The body of mother of five and grandmother of six Toolsie ‘Tara’ Ramdeen, 47, was found at her Mayaro home by relatives who went to look for her after they failed to contact her over the phone to break the news that her companion Andrew Vasquez had just been in an accident.

Relatives found Ramdeen’s body in the garage located at the front of her home off the Naparima/Mayaro Road in Bristol Village, Mayaro shortly after 12 noon. Two of her granddaughters, aged four and two, whom she was taking care of, were unharmed. Ramdeen, a single parent and Vasquez shared a tempestuous, on-again/off-again relationship that spanned 17 years, relatives revealed. She worked as a foreman with the Forestry Division at Mafeking Village. Vasquez was a pensioner.

Police said that Vasquez may have deliberately driven his silver- coloured Nissan B15 car in the path of an oncoming Jusamco Contractors Ltd truck which was proceeding in the opposite direction along the Naparima/Mayaro Road in Union Village, Mayaro.

The fatal crash took place shortly after Ramdeen was murdered.

Vasquez who was unconscious in the wreck of his car, was taken to the Mayaro District Hospital where he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ramdeen’s mother Annie, 70, told Newsday that a relative telephoned her to state that Vasquez was involved in a serious accident in Union Village, Mayaro.

On hearing the news, Annie said she immediately telephoned ‘Tara’ but got no answer. As such, a relative went to Ramdeen’s home and discovered her body with her throat slit. A bloodstained stainless- steel knife was found on the ground near her body.

The relative ran into the house and found Ramdeen’s two granddaughters, weeping.

“I kept calling her when I heard about the accident. But she never answered. It is a real sad case. The man dead and gone so how am I to get justice? She was taking care of her two grandchildren and no one else was home. I don’t know if he had spent the night or came today,” Annie said.

One of the murder victim’s other daughters Ana Vialva, was in a distraught state. She said Vasquez was never abusive to her mother.

“He was never like that to her or anything,” said Vialva. Cpl Ramsahai, PCs Gillead and Hercules and others visited the scene. Both bodies were taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James where autopsies are expected to be done today.

Many countries in the region have been plagued with slow and expensive internet connections. With few outlets offering broadband connections, the lack of competition has led to higher prices for consumers which are difficult for many low to middle-income families to afford.

There is a direct correlation between broadband access and economic development.

Internet access is reaching near-saturation in the world’s rich nations but billions of people living in the developing world still don’t have access. The use of the Internet permeates every aspect of living, working and doing business.

For developing countries, it is the catalyst to closing the development gap. The Internet also removes barriers between nations and supports the process of globalisation. It is therefore important that any barriers hindering the growth and development of the Internet be removed.

Affordable and effective broadband connectivity are vital for economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. Strengthening the Caribbean’s telecommunications infrastructure is a first step to growing the region’s digital economy through improving the regional connectivity. In the longterm aim, this will also drive technology-based innovation.

Notably, there has also been growing investment in technology infrastructure across the region. Last year, the European Investment Bank agreed to invest EUR 8 million to improve internet access on the Caribbean island of St Maarten, enabling high-speed internet to be provided in schools, libraries and hospitals across the island. Once operational the improved network will not only revolutionise internet connections, but also allow smart metres to better manage scare water and electricity resources in St Maarten.

Caribbean countries are connected to the internet through submarine cables. Although most countries have two or three cables, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago each have five, and Cura?ao has six. In the case of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, their considerably larger populations relative to other countries in the region make them key anchor points, as it is expected that they will generate significantly more traffic, thereby improving the cost recovery and profitability of the cables Telecommunications businesses are also keen to invest in the region. They are especially keen following restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the USA which has increased interest in the Caribbean, and several global technology service providers are now turning fresh eyes toward the region. Digicel has the largest market share for the largest mobile operations across the region and has been investing in its submarine cable system. In 2014, it bought the submarine cable assets of Global Caribbean Fibre and Global Caribbean Network to create a fibre-optic cable network of approximately 3,100 km providing capacity from Trinidad in the southern Caribbean to Puerto Rico in the north.

The firm has approval to build out networks connecting the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica, 51 and connecting Guyana. Digicel also launched Digicel Play, using digital and fibre technologies to offer voice telephony, subscriber television and broadband Internet. To date, Digicel Play has been rolled out in Anguilla, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands, with plans to soon add Saint Kitts and Nevis.

But the vision for improving the internet goes beyond giving government more efficient ways to deliver critical services. It is about growing the digital economy by giving more citizens access to essential online services and creating opportunities for digital entrepreneurs to enter the growing market.

Technology is shaping the future and the changes it brings don’t have to be a crushing force. For business, an understanding of the emerging challenges and opportunities can help prepare them for the possibilities.

Cyber security, big data, cloud storage, artificial intelligence and robotics are just some of the technology trends that are changing the ways we work, and how finance professionals operate in particular. Whilst they do not need to become an expert in these developments, a broad understanding of where these technological advances are taking their profession will be crucial to their growth, whatever the sector they work in.

Today’s modern finance professional is increasingly viewed as an influencer, with a major role to play in strategy development and overall business success. Underpinning all of this is the effective application of technology.

Technological advances provide businesses with new capabilities to enhance their competitiveness globally, offer opportunities to be more productive and lead to new ways of securing finance. SMEs, in particular, are now able to compete on an equal footing, even without lots of capital to invest.

The finance function is a part of the digital world. Technology helps them automate and de-skill time-consuming work, and thereby focus on higher-value work, consolidating their role as strategic business partners. By keeping informed about technologies as they evolve, considering new ones as they emerge, and then assessing their implications for finance professionals and those they serve and support, finance professional can be prepared to minimise the burdens and maximise the benefits they bring

Some 16 Government Senators voted “for” (plus Independent Senator Paul Richards), six Opposition Senators voted “against”, while seven Independent Senators abstained .

Earlier, Finance Minister Colm Imbert sought to address concerns in his wrap up speech before the vote was taken .

Refuting claims of undue influence by his ministry on recruitment of a Procurement Regulator, he said the Procurement Act states that the President of the Republic appoints the post holder, after consulting the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader .

“We have pegged the regulator’s salary at $50,000, so it is more or less the same as the salary of a High Court judge.” The Senate resumes on Monday at 1.30 pm .

Bloom Fabres started the upmarket some years ago at the Woodbrook Youth Facility and has very successfully continued to organise a Festival of Fabulous Foods and Finds, which includes hand-made local cards, jewelry, plants, beauty products and more, at very reasonable prices, and always in an attractive setting. The upmarket will offer a variety of unusual Mothers’ Day gifts.

Peeling iron fretwork and painted shut jalousies harken back to a time when craftsmanship was valued.

The craftsmen themselves, more often than not, were black labourers who lived in barrack yards to the east of the city and moved through the streets on their way to work, along with stevedores, street traders and hired help for the wealthy. Some were able to access the limited education available and find employment as clerks in businesses and the lower ranks of the public service. Higher administrative positions went to the coloured scion of old plantation families. Beyond St James, the Indian presence had barely penetrated the capital.

Business owners were the white British and French creole elite. Everyone had a place and knew it.

It was here that a young Syrian immigrant would attempt to make his mark. Given the accolades and homage paid to Dr Anthony N Sabga since his death last week, he more than succeeded.

From a cramped 12 by 20-foot haberdashery on 73 Queen Street, to a conglomerate of over 70 companies with interests across the Caribbean and Latin America, in more ways than one, Sabga ushered in a new kind, and a new way of doing business in TT.

For many Trinbagonians, the Sabga name and by extension, the Syrian community, is “big business”.

This is perhaps Sabga’s most important legacy, this shift away from the economic dominance of Scottish trading interests such as Geddes Grant and Alstons, to what was this small and relatively powerless immigrant community.

Gerry Besson, historian and publisher, said that Sabga’s almost intuitive ability to “read the times” was a critical attribute to his success.

No less important was his ability to also ride the wave of them.

The first wave, said Besson, came in the early 1900s, when Syrians and Lebanese began arriving in TT. Cocoa was still profitable and the money “trickled down” through the society. It was this prosperity that allowed the first of the immigrants to set up as traders.

Among them was Sabga’s father, who ran N S Sabga. Anthony found himself having to take over the business at 14, when his father returned to Syria. It was this business that would provide the seed capital for him to go off on his own eventually in his early 20s.

This was right after World War II and the country was experiencing another period of prosperity. Sugar cane was still profitable and oil production was steadily increasing.

Raymond Ramcharitar, historian and columnist, who collaborated with Sabga on his autobiography, A Will and A Way, recounted that Sabga, on the advice of a salesman named Richard Brathwaite, became an importer. He travelled to Europe and earned several contracts to distribute brands in TT.

Here again was the Sabga intuition at work. He sensed that people would be hungry to spend on items that made them seem more modern.

Ramcharitar said he took refrigerators around the country on the back of a Volkswagen truck and left them in the homes of those who ordinarily would not have been able to afford such luxuries.

When he came to collect them some time later, the householders were sold on the idea of owning it.

Apart from this innovative marketing method, Sabga was one of the first pioneers of hire-purchase as a business model on a mass scale in TT. According to Besson, Sabga had grown up on Nelson Street among blacks and knew them.

Based on his interactions, he was one of the first to give them credit to purchase items at his Standard stores, where few were doing it at the time, always confident that they would repay.

He was again ahead of the curve in the 1960s when then prime minister Eric Williams called for diversification of the economy away from export of primary goods to export of manufactured items. While several of his compatriots continued to sell cloth, Sabga started Ansa Industries, and through the next decade and a half entered light manufacturing, the garment and construction industries, agriculture and food processing.

Along the way though, he engendered the resentment of the white creole business community, who watched as he entered areas previously marked off as their exclusive enclaves.

The recessionary 1980s, though, would cement the shift as one of the largest and oldest of the white concerns, McEnearny Alstons was threatened with closure.

Ramcharitar said while many business interests were folding and leaving TT, Sabga stayed. Ramcharitar credits his purchase of the McEnearny Alstons group for reducing potential negative effects of its closure on the economy.

“Could you imagine what would have happened if the economy had lost those 3,000 jobs as represented by McEnearny Alstons? The country would have taken much longer to recover,” said Ramcharitar.

“He kept those 21 companies going, factories running. If you are talking legacy, then to me, these would be the preservation of Ansa McAl, the growing of it, the acquisition of trans-national businesses and the establishment of the Ansa Merchant Bank.” Ramcharitar also counted the establishment of the Ansa Psychological Research Centre and funding for the Anthony N Sabga School for Entrepreneurship and the Guardian Media School of Journalism as key achievements of the business magnate.

But Besson and Ramcharitar both recognise the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence as Sabga’s seminal achievement.

Ramcharitar said the award scheme created a network of scientists, artistes and entrepreneurs, all smart and talented people, who now know each other and can act as catalysts for Caribbean development.

““It shines a light on bright, young people,” said Besson, giving them the funding to develop opportunities that they could not before.

And this Besson said, is perhaps where the true genius of the man who is now gone lay, the fact that he came full circle.

Sabga, a poor Syrian immigrant, he said, understood his time and the country, created wealth and opportunities for himself, grew and learned from them, and then gave back to the community.

Credit unions continued to maintain its philosophy and have been providing competitive financial services to members despite the unstable economy and co-operation among co-operatives is critical to the successes the movement enjoys.

Co-operation means “to work with” or “to work together”. It is a situation where two or more people are doing something together for their mutual benefit. Co-operation is a free and voluntary act.

People come together in a voluntary relationship because they have a common interest and they realise that more can be accomplished by collective efforts than individual efforts. Unity is strength.

Man was born to co-operate with man. So, we see co-operation everywhere – in the home, in school, in the church, in clubs, in businesses, in agriculture, in the government, in the community in which we live.

The history of man is the history of co-operative effort – for food, for self-preservation and for many other types of interactive efforts. The story of two mules – a fable for individuals and nations – shows that the mules had to go in the same direction and pull together to reach the hay.

A critical local context is that, through the instigation and support of the Catholic clergy and its lay members, these institutions emerged to embrace support among lower income people, responding to institutional pressures of class and other dimensions of marginalisation.

The credit union, therefore, emerged as a counter to the capitalist ethos of class, race and other distinction and out of a search for equity. Hence, here in TT, the Credit Union Movement developed independent of the state and capitalist institutions.

The League is currently pursuing strategies to develop closer relationship with non-financial co-operatives with a view to strengthening that sector and to build co-operative strength.

It is important to maintain our identity and not let regulatory or economic pressures weaken our foundation.

The charts above show the movements’ growth.

Credit unions remain the preferred financial choice for our members as they seek to free themselves of the high cost of loan fees, interest rates and other charges in competing financial houses.

The League will remain focused on this thrust to ensure the interest of our members are best served.

Goals, values, work styles and personalities vary widely. As we advance in our careers, we must all interact with workmates and deal with conflicts, disagreements or differing goals but we don’t need to participate in the negative practices that inspire the term “office politics”.

Sometimes office culture can feel like a game of gossip, rumours, drama and fight to the death power struggles.

We call this office politics. Following these tips can help you deal with office politics without joining in, running away or pretending these practices don’t exist.

Everyone is not your friend
Trust is earned. Distrust is also earned. As a general rule, avoid sharing sensitive information about yourself but practice being respectful and pleasant to everyone. Take time to get to know the people you work with before developing expectations of them based on friendship. You can maintain a friendly and positive acquaintance with workmates who you don’t know well or who aren’t your personal friends.

Make friends
While everyone may not be a friend, having friends at work matters more than many may think. A study of more than 5 million workers over 35, conducted by the Gallup Organization, showed that “56% of the people who say they have a best friend at work are engaged, productive, and successful while only 8% of the ones who don’t are.” Friends can not only make your work life more enjoyable but they can also help you advance your career.According to the Harvard Business Review, “The number one way people find new jobs is referrals by friends.”

Keep a positive perspective
Choosing to view situations in a positive light can help keep you from assuming the worst about the actions of your coworkers or situations at work. Your positive perspective will show in your actions and how you deal with situations. You won’t be defensive or attacking because you will see the humanity in your coworkers and wait for situations to unfold.Coworkers have bad days or may be fearful, distracted, hurt or angry about personal matters. Their actions or attitude may have nothing to do with you.

Stay focused
Your primary purpose at work is to work. So, do it well and keep that as your priority. Staying focused and doing good work can mean being a team player and working well with others; continuously learning and improving your skills; taking the initiative to offer to do tasks or proposing ideas or methods that can improve your work product or help your team or department.

Be authentic
Who you know matters but who knows you matters more. Office politics can sometimes encourage a culture of flattery and falseness as people try to get noticed by those who have more power. While recognition matters, attention seeking is not your priority. Many people can spot a fake flatterer from miles away and it can work against you to gain the reputation of being a “kiss up”, even if you are not a bad worker. Instead let your work product speak for itself and stay authentic in your relationships with your peers, subordinates and supervisors. Very often opportunities to connect will come as a result of work you’ve done and the good things people have said about you as they’ve worked with you. Being authentic is not only easy on your lips, it’s also more rewarding.

Be assertive
Being aggressive or passiveaggressive can be unprofessional. If a matter needs to be addressed, do so respectfully with the relevant person or persons, not with the office gossip mill. Stay objective and focused on the issue. A calm and firm response shows that you are serious but are willing to resolve the matter.

Be accepting
Everyone will not agree with you or do things the way you prefer. Accept their choice without being forceful with your position. Keeping an open mind, being tolerant and accepting differences can make you more likeable and an easier person to work with.
Employers and clients generally prefer people who are easy to work with.

Work smart, fight smart
Sometimes the little battles can cost you the war so fight wisely. Every comment, mean look or attempt to one-up doesn’t require a war. Your time is valuable so don’t get distracted by pettiness. It’s a sign of strength to let things go and walk away from a fuss if you know the facts are on your side. Every fight can do some damage so avoid battling unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Walk away
Some office environments can be extremely toxic, especially when office politics get out of hand. If you have exhausted this list and still find the situation intolerable, it may be time for you to gather a record of your skills and accomplishments, tap into the support of your friends and walk away from that company to a place that better suits you.

Good Luck,
AFETT
AFETT is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2002 with the goal of bringing together professional women and engaging in networking opportunities, professional training and business ideas. ASK AFETT is a column meant to address issues and concerns of professionals seeking advice to assist in progressing in their careers. Today’s response was written by AFETT member, Debbie Estwick, design/ brand strategist and educator.

Learn more about AFETT at www.afett.com, search for AFETT Events on Facebook, follow us @AFETTEXECS on Twitter or contact us at 354-7130.
Email us your career-related questions at admin.afett@gmail.com.
https://hbr.org/2010/07/whyfriends- matter-at-work-and.html

He said Finance Minister Colm Imbert yesterday told the Senate that his Ministry would select a recruitment firm to help the President select a Procurement Regulator, but that previously Imbert had told the Lower House that the ministry would supply a ranked short-list of candidates to the President to choose from.

This Ramdeen said was political interference.

He warned that any interference in a statutory selection process would be unconstitutional and would be struck down by the law courts. Ramdeen quoted the Procurement Act section 13(2) which says the regulator is not subject to direction or control but is simply accountable to Parliament.

He recalled that the High Court had struck down two parliamentary orders for appointing a Commissioner of Police.

Saying it seems the Government wants to interfere in the selection process, Ramdeen said this could be the last nail in the current procurement legislation, even as he cast doubt on the Government commitment by saying the motion is under debate some 19 months after the Government took office. He asked if the terms to be met by the regulator had been drafted so as to attract “a certain kind of person”? Ramdeen then said it was United National Congress (UNC) governments that had previously passed accountability Acts such as the Integrity in Public Life Act, Judicial Review Act, Freedom of Information Act and Procurement Act. Ramdeen alleged that the Government had crafted a Review Board in the Procurement Act so as to undermine the regulator.

He alleged that a former People’s National Movement (PNM) government had set up special purpose State companies so as to defeat the Central Tenders Board to which Government ministries/ divisions were subjected. “And this motion is to defeat the procurement legislation,” he added.

If they were not demoralised by the shameful errors on the examination paper, they have been undermined by an education system geared only towards sorting the best from the rest.

Furthermore, even as we feed our youngest citizens into an archaic machine that sorts and separates the winners and the losers, we know the product being churned out has less and less value to a country desperate for creativity and innovation.

Yet we are making no real effort to change it. Successive governments have paid scant regard to education policy development.

One wonders about the future of the eruption of joyous schoolchildren pictured on the front pages of all newspapers on the conclusion of the 2017 SEA exam. Where will each one be in five years’ time? No doubt a precious few will be well on their way to fulfilling their dreams, having received excellent tuition.

An even more precious few may have pushed past the boundaries of a system still bent on suppressing exploration of thought and ideas to challenge what Sir Ken Robinson describes as the “tyranny of common sense.” Robinson argues that education systems world-wide focus far too heavily on testing rather than learning and as a result, childish curiosity is replaced by compliance in order to succeed.

It is hard to imagine another place in the world where the tragedy of a compliance-motivated education system is more evident.

Which is really very strange since it is equally hard to imagine any sector other than education that, with the investment of enough thought and effort, could prove more transformative for a country.

The Ministry of Education has revealed disturbing trends in rates of drop-outs, linking the high rate to “financial difficulties,” including the cost of transport. Not insurmountable one would think with a little creative thinking and dedication of purpose, and the support of other government ministries.

However, the more glaring problem that has been staring us in the face for some time is the demotivation and chronic underachievement of large groups of students, particularly boys. Furthermore, it has long been obvious that the sorting system of education underscores existing socio-economic divisions in the country, creating opportunities for a few, while perpetuating a sense of failure and marginalisation for many, impacting more profoundly on boys.

The challenge of underachievement cannot be addressed as a stand-alone issue. The causes of students’ underachievement in education are as interlocking as the impact that the failure to reach their full potential has on the overall economic and social development of the country. What is urgently needed is an integrated policy that takes into account the contributing factors to underachievement, including neurological/biological differences of boys and girls at different stages of their development; pedagogical approaches that do not support the development of productive citizens; socialisation and gender norms that are not adequately addressed in schools, serving to reinforce notions of masculinity that ultimately undermine boys’ interest and confidence in educational achievement; socio-economic status of students in an education system that emphasises elite structures so that only a few are destined to overcome the burdensome challenges of attending and succeeding at school.

We have relied too long on systems — in particular an education system — that had only colonial relevance. In one of his many talks about transforming education, Sir Ken Robinson quotes a statement made by Abraham Lincoln at an 1862 speech to congress: “The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthral ourselves and then we shall save our country.” The time is 2017 and the stormy present occasions in Trinidad and Tobago.

We cannot hope to ever diversify our economy or broaden our horizons or, for that matter, overcome the downward spiral of crime and violence until we invest deeply in a fundamental overhaul of our education system.

This was announced yesterday by the Ministry of Education’s curriculum officer in information and communication technology (ICT) Gerald Phillip, who said more than 130 government and private schools will have the digital capability to allow students to do paper one (multiple choice) via the internet. “There is a team at the ministry that is dedicated toward assisting schools to be ready in terms of internet bandwidth, connectivity and hardware in terms of computers to do CXC, CSE C and CAPE examinations online. We will be ready for 2018,” Phillip said.

He added the 2018 multiple choice exams will be done in real time.

This will allow the ministry to get all schools ready for online testing, adding the long term plan is to introduce paper two examinations, which are written answers, online as well.

Phillip made the disclosures at the launch of pennacool.com/Flow ICT in Education programme for Arima Boys’ RC at El Patio, Santa Rosa RC Church in Arima. Asked to give details on the secondary schools initiative, Phillip said Education Minister Anthony Garcia is expected to make a full statement.

The online exam plan does not have the support of the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) which after discussing the proposal, has several concerns on how it will be implemented, general secretary Fitzroy Daniel said yesterday.

“One of our major concerns is that facilities in schools are not up to the required standard. All our facilities are not up to the same standards. Some schools in Toco will not have the same facilities as those in the prestige schools,” Daniel said. He also claimed the ministry proposed the multiple choice exam can be done on any device such as laptop, smart phone or tablet, but TTUTA has advised there is a need for a policy on such use.

“Another concern is the inconsistency of the electricity system in the country. If students are doing the exam on a given day and electricity goes what will happen to them?” Daniel said the union continues to discuss the matter with the ministry but cautioned, “if we have to take further action we will.” Director of pennacool.com Phaessuh Kromah, speaking on the primary school programme said it will help teachers to assess students’ performance in mathematics.

He thanked the ministry for approving the implementation of the programme at Arima Boys’ RC in collaboration with digital provider Flow.

Kromah said every month, pennacool.com rewards 250 students including those at secondary school, who submit their work on the website. “Principals, teachers and students, tell us over and over of the tremendous motivating and transforming effect this has,” he said