Speaking on Wednesday at a tour of the Santa Rosa Limeworks Limited Plant, a subsidiary of the Sampete Group, Gopee- Scoon said, “I am pleased to see how this family business has grown and developed its operations to meet international standards.

Small and medium sized businesses are vital to the growth of our economy.” Located in Cumuto, the company which has been in existence for the past 30 years is the first and only producer of quicklime and hydrated lime locally.

These products are used in water treatment – drinking water; waste water – sewage management; civil works – soil stabilisation and asphalt treatment for road paving; agriculture – poultry feed and litter; iron and steel; sugar refining; and gold mining.

Managing director of Sampete Group, Andrew Fredericks, provided a comprehensive overview on the group’s products and the various industries in which they are used.

“This facility is a culmination of a dream and I believe that Trinidad and Tobago stands to benefit from this plant which has a natural gas supply on site contributing to the production of a better quality of lime.” He said the company is seeking to increase its footprint locally and in Guyana, Suriname, Grenada, St Lucia and Barbados, and looks forward to demonstrating their competence through collaborative work with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and other relevant ministries.

“There are no secrets to success, you have to work for it if you really want it,” Yorke told the students in an hour-long interactive session.

“Coming from the village of Canaan/ Bon-Accord, literally from nothing to something and having the right mindset, I was very lucky that I had good guidance in Bertille St Clair in terms of guiding me and giving me the coaching material but ultimately it has to come down to the individual and how badly you want it and to focus and obviously stay away from all the bad things. I want young people to know that you can make it, you can achieve the goals that you want to achieve if you really have the right fundamentals,” he said.

Yorke, who visited the school on the invitation of Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Secretary of Youth Affairs and Sport, Jomo Pitt said he intends to visit more schools in the future with the aim of inspiring the younger generation.

“My affiliation with the THA going forward as Sport and Tourism Ambassador, something that we are trying to extend is Sport Education and I feel that both sport and education go hand in hand. This is something that I have always tried to get into the system and I am glad that it is finally being implemented. I intend to visit a lot more schools going forward, interact with the kids so they can have an insight not just that I’ve been there and done it but I can also share my experience with these kids as well,” he said.

The football legend said that he intends to continue working alongside Pitt for the development of sport on the island.

“I am trying to put something together that these kids would not just get the best training but get the best person that could probably talk to them and try to encourage them in the right direction,” he said.

Questioned about his contribution to the development of sport on the island, Yorke said testimony lies in his home town Canaan/ Bon-Accord.

“I am sure everybody has their opinion on that, I think you just have to look through my foundation.

I have the Dwight Yorke Foundation that contributes a lot to Bon-Accord and Baby Jo’s school, those are schools that I have been to that I have given to for a number of years, but I am not one of the individual who goes about and brags, you just have to go down in my part of the world that I live. What I should do and I think what the foundation is trying to do is to reach out to more kids across the spectrum of Tobago and certainly in Trinidad as well,” he said.

Yorke said, football in Trinidad and Tobago needs some attention.

“To be quite honest, since 2006 when we qualified for the World Cup, football has not been the highest and this is something that we definitely need to look at.

Whether it is that the local system is not working, whether the emphasis is on the correct coaching is made, I am sure those aspects needs to be addressed, all of those aspects maybe needs to improve and I am sure that we can certainly with my expertise and being out there and the know-how and what it takes,” he said.

Yorke, who captained this country to its first ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2006, believes the chances of qualifying for the 2018 edition are “pretty tough”.

“They have a very tough order in terms of qualifying, things have not been going particularly great. We know that (previous coach Stephen) Hart has done a wonderful job in terms of getting them to the qualification knockout stage, that hasn’t really kicked on, they have struggled in terms of getting results. We know that they got a new manager in Dennis Lawrence, now I wish obviously Dennis all the luck but he has a tough task.

We obviously tend to do things the difficult way, we don’t like to get off to a good start but whether they can turn things around, I think it would be extremely difficult.

We managed to do it back in the days (in 2005) but I think maybe we need to start again and when I say start again, we’ve got six years for the 2022 World Cup and the start to put things into place from now rather than two years prior to the 2022 World Cup,” Yorke said.

The AG said because of the very important matters which this legislation touches and the three-fifths majority needed to pass it in the House and Senate, “we (Government) propose to take the bill immediately to a joint select committee of the Parliament.” Al Rawi said issues such as fake news and cyber bullying are dealt with by the bill.

Noting previous concerns about how this bill could affect freedom of the press in TT, Al Rawi said Government has held detailed discussions with the Media Association of TT, TT Publishers and Broadcasters Association and other sectoral interests on the legislation. The Cyber Crime Bill is listed as the third priority bill in Government’s legislative agenda in the 2015 to 2017 period. The agenda also lists bills which Government plans to bring to Parliament in the periods 2017 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020.

In observing that young people and others in society are often the victims of online attacks, Al Rawi said the bill will replace the Computer Misuse Act of 2000 which, “has never given the level of protection it should have given.” The Computer Misuse Act, which was assented to on November 2, 2000 under the then United National Congress (UNC) government, was supposed to, “prohibit any unauthorised access, use or interference with a computer and for other related matters.”

After he said there was absolutely no truth to media reports which claimed officials from his ministry said property taxes would be paid for this year and last year, Imbert explained, “The Property Tax Act was subjected to legislative action by the former government where they waived the implementation of the collection of the tax up to December 31, 2015.” He said the Act is the law and because of the People’s Partnership’s action, “the first year for the collecting of the tax was 2016.” Imbert continued, “In order to make that not happen, this government will have to go to the Parliament and amend the property tax act to allow a waiver for the year 2016.” He told reporters, “That proposition that is outside there, that there is going to be retroactive application of tax is also part of the rumour campaign out there.” Reminding reporters that his ministry is currently engaged in an information gathering exercise as it pertains to the collection of property tax for 2017, Imbert said, “The law must be implemented unless you amend it. I can tell you this government has not taken any such policy decision one way or the other.” He stressed that any decision to waive the property tax payment for 2016 will depend on a number of factors, including the country’s economic circumstances.

“”We are far from that decision,”he reiterated. Imbert reiterated the property tax figures he mentioned at a People’s National Movement (PNM) meeting to underscore that there is equity in the assessment and payment of the tax, contrary to claims made by the Opposition.

From 7 pm today, at Tarouba, Merry Boys will meet the winners of last evening’s other semi, between Power- Gen Sports and Central Sports, for the title.

Merry Boys posted a useful score of 161 runs in their allotted 20 overs with TT Red Force batsman Isaiah Rajah topscoring with 39 while fellow lefthander Amir Jangoo hit 37 and ex-national and West Indies batsman Lincoln Roberts a quick-fire 33.

Left-arm spinner Ahkeel Mollon, twin brother of veteran national women’s team footballer Ahkeela Mollon, was the chief destroyer for Clarke Road with three wickets for 22 runs while Leeward Islands Hurricanes off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall took 2/21.

In response, Red Force opener Kyle Hope led the way with 65 while former Red Force captain Yannick Ottley contributed 34.

But pacer Keon Isaac ripped through the middle order, and returned figures of 4/15 to seal victory for the 2015 winners and a place back in the title match.

After the early loss of Mario Belcon for one, Jangoo and Rajah made use of a slow pitch for Merry Boys (who chose to bat after winning the toss) before both were held on the boundary by Hope, off Mollon and Ottley respectively.

However, the 42-yearold Roberts used the long handle to good effect, as he struck some lusty blows to push the score from 111/4 to 161, in the space of six overs.

Hope and Ottley featured in a useful third-wicket stand of 68 in 8.4 overs for Clarke Road but, when Ottley skied one from Merry Boys captain Marlon Richards to Roberts at mid-wicket, the balance tilted firmly in Merry Boys’ favour.

Clevon Kalawan had a brisk 18 but Isaac proved too much to handle in the dying stages to seal Clarke Road’s fate.

Summarised Scores: MERRY BOYS 161/6 (20 Overs) – Isaiah Rajah 39, Amir Jangoo 37, Lincoln Roberts 33, Ahkeel Mollon 3/22, Rahkeem Cornwall 2/21 vs CLARKE ROAD 146/8 (20 Overs) – Kyle Hope 65, Yannick Ottley 34, Keon Isaac 4/15.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said this at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s.

At a public inquiry held by the Public Accounts Enterprises Committee (PAEC) at Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre on Wednesday, TSTT chairman Emile Elias declined to provide PAEC chairman Wade Mark and committee member David Small with particulars of the agreement.

“This is actually something that is currently being looked at by the Cabinet,” Young said.

Asked if Cabinet knew about the decision by TSTT to acquire Massy Communications, Imbert replied, “It depends on the decision.” Imbert continued, “We are going to ask TSTT to explain to us exactly what are the implications of that decision.” He explained the information which Cabinet is seeking will determine whether this is a governance, operational or policy matter.

Imbert said it will also clarify how this affects Government’s policy for the continuation of TSTT, especially in relation to the acquisition of a company and its associated personnel. He said once Cabinet has all the information and is able to analyse it, it will make a decision in due course.

Police said the unidentified man’s. head was found near to the body.

Police said at about 10am, they. received an anonymous call alerting. them to the body.

They then went to Stanley Ville. Road near the Old Railway line. settlement, Ste Madeleine. Sgt. Sankar, Cpl Bacchus and others. searched the bushes there for. more than 30 minutes before the. headless body was found along. a gravel road some distance into. the bushes.

Police said the body was clad in. a blue t-shirt, blue jeans and blue. underpants. Due to decomposition,. the age and ethnicity could. not be determined. Investigators. said that the body may have. been at the location for over two. weeks. Anyone with information. is asked to contact the San. Fernando CID or the Homicide. South Bureau.

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Machel, Kees Dieffenthaller and Muhammad Muwakil (who read from Baz Dreisinger’s book Incarceration Nations) joined several inmates from the Port-of-Spain Prison, Women’s Prison and Maximum Security Prison in our own tribute to poetry and literature.

Talking to an empty chair, Ryan Khan of the Maximum Security Prison traced the journey of a young man in prison, changing voices and offering different perspectives of the pain that engulfs an inmate and his family.

Ryan got a chance to perform his poem along with 15 other poets at the Open Mike competition on the closing day of the Bocas Lit Fest. He won first place in the competition.

A condemned inmate read a poem from Wishing for Wings about my first CXC class in the Youth Training Centre. One of my students, Mikado Toussaint, performed his poem, Little Miss Sunshine, which won the Portof- Spain Prison Competition that the Prisons’ Programmes department and I ran. As usual, inmates impressed everyone in attendance with their creativity.

Once again, we proved what teamwork can accomplish. Everything that I have been able to accomplish these days in the prison system happens because of collaboration.

It takes many high-ranking prison officers, from Sherwin Bruce to Fabian Alexander and Acting Commissioner Cecil Duke, to move mountains for such events.

On the other side, Marina Salandy-Brown of the Bocas Lit Fest, Prof Baz Dreisinger and Anya Ayoung-Chee organised our Bocas Lit event, Voices from Inside.

My role is to be there, in the middle of all the excitement, facilitating what I can. This is the way successful projects work.

No one person can make anything good happen in this world again. It takes an army of goodwill to succeed. Once again, I marvel at the quality of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest. We are so lucky to have such a well-organised literary event that showcases Caribbean literature and affords us the opportunity to connect with internationally acclaimed writers.

The NGC Bocas Lit Fest made human rights its theme this year.

I had the privilege to serve on a panel discussion entitled Crime and Punishment with Justice Gillian Lucky and Baz while Francesca Hawkins served as facilitator.

It was the best panel discussion I have ever participated in thanks to Francesca’s admirable work as facilitator.

Chief Justice Ivor Archie attended the session and added to the discussion. These are the types of discussions we need to better inform the public about the issues that plague this country in terms of criminal justice.

Through discussions and workshops, the NGC Bocas Lit Fest offers opportunities for young writers to develop their confidence and their skills. There are so few publishing opportunities for Caribbean writers these days, but the Caribbean writers have opportunities through Bocas to be published through their literary competitions.

The NGC Bocas Lit Fest is not a stuffy, esoteric, literary event.

There are readings that satisfy the yearning for intellectual stimulation, but there are events like Open Mike and Spoken Word that embrace the grassroots. The NGC Bocas Lit Fest tackles issues, promotes literature and makes Trinidad and Tobago proud.

Thanks, to the Bocas Lit Fest, the Caribbean, which is still struggling in terms of its publication needs, is on the international literary map.

It truly is a remarkable accomplishment.

Case in point: Nigeria experienced a deep recession when oil prices plummeted and it has already experienced, albeit incremental, growth. A country riddled with social issues, the Boko Haram threat and plagued with corruption has still managed some solid progress.

In our country we have been deprived by a Minister of Finance who has not measured up to the task at hand, whose wisdom is to squeeze the citizens as a means of curbing spending and generating income — a regressive, oppressive policy.

Moody’s downgrade of TT indicates eroded fiscal strength.

It is time to diversify, to bite the bullet. Unions have to be on board. The time is right to make “made in TT ” global.

The imperatives of successful diversification require us (with emphasis on us) to boost domestic manufacturing, create greater investments in agriculture, provide infrastructure/ implementation and develop a conscientious work ethic.

All shareholders of this land must be synchronised in common purpose, especially those elected to serve, who must be proactive and produce results, not excuses.

COLIN FORTUNE Arima

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar cannot just say she is sorry for not repealing the Act and move on when one of the coalition partners, the Congress of the People (COP), had campaigned heavily against the tax going into the 2010 general election.

The arguments against the tax now occupying the attention of the Opposition were well known when the PP formed the government in 2010, so that Persad-Bissessar must now level with her supporters and say why the Property Tax Act 2009 was not repealed when she had the constitutional majority to do so. So too must Dr Roodal Moonilal, Kevin Ramnarine and Vasant Bharath.

However much we will groan under the weight of the property tax, the fact is it’s the law. And I remember Basdeo Panday telling his Cabinet colleagues when he was prime minister in 1995-2001, that you may dislike a law, but unless you can repeal it, you must obey it.

He did just that during his term by implementing the death penalty because it was the law, and he could not change it. The Rowley Government seems to be heading in that same direction.

Persad-Bissessar had the opportunity to repeal and replace the property tax when her party had 29 seats in Parliament. While it is commendable that she did not raise any taxes during her term, it is of little comfort to people who now feel burdened by the increase in their tax portfolio at this time. It is particularly onerous on the business community which is already burdened by a plethora of taxes and yet expected to be the generator of employment.

Persad-Bissessar is now promising to repeal the Act when, and not if, she returns to power. All I can say is there is an old saying, a promise is a comfort for fools.

HARRY PARTAP Tableland