With the theme ‘Say No to Violence’ primary school students around the country released specially marked balloons into the air, as they sent out prayers for a more peaceful nation, free from violence and crime.

Two such schools were the Dayanand Memorial Vedic School and the Penal Presbyterian School, where students released green, blue and yellow helium-filled balloons with prayers written on them.

The initiative was spearheaded by the National Primary Schools Principals’ Association in observance of World Day of Prayer as the organisation felt fear and disregard for life are seeping into the lives of young children.

Indira Birju-Daniels, who is also the principal of the Dayanand Memorial Vedic School, told the T&T Guardian the administrators are worried about the effects of crime on young minds.

“Violence is something that has been affecting all of us and continues to affect us so today the children of all the primary schools in T&T are making a statement—they have placed their wishes, hopes and their dreams on pieces of paper which have been placed in their balloons which have been sent off,” she said.

“As educators, we are faced with many challenges on a day-to-day basis. Our schools are a mirror of our society and molding young minds against the odds, and choices that adults make, pose a challenge for us.”

Appealing to adults to make wise and responsible decisions, Birju-Daniels added, “My concern is the influence of the society because these issues are societal issues, our students are plagued with these issues on a daily basis and when they come to school, they might want to practice what they are hearing and seeing.”

Birju-Daniels said at Dayanand, a number of programmes have been introduced to engage the students and keep them away from trouble.

“All of our students are engaged in yoga once a week, we also have established clubs and groups where children are mandated to join at least one - these are on lunch hours and after schools on Fridays such as martial arts, table tennis, football, drama classes, dance...Other schools who may face these problems I will encourage them to cater for the children, they to get them to become a part of activities where they will learn to better develop themselves and a better awareness of themselves will have encourage them to have better self control.”

Education Minister Anthony Garcia intends to meet with stakeholders to determine whether the Carnival week should be granted off for students and teachers.

Garcia disclosed that 81 per cent of secondary school students and 74 per cent of primary school students stayed away from classes on Ash Wednesday.

A press release from the Ministry of Education yesterday said 81.3 per cent of teachers in secondary school in primary schools and 77.7 percent in secondary school attended classes.

Several requests made to the ministry for the percentage of student attendance proved futile and only the attendance of teachers was given.

School attendance for students remained a problem over the past few years after the Carnival festivities.

The release said Garcia will be meeting with various stakeholders groups in the coming weeks to discuss how to alleviate the problem.

“I will be meeting with the National Parents Teachers Association, the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association and several other bodies to determine the way forward. I will also take into consideration the national discourse on the matter.”

Garcia commended the attendance of teachers in schools on Ash Wednesday.

He asked that parents/guardians ensure that their children are sent to school and discussions continue on whether the Education Ministry will grant the entire week off.

“This then reinforces the notion that we do not need to be productive during Carnival week, which is not the message we would like to send to our students. Carnival celebrations end midnight on Carnival Tuesday. Additionally, we are concerned that students who stay away from school on Ash Wednesday and the preceding days will become adults who will repeat this unacceptable practice.”

There is division among religious bodies on whether students should stay away from school in the three days after Carnival. The teacher’s union has suggested that teachers be sent on training workshops for those three days.

Community Development, Culture and the Arts Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly says T&T’s Carnival is not improving under existing arrangements where special interest groups are responsible for the specific aspects of the festival.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day symposium hosted by the UWI’s Department of Literary Cultural and Communication Studies on Memory, Politics and Performance in the Trinidad Carnival held at the Government Campus Plaza on Thursday evening, Gadsby-Dolly said while the special interest groups are represented on the board of the National Carnival Commission (NCC) they also function separately.

“Because everybody has responsibility for their area it (Carnival) has not improved in a holistic way (and) it’s been fragmented because its been legislated to be fragmented,” she told the audience which included former Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Dr Lincoln Douglas.

Gadsby-Dolly said the existing legislation provided for the special interest groups to be represented on the NCC board but those groups—the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA), Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (Tuco) and Pan Trinbag—have specific responsibilities for mas, calypso and steelband.

“When you separate it out like that the tendency is to have very insular look at your particular part of it and that hasn’t necessarily worked for the benefit of the festival,” the minister said.

The minister said other countries have been developing their respective carnivals based on economics butthat is not the case in T&T as the need for the people to enjoy the festival remains of paramount importance.

“Over the past several years our established practice has become something that is very difficult to break. It is one thing to say that we want changes to take place but Trinidadians have a tendency to say one thing but when they understand the ramifications of what that means, it is a very different situation.”

She added: “We are unable to make changes in one fell swoop because of the basis of our celebration of Carnival, which is people participation and enjoyment. Sometimes that comes at the expense of the other things that we need to look at.”

She noted that there is an NCC Act and a Cabinet Minute which are in contradiction, causing more confusion.

While, the NCC is the body that is supposed to market Carnival internationally there is an obvious overlap, with the remit of the TDC.

“Because a representative of the TDC previously sat on the NCC board there was that synergy and someone from the NCC also sat on the TDC board,| Gadsby-Dolly said

“It is not that way now, so there is a disconnect that is taking place and we see the results of that.”

“There will continue to be a disconnect until there is a formally defined culture policy and the coming together of all the groups with responsibility for culture. That policy should be completed this financial year.”

Gadsby-Dolly said other ministries and agencies have responsibility for Carnival.

“There must be this formal connection between all the ministries that are involved in culture that informs what needs to be done and informs how we assign roles, how we monitor what is being done and how we are able impact the cultural industry as a whole because as it is right now—fractured and isolated,” she said.

Commenting on the Ultimate Rejects road march hit Full Extreme, which was played an unprecedented 556 times on Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Gadsby-Dolly said: “The words of that song resonated on so many different levels with T&T citizens because it meant different things to different people.”

She said one of the “pervading opinions on what we could take those words to mean is that we have a national sense of optimism as citizens of this country and we look forward to our citizens standing side by side always forging ahead for the benefit of the country as we go forward.”

In October 2016, the T&T Government entered into a US $2.4 million (over TT$ 16 million) agreement with lobbyist organisation—the Group DC—to provide lobbying services for this country.

This is according to documents found on the US Department of Justice website.

Lobbying groups are often used by governments around the world and has been used by T&T even before independence in 1962.

The issue of a lobbying group being paid to arrange a call from US President Donald Trump to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was aired in February in regional and local media, with both Rowley and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young denying the claim.

In a newspaper report, Young was quoted as saying there was “absolutely no truth” to the report that T&T paid anyone nor was there any lobbying with anyone in order for the conversation to take place between Rowley and Trump.

Before the US elections were contested on November 4, T&T had already secured the services of lobbying organisation The Group DC.

Under the agreement between the Government and the lobbyist group, The Group DC is expected to promote investments from the US into T&T, to further the macroeconomic objectives of the Government of T&T, and to improve the bilateral relations between T&T and the US, and identifying key individuals to improve these relations.

The group is also contracted to assist in initiating and sustaining relationships between the Government and US Members of Congress.

The agreement will continue for a period of two years at a rate of US $1.2 million annually.

T&T is expected to make quarterly instalments to the firm.

According to correspondence from The Group to the Ministry of Finance, the lobbying and government relations consulting firm was strategically positioned to cultivate and enhance the Government of the Republic of T&T (GORTT’s) bilateral relationship with The United States and to address the GORTT’s key priorities.

“These priorities include among others the continued development and diversification of T&T’s economy, promotion of foreign investment and trade, enhancement of regional security measures through collaboration and intelligence sharing, and pursuit of beneficial macroeconomic and tax policies and initiatives.

“Given the shared interests of the US government around these priorities, we have an opportunity to strengthen the existing bilateral partnership in the pursuit of these interests by utilizing comprehensive strategies.”

Prior to using The Group DC, T&T used the services of Ainsley Gill and Associates.

Government had been using Gill’s services intermittently since 2004, under then prime minister Patrick Manning.

In 2009, Government paid US $4 million for similar services from Gill for a two-year period.

Gill was named in the agreement as a managing partner of The AGA Group LLC.

Scope of works by The Group

•The Group will lobby the appropriate authorities for an expansion of the benefits under the Caribbean Basin Initiative or any other alternate arrangements to include additional products and services.

•Ensure that domestic producers of rum are not negatively affected by the subsidies and other form of support provided by the US to domestic firms operating in the US and its territories.

•Monitor legislative issues affecting T&T in the US Congress and submit reports on the discussions on the same.

•The Group will also collaborate with government officials and follow up on the May 2016 visit to the US for meetings related to energy, security, commerce and anti-corruption issues.

•The Group will also work to follow up on the recent Customs Mutual Administrative Agreement between the government and the US Department of Homeland Security, whose purpose is to enhance intelligence sharing between the two nations.

•The Group will also collaborate with the GORTT on addressing the challenge of ISIS recruitment of its citizens.

No response from Imbert, Young, Cuffie

An email to Finance Minister Colm Imbert on the anticipated returns to T&T was not answered. Calls and text messages to Young and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie also went unanswered.

FLASHBACK TO 2004

Government awarded an annual contract of $7.5 million (US$1.2 million) to a Washington-based firm to lobby the Bush administration on T&T’s behalf.

The tender, officially awarded by the Central Tenders Board, was won by Ainsley Gill and Associates, after the firm beat out one other lobbying group for the contract.

While no agenda was outlined for Gill’s lobbying, the Manning administration made it clear that it wanted to get duty-free access to the United States market for goods packaged in T&T.

Gill, who is the managing partner of the firm, is Trinidadian and served as the secretary of the T&T Association in Washington DC. Gill said he met Prime Minister Patrick Manning at a cocktail party at Howard University in December 2003 during Manning’s trip to Washington DC.

About a year after Caribbean Ispat closed its iron and steel facility on the Point Lisas Industrial Estate, Methanol Holdings Trinidad Ltd confirmed yesterday that it is mothballing two of its five methanol plants on the estate and offering voluntary separation packages to dozens of workers.

A spokesman for MHTL said “Negotiations over the last five years with NGC to supply sufficient gas to operate all our plants have to date been unsuccessful.

“Even after exhaustive negotiations and exploring possible supply alternatives, unfortunately, we now have no option but to close two of our plants.

“MHTL deeply regrets the negative impact this will have on its work force.”

The announcement was made at a meeting on Friday afternoon between workers and the operator of the methanol complex, Industrial Plant Services Ltd (IPSL).

One of the workers who attended the meeting told the Sunday Guardian that about 100 employees are going to be separated, but the spokesman said he could not confirm that number.

The company’s five methanol plants situated on the Point Lisas Industrial Estate in Trinidad have a combined annual production capacity of 4.1 million tonnes.

MHTL was once majority owned by CL Financial, the massive local conglomerate that collapsed in January 2009 under the chairmanship of former billionaire, 83-year-old Lawrence Duprey.

CL Financial and its insurance subsidiary, Clico, were forced to sell their 56 per cent stake in the petrochemical complex to MHTL’s minority shareholders for US$1.175 billion in 2014, following the outcome of a bitter international arbitration battle in London.

The arbitration battle has left Proman, a Switzerland-headquartered company, as the majority shareholder of the complex.

MHTL, like many other petrochemical plants at Point Lisas, has been impacted by natural gas shortages (called gas curtailment) over the last five years.

The shortages have been caused by declining gas production at T&T’s offshore gas fields, which are dominated by global multinationals Shell, BP and BHP Billiton.

MHTL brings together production in Trinidad with a global supply chain that includes storage facilities in key global locations and a vessel fleet of 12 chemical tankers.

MHTL diversified its operations in 2010 with the start-up of its AUM operations on the estate, producing annually 647,500 tonnes of Ammonia for use as feedstock for its downstream operations which comprise a UAN plant producing 1,483,500 tonnes of UAN (42 per cent) solution and two ]Melamine plants with a combined capacity of 60,000 tonnes of melamine.

Two elderly women are about to make their exit from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, yesterday morning. One of them, 72-year-old, Phyllis Thomas from Morvant, said, “The nation needs prayers for what is happening now. No government could solve this. We need prayers and not just prayers...sincere prayers because what is happening, as a senior citizen, I have never experienced the crime, the murder...the vicious crime that is going on and we should be doing this a little more often.”

Thomas was one of dozens of worshippers who heeded the call by the Archdiocese of Port-of-Spain to attend a 24-hour vigil of prayer, repentance and reparation for the healing of the nation.

The Sunday Guardian spoke to citizens yesterday morning after early morning mass ended close to 8 am, and many praised the initiative. The invitation was open to Catholics and “people of goodwill”.

The vigil started on Friday at 5 pm with mass and ended yesterday at 6 pm, also with mass. Archbishop Joseph Harris delivered a sermon around 9 pm on Friday.

Thomas said, “I got here about 9.30 last night (Friday). It was beautiful and something out of this world...and Father (Clyde) Harvey...he did a lovely reconciliation.

“I would have stayed here about 12 hours and look at my age...I am 72 years.”

Thomas said she normally worships at the cathedral and goes each day for the 6.30 am mass.

“I feel so happy, sweetheart and I know something good is going to happen. We have to save this country. It is not the Government but the citizens, the people of Trinidad and Tobago that have to save this country.”

Her friend, 81-year-old Katherine from Laventille said it was “ridiculous” what was happening in the country.

She said she had never seen so much crime before and recalled long ago when “we could have walked the streets at midnight, take a taxi and he would drop us safely. Now, before you see them you ‘fraid them”.

Marcia and her husband, Anthony, of Paramin spent the night. She said, “It is a very good cause. I spent the night. I got here around 8 pm. There were sessions for the youth and a lot of prayers. I support this.”

Anthony, said, “It was nice. It was real good.”

Sherry-Ann, a Pentecostal from San Juan, who accompanied her Catholic husband, said she was unaware of the vigil and had attended for yesterday’s morning mass.

“I came at 7 am. We come here off and on. I didn’t know they were having this but I found it was alright.”

The congregation was made up of mostly elderly men and women.

Veronica from San Juan said she spent close to 15 hours at the church.

“It was good. We meditated. The nation needs prayers.

For Joan Gomez from Santa Cruz, who said she loves prayers, it was a fulfilling experience. She arrived at the church on Friday at 4.30 pm.

Gomez said, “The night was excellent. It was very lively and very interesting. Every hour we had a different group. I have always believed in prayer from small.”

Maraval resident Edmund Romany said the vigil was something he would like to experience again. He was at the church since 4 pm on Friday.

He said, “I believe the nation needs prayers...with the amount of murders, killings and rape, we really need prayers.”

Friends, Allison and Eileen were glowing.

They said they did not know how they were going to make it through Friday night into Saturday morning but by God’s grace, they did.

They got to the church around 5 pm on Friday.

Eileen, who is from La Romaine in South, said, “It was wonderful. Oh my God, it was awesome.”

Allison said the hours went by quickly with all the activity—the rosary, praise and worship, the word, the speakers and the holy sacrament.

She said, “Jesus is the answer to all our troubles whether you believe or not. Forget everything and go to God.”

Archbishop Harris:

You can’t serve God and money

During his sermon on Friday night, Harris said power, money, and pleasure had replaced God.

He said, “We have changed our God and put other gods in God’s place, so we are making money one of our gods.

“We have made power one of our gods. We have made pleasure one of our gods but the true God, we seemed to have forgotten.”

Harris reminded worshippers that they cannot serve God and money.

He said if people have made money the point of reference for their lives, “we are in serious trouble”.

“When you make money your God, your heart closes. When you make money your God, your house is no longer open.”

After the Children’s Authority was condemned for putting an abused eight year old in the care of a relative who could not attend to her needs, the child has now been moved to a safe house.

The child was rescued from her seaside home which she shared with her grandmother and uncle on Thursday evening by the Children’s Authority after she admitted to being sexually molested over the past year. An 18-year-old woman who complained about physical abuse was also removed from the house.

Medical examinations confirmed the eight year old was sexually molested and police are now searching for the suspect.

A team from the authority went to the house on Thursday and removed the child when the T&T Guardian exclusively highlighted her plight.

An anonymous informant reported alleged abuse of the child to the authority since January 14, but it was only on Thursday that they visited the house.

After learning that the child was placed in a safe house yesterday, the child’s grandmother called on the authorities to return the child to her.

In an interview with the Sunday Guardian, the 68-year-old woman wept, saying she cannot imagine what would have led the child to keep such a secret from her.

“I used to ask her all the time, if he (suspect) touching her or interfering with her because I know he had a case for something like that a while aback with another relative. But she always saying no, he never do anything,” the woman said.

The woman said she took care of the child since she was a day old. “I used to buy things for she with my pension, making sure she always have food and clothes and shoes for school. She is a child like to eat and I always used to keep snacks in the house for her. I don’t know if I will ever get her back. They (police) told me to pack up her clothes and things and they would come for it but no one has come yet.”

She said she was concerned that the child may face an even worse fate if she is placed in a children’s home or in foster care. “Now I know I could do better for her, but I don’t know what will happen to she if they put she in a home...she used to sleep on my bed every night even though she have her own room and bed. I don’t know how I going to cope without this child.”

The grandmother said the man suspected of abusing the child was a family friend who would visit the house twice a week “just to check in”.’

But a source close to the family is alleging the child may have been abused by more than one person.

The source said that in addition to the man pinpointed by the child’s grandmother, a male relative was also abusing the child.

The Sunday Guardian contacted the Child Protection Unit but were told they could not release any information on whether the suspect was held. However, a reliable source told the Sunday Guardian the man was seen liming in the area on Friday night and visited the house yesterday morning.

AL-RAWI DEFENDS CHILDREN’S AUTHORITY

Speaking to the media at the launch of the Local Government clean-up campaign in San Fernando yesterday, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said he found it difficult to believe the Children’s Authority had a report of abuse since January without acting on it.

“Well, I would find it very unlikely that the Children’s Authority would be aware of something and not deal with it.

“And let me tell you why I would say that—firstly, I don’t know the facts of the issue, secondly I am always very cautious to accept stories like that without a proper investigation,” Al-Rawi said.

He also defended the authority, saying a more diligent team could not be found.

He said that no type of abuse must be tolerated.

The bullet-riddled body of a man was found in a drain in Mt Hope yesterday.

Dead is 25-year-old Kofi Goodridge.

According to reports, residents of Mendoza Lane, Mt Hope, heard loud explosions on Friday night, however they did not go out to investigate.

Around 9 am yesterday, Goodridge’s body was found. He sustained gunshot wounds to his chest.

Homicide detectives are continuing investigations.

Unidentified woman struck dead

An unidentified woman believed to be homeless died after she was knocked down by a car while crossing on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway near the vicinity of the Aranguez flyover, yesterday.

Her body lay on the east-bound lane of the highway for a while before it was eventually removed by the undertakers.

According to reports, around 4.30 pm a black Nissan Tiida was heading east along the highway when the woman who was attempting to cross the road was struck. The accident occurred near the walkover.

Police officers said they believe she is in her 50s.

Officers from the Barataria Police Station are continuing investigations.

Veteran designer and mas-maker Peter Minshall was celebrated and honoured on Dimanche Gras (Carnival Sunday) as an icon among other artists. On Carnival Tuesday, his post-nuclear sailor mas, Spiritus Mundi (World Spirit)—meshing together Mary Shelley-like elements of classic robber mas and classic sailor mas was ignominiously deleted from the airwaves during the live coverage of the parade of bands and was replaced with a pre-recorded feed of North American Indian like an Orwellian erasure.

It had a devastating effect on Minshall emotionally.

In stark contrast to the “pretty mas” that preceded his band onstage, his dystopian sailor mas came on in deathly silence accompanied by Exodus Steel Orchestra with grotesque phantom heads and skulls and white banners with gaping mouths and empty sockets in silent screams, trailing suckered tentacles in their wake to resemble a bombed-out post-apocalyptic world.

Minshall said the band was meant to make an anti-nuclear statement to show the folly of nuclear proliferation and how the world had become a more dangerous place in the age of US President Donald Trump.

He said the presentation was inspired by the poem, The Second Coming, by William Butler Yeats (1865- 1939) written in 1919, in the aftermath of the destructive First World War.

Speaking to the Sunday Guardian from his home in Federation Park on Friday, the dapper 75-year-old Minshall in his cravat and black long-sleeved shirt-jac, turned the interview into an immersed, impassioned story telling.

Minshall said, “When I saw it on television that they turned the switch off and brought on fancy Indians in our stead, I was in a state of great grief.

“The little band of artists and artisans, people from UWI, my own crew of old men who had crawled out of their cupboards who hadn’t done mas for ten years, Kathryn Chan became the band leader and her aide de camp was Byron Joseph, Tunji and Sam and many others finished it beautifully.

“They didn’t do it in a finicky way of fashion designers, they did it like it was mas, made it up and structured it like it was a tadjah that it had a religious quality.

“I went down on the ground on my hands and knees like some Greek tragic hero pounding the ground and was weeping saying no and weeping for my country.”

He said once one upon a time people came to see the mas, now everybody, mainly women, were “playing the a...”, everybody was bent over and gyrating.

Minshall said it was not a wine anymore, it was a “pum pum spectacle” and it made Trump’s innocuous remarks about “grabbing p---y” seem child-like in comparison.

He said in the Trinidad Carnival it was all turned backwards to you like some offering animal and it was done with such gracious delight.

Minshall’s chicken wire, cloth and glue depiction was to show retro 1950s mas like how it was used to be made taking people back to that time and also forward.

Minshall said it was to show that mas could be elevated as high art as opera, painting or music. He called on the powers-that-be to make sure to correct this injustice not for him, but for the people of the country with a 20-minute time slot at prime time of the mas band performing on stage.

When NCC (National Carnival Commission) Chairman Kenneth De Silva was contacted yesterday for a comment, he said he was unaware of the situation involving Minshall’s omission.

A woman in her 40s goes to apply for a protection order but instead is treated in a condescending manner by a female public servant.

“It is a sensitive issue and if a woman comes to you, you need to treat the case with sensitivity and not that you can care less,” the woman told the Sunday Guardian.

Venus (not her real name), like many women other women, has been frowned upon by those who are supposed to be compassionate and supportive, and who should act with urgency, confidentiality and professionalism.

Venus, a mother of six, and who at the time of this interview was eight -and- a-half weeks pregnant, has been married for 22 years.

A few weeks ago, she proceeded to apply for a protection order.

However, she said, “The woman was suggesting that I seek family planning after I told her I was a mother of six and also expecting my seventh. I didn’t ask you for public assistance or financial assistance, I came to ask about a protection order.”

She said she tried to explain her situation to the public servant about two personal issues but the woman would not have her.

Instead of listening and trying to reason, she said, “ ‘Come back when yuh ready’.”

Her husband is now incarcerated on a different matter so her advice and requests were slightly different.

Monitor offenders through a bracelet

Venus said she has no faith in a protection order.

She said, “As far I know, applying for it and even the worth of it, it doesn’t hold any weight in the sense of actually protecting a woman.”

She said based on statistics, many women who have made police reports and sought orders were still killed.

And that, she said, is “because of the laws we have in terms of repeat domestic violence offenders”.

She said a better and more effective way to monitor offenders was perhaps through a bracelet. “That I can see being more effective than just a piece of paper.”

Venus, who lives in the East, said she’s been with her husband for 22 years and had never reported him to the police.

“I would not have reported mine because it all depends on the mindset of the person. Usually the abuser is very controlling and their mindset is that they are capable of anything and if you have knowledge...there is no amendment to the law that says a repeat domestic violence offender would be denied bail or that the bail would be set so high that the person will not be able to meet it. So it doesn’t give you any protection in the sense of the person, it aggravates the person.”

She added, “By the second time around, they come with the intent to do more than hurt and that diminishes the protection order to a piece of paper.”

She said abusers were quite knowledgeable about domestic violence offences and that it is a bailable offence.

‘Family and friends, don’t just comment and criticise’

While she did not give details about the abuse she suffered, Venus said she stayed for as long as she did because of two reasons—spiritual conviction and financial stability.

She said while there many factors that made women stay, she stayed because “it was financial and spiritual convictions and wanting and believing in the restoration of family and not condemning the person...seeing change for a period of time where certain things were working.”

Venus’ advice to women seeking to get out of abusive relationships was, “Have a plan, depending on how dangerous the person can be. A woman has to know who she is dealing with. Don’t underestimate the abuser in any way possible.”

At times, she said she thought about migrating and changing her name but prayers kept her sane.

She also issued a warning to friends and family who criticise but do not support. She said it is not easy to walk away from a spouse or partner if you do not have a solid support system.

“A lot of friends and family comment and criticise and say ‘why she eh leave he boy’...but how many of them are willing to stand up with you when you make that decision?”

She said public assistance takes at least three months to process and if you do not have a contact on the inside who can fast track the application, “you are on your own with your children”.

She said those who abuse substance s usually were more predictable than those who did not. She said a drinker will be more likely to hit after a night out drinking.

Venus said, “Then there are those who might be bi-polar with extreme lows and extreme highs—they are the more dangerous ones because you can never tell what will set them off. It might be a simple discussion, a disagreement, and then it becomes a domestic issue.”

(Next week will look at the ways abused victims can seek help at safe houses.)

Terri Lyons had a phenomenal Carnival season this year.

Lyons won the Social Commentary section of this year’s Kaisorama, placed fourth in the Calypso Monarch competition, reached the final of the International Soca Monarch competition, and placed fourth in the National Women’s Action Committee’s Calypso Queen competition.

The song that helped Lyons achieve three of those titles is a calypso called “The Phrase,” which tackled the issue of the phrase “black and ugly”.

This week, the Sunday Guardian sat down with Lyons, the daughter of soca icon Austin “SuperBlue” Lyons and the sister of soca artiste Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez.

Q: How would you describe your Carnival season this year?

A: This year was an eye-opening one, not only for me but for other people because a lot of people knew I had talent and that I could sing but they never really gave me the chance to show my real, true capability. A lot of people did not know I could do both soca and calypso because it is not easy to transition between the two.

So this year was an eye-opener for me because I did not know a lot of people would be so loving and happy for me because a lot of people know my journey too. I am in the business with two other relatives, my father does help wherever he can but at the end of the day, I like to do my thing myself because I think you rejoice more and appreciate it more when you realise you did it by yourself. I still can’t say I did it by myself because I actually had, I call her my sister, because I got more help from her than I have ever gotten from other relatives, which is Nadia Batson.

Nadia pushed me, she gave me advice, she told me not to give up, and I am really thankful and grateful for that because she has her own career to focus on. She gave me my soca song this year “I am lion”, and she could have taken that song herself. I call her my sister because she acts more of a sister than another soca artiste. Plus there were other female soca artistes who were also pushing me and that was something because they have their own careers to focus on also. Destra (Garcia) and Alison Hinds were always motivating me and they were telling me it was time.

I am not asking for anybody else’s fans or I am not coming to take anything from anybody, any amount of Lyons can exist in one place. My father and mother always grew me up to be family oriented and that is what I am. So I am just thankful that this year I was given the chance to be heard.

How did the song “The Phrase” come about?

“The Phrase” was written by Carl Anderson and the song was actually given to someone else but then I think the person could not do it, so he just called me and said to me he had a song that he thought I could perform.

Now actually, this Carl Anderson never really saw me in serious action in terms of calypso so he was very much impressed by my performance and how I rendered the song because a lot of people think I wrote the song.

“The Phrase” focuses on a term that we all have heard “black and ugly”. What does this mean to you?

I could have related to the song because I have been through relationships and all and everybody thinks the phrase is being used by other races referring to us, but sometimes it is mostly used by our own race to bring down each other. So it is not any one race we are referring to, and I just want everybody to know this is not inciting violence or racism or anything, this is for everybody because everybody uses the term.

A lot of black people if they are true to themselves cannot say they have never used that word. You might not use the specific term “black and ugly”, but they may say something that means that.

People need to be comfortable in their skin and this even applies to how we wear our hair. I have my son wearing his afro and there are people who want me to cut it because they believe that certain schools will not take him because of it. But even when you look at the prestige schools you see people of other races with their hair grown out. So if I grow my son’s hair and put it in canerows why should that be a problem?

You even see it when people have to interview for a job, the first thing we will do is relax our hair or get it straightened because we think that is the look that we have to have in order to be hired and be accepted.

A lot of people think it is their decision but this thing has been here for so much years, we have been brainwashed for so much years that you don’t know you are brainwashed already that you think your free choice is your free choice. The world was set up in a way for it to be like that.

This was your first Soca Monarch final and you brought your father on stage. How did it feel to perform with him?

That felt great because I always wanted to work with my father in any way that I could. A lot of people said ‘oh, your sister did it already’, but that is my dad and it was an honour. My father has five children and they all sing except the first one. They all sing and I don’t want anybody to be like it is just Terri and Fay-Ann, no there are others who are singing. And I don’t want them to feel like how I used to feel when I used to go on interviews and people did not even know I was SuperBlue’s daughter, they were hearing the surname but they thought I was just using Fay-Ann’s surname just to get a forward. I will support them and push them in any way I can because my father did that for us. If a song doesn’t sound good we would say it is not sounding good, or you should try this because I know how it is to feel that you are trying to do something and....when you say you want help you are not talking about financially, sometimes you just need that advice and that support on what may work or what may not work. It was told to me that I would never make it in soca, that I would never make it, to just stick to the calypso and leave the soca alone

Do you have a preference between calypso and soca?

No, I love them both. I don’t prefer any because my father had me in both. He used to have me in calypso competitions at Nelson Street because I attended Nelson Street Girls’ and I was in the Junior Soca Monarch, I used to write songs for Junior Soca Monarch. My mom (Dionne Phillips) wrote the first ever Junior Soca Monarch theme song which was “Soca in the Schoolbag”. My father always had me in both from the age of nine. I was in both so there was never one over the other because he said soca came from calypso and soca also has calypso melodies in it so one cannot go without the other. So I love them both.

Deep in the Maracas Valley, a few kilometres away from one of Trinidad’s more famous waterfalls is a galvanized and wooden structure, fruits, vegetables, and produce on display.

In the structure, which sits on the Maracas Royal Road, is the Simon family, vendors who have lived in the valley for over 20 years.

Cherrie Simon, who often sells from the structure with her mother, told the Sunday Guardian crime in the valley is a major problem for members of the community.

A month ago, one cousin was stabbed to death by another cousin. Two weeks after that incident, a villager was shot to death in what police initially thought was a reprisal killing.

A few weeks ago, Simon said gunmen ran across the road shooting at each other in the middle of the day.

“Safety is the issue I think for everybody in the country,” Simon told the Guardian.

“What happened the other day with the killing in Maracas, it is scary to be living in the same community and nobody getting arrested or anything so the criminals just here and nothing being solved.”

Simon said this fear existed despite a strongly visible police presence in the area.

“The police drive by often but they just drive through and go.”

She said being a vendor in the valley gave her a front row view of crime.

“The other day a guy try to rob a taxi driver and ran through here with this big gun in front of him. It was bright daylight, so it really doesn’t make you feel safe at all.”

She said one of the other issues in the valley was flooding among residents who lived near the river.

Crime, a topic receiving constant attention in the media and on social websites, is a particular concern for many of the students who take up temporary residence in the valley to study at the University of the Southern Caribbean.

The shootings, which have become a popular staple in the area scares 21-year-old university student Kezia Fox and her peers.

“It makes the place scary to walk around or when you know you have friends that do bad things and then there are people who just look creepy, you feel uncomfortable,” Fox said.

She said her concern was shared by her parents who call continuously throughout the day to ensure her safety.

“My parents tell me if I am walking, to make sure I walk with peers to be safe, especially with all the females that disappearing right now. It is really depressing especially with my skin colour and seeing how a lot of lighter skinned girls are being targeted.

“If I have to walk in the night from school and back, I make sure that my room-mates or somebody accompanies me. I only go with cars I know or I call somebody.”

Maracas/St Joseph is one of the large valleys on the southern side of the Northern Range. It was one of the first areas to be settled in the country.

One of T&T’s former presidents, George Maxwell Richards lives in the valley.

Also living in the valley is 61-year-old gardener Solomon Baptiste.

Baptiste, who sees the crime as a problem feels it is not as big a problem as the failure to provide consistent drinking water to many of the valley’s residents.

Sitting at the roadside, near Wharf Trace, waiting on transportation to run some errands, Baptiste said the major complaint was water.

“All over this country people struggle to get proper drinking water,” he told the Guardian.

“Sometimes we don’t get running water at all for two weeks at a time. If you stay here for a little while you will see the water trucks going up and delivering water for people,” Baptiste said, acknowledging that the local government officials helped.

“Apart from the crime it is the water. Water is essential. Water is necessary.”

“We have to come by the standpipe and I live about ten minutes on the hillside. I walk down with my bucket then walk back with it and bathe, and then I come back down and get water to cook. A lot of people have to do the same thing,” he said.

The Maracas valley is home to a university, secondary school, primary school, and pre school.

While there are still many areas along the hillside with different shades of forested green, there has been development, especially building of homes.

The development and growth in population doesn’t bother resident Michael Julien.

“I’ve seen a lot of people move in here but the Government hasn’t been able to manage the traffic. It’s a problem with the whole country. If anyone wants to get anywhere on time they have to sacrifice necessary sleeping hours.

“Here it is like Chaguaramas, one way in and one way out. In the morning it is similar to coming out of Maraval, slow paced traffic.”

Julien said his other concern was what he described as the corrupt nature of local politics.

“Government come, government go, everybody talks a big thing and they ride off in the sunset with their ill-gotten gains.

“It seems so easy to do corruption in this country and it is at the citizens’ expense and nobody ever pays the price.”

Describing himself as a product of the 1970 black power movement and a revolutionary, Julien said it was hard for people who were not getting basic things like water, to watch the type of corruption taking place in governments.

“We hear things but why is no one ever penalized? Why is it that the people we elect and put in power always want to help out their friends and themselves?”

Not a “single penny” was provided by the Government to help fund the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha’s Baal Vikaas Vihaar, secretary general of the SDMS Satnarayan Maharaj said yesterday.

“They fund everything else but this festival which focuses on children is not funded by taxpayers,” Maharaj said as he delivered remarks at the festival yesterday.

One of the things the Government did spend money on this year instead of the Ball Vikaas festival, however, was the National Carnival Schools Intellectual Chutney Soca Monarch Competition which Education Minister Anthony Garcia lamented had no participation from Hindu schools.

This was not the case with the Baal Vikaas though.

Yesterday, 43 Hindu primary schools across the country comprising 50 pupils each, participated in the Baal Vikaas Vihaar.

Delivering the welcome address, chairman of the Baal Vikaas Committee Ramlogan Palloo said that the SDMS and its schools will not support Carnival and chutney.

The SDMS yesterday held its 31st annual Baal Vikaas festival.

It was held at the SDMS headquarters located in St Augustine.

The Chowtaal Sammelan competition featured SDMS primary schools singing traditional East Indian songs usually sung during Phagwah or Holi.

It was well attended with busloads, maxiloads and carloads of children from as far as Sangre Grande, Waterloo, and Siparia present.

“Many people have asked questions like who is funding this festival, well I want to tell you who is funding but I will begin by telling you who are not funding, the Ministry of Education and the State they are not giving us a single penny to fund this festival,” Maharaj said.

“They fund every thing else but this festival which focuses on children it is not funded by taxpayers. It is funded by you the parents and the well wishers of the Sanatan Dharma Maha, and in recent years by the Republic Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. I want to thank these people most sincerely,” he said.

Maharaj said the festival was part of the “teaching and learning process” and helped the SDMS with its academic success.

“What we see on stage here is part of the teaching and learning process the principals and teachers are all here with their children teaching them how to be disciplined, how to perform on stage and now our children have become masters in using the mass communication,” Maharaj said.

The Baal Vikaas festival is broadcast on television and radio.

“These performances they do it in classic form not obscene form but classic, they are taught how to behave on a stage, how to occupy the stage, how to face the cameras so all of this is part of the teaching/learning process,” he said.

“I want you to visualise what is going to happen when these children grow up and be their own men and women, being fathers and mothers they will be able to transmit these values on their families and to their children because these are values, they are acquiring values, how to behave, how to conduct themselves, this is all part of learning and teaching.”

Maharaj said the festival was able to bring people of varying ages together.

Society, including the media, has become immune to crime and violence at times, so much so that murders are no longer on the front pages of newspapers.

So said Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar yesterday, as she expressed concern about the spiralling crime rate.

She was speaking to members of the media after addressing the congregation at an International Women’s Week service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, Port-of-Spain.

International Women’s Day will be recognised tomorrow under the theme “Be Bold For Change.”

Saying the figures spoke for themselves, Ayers-Caesar said she was particularly worried by the fact that murder accused who appeared before her now were very young, in some instances less than 14.

Saying as a mother she was pained by this, she said, “You have to put on this hard exterior, but every time I see a young man or a young woman before me for murder it breaks your heart, because I have young children and it touches me in that way.

“So I see it as a mother and it is very disheartening.”

Describing the crime situation as very troubling, she said every life lost was one too many.

“It is troubling because I live here and it places a certain amount of fear in you, but because we keep hearing two and three murders every day there are some of us who have become so insensitive to it,” Ayers-Caesar said.

“For example, look at the newspapers... We no longer put it on the front page. We just see a little number at the top to just remind us. It is not in our faces any more and maybe it should be in our faces.”

She said a lot of the crime and violence stemmed from the homes, adding that the products of society also came from the home.

She appealed to the gun-toting young men to put down the weapons and instead take up a “holy book.”

“If the young men would put down the guns and take up the Bible, we would be in a much better place and parents also need to take responsibility, as a family that prays together stays together,” she said.

“We have just thrown out all these values and we need to bring them back.”

Regarding efforts by the various churches to hold nationwide prayer services in light of the upsurge in violence, she said while this was laudable churches also needed to reach out to the young population.

“The churches must take up the mantle and reach out. Our churches are almost empty, so the church has to find a way to get its flock back in,” Ayers-Caesar said.

Statistics for the period January 2015 to December 2016 showed there were 56,744 domestic violence cases filed in all 13 magisterial districts, Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar said yesterday.

She said this was why it is import for all authorities, especially the police, to ensure protection orders are enforced.

“If someone goes to the police station...let’s say before an order has been breached, the thinking cannot be go back home and try to fix it or get a JP and file a complaint,” Ayers-Caesar said.

“The police have a role to play at that point in time. One that is done and a perpetrator is brought before the court, which will deal with that.”

She said upon the initial breach of a protection order, the perpetrator is fined and in the second instance jailed.

On complaints that the police did not seriously heed domestic violence matters, she agreed that more could be done.

“There must be some sort of sensitisation of police officers so that they understand what is important...It comes down to a matter of life and death and they need to act and to act quickly,” Ayers-Caesar said.

Regarding advice to women in domestic violence situations, she said there was help, including non-governmental organisations and the court. But she said abused women may not want to access these avenues for fear of leaving children behind.

“Moving out of your home or sometimes running with your children deter a lot of women from seeking protection.

“We want women to know there is help out there. Coming to the court does not mean that is the end of your family. It may be a means of saving your life,” Ayers-Caesar added.

On the high spate of abuse against women by men, she urged parents to speak to their boys at an early age.

“A lot of parents seem to think that these ‘soft issues’ are not issues to deal with and we have to move away from that. Men need to understand that women are not property and that’s the thinking even in 2017 of a lot a men,” Ayers-Caesar said.

She called on men to be mature enough to step away from relationships which failed or were falling apart instead of resorting to violence.

“We need to come together as adults to do what is best in the interest of our children. A lot of parents do not realise how they interfere with the psyche of their children, so we need to have the discussion from within our homes and try to deal with emotional issues,” she said.

A well known man and his wife were stabbed several times and left for dead at their home in Belmont yesterday morning.

The incident has sparked shock and trauma to close neighbours, family and friends of the elderly couple, identified as Mc Donald Fraser, 85 and Eve Charles-Fraser, 61, of LP 33 Belmont Valley Road.

According to a police report, shortly after 1 am the couple was at their home when they were attacked by intruders.

Police said it is believed the attackers were looking for a male relative of theirs and when they could not find him they attacked the couple instead.

The couple lives on the ground floor of the split level house, while a male relative lives on the top floor.

Police investigators, however, could not give a specific motive for the bloody attack.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Fraser’s daughter, Alicia Brathwaite, said that her father, who sold snow cone for years in the community, was stabbed five times in the back while her step-mother, Charles-Fraser, was stabbed once in the abdomen.

“My dad and his wife had no children together, but they have been married and together for over 20 years. Mummy, as we call her, had to undergo emergency surgery and right now she is being closely monitored because her pressure is very high. The doctors are not allowing any visitors at the moment,” Brathwaite said.

She added, “Daddy is always a jolly guy and despite him being stabbed five times, he is in good spirits.

“The doctors said that his wounds are not so deep and therefore he didn’t need any surgery, but he too is being closely monitored as there is a build up of fluids in the lungs.”

Brathwaite said her father sold snow cone for years and was well-known in the area. “When we got this message this morning (yesterday) we were very shocked and wonder why would anyone would want to hurt them like that,” Brathwaite said.

She, however, admitted that they were yet to be briefed as to the status of the investigations by the police.

A neighbour of the Frasers, who did not want to be identified, described them as very kind and loving people.

“The old man was very kind and both of them peaceful.

“They live here for real years and nothing like this ever happened. They are always so happy and don’t go anywhere.

“I was sleeping so strong that I didn’t know all of this happened right there. It is very frightening and sad at the same time.”

Investigations are continuing.

Minister in the Office of the Attorney General Stuart Young yesterday confirmed that the Government of T&T did hire Group DC as its lobbyist firm in Washington DC.

In a text message response to questions from the Sunday Guardian, Young said the firm ensured the Government of T&T had “a voice in DC” participating in the numerous conversations that can affect T&T in the areas of trade, finance, energy, security and other relationships.

He said the Government would continue to work for T&T in maintaining and building the country’s relationships with the United States and other countries to promote business interests on behalf of the citizens of T&T.

He, however, again denied that the lobbyist group was responsible for the recent telephone call between US President Donald Trump and T&T Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, saying one had nothing to do with the other.

“The recent call between the President of the United States and Prime Minister Rowley was not as a result of the lobbyist firm, as has been clearly stated before, therefore the attempts to link any cost to the public to that call taking place are simply disingenuous and misleading,” Young said.

During recent debate on FATCA legislation in Parliament, Rowley also denied allegations that the Government paid nearly $3 million for the phone call.

Rowley received the call from Trump on February 19 and reportedly discussed security and trade.

Yet another murder was recorded at La Puerta, Diego Martin, yesterday morning, just hours before the commencement of a peace walk led by the chairman of the Diego Martin Regional Corporation Susan Hong.

The murder victim was identified as Joel Solyn of Pregnancy Lane.

According to a police report, Solyn was at his home with other relatives at about 4 am when he heard a loud noise.

Four men dressed in dark clothing entered the house and shot Solyn several times about the body. He died at the scene.

Police said they are yet to determine a motive for the killing, but were not ruling out the possibility that it could be connected to last month’s murder and shooting incident in the area.

On February 7, Western Division police said they were bracing for an upsurge in gang-related incidents following the murder of Sheldon Trimmingham, also of La Puerta. Trimmingham was killed on February 6.

His murder was believed to have been a reprisal for the shooting incident that occurred on February 5, where a gang leader from the area and another gang member were shot and wounded.

Investigations are continuing.
 

There have been over 11,000 reports of domestic violence in the Diego Martin district over a five-year period.

The figure was given by Diego Martin Regional Corporation (DMRC) chairman Susan Hong just before the start of a Walk Against Domestic Violence Towards Women in the region yesterday.

The walk, in keeping with International Women’s Day, which will be celebrated on Wednesday, started at the Big Tree in Diego Martin and ended at the Green Market, Bagatelle. The walk was in collaboration with First Citizens.

Hong said statistics gathered from 2010 to 2015 revealed that 11,441 cases of domestic violence were reported to the police.

“Seventy-five per cent of that figure is against women. Some of the high profile cases we have include businesswomen Vindra Naipaul-Coolman and Dana Seetahal SC. Life means something and one murder is too much.”

Hong added that yesterday’s walk was also to highlight other violence, including the upsurge in crime throughout the country.

In focusing on crime in Diego Martin, Hong admitted she could not say what was causing the upsurge of crime in the area, but promised efforts were being made in collaboration with the T&T Police Service (TTPS) to have more police visibility in the community.

“We want peace. We want a place where we can feel comfortable and safe again,” Hong said.

She added that the DMRC is looking forward to local government reform, which she said will allow them to strengthen and increase their police base.

“Presently, we only have ten police officers and we have three administrative buildings. Our police are overwhelmed and can’t perform as they would like too, hence the reason why we have invited the TTPS to several co-coordinating meetings.

“I don’t have any idea how soon reform will come about, but tomorrow will be soon enough. We really do need it,” Hong said.

First Citizens Marketing Officer—Card Issuing Business Electronic Banking Unit, Martica Crichlow, said the bank’s Pink Card initiative had so far raised $.5 million in financing for non-government organisations such as the Rape Crisis Society that help distressed women.

She said they will soon try to get more NGOs under their wings.

“Our goal since the inception, which was three to four years ago, is to reach out to the women who are faced with domestic violence or other forms of abuse.

“Our aim is growth and to reach out more,” Crichlow told the T&T Guardian.

“Anyone can sign up for the Pink Card and pledge any amount on a monthly basis. These funds are injected to organisations that help women.”

Former Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine yesterday described as “bad news for the energy sector,” the decision by Methanol Holdings Trinidad Limited (MHTL) to shut down two of its five methanol plants at the Plipdeco estate and offer VSEP to the affected workers.

The decision was announced last Friday in a meeting between workers and the operator, Industrial Plant Services Ltd. The shut down comes as the Point Lisas-based company is faced with the problem of a gas shortage.

MHTL is the second company located at Plipdeco which reported a shortage in gas. The first company faced with the problem was Caribbean Ispat, which also ended operations here one year ago.

Commenting on the news yesterday, Ramnarine said it was unfortunate the National Gas Company Ltd could not come to an agreement with MHTL.

In emailed response, he said: “My understanding is that MHTL put forward a number of commercial proposals which were not accepted by the NGC. It’s very disappointing that this has happened, since methanol prices are very good at this time. It’s also likely that the gas supply situation will improve at the end of 2017 and into 2018.”

Weighing in on initiatives such as the Dragon Field in Venezuela, he said, “The Venezuela/Dragon deal is fraught with political risk. I saw one gentleman say we will get gas from Venezuela in 2019. I’m happy if that happens but it seems overly optimistic.”

Ramnarine added: “BP’s TROC is on target to deliver gas. It will help but not cure the problem. The BP Juniper project is also on target. It too will help but again it won’t cure the entire problem of the shortage. The BP Savannah exploration well is being drilled and we await the outcome.”

While MHTL has not announced how much staff will be affected, Ramnarine said it was unfortunate workers would lose jobs as a result of the shut down.

“If MHTL decides in 12 months to restart these two plants, it is likely that these workers would have moved on and won’t be available to MHTL. That means re-mobilising for restarting the plants would be more costly.”

Overall, Ramnarine questioned why the Poten and Partners Gas Master plan has not been implemented and called for its implementation.

“Poten and Partners completed the Gas Master Plan in August 2015. The election came and the PNM decided they wanted to make changes and review it. I have no issue there , but that was 18 months ago.”

Critical of the decision-making process within the energy sector, Ramnarine said the pace has clearly slowed.

“In addition, we are facing a tough situation at the Ministry of Energy with the departure of the top tier of public servants via retirement. I am optimistic, however, that there are some bright young persons at the ministry who can step up if given the chance.”

Efforts to contact Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus were unsuccessful yesterday, as she did not answer her cellphone or respond to messages.