N Touch

TT natural gas prospects look good

As long as natural gas remains the preferred fuel of choice for the US, Trinidad and Tobago could rule the roost for quite a while. That’s the view of Mark Finley, senior economist at BP’s International Affairs Office, who was in the country recently.

Accodring to Finley, US consumption of natural gas has risen by nearly 4% in the last year. Another reason for these favourable expectations is TT’s physical proximity to North America which gives the advantage of low shipping costs. As for global energy trends, stable and gradually changing is how world conditions were described by Finley. “Global energy trends are intact,” says Finley, highlighting the evidence of continuity and change in the market. Oil holds at a steady 40% of the market share, continuing in its monopoly over transportation, natural gas continues to capture what was traditionally coal’s domain and nuclear power remains at a plateau. Development of alternative power sources like wind and solar power continues to be extremely minimal, but growing rapidly at an average annual rate of over 30%. Overall, world energy consumption has experienced a 2.5% increase if one includes China’s demand for coal which accounts for 66% of that figure. This growth which Finley describes as “robust” amounts to the considerably slower 1% when China is removed from the calculations.


Last year China alone accounted for all of the growth in worldwide oil consumption as well. OPEC has been willing to cut production to support high prices but this quota-cutting has resulted in a loss of market share as non-OPEC oil interests have been stepping up production to about 1.5 million barrels per day since last year. Russia, for example forged ahead with a production count of 642,000 barrels per day. Saudi Arabia and other OPEC producers maintain surplus production capacity as policy and these reserves were tapped into during the US war with Iraq. On the whole, however, total production by OPEC is at its lowest since 1995 and its share of the market is at its lowest since 1991. The market has altered, too, in that world oil consumption has slowed in the last five years in comparison to the period between 1992-1997, bottoming out at a growth rate of less than 1% per annum. Last year’s sluggish increases, says Finley, can be attributed to the weak global economy and the aftermath of the September 11th crisis which impacted on jet fuel consumption. By contrast, BP’s oil production rose 20% last year mostly because of new technology. These factors suggest “an oil market with weakening fundamentals but high prices,” says Finley. Also, natural gas trade has grown more rapidly than natural gas consumption, the latter itself showing more growth than oil at 2.5%. In spite of this discrepancy between production and consumption, “natural gas worldwide remains the preferred fuel,” Finley assures us.  The future is inviting for TT, Finley promises, since “the total of US imports and TT’s role will increase significantly in the years ahead.”

RBTT support for UWI sport

A state-of-the-art Scoreboard system sponsored by RBTT will create a high-tech setting for sports development at the new University of the West Indies (UWI) Sport and Physical Education Centre.

The sophisticated new equipment was purchased with a $350,000 donation from the RBTT Education Foundation, which has provided support for projects advancing education, the arts, and sports since 1977. The UWI Sport and Physical Education Centre is the only one of its kind in the Caribbean and is destined to change the face of sport, both nationally and regionally, believes RBTT Managing Director and CEO, Suresh Sookoo.

Not for brides only

She had a stable job and steady income but after 23 years at Republic Bank, Yasmin Winford had had enough, she needed a change. She chucked in the 9 to 5 grind, and took a leap of faith.

After some trial and error and confronting the vagaries of the business world, Winford now owns Yasmin’s, a well-known and upscale boutique and bridal store on Ariapita Avenue, another branch is in San Fernando. Seven years ago, she left a position in Republic Bank’s marketing division, and set about carving her own niche. She ended up in Point Fortin, a virtually untapped local hub for small businesses. “Businesses were going to Point Fortin at that time because of the developments in the energy sector, particularly with LNG. Point Fortin became a place to prosper,” said Winford. There, she started a  “personal care items” store, called Dollar Craze. Items like shampoo, lotions and hair care products which could only be found in supermarkets, could be found there.

Her business took off and like any business person, she began prospecting bigger and better markets. Some opportunities came knocking easily on her door. On one of her trips abroad, she decided to buy some extra clothes and try selling them at the store. It became an immediate hit. As demand for her clothes picked up, the store gradually became known for quality and elegantly casual clothing. “I had to change the name of the store from Dollar Craze, because obviously this did not go with the direction my business was taking. I decided on Yasmin’s Boutique,” said Winford. She began to gradually phase out everything in the store, leaving only elegant and formal clothing and perfumes. This strategic move brought clients from San Fernando, Valsayn and Port-of-Spain to her shop and she opened on Sundays to cater to them. “My business was expanding rapidly, it was more than I could dream would have happened, but it did,” said Winford.


Soon, her shop became too small and Point Fortin a bit too far to cater to her growing clientele. Her next move took her into the city of San Fernando and this propelled her business to new heights. Opening on Todd Street, she was able to penetrate a niche market — the professional women of the city, a very lucrative market for clothing stores. Women flocked to her boutique enamoured with the novelty of her clothes and sincerity of her personality. She stayed on Todd Street for two years before she  realised she needed to move again. “It was very exciting to see my business expand like this,” she said. Yasmin’s then moved to upper Cipero Street in San Fernando, a location it still holds. As a woman of vision with a business flair and indefatigable energy she was constantly looking for new ways to expand, new ways to grow. Her next strategic move led her into the realm of the bridal clothing.


It was an untapped market, she said, and she saw the potential. She immediatley began buying wedding dresses and bridal accessories from other countries and selling them here. In effect, she turned her small boutique from an exotic clothing store to a bridal boutique catering to those with selective tastes. “There was no one-stop shop at the time, not in San Fernando or Port-of-Spain, so I decided to make my shop a one-stop bridal boutique,” said Winford. Like in Point Fortin, clients from all over the country were beating a path to her door. To satisfy their needs, setting up shop in Port-of-Spain seemed like the next logical step. “I went after the bridal market in a big way,” she said. Her husband, Everad Winford, manages the South branch, while she caters to a middle and upper class clientele in the the north.


By buying designer wedding dresses and accessories abroad, she tried to keep the marketing edge. Dresses came from Paris, Italy, Spain, Columbia, Argentina, Indonesia, New York and even India. She buys dresses from well known international designers like Demetrios, Alfred Angelo, Morilee, Vera Wang and David’s Bridal. To cater for the local market, she has hired two in-house designers and also imports bridal dress cloth for those who want to do their own thing. Along with dresses and accessories for the bride, she also has tiaras, gloves, baskets, ring pillows, cake cutters, candles and candle sticks. The list goes on to include even Mikassa crystals, guest registers and cake servers. She travels every six weeks to get new stock, it offers her the opportunity to see what the rest of the world is doing in fashion. She also picks up ideas to incorporate into her business portfolio. “My plans for the future are clear to me. I know what I need to do to make it grow and I am not afraid to take that step,” said Winford. She plans to open a new branch in Central soon to cater to clients in that area. Having dabbled in wedding planning and consulting, she’s looking to expand.  If you wish, she will recommend the right caterers, venues, themes and colour combinations for you.


She also has a professional decorator, Amina Baksh, who is based in San Fernando to decorate venues and help out with her in store displays. Her advice to anyone wanting to start a small business is to be smart and make sure you have enough start-up capital. “You must have working capital. I recommend having at least $25,000 to start because you have to be prepared for the unexpected in terms of expenses,” said Winford. “Like with anything else in your life, you need to be committed to your business and dedicated to making it a success.” But, “The most important thing is building a personal relationship with your clients. You cannot hope to survive in the cut-throat world of business, unless your clients respect and trust you as a business person.” Armed with this philosophy, Winford is constantly challenging herself and her business to achieve greater success.

AIDS and adolescents

WHILE we did not agree with the distribution of condoms to students outside a secondary school recently, the statistics being revealed about adolescent sexual activity in TT are so disturbing that the problem seems to demand some kind of extraordinary action. For example, we are now told that 50 percent of HIV infections occur in the 15 to 24 age group. The information came from Hetty Serjeant, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) TT representative, when she spoke at a World Population Day seminar at the Hilton on Monday.

Serjeant, citing the study on The Sexual Health Needs of Youth in Tobago, said the higher rate of HIV infection in teen girls was because their sex partners were older and had more sexual experience. She pointed out that one in every eight male respondents in a survey thought the best way to cure a sexually transmitted infection was to have sex with a virgin. It is amazing that in an allegedly civilised and intelligent society such as ours, this kind of benighted stupidity still exists.

Speaking at the same seminar, Planning and Development Minister Dr Keith Rowley disclosed that the current adolescent birth rate is 14.1 percent which, he said, was “unsatisfactory and unacceptable.” Dr Rowley pointed out that adolescent sexual activity, pregnancy and early motherhood were priority areas for TT as these factors had the potential to disrupt the economic, health and social development of the country’s youths. Supporting Serjeant’s figures, the Minister revealed that the period 1999 to 2000 registered a 45 percent increase in the number of AIDS cases in the 15 to 19 age group. He added: “The number of women infected by HIV in the same age group is five times higher than among adolescent males. Adolescent females are the fastest growing group of new HIV infections in Trinidad and Tobago. A loss of five percent in GDP by the year 2005 has been projected for Trinidad and Tobago as a result of AIDS.”

We would urge every principal of every secondary school in the country to clip out this editorial and pin it on their most prominent bulletin board so that students could digest these troubling statistics and appreciate the implications for each and every one of them and for our country. The fact is that AIDS infection is now spreading most rapidly among the country’s adolescent female population and that can only be the result of an increase in illicit sexual activity among the members of this group. There is a critical need then to alert TT’s teenage population to this alarming situation and to warn them about the dangers of indulging in casual or promiscuous sexual activity. Apart from the stigma and lack of respect they would incur for themselves and the likelihood of being burdened by an unwanted pregnancy, they may also be playing Russian roulette with their lives.

Although medication has been developed to retard the onset of AIDS, we need hardly emphasise that there is no guarantee that, once infected with the virus, the incurable disease will not arise. In fact, the possibility of developing AIDS will remain a lifelong threat. The problem of adolescent sexuality, then, is a critical one requiring a special effort from every concerned quarter. Dr Rowley’s prescription: “I urge all policymakers, parents, health system managers and educators to work in tandem to help adolescents develop into healthy, productive adults by providing them with a safe and supportive environment, accurate information and counselling, education and training to build life skills and accessible, good quality health services. They are the adults of tomorrow, the productive workers and parents of the future.” Adolescents must realise that sexual activity could never be worth the possible destruction of their own lives.

UGLIER SIDE OF US


“If anyone attempts to haul down the American flag, shoot him on sight,” John A Dix, United States Secretary of the Treasury, 1861.

The United States of America reminded the world last week that its policy of using aid, or rather the threat of withholding that aid, as a tactic for keeping Third World countries in line, was alive and well. Interestingly, its announcement last week that it would suspend some US$47 million in military aid to a number of countries for failing to grant US citizens immunity from the recently created International Criminal Court appeared to have upset many Caribbean leaders. Several of the USA’s NATO allies, which were exempted from the US action, are quite familiar themselves with the American policy, having in the past employed the offer of aid and/or the threat of its withdrawal to coerce developing nations into supporting them in the United Nations and other international bodies on various issues. I suppose that they and the Americans would have described this brutally cynical device as lobbying. And while purists will maintain it is not the same thing, some of these NATO countries would have sent gunboats to ‘persuade’ recalcitrant African and Asian countries to conform. But I have strayed.

In the past, indeed up to not too long ago, major empires had all too often refused to have their citizens submit to the laws of other and lesser States, individually and collectively. The Romans, for example, at the height of the Roman Empire, enunciated the policy: “Civis Romanus Sum’ (“I am a Roman citizen”), which was supposed to bestow on all Roman citizens abroad the right of immunity from punitive laws of the respective countries. The British were no different. They even applied the rule of protection, when it suited them, to those who, although not born in Britain, had, nonetheless, acquired British citizenship. A jingoistic British Foreign Secretary, Henry J Palmerston (Lord Palmerston), who later became Prime Minister, would express outrage at the arrest of a Greek-born British citizen in a relatively weak European country. Palmertson declared arrogantly that “in the high and palmy days of the Roman Empire, all that a Roman citizen in trouble needed to say was ‘Civis Romanus Sum’, and the might of the Roman Empire would have come to his aid”. In the same way, Palmerston continued, referring to the detention of the Greek-Britisher, all that a Briton in trouble needed to say was “Civis Britannicus Sum” (“I am a British citizen”) and the might of the British Empire would go to his rescue. A gunboat was despatched and British dignity was restored.

Is it that American President, George W Bush, is proclaiming to the world a “Civis Americanus Sum” policy by his Administration’s insistence that American soldiers must not be charged with war crimes and brought before the International Criminal Court. The USA, however, reserved the right to unilaterally charge citizens of other countries with war crimes, without the blessings of the United Nations, the ICC and what have you. Had the International Criminal Court been around following on the end of the 1898 Spanish-American war, when the US seized the Philippines, it may have been called upon to try US military personnel, who had killed, or was it wiped out, some 100,000 Filipinos, who protested over a period of time US rule and US occupation forces, and wanted independence. Frances Ghiles’ well researched article, “Another Savage War”, published in the February 6, 1998 issue of the Times Literary Supplement (Page 36), would note an anguished comment by the American author, Mark Twain, about the virtual annihilation of the 100,000 Filipinos. So outraged was Mark Twain that he would protest that the Stars of the American flag, Old Glory, should be replaced with the Skull and Bones!

Few should be genuinely surprised at the arrogant stand of the United States that its soldiers be recognised as beyond the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. What is appalling is its dismissive attitude to developing nations, in particular, demanding in essence that they bow to US pressure on the issue, or risk losing US dollar aid for their military. But what is even more degrading is that there are countries, some of them in the Caribbean, which appear to be grovellingly shuffling their shoes and saying: “Yassuh, Massa Charlie.” Guyana, apparently, has not been threatened. The reason should be clear to many. Guyana, then British Guiana, whose Marxist People’s Progressive Party Government, led by the late charismatic Dr Cheddi Jagan, was deposed in 1953 by the UK Government at the insistence of the United States, is today, although again with a PPP Administration, regarded by the US as a friendly nation. Guyana, in 1953, was a colony of the UK. The devilishly pragmatic American policy of embracing Guyana was clearly formulated to have Guyana act as a constant reminder to Venezuela, which has laid claim to a substantial portion of Caricom’s only South American member State, that Guyana was under its protection.

Let me cite an example of this wide-ranging protectionist policy. When the Paris Club of creditor nations, to which Guyana was indebted and could not pay toward the loans, had been threatening action against Guyana which would have seen the country declared in default, the US intervened and ‘persuaded’ the Paris Club to agree to forgive two-thirds of the Guyana debt. In addition, the creditor nations were to hold off on any immediate demands. The Paris Club, in turn, reportedly on the urging of the United States, pressured Trinidad and Tobago, which owed Paris Club members money, to forgive two-thirds of Guyana’s debt to it, which stood at the time at some US$720 million. The two-thirds worked out to approximately US$480 million, or more than ten times the military aid, which the US had threatened to suspend to 35 countries, unless….! Ironically, Trinidad and Tobago’s debt forgiveness was greater than the combined debt forgiveness of the Paris Club creditor nations to which Guyana owed money. This country lost billions of TT dollars of Guyana’s debt to it, which could have been whittled down by a barter system. Guyana had at first agreed to a system of barter and then reneged. Of note is that American military aid to Trinidad during the four-year period — 1999-2002 — had amounted to some US$6.7 million or an annual average of US$1.675 million. At this rate it would have taken the United States almost 300 years in military aid to this country to reach the US$480 million in debt forgiveness Trinidad and Tobago was pressured to grant to Guyana. The perceptive will read between the lines and see the uglier side of United States foreign policy.

Danger in changing Medical Board Act

THE EDITOR: I have followed with great interest the accounts of the developments regarding the amendment to the Medical Board Act of Trinidad and Tobago in the press. I have not, however, seen any significant explanation of the implications of this amendment for the public of Trinidad and Tobago. Permit me, therefore, some space in your “letters to the editor” segment to enlighten the public regarding this issue.

Historically, for over 40 years the Council of the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago which made up a committee of elected members) has been responsible for issuing licences for doctors to practise medicine. In order for one to obtain a temporary licence, there are some criteria which must be met. They are: 1) The person must be a graduate of a university that is recognised by the General Medical Council (GMC) of England. 2) The person must be fluent in the English language. 3) The person should have at lest five years post-graduate experience, which is usually not insisted upon. Further, if one holds a temporary licence, he/she must be under the supervision of a senior consultant doctor.

The proposed amendment instructs that a “Panel” chosen by the Minister of Health will be given the power to issue temporary licences to doctors. This panel is not obliged to follow the above guidelines, which makes for a number of potentially harmful situations for the public. The GMC has a list of universities that issue medical degrees deemed to be of an acceptable international standard. A person who is a graduate of one of these universities cannot, therefore practise medicine in Trinidad without being subject to scrutiny and investigation by the Medical Board. The amendment makes no such provision, so any person can be registered to practise medicine in Trinidad and Tobago regardless of the quality of his degree. The public can take comfort in knowing that they will be going to see a doctor whose degree will not be accepted anywhere else in the world except TT. The ridiculous argument has been put forward by a senior ministry official that it is not necessary for a doctor in TT to be able to speak English, since there are already so many foreign doctors in the country.

All of these foreign doctors have been educated in universities where the curriculum is taught in English. They are therefore fluent in English. The amendment will encourage an influx of doctors who cannot communicate with their parents, which sets the stage for disastrous situations, including wrong diagnoses, incorrect treatment plans and undecipherable prescriptions for medication, all due to an inability to communicate in English on the part of these doctors. Any doctor currently holding a temporary licence cannot work without being supervised by a senior doctor. The amendment specifically states that the new doctors registered do not have to work under supervision, therefore if any emergency arises in which the doctors cannot cope, there is no one else available to help. The public therefore can and will be the victims of incompetence and inexperience without the safety net of a senior doctor to assist in serious cases. What could possibly be the justification of such piece of legislation? It is being said by some government officials that the need for this “Panel” is because of the current Medical Board not registering doctors, thus being responsible for the shortage of doctors in the health sector. The Medical Board has a registration rate of over 98 percent for foreign doctors, therefore it is quite clear that this is false.

It should be clearly known that it is the responsibility of the Government to encourage doctors to remain and practise in TT, as well as encourage doctors from abroad to enter the country and practise. They have clearly not been doing so by offering a third-rate health care system. With such a high rate of registration by the Medical Board, it can only be surmised that the need for an accessory panel is to register doctors who do not meet the criteria set out by the Medical Board, thus some or all of the outlined situations above are not only possible, but likely, thus causing the collapse of an already ailing health care system. In conclusion, it can be seen that the proposed amendment to the Act signifies the opening of the doors to disaster in the health sector. It should be noted that the ones who will suffer the most from this attempted quick-fix will not be the Ministers or the RHA officials…it will be the members of the public.


DR KHALID N ALI
Princes Town

Government must do more for disabled

THE EDITOR: Kindly permit me space to give my perspective on the present situation regarding persons with disabilities. It has been some weeks since Disabled Peoples International (DPI) members, led by abled George Daniel, have made an impact on our country. By their bold actions at TTEC and Flour Mills, they have won some support, while others have only continued to view them as less than worthy.

Hence the added controversy and alleged abuse by the security personnel. Should this matter be properly investigated and proven true, then the guilty should be accountable, fined and made to perform community service. Simultaneously, I would like to encourage the government and the “Disabilities Minister” not simply to provide cosmetic dress to persons affected by any form of disability. It doesn’t matter whether they be wheel chair bound, or blind, or deaf (hearing-impaired). The latter group came in for mention in the last budget with the promise of hearing aids and that seemed to be a full stop for them. I hope not.

The provision of hearing aids has value in so far as it goes with other support systems. The recent provision of wheel chairs is a very laudable move as well. But the Government must, I repeat, must be pushed to do more. But what of us? Are we as citizens doing our part in our communities and as families of persons so affected? Are we initiating positive action to make their lives valuable rather than leaving them as dependents? I am convinced there is much that we all can and should do to make a positive difference. It is easy for anyone to criticise the government for its failures. But I can be just as guilty, if the person down the street or even in my home has not received the special touch I failed to give.


JOHN HENRY
Arima

Coaches cry foul over choice of team officials

THE EDITOR: The selection of officials to accompany national teams continues to be a sore point in the National Amateur Athletic Association. The executive of this association has repeatedly ignored the directives of the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF), formerly the International Amateur Athletic Federation, to select only qualified coaches to accompany national teams to regional and international games.

The executive of this organisation has also adopted a policy of selecting only executive members to act as national team managers, a provision not catered for in the constitution of the NAAA. The IAAF has continuously stated its position on national team selection even stipulating the qualification that coaches should possess in order to attend regional and international games. The IAAF technical quarterly titled: IAAF New Studies in Athletics, has regularly highlighted their position of the IAAF for the selection of Level 1 coaches to regional and age group championships such as CARIFTA Games and CAC Juvenile Championships and Level 2 coaches to Senior and International Championships such as Pan Am, Commonwealth, World Championships and Olympic Games. Far too often selection of coaches has become a matter of executive lobbying, as this executive looks no further than “across the table” when selection, particularly for major international games, is conducted. There are only two level 2 coaches on the current executive, namely, Dr Ian Hypolite (4th Vice President) and Nadine Hamid (PRO). Let’s make a comparison.

For the CARIFTA Games held in Trinidad over the Easter weekend the technical staff comprised a manager, two head coaches, four specialist coaches, a chaperone and a physiotherapist. Out of nine team officials, three are executive members. However, for the upcoming Pan Am Games to be held in the Dominican Republic all four members of the technical staff are executive members. Namely: Carlene Haynes — Manager (Treasurer); George Commissiong — Asst Manager (1st V President); Nadine Hamid — Head Coach (PRO); Gunness Persad — Asst Coach (Trustee). It should also be noted that Mr Persad is not a qualified IAAF coach. Further, Alan Baboolal, 3rd Vice President, attended the World Indoor Games as Manager/Coach, while for the CAC Senior Track and Field Championship the Manger is Lucretia Warner-Burns (executive member) and Dr Ian Hypolite (4th V President) is the coach.Trinidad and Tobago can boast of having the highest number of qualified IAAF coaches in this region, both Levels 1 and 2. We can also boast of having placed first on more Level 2 courses than any other country in our region. Recently, three coaches returned from Jamaica having qualified as IAAF Level 1 lecturers. If my memory serves me correct, prior to these three coaches the only other IAAF lecturer in Trinidad and Tobago is Lester Osuna. The continued inequity in the selection of team officials can only serve to negatively affect the morale of all the practising Level 1 and 2 coaches in this country.


COACHES FOR LIFE
Port-of-Spain

Willie dropout angers Jamaicans

The Jamaican Cricket Association (JCA), who nominated Trinidad and Tobago’s Willie Rodriguez for the presidency of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), are not in agreement with him pulling out of the race.

This was disclosed by Rodriguez yesterday. “During the past five to six days, I have sought advice from very influential people concerned with West Indies cricket as well as those who have ties with the regional game. “They were all high quality people and ones that I really respect. They were in favour with the idea of me not contesting the elections after I did not get the kind of support I needed,” said the Guardian Life Insurance executive. “I made a decision to opt out of the race and as soon as I did that, I contacted the people in Jamaica who nominated me. They did not agree with me and still wanted me to run for the top post but I told them that I had come to a decision that will be better for West Indies cricket,” he said. “The sequence of events began when I was approached by the president of the Jamaica Cricket Association, to run for the presidency of the WICB.  After some soul searching and prodding, I accepted. “Mr Jackie Hendricks, the president of the JCA had specifically requested at the outset to speak to the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board on my behalf and after I confirmed my availability he made contact with Mr Alloy Lequay. He was immediately advised of the TTCB’s position, which was in keeping with an earlier decision made by the executive members of the Executive Committee of the WICB.” The TTCB are supporting Guyanese Chetram Singh. “At this point in time my information is that nothing has been or is likely to change. The concept of continuity cannot be effectively challenged and the WICB comprises many highly respected cricket administrators, so regardless West Indies cricket remains in competent hands,” Rodriguez stated in a media release.

Singh’s appointment as president of the WICB will now be formalised at the WICB annual general meeting this weekend. Rodriguez who holds the unique distinction of being the only man to play both cricket and football for the West Indies said he is comfortable with his decision. “The people at the WICB see it fit to prefer one of their current members to lead the Board and this I must respect. It may well work out better for West Indies cricket in the future, with the team doing well and moving in the right direction.” “I was not happy with the method used by those involved when it came to deciding who to support but that’s not important again. There is no need to dwell over it and haul people’s name over the coals, for no benefit to West Indies cricket. “The WICB does not need any bad publicity and it is better to leave what has happened in the past and move on. West Indies cricket needs to improve and we are seeing signs of a revival in the game and attention must be paid to this,” he said. Rodriguez reiterated that he is available to serve the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in any position they see fit for him. “I will always remain committed to West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago’s cricket and will help in way I can,” he said.

PowerGen not giving up on schools cricket

The Power Generation Company of Trinidad and Tobago (PowerGen) have made a firm commitment to continue their lucrative sponsorship of the Secondary Schools Cricket League.

This was revealed by Omar Khan, Corporate Communications Manager of  PowerGen during his feature address at the 41st SSCL prize-giving ceremony at the Rudranath Capildeo Learning Resource Centre in McBean, Couva. ”We at PowerGen believe that the best way to assist in the development of a country is to invest in the youths and this we intend to continue,” Khan said. President of the TTCB, Alloy Lequay praised the company. “The success of our national Under-15 and Under-19 teams has been largely due to the tremendous help that PowerGen has provided Trinidad and Tobago’s cricket,” said Lequay.