The Editor: We should be vigilant as a people to ensure that the UNC’s attempts to usurp the authority of Parliament and to tarnish its majesty and decorum come to nought.   
           
The nation needs an effective opposition for democratic stability we all cherish. The behaviour of the opposition leads one to conclude that it is just “having fun” at the expense of the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. I demand that the people of Trinbago be treated with more respect. It is imperative that politicians note the effect of their loutish behaviour on society. It offends when one in authority cheats and appears to be too clever by half. The Police Bill, Caroni and Kidnapping Bill are very important and are worthy of serious debate in the House. We reject any attempt at backdoor Government

Augustus Lewis
Marabella

The Editor: I am requesting from the Ministry of Education the disbursement of my refund for the fees paid before I wrote my CXC “O” Levels examinations in June 2002.

I paid my fees and am in possession of an official receipt number BB198518 as proof of payment. I was successful in obtaining a passing grade in one of the subjects that I had paid for and therefore would appreciate being made cognisant of the status of the refund for the fees paid for this particular subject. I believe that I have followed the procedure that was dictated to me with respect to this procedure to obtain my refund but to date I have not been refunded and I am wondering as to whether or not I will ever be refunded. I had forwarded a letter dated Friday November 08, 2002 to the Officer in Charge, Examinations Section, Ministry of Education but this now appears to me to have been a wastage of paper since I am yet to be refunded. This is the recourse that I have chosen to take as it seems that the only way that things are done in this country is to embarrass the authorities into action. I do hope that this is the case with respect to my present predicament.

Renee M Cooper
Moruga

The Editor: I would like to publicly recognise the female member of the Defence Force who did the rendition of the 121 Psalms at the President’s inauguration ceremony.

It was a sterling performance from start to finish. Her military walk to the position, her execution of the song and her military departure brought tears to my eyes and a joy in my heart. Thank you madam for such a moving and appropriate performance. I shall remember this performance for the rest of my life. To His Excellency, I do hope you took note of the words as I am sure they will give you strength and support for your undaunting (uphill) task as President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. God bless Trinidad and Tobago.

Teri George
Jogie Road, San Juan

THE EDITOR: We West Indians like to talk about the glory days of West Indies cricket in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Yes it is nice to have fond memories of our heroes’ achievements. Even today you see newspaper articles talking of the greats of those times.

I have noticed however that no one speaks of the hard work that went into those teams of the Lloyd/Richards era. That was the essence of the team. I remember other Test teams speaking in awe of the training sessions that they have seen the West Indian team go through. I remember seeing for myself the talented Vivian Richards spending hours in the nets just so that he could get himself prepared for his next innings. The end result? A magnificent century at the Queen’s Park Oval. From all reports coming out of the West Indies camp this kind of dedication and application are sadly missing from the present West Indies team. Throughout the history of mankind certain basics do not change. There is no substitute for hard work.

It does not matter what sphere of life you are talking about. “By the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread.” It is a lesson we as elders have to teach the young ones of our society. In that sense the West Indies team has a tremendous responsibility to the youth of the region. The West Indies team has an opportunity to show the youth the rewards of discipline and hard work. If by so doing, they can become heroes to our youths then maybe these young people’s lives could find some direction and focus as they would have someone worthy to emulate. It would be the first step to breaking the cycle of hopelessness and despair that is obviously enveloping so many young people at this time.

RONALD  SAMMY
Palmiste

The Editor: The WASA saga continues, as a daily newspaper saw the purchase of a $.5m car for the Authority’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Errol Grimes, as that important, to warrant the lead story on Easter Sunday, as if to lay Easter eggs.

The article seems not to be in isolation to the other media stories and the consistent allegations made over the past few months by the UNC Opposition, that has put the Authority on the national centre stage and strangely the Government on the defensive. When the leader of any organisation is under such continuous attack, everyone, all the stakeholders within the organisation should wake up and take note. It is for this reason I am compelled to remove myself as a bystander and express a view as an employee. There exists some difficulty to discern from the article if the CEO should or should not receive the $.5m car and no comparison is made as to what exists in the community of CEO’s.

The real question should be what are the type of cars used by CEO’s in T&T?  What type of cars are used by CEO’s in the Utilities? What are the price tags for cars used by CEO’s? The group of employees I associate with always questioned why Mr Grimes drove his old station wagon to work. Embarrassment has been the order of the day and it was a welcome sign when in the corridors of WASA it was heard that a car fitting the office of a CEO was being purchased. A Rover (not purchased by WASA) and an alleged $700,000 Mercedes Benz (purchased through WASA) were owned and driven by the last two CEO’s under the same financial constraints presently experienced by WASA. They were accepted as the standard type of cars for the office of the CEO. Why is it different for Mr Grimes?

Why is he denied a vehicle commensurate with his office to fulfil the task of transforming the Authority?  Why is the benefit standard for WASA being lowered? Is it a signal to WASA workers that benefits agreed to by Management could now be removed or taken back?  If our leader is not given the car that rightfully belongs to him, what will stop the introduction of a policy to reduce benefits to the lower ranks? Prior to the coming of Severn Trent, the salary of WASA CEO was around $11,000 per month. An Institutional Strengthening Team (IST) was brought on board as a prelude to the Severn Trent management contract, the CEO salary for that arrangement was increased to around $45,000 per month.

The CEO salary under the Severn Trent period increased to around $160,000 per month and under the UNC period the salary was levelled around $36,000 per month (with the Mercedes Benz). Is anybody questioning that process?  These developments meant a paradigm shift in the price to manage our water industry. It is interesting to note that the financial state of WASA was even worse than what it is today. A newspaper report indicated that WASA’s rationale for the increase was based on a 40 percent “parity wage” increase for daily rated employees and 37 percent “relativity” increase for monthly paids, in the concluded 1999-2001 Collective Agreements. These agreements significantly reduced the disparity in salaries between the employees and the executive management. 

To rectify the anomaly, the management seemed to have followed the same principle used by the Public Service Association (PSA) to rectify the relativity with daily paids when the disparity between the daily rated employees was narrowed due to the daily rated “parity” agreement. Maybe they were not advised to establish statistical parity as against a ballpark figure. But there appear to be some justification for an adjustment. No one has questioned the rational used by WASA, to adjust the executive salaries, or if it was justified. This has been conveniently left out of the equation and failure to follow due process has been advanced. Grimes and company did not wake up and give themselves an increase. What if on examination, justification for upward adjustments is necessary?  Will it be unreasonable to ask that the process (if flawed) be corrected to facilitate adjustments?’

WASA is once again up against the odds but we will survive the crusade which from all indication is personalised and focuses on WASA’s leader Mr Grimes, questioning his integrity which by extension blemishes and stigmatises the organisation and those therein. The resilience of all employees will ensure WASA survives this onslaught. The media continues their unbalance and non-investigative reporting that passes for journalism. The opposition, with all the corruption clouds hanging over their heads are now the moral crusaders. Ganga Singh and Wade Mark are deliberately exploiting the inexperience of Senator, the Honourable Rennie Dumas, Minister of Public Utilities and the Environment, as a political strategy to remove the corruption focus from the UNC to the PNM using WASA and hoping the Bob Lindquist probe will turn up something. They should not be allowed to succeed.

Joan  Bachew
Committed Employee
Mt Lambert

The Editor: The West Indies team just lost two consecutive Tests, bush fires are ravaging our mountains, SARS is in the world and children are being made to pay adult prices at cinemas. No, your eyes have not deceived you.

I was intrigued by the headline in the Newsday, “Children angry over being asked to pay adult price to see movie” and decided to read the letter to the editor knowing fully well that I would never get back that five minutes of my life.  For those who weren’t as curious, the story goes something like this: two children aged 11 and 14 go to see a movie with their father who happens to be an attorney and they are made to pay the price for adults ($3 extra).  The children then threaten to sue the management of two cinemas for false advertising and breach of their rights as children under the Children’s Act since they do still consider themselves “children”.

I have to admit though, at first I approached the letter with a closed mind and maybe even some cynicism as I simply saw it as comic relief. I just could not see the travesty in having to pay a mere $3 more on a movie ticket. However, as I read on, I began to see the bigger picture and it occurred to me that perhaps this letter was not as trivial as I had first thought. Turns out it was a clear case of individuals standing up for their rights, something us Trinis either don’t like to do, can’t be bothered to do or are not adequately informed to do. 

Imagine a representative from the cinema commenting that the pricing structure at cinemas has been the same way “ever since” throughout the country. In other words, never mind the false advertising (us Trinis should be accustomed to that by now, because it’s been so “ever since”) and never mind the breaching of children’s rights either.  Such a comment only serves to cement my opinion that we have become a land where ignorance (literal and Trini meaning) abounds in most of our people and indifference rules. To Kieon and Daniella O’Connor, I commend you for taking a stand and good luck with your suit. Perhaps there is hope yet for our youth.

Denise S C Hendrie
Diego Martin

THE EDITOR: What’s in a name? I think a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet. However a skunk by any other name would not be less obnoxious — savour that s-k-u-n-k sound — as the local Howard Stern, would howl, “you know wat ah mean!”

How many steadfast, focused Peters do you know? I am acquainted with quite a few of them. Most of them, as if to rival the biblical one, are abrasive one day and very gentle, kind, supportive on the next day. If you stick around long enough with a Peter you would find that he, unlike a rock, gets soft with a little TLC treatment. In other words, he peters out! No wonder he picked a peck(er) of pickled peppers. Notice how innocent nursery rhymes are? George is a name I fear. Most Georges are hasty, blunt, non-nonsense people. They have few friends but they are very generous and trustworthy to their associates. Consider the long, rocky relationship between Dennis Mitchell and his “nemesis”, Mr Wilson. Call that George?

Most James, John, Noel are you average hail, jolly well-met fellows but Michaels are very seldom angelic. Michaels are focused; very, very focused — on themselves. Cases in point — those famous musicians, athletes, singers. I sympathise with the people who sometimes were saddled with androgynous names. Years ago my English-born English teacher let the cat among the pigeons when she informed Evelyn that she had a boy’s name. Did we ever let Eve forget that she had a boy’s name? Years later I am yet to apologise to Evelyn. I discovered that the boy’s name, often spelt as the girl’s was pronounced differently — it was pronounced Evlyn. Am I wrong Dr Chalkie?

Today, as I am wont to do, in my middle age, I was reading the death news when I came across the name Emlyn. I surely hope that the deceased was not really a husband and father. If he was I hope Charron would have pity on him as I am sure he has gone through enough hell already. May his soul rest in everlasting peace. In nearly all cultures names are treated seriously. Many Africans very seldom disclose their real names to outsiders. The saying, “give a dog a bad name and hang it”, has an esoteric meaning.

People’s names are not to be trifled with. It is very chic to move away from Peter, James, John and Andrew to Attiba, Kwesi and Olesegun but we should do some research to find out the meaning of these names. Speaking of names. Just as in people, a country’s name is based on certain premises. Trinidad, I understand, was named after the three hills Columbus spotted. If, as they say, this country, at independence, was founded on the triune principle it is very hard to change its national awards or orders at the drop of a hat. If one interferes with the foundation of a house the whole structure would collapse. The spate of murders, kidnappings and pure “bobol” does not surprise me one bit. As we move away from the principles of our nation’s founding fathers, this country, once referred to by the Doc as the Athens of the Caribbean, would have to shed more and more blood to appease the oil and gas demons we have unleashed. Should we change the country’s name or should we rededicate it? Your guess is as good as mine.

AUGUSTUS LEITH
Bon Accord
Tobago

The Editor: Innocent people die needlessly in Trinidad and Tobago, and all too often because of the indiscretion of others, be it through a single action or a chain of events. Pictures of mangled bodies lying in pools of blood remind us that just as the unfortunate victims of Monday’s horrific accident, it could have easily been you or me. 

According to newspapers reports, a truck was being driven in an easterly direction on the Churchhill Roosevelt Highway. As the traffic lights at the Mausica intersection changed from green to red, a car in front of the truck stopped. The driver of the truck had to suddenly apply brakes, but lost control. The truck jumped the median and overturned on a car travelling on the opposite carriageway. In the end, five people lost their lives. The reports indicate two very common but deadly driving habits.  Firstly, the car driving in front of the truck may have been travelling at excess speed when the lights were about to change, the driver making a last second decision not to break the red light, thus having to rapidly stop. The second being that the truck was driven too close to the vehicle in front of it, as well as with excess speed, which prevented safe handling and control.

It is remarkably similar to an accident that took place nearly two years to the day, when six people died at the Kay Donna Intersection, after a truck collided with a taxi. The lights at the intersection were not operating due to an electrical blackout, with the taxi driver trying to make a break for it, and the truck driver not using due caution given the circumstances.  But ghastly stories of trucks out of control and killing people are not uncommon in Trinidad and Tobago. A major road accident involving a truck is a biennial occurrence. Three people died in 1999 when a truck lost control on St James Street, San Fernando. Others were permanently injured. Then there are the near misses on several occasions where trucks lose control, running off the road and into houses. The frequency of these accidents could be a symptom of a larger problem. Safety checks on trucks and cars, done via vehicle inspections are insufficient. Also, driver training may be inadequate for both passenger cars and trucks. Though in Europe advanced tests (written and practical) need to be passed in order to drive a truck, in Trinidad, this is not the case.

Already for this year 73 people have died in vehicular accidents, and given the festive holidays to come, this figure may double.  Statistics can be obtained from the Traffic Branch of the Police. When compared to developed nations, the trends are not suprising.  In the UK, one in 16,500 people will die in a vehicular accident.  In Canada it is one in 10,000 and in Trinidad 1 in 6,000. This despite a lower “motorisation” (number of cars per person) in Trinidad and Tobago. Driver error and vehicle worthiness are not the only factors that contribute to the killing fields that our roads have become.  Safety has not been designed into the highways. On the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, where higher speeds are often the case, traffic lights are switched from green to red in the same time interval as in the city. A staggered change may be safer. Lighting and road signs need upgrading, and the list goes on. Today there are more cars using an inadequate road infrastructure, and traffic laws hardly enforced. Unfortunately, successive governments have not done enough to improve road safety. But it is ultimately our duty to maintain our vehicles so that they are road worthy. Most importantly driving responsibly, and observing the highway code will lessen, if not eliminate further accidents, of the type we saw on Monday.

Wayne Jaggernauth
Loughborough University
Leicestershire UK