PRIME MINISTER Patrick Manning yesterday announced the creation of the Property Industrial and Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago (PIDCOTT) to oversee the development of the proposed Wallerfield Industrial Estate and other similar estates in the country.
Manning also disclosed that he will be meeting in Antigua Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Patterson about supplying that country with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Speaking at the post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, Manning said Cabinet agreed to hive off PIDCOTT from its parent company TIDCO and supply it with a revenue stream from the $44.8 million Hilton Trinidad and Conference asset fund and the $9.83 million asset fund. The Prime Minister said PIDCOTT will directly oversee the creation of the Wallerfield Industrial Estate which will comprise light manufacturing and technology-based industries and the proposed University of Trinidad and Tobago. Manning also disclosed that on Sunday he will fly to Antigua to discuss an arrangement whereby TT will supply LNG to Jamaica. He noted that this was not contingent upon the construction of Atlantic LNG’s Train Four and said those negotiations were proceeding smoothly. “We expect a Train Four,” Manning added. The Prime Minister said he will also hold discussions with his St Vincent and the Grenadines counterpart Dr Ralph Gonsalves on “issues of governance in the Caribbean” and the subject of political integration will be discussed.
On the recent Auditor-General’s report about the public debt crossing the $24 billion mark, Manning said the public debt was well under control, but Government was experiencing some problems with State sector debt and drew reference to Caroni (1975) Limited. Asked about Wednesday’s abduction of Santa Cruz businessman Anslem Choo Woon Chee, National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee said the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS) has been very successful to date in dealing with incidences of kidnapping and Government continues to provide them with the resources they need. Chin Lee disclosed that an agreement has been reached with the United States Embassy to have four Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents come and give addtional training to members of the AKS in surveillance and detection techniques. The Minister lamented that Government was still hamstrung legislatively by the Opposition UNC’s refusal to support a strengthened Anti-Kidnapping Bill. Public Administration Minister Dr Lenny Saith said he was hoping to bring a note to Cabinet next week on the divestment of State-owned National Broadcasting Network (NBN) and was optimistic of a successful conclusion of wage negotiations between the doctors and the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs).
NATIONAL FLOUR MILLS (NFM) chairman Christine Sahadeo will be sworn in as Minister in the Ministry of Finance tomorrow at 10 am at President’s House, effectively paving the way for Prime Minister Patrick Manning to relinquish the finance portfolio.
Manning made the announcement during yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, but declined to say which of the three in his Finance Ministry, Ken Valley, Conrad Enill or Sahadeo would succeed him as Minister of Finance. He said that the appointment of Sahadeo did not mean that Valley was leaving Finance, describing the development simply as a reallocation of portfolios. The Prime Minister indicated that during its six years in Government, the United National Congress (UNC) grossly neglected the needs of the country’s Foreign Service and several key posts have remained vacant to this day. He dismissed reports that former Foreign Affairs Minister Ralph Maraj was being considered for a diplomatic posting to India but confirmed that Government Senator Pundit Maniedeo Persad would take leave of the Senate today in preparation for his ambassadorial posting to a country which the Prime Minister declined to reveal. He stated that once Persad resigns, Sahadeo would be appointed a government senator and junior finance minister.
Manning said the aim will be to have three junior finance ministers — Ken Valley, Conrad Enill and Sahadeo — and for him to eventually turn over the helm of the Finance Ministry to one of them. He said it was always his intention “to be Prime Minister alone” but declined to say which of the trio would eventually replace him as Finance Minister because the issue did not arise at this time. Recalling the numerous criticisms levelled about the size of his Cabinet, Manning said Trinidad and Tobago did not have the sophistication of more developed countries that have smaller Cabinets and having watched his predecessors organise their governments, felt this was the best formula for governance. The Prime Minister added that if errors were made along the road, his administration would make the necessary corrections. Noting that the fourth report of the Elections and Boundaries Commission of the Local Government Act Chap 25:50 for the purpose of Local Government Elections would be debated in Parliament today, Manning said it was very unlikely that an election date would be announced.
OPPOSITION LEADER Basdeo Panday, who has led his MPs in a boycott of Government’s legislative agenda, has shifted gears a bit that could pave the way for a re-thinking of the present UNC position.
Panday disclosed on Wednesday that constitutional reform remains the UNC’s call. However, the political leader disclosed at Wednesday’s Parliamentary Caucus meeting of the party at Rienzi Complex, Couva, that he would urge the People’s National Movement administration to put the necessary mechanism in place to deal with all forms of discrimination in the country. Constituional Reform would have achieved that, he added. It was the reason why the Opposition was not supporting Government’s legislation, but Panday said on Wednesday that he wants Government to implement the Equal Opportunities Commission Act. “If the Government takes positive action to end discrimination, we will give support to the various pieces of legislation as we see fit,” Panday said.
The previous UNC Government passed the Act which has been proclaimed and assented to by His Excellency the President. Panday said that all that is left to give effect to what is now law, is appointment of members to the commission. The Opposition has taken a stance since the results of the last general election that without constitutional reform, its MPs would not support legislation in Parliament. Once such piece of legislation was the recent Anti-Kidnapping Bill which sought to deny bail by magistrates to persons charged with kidnapping.
Junior doctors have agreed to the salary increase offered by the Regional Health Authorities “in the interest of the public, and under some duress,” they said and are prepared to return to work but first they want the immediate reinstatement of Dr Austin Trinidade as Medical Chief of Staff (MCS) of the San Fernando General Hospital. Dr Trinidade was told last week by the Ministry of Health to proceed on his outstanding compensatory leave.
In a media release the Medical Professionals Association of TT (MPATT) said the Acting MCS, Dr Anand Chatoorgoon was unacceptable “in view of his villification of doctors, his intimidation and his abuse of authority while in office.” MPATT, which is representing the doctors, held meetings at the Port-of-Spain and San Fernando General Hospitals yesterday to get a response for the final proposal tabled by the Joint Team of Regional Health Authorities last Wednesday. Dr Lakhan Roop, MPATT’s Assistant Secretary, said doctors accepted the major points of the RHA proposal including a basic salary of $8,600 and some allowances.
Agreement could not be reached regarding overtime allowances (in excess of 16 hours per week), payment for work done on call, during ward rounds on weekends and public holidays and change of contract from two to three years and subsequently the deferment of gratuity payment. These will be referred to the Ministry of Labour for mediation. Roop said at the San Fernando meeting 80 doctors signed a petition which will be sent to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Hamid O’Brien asking for Dr Trinidade to be reinstated. An agreement has been prepared by the RHAs for signing but a number of clauses are to be clarified. MPATT expects mediation to be concluded by the end of this month so an agreement could be signed. Major hospitals have been operating in emergency mode for over a month after junior doctors whose contracts expired last December 31 stopped working as a show of dissatisfaction with the RHAs’ proposals and the slow pace of negotiations.
Attorneys who fail to file their skeleton arguments on time in civil matters will be slapped with an order to personally pay costs, said Chief Justice Sat Sharma yesterday as he further warned of the Court of Appeal’s robust approach against those who fail to follow the procedures laid down.
The CJ made the announcement while dealing with an appeal by two brothers convicted of rape, and the late filing of skeleton arguments on the morning of the appeal by the attorney for one of the appellants. CJ Sharma said that the Court was not satisfied with the recent failure of attorneys in both criminal and civil proceedings who have been flouting the regulations and filing their skeleton arguments way out of time. He said he had written to the Law Association about civil matters delays and it had been suggested that in such cases where there were delays in the filing of skeleton arguments that orders be made for costs against the offending counsel personally. “And in respect of all matters, this court intends to take a robust approach towards practitioners who fail to adhere to the practice directions laid down,” he added.
The Court which comprised the CJ, Justice Lionel Jones and Justice Margot Warner, was dealing with the appeal of brothers Bernard and Richard Harricharand who were convicted and sentenced to 20 years each with hard labour on November 23, 2001, for robbing and raping two cousins in Princes Town on September 5, 1997. Dana Seetahal appeared for Bernard while Kenneth O’Brian appeared for Richard. Assistant DPP Devan Rampersad represented the State. The Court expressed its displeasure at O’Brian’s late filing of his skeleton arguments yesterday morning. The CJ observed that O’Brian’s document was hurriedly prepared, but the issues later crystallised during exchanges between counsel and the Court. The Court eventually dismissed the appeal, but on application by Seetahal, the Court ordered that the 20 months the brothers had spent in prison awaiting trial be deducted from their sentences. The Court also ordered that the sentences start from date of conviction.
In awarding a woman $25,000 in damages yesterday, 12 years after being beaten by a policeman, Justice Joseph Tam said “it was a blatant abuse of power by the police officer”, and such actions must be condemned in the most strongest terms.
Sueling Sailing, 39, of St Francois Valley Road, Belmont, had filed a constitutional motion against PC Anslem Lambert, claiming a breach of her fundamental rights. Lambert was subsequently charged with assaulting Sailing. He was found guilty and on October 4, 2002, and was sentenced to two years imprisonment. Although the State had conceded the matter, it refused of give Sailing the $70, 000 she was asking for in damages. Instead they offered her $20,000 so the assessment of damages was left to Justice Tam. Justice Tam noted that had Sailing pursued her writ action which she had commenced against Lambert in 1992, her action for damages would have been larger. The judge went on to commend the acts of the other police officers and agents of the law who investigated and preferred charges against Lambert. Sailing refused to comment on the matter and hid her face from the cameras as she left court yesterday.
Sailing’s matter was heard in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Civil Court and she was represented by Joan Charles and Ryan Cameron. The facts of the matter were that on April 4, 1991, Sailing was at a KFC outlet on Independence Square, Port-of-Spain about 11 pm, when PC Lambert came up to her and asked her to go on a date with him. When she refused, Lambert attacked her, he pulled her off a chain and slammed her head against a wall repeatedly. He then accused her of having cocaine. Lambert then arrested Sailing and took her to the police station where a search revealed she had no drugs. She was later released and further investigation into the matter led to the arrest and charge against Lambert.
AN HOUR after a “PH” driver was hijacked by two men and robbed of his car, police intercepted the stolen vehicle and arrested two suspects.
The drama unfolded around 10 pm on Wednesday when Mathias Charles, 38, of La Romaine, picked up two men in San Fernando, who asked to be taken to La Romaine. However, while the “PH” driver was proceeding to La Romaine, one of the men placed a cord around the driver’s neck and ordered him to stop the vehicle. As the driver brought the B 14 Sentra to a stop, he was dragged out of the car and placed in the back seat.
One of the men took control of the car and proceeded to a lonely area in California where they dropped off Charles. The driver contacted the police and an All Points Bulletin was issued. Around 11 pm, Couva Police intercepted the vehicle at Balmain and arrested the two suspects. The men are expected to be placed on several identification parades with respect to recent robberies in the district. Investigations are continuing.
A Santa Cruz man who was found with a gun in his jockey-shorts appeared yesterday before Magistrate Melvin Daniel in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Magistrates’ Court.
It is alleged that on Tuesday, Mark “Chinee”Young, 24, was seen by police acting suspiciously while standing near his workplace on Lower Henry Street, Port-of-Spain. Detective Anthony Spence of the Besson Street CID then identified himself to Young, who said, “Boss, I have nothing on me, see where I working now. I clean.” According to Spence, while searching Young, he found a duo-automatic pistol in his jockey-shorts. Attempts by defence attorney Joseph Melville to justify possession of the weapon were dismissed by the magistrate. “Is your client a police officer, is he a firearms expert?” asked magistrate Daniel. The magistrate was not convinced that Young responded truthfully to questions regarding the manner in which he acquired the gun. Daniel adjourned the matter to today saying, “sometimes a night could make a difference, we’ll see if the truth will be a different truth tomorrow.” Young has other pending matters before the courts.
Bottle feeding is a weapon of mass destruction because it is a baby killer, said Professor Muhamed Omer, of the University of the West Indies Child Health Unit on Wednesday at the North West Regional Health Authority’s corporate breast-feeding breakfast meeting at Cascadia Hotel.
“This is not an option,” he said. Professor Omer said many substitutes for breast milk have been made from cows and are suitable for calves not humans. He said calves needed very different nutritional requirements to grow. Speaking to Newsday he said many studies have shown that bottle feeding can cause infection, babies don’t get enough of the right nutrients and this feeding habit causes health complications later on including diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Professor Omer will be in charge of an intensive education programme for health personnel which is expected to start soon. It will first target hospitals, health centres and then private facilities and general practitioners. The programme will last for about a year.
Dr Rai Ragbir, Primary Care Physician II admitted that there is misinformation about breast-feeding even from health care professionals. He said they were not perfect but the education programme will change this. Omer said many health staff were not taught the details of breast-feeding in schools. He said much of the information doctors received came from pharmaceutical representatives who represent companies selling milk products to substitute for breast milk. He said they often highlighted the problems with breast-feeding but this was “absolute rubbish and not the answer”. In his presentation Omer told business officials in attendance that breast feeding is an ancient process which established the woman’s body as the first productive machine (of children) and first to produce food (breast milk). He said if this principle is accepted breast-feeding would be seen as not a purely physiological process but a “fact of life.” As women form a sizeable proportion of the work force it is the duty of employers to ensure the work environment allows them to breast feed.
Omer said employers benefited from allowing mothers to have longer maternity leave and time and place to extract their milk to take home, or time to feed their baby. “These are advantages to the employer not privileges to the employee.” Outlining initiatives in countries around the world, he said in Scandinavian countries mothers get up to 18 months leave. “This can be shared by either the father or mother.” They also received “sizeable remuneration” during this period. Omer said Uruguay offered women who just delivered half working time with pay while Guatemala encourages women to have a crib beside her desk. He refuted the notion that the baby would cry and disrupt the work environment. “The baby is much more satisfied, the mother is less preoccupied than if the baby is at home so she is more productive.” In the Phillippines they experimented with child care centres managed by breast-feeding mothers who not only breast fed their own babies but others in their care. Omer said Bangkok has creches in hospital, and as there was a large female staff in TT’s hospitals this was an initiative which the health authorities could adopt locally. He said this was shown to be feasible and effective.
There will be no Sugar and Energy Festival this year “and it is not because of any political consideration,” says Feroz Khan, President of the Couva/Pt Lisas Chamber of Commerce.
“It is simply because of an uncomfortable financial position of a total debt amounting to some $160,000,” Khan explained. The Chamber was the main sponsor of the event. Khan said that the “Festival, which started in 1995, was the brainchild of the president at that time, Claude Clarke, and it grew in stature and importance over the years to the extent that it was placed on the national calendar of cultural events to attract tourists to Central Trinidad.” He said that in 1999, the Festival was staged alongside the Miss Universe Cultural Pageant and the delegates competing in Trinidad and Tobago participated in the Festival during the Decorated Cart Parade through the main street in Couva, and at the Cultural Programme at Gilbert Park, California. In that year a crowd of over 100,000 jammed Couva and California to witness the Festival which received international coverage from the overseas media which were present to cover the event.
Khan said that in the first five years of the Festival, which aimed at demonstrating the fusion of sugar and energy in the process of showing how they both help in the economic development of the country, he was the Project co-ordinator and “we kept our heads above water not creating any substantial debt whatever.” He explained that in 2001 and 2002 the “standard of the Festival dropped for reasons that were not very clear, and that apart, the debt grew into the region of $160,000.” “On the face of such a huge amount owing, the new Executive of the Chamber took a decision in December last, which was ratified at a General Meeting in February, not to stage the Festival this year until the Chamber made a tremendous effort to help pay off some of the bills,” Khan explained. “So far we are doing well in paying off some of those bills but we are definitely not prepared to stage the 2003 Sugar and Energy Festival in the face of our financial position,” Khan said. “Whenever the Festival resumes,” Khan said, “it will be restructured in a manner that will allow it to be self-financing,” the Chamber head explained.
He said that in the past the Chamber had received “tremendous support from the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation, Caroni (1975) Limited, Plipdeco, the National Gas Company, The Ministries of Culture and Sport, and many other businness organisations in staging the Event and I believe that we have set the platform for Government’s involvement in the Festival, hence we are inviting Government’s assistance (especially the Ministries of Culture and Sport) to take over the mantle of responsibility with our assistance.” The festival, he said, is a significant community effort, but we are unable to sustain it due to financial constraints even though we operate with a vision that we must support the area from which we draw our membership,” Khan said.
