When the House sat last Friday, the Opposition refused to support both motions.

This resulted in two tied votes, as Government and Opposition each had 17 MPs present in the Parliament Chamber.

Speaker Bridgid Annisette- George exercised her casting vote in both situations, voting with the Government.

Annisette-George also voted with the Government a third time when the Opposition refused to support the House’s adjournment to Friday.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi and Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis said the Opposition’s actions were dictated by the fact that both sides had equal numbers of MPs.

Robinson-Regis said both bills do not require special majorities for passage.

Government is expected to have all its MPs, with the exception of La Horquetta/ Talparo MP Maxie Cuffie, in the House on Friday.

Cuffie is recuperating at St Clair Medical Centre after experiencing a medical episode last Tuesday.

Friday’s sitting will also see Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley field questions from the Opposition in Prime Minister’s Questions, which happens at the second sitting of the House every month.

The Public Administration and Appropriations Joint Select Committee (JSC), which is chaired by Annisette-George, held an in-camera meeting yesterday at Tower D of the Portof- Spain International Waterfront Centre. Tomorrow, the National Security JSC will hold a symposium on the private security industry in TT in the J Hamilton Maurice Room at Tower D from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm.

However, a heavy police presence and the rainy conditions prevented protestors from actually blocking the roads.

Maharaj told Newsday it is time the Government look into this matter of fixing the roads from Princes Town to Mayaro and building the highway. “Before considering the highway to Toco, the Government should consider the highway to Mayaro,” Maharaj said, adding that the roads have not been properly fixed for the past 35 years and it is affecting businesses as a lot of finance goes into the repairing and replacing of vehicles. She noted that the distance from Mayaro to San Fernando is 48 km while from Mayaro to Princes Town is 38 km.

She said this is the energy corridor and the artery of the oil industry.

This is why, she says, the Government should consider building the highway as a priority at this point.

“There has been minimal attention given to this major road where thousands of people are affected on a daily basis as many have to journey from Mayaro to Port-of- Spain and Point Fortin for work and have to spend up to five hours on the roads.” “The people of this are have been suffering for decades from neglect,” she said, outlining that heavy vehicles and equipment travel to and from Guayaguayare and Point Gaelota daily causing greater damage to the roads.

The poor road condition, she said causes motorists and business- owners to spend more for vehicular maintenance and this can lead to a reduction of productivity.

She noted the bad roads affects the tourism industry and is causing a decline in small and medium size businesses. She noted that the tourism industry for Mayaro has been badly affected as the Manzanilla Mayaro Road is in a terrible condition and local tourism has dwindled in recent years. Rio Claro boasts of the largest water park in the country, Harry’s Water Park, located on the Tabaquite Road. She said business to the recreation site is affected as the roads to it are in a deplorable condition.

Maharaj said these main roads are in need of major upgrades and should be a priority project for the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure for the approaching months and new year. According to Maharaj, “We the citizens have the right to drive on good roads and not be paying through our nose to maintain our vehicle. The government needs to give us all the money we paid in tax for parts and repairs of our vehicle,” Maharaj said.

Other drivers might be startled or become frightened when they observe a vehicle where it should not be, and this can cause serious life-threatening accidents.

Another dangerous driving behaviour which occurs regularly on our highways is a vehicle reversing on the shoulder when the driver misses a turn-off. This is a recipe for disaster.

Drivers must be constantly reminded of the road rules and understand the risks they create for themselves and others. High fines are there to punish those who do not obey the rules but, more importantly, drivers must understand why they are being punished and how important it is to follow the rules of the road for their safety and others.

Strict enforcement of the road rules and awareness campaigns are needed to enhance road safety. Drivers must have the feeling of being watched when they break the rules.

The strict approach must be accompanied by long-lasting and permanent educational campaigns.

In TT it has become so dangerous to live peaceably so we have to keep looking over our shoulders in order to be safe.

SIMON WRIGHT Chaguanas

However, I would like to play devil’s advocate and present an opposing view based on the testimony of the ministry’s permanent secretary, Sonia Francis Yearwood.

After listening to the PS, I believe the ministry acted in the most appropriate manner given the circumstances.

In response to the question posed by committee member Darryl Smith, Yearwood explains that the ministry was well aware of the urgency to secure the two vessels to maintain passenger and cargo service between the two islands.

She began by citing a previous occasion when the ministry was in a similar predicament to obtain a sea vessel and sought approval of Cabinet through the regular channels. She recounted that the process took so long that by the time the final approval was given, the vessel for which they sought approval was no longer available.

Resolved not to allow for reoccurrence, ministry officials saw the need to significantly expedite the approval process for acquiring the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2. She explained (and I think the nation should be aware) that such a process exists for critical times that a ministry requires speedy approval to carry out requests of significant national importance before a normal sitting of Cabinet and they followed those procedures to a T.

She then outlined that the ministry submitted the appropriate documentation to the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs and obtained sign-off. They then sought independent legal counsel and got sign-off in terms of that opinion. Documents were submitted to the Prime Minister and got approval, were submitted for ratification to Cabinet and in so doing the Ministry of Works and Transport went through the proper channels to obtain legitimate approval.

So, I’m not quite so sure that the popular opinion for the hour presenting the ministry as the culprit in violating procedure is as viable as many voices are making it out to be. In any case, the committee resumes on September 18. Let’s hope the proper documents are submitted and the permanent secretary’s testimony holds true.

CAMERON PAUL Tunapuna

Such codes of conduct will have been established over time and are usually underpinned by a sense of what is “right” and what is “wrong,” though admittedly, such concepts are now becoming more complicated and complex.

What may be right for some may not be so for others, especially from a cultural perspective, but even with such a nuanced situation, we still manage to get by what is generally regarded as a universal sense of right and wrong. Still “rightness” is on very shaky grounds and there is no clearer case in point than the debacle surrounding the CAPE results 2017.

From reports and responses through letters in the media, one gets a sense of the troubling uncertainty at present surrounding “grades” awarded, and with the precedent set with such previously awarded grades changed for one reason or another, there seems to be a universal cry against all grades whether good, bad or ugly.

From my over 50 years in the education system, notwithstanding the occasional query about grades, there has never been, to my knowledge, a situation where the whole issue of CXC/CAPE grades is cast into serious doubt. It would have been unthinkable that there is an iota of doubt surrounding the grade slip on such a scale, for that slip is, first and foremost, “life” for students, as well as parents, teachers and peers, inter alia.

It has to do with a student’s sense of worth, a parent’s sense of responsibility for a child’s education, a teacher’s sense of pride and continuing motivation in his/ her calling, a peer’s estimation of a friend’s intellectual capacity, and, critically, a marker of what the future holds for the student involved. Which means that the grade slip has always been sacred, sacrosanct, and, above all else, should be inviolate, beyond compromise.

CXC’s explanation that the adjustments made are part of the process, howsoever genuine that may be, betrays a sad lack of understanding of the psychology surrounding the grade slip and the negative fallout that may arise if the perception is that the results have been compromised.

Consider the speculation arising about conspiracy, collusion and corruption and the effects in terms of matriculation and employment.

But maybe my concern is misplaced, for this indifference to what is sacred is perhaps the new norm, as if we have lost our moral compass, and what is wrong, so irrevocably wrong as in this instance, no longer matters.

Just let it be.

Maybe this helps to explain the killings without remorse as with Dr Claire Broadbridge and Ramdevi Singh, the corruption and the nepotism without shame in the politics, how inept the leadership is with little or no concern, for that moral sense which makes us human has dissipated and now we stare at the “wrong” and just smile.

DR ERROL BENJAMIN docbenj742

Michael Woods, 37, of Waterloo Road, Carapichaima, appeared before acting Senior Magistrate Siumongal Ramsaran in the Couva Magistrates Court after police received advice from Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions George Busby on Sunday.

Van Mason, 63, also of Waterloo Road, was found at his home with head injuries on September 1. He died the next day at hospital.

Woods, was charged by Cpl Donny Bridgemohan of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region 3 and is expected to return to court on September 22.

Ramsaran also granted an application made by Woods’ attorney for the accused to be sent to the St Ann’s Psychiatric Hospital for evaluation.

It is rather unfortunate that politics takes precedence over what is good for education. Ministers simply cannot resist the political mileage that can be squeezed out of education and therefore go to great lengths to gain political capital from what should otherwise be a routine exercise such as the reopening of school.

TTUTA would have routinely engaged the hierarchy of the Ministry of Education on September 1, to ascertain the status of the vacation repair programme. In a very frank and cordial exchange, certain updates were given to TTUTA which informed its media statement. Segments of this statement seemed to have displeased the Minister of Education when he responded to media questions regarding the readiness of school for reopening.

By the ministry’s own admission, the vacation repair programme got off to the usual late start and thus their targets could not have been met. Was the minister contradicting his own technocrats? Should we now question the reliability of information from high-ranking officials of the ministry? TTUTA prides itself with having a good working relationship with the ministry. Based on this information it would have sought to advise its members accordingly.

The OSHA is very clear about who determines if workplaces are safe. Simply insisting that all schools would be reopened on time is not the same as saying they will be safe and secure according the provisions of the law.

TTUTA has a duty to protect the interest of its members within the construct of a legal framework. Its duty is to advise its members of their rights under the law and how and when these rights can be exercised.

Basic honesty and decency would dictate that we fully apprise the country of the truth regarding the state of readiness of schools for resumption. Anything less would be a disservice to the nation. Acknowledgement of the inefficiencies of the current vacation repair programme would be the first step to correcting its shortcomings.

During the 2015 election campaign, the then Opposition Leader acknowledged that the bureaucracy involved in getting such a large number of schools repaired in a narrow time frame is an arrangement that has not worked and suggested that a different approach involving the regional corporations would have been adopted if his party was elected to govern.

No discernible change in the approach to school repairs and general maintenance has been seen thus far. The same failed approaches prevail and we expect different results. Discerning minds might detect duplicity here.

No one will argue that the task is simple, given the complex ownership arrangements that govern our schools, coupled with their age. In promoting the cause of education, TTUTA, as a major stakeholder, has a duty to protect the interest of its members and if schools are unsafe or unfit for occupation by teachers and students it is duty-bound to say so. It is also duty-bound to hold those in authority accountable.

TTUTA will continue to serve its members and country without fear or favour, seeking no political mileage out of education. Its objective is not to embarrass, nor engage in a war of words. It demands to be treated with respect and stands ready and willing to work with the authorities to ensure quality education in quality schools using quality tools and teachers.

Here’s to a productive term.

But additionally, Sunday’s thrilling victory over the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots showed us just how important it is for all individuals to persevere. Individual excellence is key to any team effort.

Who cannot be inspired by Man of the Match Kevon Cooper and his tearful admission of the struggles that led up to his pivotal performance? “Super Cooper” inspires with something that is unusual in the roughly-hewn domain of sport: vulnerability.

“Well for me, I was being emotional because I’ve been here with this team from day one – five years,” said Super Cooper. “I’ve been through ups and downs in my career with my bowling action… and a day like this, in a big final, to contribute to my team is always something special. It just shows I’m really a strong person.

No matter what comes my way I always try to overcome that hurdle.” He took the Knight Riders across the finish line.

Congratulations to the team, including captain Dwayne Bravo, wicketkeeper/batsman Denesh Ramdin – whose patient 26 not out from 31 balls also contributed to the victory – and new coach Simon Katich. The victory is the second for the team in five years, saying something about the consistency of its players as well as talent.

Perhaps the regional West Indies team can learn some lessons from the Trinbago Knight Riders. The West Indies has constantly been embroiled in conflict and notwithstanding occasional good results has never quite managed to shake off the perception of being in the doldrums.

For long-suffering West Indies fans here, it is a particularly good feeling to be able to back a team that wins.

The venue of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) finals was also notable, representing a test of the newly-opened Brian Lara Academy. As with every major sporting event in the land, there were reports of traffic problems going into and after the match – a matter that calls for attention by the authorities.

It is little use putting on a fun, word-class sporting event if all pleasure to be derived from it dissipates during the two-hour crawl away from the game in traffic.

What the Trinbago Knight Riders victory also highlights is the abundance of talent in the region, talent which does not always get a chance to shine on a regional level. Which begs the question: are the regional systems working properly to nurture, enhance and showcase talent; to put individuals to the test? Sport is a complex field, but in theory, if the Trinbago Knight Riders can be so good, why can’t the West Indies replicate this? The local team places even more pressure on the region to place the West Indies Cricket Board under scrutiny.

Still, this year’s energetic tournament speaks to the changing face of the game where there is now a lot of attraction in relation to the T20 and One-Day International formats. The face of cricket has profoundly changed and it is good to see renewed interest in the sport. It is for the State, communities and civil society to capitalise on this and perhaps continue encouraging youth to turn to the sport.

Certainly, as “Super Cooper” demonstrated, we as a society can do with more positivity and can all benefit from the lessons the game teaches us about strength of character and personal achievement. Well done all!

Dr Ian Ho A Shu is health specialist at the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) which is loaning US$48.4 million to the Ministry of Health’s Health Services Support Programme run by fellow medic Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards.

The duo in a recent interview at the IDB’s St Clair office told Sunday Newsday how they hoped the money would help save the nation from the health and financial costs of the current upsurge in NCDs.

For this loan, NCDs are listed as cancer, cardio- vascular diseases and diabetes, although elsewhere can also be defined to include the likes of mental illness, said Abdool-Richards.

Briefing notes supplied by Dr Ho A Shu suggest that 80 per cent of all deaths in TT are due to NCDs, whose associated risks are poor diet, alcohol abuse, tobacco use and physical inactivity. Half the adult population of TT are overweight, and TT now has four times as many overweight kids as a decade ago. Childhood obesity is a precursor to adult obesity and poses a heightened risk for cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnoea and social problems.

Since 1980 the prevalence of diabetes has increased by 350 per cent, and for each patient on dialysis the health system is paying an extra $136,000 per year. The annual economic burden of all NCDs is $6 billion, or three percent of TT’s GDP.

Ho A Shu said the project will aim to change personal behaviour as early as primary school level. The Healthy Schools TT initiative will encourage more physical activity, plus food preparation guidelines. “We’ll measure BMI from the First Year for a five year period,” he said. Students, parents and teachers will all be involved, effused Ho A Shu.

NCD status is largely related to such as diet, exercise, tobacco and alcohol use, he remarked.

“We need to get this message out and measure if it is having an impact. “Traditionally, these programmes are very good at getting the information out, but a gap exists in collecting the results and data.” Noting the four-fold increase in child obesity, Ho A Shu lamented, “This is the first time in history that the younger generation are unhealthier than the older generation.” He said NCD awareness must constantly be kept in the public eye.

Abdool-Richards said the IDB loan will aim to improve both self-management of NCDs and hospital delivery of care.

It will boost the capacity of health providers such as dieticians plus the use of ICT to monitor patients. The loan will fund the screening of pregnant women for diabetes, she added.

Ho A Shu said the loan can help in the upgrade of existing recreation parks and other facilities by the likes of gym equipment to encourage people to exercise more. This funding will be by capital expenditure, but with the Government otherwise to be responsible for recurrent costs such as salaries of sports coaches, he added. Abdool- Richards was glad that the IDB will also be offering its technical expertise to implement aspects of the programme.

Even as the programme will enact health ideals espoused by both the United Nations and the Government, she hoped it will become a model of best practice for emulation throughout the Caribbean, where it is the first ever project of this magnitude.

IDB documents show the main allocations of the loan, chiefly US$30 million to the NCDs Prevention and Control Plan, US$8.4 million to the Human Resources for Health Plan, US$5 million for the Health Facilities Investment Management and US$2.1 million for Project Administration.

A US$3.5 million counterpart from the Government will fund an e-Health Information Management System.

“I raised that the Port is in a mess, and the problems we are experiencing now was inevitable,” Sinanan said.

“I recognised that since November. I did not have to wait for a JSC to tell me that. The reason why I would have gone to the Cabinet, the reason why we would have had a change in boards, the reason why I had put in a three-man committee to report even before this fiasco started, is because I recognised in November that the Port of Port of Spain was a disaster.” Speaking with reporters during a tour of the Fyzabad constituency, Sinanan said he did not expect the outcome of the JSC’s inquiry “to be too pleasing” but he expects the outcome to “point out the challenges and find mechanisms to fix it.

The Port needs fixing.” A joint select committee of Parliament is conducting an inquiry into the Trinidad and Tobago Inter-Island Ferry Service with specific focus on the procurement and maintenance of the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower II cargo and passenger ferries.

Sinanan also dispelled rumours of a seabridge crisis saying there are three vessels on the route.

“However I must admit because of the unreliability of the seabridge, some people would have opted not to travel. However, all the vessels that we have are no way close to full capacity.

“The problem with the sea bridge existed for quite a while. It is a problem that has been existing when I came into office. I recognised that and we are working to solve the problem.”