Labour Day celebrations in New York turned deadly for one Trinidadian family yesterday.

T&T national Tyreke Borel, 17, who has been living in New York for the past four years, was gunned down during J’Ouvert celebrations along the West Indian Day Parade route in Brooklyn, according to reports in the New York Daily News. 

He was the oldest of three children for his mother Alima St Clair.

And while his body is yet to be released by the city medical examiner, his distraught mother said upon release, it will be brought back to Trinidad for burial. 

St Clair told the NY Daily News she had cautioned her son to stay at home during the J’Ouvert but he insisted on joining the revelry where he was shot and killed.

“He was just a lovely child who wanted to enjoy the Labour Day. I told him to be safe but he’s 17. He didn’t want to stay home,” St Clair said.

She said police told her Borel was sitting on a bench alone at Flatbush and Empire Boulevard around 3.45 am when he was shot. Police believe he was not the intended target.

A 72-year-old was also wounded in the crossfire, cops said.

“I just want my Tyreke,” St Clair said, leaning her head against a wall and crying.

“I’m just trying to sort out everything.”

Borel’s Facebook page was flooded with condolences from many of his classmates at Boys and Girls High School.

He was one of two people shot dead and five others injured from two other shooting and stabbing incidents. St John’s University student Tiarah Poyau, 22, was the other victim. 

Police sources are quoted as saying she was shot at close range above her right eye while at Franklin Avenue and Empire Boulevard where she was enjoying the overnight celebration with three friends around 4.15 a.m. Borel was shot in the chest.

Two people were injured when a motorcycle they were on was hit by a car. 

A 66-year-old woman was shot in her arms and hands. A 23-year-old woman was stabbed in the lower back at Ocean Avenue and Empire Boulevard shortly before 4.20 am. 

Another person was taken to Methodist Hospital in serious condition after being stabbed in the neck at Eastern Parkway and Classon Avenue around 5.30 am. 

Chairman of the Safari Eco Park in Chaguaramas, Raymond Habib, yesterday insisted he was “not going to give up one square inch of the land” which has been leased to him by the Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA).

The park sits on an acreage of land on the northwestern peninsula and one of 22 leases which the CDA and Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis have deemed illegal.

Habib said he believed in the project which would be the first eco-friendly safari park in the Caribbean.

“I think if the Government does not want it (park) in Chaguaramas but wants it somewhere else and they are willing to foot the bill to move it, then so long as the project continues, maybe we can talk,” Habib said in a telephone interview.

When he was handed the 30-year lease in April 2015, he said, the area was overgrown with grass. He said it was now developed and he planted over 100 fruits trees.

The land was previously occupied by Cubans in the 1960s.

“We know our lease is 100 per cent legal. Anybody who reads the (CDA’s 1974) Act can see that,” he added.

Habib has so far injected TT$7 million in infrastructural development with another TT$4 million on the purchase of variety of animals from Siberia, USA and Canada.

The overall cost of the project is US$20 million which will be funded by local investors, Habib said.

In July, Robinson-Regis, under whose purview CDA falls, revealed that Government was reviewing between 21 or 22 land leases which were given out by the previous CDA board in the days leading up to the 2015 general election.

She made the disclosure after touring several areas in Chaguaramas, two of which were the Five Islands Water and Fun Park and the safari with then CDA chairman Anthony Pierre. 

Pierre resigned last month after two letters of comfort he had given to tenants were rescinded by the CDA board.

Robinson-Regis also said the safari did not acquire planning permission and attempts were now being made to get authorisation through her ministry, while Pierre said the safari’s petting zoo, occupied four acres of agricultural land but they awarded a lease for 40 acres.

Habib in response to not acquiring permission said CDA had been withholding documents from them which had been stalling their project.

“We wrote to them. All that we need from Town and Country Planning Division is one document from CDA... and CDA has not given it to us over a year now. 

“Town and Country told us in writing that they would give us favourable consideration if we give them this document. We wrote to CDA and asked for the document which we are yet to receive. That is why we cannot go ahead with this project. We have big plans for a Jurassic-type park of entry with 35-foot doors.”

It costs Habib $90,000 monthly to import feed, as well as pay staff, zookeepers and vets to look after the animals.

The businessman stated that there was a breakdown in communication between CDA and its tenants.

Habib said they acquired a 40-acre lease because the safari was earmarked to be done in two phases. 

The businessman said the objective was to open the first phase to generate revenue which they would have used to start the second stage.

Habib said they also wanted to give the animals sufficient land space in a natural environment.

Questioned about his rental fees, Habib said: “The rent is phased. The maximum rent is about $106,000, plus Value Added Tax. But that is once we are opened and operational. 

“If we were given the green light today the first phase will be opened in three months. We would hire 50 people in the morning if they tell us go ahead. Legally I believe we are sound. We have not done anything bad.”

Admitting that he has since sought legal advice on the matter, Habib said he was advised by his attorney that their lease was legitimate.

“We have told them (CDA) that our lease is legal. We think it is a great project for the country... for children... for education and schools. If we can go ahead peacefully that will be the best route. If they fight, we will fight but we don’t want to.”

Habib said it was upsetting that environmentalists and citizens have begun to criticise the safari before seeing it.

Among the 80 animals they purchased from foreign zoos are kangaroos, llamas, the double and single hump camels and mountain lions.

They are expecting a shipment of zebras soon.

Habib pointed out that many projects which have been in existence in Chaguaramas for several years did not conform to CDA’s plans.

“If they are going to say that we are not part of the plan then so is half of Chaguaramas,” he added.

Habib is optimistic that things will work out.

“The Government just got in and I know there is a lot of confusion. They will sort it out,” he added.

Calls to Robinson-Regis’ cellphone went unanswered and she did not respond to a text message seeking comment.

Children at primary and secondary levels turned out in their thousands for the first day of the new school year yesterday on what was a day that seemed to have passed off without a hitch for most of them.

Hours later, with smiles etched on their faces after a fulfilling day and some of them slightly dirty from obvious play—the first day usually being a light session—some of those students shared their experiences.

The first to speak was Nikolai Murali, who already has his heart set on becoming a Coast Guard officer, following in the shoes of his father Jerond Glasgow. 

The Sacred Heart Boys’ First Year pupil seemed to have made quite a number of friends on the first day of school. Asked what he did when the T&T Guardian met him along Duke Street, Port-of-Spain, Nikolai said: “I played with my friends Joshua, Zachary, Jadel and Ty.” 

Another exited pupil ready to take on the new school term was 12-year-old Safiya Amoroso, who attends St James Secondary. The Morvant pupil was caught after she visited her old primary school, Nelson Street Girls’, to say hello to her former teachers and friends. 

“It was good. I was a little nervous because it is a new atmosphere, because it is both boys and girls but I was good because some of the children I went to school with passed for the same school as well,” Amoroso said.

Like Amoroso, Nishana Bowman, Shania Montrose and Shadiyah Smith, who now attend Morvant Laventille Secondary, were past pupils of Nelson Street Girls’ who had stopped by for a visit. 

The trio said their first day of school was “normal” but they expected more than the orientation and timetable. 

Friends Mikel Martin and Renaldo Davis, both five, said they played on their first day at Nelson Street Boys’. The duo, from Plaisaince Terrace, Laventille, spoke with the subtle coaxing of their guardians. 

Martin said: “I play, I can’t remember what else I do. I was sleepy too.” 

While Martin admitted to being sleepy yesterday, Davis said he played hide and seek.

Twelve-year-old aspiring pilot, Tyrese Bayne, said on his first day at Tranquility Government, he met with teachers who told them of the school rules and was given a tour of the school.

“They tell us no need to come with any school bags, just a book and a pen for this week and next week and to walk with snacks instead of buying from the canteen,” Bayne said, adding he had to get up at 5 am yesterday to get to school on time. 

Five-year-old Zewditu Alexander said she “had fun” when asked how her first day at Nelson Street Girls’ was. Her mother, Stacy Graham, said she had been preparing her child from last week, waking her up at seven am to get accustomed to the new school hours.

“I like school, I meet Ms Joseph,” Alexander said.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia said yesterday the new school term got off to a good start, with the majority of schools welcoming students. He said the school repair programme, conducted by the Education Facilities Co Ltd, was very successful and some 204 projects were completed at 170 schools at a cost of $80 million.

President of the Prisons Officers Association, Ceron Richards, said yesterday his suspension smells of victimisation and claimed it was part of a move to silence him.

Richards made the claims moments after collecting his suspension letter from the Prison Administration Building, Phillip Street, Port-of-Spain.

His suspension came five months after someone broke into his apartment and stole his gun from a vault. He said he and members of the association always knew “there are forces out there trying to hush us up.”

Richards said several other public officials also lost their personal guns but have never been prematurely punished. His suspension letter was dated August 30, pending the determination of an investigation.

“I have not heard of anyone being suspended under similar circumstances. I find it very strange to me that I have been suspended for such allegations given the fact that over the years a number of public officials would have lost their firearms under different circumstances. In my instance a crime was committed against me. My home was broken into and I reported it and did all that I needed to do and now I am suspended.”

Richards said his association believed there was more to his suspension than what he was told. 

According to him, the suspension is effective pending the investigation into two allegations surrounding the theft of his gun. 

He added that there was no indication as to how long the investigation would take or the terms of his suspension regarding his renumeration. 

“I consider the suspension not only an attack on me but on the association. We were looking at this and anticipating this outcome. We know of similar circumstances but not similar outcome in the past,” Richards said. 

On March 11 thieves broke into Richards’ Don Miguel Road home and stole his licensed 9mm pistol, two magazines and several rounds of ammunition, which were secured in a safe. The break-in was discovered around 4 pm that day. 

Richards drew reference to the suspension of the current leader of the Police Second Division Association Insp Michael Seales to support his suspicion.

Seales, then general secretary of the police body, was suspended on June 25 last year for allegations of serious misconduct, one day after he appeared on a television programme and claimed that the then People’s Partnership government was trying to provoke the police so that a state of emergency could be called, postponing the then upcoming general election.

An investigation resulted in him being charged with making a seditious statement on June 22, two days before the statute of limitations on the investigations was to expire. 

Seales was then contesting the leadership of the association which he won three days after he was charged. 

Northern Division police have seized seven illegal guns in a week. 

Speaking at a press conference at the Maloney Police Station yesterday, division commander Senior Supt Simboonath Rajkumar said the guns were recovered between last Monday and yesterday during searches in crime “hot spots” in the division, which spans between St Joseph and Arima in east Trinidad. 

The weapons haul comprised three pistols, two shotguns and a Russian-made AK-47 assault rifle, affixed with a bayonet, a knife or spear attached to the muzzle of a rifle, used for close-quarter combat. 

A large quantity of assorted ammunition also was recovered. 

In addition to the illegal guns the division also destroyed 1,000 marijuana plants during an eradication exercise yesterday in a forested area of Lopinot. The drugs had a street value of $70,000, police said.

He said the division also had the highest detection rate for murders in T&T with 15 out of the 80 murders for the year being “solved.” He also stated there was a 20 per cent reduction in larceny and a 15 per cent reduction in robberies as his officers were also targeting repeat offenders living in the division. 

Asked what were the strategies he employed to achieve the reduction, Rajkumar said he was holding senior officers, who managed police stations more accountable for crime and customer service in their areas, a similar tactic recently employed by National Security Minister Edmund Dillon to divisional commanders. 

“We are using the softer approach to policing. We have walkabouts being done and all station commanders have been directed to commence walkabouts in the districts and engage the people and hear their concerns and to assist them in whatever areas they can.

When questioned about his views on the causes of crime in his division, Rajkumar said: “Like every other division, it is affected by the economy and unemployment.”

Rajkumar also issued a stern warning to would-be criminals in the area.

Hundreds of students could not go out for the opening of the new school term in Palo Seco yesterday, after what residents described as a “scary storm” left them stranded in their homes.

Residents said some three hours of strong winds, thunder and heavy rains brought flood waters as high as six feet, cutting off several communities between Santa Flora and La Bajos.

The sun was scorching around noon when pensioner Earline Harrison bravely waded through waters that overspilled from the Erin River to get to her home at No 4 Ext Road but her neighbours further down could not risk the chance as the bridge and drains were covered in the swollen river.

The Palo Seco Secondary School was suspended around 11 am as the river flanking it had overflowed onto the property. Some students had to wander around the town as they were unable to get home. The popular Palo Seco Velodrome, where many sporting stars developed their skills, was transformed into a lake.

The Disaster Management Unit was seen meeting with residents but for many others the media was the first on the scene to see their plight. 

Ministry of Works and Transport employee, Caius Alphonso, sat in his yard for hours unable to reach to work since his car could not even leave his yard. He said while floods were common in his community, this was one of the worst he had seen.

An excavator, almost fully submerged at the river’s bank, was evidence that desilting of the river was ongoing but according to chairman of community group People for Progress, Victor Roberts, it came a little too late. 

Roberts, who led the media on a tour of the community, said authorities failed to clear the watercourses during the dry season when it would have been easier. He said residents have been pleading for years for the river to be widened but it fell on deaf ears. He blamed the floods on a lack of preparation and the narrow river mouth near the Columbus Channel. 

He said about 3,000 people were affected among the communities and said he was holding MP Nicole Olivierre to her promise two weeks ago that she would ensure all Government agencies in the area performed their role. 

He said the local government representatives were failing the communities, especially since they knew the drainage could not handle the water capacity.

The result of the flood was chaotic for Marvin Maloney and his family, as an adjoining river dumped two feet of water into his house. He said he had never seen the river cleaned before and now his living room set, stove, refrigerator, stereo and other appliances were all damaged. 

He said a snake, rats and cockroaches had been seen in his yard and other residents were fearful that if the rains returned it would wreak further havoc.

He explained: “I left home this morning to drop my two children to school around 8 o’clock. By the time I was dropping off my second youth, I got a call saying water, flood. There are always floods in this area but it is the first time it came inside and from just a few hours of rain.”

Chairman: Combination of problems

Chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation, Leo Doodnath, said a combination of problems led to yesterday’s flooding. He said both the corporation, which is responsible for clearing minor water courses and the Ministry of Works and Transport, which cleans the major rivers. were strapped for cash and labour.

He said watercourses were cleared during the dry season but such projects needed to be done alongside the ministry’s schedule. 

He said people were also still dumping old airconditioning units, refrigerators and tyres in the watercourses, causing the rivers to dam. He said people were also cutting lands on the hillside indiscriminately.

However, Doodnath said the corporation would continue to clear the watercourses and has also set up an alleviation of flooding committee, comprising governmental and non-governmental agencies, with the view to create a manual that would help citizens to mitigate flooding.

With just a day to go before the start of the Paralympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, T&T athletes Akeem Stewart, Shanntol Ince and Nyoshia Cain have settled in, anticipating the start of the Games, tomorrow. The event runs until September 18.

Stewart, the first athlete from T&T to win a gold medal at the Parapan American Games when he won the F44 discus last year in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and newcomer Cain will compete in athletics, while Ince will represent T&T in swimming.

Both Stewart and Cain are listed to challenge two events each. Stewart will test his skills in two throwing events, the F44 discus and javelin while Cain will face the starter in the women’s T44 100 and 200 metres.

Ince, the 2013 Junior Sportswoman of the Year named by the T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC), will have a full schedule swimming in four events, the 50m, 100m, 400m freestyle and the 100m butterfly.

The delegation which also included president of the Paralympic Committee Sudhir Ramessar, Chef de Mission Judy Beckles, physiotherapist Dr Kerry Dolloway and coaches Wade Franklyn (athletics) and Karen Araujo (swimming) arrived in Rio on Sunday and was welcomed by the local organising committee.

Stewart and Ince will open T&T’s account at the Games on Friday with the field specialist tackling the javelin event at the Olympic Stadium in Engenhao, while Ince will dive into action in the 400m freestyle will be at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
Cain’s first event will be on September 14, the women’s T44 200m.

Meanwhile, the Rio Paralympic torch relay visited the southern city of Joinville in the state of Santa Catarina yesterday, day five of its tour around Brazil. Just like the four destinations before it, the city’s theme represented a Paralympic value, and in Joinville the theme celebrated was courage. 

After visiting Brasilia, Belem, Natal and Sao Paulo, Joinville was the last city on the torch’s itinerary before arriving in Rio today, a day ahead of the Games opening ceremony at the Maracana Stadium.

Local Artist is all set to display his talent in the fifteen-runner £3,500 Maiden Auction Stakes over five furlongs of “good to soft” Redcar this afternoon, when this John Quinn-trained Requinto filly will be advantaged by the 5lbs apprentice claim of Callum Shepherd.

These are my absolute “favourite” two-year-old races!

All runners are qualified by virtue of being purchased for sensible money at yearling sales, no chance of running into “super-breds”  trained at fashionable yards and, not surprisingly, such races always seem to be well-patronised. There again there are thousands of cheap juveniles which will always be limited but they supply good, competitive entertainment.

Major meetings are tough, for instance I’d rather watch (and bet!) on lower-grade professional football nowadays because there is more commitment and incentive for players to enjoy the occasion(s) within their parameters at a comfortable level.

Sobering thought, all thoroughbreds cost at least £60 a day to be kept for the job to done properly; winning this “dash” today will barely pay training fees for a month!

Like so many others, when yours truly came into racing, it was for betting purposes and I’ll bet that Local Artist gains reward for consistency on a surface which should be ideal for her easy-flowing action.

On the time-handicap Local Artist is “best-in” from progressive Jeany and twice-raced Mere Brow; with three places available we’re advising an each-way bet.

Patience is a surpreme virtue for punting, I’ve been waiting for Hyland Heather to get a realistic opportunity and it comes in the three-year-old Maiden Stakes over six furlongs; Richard “winning machine” Fahey has found a “beaut!”

Annoyingly another we’ve been monitoring is Tommy G, he’s in opposition! 

Running in tandem will be a seven-race programme on a similar forecast surface at Leicester where Farook wont be a surprise if Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned Farook scores in the two-year-old Maiden Stakes over seven furlongs.

Paul Hanagan won this last year in the same colours aboard! subsequent ‘Royal Lodge’ third, Muntazah.

SELECTIONS
10.20 Local Artist (nap)
12.20 Hyland Heather
12.35 Farook

RALPH BANWARIE

Members of the Borel family were still trying to come to terms with the tragic news of their relative Tyreke Borel, who was shot to death during West Indian Day festivities in Brooklyn on Monday.

They explained that several of them had only just said farewell to him after spending some of the school vacation period in Brooklyn and returning home last Saturday.

Aunt Leiba Borel-Dardaine, who said she took care of Tyreke from five years until 12 years when he migrated to Brooklyn, said he was like her own son. 

She said last Saturday they had a conversation about his returning to school today to finish his degree in mechanical engineering, adding she was anxious to attend his graduation when he had achieved his goal.

“When I was leaving he hugged and kissed me and said ‘I will see you for Christmas,’ have a safe life,” she recalled at the family’s home at Nestor, Tamana.

The entire community was also said to be in mourning as Tyreke was said to have been liked by many for the manner in which he conducted himself.

Borel-Dardaine said Tyreke had loved J’Ouvert since he was in Trinidad and played in bands for Carnival in Sangre Grande.

According to reports, Tyreke was shot in the chest as he sat on a bench to take a break at Flatbush and Empire Boulevards around 3.45 am.

His aunt Roxanne, who always had fun with him, recalled that when they both had a quarrel he would always say don't interfere with them.

“Tyreke was my boss. He will ask me ‘Where are you going?’ My boss was Tyreke. He was very respectful and loved children and remained close to them. His favourite sport was basketball,” Roxanne said.

Tyreke’s uncle Damien Dardaine, who also spent vacation with him in Brooklyn, described his nephew as a good soldier. 

“Before I left I told him to be careful, stay strong, not knowing that this was the last holidays we were all spending with Tyreke. I remained shocked at his killing, knowing that only a day he was alive having fun and now he is dead, bringing sadness to the entire Borel family,” he said.

Grandfather Kelvin Borel, a former principal of the Cunapo RC School, said when he first heard of the shooting of a Trinidadian he could not have believed it would have been Tyreke.

“I am shocked and still have to come to terms with the most saddening news,” he said.

The senior Borel said they both spoke about the importance of an education and he had motivated Tyreke to pursue his goal of becoming a mechanical engineer. He said Tyreke worked part time in the library of his Boys & Girls High School and was always occupied doing activities that benefited him, adding he was very proud of his young grandson’s attitude and ambition in achieving his goal.

He said although Tyreke had migrated some four years ago, this was the first year he had gone to J’Ouvert festivities. He said his parent allowed him to do so because of the responsibility he demonstrated.

His mother, Alima St Clair, told the NY Daily News on Monday she had warned Tyreke to stay at home but he insisted on going to J'Ouvert with his friends.

Former Port-of-Spain mayor Louis Lee Sing yesterday gave the Government a failing grade on their performance after a year in office. Today marks one year since the Dr Keith Rowley-led administration was voted into office. 

Over the weekend, the Sunday Guardian published the result of an online poll which showed that 65.66 per cent of those canvassed were “very dissatisfied” with the Government’s performance, with 12.70 per cent indicating they were “somewhat dissatisfied.” 

Another 6.35 per cent of the respondents said they were “very satisfied,” while 7.91 per cent were “somewhat satisfied” and 7.39 per cent were “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.”

Lee Sing was one of five people who assessed the People’s National Movement’s performance. With ten being the highest rating, Lee Sing, who resigned from the PNM last year, gave the administration “a four.”

He said there was no conscience in the current Cabinet and the “Prime Minister had deliberately assembled a team of people who would demand nothing of him. Because they could demand nothing of him, they can’t demand anything of themselves and so they are unable to do anything that sparks...precisely because they are no sparks around their leader.”

It was clear the majority of the population were dissatisfied in the areas of health, crime, labour, housing, foreign affairs and energy, he noted.

Lee Sing said rather than look at the country’s foreign exchange earnings and try to generate domestic revenue, the Government’s plan was to sit, wait and hope that energy prices would skyrocket to turn around the economy.

He also criticised the PM’s regular oversea trips, stating as a leader he should be anchored with his Cabinet.

Assessing the performance of ministers, Lee Sing said he was disappointed in National Security Minister Edmund Dillon.

“To me, Dillon has not come to grips with the difference between running a controlled environment and running an environment where everything is out of control. They have to understand that the buck stops with them. They have to find ways and means to get the job done,” Lee Sing added.

He also condemned the performance of Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre.

“We do not have an Energy Minister. In the context of Trinidad and Tobago, the Energy Minister is the czar of the region. I don’t even know that this lady (Olivierre) exists. And even if she says something it amounts to nothing,” he added.

Lee Sing suggested that Rowley reconfigure the Cabinet to 16 ministers, with each minister being assigned a junior minister to help out. He gave Ministers Shamfa Cudjoe, Dennis Moses, Randall Mitchell, Fitzgerald Hinds, Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, Dillon and Olivierre failing grades but felt there was also room for improvement in health, education, finance and agriculture.

Lee Sing questioned if Finance Minister Colm Imbert would be better suited in Works and Transport, while Mariano Browne, a former minister, would be better to manage the Finance Ministry.

In going forward, Lee Sing said Rowley had to take the bull by the horns by working and guiding his “inexperienced” Cabinet, otherwise they would repeat the error of the past.

Maraj: Grit and courage required

Former foreign affairs minister Ralph Maraj said the economy and crime were two areas the Government collapsed on. He said the country had not seen much movement in adjustments, new earnings and the restructuring of the economy.

Maraj said the Government also needed to look critically at the exchange rate, which should be allowed to slide further while not much had been done in diversification towards new earnings. Another issue not addressed, he said, was the rationalisation of state enterprises to ensure accountability and transparency.

While he praised Rowley for calling on divisional police heads to be sheriffs in their areas, he said Rowley needed follow-up meetings every month with these heads to get updates on developments.

In doing that, Maraj said Rowley would engender a culture of leadership and responsibility which was what was required to reduce crime.

He, however, commended Imbert, saying he had done relatively well for someone who was inexperienced in finance.

“What is required is the grit and courage to make tough decisions. That is what has been lacking and as a result we have not seen any movement towards the challenges we have before us,” he added.

Ferreira: A year spent detoxifying

Founding PNM member Ferdie Ferreira said it seemed the Government spent its first year detoxifying. 

As a political analyst, however, Ferreira, 89, said for the last year the country had seen more accountability, while wastage was significantly reduced.

“The major part of the Government in the last year was paying bills or trying to correct what went wrong. I don’t think people really understand the magnitude of the disaster the Government faced when they came into office.”

But Ferreira refused to assess the ministers’ individual performances.

“The problem with prime ministers is the question of judgment. People might be academically qualified for a job but in some cases they don’t fit in... they are not politicians. I think one of the problems is that with a team of so many newcomers, obviously... a lot of them without any political experience... it would take them some time to become politically acclimatised.”

He said sometimes ministers did perform but lack of political flare would give the public the impression that he/she was incompetent or incapable of handling their job.

Teelucksingh: Horse bolted on crime

Former independent senator, Rev Daniel Teelucksingh, said crime should have been addressed from day one by the Government with stakeholders from different quarters.

“You let a year pass. The horse has already bolted. You wait so long. This should have been the first thing this Government should have done.

“They have inherited a nation that is riddled by crime. I don’t think they know how to deal with this very serious problem with the close connection between crime, the narcotics trade and the high prevalence of guns in T&T,” he said.

Teelucksingh gave the Government a thumbs down for not opening the Children’s Hospital in Couva yet, saying citizens were suffering for proper health care while the building was going to waste.

“That hospital does not belong to the PP nor PNM government. It belongs to the people... and many people have been asking if it has become an instrument in a political game,” he said.

On the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle, Teelucksingh said it was impossible for an OJT minister to learn their job in one year.

“I do not believe in any overnight shuffle of a Cabinet. What the Government has to do is operate in consortium with their manifesto, plans and policies and work towards that. I would be very gracious towards any government in their first year and give them a chance.”

Ford: Cabinet will listen to population 

Yesterday, PNM general secretary Ashton Ford said when the PNM came into office they were faced with an empty Treasury and had to cut expenditure due to falling oil prices.

He said it was difficult to understand how some sectors of the public expected the Government to achieve a high level of delivery when the revenue from oil dropped from US$120 to $26 a barrel. 

“It is inconsistent with reason. You can’t ask more with less. You could not ask the Finance Minister to be reckless with his spending,” Ford said, praising Imbert for handling the economy prudently.

Asked if an inexperienced Cabinet had created some setbacks for the Government, Ford refused to say.

“That is the Prime Minister’s call. He is the one to assess them and to make a judgment call in the performance of the ministers.”

In the coming year, Ford said the Government would listen to the population’s views.

“The Cabinet will also adjust the negatives and improve on the positives,” he added. 

The Court of Appeal has set aside three days next month to hear the UNC’s appeal against the dismissal of its five election petitions challenging the result of last year’s general election.

Attorneys for the Opposition party, who filed the appeal last Thursday, were informed yesterday by the court’s registry that the appeal would be heard between October 17 to 19. 

The UNC is challenging the decision of High Court Judge Mira Dean-Armorer, who last month dismissed the UNC’s claim that the election should be invalidated because the Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC) was not allowed to extend the poll by one hour due to heavy rainfall in Trinidad.

While Dean-Armorer had agreed with the UNC that the EBC acted illegally, she ruled its error did not materially affect the result of the election, in which People’s National Movement (PNM) beat the UNC by a 23-18 margin.

The party claims that the judge erred in speculating over its decision to file petitions for only six marginal constituencies, San Fernando West, Tunapuna, St Joseph, Toco/Sangre Grande, Moruga/Tableland and La Horquetta/Talparo. 

The UNC also contends that the judge was wrong to dismiss its evidence of the unknown consequences of the EBC’s decision as speculation. 

“It was not known from the evidence before her how many people were aware of the commission’s directive and how those people who were aware of it would have reacted to it. 

“These unknown consequences meant that the learned judge could not properly have found with certainty that the breaches did not materially affect the outcome of the election,” the appeal states.

The court’s ruling in the case will be final as it and not the United Kingdom-based Privy Council, the country’s final appeal court, has final jurisdiction over all election challenges.

President of the Law Association of T&T Reginald Armour, SC, has been elected chairman of Caricom’s Council of Legal Education (CCLE).

Armour was elected at a meeting of the executive council of the CLE in Antigua last weekend. Among issues addressed at the meeting, apart from election of a president, was discussion on matters concerning legal education in the region.

The council is an institution within the Caricom framework which was established to provide training in the region (rather than in Britain) for lawyers wishing to practise in the Caricom region. 

It was created by an agreement signed in 1971 by Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the University of the West Indies and the University of Guyana.

Its establishment came one year following the UWI Faculty of Law, which has departments on each of the university’s three campuses. The CLE is governed by a council which meets annually. 

This governing council comprises governments, the Judiciary and the private Bar. It is led by a chairman, who is elected every three years and an executive committee which meets twice per year.

Armour is the latest chairman to be elected. He was preceded over the years by at least seven other chairmen from other Caribbean states, including T&T’s former Justice Cecil Kelsick

The council operates three law schools in the region—the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica, the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad—both established in 1973—and the Eugene Dupuch Law School in the Bahamas which was established in 1998.

To be admitted to these law schools, persons must have first obtained a bachelor’s degree in law (LLB). Non UWI LLB graduates can be admitted to the law schools if they are successful in the CLE’s annual entrance examination which is held in July. 

Graduates from the University of the West Indies and the University of Guyana must then complete two years of study and practical training at one of the three schools. 

At the end of this period, a professional legal education certificate is awarded by the CLE. 

Upon receiving the legal education certificate, an applicant is fully qualified to practise in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Persons who have obtained a legal education requirement elsewhere cannot be admitted to practise in our region unless they obtain the legal education certificate. 

However, any person who is professionally qualified in a common law (English-based) jurisdiction may be admitted to any of the law schools, and on completing a six-month course, may be awarded a legal education Ccertificate. (GA)

A Gasparillo pensioner was attacked and her son shot by an enraged relative who came to their home searching for her daughter.

Jasodra Bedassie, 65, was treated and discharged from the San Fernando General Hospital for bruises she suffered at her Harmony Hall home on Monday. 

Her son Himraj, 30, was still warded up to yesterday, as he was being treated for a gunshot wound to his hands.

Police reported that around 5.50 am, the relative from St John’s Village, San Fernando, came to their home asking for Bedassie’s daughter. After being told that she was not there, the man accused them of lying and an argument started. 

He whipped out a gun and shot Himraj, then held onto Bedassie and hit her repeatedly with the gun’s grip. With his victims on the floor, he left the house and drove off in a Nissan Bluebird.

Gasparillo police were contacted and within minutes, Sgt Rennie Maharaj and a party of officers responded. Bedassie and Himraj were taken to hospital and a search was made in the area for the suspect who was not found up to yesterday. 

When the T&T Guardian visited Bedassie’s home yesterday, neighbours said no one returned since the incident. 

They said although they heard about the incident, they were not sure what happened. 

Sgt Maharaj is continuing inquiries.

Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) Mark Ramkerrysingh is remaining silent following the ruling by Justice Mira Dean-Armorer regarding the UNC’s election petition.

The party had contested the general election result in five constituencies and had sought to have the 2015 general election result nullified.

Dean-Armorer had ruled that the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) acted illegally in extending the polls for an additional hour due to inclement weather. However, she said she saw no reason to consider the election void.

The original petitions challenged the results of six marginal constituencies—La Horquetta/Talparo, Toco/Sangre Grande, Tunapuna, St Joseph, San Fernando West and Moruga/Tableland—after the UNC’s 23 to 18 defeat. 

One of the petitions, for La Horquetta/Talparo constituency, was struck out because it was served too late.

The UNC has challenged the judge’s decision before the Appeal Court.

In its notice of appeal, the UNC identified almost two dozen grounds on which it was challenging Dean-Armorer’s judgment. 

Ramkerrysingh was at President’s House, St Ann’s, yesterday for the swearing in ceremony of new EBC member, anthropologist Dr Dylan Kerrigan.

Asked to comment by members of the media on the court’s ruling Ramkerrysingh said there was nothing he could say as the issue was before the Appeal Court.

“We have to wait and see what the decision of the Court of Appeal is at which time we would say what our position is on it,” he said.

Pressed whether the EBC would challenge the judge’s decision at the Appeal Court Ramkerrysingh said that was in the hands of its lawyers.

On the upcoming Local Government election Ramkerrysingh said the EBC was already conducting its ground work.

Salaries Review Commission (SRC) chairman, Kyle Rudden, said no definite decision had been taken to increase the salaries of parliamentarians.

He was also present at President’s House yesterday to witness the swearing in of the SRC’s latest member, former T&T ambassador Monica Clement.

Describing a recent newspaper headline which alluded that an increase was set for parliamentarians as “interesting” Rudden added:

“What was actually going on was the consultants were meeting with parliamentarians to get their opinions and I am fairly sure the parliamentarians were explaining why they think they need an increase,” Rudden said.

He said an ongoing job evaluation exercise for some 300-plus posts being conducted by an international firm was expected to be concluded by next year.

Such posts, he said, included parliamentarians, senior public servants and judges, adding that it has been 15 years or more since people’s jobs were actually evaluated.

“Prior to that there was basically no yardstick to say Person A was doing a more complicated job than Person B so any salary differentials are very difficult to address so that project is underway,” Rudden added.

He said following the exercise then it would be decided whether or not there should be increases but what must then be factored in was the economic capacity to pay.

He said every three years the SRC conducted a general review of all the posts but the consultants have been meeting with everybody to garner their opinions.

Trinbagonian national Miguel Pascall, who was arrested in Egypt last week on suspicion of wanting to head to Syria in a bid to align himself with terrorist group Isis, was held for having an expired visa, his brother Mario told Guardian Media Limited yesterday.

According to Mario, his brother’s wife telephoned his wife telling her she came home to a ransacked apartment and a missing husband. 

Two days later Miguel called his brother and asked him to get a lawyer for him as he was being held by Egyptian authorities for allegedly wanting to enter Syria. One day later Mario was again called and told the entire incident was just a misunderstanding and that he was being held for having an expired visa.

“People who know us know we Salafis are strongly against Isis and terrorism. He went to Egypt to study Arabic because Egypt is the cheapest of the Middle Eastern countries to live in and easiest to get in,” Mario said, adding his brother would be home as soon as his ticket was bought and all the necessary paperwork was finalised.

He said his brother and his family left T&T about 16 months ago for his brother to study Arabic. He said he lived in Egypt for a while himself.

He added that while he believed local authorities could do more to assist Muslims abroad, he had not seen any discrimination against local Muslims travelling abroad. 

Javel James, 23, who drowned on Sunday while attempting to save two women and four children who got into difficulties while bathing in the waters of Maracas Bay, was said to be an angel who selflessly jumped into the waters despite him not being an excellent swimmer.

The survivors are from Maraval and St Augustine.

“Heaven must have been missing an angel,” the words of James’ stepfather, Reginald Armour, who spoke to the T&T Guardian at his home in Penco Avenue, Longdenville, yesterday.

“I believe he acted on instinct because he was not a strong swimmer at all. In fact, Javel was due to take swimming lessons in the near future,” Armour said.

On Sunday morning just before 6 am, James was last seen by his mother, Julie-Anna. 

He had made plans with one of the hike leaders of Hike Inc, Michael Jattan, and four others to check out an area of interest. That area was designated for an upcoming hike for a group of hikers in an upcoming weekend.

James became a member of the hiking group in March this year and because of his dedication and interest was quickly promoted to an assistant to hike leaders in the group.

“From what I was told Javel and the group had just finished checking out the area and two of them decided to leave but Javel, Jattan and a third person decided to stay on. I don’t know maybe to bathe and relax,” Armour said.

“It was while there that Javel saw the people in difficulties and he, on instinct, just sprang into action and well the rest is history. He didn’t survive,” he added.

Before being in the hikers group and even when he was not participating in the group’s activities, Armour described his stepson, who he knew since he was at the tender age of three, as a very quiet individual, “who always kept to himself.”

“He never used to drink, smoke or go to parties. He never gave us any kind of stress,” Armour said.

“But hiking and being involved in the group became part of him. He took it very serious,” Armour said.

“In fact we were privileged to go hiking with him on one occasion in Las Cuevas and we were very proud of him in the way he handled the group,” he added.

A close friend of James, who wished not to be identified, said his friend died a hero and would always be remembered as such. Funeral arrangements are yet to be finalised.

Trinidad and Tobago's Soca Warriors suffered their first defeat of the CONCACAF Zone semi-final round 4-0 to the United States in Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday night.

Both teams were already through to the final round of qualifying in November, but the USA finished atop the group with 13 points, three more than T&T.

Striker Jozy Altidore scored a second half double (59th and 62nd) after teammate Sacha Kljestan had opened the scoring for the home side in the 44th minute.

T&T had a few chances inbetween but were never in the game as the American showed their passing finesse.

Substitute Paul Arriola, making his World Cuop debut, rounded off the scoring in the 71st minute for the USA, who threw away several other chances to increase the scoreline thereafter.

A 31-year-old woman was hacked to death in a cutlass attack which also left her teenaged daughter injured early Wednesday. 

Terisha Bridgelal, a doubles vendor and her daughter Sydney were at their Piparo home when Brigdelal got into an argument with her common-law husband over a cellphone.

The man took a cutlass out of his car and chopped Bridgelal to the face and chest. 

Sydney tried to intervene and was chopped on her left hand. She also received cuts to her right ear and right hand. 

The teen was treated and discharged from the Princes Town Health Facility.

Dr Varma Deyalsingh, secretary of the Association of Psychiatrists of T&T (APTT) said Wednesday that post partum depression (PPD) was feelings of depression in a woman after birth. 

He said it may occur soon after delivery usually the first three months of delivery and up to one year after delivery and occurs in ten to twenty per cent of women.

Deyalsingh said symptoms of depression should be discussed with family members and family doctor to determine severity and ways and means of managing it.

He also said the risk of recurrence was higher in a following pregnancy.

Deyalsingh said the symptoms were tearfulness, feeling sad and hopeless, feeling restless and moody, difficulty in focusing and making decisions, feeling worthless and guilty, lost of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed, withdrawing from family and friends, sleeping too little or too much, fatigue, change of appetite, suicidal thoughts, impaired concentration, feeling of inadequacy as a mother, negative thoughts of baby and fears of harming infant. He said there were physical symptoms such as headaches, chest pain, palpitations and dizziness.

Deyalsingh said sometimes it was not recognised by the patient but by the partner or relative. 

He said sometimes the patient may feel ashamed or guilty about these feelings and the doctor should always forewarn the patient about PPD so the patient can approach the doctor with less anticipation.

See the Trinidad Guardians on Thursday for more on this story.

Family and friends of a young mother were thrown into mourning yesterday after she died at hospital from injuries she sustained in a 40-foot fall at her home three days ago. Abigail Ragobar never regained consciousness after she was admitted to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital and died just after 2 pm yesterday.

However, in their time of grief, Ragobar’s family also reached out to society to highlight the effects of postpartum syndrome on mothers, since they believe this ultimately led to her tragic end. In a public post on Facebook yesterday, Ragobar’s sister, Charlotte Young Sing, gave details of the events which led up to Ragobar’s death.

At the time of the post, however, Ragobar was still alive and the post also paid tribute to her life and asked family and loved ones to pray for her. It was shared 2,000 times by Young Sing’s Facebook friends.

Young Sing said Ragobar, a mother of two, “lived for her children — Portia and newborn Raphael — and would never do anything to hurt herself or the ones she loves but her disillusioned state left her vulnerable to danger.” She recalled the heart-wrenching moment when she found her sister on Monday morning at 5.45 am.

“Words cannot describe what it was like finding her body nestled in a lemon tree but after saying the ‘Our Father’ out loud, God gave me the strength to pull her out. While her husband and my mom stood at my side holding up the branches of thorns. 

“Abby, as she is fondly called, is currently in critical condition and fighting for her life…past the point of a coma medically,” Young Sing wrote. She noted that the loss of her grandfather-in-law and grandfather in the past few months had initially led the family to believe that Ragobar was in grief but later on they realised it was something else: Postpartum syndrome.

“The perks of being a mom is tangible beautiful kids that love us unconditionally but what many people don’t tell you is that postpartum depression is real and its side effects can be devastating and its symptoms can be easily missed,” Young Sing posted.

Young Sing noted that it was her hope that by posting their story, others may be more attentive to the severity of postpartum depression.

“We hope that by sharing this post that we are able to make others more aware of postpartum depression and that awareness will save lives.”

Since the post was made yesterday morning prayers and best wishes poured in for Abby and her family. The family thanked all those who shared and wrote posts of support, saying they were overwhelmed.

“To all praying, we are deeply moved and overwhelmed with humility and thankfulness for your prayers, they do not go unnoticed. God is good and life is full of second chances and we are praying for a miracle,” Young Sing wrote at the time.

Although Young Sing’s post was a public one, she did not immediately respond to our attempts to contact her via a Facebook message yesterday.  

Cases on rise in T&T
Gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Sherene Kalloo says there have been an increasing number of postpartum depression cases in Trinidad and Tobago. She told the T&T Guardian yesterday that bout ten to 20 per cent of patients in our society “show signs of varying degrees of severity of the symptoms of postpartum depression.”

There is no one cause and the symptoms were not the same for each person, she said, but learning to identify them was very important as one of the most severe symptoms was suicidal thoughts.

Kalloo explained that postpartum depression was defined as feelings of sadness or depression after giving birth, soon after delivery, or usually within the first three months of delivery and could continue for up to one year.

“Causes are not specific. It’s been thought that a combination of factors will play a role. Hormonal imbalance, where a mother’s oestrogen, progesterone and cortisol levels fall dramatically after delivery, which causes changes in emotion and mood similar, or to a higher degree of those experienced during pre-menstruation, the PMS syndrome,” Kaloo said.

“Women who have a previous history of depression, or family history of depression, use of drugs and alcohol abuse, stressful life events, like marriage problems, inadequate family support, if a partner is not sharing duties, financial problems, or even the delivery of a still birth, are more susceptible.”

The symptoms vary as much as the causal factors... “feeling sad, feelings of hopelessness, restlessness, difficultly to focus and making decisions, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, loss of interest in doing things that brought you pleasure in the past, feelings of withdrawal from friends and family, sleeping too little or too much, fatigue, tiredness, extreme suicidal thoughts, extreme negative thoughts of the baby.”

There are physical symptoms as well, she pointed out, including “anxiety, palpitations, dizziness, headaches and chest pains.”

Kalloo said there was also the mild “baby blues” that could last anywhere between three days to two weeks in a lot of mothers “but this isn’t severe and does not need treatment. Family support can help with this. The problems are with those with suicidal thoughts and who may want to harm the baby. If left untreated, it can turn into disaster.”

Most times a patient may not want to talk about the depression they were experiencing but Kalloo encouraged relatives to look out for the signs and inform doctors about the possibility of postpartum depression in mothers.

“Don’t be afraid to do it because of the consequences that can occur,” she said. Moreover, she said postpartum anxiety did not discriminate who it affected.

“It can be someone who has been normal, had a normal pregnancy. Two out of every 1,000 births that are normal pregnancies can end up having PPD to the extreme of mothers having thoughts of suicide.”

However, it did seem to affect the lower socio-economic class at a greater rate, as they might be at a greater risk of having financial difficulties, she said.

“But there is the percentage of it happening to previously happy people,” she noted.

But postpartum depression could also affect a father, she said.

“Researchers are finding that men are also affected, not the hormonal aspect of it but the whole adjustment. Some think it’s a burden and can’t lime with the boys again... and the financial burden, so they get depressed and withdrawn.”

The new research has termed this occurrence as paternal postpartum depression.

“Some men can reach the point of anger and violent behaviour, extra marital relationships, decreased libido, few have even been documented as reaching suicidal thoughts but it’s all new research,” she said. — Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh

GET HELP FOR THESE SYMPTOMS
Some of the more common symptoms of postpartum depression include:
• Feeling sad, hopeless, empty or overwhelmed.
• Crying more often than usual or for no apparent reason.
• Worrying or feeling overly anxious.
• Feeling moody, irritable or restless.
• Oversleeping, or being unable to sleep even when her baby is asleep.
• Having trouble concentrating, remembering details and making decisions.
• Experiencing anger or rage.
• Losing interest in activities that are usually enjoyable.
• Suffering from physical aches and pains, including frequent headaches, stomach problems and muscle pain.
• Eating too little or too much.
• Withdrawing from or avoiding friends and family.
• Having trouble bonding or forming an emotional attachment with her baby.
• Persistently doubting her ability to care for her baby.
• Thinking about harming herself or her baby.
Only a healthcare professional can diagnose a woman with postpartum depression. Because symptoms of this condition are broad and may vary between women, a healthcare provider can help a woman figure out whether the symptoms she is feeling are due to postpartum depression or something else. A woman who experiences any of these symptoms should seek medical help right away.
Some women are at greater risk for developing postpartum depression because they have one or more risk factors, such as:
• Symptoms of depression during or after a previous pregnancy.
• Previous experience with depression or bipolar disorder at another time in her life.
• A family member who has been diagnosed with depression or other mental illness.
• A stressful life event during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth, such as job loss, death of a loved one, domestic violence, or personal illness.
• Medical complications during childbirth, including premature delivery or having a baby with medical problems.
• Mixed feelings about the pregnancy, whether it was planned or unplanned
• A lack of strong emotional support from her spouse, partner, family, or friends
• Alcohol or other drug abuse problems.

Postpartum depression can affect any woman regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or economic status.