He was speaking at a recent ceremony to celebrate the 207th anniversary of Colombia’s independence. In a statement issued by the ministry, Moses identified education, national security and energy security amongst the areas which TT and Colombia collaborate in.

In the area of education, he said 33 participants graduated in April from the first edition of a Spanish course for public servants, which was offered by the Colombian government. Moses said 60 participants from five government ministries are enrolled in the second edition of this course, which will conclude in October.

On national security, Moses said the successful implementation of the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, demonstrates Colombia’s “unwavering dedication to restoring peace and security.” Moses said the reopening of Colombia’s embassy in Portof- Spain in 2012 has brought about increased collaboration between TT and Colombia.

He congratulated Colombia on assuming the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Pacific Alliance at the 12th Pacific Alliance Summit on June 30. Moses said TT is one of two Caricom countries which has observer status in the alliance.

Williams made this observation as he responded to questions from secondary school students during a courtesy call on President Anthony Carmona at the Office of the President in St Ann’s. He said in Antigua and Barbuda, “There is always a constant monitoring and evaluation of the crime.” While he has no executive powers, Williams said Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne and the country’s police commissioner speak with him about crime.

He said law enforcement agencies in Antigua and Barbuda have been seeking to curb crime through increased intelligence, increased manpower and the provision of additional vehicles.

Williams said no country in the region has been left untouched by crime. He said, “Crime can influence the perception of your country by investors to do business.” Williams said low crime rates, political stability and good labour laws are some of the criteria which business people look at before they decide which country they invest in.

“If you are going to have a country where there is a lot of crime, it is going to keep investors away.” On the issue of jobs, he said, “It is a struggle for all of us.

We are living in a very challenging world.” Williams said while regional governments are doing what they can to create job opportunities in their respective jurisdictions, “the jobs are not coming at the pace that they should.”

Last week Thursday, the Defence Force issued an apology to Maharaj for wrongly ascribing blame to him for civilians, namely children of Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, being allowed onto off-limit areas at Camp Cumuto and to hold Defence Force owned and commissioned machineguns last October.

This inaccurate finding was contained in a report issued by a Board of Inquiry which was constituted to investigate the breach of military rules after Opposition MP Roodal Moonilal waved photos of the AG’s children posing with the weapons during a sitting of the Lower House last October.

Maharaj, who from day one, has strenuously denied ever giving any permission to the AG or anyone else to have civilians enter Camp Cumuto sought under the Freedom of Information Act, to get a copy of the Board of Inquiry’s report.

On April 25, then Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier General Rodney Smart, by letter, stated, “It was established that the former Chief of Defence Staff Major General Kenrick Maharaj, acting on his own volition, authorised the range practice.” The TTDF subsequently set up a Board of Inquiry to investigate.

Maharaj last week Thursday, received a response from Lt Col Sheldon Ramnanan, which stated, “The record of proceedings of the Board of Inquiry did not name you, Major General Kenrick Maharaj, nor did it state that you had any knowledge of the subject range practice and or that you granted approval for same to be conducted.

The Defence Force sincerely apologises for any inconvenience and or embarrassment caused to you by the aforementioned.” Contacted for comment last week, Maharaj said, “the responses did not meet my expectations and I have chosen to reserve comment until I decide my next move.” Newsday understands that over the weekend, Captain Pritchard reached out to Maharaj on his return from Miami and agreed to provide a more comprehensive response to his (Maharaj) request for a copy of the report of proceedings of the Board of Enquiry.

Sources revealed that Captain Pritchard apologised verbally to Maharaj.

Many of my examples are based on real experiences gained over a period of time in countries and cultures. As such, as I sit in a lounge in a hotel in the middle of London, I observed an interaction with two separate groups of people, with very different outcomes. The first group greeted each other with the usual pleasantry, and as the other party was about to respond to the question asked – “How are you?” – the person who asked the question continued directly into a conversation. Obviously, the person who was asked about how they were, clearly being very familiar with this manner of interaction, just stood there, without saying a word, and listened for a brief moment before cutting the conversation and making their way out.

The second group, I noted, expressed the same sentiment to each other. This time, each party actually took the opportunity to allow the person to speak to how they were, while listening intently for any additional cues for continued conversation. The experience was shared, as the other party spoke about what was transpiring in their lives, all the while uninterrupted. I was familiar with both groups, hence my ability to share in the observation of interactions.

Though this may seem somewhat insignificant to some, as we have become so familiar with the vacuous sentiments, it is just not good enough. If you are not interested in finding out what’s really happening with someone, then why ask? In this age of social media, I am seeing this played out over and over, where people who have become ‘friends’ on a social media platform, complain on the said platform “we are friends on Facebook, yet you pass me by on the streets.” Really, how many of you can attest to this experience? The point is, many people have established these ‘friendships’ on various media platforms, perhaps expecting that friendship to be on par with the standard definition of friendship. However, in this scenario, a number of issues must be taken into consideration, including, the number of ‘friends’ any one person may have (for example, I have approximately 4,000), the person’s status, the reason for being on various social media platforms, among others. The most important factor I believe, is the definition of ‘friend’ as it relates to these platforms.

One should be very wary and should understand that even though you may share a social media platform with an individual, that does not necessarily make you ‘friends’ – in the real sense of the word. Sometimes relationships may blossom to this, but, in the main, tread lightly.

I mentioned, cultural sensitivity earlier on in this article, and it is important to appreciate the culture within one operates as this also provides a solid guide for the response to this question. In Hungary, for example, when one is asked “how are you?” this is seen as a genuine request to know more about your well-being, and the standard answer “I’m good” or “I’m fine” may be perceived as rude. Whereas in the United States for instance, the question, when asked, is simply a quick “Hi,” and let’s get on with it. This, however, does not take away from the primary focus of pure humanity and civility when enquiring of a person’s well-being, which essentially is what we do when we ask, “how are you?”

Newsday spoke to Bakr at his Mucurapo compound on Tuesday .

He explained that the reason for his decision in carrying out the insurrection 27 years ago, was to address rampant corruption under the then National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) government .

He cited circumstances surrounding the death of WPC Bernadette James .

“You know what’s the genesis of this thing? The politicians were dealing drugs and they killed Bernadette James. That is the genesis and if something like this happens again. I don’t know…we may very well do the same thing because you can’t just kill women,” Bakr said. He added that the Jamaat al Muslimeen remains prepared to do what it takes to ensure the safety of women and children .

“We are prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure women and children are protected. At least in 1990, women were not being slashed or stripped naked and raped .

“This is what is going on now and this is the very same moral abyss I spoke of in my address 27 years ago.” Bakr said the failure of governments, past and present, to properly address crime and criminality in the wake of the attempted coup was what led to an increase in violent crimes and more emboldened criminals .

“We’ve come to see it that by not making the appropriate changes, society has descended into the abyss and I don’t know how or when we’re going to return .

Every day we have murders and we are at a stage where people are slitting women’s throats .

“While it is in the best interest of the Prime Minister and the National Security Minister to solve the crime, they just don’t know how to do it. Prior to 1990, we controlled the streets and if you look at the murder rate then, it never exceeded one hundred in a year,” Bakr said .

Asked if the current economic situation in Trinidad is in any way similar to the economic downturn of 1989, which produced the attempted coup, Bakr said that the situation for many working class people has worsened. He criticised both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader for their recent meeting which he said failed to address the plight of people living below the poverty line. “It’s 100% worst. That is the reality for a lot of the working class people in Trinidad today .

According to a recent report, 500,000 persons are now living with less than $1,000 .

That is less than minimum wage. When the government changed hands, the results of this study went from the Partnership to the People’s National Movement and they did absolutely nothing to alleviate this most important issue .

“Politicians are flirting in the face of the people by saying they are going to meet and they have an agenda that does not include the priorities.” Newsday also spoke to former 1990 attempted coup hostage Wendell Eversley who agreed with his former captor Bakr, that conditions in TT are ripe for a second uprising, simply because of the government’s failure to aggressively tackle organised crime .

“We have a situation where there are young men wanting to go to Syria to fight for ISIS .

Where is the intelligence gathering? Things like intelligence gathering are still largely absent from our National Security council,” Eversley said .

However, he said shareholders are “starved for information” and are being suppressed.

“All our investors want to come in but in order for that to happen, due diligence must take place,” Reis said. He added that for the eight years Government has been in control of CLF, they have not produced any audited statements.

Reis spoke to reporters at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain after the hearing of Government’s winding up petition was adjourned to September. On Tuesday, the appellate court gave Government permission to hire two provisional liquidators to preserve the assets of CLF until the winding up petition is granted by the court.

PRIVY COUNCIL LOOMS Reis said yesterday the shareholders are willing to take their fight to the Privy Council in London.

At yesterday’s hearing, Justice Kevin Ramcharan, who last week denied the State’s application for the appointment of the liquidators, gave directions for attorneys representing the CLF shareholders to put forward their opposition to the winding up action.

They have until August 4 to do so. The judge said it was not in the interest of the company, its shareholders and creditors to have the matter go on for too long. Government’s decision to seek to hire liquidators and have CLF wound up is based on a move by shareholders to regain control of the company.

As the principal creditor by virtue of the $23 billion bailout of CLF and its subsidiaries in 2009, Government has the majority of the directors on the board. The government claims the company’s level of insolvency still poses a systemic risk to the country’s financial system and after eight years, it will not recover to a satisfactory state of solvency.

But Reis said this was nonsense.

He said the accounts are wrong but it will be up to the courts to decide whether the company should be liquidated.

He said liquidating CLF will lead to a systemic financial collapse since CLF was spread throughout the country and the Caribbean.

GOVT FEASTING ON CLF “They (Government) do not want to let go. They are feasting on the company,” he said, adding CLF has turned into a state company where its chairman and directors are being paid exorbitant fees.

According to the appellate court’s orders, provisional liquidators Hugh Dickson and Marcus Wide of international accounting firm Grant Thornton will have the powers to protect and conserve the assets of CLF and curtail wasteful expenditure and liabilities pending the determination of the winding up petition.

They will also have the power to take possession and collect the assets to what CLF is entitled and do all things necessary to protect assets in this country and any other jurisdiction.

They will also have the power to investigate the affairs of CLF and bring, continue or defend any legal action brought on behalf of CLF.

They will also have the power to retain and operate the existing bank accounts of CLF and open and operate new accounts, pay any necessary expenses incurred and the power to enter or terminate any contracts relating to the company.

The court’s order also gives the liquidators the power to sell, distribute or part with the assets of CLF with the court’s approval, retain or dismiss employees, maintain insurances or make a proposal under the Bankruptcy or Insolvency act on behalf of the company.

The company also has 21 days in which to submit to Dickson and Wide a statement of affairs, showing the company’s assets, debts and liabilities, a list of its creditors and the securities held. The two are also required to present to the court and the shareholders’ accounts of costs and expenses incurred every three months, beginning from November.

A dam would allow for the control of the flow of water in the catchment areas in the mountains. By controlling the flow of water the authorities could reduce the excess flow reaching the Caroni Plains that leads to the perennial flooding in this area.

A dam would also be a source of water in the dry season and could provide energy in the form of hydroelectricity.

There is no need to be reminded that the country presently relies on a source of energy that is gradually diminishing.

On the negative side, a dam will have environmental and ecological consequences which will have to be evaluated by professionals.

However, it should be noted that a number of quarries presently operate in the Northern Range, inflicting terrible damage to the environment but they seem to operate undisturbed.

On a recent flight to Tobago, I was saddened by the destruction, seen from the air, to the environment by quarry operators.

I counted at least ten open pits where all the plant cover was removed and the land was visibly scarred.

So if they are allowed to do this, a dam can certainly be considered in light of the many benefits that can accrue.

C RODRIGUEZ Petit Valley

For the past two weeks at WACK 90.1FM radio station on Coffee Street in San Fernando, Tuco, with support from bmobile and other sponsors, hosted eager five to 16-years-olds who share a patriotic passion for TT’s rich calypso culture. Detailed lectures on its origins, interactive segments, activities and several “sing-a-longs” all played instrumental roles in the success of this special holiday camp, said a media release. The camp ended July 21 .

Over the last decade, Tuco has held these workshops to increase continuity in the local art-form. According to veteran calypsonian and chairman of the Tuco South Central Zone, Steve Pascall (Ras Kommanda), “These classes cultivate the younger generation, and encourage them to become more involved in this nation’s growing traditional music industry .

“Calypso music is not a dying art-form but one that needs strong support to ensure TT continues to produce quality artistes and by extension, upright citizens. In this light, we can thank bmobile for their timely intervention, especially during these tough economic times. Through these camps, we have seen a lot of positive progress throughout the years. We are here to ensure our young people in the southland have a chance to learn more about our musical culture,” Pascall said .

In addition to the two-week seminar in San Fernando, TUCO also held three similar programmes concurrently in North (Port of Spain) and East (Tunapuna) Trinidad, partnered with another in the sister-isle. At the sessions, young boys and girls were educated on topics inclusive of; how to compose a calypso, the art of extempo, calypso history, stage presentation, women in calypso, the job of a master of ceremony, lyrical content, rendition, TSTT’s vice president of marketing, Camille Campbell, said bmobile is committed to supporting these culture-driven initiatives that are focused on young people .

“These children have a golden opportunity to interact with some of TT’s top calypsonians and they even get a chance to chat, sing and learn with them .

This is important to keep kaiso art accessible and interesting to them, which is what this workshop seeks to accomplish,” said Campbell .

Also present were several former participants who emerged out of this particular south camp over the years. Two-time National Junior Soca Monarch winner (2013, 2014) and founder/president of the Anti-Bullying Association of TT (ABATT) Jeremy Rodriguez; Junior Extempo Monarch champion (2016, 2017) Kevan Calliste and 2017 South Soca Monarch winner Mickyle Calliste (Prince Calliste) among others .

The students were also given fundamental words of advice by the eldest offspring of the late Ras Shorty I, Abbi Blackman, calypsonians Gary Cordner, Ainsley Mayers (El Drago) and Pascall to name a few. As a current beneficiary of the Junior Calypso Workshop, Kevan Calliste, grandson of Black Stalin, held in high regard his learning experiences at the workshop .

“This is my seventh year I’m here and I can proudly say that this workshop has laid very important foundations for my success thus far .

After several classes, I grew a love for extempo simply because the camp opened up a doorway for me .

The lecturers encouraged me and strangely enough, 2016 was the first year organisers put on the Junior Extempo Monarch, and well here I am a two-time winner,” said the St Benedict’s College form six student .

Seventeen-year-old Prince Calliste also acknowledged the objectives of TUCO’s programme. “When I came into the camp, we were privy to an array of artistes lecturing us on the artform. I took all that they said into consideration and use it to make sweet soca music.” Blackman used her expertise in the arts to raise awareness with the budding female students highlighting women in calypso. She spoke to them about proper and respectable presentation of themselves on stage while performing. Their attire, attitude and aura, according to Blackman, go a long way in executing smoothly .

Following the completion of the camp, the promising kaisonians will stay connected to Tuco and their lecturers via their parents as Tuco South Central Zone remains intent on providing the assistance needed to continue nurturing the future of alypso .

And what a celebration it was for the former schoolmates and long lost friends who were absolutely delighted to be together again, making the event akin to a family reunion.

On July 15, 40 years to the exact date of their graduation ball at the then Holiday Inn (The Radisson), a joyful reunion was held at the Fire Officers Mess, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain.

Schoolmates from New York and Canada came down specially for the reunion. For most, it was their first meeting since leaving the college located at Tenth Street and Sixth Avenue in Barataria.

Three former teachers Dr Jean Campbell, Leela Narine –a past student and past principal of the college, and Cynthia Carrington, also attended the reunion. Campbell, a past student of the college, and an events manager, elegantly decorated the venue in the school colours of yellow, green and some gold.

There were other special 40th markers on the night as well.

Past student Anna and her husband Provin Maharaj who came in from Canada were celebrating the 40th anniversary of their first date that night and 36 years of marriage.

Newsday’s features editor Debra Ravello Greaves and Express’ advertising manager Charlene Gaspard-Johnson were both celebrating their 40th anniversary in media and communications this year. It was also a double celebration for Fazia Mohammed who came from New York, it was also her birthday that night and she was presented with a birthday cake surprise.

The planning committee also paid tribute to teachers and students who have died over the years.

During dinner, fire officer Ricardo Seales delighted everyone with a scintillating performance on the saxophone. After the presentation of mementos the entertainment continued with the sounds of DJ Kabuki.

The planning committee is making the event an annual affair and has set the next reunion date for July 14, 2018.

The quarterly survey of finance professionals including CFOs, conducted by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and IMA (the Institute of Management Accountants), found that despite uncovering a slight drop in confidence, the future is still bright especially when compared to the global outlook of the last couple of years. The number of respondents expecting conditions to worsen exceeds those expecting conditions to improve by 10 percentage points – yielding the second-highest confidence index in two years and better than the average since the survey began.

So the outlook for the global economy is promising, with all of the main economies set for decent growth over the next few years. Although a large-scale fiscal stimulus (in the form of tax cuts and increased spending on infrastructure) in the US is looking less likely, the US economy should continue to perform well, helped in large part by a strong employment market.

Consumption growth is the most important component of demand, and that should continue to drive the recovery in the US and elsewhere. Another reason for optimism is the overall health of the banking sector. Credit growth from banks has picked up which is a sign that investment is going to pick up too.

Meanwhile, over the coming year growth in the Caribbean region may benefit from strong tourism revenues, supported by the recovery in the global economy, most notably in the US and Latin America. Many parts of the Caribbean, most notably Trinidad and Tobago, suffered when commodity prices fell. For our commodity producing nation, rich in petroleum, cocoa and citrus fruits to name a few, falling prices meant a loss of export earnings, jobs under threat and a currency crisis because it led to depreciation of the currency value, which is inherently underpinned by the worth of our commodity exports.

Caribbean economies – such as Barbados, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands can be helped with the pick-up in tourism numbers and demand for financial services from the US. Tourism is a major contributor to the region’s economic growth. The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) reported that Caribbean islands welcomed an estimated 28.7 million people in 2015, an increase of 7% on visitors in the year before. North America was the most confident region followed closely by South Asia.

Elsewhere, emerging economies have reported greater improvements to economic confidence. The economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China are all now growing simultaneously for the first time in over two years.

Meanwhile, the Eurozone may benefit from easing austerity, and investor confidence after parties opposing the European Union failed to deliver in recent elections. Through a combination of a gentler than expected slowdown in China and consumption growth driving recovery in the US and elsewhere, this has led to a fairly positive global outlook for this quarter.

The IMF recently upgraded its forecasts for global growth to 3.5% in 2017 and 3.6% in 2018, up from just 3.1% last year. Given the improving outlook, this is looking more than achievable.

Getting the economic confidence back up in any country can be very difficult. But it is vital for an economy and it is up to policymakers to demonstrate clear ideas to boost business confidence and avoid further downward drift. Accountants are crucial to steering businesses through these difficulties; after all accounting is the backbone of the business financial world. Through contributing to discussions about economic growth, managing finances and promoting good financial management, they enable CFOs to successfully navigate businesses as they face tough times ahead and take advantage of challenging circumstances.