However, in a telephone interview yesterday, Roget countered that Government had owed Petrotrin some seven billion dollars in subsidies and that Imbert may be attempting to justify the privatisation of the company.

“I am not too sure why the minister is making that point now because all of the stakeholders are aware that Petrotrin owes the government money in terms of taxes, but I wish to remind the minister that not too long ago, as recent as 2010-2011, Petrotrin was owed some seven billion dollars in subsidies from the government,” Roget said.

“And while Petrotrin was being owed that seven billion dollars in subsidies, Petrotrin had to go on short-term borrowing which caused them to have to pay high interest rates which contributed to some of the financial woes being experiencing today,” he said, adding, “The minister needs to say what was the total subsidy owed to Petrotrin by the government.

“He is perhaps trying to lay the ground work for the justification for privatisation of Petrotrin.” Roget vowed to fight relentlessly to ensure that Petrotrin remains in the hands of the ordinary taxpayers.

“If you privatise Petrotrin, the private interests and the new owners, they will smile all the way to the bank.” Roget said Petrotrin had contributed over $69 billion dollars to the State over the past few years and pointed out that Petrotrin had to be managed properly as there was a need to have “proper leadership at the managerial level, at the board level and at the level of the ministry.”

My real purpose for this letter is about a doubles vendor who operates at night at the corner of Cipriani Boulevard and Tragarete Road in Port-of-Spain.

After Carnival, I attended a function at Newtown Playboyz’ panyard on Tragarete Road (a wonderful place) and decided to take a walk to the corner to check out this doubles vendor who always seems to attract a crowd, although I stopped eating doubles a long time ago due to a personal experience.

Sat Maharaj will love to read this — doubles is no longer a national dish, but an international dish. There were Africans, Asians, Europeans and Hispanics lining up for doubles. I said to myself that this is the United Nations (smile).

This nation is evolving and the race thing must stop. I have faith in the young people of this country and they are not on that. In the near future (by the next two decades) this will be a country of douglas.

I conclude by saying the steel pan is the national instrument while roti and doubles are two of our national dishes.

Also, I ask the National Carnival Commission, with immediate effect, to stop the Socadrome and bring back Carnival to the people.

It seems like it is race to Carnival, race to elections and race to the Treasury. According to David Rudder, “this place is in a mess.” Let’s fix it.

EARL MARTIN Trincity

Chambers’ “command” was made at a time, as now, following Carnival and, also, as now, when this country was facing challenges to its economy due to a drastic collapse in oil prices.

It is not that Chambers was not a “Carnival man.” Indeed, I venture to suggest that his spirit must be joyous at this time seeing that his (and my) favourite steelband, Massy Trinidad All Stars, in which he was known to be at “last lap”, has again displayed its prowess as the overall unchallenged leading exponent of the national musical instrument.

But Chambers was a realist and, above all, a patriot, and his summons to the people of TT was based on an underlying situation which demanded sound economic management.

Indeed, the measures subsequently implemented by his government were unpopular with a population which was being nurtured by a “gimme gimme syndrome” which was being advanced by his own party — the PNM. He was destined to lose the 1986 general election and retired from political life.

Nevertheless, Chambers’ administration has, in hindsight, been credited with having laid the foundation which was to lead to the strong economic growth which was to follow subsequently.

Will history be repeating itself given the similarity with present-day circumstances, including PNM incumbency in office? However, while the structure of this country’s economy has made its fortunes and the general course of events heavily dependent on governmental activity, nevertheless the private sector has a most important role to play, particularly in manufacturing and distribution of local produce.

Indeed, it is here that the stated government policy for diversification of the economy out of the oil “one-crop” must focus. Clearly, the Government, as facilitator, is duty bound to provide the atmosphere and the incentives were such diversification to come to fruition.

Much work needs to be done in reorganisation of the very much oversized public enterprises sector — a matter which I have been at pains to address. However, not much appears to have been done.

In this regard, I must say that, unless the reading of the next Budget is being awaited, it is beyond me to have to observe that there appears to be difficulty in identifying: (1) Enterprises which are a drain on an already stretched national Treasury.

(2) Clear areas of duplication of effort such as CEPEP and URP.

(3) Service providers and public utilities, some of which have not had rates and charges adjusted in line with their operating costs for as long as 30 years or more.

(4) Enterprises which ought clearly to be “at home” in the private sector.

(5) The contents of the long-awaited procurement framework.

It is to be noted that the Government of Jamaica is about to engage on a public sector reorganisation.

I would hope that ministers, statutory authorities and boards (and these are not difficult to identify) will heed the recent “admonishment” of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and that those who have not yet done so will, at last, get down to work. After all, the year 2020 is but three years away.

Errol OC Cupid Trincity, Tacarigua

Football today, and I am sure he knows, has developed from the mere physical and tactical to a more technological and psychological strategic game, a game of minds and I believe it is absolutely necessary for our players to have permanent access to the services of a sports shrink.

Ours is a stress-filled society and a sports psychologist would be able to teach players to handle stress and anxieties before and during the game, to focus and concentrate for long periods and how to keep motivated for the entire tournament. In a nutshell, help to boost confidence within the team.

I would like to wish coach Dennis Lawrence, his staff and the entire nation the greatest success on our mission to achieve World Cup glory, once again.

Oswald Gallion via email

Imbert and Mark outlined their respective cases as debate on the bill, which is essential for this country being compliant with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) of the United States, began in the Senate yesterday. However speaking later in the debate, Independent Senator Ian Roach said it was time to put FATCA to bed and deal with concerns that citizens have with respect to fees being charged by commercial banks in TT.

As he opened the debate and listed the chronology of events regarding the bill, Imbert said it was a misconception that the establishment of a joint select committee (JSC) last September would have facilitated a smoother passage of the Bill in the House. He reiterated that the end of the First Session of the 11th Parliament and the 2016/2017 Budget deliberations in the Parliament made it impossible to establish the JSC last September.

Imbert said on December 9, 2016, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was ejected from the House after getting into an argument with Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George and the JSC could not be formed then. He added the JSC could not be formed three days later because the Opposition absented itself. Imbert said after the JSC was finally established in January, it took one month for the committee to complete its deliberations.

Mark dismissed Imbert’s statements, reiterating that the Opposition wanted to pass good law. Noting that he and Imbert have sat on many JSCs during their time as parl iamentarians, Mark boasted that it was Persad-Bissessar’s “almost militant” stance which resulted in the JSC being formed. He slammed the Bankers Association of TT (BATT), American Chamber of Commerce and TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce for getting “into the dance.” Declaring that BATT was “totally out of line” to tell the Opposition how it should vote on the bill, Mark slammed the association for the “unpardonable increases in bank fees and charges” by commercial banks to their customers

He said Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar was a member of both administrations.

Shrikissoon said he was very perturbed that Parliament had spent so much time on this model of FATCA legislation that brought no benefits to TT, rather than an alternative model where the onus falls on the Central Bank to get a United States taxpayer’s details from his private bank for the Board of Inland Revenue to forward to the US tax authorities.

He resented that after 54 years of Independence, TT’s legislative agenda is dictated by a foreign power, the US.

Al-Rawi empathised with Shrikissoon’s call, saying FATCA could have been enacted by the banks requiring customers to consent to their details being sent to the US, or alternatively asking them to close their accounts, but said the Government is now bound by the trajectory set by its predecessor.

He described Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen as “ludicrous and nonsensical” for complaining that the Government had failed to set up a joint select committee (JSC) on FATCA last September.

Al-Rawi said this was impossible because a JSC must include Opposition nominees but the Opposition had walked out of the Senate and stayed away.

They are expected to appear before a magistrate in Point Fortin today. Police believe someone had minutes earlier made the large drop-off in the Beach Road area.

A police report stated that at about 9.45 am yesterday, officers of the La Brea CID were on patrol in Vance River when they observed two men acting suspiciously at the side of the road while stuffing a crocus bag. They were approached and when questioned, told police officers they were yam diggers and they were packing yams in the bag. Upon checking however, police found several blocks of compressed marijuana in the bag. Supt James, Insp Neemai and Sgt Thompson along with officers of the South Western Division Task Force and Guapo CID assisted in the operation.

Sinanan said, “We have appointed a new board. The entire board had resigned. They were not fired. There is no crisis.” He indicated that a new board, headed by former permanent secretary in the Finance Ministry Allyson Lewis, has been appointed and are awaiting receipt of their instruments of appointment.

The minister added that Adrian Beharry is the new deputy chairman. Sinanan said there was “no incident or issue of anything untoward” which caused former chairman Christine Sahadeo to resign from her post and other board members to also resign.

Al-Rawi said the resignation of the other board members was appropriate, “lest there could have been perceived to have been something by way off stand-off.” Sinanan agreed with Al-Rawi that there was no issue of dissent between board members. He expressed sadness to lose someone of Sahadeo’s calibre. Reiterating this development is not uncommon, Al-Rawi reminded reporters how the resignation of a member of the Integrity Commission caused others to “trump and follow suit.” The AG thanked Sahadeo and other former board members for their service. He said it was possible some of them may take up service elsewhere. Underscoring that no emergency Cabinet meeting happened on Monday, Al-Rawi explained that because the Cabinet’s Finance and General Purposes (FGP) Committee meets on Monday, “it is very convenient to have a Cabinet meeting following FGP so we cut through the pace of work a lot faster.” Al-Rawi reminded reporters most of FGP members are Cabinet ministers and, “therefore to accelerate the work of the Cabinet, it was just fortuitous to just to do it at that point.” He added that sometimes government members are in the House of Representatives and Senate “about three times a week.” He also said the incumbent People’s National Movement (PNM) administration is “different from a UNC (United National Congress) government. “What prevailed for the last five years does not necessarily prevail now,” Al-Rawi said.

Total assets for the first quarter were $23.6 billion, growth of $1.4 billion or six percent over the comparable period last year.

Earning’s per share increased to 96.6 cents from 89.1 cents in the comparable period the previous year, while dividends per share at 50 cents represented an increase from 40 cents in the quarter ended January 31, 2016.

Return on Equity rose from 17.12 percent in the quarter ended January 31, 2016 to 17.79 percent in the quarter ended January 31, 2017 while Return on Assets rose from 2.81 percent in the three months ended January 31, 2016 to 2.88 percent in the Quarter ended January 31, 2017.

In a statement, the bank’s Managing Director, Anya Schnoor said Scotiabank had started the year with a strong performance and this was “very commendable” in light of the challenging economic times “and highly competitive market in which we operate.” She said total loans grew by $467 million or three percent year over year with deposits increasing by $942 million or six percent over the same period.

The first quarter results were released at the bank’s annual shareholder’s meeting at which the bank reported on its results for the 2016 financial year ended October 31, 2016.

Total assets for last year were listed at $23.2 billion, up from $22.1 billion in 2015; deposits were $17.5 billion, up from $16.8 billion and net loans to customers rose to $13.2 billion from $13 billion in 2015.

Speaking at the launch yesterday at the Radisson Hotel, Portof- Spain, NGC Pres- ident Mark Loquan said the new edition of the energy map is a “must have” item for the energy sector, and they were proud to display it on their walls .

“It is more than just a printed version of what exists. It represents our history, it represents what we are as an industry considered to be quite a key component of the Trinidad economy.” Loquan continued, “This print edition not only has local appeal in fact it has been globally distributed and therefore extending the reach in the international arena which position us quite well as a country in the realm of the industry.” He said the map provides comprehensive statistical information on the local Petroleum Sector, the locations of TT oil and natural gas fields, associated pipelines and offshore facilities, key ports, as well as the territorial waters, and the earmarked deep-water horizon for exploration and development .

He said the launch fits quite well with their mission of NGC where they would like to establish value for TT across the energy chain not only in TT but outside the country .

He said the map has also been distributed to several ministries including the Ministry of Energy and Industries, the Ministry of Finance, the business community, libraries, as well as tertiary level institutions. Also, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries Selwyn Lashley said the product is something the ministry was closely associated with since its conception, and it forms an important piece of documenting not only the currant state of the industry, but some of the history over the years .

“It is a product not only places us on the map globally, but in the national sense it also paints a very accurate picture in terms of where we are in any point in time.” Lashley said he had discussion with officials from the school system and they are looking forward to having the map available to have it on display in their libraries and classrooms .

In attendance were External Manager for Shell TT, Candice Clarke Salloum, President of BHP Billiton (TT) Vincent Pereira and Petrotrin President Fitzroy Harewood .