Kenny de Silva, Chairman, National Carnival Commission (NCC) said yesterday he did not understand the call by Roman Catholic priest Fr Ian Taylor for Catholics to abandon Carnival because of its vulgarity. “I do not understand Taylor’s reasoning and there is nothing wrong with enjoying one’s self in the realm of decency”.
De Silva said Carnival was the one time when all people of Trinidad and Tobago come together and regard the national festival as the country’s main uniting force. He added that for this reason, it would be wrong to abandon Carnival. The NCC chairman said the Commission has been taking steps to increase security at all Carnival events and all arrangements will be in place for Carnival Monday and Tuesday. In a letter issued to the media last Monday, Fr Taylor, who is parish priest of Moruga, said Catholics should abandon the national festival because of the rapid decline in morals and behaviour which occurs at Carnival time and also because of the high levels of crime during the season.
Pat Arnold, President of Pan Trinbago said: “Oh Lord, I’m hiding from that. But the problem I have with that is, for what reason? I don’t think the banning of Carnival will solve his problems in the first place and he has his work to do. “I find the churches are very quiet all the time and when things happen, you do not hear anything. They wait until somebody mentions something like the Catholic name and then they jump on that issue but there were other degrading songs before and they did not say anything. So when they react to just the Catholic thing, this I have a problem with. We need to deal with morality in general and not because they call your name”. He added that the call for the abandonment of Carnival did not affect Pan Trinbago or anybody for that matter. “He ought to rethink that statement and deal with the issues as they come along and not wait till last minute and make statements like that. How is he talking about abandoning Carnival at this time? Next week is Carnival! He should reconsider that”. A Catholic mas player, who did not wish to be named, criticised those who get on bad at Carnival and are then seen going to church on Ash Wednesday for ashes. The problem is Catholic apathy and hypocrisy,” she said.
Trinidad and Tobago is to get a new $150 million new Marriott Courtyard Hotel and Office Building, a foreign investment which Prime Minister Patrick Manning said is a vote of confidence in the country’s economy at a time of global uncertainty.
He was giving the feature address at the sod-turning ceremony yesterday at the Invaders Bay, Mucurapo, site. The project is a joint venture between Marriott International Inc and Caribe Hospitality of Trinidad and Tobago. Manning said: “It is indeed significant that at a time when the future of tourism and the hotel industry is uncertain the world over — at a time when there is a slowing down of related activities in Europe, North America, South America and even parts of the Caribbean — it is indeed significant that you have chosen to set up shop in Trinidad and Tobago”. He said the project would draw the country into the international hospitality mainstream, with positive effects on tourism, travel, vacation packages, internal cruises and local sight-seeing tours and showed the country had a bright future. Tourism, he noted, was no longer marginal in national development. With an eye on the foreign visitor, Manning concluded: “As the Carnival season approaches let us comport ourselves in a manner befitting this great and promising nation”.
Christian Mouttet of local venture partners, Victor Mouttet, told guests that the hotel would have 124 rooms, meeting rooms, swimming pool and gymnasium, plus access to adjacent leisure facilities like Movie Towne. The project would cost $150 million and would provide some 400 jobs at the peak of its construction, and then some 100 new permanent jobs. Mouttet said: “It is our intention to have guests staying at the hotel for Carnival 2004.” He told Newsday that the hotel was the third in a series of 10 similar Marriott Hotels in Latin America and the Caribbean. He said that he expected high levels of room occupancy based upon current hotel occupancy rates, even without new projections based on the coming energy boom. He said the office would be constructed from May to September and the hotel from now to February 2004. As to ecological concerns about Invaders Bay, Mouttet said: “None of the land we are using is reclaimed land”.
TODAY is the eighth working day since Caroni (1975) Limited employees were offered a Voluntary Separation of Employment Package (VSEP), and so far just over 500 workers have accepted.
Of the 9,000 plus workers offered VSEP, Caroni yesterday confirmed that 517 employees have accepted, “with a slow by steady flow of workers signing up”. Caroni’s Human Resources Manager, Selwyn Bhajan, told Newsday yesterday that two thirds of the 517 employees who have accepted, are daily-paid workers of the company.
On the first day VSEP was made available, Bhajan said, 30 employees accepted and signed their forms. The rate at which the company was receiving signed applications, he added, was “slow but steadily increasing”. He said the human resource department was conducting an analysis of the rate and “pattern” at which signed applications were being returned to employers. Caroni’s workers have been given 45 days to sign and return their respective VSEP offers, to the company’s HR department. VSEP forms part of a restructuring exercise to scale down the sugar company’s operations.
“The workers have approximately five more weeks to consider whether to accept the offer,” Bhajan said. Most of the workers who have accepted thus far are members of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers’ Trade Union (ATSGWTU). The union’s president general Rudranath Indarsingh, yesterday disputed the company’s figures saying as far as the union was aware, only 216 employees had accepted.
He said the acceptance level was indeed slow and that it was evident that company’s workers were carefully weighing their options. The union has been holding meetings in the sugar belt criticising the VSEP offer. Indarsingh addressed the issue yesterday at Petit Morne sugar estate in Ste Madeleine. He said that the union would continue to oppose the payment of VSEP if Government did not make clear its plan on how 77,000 acres of Caroni’s lands are to be developed and distributed.
Lab technicians, enrolled nursing assistants, clerical staff and other staff support workers of Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) scored a victory yesterday when the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) agreed to issue letters of permanent employment by March 28 to all workers with more than two years service as of December 31, 2002.
The NWHRA agreed to withdraw a circular issued on February 17 instructing those who stayed away from work last Wednesday and Thursday to apply for the days or have them deducted from their salaries. It also gave a commitment to work toward payment of outstanding arrears of increments to affected workers. The task will be undertaken by a project team comprising members of the Human Resource and Finance Division and representatives of the Public Services Association (PSA)—which is representing workers. The exercise will begin Ash Wednesday with the aim of completion by March 28 and payments made April 30. The agreement was reached after approximately 150 workers on two occasions bypassed security and went to the executive floor at Building 39, EWMSC demanding that industrial relations going on for years be settled. Outside the building, they clapped and sang “we want we money.”
A meeting at 8 am between the union, led by PSA Vice-President Stephen Thomas, and NWRHA Acting Chief Executive Officer Karin Pierre and Vice President of Human Resource Ken Mahabir failed to convince the union the RHA was serious about addressing workers’ concerns. Thomas left for a meeting with the Chief Personnel Officer in Port-of-Spain but was called back to Mt Hope by Pierre. At the second meeting which took place at 10 am, he received a signed letter with the NWRHA proposals for resolving the industrial relations issues raised by the PSA. He subsequently addressed workers at the main entrance of EWMSC about the outcome. Responding to concerns about the NWHRA reneging on the latest agreement, Thomas said the involvement of PSA officers in the Project Team will ensure that it is monitored and honoured. “Workers have lost all confidence in administration and lost all trust in commitments given,” he said.
The PSA expects the NWRHA to start issuing letters of permanent employment during next month and not wait until the end of the month. Parity will be addressed when the payment of increments take place. He said workers can expect to have all their arrears included in their April salaries. “We want to ensure that the quantification exercise is done properly,” Thomas said. Asked if the Health Minister can override the agreement reached, he said the NWRHA will use its own funds to pay workers. As a mark of “good faith” they returned to their posts yesterday, but in the time they had been absent, the radiology department had been shut down and clinics, pharmacy, lab service, customer service were also adversely affected. In a media release the NWRHA advised that only emergency cases will be seen at the Paediatric Priority Care Facility as service was compromised due to industrial action by members of staff. It said non-emergency cases should go to Primary Health Care Institutions or private facilities until further notice. The NWRHA apologised for the inconvenience.
THE National Carnival Commission (NCC) was accused of abusing its power by denying an interim payment of $1 million to the National Carnival Bandleaders Association (NCBA) to run some of the shows for Carnival 2003.
This was the argument advanced yesterday by NCBA attorney-at-law Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC when the matter came up before Justice David Myers in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Civil Court yesterday. When the matter was heard last week, the NCBA only received $145,259 to run the Kings and Queens of Carnival preliminaries which were held at the Queens Park Savannah last Thursday and the upcoming Junior King and Queen and Individuals competition at Adam Smith Square last Sunday. Maharaj told the court that in 1997, the former United National Congress (UNC) Government took a decision that the NCC would provide monies for certain agencies, including the NCBA, to undertake activities which pertained to the promotion of the national festival. He said where a clear case of a public body overstepping the bounds of its public authority existed, that constituted an abuse of power and the law allowed for the applicant (the NCBA in this instance) to seek judicial review. Maharaj further pointed out that a public body reneging on promises outlined by executive action, and doing so without adequate justification for its actions, also qualified as an abuse of power. The attorney claimed that the NCC has not provided the court with any evidence that its decision to deny the $1 million payment was justified.
Maharaj noted that while Carnival entities like the NCBA could argue for additional funds for certain activities, the decision by the then Basdeo Panday Cabinet outlined a system where these bodies would receive an annual subvention from Government. He added that his client had a solid argument on the issue of legitimate expectation. Asked by Justice Myers if there was any precedent handed down by the Court of Appeal in such matters, Maharaj replied that he was unaware of any. NCC counsel Martin Daly SC requested that Maharaj supply him with a copy of the Cabinet minute which outlined the arrangement by which the NCBA would receive its funding from the NCC. Maharaj replied that the minute was being sourced and would be made available to the respondent when the matter resumes today at 9.30 am. Daly complained to the court that while he was “very good to give advance notice”, he was being “clobbered ex parte” and needed sufficient time to examine the document. Maharaj promised to immediately supply Daly with the document as soon as it was located. Myers said he would grant sufficient leeway to both sides and it was not his intention to cause any bacchanal for the national community over the Carnival weekend. He declared that “Carnival will happen”.
Myers added that until the application before the court was decided, the second half of the injunction ordering the NCC to pay $1 million to the NCBA, remains suspended. Speaking with Newsday after the hearing, NCC chairman Kenny De Silva said the Kings and Junior Kings of Carnival semi-finals, which were scheduled to take place at the Queens Park Savannah last night, would go ahead as planned.
For the first time in its 11-year history, Normandie Under The Trees Carnival programme had to refund patrons following the non-appearance of performers at Monday night’s show.
Billed as a “Tribute to Kitchener”, several entertainers were carded to perform songs made famous by the Grandmaster. As usual it was a dinner and show, with the latter portion kicking off at 8.30 pm. First up was a Kitchener protege, Pink Panther, who performed a few songs. Up next was Funny, who had a very hard time singing in the right key. He stopped the band (Roots) on three occasions. However, he did go on to sing several songs to the amusement of his audience. The performance revealed a lack of rehearsal between performer and the band. After these two performers MC Terry Joseph announced that they would take an intermission because several of the entertainers billed for the show had not yet turned up. Sugar Aloes, Roger George, Scrunter and Kernal Roberts were nowhere to be found.
It was then patrons started making “noise” (very subtly of course, after all, this is Normandie) demanding a refund as they converged on the ladies at the entrance. Despite this demand for a refund, at the entrance, people were still collecting money from patrons who were just arriving for the show. Organisers Fred Chin Lee and his son Chris tried their best to appease “angered” patrons. During this time several patrons collected their tickets to get a refund or to return to the Normandie for another show. After a 35-minute intermission, MC Joseph announced to the faithful Under The Trees patrons that the show was about to re-start. He introduced the band Roots with vocalist Natalie Yorke and Adrian Philbert who performed two songs to the amusement of the audience. At the end of the second song you could not guess there was a problem.
Kernal Roberts then came on stage and performed several of his father’s songs including his very own “Wavers” in which he used the melody from “Pan In A Minor”. His rendition of “12 Bar Joan” also went down well with the audience. Up next was a man who imitates the Grandmaster with style and grace, and from the word go Scrunter had his audience going. His performance of “The Will”, “Pan On The Moon” and “Woman On The Bass”created waves, but it was when the band struck up “Jumbies” people started dancing and singing. Scrunter brought a troubled show to a fitting climax with patrons smiling as they left. Organiser Fred Chin Lee gave them something more to smile about when Joseph announced that every patron who stayed to the end should collect a ticket to come back to any show at the Normandie. Chin Lee explained to Newsday, “This is our way of apoligising to our patrons. We did not know that the artistes would not show. I understand that Roger George left a message that he did not rehearse with the band and we have not heard from Sugar Aloes.” Chin Lee went on, “This will not deter me from continuing what I started, I intend to continue to ‘break new ground’ with shows at the Normandie Under The Trees”.
Eight calypsonians will do battle tonight for the title of South Calypso Monarch when the San Fernando Carnival Committee hosts the annual South Calypso Monarch Competition at Skinner Park, San Fernando.
The line-up includes both seasoned veterans and a number of young artistes, all of whom have impressed over the season with the high quality of their offerings. Among the eight who will appear on stage tonight will be defending Monarch, Raymond ‘Patches’ Patrick. The competition is scheduled to begin at 8 pm and will be attended by Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Culture Minister Pennelope Beckles and San Fernando Mayor Gerard Ferreira. Each competitor will perform two songs in the following order:
1. Marsha Charles (Lady Adanna) — A Mother’s Advice /Now
2. Patrice Valentine (Rowdy) — CaribbeanDream/Carnival Men-tality
3. Steve Pascall (Ras Kommanda) — Jail Ah Millionaire/Who To Blame
4. Terry Marcelle (D Masso) — Mr Panday Say/Stop The Gang Wars African
5. Raymond Patrick (Patches) — Let’s Stay Together/Greed
6. Llewlyn Mac Intosh (Shortpants) — A Wee Wee Bit For Bee Wee/So What
7. Joanne Foster — Abandoned /Sanctuary
8. Moses Munroe (X Poser) — Life/You Are too Important
The Semi-Finalists for the National Queen’s of Carnival competition which takes place on Friday February 28 from 8 pm are as follows:
Competitor * Portrayal * Band Lee Ann Bailey * An Omen of Peace * If My Friends Could See Me Now Anra Bobb * D’Angel of Light * D’Awakening Gloria Dallsingh * D’Amazon Princess * Native Festival Inez Gould * Chalchiuhtlicue — Goddess of Lakes, Streams, Water, Sea * Gathering of the Tribes Wendy Kalicharan * Native Dancer * Native Festivals Rosemarie Kuru Jagessar * Awa-Hili the Sacred Firebird * Cheyenne Summer Gail Lumsden * A Designer’s Dream * History in Fantasy Peola Marchan * Carnival Goddess of Peace and Love * Carnival Forever, Forever Carnival Jeneil Mendoza * Trini to the Bone * Caribbean Fever Marlene Moraldo * Candace – Empress of Ethiopia * D’Awakening Joan Mohammed * Meditrina – Goddess of the Healing Art * All that Splendour Deborah Nandah * The Black Widow * Miracles Nicole Parker * Supreme Angel of Light and Life * All that Splendour Omah Rampersad * Ceremonial Bustle Dancer * Ceremonial Worshippers Angela Taylor * Spidrasica — The Black Widow * The Hades
Alana Ward * Fire In ‘D’ Sky * Bedazzled
ANTI-Kidnapping Squad (AKS) police officers spent most of yesterday following several leads into the kidnappings of a Toco farmer and a San Fernando man, who were snatched from their homes between Sunday night and early Monday morning.
Up to late yesterday, police had no new leads nor did they know the whereabouts of kidnap victims – Saran “Billy” Kissoondath, owner of Auto House Limited, who lives in Tarouba and Toco gardener Renwick “Blair” Locario, 42. Locario was snatched from his home early Monday morning, by four heavily armed men clad in Army-type camouflage clothing, who bundled him into his own pick-up and sped off. The pick-up was found abandoned hours later, but there has been no sign of Locario. Sources close to the family of kidnap victim Saran Kissoondath, said yesterday that the one million ransom demand has been lowered to $200,000. Police reports said that around 7.30 pm, the victim was alighting from his car, a white Nissan Wingroad, when a gold Nissan Sentra pulled alongside and a man masked in a bandana pointed a gun at Kissoondath’s head. A shot was fired into the air and the assailant dragged the victim into the Sentra and sped off.
According to the relative, on Monday night the family was contacted by telephone and informed of the reduction in the ransom. Kissoondath, 35, also known as “Billy”, was abducted on Sunday night at the gate of his house at Reserve Road, Palmyra, by a gang of men. Kissoondath is the owner of Auto House, a foreign used car business, which he runs in the yard of his premises. Police said the incident happened in full view of Kissondath’s’s wife, Estella, and their two young children Vedhan, eight, and Shastri, 10, who were seated in the vehicle with Kissoondath. Almost five hours later, the family received a telephone call from someone who threatened to kill the businessman if the million dollars ransom was not paid. When Newsday visited the family’s home yesterday, three workers at the car dealership stood guard at the gates and said family members were not speaking to the media. The business remained closed for the second day since the kidnapping.
SENATE OPPOSITION Leader Wade Mark has called for an overthrow of the country’s current political system which he claims puts too much power in the hands of the Prime Minister and ruling party. He said the country is saddled with institutions inherited from its Colonial past which are Westminster in orientation but not “democratic in substance”.
When debate resumed yesterday on Independent Senator Ken Ramchand’s private motion on Constitution Reform, Mark declared: “This political order is a virtual dictatorship.” The United National Congress (UNC) Senator called for a shift away from centralised control because he said it stymied and stifled real development, independence of thought and democracy and hinders institutional growth. “Control is the name of the game. They want to control and when the Prime Minister has the kind of power that we have given to a Prime Minister under our Constitution, you can understand and appreciate this obsession with the whole issue of controlling everything,” he told the Upper House.“Madame President, they want to control you, you know that. They want to control the President of the Senate, they want to control the Speaker of the House of Representatives. I am saying, for instance, the ruling party and its leadership that is now in government, they want absolute control. They want everyone to be a puppet of themselves.” At this point, Senate President Dr Linda Baboolal said she disagreed with Mark’s statement of anyone “trying to control the President of the Senate”.
Mark continued to insist, however, that the nature of the country’s political system is all about control. “Madame President, our Parliament is a mockery of democracy. Our Parliament is a rubber stamp. We do not put the executive under the control that it ought to be put under. The lack of accountability by this executive is clear. What I am saying is that this system needs to be overhauled, we need to overthrow that system because its gives too much power to the Prime Minister and in this instance, to the ruling party … whichever party is in power,” Mark told the Senate. He added: “This is not good for an emerging democracy. It is a recipe and a potent brew for dictatorship and it is a kind of brew that can give rise to a kind of culture, a kind of control like we found in Papa Doc’s Haiti and we found in Guyana under Burnham and the late Hoyte.” Mark said the Constitution was unsuitable at this stage in Trinidad and Tobago’s development and was more suited to a “crown colony type of society”.
