“Whenever these things happen, customers stay away,” said fisherman Sunil Supersad.

“They do not want to buy anything because they are afraid the fishes are unsafe to eat. It is bad for us because we lose out and no one pays us any compensation for our loss of earnings.” Supersad operates at the Otaheite Fishing Depot at Bay Road in South Oropouche.

He believes because of the direction of the winds and currents at sea, the fuel did not wash ashore at Otaheite. Instead, it made its way to the south-western peninsula.

“It is 35 years now I am in this business.

Our men went out fish at Point (Fortin) this morning and spotted oil in the water. We want to know what chemicals Petrotrin is using to clean it and what effect it will have on the fish.” Another fisherman from Otaheite said the fish on sale were purchased elsewhere and not from the area.

Petrotrin estimated that an estimated 300 barrels of the fuel entered the Gulf of Paria after the leak. Since the discovery, officials from the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries, Environmental Management Authority and the Institute of Marine Affairs together with other bodies engaged in clean-up activities.

Petrotrin, in a media release, said aerial and marine surveys revealed that the oil was moving in a west north-westerly direction.

There were also reports of oil in the Guaracara River. However, the company reiterated that the spill occurred in the port of Pointe-a- Pierre which is northwest of that river.

According to the Ministry’s head of corporate communications Rory Subiah, the ministry is employing the Incident Management System to manage the spill in coordination with Petrotrin and other government agencies. All of this, Subiah added, was in accordance with the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan.

At Coffee and Carat Shed beaches in La Brea, there were no visible indication of oil in the water.

Unable to find one relevant to her skill set in the area, her aunt, a food vendor, nonchalantly suggested that she make something that could be sold – a pizza to be exact. So Shimone found a recipe and made her first pizza for her aunt to sell and surprisingly it sold. Soon she began selling pizza slices in front her home and before long she started getting demands for whole pizza orders. Occasional weekend sales turned into weekday sales as her clientele grew. She went on to register her business, now called Shimmerlicious Pizza which is well known throughout the La Brea community. To keep up with the increased demand she even had to recruit staff which includes several young women from the area.

“A lot of people from our area buy – and though we would get more activity if we weren’t in a residential area and more on a main road, our customers are consistent.” She hasn’t seen a significant downturn in her business but rather marginal but meaningful increases. “People always need to eat and once it’s tasty and affordable, they will buy,” she points out.

From her personal interaction with the residents of La Brea as a small business in the area, she notes that people do get a substantial number of jobs within the industrial area there, but it’s not enough because there are still a lot of people with jobs outside the area. Most people are concerned with job security at this time and where their next meal or pay cheque is coming from.

“The Trinidadian mentality is one that we are never really as concerned as we need to or should be.

Of course, when questioned further, he admitted that the analysis that was conducted, was really on the Latin American region, not the Caribbean. However, he stated that if the analysis was extended for the Caribbean the results would be the same. Is that really a correct statement? Should he not first conduct the analysis on the Caribbean to determine its relevance? We must be far more assertive and objective in our approach to comments made by the IMF. Too long the IMF has lumped Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with other countries. Here it has applied the same criteria to assess all countries, and imposed the same solutions for the myriad problems that we face. To date the arguments that we should be treated differently from other groupings of countries, because of particular vulnerabilities of the Caribbean region and other SID groups to extreme events (e.g hurricanes), are yet to gain traction with the IMF. Adopting a solution to the indebtedness of the region to lower the debt/GDP ratio and so create the fiscal space to allow for the pursuit of development and growth using local financing has just reached drafts of proposals by agencies such as ECLAC but has gone no further.

To hear an IMF spokesman talk about flexible exchange rates as the solution and then say “we do not prescribe any particular exchange rate regime for any country. It is a choice that countries make” is cause for great concern. There are a number of persons, including former Permanent Secretaries, Finance Ministers and Governors of the Central Bank who have had to both argue that such a regime may create far more problems than solve them. Indeed, many an IMF team have had to be “counselled” on how our economy works. We have lumpy capital inflows. Every quarter the main source of our foreign exchange, which are the energy sector companies, pay their taxes which come to the Central Bank who then converts these to T&T dollars and places them in the government accounts.

The Central Bank’s role is to smooth the foreign exchange (forex) inflows to the public by providing the forex markets with periodic sales of forex during those times when there are no inflows of forex.

In addition, our economic history has thought us that we cannot just sell all foreign exchange that we get into the forex market because that results in volatility in the forex markets which is not healthy for trade or commerce. Of course, fixed income earners and pensioners will be greatly affected by a sudden depreciation when shortages occur on the forex market if a free float was adopted. Lastly, it is the pools of reserves and HSF funds that have been highlighted by Standard and Poor’s as strengths in this economy and have allowed us to face these difficult times. That comes from a managed, not free, float.

Even in our managed float, when a large influx of forex hits the market (a la the sale of Royal Bank shares), there was very little appreciation of the TT dollar. A managed float has served us well- we need to now develop other policies such as strong fiscal policies to curb aggregate demand and import demand.

Articulating the nature of our economic space to external parties such as the IMF is a good sign of a maturing, confident people.

This continues to disappoint many of us who are paying attention to the country’s economy.

There are some members of the Opposition who built their political careers on the “Axe the Tax” campaign in 2010.

These members continue to make public statements angled at trying to make property tax seem oppressive and untimely.

Following their logic, property owners should march in the streets against the property tax.

Citizens should protest and refuse to pay three percent of the rental value of their properties, which amounts to an average of $100 a month on the lower end and for those high-end properties, an average of $500 a month.

Should we therefore continue to add to the billions of dollars lost in property taxes by the actions of the former administration as of 2010? Property owners would then have to ask themselves where will the money come from to build and repair roads, drains and bridges in their communities? How will the Government install and service street lights? Where will the funds come from for garbage collection? Opposition members would have done better to ask about local government reform and having property taxes paid directly to the local government bodies.

Their argument however has been based on trying to score political points by opposing a revenue- generating activity that is not new to the population but critical for our economic survival.

Those who are leading this anti-property tax crusade have politicised the entire issue.

They must be reminded that this tax has always been with us, as with most countries around the world.

This tax took a political break during the UNC-led government.

The time for reintroduction is now and this is a responsible move by the Government.

According to MaxenHouse, “We need the money.”

RONALD HUGGINS St Joseph

In his maiden address as president of the chamber, Vishnu Charran said that the event is the first of its kind and is a step in the right direction for the development and sustainability of the country.

“It will display technology and gadgets to promote a sense of control with regards to security, by way of smart homes. Another component will be eco-friendly building technologies, which adhere to earth-quake and hurricane codes, as well as green homes which drastically decrease energy consumption and reduce carbon foot prints,” Charran said.

He was speaking at the launch held yesterday at Passage to Asia Restuarant in Chaguanas.

The event takes place from June 22 to 24 at the Outdoor Facility of the Divali Nagar in Chaguanas. It is a collaboration with the National Security Ministry. The president added that the expo and conference allows the chamber to work with law enforcement so as to shed some light on how businesses and private citizens can better protect themselves.

Charran charged that citizens are slowly becoming more paralyzed by their fear to move around because the crime situation is at its pinnacle. Individuals, he said, are worried about being caught in the crossfire, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“This raises the question, ‘What can we do to protect our families, our homes, our businesses? With this mind, CCIC is committed to bringing national focus to crime and issues of safety and security to the vanguard,” Charran said.

He noted that its crippling effect does not only stunt the growth and development of Chaguanas but the entire country. The expo and conference is free to the public and Charran added that breakout sessions will be conducted which in turn will open fora for discussions. Some of the topics for the session include food and road safety, cyber security and dealing with crime and unemployment, to name a few.

It will feature exhibitors from various organistions among them environmentalists, law enforcement bodies and self-defense training experts. Other officials at the launch yesterday were National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, ACP Mobile Deodath Dulalchan and Lt Col Collin Millington.

Along the way, there are tiny board houses bent and warped like old men, oftentimes with modern concrete structures in the same yard. These are testament to the power of geology and time. Decades ago, residents were warned to put nothing up besides wooden structures on the shifting earth that plagues this part of the country. Later generations would defy caution and, as prosperity flowed through the area, brick and mortar became standard.

But prosperity ebbs as well.

“I doing all the interviews for the past two weeks. I will tell you all about TOFCO and what going on in La Brea,” the man promised. Whether he works there or used to is unclear, he is vague on that point. “You have to pay me for the interview though.”

Historically producers of much of the country’s wealth, communities like La Brea in the island’s southwest, do not seem to be reaping permanent benefits from the position.

Even though the area is industrial, La Brea lacks its own fire station. Appliances must come from Point Fortin.

Gerald Debiset, area local government councilor, says a lack of water, poor road infrastructure and chronic low levels of employment are problems too.

A 2016 report found that the area’s rate of poverty is 6 per cent higher than the national average. Its unemployment rate is 7.2 per cent versus the 3.4 per of the rest of the country.

Projects like Angelin make a difference in this place. The loss of the construction of the platform is not just a topic of national debate. It has divided a community.

Our interview subject spares us a few words before, free of charge, before he goes.

“Is not just people in La Brea cause that to go,” he told us, “They know why they take the platform.”

A mile and a half away, TOFCO, the company that was supposed to be constructing the platform sits on the coast. Huge cranes sprout from its yard, almost skeletal looking. With the exception of a few cars moving into and out of the compound, it is quiet.

The suspended dust cloud from incomplete road work gives the whole scene a yellowish, forlorn aspect.

It is a popular view in the community, particularly among the young and usually male. Listening, one gets the sense that residents think the community is being conspired against. It is not the only view though.

An elderly gentleman set up with fruit and craft right outside the Pitch Lake says: “(Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union President General Ancel) Roget chain up them fellas and them. He had no right to say what he said and now look what happen. You think this hurting Roget? These people have to understand that half a bread, is better than no bread at all.”

His statement is all the more surprising because he purports to be a senior union man who has a full-time job working offshore. The stall is just a side hustle.

Unlike jobs, opinions here abound on why BP decided to move construction of the Angelin platform to another country and depending on which residents you speak to blame keeps shifting.

Some people blame TOFCO for provoking protests by its lack of concern for workers’ health, even though the company itself has a good safety record.

“I leave out the TOFCO work some years ago,” said one youth, “The company not coming clean. I was a welder there and they used to have us welding metal alloys. All kinds of dangerous fumes and skin rash.”

This fellow admitted he was not certified to weld and was only able to secure a job at TOFCO after several years of trying through a contact.

“I am grateful, because I learned a lot when I was there” he said, “But right now, I am only working part time at another place and I have to wait until they call me out.”

Nicole Olivierre, La Brea’s Member of Parliament and former Energy Minister, said there are some serious shortfalls in the community’s education system, starting at the primary level.

“The schools are not performing as well as they could or have done in the past. When you have these challenges at the primary school level, the opportunities that these students have are diminished. This entrenches the cycle of poverty,” she said.

Additionally, students were not going on to tertiary level education, which left them at a disadvantage in getting jobs once the lower level skilled construction projects were complete.

Olivierre identified steps being taken to enhance the level of technical skill found within the community, including the establishment of an NESC campus. But she said the area’s young people needed to do more to acquire qualifications in fields such as chemistry and electrical engineering.

Clarifying her earlier statements assigning a portion of the blame for the situation to residents, the MP said, ““It cannot be that the residents’ actions were the only one that factored into the Angelin decision. But it certainly would have been one of many factors.”

She went on to explain that BP’s timeline for the project made it impossible to keep it in La Brea, but noted however that, “generally speaking, when you have a climate of tension and hostility, it is a negative that will be applied when an investor is analyzing where they can place their investment.”

“One of the things that makes Trinidad and Tobago such an attractive investment destination is not only its highly-educated workforce, but its stable democracy, whether this is at the national level or the localised political climate.”

Beyond education, some alternative perspectives on the La Brea situation emerged from the neighbouring local government district.

Chanarbaye Ramadharsingh, the councilor for Rousillac/ Otaheite explained that often, people had a stereotype about La Brea residents and were unlikely to hire them because of it. She would not elaborate on this stereotype or “concept” as she called it.

Checks throughout La Brea and Rousillac though, would reveal that several contractors would not hire La Brea residents after many of them failed mandatory drug testing at worksites.

Ramadharsingh explained that her district was not as badly affected by the loss of the Angelin project because people had more opportunities to be self-sufficient.

“You will find that we are more agricultural over here and we will grow a lot of our food. We also will start businesses where we could hire our children.”

Land ownership in Rousillac/ Otaheite was more restricted, discouraging unrestricted migration into the community. Ramadharsingh thought that the open state and Petrotrin lands in La Brea brought people into the area, swelling the numbers looking for work. She said many of the people living there now, did not have deep roots in the community.

On top of all of this, companies in the area have cut down the number of local sub-contractors, choosing instead to bring their own hires into the community. Local contractors in turn have decreased the amount of local labour they would normally hire.

This is the result of a combination of reasons presented thus far, including reducing work stoppage time due to protests, the lack of qualifications within in the community to do work beyond low level construction, or general unsuitability for the work, as well as the country’s economic hard times.

Given the loss of the Angelin, we asked Olivierre if she was afraid of the community losing the Mitsubishi’s Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited (CGCL) $6.3 billion project.

The La Brea MP said that project had already had its fair amount of challenges, but that Mitsubishi had shown a level of commitment to its investment that made it unlikely that it would leave La Brea and TT.

She said the company has made a commendable effort to involve local contractors, though La Brea residents believe more could be done.

As the Mitsubishi project continued, Olivierre exhorted La Brea residents to see themselves as partners in their community’s future development.

The CGML plant is expected to produce methanol and will come on stream in 2019.

At a press conference yesterday, PSA’s first vice president Christopher Joefield said, the union filed a High Court action against the Authority on April 12 after senior air traffic controller Dhanesh Kumar was suspended by CAA management after he made comments in a private Facebook group called Piarco Atcos. “Kumar being a member of a secret Facebook group and his friends were engaging in a conversation regarding matters at work and the information came to the attention of the management of the Authority and they decided that they will take disciplinary action against him,” he said. According to the action filed, Kumar was summoned to the office of Alexis Brathwaite, manager of Air Traffic Services (MATS) and was presented with a memorandum advising him of an investigation into certain postings made in the group. On November 9, Kumar replied to the Memorandum indicating that he was not minded to comment on anything mentioned in the group as this would be a violation of the requirement of confidentiality in the group.

On November 18, 2016, Kumar was served with a Memorandum from the Human Resources Manager, Bernard Mohamdally notifying him of a disciplinary hearing. On that Memorandum, he was charged with “gross misconduct” over a post on Facebook on or about October 24, 2016 where allegations against the board and then director general of Civil Aviation were made.

Following the hearing in January this year, Kumar was suspended from March 18 to March 31 without pay. Joefield said CAA management indicated that Kumar violated one of their human resource policies but, at the time of the incident, they did not have anything in relation to social media. He claimed when the PSA made enquiries, the company moved to have a policy on social media passed by the Board.

“We have engaged our attorneys Travers Sinanan and Avory Sinanan SC to treat with the matter. We are very clear that when it comes to the welfare of public officers in general and in civil aviation, it appears management will spare no expense to abuse these employees and it is on that basis we have decided to challenge the action of the management.” “If this is not challenged it could set a dangerous precedent for all employees at the Authority and we are saying your constitutional rights to privacy is also at risk as workers should have the right to express their views without having to run the risk of being taken to task for it,” he said.

The event was hosted by Dr Auliana Poon and her team, which included Richard Young, Dominique La- Roche, Kevon Wilson, Vanna Girod, Kerron Riley and Dexter Banfield and was held at Villa Being in Arnos Vale, Plymouth last Sunday evening.

Poon noted that L?v? celebrates the aura, beauty and excellence of Trinidad and Tobago.

“From fine art, fashion, cuisine, culture, rum and rhythm, L?v? will lift your spirits.

The aim of L?v? is to lift up talent, celebrate talent and also incorporate different aspects of our culture. The whole idea of having L?v? is to re-demonstrate to Trinidad and Tobago and the whole Caribbean that we can do things differently.

L?v? is only one avenue of doing it and yes we can, we can do it,” she said.

This year the event has been included in the Tobago Jazz Experience calendar, something Poon said she appreciates.

Kin sound system, Chalmer John, Gerard “Panman” Balfour and Les Coteaux Performers provided live entertainment for the small gathering, which consisted of specially invited guests.

The fashion segment featured pieces from DAWW Creations, as well as Trinidadian Ecliff Elie, with shoes and accessories supplied by Tobagonian Ted Arthur.

The highlight of the evening, however, were the pieces designed by Trinidad-born fashion designer and professor Andrew Ramroop.

Ramroop, who now resides in the United Kingdom is the owner, director and master tailor at Maurice Sedwell Limited, one of the few surviving exclusive bespoke tailor’s in London’s Saville Row.

The savvy businessman, who was described as totally self-made had the crowd in awe when his first model touched the runway with a suit that was heightened by 24-carat gold pinstripes.

Ramroop said that though his pieces are costly, he has clients from over 60 countries as his creations last a lifetime.

He also had two other pieces on display which were created for the late Princess Diana.

Chef Adrian Cumberbatch provided a taste of L?v? with a mouth-watering buffet, which included Plymouth rock lobster souse shots, Tobago spice rubbed mahi mahi, pumpkin and all spice chutney, as well as benne baklava to name a few. There was also a number of paintings on display which was done by teacher, writer and painter Shastri Maharaj.

The AG made this disclosure in the Senate as he responded to a question on the implementation of the death penalty.

Al-Rawi said that of the 37 people, “29 of them have had consideration by the last government.” Of those 29, “six of them were met with a contingent of appeals at the Privy Council just at the five-year marker with the then track having to run on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,” he said.

Reiterating that the appellate process remains the stumbling block in the implementation of the death penalty in TT, Al-Rawi said this is why the Government has implemented a tracking mechanism for “every single file, for every single person who stands convicted to hang in accordance with the laws of TT.”

He said recently eight people were sentenced to death and “that eight are included in the 37.”

Al-Rawi said through the tracking mechanism, which is done daily, “25 persons in total are being tracked for the implementation of the law.” He said this is being done “so that the State ensures that every step that it has within its power to comply with the State’s input into the appellate process is preserved and is in fact accomplished.” He said “in those circumstances we expect to carry out the death penalty as soon as is lawfully possible.”

Responding to questions from Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen, Al-Rawi said 12 people have had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment “by operation of the rule in Pratt and Morgan.” He explained that the remaining 25 “have not been considered to be the beneficiaries of the rule in Pratt and Morgan and therefore have not yet crossed the bar of being in cruel and unusual punishment.”

After indicating the 12 people are still on Death Row, Al-Rawi said, “The listing and labelling of persons on Death Row is not consonant as to whether the execution is going to be carried out.”

He said Ramdeen’s questions reflected a “fundamental ignorance of the law.” He added, “The attempt to twist logic into reality is simply lost.”

Latapy’s team featured in training match against a Southern Football Association (SFA) invitational Under 15 team on Saturday at Ato Boldon Stadium, coming away 8-1 winners to follow up their 3-1 win over a Republic Bank Invitational the previous weekend.

TT U-15s led 4-0 at half-time through goals by Jean-Heim McFee who notched a hat-trick while Jaiye Sheppard added another.

Further goals came in the second half from Ezekiel Kesar, Justin Araujo-Wilson, Zachery Welch and Macai Peters.

The teams scheduled to play in the Cayman tournament include Alchemy (USA), Bahamas Tottenham Hotspur FC (Bahamas), Cavalier SC (Jamaica), Cayman Islands National Team, La Ceiba FC (Honduras), Cuba National U-15 Team, DC United (USA), Harbour View FC (Jamaica), Houston Dynamo Academy (USA), IMG Academy (USA) and Manchester City FC (England).

Latapy spoke about Saturday’s match and his final selection for the Cayman Invitational “The game on Saturday against the SFA invitational was another valuable exercise in the sense that it allowed us to have the boys in a game situation which is again, preparation for the international tournament in the Cayman Islands and then the CONCACAF championship in August,” Latapy told TT FA Media.

“It was good to see the chances being taken and the victory being a comprehensive one. But in saying that,we know that the matches will be different when we head out and we will prepare for this.

“Regarding the final squad selection, I think my coaching staff and I have assessed these players over the past few weeks with some level of detail and we’ve come up with a squad that is balanced and comprising of talented young boys who are developing a good understanding for the game at this level. Our job now is to continue to nurture them.

We will continue to monitor the entire pool and there will be adjustments in the future because the doors are not closed on any player,” Latapy added.

TT U-15 Squad for Cayman Islands: Luke Savery (St Mary’s College), Zachary Welch (Fatima College), Justin Araujo-Wilson (Fatima College), Jarique Williams (St Anthony’s College), Jaheim Wickham (St Anthony’s College),Tyrese Pierre (Queen’s Royal College), Darian Bradshaw (Queen’s Royal College), Ezekiel Kesar (Naparima College),Josiah Edwards (Brazil High School), Jean-Heim McFee (St James Secondary), Micai Peters (El Dorado West Secondary), Kahlil Oliver (Malabar Secondary), Jaiye Sheppard (Scarborough Secondary), N’Kosi Corbin (Belmont Boys Secondary),Daniel Lake (Mucurapo West Secondary),Jabari Lee (San Fernando East Secondary), Ephraim Brown (Pleasantville Secondary), Tristan Ceasar (Pleasantville Secondary), Antonio Chee Ting (Trinity College East), Matthew De Souza (Trinity College East).