervention can bring about an amicable resolution to this deplorable situation. In case one should have any misgivings, a cartoon in one of our local newspapers on July 10, says it all.

ULRIC GUY
Point Fortin

One split second!

THE EDITOR: Just a reminder to us all …
The time “distance” between ABLE-bodied and DISABLED is one split second! Think about it!! Let’s behave accordingly!


DR YEONNIE E WHORMS-JOHN
Arima

Scotland for Scottish club Dundee United

EX-DEFENCE FORCE striker Jason Scotland will be joining fellow national Collin Samuel at Scottish Premier League team Dundee United.

Yesterday, Scotland got word from the Scottish Football Association that he was granted a work permit to play with the club. The 24-year-old Scotland will sign a two-year contract with the SPL team later this month and is expected to partner 21-year-old Samuel in attack for the club, which is nicknamed “The Tangerines”, during their forthcoming pre-season tours of Austria and Germany. Scotland, who ended his six-year stint with Defence Force earlier this year, said yesterday: “The news just came as a shock to me. I’m delighted to get this chance now. “For a long time I’ve been wanting a move like this and now it’s just a matter of time before I settle in. I need to thank those who have been at my side, particularly agent Mike (Berry), the people at the Defence Force, those in the  national team and most of all my mom Brenda (Joseph) and my girlfriend Nimpha (Jeffrey).”

Commenting on his recent trial stint, the former Malick Senior striker said, “The coach (Ian McCall) likes what he has been seeing and they actually feel here that myself and Collin can be the top two strikers in Dundee. “Now it’s just a matter of us proving ourselves. The players have made us feel very welcome. The training has been real intense but we know that this is what we have to expect once we want to make it out here.” Samuel joined the Dundee outfit from Scottish First Division champs Falkirk for a fee of ?100,000 last weekend. While he will join McCall, who was his coach during  his lone season at Falkirk, Samuel was quick to note, “I have played several times for my country. In the summer I went away with the team to South Africa and played against Kenya and South Africa. “We drew two games 1-1 and lost 2-1 to South Africa. It was a good experience. We (the TT team) are starting the journey for the World Cup campaign. Dwight Yorke and Russell Latapy have retired from international football so it is a totally different team, a young one.”