Resuming on 38 runs for one wicket, the Jaguars closed on 246/8, a lead of 44 runs on first innings. Assad Fudadin top scored with 57, while Raymon Reifer continued his solid performance in the match, scoring an unbeaten 50 while batting with the tail to frustrate the Red Force bowlers. Reifer was the Jaguars top bowler on day one snatching 3/48.

The Jaguars did not seem to miss the father-and-son duo of Shivnarine and Tagenarine Chanderpaul, as they were comfortably placed on 136/2 early in the second session with nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo and Fudadin at the wicket. Tagenarine is injured, while Shivnarine has returned to England to play county cricket.

Off spinner Bryan Charles broke the 89-run third partnership with a brilliant catch off his own bowling to dismiss Fudadin. Fudadin struck nine fours in his 135-ball knock.

Bishoo, who battled at the crease for more than three hours, was next to go. Chasing a wide delivery, Bishoo could only find an edge to wicketkeeper Steven Katwaroo to give fast bowler Marlon Richards the scalp.

Leon Johnson was out in identical fashion as Katwaroo and Richards combined to dismiss the Jaguars captain for seven to end a positive session for the Red Force.

Guyana Jaguars were 168/5 at tea trailing the Red Force by 34 runs.

Two solid partnerships in the final session, involving Reifer, put Guyana Jaguars in front. Reifer first combined with Vishaul Singh to push the score to 196, when Singh was caught for 22 off Khary Pierre attempting a sweep shot.

After Anthony Bramble was leg before to Charles for four, Reifer found another able partner in Veerasammy Permaul.

Their 42-run partnership between the pair ended just before stumps as Permaul was out leg before to Richards for 24. Reifer ended the day on 50 not out, facing 126 deliveries and hitting six fours.

Richards and Charles were the top Red Force bowlers.

Richards took 4/34 in 20 overs, while Charles snatched 3/70 in 31 overs.

Scoreboard
TT RED FORCE vs
GUYANA JAGUARS
TT Red Force 1st inns 202
Guyana Jaguars 1st inns
(Overnight: 38/1)
S Hetmyer c Pierre b Charles………… 15
R Chandrika c Cariah b Richards……. 17
D Bishoo c Katwaroo b Richards……. 39
A Fudadin c&b Charles………………….. 57
L Johnson c Katwaroo b Richards…….. 7
V Singh c Mohammed b Pierre………. 22
R Reifer not out……………………………. 50
A Bramble LBW b Charles………………. 4
V Permaul LBW b Richards…………… 24
R Shepherd not out………………………… 1
EXTRAS (B8, W1, NB1)……………….. 10
Total for eight wickets………………. 246
Fall of wickets: 27; 47; 136; 144; 149;
196; 201; 243.
BOWLING: Richards 20-9-34-4 (W1);
Phillip 5-1-25-0 (NB1); Charles 31-8-70-
3; Khan 18-0-63-0; Pierre 11-0-29-1; Mohammed
15-5-17-0.

Former captain Kenwyne Jones have been recalled after he was dropped by Tom Saintfiet during his four-game reign as TT coach while fellow striker Jamille Boatswain, who netted a double against Barbados in a friendly international on March 10, was included in the squad.

The squad includes 13 homebased players and 13 overseas- based players all heading to a residential camp tomorrow.

“I think it was important to assess the local group to see what was available,” said Lawrence. “I think the local-based players have responded very well to what we asked of them. We prepared them physically, mentally and tactically we tried as best as possible. We had to try and incorporate the players from abroad so we had to select based on the positions that were needed and required for what I want to do. In the end we put together a group that will give us the best possible chance of getting the result against Panama.” Concerning the selection of the overseas-based players, Lawrence said, “with assessing the overseas based players, one of the things that was important was finding out how much game time they’ve been getting at the moment and their physical condition because obviously the boys that play in the MLS, their season is only two games in.

“We managed,by use of our contacts in the US, to speak to some of the personnel at the clubs and get physical data on the players which helped us a lot because we knew what physical condition they were in coming into our camp. It all then came back down to what I want to do and what I think is best for the team and we made the selection based on that,” Lawrence added.

“The players that worked with me locally had a head start on the players that were abroad because I had more contact time with them and I think a lot of them understand exactly what we are trying to do. which I believe was important. I think in this case it’s going to be the other way around where the local players are going to be the ones leading and I am hoping the players that come from abroad can just come in and it will be easier for them to integrate with the local players and their knowledge of what has been happening in the preparations so far and it should help us to gel together for the game.” Trinidad and Tobago team – Marvin Phillip, Jan Michael Williams, Glenroy Samuel (goalkeepers); Radanfah Abu Bakr, Aubrey David, Curtis Gonzales, Sheldon Bateau, Daneil Cyrus, Mekeil Williams, Tristan Hodge, Carlos Edwards, Alvin Jones (defenders); Andre Boucaud, Joevin Jones, Khaleem Hyland, Kevan George, Hughtun Hector, Hashim Arcia, Kevin Molino, Leston Paul, Levi Garcia, Cordell Cato, Nathan Lewis (midfielders); Kenwyne Jones, Willis Plaza, Jamille Boatswain (strikers).

Word is also that the officers in many instances are shamed to report their situations.

Statistics obtained by Sunday Newsday for 2013-2016 from the Employees Assistance Programme (EAP) of the TT Police Service revealed that during that period, there were less than 20 officers reporting physical abuse, approximately 100 for emotional abuse, approximately 90 reporting psychological abuse, and less than ten officers being victims of sexual abuse. The report did not give an indication of whether the reports were by male or female officers.

When asked about these statistics, Police Service Social and Welfare Association president Inspector Michael Seales expressed surprise that the information was in the public domain. However, he said if the information was correct, such abuse would pose a danger for the officers involved.

Woman Police Corporal Helen Solomon, the Central Committee representative for the North-Eastern Division, in which the murdered WPC Joseph was assigned, told Sunday Newsday that domestic violence and abuse happen in the service but the average officer was not aware of it.

She said it was very hard for anyone to come forward and report abuse, and if they did not have the proper support, they may never treat with it.

“It’s rare that a female officer would come out and talk about their private issues, far less for making a report,” she said. “You would have to be very close with someone for them to trust you enough to talk about their issues.” Seales agreed saying that, on most occasions, police officers felt “too ashamed” to make a report. He said a regular victim would probably not be seen again by the officers after the situation has been dealt with.

However, police officers work in the situation and they would be faced with their co-workers who would know they were a victim of domestic abuse.

“They want to maintain that level of privacy that does not expose their lives to ridicule and embarrassment,” he said This seemed to be the case with WPC Joseph who was reported missing since March 9, and whose body was found in the Gulf of Paria off Sea Lots on March 15.

“You have to consider how that officer has been compromised and whether that abuse lends itself to them being vulnerable while on duty,” Seales said. “Their faculties may not be at its optimum when it comes to providing service to the community they are to serve and so could also make the citizen who is the recipient of their service vulnerable.” “That is a delicate situation so there must be full rehabilitation of those persons and someone with the requisite training to determine when the officers are fit for duty,” he continued.

Seales suggested the affected officers be removed from having to interact (on their jobs) with members of the community they served, and redeployed until the effects of the abuse were mitigated. He stressed that it was not a punishment but a way to avoid the possibility of any compromising situation.

With respect to Joseph, Seales said the association “continues to hurt” and that its members’ hearts go out to her relatives.

Solomon said also the officers are very saddened and devastated over the loss of Joseph, and described the situation as heart-breaking.

She said, “As women police, it was very shocking what happened to this very young officer. In fact, it was unbelievable because she never really expressed any issues to us.

Our hearts go out to her family in this time of grief. We are willing to do anything they can to help them keep strong.” Meanwhile, retired inspector and national awardee Sheila Prince said she was relieved that Joseph’s body was found so she could be given a “dignified military funeral” and her family and the TTPS could feel some sort of closure.

She said given the brutalised condition in which Joseph was found, her death seemed to be personal, and full of emotional passion and heat. However, she said no one could judge the young officer or make assumptions about her life because no one knew the situation.

Noting that police officers also suffer from crime, Prince said no matter where they live, it was necessary for officers to earn respect.

She said the police uniform was just a piece of material but there was a human being with characteristics, morals, and spiritual values under that uniform.

“You have to make the right choices because there would be consequences for your action,” Prince said, asking, “Are you compassionate to people? Are you a law-abiding citizen? Are you a mentor? These are the things people respect you for! Yes, the uniform is supposed to be respected but you will always be who you are.” She noted that, in general, no one could tell others how to live their lives. “Whether you like it or not it boils down to women making the right choices, women respecting themselves,” Prince said. “Women need to realise that when you make a choice you have to think about consequences. A lot of people make mistakes but it is not about making the mistake and staying down, but making the mistake and moving on.” Prince hoped that Joseph’s example would “help bring women to a level of consciousness,” to revisit their lives, and cause them to reflect.

“When they revisit their lives they need to bring some spirituality into their lives,” she suggested, “Because without God we are nothing. We have to try to find something positive coming out of the whole scenario.

The situation should help us to look at life in a different way,” she said.

In addition, Prince believed the country needed people with “moral courage and moral authority” to talk to women, “denounce wrongdoing,” and to tell people what was “true and right” and show them the way to go.

See page 7

This is because none of the four suspects still in custody have been providing any useful information, sources yesterday told Sunday Newsday. It is expected that Gaspard will peruse meticulously the evidence and make a determination.

The main suspect, a 39-yearold labourer, believed to have been in a close relationship with Joseph, has already told police that he has nothing to say based on legal advice while a 24-yearold- man, who surrendered to police on Wednesday night, also has denied any involvement in the murder of the young policewoman.

Sources also revealed yesterday that a 36-year-old Carenage woman and another Sea Lots man have also denied any involvement in the killing. Two other persons who had been detained were released on Friday.

Officers have until tomorrow to lay any charge against the prime suspect, who has been in custody since March 10. His lawyers have argued a habeas corpus motion, which prevents him from being detained for an unspecified period without charge. Joseph, 22, who was assigned to the Morvant Police Station, went missing on March 9 after leaving her home at Marie Road, Morvant, reportedly to attend to police matters.

The mother of one never returned home and calls to her cellphone went unanswered.

Joseph’s relatives and colleagues hopes of seeing her alive were shattered around 11 am, last Wednesday, when her decomposing body was discovered by a fisherman, trawling for shrimp in the Gulf of Paria, just off Sea Lots.

Joseph’s body was wrapped in a plastic bag with weights tied to her feet. The young woman’s face also was smashed and her hands tied behind her back.

The fisherman quickly contacted the TT Coast Guard, which had also been assisting the police with their investigations.

The discovery of Joseph’s body dismissed earlier reports which suggested that she had been killed and buried in a shallow grave in the Sea Lots area.

An autopsy performed last week on her body was inconclusive due to its advanced stage off decomposition.

Joseph had only been working in the Police Service for four months at the time of her death.

Truth be told, there is no escaping such a heart-rending reality, according to neuropsychologist Dr Katija Khan.

She stressed, however, that, where possible, there must be an early victim support intervention __ Government- sanctioned or otherwise __ to help the child to transition.

“There must be some victim support, access to a counsellor or a psychologist who can help the family to transition and who can be there to work directly with the child or with the family to help the child,” she told Sunday Newsday.

Khan said the child should be told in simple, age-appropriate language.

“They do not need to know all of the details but they need to know in a way that they can understand what has happened,” she said.

“For example, the child can be told that a bad person hurt Mummy and she is not coming back.

“And, ff the family is religious, they can also say something like, ‘Mummy is in heaven or with baby Jesus.’” Khan said if the family had experienced other deaths, she could also be told that “Mummy is in heaven with grandpa or grandma.” “It is about using language that can help them understand and help them process.” Joseph, 22, was last seen alive two weeks ago when she left her Marie Road, Morvant, home, reportedly to attend to police business.

Her decomposing body was discovered, last Wednesday by a Felicity fisherman in the Gulf of Paria, just off Sea Lots.

Joseph’s remains were stuffed into a crocus bag.

Several people, including a man said to be in a close relationship with Joseph, have since been detained by police for questioning.

However, Joseph’s mother, Paula Guy, was quoted in a newspaper, last week, as saying that her four-year-old grand daughter is still unaware that her mother has died.

She said the girl was engaging in fun activities with other young children.

Khan, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Psychologists, said a therapist can use play to help a child cope wit their emotions.

“It is also good to maintain some of the routine for the child because this really traumatic change has happened in their life and they still need some semblance of structure and routine to help them cope.” As another coping mechanism, she said Joseph’s daughter could also be encouraged to honour her mother’s memory, either through a book with pictures or by planting a tree.

“All that can help with the grieving process.” At the other end of the spectrum, Khan said young children sometimes are not given enough credit in dealing with personal loss or tragedy.

She said: “Children are quite perceptive and intuitive so they can tell, even at a very young age, when something has changed or is different, especially if adults that are acting differently around them.

They might see people crying and might hear people talking and although they don’t understand all of the language, they know that something has changed.” Khan said children also grieve in their won way.

“One minute they might be crying and asking a lot of questions and another they might be playing and doing something unusual,” she said.

“So, it is also about letting them grieve and having the opportunity to ask a number of questions because they may not understand the whole concept of death and somebody not coming back.” Khan also responded to concerns about the influence of social media in potentially limiting the healing process.

“When they are very young, they might be shielded from it but kids who are older and can read the newspaper themselves and who have access to social media, I think that presents even more of a challenge,” she said.

“So, that is why it will be really important that they have some help and guidance through that grieving process so that they do not learn about news like that through social media but to have a family member or a therapist who can help explain some of that.

“People will say things about it (circumstances that led to the death) but they (children) have a base of information and somebody trusted that they could go to if they have questions.

“So, if they read something and it is upsetting and confusing, they have somebody that they can go to and say, ‘I read this about Daddy, I read this about Mummy, what is going on?’”

On Friday Imbert announced the draw down, the second in under a year, yesterday and explained that it would be used for the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) but did not provide any specifics.

Former minister in the ministry of finance Mariano Browne, speaking in a telephone interview, said that after 2010 the expenditure profile of TT expanded significantly on recurrent expenditure which is very hard to reduce.

He said the Central Bank report last week demonstrated a precipitous decline in revenue and one which is likely to continue.

“So in those circumstances we are in a difficult situation of not being able to meet our recurrent expenditure and so as a result Government has cut back on any form of investment in the (PSIP). So it is literally, because we are on a slippery slope, one can expect that every year the Minister of Finance would have little or no alternative but to dip into (HSF).” “The critical issue is what is the money going to be used for.” He noted Imbert had said that it is going to be used for the PSIP but what the country needs to know is specifics.

“What part of the PSIP programme? How does that dovetail with private sector expenditures and how will it help us in the longer term?” he asked.

He said we also need to understand and know what the specific priorities are going to be in terms of cutting back our recurrent expenditure programme.

“It is impossible for the Minister of Finance to continue to survive with a projected expenditure programme over $50 billion.

It can’t happen.” “You can’t borrow your way out of this struggle and if you want to rely on the (HSF) the HSF would be extinguished in a very short space of time. This is the position we found ourselves in in 1986 and this is a 1986 moment.

And the longer we take to recognise it and to deal with the adjustment process it is going to become harder and harder.” Browne said Parliament would be the best place to give account of the draw-down.

“There is nothing wrong with him giving an accounting in Parliament or out of Parliament.

But he must give it.” He also said Imbert must tell how Government was able to replenish the HSF following the previous draw-down.

Former Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine, speaking on i95.5FM yesterday, also said Imbert has a duty to say what the money would be used for and what specific projects would be supported.

“Explain to the population exactly what that US$251 million which is TT$1.7 billion, exactly what use it will be put to. He has said it would be used for the (PSIP) but we need to go a step further and say exactly what projects would be supported using that TT$1.7 billion.” He also accused Imbert of “decapitalising the country”.

“And I think the wider point is that by drawing money from the (HSF) the minister is effectively decapitalising Trinidad and Tobago and he needs to tell us how he is going to replace that capital from the (HSF)…

with new capital stock. By that I mean tell us what you are going to build using that money from the HSF.” Attempts to contact Imbert via telephone yesterday were unsuccessful.

However, we do not think it helpful to quibble, as Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has, over whether trial by jury is a right. The formulation of the right as expressed in the Constitution is a right “to equality before the law and the protection of the law”. Al-Rawi is correct to say there is no explicit provision saying we have a right to be judged by our peers. But because this practice has for so long been a part of our legal tradition and because it touches on the profound need on the part of citizens to feel that they are being fairly treated by those in authority, it is more productive to focus on how the Trial by Judge Alone Bill 2017 will be perceived by citizens, not lawyers.

The bill proposes to give people a choice: a jury or a judge. We think the Attorney General is correct to suggest this could help tackle the obvious problem of the inadequacy of trial by jury. If there is one thing all the stakeholders agree on: the current system is not working. It is lengthy and convoluted, often due to the processes that must take place relating to: the selection of a jury; the management of information that is presented before a jury; and then the issuing of complex legal directives to that jury in terms of how the case is to be analysed by them.

Having a single judge, aware of the laws of evidence, balance the facts would be useful. Such a judge would be trained to impartially assess issues raised and would be able to do so in a more timely way. She or he would not have to deliberate with fellow jurors and would be able to conduct extensive paper reviews of much of the evidence. Trial by judge would also be useful in complex cases, such as those involving white-collar crimes. A judge with special forensic skills could be in a better position to examine evidence related to the complex schemes often alleged in cases of fraud and corruption.

Another benefit is the accused person gets to elect which mode of trial they would like, a degree of flexibility that currently does not exist. But it is no use ignoring the clear disadvantages. Trial by judge alone opens up a great deal of issues relating to the potential of judges to be compromised. More dangerously, it will make the law appear even more elitist and out of reach from the ordinary man. A jury of peers is a powerful tool because it side-steps this issue. The question is: can the State introduce other reforms that will deal with these disadvantages? To some extent, the issue of a single judge being easier to compromise can be tackled. For instance, there could be a beefing up of disciplinary measures surrounding judges.

The existing systems, involving the murky operations of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission, need to be re-vamped if judges are going to be given more profound powers. Also, it must not be forgotten that in-built safeguards already exist. There is an appeals process, meaning there are levels of insulation.

A person who feels they have been wronged can appeal. The State, then, has a duty to make this appeals process as easy as possible and to reduce its costs.

In any event, concerns about tampering seem ironic given the fact that there are concerns that tampering is already a hazard of the jury system! Still, if reforms are introduced, they must be accompanied by an increase in the number of judges and a better system of judicial management including in relation to disciplinary matters. This would require a bolstering of the independence of the courts from Executive interference. Until all these matters are dealt with, the public will not be convinced of the genuine merits of trial by judge.

Among the intriguing issues involved – are ethnic and gender prejudice, pretrial publicity, bribery and illiteracy. Supporters still see the jury as “democratizing the system with common sense” – justice beyond rigid law. A fascinating subject to study. And so, from 1980, I began an international journey meeting prominent jury researchers and jurists, even sitting through jury trials. The Maurice Bishop trial in Grenada under then Justice Dennis Byron is unforgettable. Karl Hudson-Phillips was prosecutor.

I quickly learnt controversy over jury trial is as old as the hills; largely provoked by the clash between the formal rules of a trial and having jurors as ordinary people to decide.

But this lack of legal training has not necessarily been seen as a shortcoming, especially since the traditional role of a jury is to see the facts, leaving the law to the judge. But even facts can be skilfully twisted.

A major objector to jury trial has been noted British lawyer, Louis Blom-Cooper. He objected to juries not having to explain reasons for their verdict. He stated in a1966 paper: “The inscrutability of the jury is the antithesis of a concept of justice which demands not only a just result but a reasoned one.” He preferred rational, objective justice.

Such justice itself can be an illusion.

In 1982, British jurist Lord Denning gave me four reasons for the widespread support for trial by jury – protection from tyranny, from incompetent judges, from the establishment and from the rigidity of the law.

But theory and practice may differ. In my journey to Dominica, there was this 1981 trial where former Dominican prime minister Patrick John was charged with conspiring to overthrow the Eugenia Charles government. High Court judge, Horace Mitchell, upholding a no-case submission, directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict. The jury foreman, quickly consulting fellow jurors, jumped up shouting, “Guilty.” It took several repeated instructions from the judge to get the foreman to say not guilty. There is, of course, the most ticklish question of all. Who are the peers of an accused person? Are they of his or her race, religion, social class, sex, or is it enough that the jury is drawn from the general population? Guyana’s controversy emerged in 1979 from having the accused choose trial by a magistrate alone or by judge and jury. In Jamaica, like in Bermuda, jury trials came under intense controversy in 1979 too over juror shortages and juror bias. Senior Puisne Judge Uriah Parnell publicly complained: “The day may not be too far off when legislation may have to be enacted to empower a judge to try cases alone.” In the Jamaican case where former prime minister Michael Manley sued the Gleaner and columnist John Hearne for libel, Justice UD Gordon dismissed the foreman for “probable pro-Manley prejudice” since the foreman was a member of Manley’s National Workers’ Union. The trial was in its third week.

Notwithstanding what I found in England, Germany, Hawaii, Louisiana, California, Grenada, etc, one of the most intriguing jury trials took place right here in Trinidad.

It was about juror illiteracy. In the 1977 Lalchan murder trial, Lalchan Nanan was sentenced to death after the jury foreman announced guilty.

Defense counsel, Vernon de Lima, appealed, claiming that the verdict was not unanimous as required by law but a majority verdict. His affidavits revealed that four jurors – including the foreman – did not know the meaning of the word, unanimous, confusing it with majority.

In the historical Appeal Court ruling, Chief Justice Isaac Hyatali concluded that once a jury verdict is given openly in court and without immediate objection, the verdict stands. I subsequently supervised Professor Derek Chadee’s PhD thesis which is now a readable jury trial book. The current debate over jury trial enlivens my continued journey.

( P r o f Deosaran is author of the book, Trial by Jury in the Car ibbe an: Social and Psychological Dynamics).

Garcia, a media release stated, strongly condemned all acts of violence in the school system. It added: “He along with a team of ministry officials will be visiting the school next week and assures that the matter will be fully investigated and appropriate action will be taken to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.” On Tuesday last, while on their way home, several schoolgirls began beating a 14-year-old female schoolmate along the roadway following a verbal confrontation.

The victim appeared to have been beaten into an unconsciousness.

She was rushed to the Mayaro Health Facility where she was treated and subsequently discharged.

A video of the fracas was uploaded and posted on social media website Facebook where it was shared several times. The incident occurred shortly after 4 pm.

All four female students involved in the incident, one in Form One and three in Form Two, were placed on seven days suspension by the principal pending further investigations.

They have also been referred to the Guidance Unit for counselling, the release added.

Speaking about the perils of slavery and indentureship, Rowley asked his audience to spare a thought for the people of Syria who are on the move in some of the worst human conditions, with families torn apart and being treated as if their lives do not matter. He went on to say that TT must acknowledge that with India’s independence, its own independence was paved.

“It is by what India said to the colonial government and by what India accomplished on our behalf,” the Prime Minister said.

Rowley was loudly applauded for his address at the opening ceremony of the Indian Diaspora conference at the Divali Nagar in Chaguanas on Friday night. Addressing the gathering of local and international delegates, Rowley said, “As descendants of slaves, the scholars of the Indian diaspora should reflect on a condition worse than indentureship which ended in 1834 and triggered indentureship as a replacement which was hardly better.” He noted that indentureship was based largely on human relationships and that history will record it as man’s inhumanity to man. He went on to say that while it was economically driven, the minute a group of people left India and began the journey across the seas it was similar to what the slaves endured.

“But the one good thing about it is that when indentureship ended in 1917, most chose to remain in Trinidad and Tobago.

And for that, this nation is eternally grateful, “ he told the packed gathering at the Nagar site.

The Indian Diaspora Council, based in New York, in the United States joined with the Indian Diaspora Council of TT and the global affiliates of Indian Diaspora Council, the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC), the Maha Sabha, and other stakeholders for a four-day conference in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the abolition of Indian indentureship. It came to an end by the British Parliament’s Defence of India Act in March 1917.

Rowley said this nation is built largely from the people who migrated from other parts of the world. “No country described as a sub-continent with hundreds of millions of people could have been part of the world of moving humans and not be part of history,” he said adding that people move across territories for various reasons whether it is to escape the force of their neighbours military might or in their own search for a better life.

Rowley said he wondered what India was like in the early part of the 20th century that caused the indentures to travel to a land unknown for contracted labour and to work and maintain their culture.

“When we look at our history, would we look back and ask, are we not proud of our ancestors and would we let them down? We are lucky that we do not have to undergo what they have undergone but instead we are to enjoy what they worked for and what they aspired to.” He said the diasporic conference was not only an important academic exercise but about “reaching back into history to connect with those who made us as the people who we are today.” People listened attentively when he said, “This is why when we strive to build our nation and one that is still very young we hold on to what India represents to TT and to the Caribbean, a big sister in a very turbulent world.” He reminded that TT shares a seat in the Commonwealth of nations as well as on the United Nations. “We recognise our history, we recognise our people as one and the same,” he said.

The Prime Minister also said he looks forward to the outcome of the contributions of the scholars and the work they will do to assist TT to continue to learn more and to be more prepared to treat with the world that has not always been kind to the people of the diaspora.

“Thankfully technology has shortened our differences, three months it took the first set of Indians to travel from India and it took a year to communicate and get answers. Today technology allows us to be in contact within hours and to send messages through our laptops, and cell phones virtually instantaneously,” he said, adding there is no excuse to not strengthen the bonds.

TT, he said, thanks the Indian government for continuing to maintain that relationship in diplomacy, in trade, and in every aspect of human development.