Former attorney general, Anand Ramlogan SC, who led a legal challenge against the Government’s property tax exercise

He is holding on to his position the process was not consistent with established protocol.

Ramlogan, who is representing former United National Congress minister, Devant Maharaj in the courtroom challenge, was responding to Registrar of the Supreme Court, Jade Rodriguez.

Rodriquez, in a letter to Ramlogan last Friday, insisted proper protocol was followed in the fixing of an appointment for the Appeal Court to hear the Government’s appeal of Justice Frank Seepersad’s judgment on Maharaj’s property tax case.

Her letter was in response to Ramlogan, who questioned how could Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi announce in Parliament shortly after Seepersad’s ruling on Friday 19 that the matter was being appealed and the hearing fixed for the following Monday.

Early last week, Ramlogan said Rodriguez, who is also the manager of the Registry for the Court of Appeal, told him no appeal had been listed.

Rodriguez said Ramlogan’s publicising of the matter without consulting her would have led observers to assume he intended to impute collusion between the AG and the Judiciary in the filing of Appeal Court matters.

She also noted Ramlogan raised concerns in a letter to her on May 21.

Seepersad last week granted a temporary halt to the submission of forms sent out by the Government to thousands of citizens in the first phase of the roll out of the property tax.

But Ramlogan, in a letter to Rodriguez yesterday, said while he was heartened to know she held the view proper protocol was followed, he wished to clarify certain facts for the public record.

Ramlogan said Rodriguez’s letter has, in fact, confirmed collusion between the AG and the Judiciary.

“This cannot be consistent with established practice and protocol and, if it is, then it must be immediately changed because it is patently unfair and wrong.

“My client should have been kept abreast of these developments so that he could make representations to the learned judge on his own behalf in pretty much the same way the government was doing.”

He said the public was never informed there was an application or attempt by the AG on May 19, a mere hour after Justice Seepersad delivered judgment, to move the Court of Appeal on an urgent basis to deal with the matter that very night.

“I was never advised of this fact by anyone. More importantly, we were never informed this application or attempt had been rejected by Justice Mendonca who indicated insufficient reasons were presented to move the Court of Appeal that night.

“This fact should have been communicated to the public and Maharaj’s legal team. It is noteworthy the Attorney General made no mention of this when he dealt with this matter in Parliament the same Friday night.”

Ramlogan told Rodriguez that not having been informed of these developments, it is unfair the court took a decision that “should a Notice of Appeal be filed and/or forwarded by the Intended Appellant (the state), the appeal will be listed for Monday 22 May, 2017”.

“That such a decision could have been taken without giving us the opportunity to be heard is unfortunate as the court was making a judgment call on a non-existent, unfiled appeal it had not yet seen.

“This was not what was stated by the Attorney General in parliament. He announced as a fact that the appeal ‘is on for 9am on Monday’.

“He did not say it was conditional upon the state filing its Notice of Appeal.

“Based on the disclosure, it is clear his announcement was plainly misleading and inaccurate as it contained a significant omission.”

Ramlogan told Rodriguez her office ought to have immediately corrected this misrepresentation which was widely carried in the media as it gave his client and the public the impression the Government was able to get a non-existent appeal, that had not even been filed or fixed for hearing in time.

He said this was done as a “politically face-saving announcement” in Parliament.

“That the government was able to accomplish all of this in the space of one hour after the decision of Justice Seepersad is incredible to say the least.”

He told Rodriguez when she communicated Justice Mendonca’s decision to Deborah Peake SC, representing the Commissioner of Valuations, at 7:16 pm on May 19, someone should have had the professional courtesy to inform his client’s legal team of this significant development.

“According to you, that was the responsibility of the Government’s legal team.

Rodriguez, in her letter to Ramlogan said, “it is the duty of the Appellant to notify the Respondent of the date and time for the hearing of the appeal”.

Ramlogan said if so, they failed to do so. “No one informed us about this development so that we could ensure we could adjust our court diaries to deal with this sudden Monday fixture.

“This is simply not right and if the shoe were on the other foot I daresay stronger objection would have been taken by the Government.

He said the President of the Court hearing these matters, Justice Jamadar, indicated that the panel of judges were only contacted late Saturday night around 7 pm to see “whether” they would be prepared to grant “an appointment”.

He said it was passing strange the AG was able to make a public announcement in Parliament on Friday that their unfiled appeal will in fact be heard on Monday at 9 am, when on Saturday night the panel of judges were only now being contacted for the first time to see whether they would grant an appointment, Ramlogan argued.

Not protocol Immediate correction

Two regional ambassadors based in Port-of-Spain along with the leader of a local political party signed a declaration in solidarity with the government of people of Venezuela in Lopinot on Saturday.

Signing the Declaration in Solidarity with People and Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela were Ambassador of Cuba Guillermo Vázquez Moreno, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic Dr José Serulle Ramia, as well as political leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) David Abdulah.

This took place as the Lopinot/La Pastora Community Council in collaboration with the Embassy of Venezuela celebrated Cruz de Mayo at the Lopinot Historical Complex in Lopinot.

Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, has seen almost daily demonstrations in recent weeks, some of which have turned violent.

Critics are accusing President Nicolas Maduro of moving the South American towards a dictatorship, and want him to resign. But Maduro says the opposition is conspiring with foreign entities, specifically the US, to destabilise the country.

On Saturday, however, the atmosphere was a festive one for Venezuelan Ambassador Coromoro Godoy Calderon and Venezuelans living in Trinidad, as people from all across the T&T and other Spanish-speaking countries as well as visiting Venezuelans journeyed to Lopinot to celebrate the Feast of the May Cross (Cruz de Mayo) with residents of that community.

Cruz de Mayo is an expression of the people and their creative power. People sing to the “Holy Tree,” and pay tribute to nature at the beginning of the rainy season to bring good harvests.

The May Cross tradition began in old Europe when a young girl would be adorned with flowers in commemoration of the goddess Maya the “splendour of nature” representing eternity as spring is the time of renewal. There was celebration of dancing.

Among participants were Grupo Madera from San Agustin, Caracas, Venezuela, as well as students from the Venezuelan Institute for Cultural Cooperation and Jugadores de Unidos Parang Group. Chief of the Santa Rosa Carib Community Ricardo Bharath Hernandez, and Carib Queen Jennifer Cassar also attended.

On the eve of the Indian Arrival Day holiday yesterday, Enigma Events Limited, the company that operates the Indian Expo located obliquely opposite the Centre of Excellence in Macoya, Tunapuna, has been ordered by the High Court to stop conducting trade at the location by midnight on June 6.

Presiding at the Hall of Justice in Port-of- Spain, Justice Carol Gobin ruled that the company did not have approval from the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation (TPRC) to conduct business at the site and ordered them to cease and desist until it secures the necessary approvals.

The TPRC had taken legal action against Enigma Events, citing the building regulations which fall under its ambit.

Attorney for the company, Simon de la Bastide, instructed by Nyree Alfonso, agreed that his client did not have approval from the TPRC’s engineer, but argued that they lacked the required locus standi to facilitate the proceedings.

Justice Gobin had initially suggested the temporary operation of the Expo given the closeness of Indian Arrival Day, after which they would be required to seek the necessary approvals. However, after deliberations the company agreed to stop conducting business on the site by June 6 and to begin dismantling its structure by the following day

The company will seek the TPRC’s approval before recommencing any trade or business operations and has been ordered to pay their costs of $2,500.

Farai Hove Masaisai appeared for the TPRC in the matter which was heard on May 26.

The TPRC said it pursued the matter in the High Court to have the issue ventilated and adjudicated and to ensure all businesses in the region meet the required standards set out in the Municipal Corporation Act.

Devin “Country” Wilson, a suspect in the abduction and murder of Central businessman Julian Moonsammy, was killed by police on Sunday night after he allegedly shot at them as they were searching for him.

Police reports are that around 8.30 pm, officers from the North Eastern Division Task Force received information in relation to Moonsammy’s killing and went to Wilson’s home off Laventille Road, San Juan, in an area known as Pepper Hill.

While walking through a bushy area, police said they saw Wilson, 37, fleeing his home and they chased after him.

Wilson reportedly fired at the officers and they returned fire, injuring him. He was taken to the nearby Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex Hospital in Mt Hope where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police recovered a revolver at the scene. Officers also arrested a Laventille man yesterday morning in connection with Moonsammy’s killing.

Moonsammy, a 56-year-old foreign-used car dealer, was abducted last Wednesday and found murdered in a wooden shack in the hills of San Juan.

The Church Street, Cunupia man was snatched from a construction site in St Helena just after noon and his body found around 7 pm at Sou Sou Lands, off Laventille Road, Febeau Village, San Juan, after his stolen Nissan Navarra was traced to near the location.

With no idea why he was shot and no word yet from doctors on his condition, relatives of retired Fire Station Officer (FSO) Robin Sookdeo are today praying for a miracle.

Sookdeo, 56, was shot in the right side of his face at his New Settlement, Dow Village, Couva home yesterday. The bullet is said to have shattered in his head.

His sister, Indira Ali, 53, was also shot once in the leg by a gunman who stormed their home.

According to reports, Sookdeo was accosted by the gunman around 10.55 am and shot in the face. On hearing the gunshot, Ali ran out and the gunman shot her in the leg before escaping in a drain near the roadway.

Sookdeo retired from the T&T Fire Service several years ago. Speaking outside the Emergency Department of the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday, one of Sookdeo’s daughters, Risa Sookhoo, told the T&T Guardian her family had no idea why the two were attacked.

She said her father was had undergone an x-ray and was expected to undergo emergency surgery overnight.

“The entire family is just trying to stay strong right now for him. The doctors are not saying much, they said the bullet shattered into fragments in his head and they have not told us what are his chances of surviving,” she said.

Sookdeo is currently employed at the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation as a security officer and Ali is a security officer with Amalgamated Security Services Ltd.

Ali was listed in stable condition and was said to be recovering well last night.

The Government Information Services Limited (GISL) will be no more and its 60 employees will be sent home, Minister of Communications Maxie Cuffie confirmed yesterday.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian, Cuffie said the company has been losing money, with its assets exceeding liabilities by $19 million.

“We have been spending $14 million to keep it going but it is not prodding anything,” Cuffie said hours after met with employees to tell them of the decision.

He said a new board will be appointed for the winding up process and it will determine the terminal benefits for the employees.

“It is an operational board that will be appointed by the Ministry of Finance,” Cuffie said.

Cabinet, he added, will confirm the board members on Thursday.

“It pained me to do this. It was a painful decision for me because I worked there and I hired a number of them there, but it is something that needs to be done. Media companies have been experiencing difficult times and this is generally a cause of concern,” Cuffie said.

Speaking under strict anonymity yesterday, a GISL employee said most of them were shocked over the sudden news.

“Not any one of us thought we would have woken up this morning, gone to our workplace and return home with this news knowing that we don’t have a job to go to now. It is very hard to swallow and to accept,” the employee said.

Another employee, who also wished not to be identified, said initially she had heard GISL would be wrapped up within the next two months but was surprised to know that that changed to “immediate.”

She added that many people are still owed gratuity and wondered if they will ever receive it with.

“Will they still be paid their gratuities? Over 100 were retrenched before and now us, 60. We were told that there would have been no new contracts and that contracts would not be renewed, now, suddenly, pops up to say it is over,” the employee said.

In a 2016 report on the future of the Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG) and GISL, it was recommended that GISL be dissolved, its television station TV4 be disposed of and all contract work be ceased.

It also found that GISL and the Government Information Services Department (GISD) provided the same services. The report said GISL should be dissolved as a limited liability company and GISD restructured to co-ordinate the implementation of government’s information policy and provide services aligned with that particular function, as well as to support ministries and departments with the dissemination of information. The report said there should be complete reintegration by July 2016.

The report, which was prepared by the company’s board under former chairman Helen Drayton, also recommended CNMG change its name to the Broadcasting Trust Corporation (BTC) T&T Ltd to be more reflective of its mandate.

A welfare officer at the St Mary’s Home in Tacarigua has been beaten by a resident of the home.

It’s the third serious incident in which a staff member was attacked for the year and staffers, who earlier this year invoked section 15 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act by refusing to work in circumstances in which their lives are in danger, are now appealing to the authorities to do something.

The representing Public Services Association (PSA) said it is concerned that the workers’ lives are at risk, adding that because of constraints under the Children’s Authority Act, the workers cannot even restrain a child when they are being attacked.

In the latest incident, the T&T Guardian was told the child and the welfare officer were on a bus when the child suddenly started rolling on the ground. The officer got up and checked the child, who then turned on the officer, grabbed her glasses and started hitting and scraping her in the face.

The incident came less than a month after a meeting called by the Children’s Authority, which was attended by the PSA, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development Jacqui Johnson and Chief Personnel Officer.

PSA second vice president Ian Murray told the T&T Guardian the issue of staff operating under circumstances where they are being attacked by inmates with mental problems was raised at the meeting, but they were advised by the Children’s Authority that the children’s welfare was paramount and staff could be culpable if anything happens to any child.

Murray said the union has recommended that “the CPO needs to ensure that psychiatric nurses and/or orderlies skilled in deviant behaviour and how to treat with it be employed at the home.”

Following an incident in March, workers said they had had enough and refused to work citing section 15 of the OSH Act. The manager of the home reported the workers to the OSH Authority.

But the T&T Guardian understands an investigation conducted by the OSH Authority showed little sympathy for the manager, whom it said had failed to comply with the act and supported the decision taken by the workers.

The St Mary’s Home is run by the Anglican Board but efforts to contact head of the Anglican Church, Bishop Claude Berkeley, were unsuccessful yesterday as he is currently out of the country. The T&T Guardian also tried to contact the manager of the home Patricia Martin the Minister of Social Development Cherrie Ann Crichlow-Cockburn without success.

Bay Ferries, the Canadian Company which had the contract to service the inter-island passenger ferries for 11 years, is insisting its management contract with the Port Authority of T&T was valued at just under TT$7 million a year and not US$7 million. But figures obtained by the T&T Guardian tell a different story.

Port insiders said the management fee, which was US$954,475, “was just a small part of what we paid annually. In addition to the management fee we also paid for parts, maintenance, crew and airfare for their maintenance team to and from the country. We also paid housing accommodation and other incidentals, all of which was paid in US dollars.”

A breakdown of the invoice paid to the company for the year 2014-2015 and which is similar to invoices paid in previous years, gives the breakdown for payment:

Management contract—US$954,475

Wages and benefits—US$2,907,157.96

Crew accommodation—US$151,500

Accommodation & cleaning— US$21,933.71

Meal allowance BFML—US$233,335,

Vehicle rentals—US$93,544.54

Utilities—US$26,194.32

Insurance ship managers—US $14,649.16

Maintenance—US $2,205,695.21

Captain petty cash—US$4,375.06

Staff reimbursement non-management—US$120,480.00

Agency fees Melville Shipping—US$191,614.34

The figures represent an annual cost to the country of US 7,236,218.77

Last Friday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said both inter-island passenger vessels—the T&T Spirit and T&T Express—had been operating without maintenance for a long time. He added to concerns voiced by both former port commissioner Ferdie Ferreira and Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union president Michael Annisette that US$7 million was paid annually for 11 years for the maintenance of the vessels.

Rowley also expressed concern that the Port had been left with no maintenance data and that Government had since sent to the Australian manufacturers to advise the port on how to proceed.

Yesterday, Bay Ferries said it left the country on September 30, 2016, when its management contract with the Port ended, adding “throughout our entire time serving the people of Trinidad and Tobago we supported an exceedingly reliable ferry service with vessels maintained to international technical and regulatory standards.”

The company insisted that “some Trinidadian navigation officers developed high speed ferry expertise second to none in the world.”

As to the current problems on the inter-island service, it said the Port Authority was “well aware of the need for significant scheduled maintenance projects on both vessels after September 30th 2016.” Bay Ferries insisted that as it prepared to finish its assignment, “we supported whatever transition was going to take place, in a number of ways.”

This, according to Bay Ferries, included delivering all BFML controlled and approved safety management documentation to the port, facilitating direct contact with the port so that any BFML personnel who so wished could continue to work with the port after the company left on September 30.

Bay Ferries is also saying that contrary to what is being said, “all vessel technical plans, manuals and other documentation remained on board the vessels.” It is also insisted “historical vessel maintenance data remained fully accessible on board databases,” but it said to access those databases the Port had to arrange “for its own software licence and applicable training,” which it said subsequently occurred.

According to Bay Ferries, the port was in possession “of very detailed technical reports of all significant work undertaken on the vessels over the years. The company said it was “saddened” that it was being blamed for the difficulties now being experienced on the ferry service.

Port Authority chairman Allison Lewis yesterday told the T&T Guardian that she was holding fast to her position that “we did not negotiate properly with Bay Ferries.” She said her priority now is finding a vessel for the inter-island ferry service.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has accused the Government of attacking workers on all fronts following the retrenchment of 119 administrators assigned to the On-The-Job (OJT) programme which falls under the Ministry of Labour.

CWU President John Julien promised to battle with the Government for their reinstatement and ensure they received money owed to them.

Addressing some of the workers and the media during a press conference at the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-Operative Studies, Valsayn yesterday, Julien said the rationale used to retrench the workers was baseless and without merit.

Workers from Port-of-Spain, Chaguanas and San Fernando learned of their fate only last Friday, after being directed to collect their cheques at the College. Julien said while all 119 persons were paid, there was a huge discrepancy regarding the severance benefits.

He said that prior to the 2015 general election, the workers should have been considered for permanent appointments.

Failing this, Julien said, when the People’s National Movement (PNM) assumed office, some workers were allowed to continue working according to their existing terms and conditions while three-year contracts were awarded to new employees entering the system for the period 2015 to 2018.

The retrenched workers included clerks, administrative assistants, payroll personnel, human resource specialists and employment organisers.

Julien said the workers were responsible for the placement and payment of the over 4,000 OJT employees that were currently in the system.

Julien said similar situations had been taking place involving workers at Tourism Development Company, Caroni Green Ltd and the Government Human Resource Services Company Limited (GHRS).

He said the latest group of workers was informed in February that there was going to be a reorganisation detailing the roles, functions and responsibilities of employees and that staff would be reduced.

Julien said this was not the case, as all 119 workers received termination letters and were told to reapply for work.

He accused the Minister of Labour Jennifer Baptiste-Primus of delivering a death sentence to the workers. He said while the job titles had been changed, the scope and functions of work had remained the same thereby highlighting the fact that the posts had not been made redundant.

Pointing to the huge gaps in the payment of severance benefits, Julien said persons who had been offered contracts after the PNM assumed office in 2015, had their contracts bought out to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

He said those workers would have been paid more than $150,000 each, while employees who had been working for close to eight years and more had only received one year’s severance in varying amounts but not exceeding $30,000 in some of the cases.

He demanded an urgent meeting with Baptiste-Primus to clarify the issues that had arisen.

Julien said the union was prepared to follow the necessary procedures before the matter reached the Industrial Court.

CWU’s Ag Secretary General, Clyde Elder, described the situation as “disheartening” as he said Government had been imploring the private sector to explore other ways of generating revenue and reducing costs, instead of retrenching workers.

He said the Government was not following this advice as they seemed hell-bent on sending workers home every time they had a chance.

President Anthony Carmona has appealed to citizens to follow the indentureship system of panchayat to bring about amicable redress in society.

As citizens of the country continue to live in trying times, burdened by intolerance, indiscipline, conflict and a depreciation of the sanctity of life, Carmona said we need a change in that eternal fight against man’s inhumanity to man.

“Because of indentureship, a traditional method of amicable redress is available to us in the form of the ‘panchayat’ system. The ‘panchayat’ system is one of the earliest manifestations of mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution. It represents a cultural solution to resolving conflict in our communities. The ‘panchayat’ was indeed a forerunner that actualised a restorative justice that can ameliorate individuals or a community enveloped in conflict and burdened by discord. The ‘panchayat’ system, one of the hallmarks of indentureship, is a way of resolving social conflict through the power of mediation and alternative dispute resolution.”

This was the message Carmona relayed in a press release issued yesterday on the occasion of Indian Arrival Day.

With fervent hope, tremendous uncertainty and unbridled enthusiasm, Carmona said Indentured labourers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal and Madras crossed the ‘Kala Pani’ on board the ‘Fatel Razack’ 172 years ago and did not look back.

Carmona said the emphasis and care traditionally placed on the environment and “Dharti Mata” (Mother Earth) in the East Indian way of life, should be mirrored and pursued aggressively within our nation.

“It will help us, if we are to adequately and proactively address the ravages of climate change and environmental degradation. Small Island Developing States like T&T and the rest of the Caribbean are at phenomenal risk. There is a clear and present danger. So important is this working philosophy of “Dharti Mata” in East Indian culture, that even some plants and animals are revered, protected and treated as genuine manifestations of a living God,” Carmona said.

He said the Indian diaspora places great emphasis on respect for parents, elders and also nurtures in all the need for hard work, sacrifice and a sound education.

“At the end of indentureship, education became the vehicle of social mobility and change eradicating poverty and garnering respect through sustainable, economically viable and satisfying careers and we all must learn and be guided by this. Through the power of education, East Indians have been able to reach the highest heights in various fields locally, regionally and internationally. The indentured left a veritable generational legacy that hard work, sacrifice and the pursuit of education can bring progress,” Carmona said.

Through indentureship, he said, we are now able to embrace the positives of East Indian culture.

“It is noteworthy that some of the very solutions that we seek can be sourced from traditional philosophies and practices that can guide us.”

Carmona said philosophies of food sustainability and food security are increasingly pertinent in this time of economic uncertainty and financial downturn.

“That philosophy of self-sustainability and that buzz expression, food security may well have emanated from the planting culture of the East Indians, involved in sugar, rice and cocoa production.”

For the second time in two weeks disgruntled Morvant residents blocked the Lady Young Road demanding Government immediate intervention to improve the standard of living in the community including a proper water supply and making employment opportunities available to them.

The residents, who blocked the road and lit tyres from as early as 5.30 am, vowed to keep up the protests until they get a response from the authorities. The residents denied that their protest action was politically motivated.

On May 15, residents in a co-ordinated protest blocked off areas of the Lady Young Road and the Eastern Main Road which led to gridlock traffic for those entering Port-of-Spain. The Priority Bus Route was opened up to help alleviate the traffic congestion and bring relief to stranded commuters.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, one of the protestors, Akeil Baig said after the first protest they met with their Member for Parliament (Laventille West), Fitzgerald Hinds who listened to their concerns.

“He only listened but he said that he could not do anything to help right now. So who we could turn to in the long run, then.”

“Right now we are faced with bad roads, the community centre need fixing and we need programmes for the youth. But right now we are being neglected and it is like nobody cares,” Baig said.

Another resident, who asked not to be identified, said police officers instead of giving guidance to the youth they were provoking them.

“Them police and them is no good. They harassing us and saying they will lock us up but for what? Not all ah we here is criminals and bad in here you know,” the resident said.

Chairman of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Romney Thomas said he made some enquiries yesterday when he heard about the protest and got information that a spring in the area had dried up.

He said he was not sure as to whether it was because of the harsh dry season or if that the spring is no longer viable.

Thomas said WASA officials will visit the area soon “to put a more solution in place, to see if they could come up with a viable solution.”

Text messages to Hinds were not answered.

Two fishermen from south Trinidad arrested in connection with a $20 million cocaine seizure in the Gulf of Paria last week, have each been granted $500,000 bail.

Sharma Kissoon, 62, of Embacadere, San Fernando, and Nigel Ramcharan, of Lothians Road, Princes Town, were granted the bail by acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court after appearing before her charged with trafficking 40.7 kilos of cocaine.

Venezuelan national Roberto Gamboa, who was also arrested was denied bail.

In addition to the cocaine trafficking charge, the men were also charged under the Customs Act with attempting to import a controlled substance into T&T.

In their application for bail, Kissoon and Ramcharan’s attorneys Devvon Williams and Criston J Williams argued that there clients should be granted bail as their case was likely to be delayed as an apparatus for testing drug samples at the Forensic Science Centre in St James was not working.

Busby Earle-Caddle agreed but required that they obtain two sureties for their bail to be approved. She adjourned the case to June 23.

Kissoon, Ramcharan and Gamboa were arrested aboard a pirogue in the Gulf of Paria by members of the T&T Coast Guard last Thursday. They were arrested and handed over to the Organised Crime and Narcotics and Firearms Bureau (OCNFB) after the illegal drugs were allegedly found on their boat.

Kissoon and Gamboa are also being represented by Kelston Pope. The Customs and Excise Division was represented by Harricharan Cassie.

A Penal mother is claiming discrimination after her daughter, who has spina bifida and uses a walker, was rejected by three primary schools.

The matter is already getting the attention of Education Minister Anthony Garcia who has said no child should be denied access to education on the basis of a disability or any other challenge. He has promised to find a place for five-year-old Khaleesi Webb.

The girl’s mother, Kerisha Crawford Webb, said she cannot afford to pay for her daughter to attend a private school as it is already expensive to provide her with a walker and specially-fitted shoes.

The mother of two, of Charleau Village, Penal, said she registered Khaleesi at three primary schools—Dayanand Vedic, Tulsa Trace Hindu in Penal, and St Brigid’s RC, Siparia.

She said in the place on the registration forms where she was asked about any health challenges she indicated that her daughter has spina bifida and uses a walker.

Crawford Webb said she became worried when she got responses from two of the schools that her daughter had not been accepted.

No reasons were given. When she called the third school she was told they had already accepted their intake. 

“My child was not given a fair chance. She was not called to be tested like the other applicants, some of whom were accepted, others rejected.

“My daughter is very brilliant. What she lacks physically, God has made up for it with her brains.

“I can think of no other reason why she was not afforded the opportunity to be tested, except for her disability.”

Crawford Webb said she spoke to the principal of two of the schools and they promised to review her application.

“But it is almost the end of the term and my child does not have a school to attend when the new term starts,” she said.

She said she has been calling and visiting different education offices in the St Patrick and Victoria Divisions, but is being given the run around. 

“I even reported it to the Equal Opportunities Commission and they told me they would investigate and if there is no good reason why Khaleesi was denied entry, then they would proceed,” Crawford Webb said.

Education Minister

Garcia said it is the policy of the Ministry of Education to ensure that every child of school age has access to education, regardless of any challenges or disability, must have access to education. He said this is in keeping with their policy of inclusion.

“You cannot deny a child from entering a school because the child has a disability or some kind of challenge.

“The Education Act mandates patents to ensure that they send their children to school. If they are in breach of this Act, parents can be hauled before the courts,” he said.

“This provision places on the Ministry of Education a responsibility to ensure all children have access to education.

“You cannot, on the one hand, force parents to send their children to school and on the other hand, deny them access.”

Garcia said he would do all he can to ensure that every child between the ages of five to 16 has access to education.

“I am asking the parents to write to me and I will make sure that child is admitted to a school in the St Patrick district, in September,” the minister said.

WHAT IS SPINA BIFIDA?

Spina bifida is caused when a baby’s spine and spinal cord don’t develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine. It is a type of neural tube defect. 

The neural tube is the structure that eventually develops into the baby’s brain and spinal cord and it starts to form in early pregnancy and closes about four weeks after conception.

In spina bifida, part of the neural tube doesn’t develop or close properly, leading to defects in the spinal cord and bones of the spine (vertebrae). It’s not known what causes it but a lack of folic acid before and in the early stages of pregnancy is a significant risk factor.

Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha’s (SDMS) Sat Maharaj is calling on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to fire Finance Minister Colm Imbert.

Speaking at an SDMS Indian Arrival Day event at the Parvati Girls Hindu College in Debe yesterday, Maharaj drew laughter from the crowd when he suggested his grandmother as a replacement for the minister.

Noting that T&T is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, Maharaj said: “Yet everyday we are told that we are in a recession and we do not have money and therefore we must make more sacrifices.

“I want to use this platform to ask the Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to have an immediate reshuffle in his Cabinet and what I recommend that you do sir, is that you immediately replace Colm Imbert as Minister of Finance and appoint my grandmother as the Minister of Finance.”

Maharaj said Imbert does not know how to handle tough economic times.

“I believe that old lady has more savvy than Colm Imbert. All Colm Imbert has is mouth and action, no brain power at all. They had been born with a gold spoon in their mouth therefore they don’t know how to eat maar and baat—that is rice and the part you strain out.”

Maharaj also called for Education Minister Anthony Garcia, who he said was a former friend, to hand over two unfinished schools in Debe for the Maha Sabha to complete.

“Give us Ramai Trace Hindu School just as it is and we will complete it. Give us Reform Hindu School just as it is and we will complete it,” he said.

“We will collect cent and penny from our devotees and we will complete it. We will have people working 24 hours a day to ensure that these two schools are completed—this is a challenge to you.”

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Eclac) and T&T have agreed to increase bilateral co-operation in economic development and energy. This is the outcome of a meeting between Eclac Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in Santiago, Chile, on Monday.

Bárcena said: “We are totally committed to the Caribbean and we advocate so that their nations are not unjustly qualified as middle-income countries, a situation that complicates their access to financing.”

She said special attention should be paid to the triple vulnerability Caribbean territories suffer, manifested in the fact that they are deeply affected by climate change, have difficulties financing their economies, and are burdened with a high public debt which totals 70 per cent of the subregion’s gross domestic product (GDP) on average.

Bárcena also spoke of the need to reduce the debt of English-speaking Caribbean island states, including pardoning part of their debt to create a resilience fund that allows for financing climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

“We are ready to help you. We want to know what your needs are to provide assistance for overcoming the problems that affect the Caribbean today,” she said.

Rowley said he recognised that the debt problem is a challenge for Caribbean countries and called for Eclac’s proposal to be promoted at the highest level, especially among Caricom heads of state.

“Eclac’s work is fundamental in order for governments in our region to choose the most suitable public policies for their population,” he said.

Rowley said T&T is experiencing a “perfect storm ” and in addition to declining oil production, there has also been a drop in the price of commodities, creating a situation that has affected economic growth.

“For that reason, the advice and counsel that Eclac can give us to diversify our economy will be vital for deciding what course of action we must take,” he said.

Rowley is expected home today following a two day official visit to Chile.

His official delegation includes Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, Energy Minister Franklin Khan, and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Stuart Young.

Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen, yesterday renewed his call for the resignation of Chief Justice Ivor Archie, saying he is responsible for the fiasco in the judiciary following the elevation of Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar to the High Court.

Ramdeen, an attorney, called a news conference at his Woodbrook chambers yesterday, declaring that he was “not hiding behind anything to say that the Chief Justice must go.”

He said he had information from a summit of specially selected people convened by Archie last week Wednesday to determine the way forward for 53 matters left unresolved by Ayers-Caesar.

It was attended by three judges of the Court of Appeal, three High Court judges, four magistrates, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Registrar of the Supreme Court and two members of the Law Association.

A media release from the Judiciary, dated May 25 said during the meeting “consensus was reached” and it was agreed that all 53 part heard matters would be restarted “de novo.”

However, according to Ramdeen, Sophia Chote SC, who attended the meeting, has since written to the Law Association stating that when she and others, including the DPP pointed out that matters being heard de novo required the notes of evidence from the earlier hearing, they “were met by loud and lengthy discourse by Browne-Antoine J who disagreed, and went on to say that she wanted to be ‘put down’ there so she could wrap up the cases. “

Ramdeen said Chote insisted that there was “certainly no decision taken on the matter (to have the cases started de novo) nor were we individually polled for our views.”

She added: “We were not asked to view any press release nor were we told that there was going to be a press release. There was certainly no collective decision taken at the meeting.”

Chote could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Ramdeen said he wanted to know why the accused in the matters were not given a hearing at the meeting.

Acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby-Earle Caddle is expected to hear the matters on Thursday.

Ramdeen said he plans to begin proceedings in the High Court to quash the decision of the summit and declare it unlawful, without jurisdiction and null and void.

He said the matter is very serious and requires the intervention of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and President Anthony Carmona.

Ramdeen said while Rowley is not responsible for the situation, he should act because he is the leader of the Government and President Carmona holds the highest position in the country.

“We must find a way to rescue ourselves from where we are now and somebody has to be held accountable for where we are today,” he said.

Police have come across evidence that the murder of 24-year-old Tobago tour guide Michael “Five-O” Jacob was a hit ordered by one of his close friends.

An eyewitness to the murder told investigators Jacob’s murder was planned by five of his friends, one of whom is the son of a prominent businessman and another a special reserve police officer. Police sources told the T&T Guardian they have information that suggests Jacob was killed to silence him.

His body was found in the backseat of a Nissan B14 at Bachan Trace, St Mary’s, Moruga, on May 16. Police said Jacob and his circle of friends had been involved in a series of armed robberies and at the time of his murder he was before the court on a gun-related charge. However, he was trying to turn his life around and after he indicated this to his friends, a plan was hatched to get rid of him permanently.

Police have linked the murder to a massive robbery ring heavily involved in drugs, arms and ammunition. Jacob was initially the main suspect in a murder in the area but “fell off the radar” after an eyewitness gave critical information on the identity of the killer.

On the night Jacob was killed, he was invited to a lime in Princes Town. During the lime he was asked to accompany three men to Lengua Road, Indian Walk. Police believe it was during that trip Jacob was killed.

Investigators are looking for three men in connection with his murder.

Jacob had been a registered tour guide in Tobago and was the owner of Mollie’s Tour Limited. However, he returned to Trinidad because he thought he was too far from his family.

Officers are calling for anyone with information to contact the nearest police station or Crime Stoppers at 800-TIPS (8477).

Forensic pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov says he is ready to pack up and leave before his contract ends in 2019 because he is tired of the mismanagement at the Forensic Science Centre.

Alexandrov told the T&T Guardian he is “sick and tired” of what has been happening, particularly with Tobago autopsies. He said he had to fly to Tobago recently to perform three autopsies because the two other pathologists, Dr Eslyn McDonald-Burris is currently on vacation and Dr Hughvon Des Vignes has repeatedly refused to go to Tobago to do autopsies and instead asked for the bodies to be brought to Trinidad.

Alexandrov said twice before there were problems where families had to wait weeks before they could have closure because autopsies were not being done. Of the 20 autopsies done for the year so far in Tobago, 11 were done by him and the rest by McDonald-Burris, he said.

He said to make matters worse, there are only four mortuary attendants. He reiterated that it is international standard to have one attendant to every 100 cases and there is an average of 1200 cases annually.

“I am 70 years old and today I was handling bodies by myself. I am sick and tired, sick and tired,” he said.

“What is going on is a complete catastrophe. They spent $3.5 million on a facility that can’t be used because the draining was not done properly. Imagine the fluids that we deal with, blood and what not, cannot flow into the drains so there are stains on the floor.”

In August last year, Alexandrov staged a one man protest and refused to do any work for two days unless he was sufficiently staffed after working for six weeks straight.

Two weeks later three temporary employees were hired to assist the pathologists.

Dr Austin Trinidade, PRO of the T&T Medical Association, says regional health authorities (RHAs) cannot stop doctors in the public health sector from also having private practices since they cannot compensate them adequately.

He said instead consultants should be allowed private practice on the days their contracts permit.

Trinidade was responding to Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh’s claim that doctors are spending more time in their private practices and not showing up for work at public hospitals even though they are paid to do so.

The minister raised the issue at a public health consultation in San Fernando last Thursday.

The minister expressed concern that the issue of doctors working in private practice while being employed in the public health health sector was being studiously avoided at the consultations.

Trinidade said T&T is not the only country with doctors working in both public and private practices.

“In most parts of the world doctors who are specialists are permitted private practice in addition to their hospital practice.

“What is unusual about Trinidad is that doctors below the post of consultant also carry out private practice, sometimes in direct competition with their seniors.

“This leads to both sets abandoning hospitals, leaving them to be manned by junior inexperienced staff.

“That is not a widespread occurrence but we acknowledge that it does happen,” he said.

Trinidade said most specialists divide their time fairly between the private and public sectors and their contracts allow them a certain number of days a week to attend to their practices.

“Since most specialists privately earn four to five times what they are paid in hospital, there is no way that the RHAs can stop private practice and compensate the doctors adequately. The specialists will just leave and the health system will collapse.

“What is required is that only consultants be allowed private practice on the days their contracts permit, and that during hospital hours they are afforded the resources to provide a fair and good service to the nation,” Trinidade said.

The issue is addressed in the report of the seven-member Winston Welch committee which was appointed in November of 2015 to review the health care system.

The December 2016 report states that the issue was debated vigorously and at lengths.

“It could have been envisaged that the public sector employment would play a secondary role for some doctors in this arrangement.

“Over the years, however, there have been many expressed concerns in the public arena and from the employer as well that many doctors have not been true to their obligation,” the report said.

The Welch committee said there had been the contention that many doctors spend most of their working time in private practice and are hardly available at their place of employment.

It also said some doctors are actively engaged directly or indirectly in soliciting patients to their private practice, some have become medical entrepreneurs with businesses seemingly in competition with the state sector.

In addition, doctors are more actively engaged in management of their businesses and some non-medical operatives are channelling patients to doctors’ offices.

There are more 1,000 people with Lupus in T&T.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) causes the immune system becomes overactive and it starts making antibodies against its own cells.

When the disease is active, immune responses can cause inflammation in cells which can affect the skin, joints, muscles, blood vessels, blood cells, brain and nerves, lungs, heart, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and/or the linings around internal organs.

At a recent awareness campaign at the Brian Lara Promenade, Port-of-Spain, president of the Lupus Society of T&T (LSTT) Clifford Balgobin urged people with Lupus and their employers to learn all they can about the disease.

LSTT, a non-governmental organisation which has been in operation since 1988, seeks to educate, raise awareness, study trends and seek solutions to the non-communicable disease.

Balgobin said Lupus affects women nine times more than men and usually occurs during their child-bearing years.

However, it can occur in children as well as during menopause and is more likely to develop in Afro-Caribbean and South Asian people.

Symptoms include fatigue, joint/muscle pains and weakness, flu-like illness, skin rashes, including the classic butterfly rash on the cheek and nose, hair loss and mouth ulcers. While the disease is different for each person, Balgobin said many sufferers experience a mild flare which could affect joints, skin and cause fatigue.

He said treatment may help improve symptoms over time and some people might only experience one flare-up while others experience periodic flare-ups followed by periods of remission. Allyson Devenish, of Morvant, said the LSTT’s awareness campaign is “something good.” She said her 23-year-old niece was diagnosed with Lupus three years ago and the family is still learning how to adapt and deal with the flare-ups which sometimes hampers activities.