Yachting pioneer and recipient of the Trinity Cross (Gold) Harold La Borde has died in Grenada. 

In a brief interview yesterday, his son Pierre, who flew back to Grenada for his autopsy today, said his father is suspected to have accidentally slipped and fallen at the marina, hitting his head while vacationing on the island. 

Pierre said they sailed up to Grenada in May and were going to sail back to Trinidad next week as part of a family ritual to spend time with friends there.

“It was like a second home and he was in good health. It was an accident and pending an autopsy...so it is tentative at this time. We believe he slipped and fell going down to the docks and hit his head and was unconscious,” he said. 

Pierre described his father as “an inspiration” to his fellow citizens and to foreigners who visited T&T.

“He was a great sailor and a great hero for T&T and he fulfilled his dream sailing around the world and he fulfilled what he set out to do.”

La Borde, who would have turned 83 on Saturday, wrote three books about his world travels, including aboard the Humming Bird II which was used in his first around the world voyage and is still at the museum in downtown Port-of-Spain. 

In a release sent yesterday, his niece, Marcia, said it was with a heavy heart and a profound sense of loss that his family shared his passing with T&T.

“Borne by the winds that filled the sails of successive boats named Humming Bird, the La Borde family circumnavigated the globe twice, making lifelong friends and literally flying our national flag around the world,” she said. 

The release added that La Borde was in the process of beginning preparation for an in-depth documentary of his life.

La Borde leaves to mourn his wife, Kwailan La Borde, sons Pierre and Andre La Borde, three grandchildren, his brothers Rudy and Hugh.

Marcia said funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date. 

A month after teachers at the New Grant Anglican School stopped attending classes because of health and safety concerns, members of the school’s Parent Teacher’s Association held a massive protest outside the school yesterday. 

The protest included pupils in uniform and Princes Town MP Barry Padarath who said he had joined in solidarity with the parents.

The school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) president Clive Barnett said the current school building was some 70 years old. 

“We have to address the fact that the building is a wooden building over 70 years old, a lot of the masonry done on the building is what they call San Fernando gravel, so it’s not very strong,” Barnett said. “There is plaster falling off of columns right now, there are main beams separating.

“The ministry did send somebody in 2014 and they did some repairs but the problems are popping up again and they are getting worse. It is also termite-ridden.”

Barnett said last month, teachers walked off the compound as Occupational Health and Safety officials deemed the building unsafe.

“OSH officials came in and did a visual analysis about three weeks ago and recommended an engineer come and do an analysis of the building. The teachers have not come out to classes since May 10.”

He said with national tests for the 196 students starting next Tuesday, parents are frustrated and worried.

“This is a show of the frustration of the parents. Since May 10 we have been trying to get to the Ministry through the principal to get solutions, short term and long term. We need these children to go back to school yesterday, this situation has been existing for quite awhile.

“It is not an overnight problem and the principal has been presenting it to the ministry and to the board to get it rectified and nothing is being done. It has come to this now.” Padarath also spoke, calling on Junior Minister in the Ministry of Education, Dr Lovell Francis, to show sympathy towards his constituents who also go to the school.

“About 50 per cent of the school population is from the Moruga/Tableland constituency,” Padarath said. “I am calling on the minister to show some compassion for his own constituents and rectify the problems facing this school. These children need their education.”

Less than eight hours after a group of Santa Flora residents, calling themselves People for Progress, took possession of a PNM constituency office in Santa Flora yesterday, their MP Nicole Olivierre visited them and tried to pacifiy the situation.

Around 4 pm yesterday, Olivierre, also Energy Minister, visited the group, led by chairman Victor Roberts, who had set up a tent, plastic chairs and moved onto the property yesterday with their pots and ‘firecracker’ stoves yesterday morning. The group had made a public call to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to ‘disclipline’ Olivierre as they said she was not behaving properly. 

In an interview with the T&T Guardian in the morning period, Roberts said the action had become necessary as the community has not been getting representation from Olivierre. “It has become necessary to resort to this type of action. We wrote to the Minister (of Energy) and MP since January 6, 2016, seeking an urgent meeting with her concerning the problems facing the community such as the unemployment, the road conditions, the drainage and other problems we have in the community,” Roberts said. 

“We received a call Friday gone from the MP’s office requesting a meeting for Saturday which we considered to be very much disrespectful and as a result of that the committee has met in emergency session and we have taken a decision that we are going to wait at this constituency office until we get somebody to address the concerns that we are having.”

However, Roberts said Olivierre’s disrespect to the community warrants Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s intervention.

“We are not sure that Ms Olivierre is the person to speak with at this time, based on the disrespect she has shown to us. So we are calling on the Honourable Prime Minister to appoint someone. We know the PM has some problems with his security detail and he may not be able come South because of that.

“But other than that, he is quite competent and capable to appoint someone to hear what are our problems.”

He said the group will remain firm in its stance but said they were not there to embarrass Olivierre. 

“Mind you, we want to keep it peaceful and all we want to work for is a common good in the community and the constituency, we are not here to make the minister look bad. But if she behaved in a manner that she needs to be disciplined, then so be it.

“But we intend to work with all stakeholders to ensure that the community and constituency of La Brea, which has been neglected over all the years, some sort of relief come to the people in this community. That is our position.”

Olivierre’s office manager, Gillian Jeremiah, and her advisor, Junior Thompson, visited the office and spoke to the group, but Roberts dismissed the conversation as a casual one, saying neither party has the authority to address any issue facing the community. 

Roberts said if the group gets no response to their action, they intend to set up camp outside the MP’s sub- office in Rancho Quemado and then at the constituency office in La Brea next. 

“You need to remember, in every struggle and every war, there are strategies and techniques and we have some. So probably, the strategy might be that from here we occupy the tent in Rancho Quemado and from there we put a next tent at the constituency office in La Brea proper.”

​Olivierre responds

Contacted yesterday before her meeting with the protestors, La Brea MP Nicole Olivierre said she was on her way to visit with the protestors.

She said she did not understand why Roberts was saying she was unavailable as she lives less than a mile away from the office where Roberts set up camp. 

“I live one mile from where he (Roberts) has put up his tent, so I don’t understand why he says I am so unreachable,” Olivierre said. “If he thought it was necessary to go to these lengths to get attention, he is going to get the attention.”

She said Roberts refused to attend a meeting that was set up by her office last Saturday.

“We scheduled him and he chose not to make the meeting, it wasn’t as if we told him to come out and then we cancelled.”

She said that Roberts should understand she has a very trying schedule and could not meet with his group sooner.

“He must understand that I have been out of the country for quite some time on state business. During the week I do have work to do at the Ministry of Energy. It’s not that I am refusing to meet with constituents.”

On the issues plaguing the community, from bad drainage to lack of proper play parks for children, Olivierre said, “I have been working with the Minister of Works. Subsequent to that, I had a team from PURE come down and look at all the roads in the constituency. They have a clear idea of what repairs need to be done in the constituency. We have an idea of what the cost, how long it is going to take.”

Three Trinidadians managed to escape the deadly massacre that claimed the lives of 50 people at an Orlando nightclub on Sunday morning.

However, one of them is now mourning the loss of his partner.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, a close friend of the trio, Brandon (not real name), also a Trinidadian, said that his friends were left very traumatised over the incident.

“I spoke to one of them and he told me that he was very much shaken and very exhausted. This entire thing has upset us all,” Brandon said.

“He lost his boyfriend and I lost my best friend, who were both killed. When I got the news I collapsed,” he added.

Brandon said his compatriots were actually liming in the nightclub when ISIS sympathiser Omar Mateen launched his deadly attack. By the grace of God all three Trinis escaped unhurt, Brandon said.

He said his friends were in another part of the bar when the shooting first started. As they scampered for safety along with other patrons, however, the boyfriend was shot. They abandoned their attempt to flee and decided to hide and see if they could wait until it was safer. The boyfriend died before the attack was over, but the three Trinis received minor bruises from the human traffic as people scampered around the place seeking cover.

Brandon said he himself was supposed to go along with his friends but changed his mind.

At the time of the interview yesterday, Brandon said he was struggling at work, while his friends who survived the shooting were organising to attend a candlelight vigil (yesterday).

“We are in total shock and still don’t know how to feel about what happened,” Brandon said.

The shooting occurred at an Orlando gay club “Pulse,” where Mateen killed 50 people and injured 53 others. He reportedly shot and injured 103 people between 2 am and 5.54 am Sunday before being killed by US police.

It has been reported that Mateen, 29, born in New York of Afghan parents, was from Port St Lucie, Florida. US authorities are treating it as an act of domestic terrorism. They described it as the deadliest terror attack on American soil since 9/11. They said Mateen had been on their radar as having suspected radical Islamic leanings. ISIS yesterday claimed he was a “soldier of the caliphate.”

Mateen’s father told US media his son had become outraged by the sight of men kissing in public places.

Mateen, a trained private security guard, was armed with an AR-15 rifle and handgun. He’d also been interviewed by the FBI over the last two years. Authorities reported he called 911 during the incident, expressing support for ISIS and Boston bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

The ISIS-aligned Amaq news agency yesterday published an ISIS message that Mateen was a “soldier of the caliphate.” Last month, ISIS urged European and US sympathisers to attack civilians on home ground if they were unable to travel to Syria and Iraq. US Ambassador John Estrada said yesterday that the hateful act hits close to home for him as he used to live in Orlando.

Estrada said that he appreciated the T&T President Anthony Carmona’s kind words and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley's thoughtful message of condolence, and promised that all will work with the Government and the people of T&T to address this challenge together, as partners and friends.

Terrorism—homegrown or international—must never be tolerated by law-abiding men and women, says President Anthony Carmona.

Carmona issued the message yesterday following last Sunday’s terrorist attack on the Orlando gay club Pulse, in which self-confessed ISIS sympathiser Omar Mateen, a US-born citizen of Afghan parentage, killed 50 people and injured 53 others in the most deadly mass shooting in US history.

US President Barack Obama denounced it as an act of terror.

In addition to being a hate crime (which occurred during Gay Pride month celebrations), US authorities said it was the worst terrorist attack on US soil since the 9/11 assault at New York’s World Trade Center. ISIS claimed Mateen as a “soldier of the caliphate.”

Yesterday, according to US presidential proclamation, the US flag at the US Embassy on Marli Street, Port-of-Spain, flew at half-mast as a mark of respect for the victims.

Up to 6 pm yesterday, the city of Orlando had released 48 names of the dead, about 40 of them male. They appeared to be largely of Spanish descent. Victims ranged in ages from 18 to 50, but were mainly in their 20s and 30s.

Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Colm Imbert said there had been no indication whether any T&T nationals were among the victims. However, he said, victims have not been identified by nationality yet. Government is continuing to monitor the situation, he added.

While the T&T Guardian confirmed three nationals escaped the attack, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said T&T’s Miami Consulate General hadn’t received any information on the involvement of TT nationals in the incident and is continuing to liaise with the agencies involved, as well as to monitor the website www.cityoforlando.net for regular updates on the situation. The ministry stated that the Orlando Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital are the two primary hospitals to which the injured had been transferred.

Carmona, who spoke with US Ambassador to T&T John Estrada last Sunday after the incident, said T&T joined with the international community in condemning “in the strongest terms, the slaughter of innocent citizens in Orlando...” and extended deepest condolences to the families and friends “who tragically lost their loved ones in this senseless, brutal assault.”

He also recalled “the slaughter of 32 innocents,” at Virginia Tech in 2007. 

Carmona said Obama would be informed about the empathy, solidarity and concern “shared by all T&T for the American people in their moment of hurt and anguish...T&T collectively prays for those who have suffered, are suffering and also those charged with the task of restoring a sense of comfort, security, peace and justice to the people of Orlando and by extension the US.”

Ambassador thanks Carmona, Rowley

After the attack last Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had also extended T&T’s heartfelt condolences to Obama and the American people “...with respect to the unspeakable horrors of the attack on an Orlando, Florida nightclub, the worst mass shooting in American history.

“As the government and people of the United States of America struggle to come to terms with this terrible tragedy, T&T is also gripped by shock, sadness and outrage. No nation should ever have to face such tragedy and it is hoped that nothing of this nature will ever befall any nation again,” Rowley said of the attack. 

US Ambassador Estrada, thanking T&T leaders for their sentiments, said yesterday, “I appreciate President Carmona’s kind words and Prime Minister Rowley’s thoughtful message of condolence, and promise we’ll work with the Government and people of T&T to address this challenge together, as partners and friends,” Estrada said.

“Our hearts go out to the victims of the Orlando attack, as well as their families, friends, and communities. I used to live in the Orlando area, so this hateful act hits close to home for me. That people could be targeted for mass murder because of their sexual preference is unconscionable—as it would be if they were targeted for their race, religion, or gender. 

“This time, the attack occurred on American soil, but we know too well that terror is a global problem, and we must address it in solidarity with the vast majority of people—including the vast majority of Muslims—around the world who condemn and reject such barbarity.”

The attack also elicited grief from local LGBT members. 

“I am One” posted video of Latin associates who said the attack targeted LGBT Latinx people. IAO added, “This attack has history and is not random violence. Our societies condone homophobia and racism which puts LGBT people of colour at high risk of violence.”

Writer Erline Andrews said she was “sick and tired of homophobia...The incident in Florida makes me even more so. I’m having zero tolerance for that mentality. Let people live.” 

(GA)

A 26-year-old contractor from Belmont yesterday admitted to smuggling a small quantity of marijuana and smoking paraphernalia into the prime minister’s official residence in St Ann’s last week. 

Jonathan Sammy made the confession after appearing before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court, charged with possession of marijuana and for a device used for the consumption of the illegal drug. 

While Sammy pleaded guilty to both offences, he was not sentenced by Ayers-Caesar as his criminal record, obtained using his fingerprints, was still being processed by police when he appeared in court yesterday morning. Sammy was remanded into custody and ordered to reappear in court this morning. 

Addressing Ayers-Caesar, Sammy, who was not represented by an attorney, said that he had forgotten the illegal items in his car when he went to the Diplomatic Centre at La Fantaisie Road, St Ann’s, last Thursday morning. 

According to the evidence that was read in court by police prosecutor Insp Wayne Mohammed, Sammy, who was contracted to repair a fence at the property, was stopped at a security checkpoint after a Special Branch police officer noticed that his car smelt of marijuana. Sammy reportedly denied this, prompting the officer and his colleagues to perform a search. 

They found a grinder containing marijuana remnants in the pocket of a pair of pants in the backseat. 

“De boss, I forget that in dey,” Sammy reportedly told police after the items were found. 

Although the items were seized, Sammy was initially released from police custody later that evening. However, a warrant was issued for his arrest the following day. Sammy eventually surrendered at the Belmont Police Station on Sunday night.

During yesterday’s hearing, Ayers-Caesar closely inspected the herb grinder, which is used to shred marijuana buds for smoking. Asked by the magistrate if he was aware that the device was illegal, Sammy said yes as he admitted that he “purchased it from a store about two or three months ago for $30.” 

Last week’s incident comes a little over a year after former national security minister Jack Warner claimed that a quantity of marijuana was seized at former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s private residence in Philippine in 2013. 

Warner had claimed that on April 12, 2013, former deputy commissioner of police Mervyn Richardson informed him (Warner) that several ounces of marijuana had been found at Persad-Bissessar’s house. Persad-Bissessar was in New York at the time. Warner said both former national security adviser Gary Griffith and former housing minister Dr Roodal Moonilal were aware of the find and had advised Persad-Bissessar of it.

A police investigation was initiated by acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams to investigate the alleged “cover-up” of the incident. The investigation is still ongoing. A parallel investigation has also been launched by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA).

About 20 farmers are calling on the Minister of Agriculture to have the access roads and drainage properly done throughout the span of agricultural lands that they are currently farming in the Exchange, Couva, area.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, farmer Kenneth Parris, who is also the vice chairman of the County Agricultural Consultative Community, said that just over a year ago a contractor was contracted by the Government to run pipelines through the lands for a wastewater project. He added that since the project, it has been downhill for them.

“We had very good access roads here. Roads like a highway, where two vehicles could have passed alongside each other. Now, with the rains coming in the roads are now deplorable and impassable in some parts, making it very difficult for us. We cannot come in with our vehicles and we cannot transport our crops as we want to. The roads are falling apart,” Parris said.

“The drains were about six feet deep and now they are all filled with silt, causing flooding,” he added.

The farm lands span for about three to four miles between Couva and Orange Valley. The lands were part of a VSEP package offered by Caroni (1975) Ltd.

Another farmer, retired assistant police commissioner Stephen Ramsubhag, said that earlier this year their crops were destroyed by bushfire and now they fear that their crops will be destroyed by floods.

“We have sent letters to all—the ministry, the agricultural office in Chase Village, the Ministry of Works and even the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation but nothing has been done. Nobody taking responsibility or making any kind of movement to fix the roads and drainage. That’s all we want,” Ramsubhag said.

Ramsubhag said he believes that the State should hold the contractor responsible for their deplorable conditions and woes. “We want immediate action. The State should intervene now.”

Farmer Etwaroo Ganesh said he has been farming the land for the past four years. “We want to plant but we need some kind of encouragement to do so. We plant cassava, sweet potatoes, watermelons, pumpkin and plantain here but it has become very difficult and frustrating for us,” Ganesh said.

Another farmer from the Depot Road, Longdenville, area, Miradai Seetahal, is also pleading on behalf of farmers there for the ministry to assist with problems they have encountered with respect to irrigation.

President of the Industrial General and Sanitation Workers Union (IGSWU), Robert Benacia, is calling on Government to pay outstanding arrears to more than 200 workers immediately or face heightened industrial action.

Making the call as he stood surrounded by a large crowd of workers outside the Beetham Landfill early yesterday morning, Benacia said it was unacceptable that the arrears were yet to be paid nine months after this Government assumed office.

With the gates padlocked from as early as 7 am, workers refused entry to dozens of garbage trucks which were forced to park on the shoulder as they awaited word from officials of the Solid Waste Management Company Limited (SWMCOL) on when operations would resume.

Holding aloft placards and singing popular union slogans, the workers called on Government to “pay us now.”

The demonstration also attracted the attention of motorists heading into and out of Port-of-Spain as most drivers slowed to find out what was happening, with some others honking their horns in a show of solidarity.

As a major traffic jam was created heading into the capital, police officers were also on hand to ensure there were no further disruptions to the traffic flow.

The gates to the landfill were opened around 11 am, leading to a resumption of normal operations.

Among the demands issued by the union head was an immediate meeting with the minister in charge of Public Utilities Ancil Antoine and Finance Minister Colm Imbert; the provision of proper equipment and tools for all workers; the retroactive payment of all monies including wages and accrued benefits; and that the arrears be paid in full and exempt from tax.

Asked why he was making such a demand, Benacia explained that following a promise via letter last November, some workers had “put themselves in expense” which they were currently unable to fulfil.

He said the request was not unreasonable as he firmly believed the money owed to the workers “was a drop in the bucket for Government.”

One truck driver who verbally indicated his support for the workers but declined to reveal his name said, “We understand what the workers are advocating for, but it is an inconvenience for us as we have other jobs that are now backed up.”

However, he added that if the union’s request to meet with Government had been denied, then they had a right to highlight the issue “however they wanted.”

Contacted yesterday, SWMCOL officials said discussions were continuing between the company, union and ministry.

SWMCOL apologised to the travelling public for the lengthy interruption but said that operations at the landfill resumed around 11 am.

Contacted on the matter, Public Utilities Minister Ancil Antoine said he had no problem meeting with the union. Asked if the union had proposed any meeting, Antoine said once any overture was made by the IGSWU, he would deal with it.

Referring to the Finance Minister’s assurance that all arrears would be paid by the end of June “across the board,” Antoine asked, “Is it that they don’t trust somebody?”

Informed about the union’s demand that the outstanding monies be exempt from tax, Antoine commented, “A very interesting concept.”

He said all government workers were subject to the same social agreement where they worked and paid taxes, and in turn, Government would ensure payment of wages.

Antoine promised that he would raise the union’s concerns with the Finance Minister.

Workers at the country’s largest provider of waste management and environmental protection services are allegedly owed $9.5 million in backpay.

The union represents approximately 200 present and former employees.

The collective bargaining agreement was signed on June 5, 2015, with officials of the previous People’s Partnership administration, for the period 2011 to 2013. The payment of the outstanding arrears was promised by November 30, 2015.

A statement must be issued from the Office of the Prime Minister clearly indicating who is guarding Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

Making the call was president of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association Insp Anand Ramesar while speaking on i95.5fm yesterday.

Special Branch officers, detailed to guard Rowley, had complained of working long hours. 

Last Friday, Rowley arrived at Parliament with a security team comprising Defence Force members.

Asked whether this was still the case Ramesar said, “I did make a preliminary enquiry into it and I understand members of the Defence Force are currently engaged in some form of duty with the Prime Minister and what we need at this point in time is some clear communication from the prime minister’s officer in relation to what is happening.

“We need to have that information so that our officers would know exactly what is their role and function.”

Ramesar also made it clear that Special Branch officers had no complaints against the Prime Minister but rather management in the Police Service including deployment of officers.

“The issue is being discussed out of context as if it is the Prime Minister to blame for what is happening and definitely that is not the situation.

“Somebody is trying to politicise it in the first instance when there is no effort, no evidence to suggest that this has anything to do from a political perspective,” Ramesar said.

He said Special Branch officers have also gone on record to say that they loved to work with Rowley. 

Officers have also denied claims that it was because of Rowley’s hectic schedule that they were overworked.

“This is an absolutely wrong analysis and at no point in time was that complaint brought to the association,” Ramesar said.

Following a meeting last week with acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, Ramesar said the matter was now settled.

He added that during that meeting Williams agreed that the officers schedule of working “24/24” did not allow them time to rest.

“This was also not the practice. The practice is 24 hours followed by 48 hours rest and the Commissioner ensured that this was returned to that particular position.

“When he also enquired into the matter there was a reduction in the manpower because a number of officers were on training. It is no longer an issue,” Ramesar said.

Members of the Muslim community yesterday expressed embarrassment that one of its members had become embroiled in an online sex tape scandal. 

They were especially upset that former senator Hakeem Ali held a position of leadership in the faith and the scandal coincided with the holy month of Ramadan.

Speaking about the scandal former president of the Trinidad Muslim League, Dr Masser Mustapha, said while he did not have all the details what he saw online was unacceptable behaviour.

“I saw it this morning and found it to be unbecoming of someone who is held in such high esteem. So it is embarrassing for him and for everybody,” Mustapha told the T&T Guardian in a telephone interview.

He said the timing of the revelation was very peculiar coming in the most devout period when the Muslim community was celebrating the holy month of Ramadan.

“It is embarrassing in this month especially but generally it is not acceptable behaviour,” he added.

Mustapha said while people did get carried away when something like that became public it did not augur well for the integrity of people who were in positions of leadership.

Also contacted yesterday, TML general secretary Azid Ali said he would prefer not to comment on the situation.

He, however, issued a general statement instead later in the day, saying: “If somebody does something and there are consequences he or she has to face because of what he or she has done, then let the chips fall where they may.” 

The usually vocal chairman of Muslim Social and Cultural Foundation (MSCF), Inshan Ishmael, also avoided commenting on the resignation of Ali from the Senate because of the leaked video which he claimed had led to blackmail.

“At the end of the day, I want to make sure all the information is forthcoming. It does not matter if he is Muslim or not. All I want to do is wait for the facts that have not been presented as yet.”

Similar sentiments were expressed by Maulana Saadiq Nasir, who said he would prefer to wait until he had proper information before commenting on the subject. 

Newly-appointed People’s National Movement Senator Rohan Sinanan says he decided to take up a permanent appointment in the Senate because he wanted to join the right-thinking citizens who really want to contribute to the future development of the country.

“I think it is time you get up and do what has to be done. I look forward to working with all the senators and ensure that we keep up to the oath we took of serving the citizens of this country,” he said in a brief interview at the 4.30 pm tea break of yesterday’s sitting.

Sinanan, who acted as a temporary senator before, replaced former colleague Hafeez Ali, who resigned last Friday after an online video of a sexually explicit nature surfaced online.

Asked to comment on the possible negative impact of Ali’s resignation on the party, Sinanan said: “At the end of the day life goes on and I guess one has to do what is required.”

He said he spoke with Ali and he was fine.

Asked if he felt the issue could negatively affect the PNM, he said: “No, no, no, the PNM has withstood a lot in the last 60 years and I don’t think this will do anything at all to affect the party.”

He reminded reporters that one of the Government senators appointed as a temporary senator yesterday, Imran Mohammed, was the grandson of a PNM founder, Khamal Mohammed.

Leader of Government Business in the Senate and PNM chairman Franklin Khan also reiterated that they would continue to support Ali.

Speaking during yesterday’s debate on a Government motion to approve the Privileges and Immunities, Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) Order 2016, Khan cautioned citizens against condemning Ali for life after the single transgression. 

Hazel Frederick stayed away from her job at Food Basket Market Place, Chaguanas, yesterday because she was feeling sick.

Frederick stayed home and rested. Around 5 pm, however, Frederick was awakened by her mother, who told her the supermarket was on fire.

Frederick could not believe what she was hearing so she organised a drop from her cousin, left her Charlieville home and went to Food Basket to see for herself what was going on. 

When she arrived she saw the building engulfed in smoke and fire officers battling the blaze. Her eyes filled with tears.

Frederick told the T&T Guardian it felt like it was all a bad dream. An employee since 2006, she was just one of some 60 workers who are now jobless following the multi-million dollar fire at the business yesterday.

This was the second fire the supermarket chain has faced in two weeks. 

On May 30 major damage was averted at the Southern Food Basket on Coffee Street, San Fernando. Only minor damage occurred after the quick response from fire officers. The Chaguanas branch was not as fortunate yesterday.

Around 3.25 pm yesterday, 17-year-old Massiah Arthur was packing toilet paper in the upstairs warehouse when he noticed a fire in an area where bleach and insecticide sprays were stored. He said when he saw the blaze he ran and alerted others to the danger.

Fazeeda Latchman was about to end her shift when she heard someone shout: “Fire!”

Shannon Katteck was one of those who heard Latchman’s warning.

“About 3.30 I was in the market area of the supermarket when I heard loud explosions coming from upstairs. I saw one of the workers running downstairs and shouting ‘Fire.’

“I asked him what happened and he said the fire started in the warehouse. At that time I started to gather the workers to vacate the building because the whole place started to catch fire,” manager Mickey Silochan said.

The first shift for the day, which has about 40 workers, had just ended and the 20 second shift workers were taking up their duties.

While Tara Jagan, who was also on duty at the time, said she was fearful about her job, she said she was glad all of her colleagues were able to escape safely.

Dozens of workers stood up in shock looking at the building go up in flames. They passed around a notebook and wrote their names to make sure everyone was accounted for.

Water woes

Acting Chief Fire Officer Roosevelt Bruce said they had to overcome some water problems in tackling yesterday’s blaze. 

He said fire officers from the nearby Chaguanas station called Savonetta and headquarters, Wrightson Road, for support and six fire appliances and 75 fire officers responded to the blaze.

“Initially we had problems with water. The hydrant was not supplying enough water. WASA (the Water and Sewerage Authority) boosted the pressure in the area and we had a slight assistance there. 

“However, we called for tankers from WASA and the Regional Corporation and that helped us a great deal,” he said.

Chaguanas Mayor Gopaul Boodhan visited the scene yesterday and called for businesses in the community to rally around Food Basket.

“I am hoping that whatever can be done to make sure the business can be back at the earliest possible time, even on a phased basis, so that it can serve the community,” Boodhan said. 

“All business, all burgesses, all residents, they are of equal importance to us and we will do anything to make sure that our community is safe, secure and in moments like these we are asking all stakeholders, all businesses to rally around the owners of Food Basket Market Place,” he added. 

Yesterday’s fire resulted in major traffic pile-ups along the nearby Uriah Butler Highway and surrounding streets.

Police have been called in to probe the disappearance of another set of keys at the Port-of-Spain Prison last week.

Prisons officers confirmed yesterday that the cell keys to the doors of all the cells at the prison had been missing since some time last week. Officers were put on alert after the keys were discovered missing and they subsequently locked down the prison. The keys were later discovered in the pants pocket of a prison guard’s uniform.

Contacted on the issue yesterday, assistant Commissioner of Prisons Dennis Pulchan confirmed the incident.

“It is a police matter and it is under investigation. I can’t comment on that,” he said.

No one was arrested in connection with the missing keys.

Arising out of the incident, however, a prison guard reported to police that his uniform, handbook, keys and an identification card were missing during a search of the prison.

The officer made the report at the Central Police Station in Port-of-Spain, claiming that his locker was among 17 lockers that were cut open in his absence as the prison was locked down and a search for missing keys was conducted.

This latest incident came less than a week after a prisons officer appeared in court charged with misbehaviour in public office in connection with another set of keys going missing at the prison.

Prisons officer Darron Ramlochan, 28, appeared in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court charged with the offence. Ramlochan was arrested after it was discovered the keys that opened the locks to the west wing of the Port-of-Spain Remand Yard had disappeared. He was granted bail of $80,000 bail and the matter was adjourned to July 1.

Prisons officers had been placed on high alert after the circulation of several voice notes on social media warning of a possible ISIS attack.

Prisons officials also remain fearful that there could be another jailbreak in light of the disappearance of two sets of keys. 

The escape of prisoners Allan ‘Scanny’ Martin, Hassan Atwell and Christopher ‘Monster’ Selby from the facility last year is still fresh on their minds. Prisons Officer Leon Rouse was shot and PC Sherman Maynard was killed during that escape.

Attempts to contact Prisons Commissioner Sterling Stewart and Prison Service public relations officer Wendell Bompart were unsuccessful yesterday.

Members of the National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) and Joint Trade Union Movement held separate meetings with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair.

In the first meeting, NATUC's secretary general Michael Annisette said issues of trade unions being allowed to invest in the economy, forming cooperatives and getting involved in the housing development of T&T were some of the major issues raised.

“We would like to partner with the Government so that workers in T&T can own houses,” Annisette said.

Governance was also briefly touched on and according to Annisette, there is an existing problem with various state enterprises and their boards carrying out executive authority.

“This is where the board interferes with the day-to-day operations, for example at the Port Authority, which is contrary to governance principles and it is unprofessional. Board members must understand what are their roles in being elected on a board and it must be looked at by the Government,” Annisette said.

He also said trade unions were experiencing difficulty in meeting the respective line ministers for the workers they were representing.

“We recommended strongly to the Prime Minister that the Government must insist that the line ministers meet with the representatives of the unions, because it is important that the voice of the workers and union and other side of the story be heard by the minister,” Annisette said.

On the $2.5 billion drawdown from the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund, Annisette said they were told the real reason behind the withdrawal in confidence.

“If they didn’t do what they did it would have created a lot of industrial relations issues in T&T,” he said.

JTUM’s Ancel Roget also said the issue of national productivity was a cause for concern.

“We are in firm agreement that national productivity today is not where it is supposed to be and that workers hold the key; of course, employers, business, all stakeholders, we all hold the key to turn on at different levels to increase national productivity,” Roget said, adding labour should be represented on all of the boards appointed by the Government.

The mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, which left some 49 dead, is not only a threat to the US but also to T&T.

“Whether classified as a crime of hate or terrorism it has caused serious threat in the United States and for us in the Caribbean and in fact the wider world.

“This act, once again, demonstrates the change in security risks faced by law enforcement and other practitioners in the field of security as individuals seek to make their point by waging war against their fellow citizens.”

So said National Security Minister Edmund Dillon while speaking at the National Security in the Caribbean Conference at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

It was held in partnership with the National Security Ministry and the University of the Southern Caribbean (USC).

Making reference to Venezuela’s worsening economic crisis Dillon said that presented “grave implications” for T&T and also the wider Caribbean.

But the matter, he added, must be handled diplomatically.

He said combating crime required increased vigilance among security forces, adding that a keen eye must also be kept on those intent on terrorising society.

Saying there were new threats emerging in the Caribbean, which included it being fertile ground to recruit ISIS members, the minister added that could also have a negative effect on T&T as heinous acts must be condemned in the strongest possible way.

Dillon said there was an alarming rate of crime and violence in many Caribbean countries but they must come together even more to eradicate criminals and come up with initiatives.

“Decision-makers have the collective responsibility to ensure the appropriate policies are made available to counter those involve in counter transnational crime.

“Crime and criminality belong to all of us. We all have a role to play,” Dillon urged. 

He said while growing up in Point Fortin there was always the movement of people from Venezuela through Point Fortin but now the trade commodity has changed to that of “a basket of illegal goods... guns, drugs, trafficking in people... which continue to threaten the security environment.”

Close relations between security forces and members of the community must also be maintained so as to enhance intelligence-gathering capabilities, Dillon added.

Defence force always part of security 

Speaking to members of the media after the opening ceremony Dillon said the security of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley continued to be of paramount importance by “elements of national security.”

Special Branch officers detailed to guard Rowley had complained of being overworked with little time to rest or for members of their families.

Last Friday, Rowley arrived at Parliament under the guard of Defence Force officers.

Pressed further whether the PM’s detail had been officially replaced by soldiers Dillon said:

“Defence Force personnel have always been part of the national security element that treats with the Prime Minister and the President security and they continue so to do. Members of the Special Branch... members of the Police Service continue to play a role in the Prime Minister’s security.”

On recommendations that Special Branch should be considered a separate unit apart from that of the Police Service, Dillon said the security environment was always dynamic.

“We continue to assess the threat on the Prime Minister and on the President and throughout T&T and if there is a reason to change then we would do so,” Dillon said. 

The local cocoa industry is getting a much needed financial boost as the private sector and Government have partnered to promote sustainable business ventures in rural areas.

Speaking at the launch of the Cocoa Community Project at Courts Megastore, San Juan, yesterday Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries, Clarence Rambharat, said a maximum of $600,000 had been allocated to assist cocoa farmers in Brasso Seco, Grande Riviere, Biche and Cuche to develop, market and promote their products which were “totally local.”

Joining hands with Unicomer (Trinidad) Ltd, the Machel Montano Foundation for Greatness and the ministry, the Alliance of Rural Communities of T&T (ARCTT) was formed to facilitate and amplify the efforts of the rural chocolate companies and their affiliated projects.

A proud product of the rural countryside, Rambharat said his life had been influenced by having to grow up studying without electricity, attending school with non-functioning toilets and ensuring he stayed far away from protruding bench nails which could damage his school uniform.

Indicating that they had a responsibility to rural T&T, Rambharat said too often decision-makers introduce measures without fully understanding the consequences of their decisions but that it was a nice change to see hardworking business owners striking out in the field of business development.

Eager to witness such projects being undertaken, Rambharat said Government’s support for the venture was being translated through the capable hands of chairman of the Agricultural Development Bank as well as the Cocoa Development Company, Winston Rudder.

Pleased thus far with their achievements, Rambharat said Government’s mandate to develop the rural cocoa industry was becoming a reality.

Pledging his continued support for such projects, the minister urged the chocolatiers to push on with their vision to develop the non-traditional sectors of the economy.

With ten communities selected to receive a grant of $60,000 each to develop their products, Rambharat urged the team that was set to head to Seattle, Washington, later this year for the Northwest Chocolate Festival to establish themselves as a Caribbean force to be reckoned with.

Rambharat also urged Rudder to assist the team in any way he could.

Gillian Goddard, of ARCTT, said they had formed the non-profit entity to support and develop financially independent and community-owned businesses, utilising rural resources and labour.

Cuts were made to the cost of the construction of the Arima Hospital and the number of beds to be made available for patients, according to Arima MP Anthony Garcia.

Speaking to members of the media after touring the hospital yesterday at Queen Mary Avenue in Arima, Garcia said the cost, which was at $1.8 billion, is now $1.2 billion. Some 15 per cent of the cost of the hospital will be provided by the Government.

He said that 110 beds instead of 150 will now be available when the new hospital is completed by June 2018.

“In my capacity as MP of Arima, I made a promise to residents of Arima that I will do all to ensure that the hospital is built and provide the much needed health facilities for residents in Arima,” he said.

Garica said there were rumours circulating that construction came to a halt but he was happy to see labourers actually working.

He said cost overruns could not come into play because the construction was only 16 per cent complete. 

He said Arima residents would have the opportunity to be employed at the site.

“We discussed this with contractors that 50 per cent of the workforce must come from people from Arima and we were given that assurance and when it is up and running we can look at the number of doctors and medical personnel,” he said.

Referring to the Couva Hospital that was still unoccupied, he said: “The Government is a different one and what we set out to do we will see what is done.”

Garcia said specialist services would be provided at the hospital and from the conception the hospital was for a 150-bed hospital but because of the economic downtown and surveys it had been scaled down to 110 beds.

“And we are satisfied with that.

“There are many factors in the rationalising of the facility and it was done in consultation with the Ministry of Health. We feel that can adequately serve the people of Arima,” he said.

Friends of Arima member businessman Balliram Maharaj, who was in attendance, said Garcia was also a founding member of the group some 30 years ago.

Maharaj said he took part in the planning stage and all the facilities were taken care of.

“We are fortunate we have assurance from the contractors there is no stopping. There are no changes to the structure of the facilities.”

Arima Mayor George Hadeed said the Arima promenade would now be called the “Holly Betaudier Promenade,” fondly named after recently deceased Holly Betaudier who was known as Holly B, or the Arima Kid. 

He said an arch would be erected at the entrance to Arima on O’Meara Road. This will be sponsored by Xtra Foods and the Arima Regional Corporation.

“There will be a rendition of Kitchener and Holly on one side and mention of the First People,” he said.

He said the corporation will introduce a shuttle service at the end of the bus route to carry passengers.

While the ruling People’s National Movement has expressed disappointment at the situation involving former senator Hafeez Ali — after news of a sex tape involving him was leaked online — Ali himself says he is disheartened by some of the information “out there” about it and public comments about him.

But while expressing disappointment at the situation yesterday, PNM chairman Franklin Khan said personally, colleagues were in support of Ali and would help him to “get the counselling he needs.”

The respective parties — and others connected to the matter — spoke yesterday after Ali was replaced in the Senate following his resignation as senator last Friday. 

The 43-year-old Ali resigned after a social media video of him displaying sexually explicit behaviour surfaced online last week. 

Yesterday, Ali confirmed the matter had been reported to the police last Friday as an alleged extortion attempt. He, however, distanced himself from reports on the issue in the Newsday. 

Sounding somewhat dispirited, Ali said: “I’m feeling very disheartened about some of the information on this issue out there and as well about some of the public comments being made about me but the real information will come to light.” He said the episode was only “ten seconds.”

But Ali declined to speak about relatives’ reactions or how his family — he has four daughters and a son — was coping with the developments.

Ali is listed on PNM’s website as a teacher and principal at Nur E Islam mosque in San Juan over 1999 to 2002. His grandfather was the late Imam Razack Ali of the Nur E Islam Mosque and his parents owned business in the areas. 

The T&T Guardian learned yesterday that several members of the Muslim community in his area have called Ali to express “deep concern” about the video and reports.

Khan yesterday told reporters Ali had spoken to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley about the leaked online video after it became known to “key people in the party.” He said Rowley and Ali had discussed it and Ali had resigned. 

Khan said the right to hire or fire ministers and appoint senators was in the PM’s domain but Ali’s resignation was not requested since he had indicated the intention to resign. Khan added: “Obviously, based on the circumstances (of his resignation) we are disappointed something like this has happened but it’s a personal matter and we don’t want to delve deeper.”

He said he was certain Ali was “very regretful.” But, he sai, he was also certain that Ali, a young man, would learn that “things happen in life” and one had to move on and deal with it.

“From a personal note, we all support him and his going to counselling and are giving him all the support he needs,” he added.

Khan said Ali was still co-ordinator of PNM’s Barataria-San Juan unit and the party leadership had not yet adjudicated on that aspect. 

PNM constituency chairman, Joseph Ross, didn’t answer calls yesterday regarding how the unit felt about the situation concerning its co-ordinator. Deputy chairman Kwesi Antoine, meanwhile, said he could not say if the unit would meet to discuss the Ali issue.

With 2,500 teenage girls in T&T getting pregnant every year, secretary of the Association of Psychiatrists, Varma Deyalsingh, is calling for adoption centres to be set up by the Catholic Church.

Speaking at the Rapidfire Kidz Foundation eyeglasses distribution function, held at the Macaulay Community Centre, Deyalsingh called on Archbishop Joseph Harris to open national dialogue on abortion and contraception, which were crucial to the debate on child marriage.

Harris has spoken out publicly against abortion and child marriage, saying it was legal statutory rape.

But Deyalsingh said despite the church’s stance, pregnant girls had few options.

“What are we to do with our pregnant females? We have three choices. We marry them. We abort the child or we allow them to deliver the child. All three scenarios put the pregnant teenager at a disadvantage,” Deyalsingh added.

He called on the Catholic Church to open adoption centres for the newborns of teenagers who are pregnant and cannot legally terminate, adding, “The church must encourage dialogue on abortion.”

“By not educating our children about sex, the Archbishop is encouraging teenage pregnancy and all the ills it may bring,” Deyalsingh contended.

Sending a message to secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Sat Maharaj, Deyalsingh said the rights of a child have to be considered.

“For Mr Sat Maharaj, times have changed, the expectations of females have changed. We are no longer living in times when females were expected to marry early and spend the rest of their lives taking care of their children,” he said.

Admitting that both of his grandmothers were teenage brides but did well to handle their families, Deyalsingh said a young female of today does not want to be tied down with the life of early marriage and minding house.

“It is against the human rights convention to force a child into marriage,” Deyalsingh said. However, he said, while it is not acceptable for an adult to have sexual relations with or marry a teenager, consideration must be given in cases where a teenager aged 16 or 17 becomes pregnant “and the families wanting to save face, with the consent of all parties can agree to a marriage and the teenagers can continue their education while their grandparents take care of the child.” He added that over 2,500 teenage girls get pregnant every year for men aged 25 to 40.

As such, Deyalsingh said, intellectuals must speak out about the social ills facing children. 

“They need to speak about the gang leader who takes his neighbour’s teenage child as a sex object. They need to speak out about the maxi taxi drivers who use their maxi taxis as a bedroom to spoil our daughters, and the incest which occurs behind closed doors,” Deyalsingh added. 

Saying child marriage is a miniscule problem when one looks at the broader ills, Deyalsingh called for the debate to “include the sexualisation of our children, the lack of sex education in schools, the resistance to the availability of contraception for teenagers and archaic abortion laws.”

He also noted that if the Marriage Act is changed, a pregnant teenager would now have no choice. 

“She cannot get married, she cannot get a legal abortion, and if she goes to deliver her child at the hospital, both her family and the child’s father would be facing the hand of the law. A pregnant teenager is now caught between a rock and a hard place. We have to get solutions that would not further traumatise her,” Deyalsingh added.

He said pregnant teenagers must not be ostracized or punished by society. 

“We have to let her see that we understand that children would make mistakes and we in society are not there to punish her but would be there to protect, educate and empower her,” Deyalsingh added.

A total of 75 children from the Macaulay Government Primary School, the Union Presbyterian Primary School and the St Margaret’s Government Primary School were given free eyeglasses. Also attending the function was president of the foundation Kevin Ratiram.

A list of the names of over 500 young women, accompanied by folders containing nude photographs of each of them, was leaked yesterday on social media by members of what police believe is a local pornography ring. Police said the nude photographs of the young women were being sold to porn sites locally and internationally.

Among the women were a media personality, a former Presbyterian lay-minister and the relative of a popular Pentecostal preacher. Other names were identified as past and current students of the University of the West Indies’ St Augustine and Cave Hill, Barbados Campuses.

According to sources, the local porn ring is made up of a group of young men. The leader of the group is said to be the son of a prominent businessman from the San Juan area. He is also said to be highly supported by the owner of an Internet cafe in North Trinidad.

It is believed that as part of a sinister plot, the young men befriend young women, including teenagers and UWI students and professionals, into “relationships” in a bid to gain a level of trust, then get them to seductively pose in the nude to be photographed.

The photographs are then uploaded and subsequently sold to locally, regional and international porn sites. The photos are also downloaded into flashdrives and distributed among the group, who also solicit them to people, including businessmen and visiting foreigners to T&T. 

The young men are also said to be ace hackers of computers and other smart devices. It is believed they hack into phones, Facebook accounts and emails and steal personal photos and videos of young women either posing nude or involved in sex acts.

When contacted yesterday, a parent of one of the victims, who wished not to be identified, described the situation as a “sore, shameful scandal,” adding the incident had almost crippled (emotionally) the family.

“He (one of the members in the porn ring) intimidated her. She was 16. She liked him and he used her and the other girls,” the parent said.

Asked how the victim was doing, the parent said: “Not good at all. We have been taking her for counseling.” Also contacted yesterday, a 26-year-old victim said she was shocked to see her photographs being spread on the Internet. She admitted she did in fact pose for the photos but thought it was for her then boyfriend.

“I was told how beautiful and sexy my body was. I was told to try the photographs so I did. I loved what I saw and loved it even more when my boyfriend then said he was going to cherish it forever.

“I did not know it would have been a slideshow for the whole world. I am so shocked I don’t even know what to do or how I am going to face my parents because it is so shameful,” she said.

A 20-year-old victim, who spoke to CNC3 yesterday, said she willingly posed for the photos. She saw nothing wrong with that because it was for her personal use. However, she described the people who leaked her photos as “sick and psychopaths.”

A boyfriend of one of the victims said he was shocked to see his girlfriend’s photographs and admitted he had never asked her to do such for him or for them as a couple.

A police officer from the Northern Division said he was made aware of the operations of the young men and the nude images via colleagues, who are currently investigating the porn ring. The officer, however, added that it was a crime to view and share the photos/videos.

A senior police officer assigned to one of the T&T Police Service’s (TTPS) elite units, who wished not to be identified, said a matter of that nature should be investigated by the Counter Trafficking Unit.