“There is a storm coming,” Roget predicted. “There is a fourth storm and that fourth storm is on the fourth of August.” He addressed reporters in San Fernando before distributing flyers to mobilise the public for the impending “storm”, set to touch down on Brian Lara Promenade in Port of Spain.

Roget criticised Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for meeting with Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Tuesday.

Roget said that Rowley applied and earned his position (of power) by saying Persad-Bissessar was unable to do the job but is now turning to the same Persad-Bissessar for ideas.

“The former Prime Minister Patrick Manning would never in his wildest dreams have done something like this,” Roget charged.

Roget said the purpose of the massive demonstration would not be to “bring down any government” but to demand the government do the job for which it applied.

“The government went through the length and breadth of this country applying for a job which is t o protect worker’s job. Instead, they are sending workers home to keep their (government) job and to keep the elites in place. To me that has to be wrong and it has to be condemned and it is not to be supported.” Roget was flanked by Christopher Streete, the Deputy General Secretary of the National Trade Union Centre and leaders and members of other unions, including the OWTU, Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union, Contractors and General Workers Trade Union, All Trinidad General Workers’ Trade Union and others.

Roget’s walkabout came 24 hours before Energy and Energy Industries Minister Franklin Khan was carded to meet with the OWTU to discuss matters related to Petrotrin based on a government-commissioned report into ways to improve Petrotrin’s efficiency and production capacity.

In a ministry release on Tuesday, Minister Khan said, “We intend to work with all those who want to be part of the solution.

We look forward to productive discussions with the OWTU and the other stakeholders towards this end.

As a government, we plan to deal frontally with the challenges that face Petrotrin working with all stakeholders, Petrotrin will take decisive action to control costs, generate working capital for investment and make the company profitable once again. I look forward to meaningful and open discussion with President General Ancel Roget and the team from the OWTU.”

The mandir’s executive pleaded in a claim filed in the High Court, that they have been using the land adjoining the temple to house their jhandi with flags, religious offerings and providing parking for devotees and have been doing so for several years. The temple is an affiliate of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha and the disputed land comprises 408 square metres.

Artma Maharaj, Shiva Mohan Mahabir and Reuben Pariag, in their capacity as executive members of the mandir, accuse Raghoonanan of unlawfully entering the property while a religious function was in progress on November 6. They further alleged that wedding functions were often interrupted and, on another occasion, guests were forced to move their vehicles while a religious function was in progress.

They are contending that at no time Raghoonanan ever asserted ownership over the land although he has paper title to it and that the mandir has been in uninterrupted occupation of the plot for more than 16 years. The case came up before Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh yesterday who gave directions for filing of witness statements by both sides, by October 2. The matter was then fixed for November 6 for a pre trial review.

BECO spokesperson Sabia Fournilier yesterday said members met on Monday to discuss how both parties can move forward with development plans.

Fournilier described the meeting as “okay” but added that it would like to see any group or organisation be held accountable when actions lead to a negative impact on the environment.

On June 24 a bonfire started at a Sunsetters event on the beach was blamed for the killing of 85 leatherback turtle hatchlings. Sunsetters has since expressed regret over the incident.

Fournilier said BECO is “still debating” on what actions can be taken to ensure accountability by groups using public areas for various events. She reiterated that BECO is willing to work with all interest groups including Sunsetters to protect and enhance the environment and to this end, she added that BECO is in need of support.

Sunsetters PR consultant Ian Royer said the group is waiting on BECO to “make contact” although it is ready to go forward with development plans for the nesting sites. He added that the group is also awaiting a report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries which is investigating the June 24 bonfire.

Efforts by Newsday yesterday reach Minister Clarence Rambharat for a status on the investigation proved futile as there were no response to calls and emails sent to him.

In violent times it is indeed challenging but not insurmountable, and as an ex-military man, Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon’s loyalty cannot be denied, but he must lead as a general in this war against crime.

He must be ruthless with the enemies of the people, State and country, not allowing the vicious enemy any room to manoeuvre or recoil. His approach must instill fear and worry for all those serious criminals.

It is well known that gun-related crimes are prevalent, and with all the sophisticated weapons out there it is even more frightening to know that any fool can squeeze a trigger — and we do have a lot of trigger-happy criminals. So, this must be a priority for the minister. Our freedom is at stake and is to be guarded with loyalty and honour.

Dedication is a quality that we seem to have forgotten but must be rekindled if we are to change the foul stench of murder that pervades our land.

COLIN FORTUNE Arima

Taylor of Fanny Village, is alleged to have beaten Kelly Ann Clarke, 23, to death with a piece of wood last week Tuesday. He appeared in the First Court to answer the charge laid by Cpl Stephen Forbes, of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations (Region III). The accused was not called upon to plead and Magistrate Rambachan remanded Taylor, who was unrepresented by counsel, into police custody and adjourned the case to August 15.

Police found Clarke’s semi nude body between the Point Fortin Hardware and another building along the Guapo/Cap-de-Ville Road. An autopsy revealed she was beaten to death. Clarke, a mother of one, was from Warden Road in Point Fortin.

When we were at the point of the main course, the only entrée option was that of poultry. The beautifully presented entrées were placed before each of the guests.

As the guests began to enjoy the meal, and amid the various conversations, came a portion of poultry flying off the plate of one guest, all the way down the table, eventually landing on the nicely tiled floor. Thankfully, both guest and host saw this as great humour, and laughed it off, with the host stating, “Why didn’t you just pick the darn thing up with your hands?” This scenario raises several dining dilemmas, the first being the service of dining options. One school of thought when serving poultry is to ensure the poultry is served in filet form – meaning, served without the bone. Unless one is very adept with the use of cutlery in such scenarios, it is incumbent upon the host to ensure the most comfortable and enjoyable dining experience for the guest. As such, it may be best to serve the poultry without the bone.

The second dilemma raised is that of eating with one’s hands. When does it become acceptable to eat with your hands? This is based on a few premises, including, event (style, location, suitability) culture (country you may be in), and dining option (casual, fast food). I have been asked about the management of finger foods at cocktail styled events, and how does one manage in such a scenario. The first point to understand is that the term ‘finger food’ refers to foods that can be easily consumed in one or two bites and that can be held with your hands.

The issue with the management of finger foods, particularly in the cocktail event, requires the appreciation of a few steps. If you are required to visit a buffet table to avail yourself of the pieces, it is wise to visit just once, in the first instance, using the utensils provided to place the foods into your plate – sometimes you may see finger foods dressed with toothpicks, to make it easier for lifting – do not use these toothpicks to lift other foods off the serving trays. It is useful to keep a napkin handy – best placed under your plate, as in cocktail styled settings, you are usually standing or walking and chatting.

Keep the napkin placed discretely under your plate to assist with any spillage, as well as to ensure your fingers and mouth remain clean always.

In some settings, cocktail forks and other utensils are made available, whereas in other settings, the finger foods are meant to be eaten with your fingers. In either setting, it is important you do what you feel most comfortable with, as you would not want to end up with a piece of poultry flying off your plate. In a cocktailstyled setting, I may avoid the ‘buffalo wings,’ based on the style of the event. If the event is more formal, the further away I would steer clear from the more difficult fare. However, if the event is more casual, then it is perfectly acceptable to consume the finger foods to one’s delight.

Again, it is always important to appreciate the cultures within which you operate, as this informs the dining style and options available. In another dining setting in London, I was invited to a very formal event, hosted by a family originally from India. The invitation stated formal or traditional dress, and when I arrived, the setting certainly was indeed formal.

However, the menu was what I am very familiar with, being various forms of curried cuisine, with the option of rice or roti, and the host leading the dining experience with her hands. A similar experience is shared in Trinidad and Tobago and many other countries.

Popular radio personality Dale Enoch describes blind loyalists as sycophants.

A sycophant is a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.

Synonyms include yes-man, boot licker, lacky, doormat and brown-noser, to name a few.

Dr Morgan Job describes the political parties or institutions that these blind loyalists belong to as cults. His analysis of their behaviour is claimed to be abnormal and defying logic as people remain loyal to these parties even if their lives are not improving. Interestingly, a synonym for cult is denomination or sect exercising an obsession, fixation or veneration.

I tuned in to a political meeting on Monday night and was most disturbed at one point. Some members of the audience clapped and cheered when the speaker said “Trinidad and Tobago had become one of the most dangerous countries to visit in the world.” This is the kind of blind loyalty that plagues members of our electorate.

It seems as though the Opposition was celebrating the spiralling crime situation by applauding this unfavourable statistic.

We know that culturally we have heard calypsoes like “sailing with the boat, sink or float” from the Mighty Trini, which describes the thinking of a generation of people within our society towards country.

There is a statement made by some blind loyalists which says they will remain a member of a political party until they die, ie, sink or float.

Whether these people are sycophants or cultists is up for debate but statements like these demonstrate blindness and more than mild ignorance manifested as unwavering loyalty. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley demonstrated he is not a blind loyalist when he called out his PNM political leader in Parliament on allegations of corruption and so did Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj with the UNC. The Prime Minister’s “Conversations” meeting in Point Fortin was a good indicator that there are people who may be loyal but not blind and therefore they speak out when they are not happy.

There is hope in the fact that we have a growing segment of undecided voters who actually vote based on issues and for the party which presents the better strategy for national progress.

This group of independent thinkers is often the target by political parties as they are critical to winning an election.

Ask yourself which comes first for you, country loyalty or party loyalty?

RONALD HUGGINS St Joseph

Reporting data from Uniworld 2015, the IDB said that there were in total 527 US multinationals operating within the six countries with the largest economies of the Caribbean.

Of these 527, the report said that 289 of these were public corporations. Of the 238 remaining types of companies, 92 are located in Trinidad and Tobago.

The report said: “The sectoral distribution of US multinational companies is focused largely on the tourism and manufacturing related sectors.

“With 88 companies, accommodation and food services accounts for more than 30 per cent.”

The IDB also noted that while the number of participants in some sectors (mining and construction) was small because of conditions within that sector in the respective local economy, their percentage share was relatively large because of the size of these concerns.

Chief Ricardo Bharath Hernandez said the community would attempt to contact government officials to find out about funding for the holiday as they are yet to receive word. He was reluctant to state the required amount.

The community also said they are yet to receive a $500,000 subvention that they usually receive and the financial year is almost up. This subvention, he said, is being used to build the 25 acres of land given to the community, on which they plan to construct the First Peoples Heritage Village.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in May, announced that the First Peoples would receive a one-off holiday on October 13. The community has a number of activities planned for the holiday. From August 1 the community has events planned leading up to the day.

One of them is a theme song to be done for the holiday.

On August 1 it plans to a soft launch of activities.

It will start with a traditional canon blast/ smoke ceremony on August 1. On August 12, during Arima Borough Day activities. Some of the activities leading up to the October 13 holiday include public lectures at various places in TT, a fund-raising calypso, parang and cultural concert, a book launch and a school’s rally among others.

The community, however, is not only relying on government for funding but it is also seeking corporate sponsorship as well as will host several fund-raising activities among them barbecues and the sale of t-shirts and limited edition stamps.

The CCCU is the regional body for credit unions and its role is to represent leagues throughout the Caribbean. The key functions of this body are as follows:

• Defending and representing the interest of the co-operative sector.

• Providing technical and managerial assistance to strengthen and expand the co-operative sector.

• Promoting technical and managerial assistance to strengthen and expand the sector

• Organising educational conventions and other fora to strengthen leadership, governance and management.

• Providing directors and employees opportunities for skills with regional and international certification.

The CCCU is structured into two primary strategic business units, namely the Trade Association and the Development Foundation.

Trade Association

The mandate of the association is to project the CCCU as a major regional advocate for the co-operative sector as a critical stakeholder in social-economic development and integration of the Caribbean. In this regard, it is responsible for research, marketing, representation, affiliate relations, policy advocacy, legislation and regulation, training and education, and expanding the sector throughout the region.

Development Foundation

The primary responsibility of the foundation is to foster social and community development through co- operative activities by formulating programmes and projects aimed at disaster relief, education, youth and rural development.

CCCU affiliate countries are from the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean and include:

• Antigua and Barbuda

• The Bahamas

• Barbados

• Belize

• Bermuda

• British Virgin Islands

• Cayman Islands, Dominica

• Grenada

• Guyana

• Jamaica

• Montserrat

• Netherlands Antilles

• St Kitts and Nevis

• St Lucia

• St Vincent and the Grenadines

• Suriname

• Trinidad and Tobago

Regional leagues, which include TT are represented at the convention and general meeting by their respective delegates (over 500), and actively participate in meetings where they obtain information on the operations of the regional body from year-to-year and provide feedback for improvements. Our league and TT have a guaranteed seat on the Board of the confederation because of our size in both assets and membership. We are represented on the Board by league president, Joseph Remy, who has recently moved up to the office of vice president.

The league’s goal continues to be one of working with the regional body and all credit unions at the regional and international levels to promote the work of credit unions at the global level, and to plan strategies to ensure that these people-based organisations are respected for their uniqueness. Without credit unions, several individuals and families would remain in poverty and the impact on society would not be positive. It is therefore critical that members remain focussed and continue to work together to strengthen the movement.

In hosting the 2018 convention, our league proposes to lend total support to the confederation in an effort to enhance the quality and brand of the convention and to put strategies in place that will bring all sectors together for a special learning experience. Our heads of State and all stakeholders will be embraced as we seek to take credit unions to a new and dynamic era in 2018.

Speaking on the success of our bid to host this convention after 20 years, league’s chief operating officer, Dianne Joseph indicated that nothing happens before its time. She said despite the many times that our bid was unsuccessful, the league never became daunted. Instead, we decided to keep focussed on the goal of being successful and it has come. The thrust now is to let the best come out of the opportunity.