THE EDITOR: I have recently read a survey in an article in one of our daily newspapers on poverty in our country. It is outrageous to see so many people in our country living under the poverty line.

I believe our country has enough money to feed the people in our country and to take them out of poverty. We have investors from all over the world wanting to invest in our country. If people want to invest in one’s country, it means the country’s economy is great. One of your Ministers said in an interview recently that the oil revenue shows that one person can benefit over $400,000,000. The price of our basic needs is too high. There is no control over the businessmen in this country who sell their goods to the citizens of this country at ridiculous prices, especially to the poor man. This minimum wage you are offering to poor people can’t even “stop a hole” for a family of two.

Imagine working for $56 a day. The cost of living is so high, how can one feed a family of four? With a light bill to pay, water rate, schooling for your children, transportation and other taxes. Our national anthem said, “Every creed and race finds an equal place”. Where is the place for those under poverty. Mr Prime Minister, we need to eradicate poverty in this country, starting with feeding our nation’s children by providing breakfast and lunch in school, giving them free education and I mean free, not opening an institution or school and boasting on how many schools you have opened but provide them with books, uniforms and transportation, while making tertiary education affordable for poor people. Do something better with the minimum wage.

Free medical and dental plans for our nation’s children. Open more programmes like YTEPP so people can get skills to open their own businesses while making loans accessible to them. Building more homes that very affordable so everyone can have a proper and comfortable home to live in, reduce taxes and the cost of our basic needs, and set up a system where foodstuff prices and other basic commodities can be controlled by the government. We need to eradicate poverty from our country right now. We have the resources and the economy to do this.

JOANN GRANDISON
Concerned Citizen

THE EDITOR: I feel constrained to refer to your Sunday’s Newsday of April 20, to the article “Man who killed three women luckiest man in TT”, written by Mr Francis Joseph.

The luckiest man is Bimal Roy Paria of Bangladesh Village, St Joseph who was charged with beating to death former common-law wife Asha Arjoon, mother Sita and sister Anna on July 24, 1998. According to the Privy Council of London, which comprised Lords Nicholls, Hutton, Hobhouse, Scott and Rodger, Paria will escape the hangman because the trial judge did not put his good character to the Jury. Like Mr Joseph, I am impelled to ask: what good character? That question is superfluous! Paria shall be sentenced for manslaughter by the Court of Appeal in TT.

What I am profoundly perturbed and deeply concerned about is why we in TT continue to have ties with the Privy Council of England on murder matters when England has abolished the death penalty? Premised on the recent judgments of the Privy Council, it is virtually transparent that as long as we retain the Privy Council, hanging people in TT will be impossible. In light of the above, I want to call upon the government and Opposition to urgently look into the establishment of a Caribbean Court of Appeal as our final Court of Appeal. Let us do like Guyana, and another one of our Caribbean island (neighbours), and divorce ourselves from the Privy Council before some people conceive the idea that they can go about killing people like chickens and they will escape the hangman’s noose. I must commend Mr Francis Joseph for the article he wrote. It was he who provoked me to write this letter.

HARRY P T CHARLIE
Princes Town

THE EDITOR: This is an open letter to all individuals interested in purchasing NHA homes. I recently purchased an NHA house and was given the relevant documents, including the Electrical Inspection certificate. On presenting the certificate for payment at TTEC to be connected, I was told the certificate had expired and I needed a new one.

I tried to contact the electrician named on the Inspection Certificate only to find out that the electrician named only signed the inspection form, and that the contract was given to someone else. I am fully aware of the fact that the National Housing Authority only authorises main contractors, with licensed electricians to work on their contracts, but many contractors prefer to employ others because they are cheaper. Unless closer scrutiny is paid to these main contractors, many poor homeowners will suffer. A close examination of verifying who cheque payments are made out to will reveal it was not made to the main contractor, or maybe just asking the workers on the site who they are employed with will reveal whether the electrical work is being done by licensed electricians.

S ALI
Oropune/Piarco

THE EDITOR: Mr Eustace Bernard was one of the most respected Commissioners of Police this country has ever seen. He had maintained the colonial standards, to the letter.

DESMOND THOMPSON
Guapo

THE EDITOR: It is crass stupidity for your writer, Jude Gonzalves, to say that a condom is no guarantee that you will not contract AIDS. No one said that it was. What a condom does is reduce the risk of contracting AIDS if you have sex with an infected person just as a seatbelt reduces the risk of serious injury in the event of an accident. I am sure that Gonzalves does not inveigh against the use of seatbelts because they are not a guarantee against serious injury.

What is most disturbing about his letter is the subliminal message that one should eschew the use of condoms altogether. That borders on reckless endangerment of those youths who have not limited their sexual liaisons despite the risk of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. In light of such intransigence, the message from the Minister of Health should be that you should use a double latex condom unfailingly each and every time you have sex outside marriage since this reduces your risk of disease. Further, women should also carry their own condoms, the better to protect themselves. Those are the facts and that indeed is the Minister’s responsibility, not any nonsense about guarantees.

P CLEMENT
Maraval

THE EDITOR: Contrary to press releases from Tobago Express to the media, I want to relate my experience travelling Tobago Express and BWIA from Thursday April 17 to Tuesday April 22, 2003 and would like you to publish my letter.

Thursday April 17: I have confirmed two tickets to Tobago on Tobago Express Flight TB 1562, departure time 4.10 pm. At approximately 3 pm I received a telephone call from my travel agent letting me know that this flight was now cancelled and we are now on a BWIA flight 298 to depart Piarco at 9.15 pm for Tobago. My wife and I arrived at the Piarco BWIA terminal at 6.30 pm and checked in with the BWIA agent, to be told by her that there is no such flight as BWIA 298.

I argued with her that this information was given to my travel agent by BWIA. After checking with her supervisor, she told me that I was right and that I was on BWIA 298. We were given departure tickets and told to go to the Tobago Departure Lounge. BWIA 298, which was to depart at 9.15 pm, left Piarco at 11.10 pm. After being in the aircraft for approximately 30 minutes Captain De Freitas announced that the delay in leaving was due to ground crew not being able to find the Tow Truck to pull the 737-800 jet aircraft out. We arrived in Tobago at my destination hotel at 1 am Friday April 18, 2003.

Tuesday April 22, 2003: I have confirmed two tickets on Tobago Express flight 1531 to Port-of-Spain, departure time 11.15 am. At 11.15 am flight 1529 had not arrived. Shortly after noon I checked with Tobago Express again about flight 1531 and I was told that we would now be on a BWIA flight 296, departure time at 4.15 pm and that we should proceed to the Departure Lounge and wait for an announcement. We never got an announcement. The BWIA flight departed without us. After numerous complaints by all passengers left behind, a BWIA representative came to the Departure Lounge and told us “I am so very sorry, but we forgot you were upstairs in the Departure Lounge, again I am very sorry”. BWIA had to bring an aircraft from Barbados to Crown Point Tobago to take us to Trinidad. We arrived in Trinidad at 7.45 pm. On Thursday April 17 and Tuesday April 22, 2003 we spent approximately 16 frustrating and stressful hours in airports. Tobago Express and BWIA should be ashamed of their performance and a public apology to all stranded passengers should be extended.

HAROLD  J  STAUBLE
San Fernando

THE EDITOR: Now the old aged pensioner never worked or contributed anything towards the betterment of the country where money is concerned, yet they are getting more money than some of us retired public servants who paid towards a pension. Now they are also getting free medication. I am glad they are getting some things to help then, but why should they alone benefit from free medication?

I am a retired public servant and I paid my taxes and towards my pension and NIS which isn’t much, and we are still waiting on the $1000 that was promised to us in two elections (so much for promises). I was so sure that at least I was going to get free medication (no way) it’s only for old aged pensioners, so I want to know if we are not pensioners too. It’s very unfair to us retired public servants. Maybe some retired public servants could afford it, but not all of us could, at least I can’t. My pension is small, under $1800, and NIS small. All retired public servants who are getting under $3000 per month should be entitled to free medication. I suffer with high blood pressure and diabetes and these medications are very expensive, many times we don’t get any from the clinic.

Where is Mrs Jennifer Baptiste-Primus? She is always fighting for more money for the working public servant, what about us public servants who are retired? We would also like to get a raise in pension as all things are very expensive out there, and I have expenses and bills to see about. So I suggest all public servants who get under $3000  per month should get a raise every year, and get the free medication. After all, every one else is looking for more money, and since money is no problem, and we have plenty, then share some more with us. I am sure lots of retired public servants would agree with me because prices are going up every day.

B MOHAMED
Curepe

THE EDITOR: It amazes me how the PNM Government has accepted full responsibility for the UNC’s wrong doing since assuming office. Take for example: Rental of Buildings:

The UNC government rented several buildings for government use. Most of the buildings belonged to members, friends and families of UNC officials. Now the PNM is in office the party is taking blame for the whopping $84 millions a year rental.

Crime: Crime was on the decrease in 1995 and continued until 1999. Published reports state that murders for the following years were as follows: 1995 — 121, 1996 — 107, 1997 — 101, 1998 —97, 1999 — 92, 2000 — 119, 2001 — 150, 2002 – 172. Now the PNM is taking blame for the increase.

Parliamentary Committees: Under the UNC they changed the constitution to establish new Joint Parliamentary Committees with the Government having the majority. Now the PNM is in office and having acted responsibly by ensuring the committees function the party is being blamed for the composition of the committees, especially the fact that the Government is in the chair.

Illegal detention of prisoners: When the UNC was in office no action was taken to reform the prison conditions. There was no outcry about the jail terms imposed by the magistrates. Now the PNM is in office and seeking to reform the prison, PNM is blamed for the prisoners serving more time than required by law, the prisoners having being incarcerated during the time of the UNC.

Water: When the UNC was in office, the party promised water for all by the year 2000, that was never achieved. Now the PNM is in office, the party is blamed for the water problems in the country.

Media: When the UNC was in office freedom of the Press was under threat. Remember Panday refused to sign the Chapultapec Declaration on freedom of the press, it has been signed by Mr Patrick Manning. When the PNM assumed office they hurriedly gave Radio I 95.5 a license to save journalists jobs. Now they are working on a daily basis to bring down the PNM Government.

Constitutional reform: Under the UNC there never was a problem with the constitution, now reform is being bandied about as the solution to everything. UNC denigrated the Constitution while they were in office.

Food Prices: Under the UNC, increasing prices were never a problem. Now the PNM is in office blame is placed at the Government’s door for increases in food prices.

Health: The UNC spent six years in office and never attempted to implement the law relating to the Regional Health Authorities (RHA). The problems today with the doctors and the whole health crisis would have been aborted. Now the PNM is in office, blame is attributed to them for the chaos in Health.

CEPEP: When the UNC was in office only the UNC members and supporters benefited from contracts, employment opportunities, etc, large or small. Now the PNM is in office and the small man is benefiting from contracts in CEPEP there is a loud outcry from a minority group. I hope the Government and the PNM do something about the public relations and stop taking blame for the UNC blunders, corruption and mismanagement – it should not be at the doorstep of the PNM.

TERRANCE ST HILL
St James

THE EDITOR: Optician required correcting a blurred vision 2020! Trinidad and Tobago is the 4th richest country in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago is the richest country in the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago has the highest per capita income among Caribbean countries. Trinidad and Tobago trains over 60 doctors per annum. Over 75 percent of doctors leave the public health sector and also leave Trinidad and Tobago. Over 50 percent of nurses leave Trinidad and Tobago upon graduation. Teachers are leaving Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago cannot attract lawyers to the State Legal Department. The main reason — poor remuneration and poor working conditions.

One psychologist described the salary as an insult and subsequently volunteered to assist. One former prosecutor and magistrate described the salary as an indignity. In the 70s the medical and legal profession were placed in comparable ranges. A medical intern and a State Counsel were both in the same range. A puisne judge and a specialist medical officer/consultant were in the same range. In the 80’s the Judicial and Legal Services was removed to the Salaries Review Commission (SRC); the medical officers remained within the Public Service Commission. The result: In 2002, a Medical Intern earned $8334.41 monthly without on-call.

In 1998, a State Counsel earned $8,775. In 2002, a SMO earned $14,355 monthly without on-call. In 1998, a Puisne Judge earned $32,166 tax-free. Despite this great disparity, there are many vacancies within the state legal services. Despite our economic status, it is thus with great surprise that the Government has decided to request assistance from the Government of Cuba and the United Nations Volunteer Service. This assistance is usually given to poor and impoverished countries and to countries following devastating natural disasters. In other words, at this point in time, Trinidad and Tobago should be helping our neighbours with assistance, be it technical, personnel, etc and not the other way around. What the government is stating is that it is willing to stifle the salaries of its local professionals at the risk of a mass exodus. In response, it is also willing to beg international agencies for professional replacements. Hence the Vision 2020 of developed nation status for Trinidad and Tobago is but a blurred vision.

PHILIP AYOUNG-CHEE
Urologist
San Fernando

THE EDITOR: Please allow me the space in your newspaper to lend my voice to a situation that our medical fraternity needs to address.

If the SARS virus had originated in the Caribbean, no Caribbean national would be allowed into North America without a medical document from a reputable medical facility that was selected by the country in which they were going to. As a visitor to Canada in the past, especially as a farm worker, we had to undergo specific tests to show that we were not infected with tuberculosis or any other contagious disease. I hope that our Ministry of Health has advised that people coming from abroad must have in their possessions documents from medical facilities abroad, selected by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago giving them a clean bill of health. It is imperative that we carefully monitor visitors, as well as returning nationals passing through our various ports of entry so that we may minimise any risks of the SARS virus entering our atmosphere. Declaration forms must be made available to all incoming passengers, questioning them about countries they may have visited over the past few weeks. This is not a joking matter, let us be aware that SARS can be catastrophic.

RAS  KOMMANDA
Siparia