Yesterday Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon said a review is now taking place at the SSA after it was discovered that a lot of employees were operating without any legitimate contracts and therefore cannot benefit from any remuneration packages they claim they are entitled to.

He said the audit is internal and it is being carried out by persons within the SSA and that at the end of the exercise it will determine what happens in terms of continued employment.

He added that under SAUTT there were employees who were operating without any contracts which he believes is questionable and, although some of those employees were transferred to the SSA, a clean-up exercise is now taking place and those who did not have any contracts will be assessed and a decision taken on their future.

However, despite the claims made by Dillon, several SSA employees say they were promised a back pay when they were moved across to the SSA.

They say all the documents were in place for the payment to be made but this decision was rescinded and now some former army officers have begun a restructuring process.

Some employees told Newsday that they believe favouritism is now taking place within the unit and only those who are favoured will be kept on.

Employees added that they are now being forced to seek legal redress to have their matters decided because they gave several years of service to the SAUTT, the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA) and now the SSA and they feel they should be rewarded for those years of service.

Some employees claim that they moved to the SAUTT after they were promised exceptionally good benefits, and when they were transferred to the SSA the promises continued and now they are being told that a restructuring is taking place and they may not receive any benefits at all.

They are also uncertain about their jobs because last year all SSA employees were allegedly forced to sign resignation letters on the instruction of a top SSA official.

Newsday was told that some of the disgruntled employees joined a trade union to have their complaints addressed and, after receiving the letter from the union certifying their membership, they were placed in an office at the SSA where they were not provided with any computers or instructions regarding their duties, and when their contracts came to an end those contracts were not renewed.

Some employees have taken their matters to the Industrial Court. Others who became fearful and did not join a union say they believe that their jobs are also in limbo.

Efforts to reach head of the SSA Colonel George Robinson on the matter proved futile

He made the comment during a meeting with the Director and Corporate Executive Officer and Vice President of Fujitsu Limited, Duncan Tait, who met Cuffie on Wednesday at the ministry’s office to share their views on this country’s ICT initiatives and Fujitsu’s role in supporting its stakeholders.

Tait is also the Head of the Europe, Middle East, India, Africa and Americas Regions and his visit is the first to the region by a senior executive of Fujitsu’s global operations.

Tait was accompanied by Head of Fujitsu Caribbean, Mervyn Eyre; Head of Managed Infrastructure Services, Jean-Paul Dookie and Vice President of Sales for the Southern Caribbean, Stephen Juteram.

He said the Corporation will clean up the Central Market and once this is done and customers start to patronise the market, then the vendors on Charlotte Street might move to the Central Market.

“You have to offer them the opportunity and you have to encourage them to do it and you have to incentivise it. That, to me, is the approach that I would like to take,” he said “I don’t want to force anybody to do anything.” He said the situation on Charlotte Street now was chaotic and the people who use the street complain about it although the vendors themselves might not agree.

“But if you have a city and it’s not clean or there is no regulation taking place and something is in chaos, then the leaders of the city must deal with it.” He said they will consult with the stakeholders in an orderly, humane and professional manner.

The Mayor said some Charlotte Street vendors are conducting their sales in an orderly manner but there were others who are causing chaos. He said when the programme was established several years ago there were not many complaints but the problems developed after the authorities stopped regulating it. He said that meant that it was a management problem or it may also be that the original vendors are no longer there and the current ones are not sticking to the rules.

He said the City Corporation will first try to bring Charlotte Street back to what it was, enforcing the hours during which vending was originally allowed, insisting on registration of the vendors and that they maintain the stands at the agreed sizes and locations.

He said he wanted to see if better management was viable but if it was not or if people did not want to stick to the rules and regulations, “then we will have to make some alternative decisions on it.” He said the Central Market had been in existence for a number of years and there are vendors selling there who pay their dues and people visit the market.

“If the market wasn’t viable, they wouldn’t be there,” he said, adding that it was not reasonable for the vendors currently selling on Charlotte Street to say that they will lose business by going into the Central Market.

“If the market is a place where vegetables are at a reasonable price and they are nice and fresh, I would end up in the market.” He acknowledged that there were problems at the Central Market, admitting that because of its location over the years people do not feel safe about going there and there was the additional concern about increased crime.

However, he said he had not heard of any crime taking place in the market for months so it could not be said that the market was dangerous.

He said the complaints at the Central Market were about the conditions.

“When I look I see garbage strewn all over the market which means that it’s not properly cleaned – you don’t have enough garbage bins. The toilets need to be repaired and there are people vending outside the market who need to go inside the market.

“You can’t put fruit and vegetables for people to eat on the floor – we have to stop that. We have to regulate it. Now once we start regulating things and people start to attend the market, the vending on Charlotte Street will maybe move to the market.”

And, in a pleasant surprise, his opponent who was decked out in a suit and tie with a blond wig, was his close friend and legendary cricketer Lara, who was portraying the President of the United States Donald Trump.

Yorke, using red gloves, was confronted in the ring by a fleet-footed Lara, who wore black gloves, and Yorke was made to fend for himself during the 30-second ‘bout’ as Lara threw a few blows at the upper body of the former Aston Villa and Manchester United star.

Much has been made about the friendship between Yorke, Lara and the “Little Magician”, ex-national skipper and midfield ace Russell Latapy, who was dressed as an immigration officer and served as the referee for the ‘fight’.

Speaking at the opening of the competition, President of the National Chutney Foundation Vijay Ramlal Rai encouraged the students not to follow the adult version of the competition.

“We are training the children in order to develop original lyrical content, proper competition, and original melodies,” Ramlal Rai said.

He said the focus of the competition is promoting “clean” music and this year the compositions were of a high quality.

The majority of the contestants used the forum to highlight the upsurge in crime which has spread across TT, and to encouraged citizens to love their country.

Even though the audience was a bit disappointed with the results, in the secondary category renditions were well-received by those in the audience.

In the primary category, students performed with stamina and strong messages in their renditions.

For her win, with 248 points and an impeccable performance, Christina Chattergoon of Couva West Secondary, sang “A little girls dream.” In Chattergoon’s song, she called for those in authority to stop child marriages in Trinidad and Tobago.

She slowed down the tempo and engaged the audience to sing along with her, chanting, “We doh want to marry, so leave me alone and let me stay in school.” Chattergoon sang about the possibilities that was ahead of her, and pleaded for her to have a chance to choose for the betterment of her future.

Speaking to reporters after learning about her win, Chattergoon said she felt very excited and thanked her family, friends and teacher for their support.

“ Winning this competition means a lot to me. I put it out to the best of my ability. I really wanted to come first and it really happened. I want to thank my parents, my friends and my teacher Miss Richards for the very hard support she gave to us.” She continued, “I wrote my own song and came up with the melody. This is my second time in the competition.

I placed fifth last year. I will try back next year. I just want to thank everybody who said I would have made it, and I am excited.” Chattergoon said she decided to sing about the issue because it was a “hot topic” in society.

The association spoke on the issue during a FATCA media conference held yesterday at Scotiabank Centre, Portof- Spain. “(Today) is D-day. (Today) we’ll better understand on both sides of the aisle — are they going to put Trinidad and Tobago first?” asked BATT President Anya Schnoor.

She also commented on Parliamentary debate on the legislation on February 13. “Unfortunately what I heard was a total misrepresentation of what this bill is trying to achieve, yet again we are forced to come here to debunk, what I guess we can now all refer to as, the fake news about FATCA.” She noted there was a lengthy discussion on whether the private and confidential information of local citizens would be infringed upon and also questions about the integrity of the entire banking sector.

“Let me be very clear here. The only information that will be reported to the BIR (Board of Inland Revenue) is the account information of US persons only.” She added: “To suggest otherwise is simply ‘fake news’.” Asked about Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar writing Trump about the possible repeal of FATCA, Schnoor pointed out that it was passed in 2010 by the US Congress as a part of wide ranging legislation.

So it’s law in the US.

There is no possibility that the President of the US can write an executive order because executive orders cannot overturn the laws of any country including the US. So we are not aware of any initiative in the US to overturn FATCA. And even if there was an initiative the point is FATCA is law today and therefore we have to comply with FATCA today.” Schnoor said the time has come for us to put aside our political differences and do what is in the best interests of Trinidad and Tobago.

Bankers Association Vice President Nigel Baptiste stressed that with or without the passage of the bill, the information on all individuals with US marks, who are clients of the local banking sector, will be submitted to the Internal Revenue Service in the US.

“If the TIEA is not passed, then each of the local banks, who have already signed bilateral agreements with the US will begin to supply that information from September onwards,” he explained.

He further explained that the banks will have to get the consent of the affected individuals and those who do not consent will be de-marketed by their respective commercial bank and unable to do business. He said the passage of the bill makes it administratively easier for all involved and reduces the risk of individuals being de-banked.

“What this means is that any individual who was supporting the non-passage of the bill because of concerns re their privacy are doing so in vain.”

Lucas died at the scene while Maloney was rushed to Sangre Grande Hospital where he remains warded in serious but stable condition .

Lucas was shot in the chest while Maloney was shot in his left leg and knee. According to reports at 11.20 pm, the men were at the house in Valencia when two gunmen entered and opened fire on them before fleeing .

Officers of the Eastern Division led by ASP Robain and including WPC Sergeant Lopez along with officers of the Homicide Investigations Bureau and Crime Scene Investigations visited the scene along with a district medical officer .

Lucas’ body was removed to the Forensic Science Centre while Maloney was taken to hospital .

The murder toll stands at 78 for the year, up to press time .

For this month so far, 21 persons have been murdered .

There were 57 murders in January .

Not sati sfi ed with that, Ramroop, who sti ll maintains ti es to his homeland and even has a house in his old neighbourhood, Maingot Road in Tunapuna, where he stays when he visits Trinidad, wants to promote this country as a centre of excellence in the fi eld of fashion.

Ramroop said that last July he sent a “prett y comprehensive” proposal to FashionTT through the Ministry of Trade and Industry to develop the fashion industry in Trinidad and Tobago. Although, he said, he has not yet received a response to his proposal, he is pursuing his dream on his own and designers from throughout the Caribbean will be showing their designs in Tobago in November.

He said the press from all over the world has been invited to come and see what the Caribbean has to off er. “If government wouldn’t support it, I will do it with my own money,” he said. He in Trinidad and Tobago but said people need guidance. “One of the points I made when I went to the London College of Fashion, (is that) an important component of the course that I did was Business Studies. So, you can learn a skill but you have got to be able to market that skill and develop that skill and by understanding basic principles of business that is going to help you to benefi t.” He conti nued, “…don’t wait for a mentor, that mentor is you. That mentor is between your ears, it is what do we want for ourselves and how do we want to develop ourselves. You’ve got to ask yourself the right questi ons: who am I? What am I here for? What do I intend to do with my life?” Looking back over his own life, Ramroop said even someone who failed the Common Entrance Examinati on, as he did, and did not go to secondary school or to university, sti ll has opti ons. “We are all responsible for everything we do, whether we want to stay in educati on, whether we want to go on to colleges and universiti es responsible. But you see, the nonacademic area that I came from is what I am very, very interested in because I believe we all have a part to play in our society.” He was making those points to hundreds of students at Scoti aInsights, a moti vati onal programme of Scoti abank, last Monday at The Teaching and Learning Complex at the University of the West Indies, St Augusti ne.

“And it’s so important that we appreciate everyone in whatever fi eld they are in. If they are not educated, it doesn’t mean to say that they are foolish. They’ve got intelligence, they have just got ability. So, if they can look at someone else’s work, they can develop and learn that way, it doesn’t have to be a writt en exam. A lot of us are very practi cal people and being practi cal persons maybe we can develop ourselves that way.” He said local entrepreneurs should not be discouraged because the country might be in recession, as this does not mean that their businesses are in recession. Indeed, Ramroop said that the current economic conditi ons might present a huge opportunity for expansion if business owners look for markets abroad. Using his own company, Maurice Sedwell, on London’s famous Savile Row as an example, he said he bought the company in 1988 but in the early 1990s the United Kingdom went into a deep recession, almost a depression, and that is when he expanded his business by looking for customers and markets abroad. He said at that ti me the company was only exporti ng one or two percent but now it exports 70% of the suits it makes to personal customers in 60 countries.

He made the point that his suits are luxury items, high quality bespoke suits costi ng ?6,000 each (about TT$60,000). He said, “They are expensive but they are aff ordable for people who can aff ord it.” Ramroop migrated to the United Kingdom at the age of 17 to pursue his dream of becoming a master tailor. At the Scoti abank Insights event, he detailed the many problems he encountered getti ng started in the trade both as a young man in Trinidad and Tobago and as a black person in London, telling the students, some from Servol’s Beetham Life Centre, that they should never give up their dreams despite whatever problems they might encounter. He told his youthful audience that if they have the confi dence, the passion and the will to succeed they should think of themselves as a business.

He said all the people who had turned him down before were preparing him for his future.

“Anyone who says ‘no’ to you is driving you on,” he said.

discussed the idea during a conversati on with the Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley and intended to raise it when he met later in the week with President Anthony Carmona.

Ramroop is convinced that the spirit of entrepreneurship exists we are responsible for that. No one can make us responsible, we are responsible. We need guidance and support, we need encouragement but we are

In reference to the Attorney General’s (AG) remarks at the conference hosted by the Association of Real Estate Agents the previous day, that political commentator gave me the impression that what the AG said amounted to an attempt to subvert our democracy, the Constitution and the rule of law. His view was echoed by UNC spokesmen later that day.

In a story in another newspaper on February 15, Camille Hunte reported that the AG, in commenting on the legislation he intends to bring to Parliament, stated that “90 percent of them have been fashioned so that we don’t need to call upon the Opposition for a three-fifths majority…” However, Hunte also reported that the AG added that the move would not be infringing on any rights.

The AG explained that he was adopting that approach in order to advance the work of the Government, given that since the PNM replaced the UNC in Government, the UNC has been very uncooperative in supporting any legislation which requires a special majority in Parliament, in a concerted attempt to frustrate the work of the Government for political reasons.

The AG never indicated he was going to abolish the existing requirement for certain types of legislation which affects people’s fundamental rights to be passed with a special majority. The AG also did not say that no legislation requiring a special majority will be brought to Parliament. He referred to “90 percent of them.” The AG’s remarks were pellucidly clear and unambiguous.

I dare say that the very negative interpretation given to such innocuous remarks must be seen as contemptuous, very unfortunate and clearly designed to bring the Government, in general, and the AG, in particular, into odium and disrepute.

Louis Winston Williams St Augustine

On Tuesday evening at a police town meeting at the Spree Simon Centre, a female Laventillian warned Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams that justice must be served in Small Buck’s death or else, “we will give justice for our own self and allyuh don’t want that!” “We love the war…(but) we could calm it down and we could start it up,” declared the angry woman identified only as Dixie-Ann. “We want justice for Mickel. Give us justice otherwise we will give justice for our own self and allyuh don’t want that,” she warned. Her statement came during an emotional and at times combative three-hour long meeting between residents, Ag Commissioner Williams and other top brass in the Police Service.

On Saturday last, Small Buck was shot dead in what police claimed was a shootout. Incensed residents blocked the Eastern Main Road at the John John traffic lights with burning debris, causing a traffic jam that lasted for several hours.

The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) is conducting its own investigation into the incident.

Atiba Sergeant, who identified himself as the Imam of a mosque in the area, said residents want accountability for Lancaster’s death.

After Ag Commissioner Williams’ promise of a timely and professional investigation, Sergeant said if this investigation takes too long, residents will take action again to get the attention of the authorities.

The meeting was hosted by Laventille West Member of Parliament Fitzgerald Hinds. Williams promised to remove the officers named as being involved in Lancaster’s killing from the community, during the course of the investigation, but resisted calls from residents to have the officers immediately suspended from duty or jailed.

Williams said due process must be followed.

Told at the meeting that despite claims of an investigation being launched, no police investigator had visited the house in which Lancaster was killed. Williams promised that a team of investigators would be there by 10 am yesterday.

Lancaster’s father Victor, said his son was never locked up and had no cases pending. He could not understand why the police shot him and why in the head.

He said the voice of the people is the voice of God and appealed for justice for his son. Similar appeals came from Lancaster’s sister and other relatives, including a woman who said she was his cousin and who told Ag Commissioner Williams that the youth’s father had signed for his clothing (to be returned) but so far had not received it from police.

She wondered why the authorities were holding on to the clothes Lancaster was wearing at the time he was shot. Other residents said that after the shooting police officers returned to the scene to collect bullet casings. The residents asked if the police had nothing to hide, why was it so important to collect these spent shells?