Pantin describes this show — the third in this particular series — as an observation of our people as they prepare for Carnival, along with snippets of the usual dayto- day, natural vibe that is TT . Coconut vendors, flora, beach scenes, fishing boats and the ever present pan (and players) are her chosen subjects, along with her treatments of landmarks such as the Queen’s Royal College and Stollmeyer’s Castle. Those familiar with her use of multiple media (pencils, watercolours, acrylics, pen and ink and her Japanese brush pen) will note that she does not disappoint when it comes to her applications of colour, lines and tones, and her works range in size from four inches to six-feet long.

Pan Rhythms & People III will run until March 4, Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.

For more info:exhibitions@ artsocietytt.org

Speaking about his 2017 composition Red White and Black, arranger Len “Boogsie” Sharpe introduced the arranger, the writer, the engineer and the vocalist.

This was a formidable team in Godwin Bowen, Chris Morris, Joe Brown and Damien Alexander respectively.

Vocalist Alexander, who is a musician said it was his first time at singing a song but it came easy because of the team behind the composition.

Skerritt told the audience every year Phase II had several challenges when it came to Boogsie’s music.

“First we struggle over who will sing the song. Should we take a popular artiste or should we go the other way and find someone who we can groom.

Over the years we have tried using unknown artistes.” According to Skerritt, “The second challenge is to get airplay, I understand there are 1,500 new songs for Carnival 2017.

Right there is a challenge to get the song on the airwaves.

It is too much in one little Carnival space and the popular artistes get the nod.

It has nothing to do with the quality of the music, soca music first then some of the good Savannah songs. Very few of the pan selections are played.

“That is why we try to get away from the pan song label and use topics not related to pan but effective to the Carnival. This is what has been happening to Boogsie’s music over the years.

“When we did Archbishop of Pan (GB) we wanted it to be a legacy for our cultural hero Dr Pat Bishop for her contribution to the culture of Trinidad and Tobago but that too ended up in the dustbin after the Carnival.

“So all I asking is to give we ah play.” Alexander then sang the song for members of the media. He said he was really the second choice as Morris was already singing his song. After performing the song at the National Panorama Large Bands semi-final last Sunday at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Phase II placed sixth with 272.5 points, tying with T&TEC Tropical Angel Harps.

An improvement in energy prices alone will not solve the country’s problems. There has to be a committed effort from all of us to bring back this place we so love. We are faced with a serious cultural problem and fixing that will take generations of a high level of productivity and nationalism.

Blaming the last political directorate will not help the situation.

The People’s National Movement has been given the reins of power and it needs to take the bull by the horns and execute serious austerity measures and strong laws to shake up this feteing and wining society.

According to the late former Prime Minister, “The fete is over, back to work.” There are people who will not be happy but the truth always hurts. The Government must stop pussyfooting and do the job of fixing the engine room.

As soon as possible, the Government must stop all these handouts for the pan, soca and chutney competitions, for emancipation and Divali celebrations, and for other groups that don’t give value for money. I know there are people who would be annoyed with me, but it is taxpayers’ money being spent. As far as I am concerned, that areas of health, transport and to some extent education must be controlled by the Government.

We are afraid of privatisation and diversification because of the fear of the unknown, but if you don’t jump into the unknown you will never achieve your true potential.

The most successful people in the world are those who eliminate fear from their agenda.

This is our last chance to get it right. Cut out the games in the Parliament from both sides of the floor.

The country and its people come first. Stop the political parade and get down to serious governance. I rest my case. Who don’t like it …

well, that’s just my position.

EARL MARTIN Trincity

While homicide in TT has been increasing over the years, it has actually been decreasing in the US. More specifically, it dropped by almost 33 percent since 1990 in the US. For TT , the opposite took place from 1990 — it increased by over 300 percent.

In both TT and the US, homicides related to crimes of passion, as expected, were easier to solve while those related to gangs and organised crime were more difficult to solve as witnesses are scared to come forward. This is a massive problem in TT .

However, there is a more comprehensive witness programme in the US.

In that country, there are stark differences in the homicide clearance rate from state to state.

Some states have high rates, between 75 percent and 90 percent, while others have less than 30 percent. In TT , there are some differences between police divisions but none are as high as 75 percent though.

Research unveiled that in those areas where the homicide clearance rates were high — a good trend — it was not a costly exercise to get the job done. In fact, and importantly, there were two critical success factors that TT should seriously take note of: (1) trusting relationships with the locals and (2) good team work.

In TT , there is a growing problem with the level of trust and confidence by the population with members of the Police Service.

Urgent efforts are needed to rebuild what was there many years ago. With regard to teamwork, we are not too sure as to its extent in the Police Service.

Possibly, if it was strong, results would be better.

Interestingly, research found that the most costly part of solving homicides in the US was the payment for overtime work for investigators in the first 48 to 72 hours following the report of a homicide. This is the most critical time in solving such cases.

Are homicide investigators compensated similarly in TT ? Are they motivated to do all that they can in this three-day period? One of our closest neighbours, the US has been solving its murders and we can learn some important lessons without reinventing the wheel. While our legal and policing systems are different, there are certain common features that can work for us.

The time is ripe for the Police Service to do the necessary to rebuild the trust with citizens.

This will not occur overnight but it will bear fruit eventually. And then, the police are to ensure that effective teamwork is there to solve crimes in that critical two to four-day period where it matters the most. In other words, when all hands are on deck — community and Police Service — we will solve those murders which are almost two a day in 2017 thus far.

Ian Ramdhanie via email

As such, people driving without a valid driver’s permit will now have to pay an increased fine of $1,500.

If a law-abiding citizen, who has no previous record/offence, mistakenly forgot his/her wallet with their driver’s permit at home on a Sunday morning on the way to purchase a newspaper, must they be subjected to that hefty fine? Secondly, recently the regulations regarding towing have been changed so that no person can tow any vehicle on any street without the use of a wrecker. Should towing by wrecker not be mandatory on main roads and highways? If a person breaks down on a side street two streets away from his home in Brasso Seco, Barrackpore, Balmain or Blanchisseuse, should they be forced to hire a $1,500 wrecker to tow them two blocks? Why are our parliamentarians tormenting the general public with petty laws when uncaring parliamentarians are parading in office? Have they become so alienated from the people that they pass laws without necessary consultations.

Are they working by guess or vikey vie?

Gary Aboud via email

The reform of perpetrators/ criminals is a more delicate situation and requires a more intense investigation that would take time to bear fruit.

It was in that context that he raised the issue of the personal responsibility of women when choosing a romantic partner — a low-hanging fruit that can have an immediate impact, and result in lives being saved and serious injury being avoided, if the advice is heeded.

He was seeking to remove women from harm’s way and offered a solution, a preventative measure (something they can do to protect themselves) over which women have some control. I am sure that is what he meant when he said he cannot determine their choice of romantic partners (“I am not in your bedroom”), and that they should choose more wisely. He, however, acknowledged, among other things, the need to review the law and practice with regard to protection orders, the need to improve the effectiveness of the Police Service in dealing with domestic violence issues, and the need for the Government to provide other assistance in order to minimise its incidence.

I do recall him saying the Government can help.

His response to the question asked can hardly, in such a setting and given the context, be intended to be a comprehensive statement of Government policy on the issue of domestic violence. Where is the victim blaming/shaming? Some commentators have sought to highlight the most unfavourable interpretation of the Prime Minister’s statement for reasons best known to themselves. There appears, however, to be tremendous support for the Prime Minister’s statement from those “on the ground.” The Prime Minister’s statement was in the nature of a plea to women and he spoke in a manner that was graphic and readily understood by the man in the street and, in particular, those living in low-income communities such as Maloney, Laventille/Morvant and Enterprise.

Numerous stories have been carried in the media of friends/relations counselling would-be victims to exercise caution, only to be ignored.

Some victims have themselves admitted they ignored the wise counsel of their friends/ relations and warned other women not to do so. That may be one of the reasons why the Prime Minister received such loud applause when he made his statement. He, as head of Government, was reinforcing a message many friends/relations were themselves giving to their womenfolk.

Following the meeting, the Office of the Prime Minister issued a statement on some of the other initiatives — tactics, strategies etc being pursued in combating domestic violence.

The current heightened interest and national debate on the issue of domestic violence provides a welcome opportunity for the Government to establish a multi-disciplinary advisory board to examine, keep under review and make recommendations on combating domestic violence; detailing the history, causes, objectives, strategies, tactics, timeframes etc.

To assist in this effort, there should be a public consultation on the issue of domestic violence whereby, among other things, special interests groups and the wider community would be invited to submit memoranda.

As mature citizens, we have a patriotic duty to rise above political and other petty differences as the national interests demand that we all work together in an effort to minimise, if not eradicate, the evil of domestic violence. Our children will take our lead.

Louis Winston Williams St Augustine

In the ongoing phone wars between these entities, consumers are being bombarded by unwanted and unsolicited phone calls which amount to nothing more than nuisance calls. I and other bmobile customers have recently been receiving calls offering service from another provider. I want this provider to know I bought a mobile phone for my convenience.

Not to be interrupted unnecessarily by recorded messages from you or anybody else.

Please desist.

S Henderson via email

Speaking at the February 7 launch, Managing director of Republic Bank (Suriname) NV Gloria Anthony spoke about the organisation’s dedication to building a successful society within Suriname even though it is still a new player in the market.

“For little more than a year, we have been proud to call Suriname our home. While we have built up a significant history of accomplishment, and especially teamwork, the fact remains that we are still new here.

We are new, but most importantly, we have been welcomed and we are grateful. So it is a great privilege for me, representing Republic Bank, to share our greatest hopes as we work together.”

A statement from the CARICOM Secretariat said these technical working groups are made up of six key regional experts and one internationally renowned expert who have all volunteered their expertise for the advancement of the region’s Human Resource Development.

The work of the five groups will cover early childhood education, teaching innovations and educational leadership, open and distance learning and the use of Information and Communication Technology in education, external quality assurance/ accreditation and qualifications systems and tertiary education.

The technical working groups will be seeking to carry out a mandate given by the Conference of Heads of Government to develop a Human Resource Development 2030 Strategy which will provide broad direction for developing key transformational initiatives in education and training in the region.

The policies and standards formulated by these technical working groups will to a large extent, focus on ensuring that citizens of the region acquire 21st Century competencies and key skills for the building of resilient economies and societies.

The Groups are led by Chairpersons who are proven regional educational leaders in the areas of emphasis: Professor Compton Bourne (Tertiary Education), Professor Hazel Simmons-Mc- Donald (Open and Distance Learning and ICTs in Education), Dr Ruby Alleyne (External Quality Assurance and Qualifications Systems), Dr Marcia Stewart, (Teaching Innovations and Educational Leadership) and Dr Carol Logie (Early Childhood Education and Development).

Programme Manager- Human Resource Development of the CARICOM Secretariat, Dr. Eduardo Ali, indicated that the policies and standards produced by these groups will go a long way in helping the region achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4- Quality Education because they will be internationally benchmarked in order to regulate the provision of equitable access to quality education and lifelong learning.

Headed by Cpl Nichols Davis of the South Highway Patrol Operations Unit, six people were arrested in Central Trinidad during a police exercise on Friday and Saturday nights.

The 11 who were arrested along the SS Erin Road and in San Fernando on Friday and Saturday nights, appeared before Magistrate Natalie Diop in the San Fernando Magistrates’ court.

Among them was a 71-year-old father and his 46-year-old son, both charged with driving under the influence of alcohol. The elderly Zainool Manoo pleaded guilty having been stopped along the SS Erin Road, Debe on Saturday night. It was revealed that a breathalyser test showed that the level of alcohol in his breath was 66 micrograms.

Manoo told the magistrate that he was celebrating his birthday and had some drinks. The magistrate fined him $1,700. After the magistrate dealt with the father, who pleaded for leniency on the grounds that he was a pensioner, three other accused appeared before her and she imposed fines on all for drunk driving charges. Later, Manoo’s son Fareed stood before Magistrate Diop and pleaded guilty to exceeding the legal limit while driving along the SS Erin Road.

The prosecutor said that when tested, Fareed’s breath gave a reading of 100 micrograms of alcohol.

Magistrate Diop fined him $7,500 or in default 15 months in jail. In the Chaguanas Magistrates’ court, six DUI charges were postponed to February 22 for facts and sentencing after six motorist pleaded guilty.

The police exercises in south and Central Trinidad included PCs Shiraz Ali, Wayne Ali, Bridgemohan, Mohammed, Paul and Mahadeo.