Housing Minister Marlene Mc Donald says she does not own a Housing Development Corporation (HDC) allocated home.

She said this in an interview last night after being referred to the Integrity Commission from Opposition UNC Senator Wayne Sturge.

McDonald said she purchased her own home privately in 1995 and could not claim ownership of any other house. She did not say where she lives.“Let him go to the commission. Let the Integrity Commission do what they have to do. This is nothing but a wild goose chase,” Mc Donald said.”

Sturge yesterday referred Mc Donald to the Commission over allegations that she used her office to obtain a townhouse for one Michael Carew, described as her common law husband.

The allegation dates back to 2008, when Mc Donald was the Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs. 

Sturge’s action comes one month after former housing minister Dr Roodal Moonilal claimed he had evidence that a sitting PNM Cabinet Minister owned an HDC house and paid for it with cash. There’s no independent confirmation, in Sturge’s submission, whether the minister referred to was McDonald.

In a telephone interview late yesterday evening, Mc Donald said there was no HDC house in her name.

Mc Donald said she took her position as a government minister very seriously and added that there had been earlier claims about a similar occurrence.

“When I heard another former minister make claims that someone in the PNM had purchased an HDC home I wrote to the CEO of HDC. I asked her to do a report for me on which Cabinet minister owned an HDC home.

“I got an answer from her in writing and it said no cabinet minister owned an HDC home. I still have that letter.

Mc Donald, who referred to Sturge as a stranger, said she found it curious, that the attorney claimed to know her personal business.

“I do not know him. We have never spoken to each other outside of Parliament.”

She said Carew was being treated unfairly.

“Any citizen of this country is free to go to the HDC an apply for a house. Whether or not you know the minister, HDC has to do their assessment and then they make their decision. I dare anyone at HDC to say I asked them to give Mr Carew a house.”

“If he decides to buy a home, he is not a person in public life he can do so.”

Documents obtained by the Guardian detailed correspondence allegedly from Mc Donald’s then advisor Odette Alexander, to then acting Housing Development Corporation (HDC) managing director Margaret Chow, and Lauren Legall, the Allocations Manager at the time. 

The documents showed requests made, allegedly on Mc Donald’s behalf, for a housing unit to be allocated to Mc Donald’s partner, Carew, at Fidelis Heights.

Fidelis Heights is a development of and managed by the HDC in St Augustine.

Asked about these letters, Mc Donald only said that she never had an advisor between 2007 and 2010.

“Miss Odette Alexander was not my advisor.”

According to the documents, recommendations were made in August and September of 2008 for Carew to be allocated a unit.

The recommendation of the minister was then allegedly acted upon by the acting manager Margaret Chow who approved the allocation of the unit to Carew on December 3, 2008.

Carew, allegedly made the payment for the townhouse the next day.

Sturge says the matter is “most serious” and “troubling” in light of the fact that Mc Donald presently held the portfolio of Housing Minister.

“If these allegations are found to be true, as prima facie the evidence seems to suggest, it would not be right for such a person to continue to hold such office and be vested with th the powers of the office holder.

“In the public interest and in the proper discharge of its functions under the Act, I hereby call upon the commission to investigate this complaint forthwith and to give this investigation priority,” Sturge wrote.

The documents also included a bank statement, cheque and other documents related to the alleged incident.

Sturge is asking the Commission investigate whether McDonald used her position as a Minister of Government to recommend her spouse be allocated the unit.

The unit, which Sturge alleged was never occupied by either Mc Donald or Carew, was rented out since its allocation and the senator says this should also be investigated.

“This townhouse is a unit that ought to have been allocated to a deserving member of the public but instead it appears that it has been allocated to Mr Carew and is being used as an income generating asset,” Sturge claimed.

Government will no longer be providing free textbooks to the majority of students as it seeks to cut costs, says Education Minister Anthony Garcia.

Garcia announced the measure yesterday while being interviewed on CNC3’s Morning Brew.

In the current system, students are given use of books for the school year, which they must return.

The ministry then replenishes the stock of books as some are lost or damaged.

This system applied to books from primary school to Form 6.

This year, only ten per cent of the books will be replenished for two classes, Form One and primary school infants.

The replacement of special education resources will continue to be 100 per cent funded by Government.

This means other students would need to rely on their parents to provide all of their textbooks.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Garcia said Government was set to save $119 million as a result of cutting back on the provision of textbooks.

He said the measure, which was decided by Cabinet, followed an ongoing series of fiscal adjustments since the 2015/2016 budget was read in October.

The total cost to provide books prior to the decision for the most recent school year would have been $138 million.

After the Cabinet’s decision, the new cost for school books is $19 million.

Garcia said the decision was taken based on Government’s financial position.

Former Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran announced early this month that the country was in a recession.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert also put forward a motion in Parliament to increase the country’s borrowing capacity by $50 billion under the Development Loans Act, External Loans Act and the Guarantee of Loans (Companies) Act. 

In October, Garcia said the Education Ministry owed $600 million to suppliers and contractors. 

Many public servants are yet to be paid their outstanding backpay, estimated to be over $5 b.

Parents concerned

Parents yesterday raised concerns that the additional cost of textbooks for them would be approximately more than $1,000 per family.

“That’s going to be very hard,” said father of one, Rozanno Williams.

“They already telling us we are in a recession and so we are soon going to feel the effects of that. 

“This is just one more thing that is making it harder for us.”

Other parents took a more practical view of the situation.

“It will be hard but if I have no choice I will have to make the sacrifice,” said Levi Pasqual, whose five-year-old daughter is now in the primary school system.

Another parent, Dana Mungroo, who has two children, one a primary school pupil, and the other a Form Two student, said while the situation was sad, she understood that if the Government already made a decision, she didn’t have a choice. 

“It means I will have to sacrifice a little something extra to spend on textbooks but I will find a way to do it.”

Stakeholders respond

President of the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) Zena Ramatali yesterday said the Garcia needed to give more details on this latest announcement.

Ramatali also raised concerns about students from low socio-economic backgrounds.

“The well-to-do parents could go purchase books but the people who will be most affected are those from the lower socio-economic backgrounds.

“We hope the ministry could reconsider. The ones that stand to lose are the children from low socio-economic backgrounds who already attend low-performing schools.”

She felt this could put some children at even more of a disadvantage to others.

“We want to know exactly how it will impact on teaching and learning. We need to know what will be in place,” Ramatali said.

“We are very concerned about the issue of the reading texts from Standards One to Three. 

The results of the national test showed children scored less in reading and comprehension than before.”

She said she wanted to advocate that the reading texts for those students were retained.

President of the T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) Devanan Sinanan said his organisation respected the right of Government to opt to such policy positions. 

“They obviously have their reasons for adopting that position. Under the circumstances we respect that. It would have been nice if we were consulted prior to the announcement,” Sinanan said.

Customers using ATM bank cards are being advised to exercise caution to protect their Personal Identification Number (PIN) information following debit card “skimming” which affected some accounts over the Christmas holiday weekend.

Checks by T&T Guardian confirmed the problem—involving fraudulently-obtained customer information—had occurred.

The banking industry definition of “skimming” refers to the use of fraudulent methods to obtain customer details by “skimming’ their debit/credit cards at point of use, whether ATM or Point of Sale.

Most commonly, the modus operandi involves attaching a mechanism or disguised device to the ATM’s card entry point that ‘skims’ (retrieves and records data) off customer cards. The data is then applied to a counterfeit card by the fraudulent operators and used to withdraw cash or purchase goods/services in T&T.

T&TG was told that the large scale “skimming” attacks are primarily the work of transnational operators, who target a specific country, obtain data and then use the counterfeit cards they are able to produce in foreign countries.

The Bankers’ Association of T&T (BATT) discussed the matter yesterday and subsequently issued the following statement.

“The Bankers Association of T&T aware that clients of some commercial banks have been affected by debit card skimming. In this instance, the Association is aware the incidents originated at one of our member banks. Each bank has been working closely with its affected clients to resolve this situation.

“Fraud incidents such as debit card skimming are a global issue and clients must remain vigilant at all times to protect their PIN numbers and other account information. The best line of defence against fraud is an informed consumer. BATT continues to work with its member banks and other stakeholders in educating clients against all forms of bank fraud.

”With respect to the specific occurrence, clients are advised to immediately contact their bank directly if they suspect any unauthorised activity has taken place on their account.”

In a check among BATT members earlier yesterday, RBC Royal Bank via a statement, had said it was aware of a number of clients who had been impacted by debit card skimming.

RBC said a small percentage of clients - about 200 - were affected and the bank had identified the points of compromise.

RBC said the bank had already addressed most of the affected clients yesterday. Most of them would already have been reimbursed, RBC added. 

RBC’s systems which picked up on the problem when it occurred over the weekend, blocked accounts, locked out culprits, and alerted customers to contact the bank.

Yesterday, several affected customers were seen among the numbers in the “Accounts Services” line (handling Standing Orders, drafts and other services) at RBC Royal Bank’s Independence Square branch, Port of Spain.

Several confirmed “skimming” affected funds in US sums from their account.

One customer for example was hit by six occurrences of skimming on Christmas Day and right after, withdrawn in US funds totalling almost $10,000 (TT). 

On what action was being taken to trace the situation to source and halt it, TTG was told yesterday that official investigations are underway into the matter. 

Scotiabank T&T Ltd’s Richard Estrado said “People also need to be careful with point of sale (LINX) transactions to secure their PINs so persons around them cannot get hold of that information.” 

Industry sources told TTG, care should also be exercised by customers using off-site ATMs—those which are not attached to a bank. FCB official referred to BATT’s statement. A spokesman for Republic Bank said declined comment.

Operations at the mortuary at the Forensic Science Centre ground to a halt yesterday as the lone pathologist on duty called in sick.

It was not until after 3 pm, that forensic pathologist Dr Hughvon DesVignes, whose contract has ended and was sent on leave earlier this month, arrived from Tobago to fill the gap.

The situation left families of people who were killed or died under suspicious circumstances waiting for hours at the St James facility.

At about 3.05 pm, Des Vignes was dropped off at the facility. 

Dressed in a blue jersey with a black book bag strapped on to his back, des Vignes hurriedly made his way inside the building to begin the autopsies of bodies brought in from over the Christmas weekend.

The T&T Guardian was reliably told yesterday that des Vignes was sent on leave just over two weeks ago and was called out as an “emergency call-out” yesterday to work.

“He was at his home in Tobago and had to leave immediately for Trinidad upon receiving the call,” a source at the Centre said. 

The on-duty pathologist, who was supposed to work at the centre this week is Dr Eslyn McDonald-Burris. Sources said she reportedly sent in sick leave covering the next few days.

The third pathologist, Dr Valery Alexandrov, is currently out of the country and in St Kitts. His contract expires on December 31, another source said.

During a visit at the Forensic Science Centre yesterday, many relatives and undertakers expressed their utter disgust and frustration over the situation.

Junior Bertice, relative of murder victim, Conan Celestine, 14, who was killed at a relative’s home in Longdenville on Christmas Day said that he arrived at the centre at about 7.30 am and had been waiting without any proper explanation from any official.

“From 7.30 am I here and nobody have anything positive to say to me. 

“It is already frustrating and depressing that my cousin came on vacation from Tobago and had to be killed and now to be faced with this long wait. This is real nonsense,” Bertice said.

An undertaker, who wished not to be identified, said that shortly after noon they were told that there was no pathologist to conduct the autopsies and that they were trying to get one to help them out.

“Still there was no explanation to us as to why and how soon and if any pathologist was contacted,” the undertaker said.

Efforts to reach the Minister of National Security, Edmund Dillon, under whose portfolio the Forensic Science Centre falls, for comment yesterday, proved futile.

The parents of a police officer who was shot dead by a colleague said yesterday that they have not heard any news about the status of the investigation for more than a month.

Haripersad and Parbatti Ramroop said life had not been the same since the death of their son, PC Govindra Ramroop.

The Ramroops said although investigators promised to keep them in the loop about their son’s death, they are still awaiting closure.

“We want to know, we want to get justice for my son,” Parbatti said in an interview at her home yesterday.

On November 5, Govindra, a Special Reserve Police attached to the La Brea Rapid Response Unit, was shot dead by a colleague at the Guapo Police Station.

Some South Western Division officers labelled his death as an accident, owing to a report stating that the offending officer was clearing his gun at the time. However, acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, speaking at Govindra’s funeral, told the media that firearms do not discharge accidentally and that an investigation was being done.

While the Ramroops are willing to give the police time to complete their investigation, they said it was taking too long.

Haripersad said the last time investigators spoke to them, it was days before Govindra’s funeral, on November 9. He said the last thing they heard was that investigators were awaiting a forensic report.

“They told us to give them a few days to liaise with us and they will tell us what’s going on. A few weeks have passed and they are yet to tell us where they have reached. As parents we want to know what is going on,” Haripersad said.

Holding back her tears as she looked at photographs of Govindra standing among his brothers, Parbatti said none of the officers who witnessed the shooting nor those who worked with him at the Guapo Police Station ever came to the family to say what happened.

She said while some people claim his death was accidental, she believes a trigger had to be pulled in order for a gun to be fired and kill her son.

She said bringing in 2016 will be difficult when her sons, Ian, Steve and Garvin gather at their Gopee Trace, Penal, home on Friday. 

She recalled Govindra would visit her everyday before going to work and would often call her when his shift ended. She said he was a loving child who was passionate about his job as a police officer.

“It is really hard. We can’t take this because everyday is just sadness. I just want justice for my son and I want to know the truth about what happened,” Parbatti said.

The Guardian contacted the Region III Homicide Bureau for an update on the investigation but was told that the senior officer in charge had left for the day. 

However, a police source said the Special Reserve Officer that shot Govindra was transferred to another station in the division.

National Reforestation workers have so far received five of the seven outstanding fortnight payments which was able to bring some relief over the Christmas holidays from some.

The money was enough to ensure that one Marabella single, mother of five, and her children did not spend the Christmas holidays in the dark.

Jahrilyn Harry, of Batoo Lands, Marabella, was not only able to get her electrical supply re-connected, but to also purchase gifts for her children, ages 11 to two.

Harry is among 2,275 workers who had been protesting late payment of salaries since September. 

However, she said while bills had been foremost on her mind, her first stop after getting paid was to head to the supermarket for food items.

“We spent a good Christmas, I went straight to the grocery and it was nice being able to buy enough food to last awhile and not worry about what I would have to feed my children by the next day,” she said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Harry said she was ecstatic when she was able to purchase dolls and footwear for her daughters, as well as toy trucks and clothing for her sons.

“It was worth the wait, seeing them smiling, well-fed and happy on Christmas morning,” she stated.

She was mindful of assistance given to her family by her father Ricardo Slater, her younger sister and her children’s paternal aunt.

“On behalf of all forestry group workers, we want to say thanks to the media for highlighting our plight and what we were facing, and for being instrumental in getting people to hear our cry and Government to do something about it,” stated Harry.

She said she remained ever indebted to her landlady, who demonstrated patience and compassion, while she waited for government to release the funds.

She added that they have been assured the total amount of outstanding payments would be sent to their accounts by December 31.

To date, the workers have continued working across the country, following the assurance of Agriculture Minister, Clarence Rambharat, that the programme will not be stopped.

Contractor Laurentson Special, confirmed the five payments reaching his workers, but did not commit to Harry’s claim that they would be paid the balance before year’s end.

In previous reports, Special had stated that he too was feeling the pinch and not just the workers.

Yesterday, Special said, while he had taken smaller private jobs to take care of his family, he was grateful to the Government for releasing the funds.

Four young men were denied bail yesterday when they appeared in court for allegedly robbing two people at gunpoint a few days before Christmas.

Donny Edwards, Akinda Reid, Kion Paul and Devon Raymond were all charged with two offences of robbery with aggravation when they came before Deputy Chief Magistrate Mark Wellington, in the San Fernando First Court, yesterday.

They were charged with robbing a businessman in San Fernando of $80,000 in cash, a Samsung S5 cellphone and other items on December 19. 

They were also charged with robbing a Chinese businessman, in Chaguanas, of $5,000 in cash, two cellphones valued $9,000 and several cartons of cigarettes on December 15.

Both of the robberies were allegedly carried out at gunpoint, making the men ineligible for bail until 120 days have passed.

They were represented by attorneys Analee Girwar and Ainsley Lucky.

After Wellington told the men they would not be granted bail, Reid’s mother, using a cane to walk, came to the front of the court.

At first, the elderly woman did not seem to understand Wellington’s order, but when she did, she had to be led out of the courtroom as she began crying loudly.

The Chaguanas case was transferred to the Chaguanas Magistrate’s Court for today. 

The San Fernando matter was adjourned until January 26, 2016.

Stressed out by his loan payments and by his efforts to assist his pregnant, newly-wed daughter start her home, William Gunness fell into his old habit of using cocaine.

Yesterday, Gunness was ordered to pay $2,000 or serve six months hard labour in jail by San Fernando Magistrate Brambhanan Dubay.

Gunness, 59, of Pluck Road, San Francique was charged with possession of .7 grammes of cocaine. He was arrested on Boxing Day. 

In court yesterday, Gunness was represented by attorney Analee Girwar.

Girwar told the court that Gunness worked as a truck driver but lately work had been hard to come by.

She said he was also trying to assist his daughter in building her new home before her baby was born.

The Christmas season, Girwar said, had met Gunness at an all time low and he succumbed to his old addictions.

In mitigation, Girwar pleaded with the court to give Gunness a non-custodial sentence, asking Dubay to send him to Narcotics Anonymous instead.

She said his family had indicated a willingness to assist Gunness in overcoming his addiction and Gunness himself also wanted to get clean.

However, after looking at his criminal record, which showed two previous convictions for marijuana and cocaine, Dubay denied the request.

He fined Gunness $2,000 or ordered him to serve six months hard labour. 

Gunness was given 14 days within which to pay the fine.

Doctors have postponed surgery to the right foot of national midfielder Keron Cummings today.

Cummings, 27, was shot while returning home from a boat cruise lime around 2 am on Sunday at Bagatelle, Diego Martin.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Cummings said yesterday he was in extreme pain and discomfort.

Asked about why he believes he was shot, Cummings replied: 

“I went to lime with some of the other national players and when I reached home the gunman was waiting on me. I feel because of my gold but I had on none that night and they maybe just decided to shoot me instead.”

Cummings said he was told that arrangements were being made for a transfer to a private hospital for further medical treatment.

Cummings’ head coach at North East Stars, Roland Clarke said the injured player, who remains warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, was in a depressed state because his injury has caused him a major set back in his career.

Clarke said that not only would the 27-year-old be missing out on the Copa América Centenario qualifying play-offs against Haiti on January 8, next year in Panama City, Panama but also his first signing with Orlando City in Florida, United States.

“The guys, his teammates met this morning (yesterday) in camp and they are in a sombre mood. Keron is really the life of the camp and you can see how this has had an impact on them but they had to pull themselves together and do what needs to be done,” Clarke said.

Clarke, who was on his way to visit Cummings at the hospital said that the surgery had been postponed until Wednesday.

“It is because the bullet is still lodged in his leg. The bone is also broken and they are trying to achieve some sort of stabilisation before they proceed to operate,” Clarke said.

President of the T&T Football Association, David John Williams said in spite of the attack on Cummings, there was no need to increase security around the other national players.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, John Williams said: “There is no evidence to suggest that security should be beefed up around the other players at this time.”

John Williams described the incident as very unfortunate.

“This is so sad and unfortunate and it could happen to anyone. It could happen to you and it could happen to me,” John Williams said.

Cummings was dropped off near Bagatelle and was heading to the home of a woman when he was approached by a masked gunman, who shot him in the leg before running off.

According to an investigating officer, some headway has been made into the investigations but was unwilling to divulge any information as the probe had reached a sensitive stage.

Investigations are continuing.

After spending the Christmas weekend at their father’s Marabella home, two San Juan children awoke to harrowing sight of his bloodied body lying next to them.

Police said Roger James, 45, was asleep on a mattress with his 16-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter at his Bayshore Avenue home.

Around 6.30 am, a gunman walked into his wooden shack and shot him twice. 

Jolted by the shots, his son looked across and found him bleeding on the mattress. Neighbours called the police and a team of officers led by ACP Cecil Santana, ASP Rawle Ramdeo, Insp Don Gajadhar and Insp Sean Dhilpaul responded and processed the scene. A search was also made for a suspect but up to late afternoon no one was arrested.

The shack located in the area known as “Pakistan” has missing doors and walls. Investigators said James’ wife, Janelle Waldron, of Febeau Village, San Juan, their daughter, Mary James, 27 and the two children spent the holiday weekend with James, a welder who sometimes did work at the Water Taxi terminal in San Fernando.

Waldron and Mary left the house around 6 am to returned to San Juan, leaving James and the younger children asleep. 

Neighbours said all they heard were two guns shots and later learned that James was shot behind the head and neck. There were also injuries to his fingers. They said he only moved to the community last year and was a calm person who would come out to play draughts and “ole talk” with them. 

Police said an initial check showed that James had no criminal record and they are yet to determine a motive for his murder. However, relatives believe the suspect might be a family member who waited for Waldron and Mary to leave the house before the gun attack.

It was the second shooting in Marabella in three days as Dixon Richards, 22, was shot while walking home on Saturday night. 

Police said Dixon was liming at a neighbour’s home at Bay Road, Marabella, when around 8 pm, he left to go to his house a short distance away to get a piece of ham for one of his friends.

While returning, he was hit in stomach by a stray bullet from a shootout between two men in the area.

He was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery and he remains warded in stable condition.

The Coast Guard are currently trying to retrieve a body seen floating in the waters near La Fillette Bay off the North Coast.

Lieutenant Commander Kirk Jean-Baptiste, communications officer for the Coast Guard said a body was reported seen floating in the water an hour ago, but they cannot confrim if the body is that of missing swimmer Kyle Gonsalves. 

Gonzslves, 33, went missing on Boxing Day when he went for a swim at a beach in Blanchisseuse. 

Jean-Baptiste said he cannot confirm the identy of the body until the family makes a positive identification. Keep posted to T&T Guardian for further updates. 

The body of Kyle Gonsalves was positively identified this morning by his father Gordon Gonsalves. 

Fishermen called in the Coast Guard and reported a body floating in the water. 

Gonsalves, 33, went missing on Boxing Day when he went for a swim at a beach in Blanchisseuse. 

The Coast Guard retrieved the body in waters near La Fillette Bay off the North Coast. However, Lieutenant Commander Kirk Jean-Baptiste, communications officer for the Coast Guard declined to confirm the exact location where the body was found. 

The Coast Guard has retrieved the body and took it to Staubles Bay where the DMO was waiting.

The body will be taken to the Forensic Science Centre, St James. 

This puts an end to the three day search for Gonsalves. 

Keep posted to T&T Guardian for further updates. 

The board of the National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) has officially terminated the contract of its president Dr Carson Charles.&nbsp;<br />

Following a meeting with Nidco’s chairman, Herbert George, and department heads yesterday, Charles’ was paid off for the remainder of his three-year contract which was expected to end next July. Vice-president of engineering, Steve Garibsingh, the most senior executive member, special purpose state enterprise, will assume his duties.<br />

Nidco announced the termination via a media release, stating: “The National Infrastructure Development Company Limited, further to a board of directors meeting, wished to announce the termination of Dr Carson Charles as the company’s president with immediate effect. The organisation would like to thank Dr Charles for his contribution made at Nidco during his five-year tenure as president.”<br />

Corporate communications manager, Ingrid Ishmael, clarified the Charles’ tenure ended through an amicable termination of contract. This means his contract was mutually agreed on by him and the board of directors.&nbsp;<br />

“Today was the last day for Dr Carson Charles as president of Nidco. I will tell you that vice-president of engineering Steve Garibsingh will assume duties as president until further notice. Under the bylaws, there is no acting president so he is just assuming the duties.&nbsp;<br />

“This decision was taken today at a meeting with the heads of department, the vice-president and the managers, myself included. It was a very amicable decision and all wished each other the best, a merry Christmas and season’s greetings.<br />

“Dr Charles has been a fantastic person in his post. He thanked us for working together as a team and he wanted us to ensure that all the projects that Nidco had in the pipeline and implemented continue,” Ishmael said.<br />

Charles was appointed as president of Nidco in 2010, two months after the People’s Partnership government was elected into government.&nbsp;<br />

He served two consecutive terms (2010-2013 and 2013 to yesterday) and oversaw Nidco’s largest project from inception, the controversial $7.5 billion Solomon Hochoy Highway extension project. Despite his departure, Ishmael said the new board is able to continue and improve the work being done. &nbsp;<br />

<br />

Board wanted&nbsp;<br />

contract terminated<br />

Although Charles agreed to have his contract terminated, this was done after the newly-installed board of directors told him that they wanted to do so in a meeting earlier this month. Speaking by telephone, he said since then, there were several briefings on Nidco’s projects and operations and the handing over of duties to Garibsingh.&nbsp;<br />

He added: “It was not a resignation, it was an agreement to end my contract on the basis of an amicable arrangement. My contract was due to expire in six months time and they basically paid me off for the six-month period so there was an amicable termination of the contract, which the contract provides for.”&nbsp;<br />

“The board indicated that they wished to end the contract at a board meeting they held on December 15. We had several meetings, I met with the chairman several times and I met with the board on the 15. After the 15, they offered a severance, there was a briefing and handing over. It went well with me, I had no problem with it as they were professional.”<br />

<br />

No objection<br />

Charles said he has no objection to the board wanting new leadership. As political leader of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), he said he understood that with a change of government, they would want to do things differently.&nbsp;<br />

He said he was satisfied with the way his departure was carried out and had no regrets about his tenure. He said he did his job and even though it was full of challenges, it was equally exciting and rewarding.&nbsp;<br />

“I have no objections. It allows for the new adminstration to proceed with their business in whatever fashion they wish. Given my high political profile as the NAR leader, I have no objections the way in which we were amicably able to end the contract and hand over.&nbsp;<br />

“We had a lot of opportunity for briefing and preparation of reports on the way forward for our major project, the highway.&nbsp;<br />

They have clear indication on how to proceed with works that have to be done to complete the highway.”<br />

Going forward, Charles said he planned to continue his political career and pay more attention to growing the NAR while pursuing some private business interests.<br />

Minister of Education Anthony Garcia says there is no need to panic as at least 90 per cent of textbooks will be available to all students for this school year.

In an interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Garcia said all students from infants to Form VI should still have access to textbooks.

“There seems to be panic. People are making assertions that children will be unable to access textbooks but that isn’t true. There are textbooks in the schools which are available to all students,” he said.

Garcia said the last time books were replaced for the entire school system was in 2012.

In the current system, students are given use of books for the school year, which they must return. The ministry then replenishes the stock of books as some are lost or damaged.

This system applied to books from primary school to Form VI.

“Those books are available. It isn’t that children would have no books. It’s just that we are not replacing all the books.”

The ministry usually replaces all the books in the school system every three years as some are damaged or destroyed after three years of use by children.

Every year in between, a small percentage of the books are replaced or “topped up.”

In 2013, there was a ten to 20 per cent top up for books, destroyed, lost and stolen.

There was another ten per cent replacement in 2014.

“In 2015 there should have been a complete renewal but the Cabinet took a decision that this is not something we will be doing,” Garcia said.

He said because of the replacements done in 2013 and 2014, 90 per cent of the books were still available.

“In the schools, the principals must manage the textbook programmes,” he added.

Garcia also said his ministry was still reviewing its position on the provision of laptops to secondary school entrants.

He added: “We are reviewing the whole position on laptops. For laptops to be effective in the schools there must be infrastructure. 

“We don’t have that infrastructure in place. There must be broadband coverage and other things.

“The purpose of laptops is to provide support to the implementation of the curriculum. Because we do not have the infrastructure, there is no support.”

He said discussions on the laptop distribution programme would form part of the national consultation on education to be held after Carnival in February.

Next year will see several senior officers of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) proceeding on pre-retirement leave and news faces emerging.

As a result, president of the Police Social and Welfare Association, Anand Ramesar, yesterday hoped for the promotion process to be quick.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Ramesar also sought to clarify that there was no incompetency issue among its membership.

“We do not have a list of the number of officers but it is a lot of them in the First Division that will be going on pre-retirement leave. 

“The promotion process must be triggered so that the positions can be filled as soon as they become vacant and there are officers who are very competent to be promoted,” Ramesar added.

He also called on the acting Commissioner of Police, Stephen Williams, to secure a proper programme geared towards preparing officers for retirement.

He said he believed many officers proceeding on retirement did not know how to properly transition.

“This is a reality and the TTPS remains silent on it but the time has come for us to do something about it. Many police officers do not have other skills other than policing and in most cases when these officers retire they come to hang out at police stations for days, weeks, that turn into months and years.

“These persons fail to recognise that there is a great life in retirement and in the world of retirees,” Ramesar added.

On Monday, Senior Superintendent Johnny Abraham announced he was proceeding on pre-retirement leave from tomorrow. 

Ramesar wished Abraham all the best for a job well done in the TTPS and urged him to enjoy the benefits of his retirement.

Ag Snr Supt Mc Donald Jacob will replace Abraham.

Jacob comes from the Criminal Investigations Department and Criminal Records Office (CID-CRO), Port-of-Spain. 

Abraham’s leave continues until his 60th birthday, on October 15 next year. He was transferred to the Port-of-Spain Division last September from the Central Division and has over 38 years’ service.

A senior TTPS official told the T&T Guardian at least seven changes were made during a meeting yesterday at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain, with the acting Commissioner of Police, Stephen Williams.

Communication manager of the TTPS, Ellen Lewis, told the T&T Guardian: “The Commissioner of Police today announced the transfer of several officers within the First Division which will take effect in January next year. 

“The transfer of officers within the Police Service is a common practice and is done from time-to-time in the course of managing the Police Service.”

Lewis did not have the list of transfers but noted they occurred on a regular basis and were not usually published. 

In July, the association challenged a recommendation from Williams for the Government to purchase the pre-retirement leave of First Division officers. 

The association said then that Williams’ decision would have a negative impact on their members, whose chances of timely promotion would diminish if the senior officers were allowed to hold onto their post until their retirement. 

Prime Minister Keith Rowley recently announced he had no intention of buying out leave of any public servant.

Changes

• Ag Snr Supt Mc Donald Jacob will replace Abraham as head of the Port-of-Spain Division. Jacob was last in charge of the Criminal Investigations Department, Criminal Records Office (CID-CRO), Port-of-Spain.

• ACP Vincel Edwards, former head of Homicide Bureau, has been transferred to the Criminal Gang Unit and Intelligence Unit. Supt Oswald Cudjoe now heads the Homicide Bureau.

• Ag Snr Supt Radcliffe Boxill, head of the North Eastern Division, will now replace Jacob, as head of the CID in Port-of-Spain.

• Ag Snr Supt Adeline St Louis-Pesnell from Port-of-Spain Division will now lead the North Eastern Division.

• Ag Snr Supt George Alsop (former supt) moves to the Court and Process branch.

Against the backdrop of current low energy prices and a dismal fiscal projection, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s first address to the nation held a few glimmers of hope. 

In his almost 30 minute delivery, Rowley touched on the previous government’s financial failings, but quickly moved on to his Government’s intended plan of action.

One of those plans is to split the billion dollar Heritage and Stabilsation Fund into two “distinct parts” and utilise one portion of it.

“We intend to leave the bulk of the existing fund in the Heritage component and allocate the remainder to the Stabilisation Fund. We intend to use approximately US$1.0 billion for stabilisation purposes in FY 2016 and perhaps another US$0.5 billion in FY 2017,” Rowley said. 

While the HSF remained untouched for years, Rowley said it was being saved for this rainy day.

“The circumstances we now face are precisely those which were envisaged for the use of the Stabilisation Fund and we will utilise it rather than increase the country’s debt levels unnecessarily,” he said.

Another key component of the plan moving forward is to keep T&T away from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a promise to ramp up home construction through a partnership with the private sector. Rowley outlined a merger between the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance and the Home Mortgage Bank to help provide financing for new home owners.

“We will encourage housing construction by the private sector and simultaneously, we will accelerate the implementation of the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Bank through the merger of the TTMF and the Home Mortgage Bank to provide the financing for the mortgages for those new homeowners,” he said.

Rowley said access to the private sector in the construction industry would save Government initial capital investment in the housing sector.

“The objective here is to quickly move private capital into the housing market to service a sector which forms the HDC client base without initial state cash outlay. The private developers should be motivated to get into the programme bringing finance in the expectation of a better return on capital than is easily available elsewhere and the state would get the job done whilst stimulating the economy without too much up-front capital coming from the state,” Rowley said.

It will also help with job creation.

“New home construction and building maintenance will sustain employment of plumbers, carpenters, masons and electricians,” he said.

He said unemployment relief programmes, like CEPEP, were expected to continue, but with an expanded range. He said those programmes would have to be examined to eliminate corruption and make them more efficient and effective.

“The Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, Urban Development, Works and Agriculture will have a determining role in some of the projects to which this expenditure can be targeted with a decent ratio between material and labour,” he said.

Those ministries will have to accomplish that with a seven per cent adjustment to their respective operating expenses. 

“The Minister of Finance will direct the management of every state enterprise, statutory body and each Ministry and the Tobago House of Assembly to review their operations and make identifiable adjustments of seven per cent reduction in proposed operating expenses, eliminating waste and/or inefficiencies, not relating to job cuts at this instance,” Rowley said.

Greater role for central bank

The Prime Minister outlined a specific watchdog role for the Central Bank, in light of its “renewed confidence”.

The Central Bank...will work closely with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that fiscal, monetary and exchange rate policies are aligned through effective cooperation and collaboration between the Central Bank and the Ministry, and will adjust these policies as they deem appropriate,” he said.

Spending less forex

The Prime Minister is also urging the nation to conserve its use of foreign exchange. 

He said the Government planned to continue making investments and even projected an increase in that investment activity.

“Especially where there is greater incentive to earn foreign exchange. Our exporters of manufactures and services should continue to do as well or better during the period of adjustment, and some of those businesses may even increase employment,” he said.

Rowley said T&T has “already used up almost US$2 billion of our foreign exchange reserves in 2015” and laid most of that responsibility at the door of the Central Bank.

“Unfortunately, the Central Bank saw it fit to make foreign exchange cheaper in the face of falling export earnings and reduced inflows of foreign exchange and also opened up new channels for outflows of foreign exchange other than the traditional channels through the commercial banks,” he said.

Rowley said that in addition to that, “Government expenditure continued unabated and even accelerated in the run up to the General Election, thus fueling even greater demand for foreign exchange in a period of heightened political uncertainty.”

The Prime Minister’s speech contained a clever mix of sobering analysis and bullish solutions. It was designed to sober up but not alarm.

The portents hadn’t been promising. Finance Minister Colm Imbert had said a few days before Christmas that the Prime Minister would be delivering a “reality check.” And when the PM himself announced that he would deliver his address after Christmas, the suspicion was that he wanted us to be able to digest our pastelles.

The seven per cent cut in spending at state entities and ministries needs more detail. Is it a uniform seven per cent or are there variations in there? How is it going to be accomplished without job losses, something that Dr Rowley was very firm about being off the table? Will some entities have to cut deeper than others? 

The bigger question, of course, is whether the depth of the cuts is enough. Given that the state spends a staggering 35 per cent of what the country earns, and that the price of oil is less than half of what is projected, does seven per cent go deep enough? 

At one tower in Port-of-Spain that houses a number of ministries, I once counted 16 people in the lobby, security and reception/counter staff who keep visitors’ logs. Everyone with knowledge of T&T’s income and expenditure knows that the public sector is too fat.

The Rowley administration may have to come back for deeper cuts there, and many of those affected will be the people who habitually vote for the governing party. 

It would be an act of political courage. It may be unavoidable down the road. 

There’s much to digest on HSF, housing and the social safety net, which Dr Rowley went to great pains to say that he’d be strenthening.

The D-word, devaluation, was absent from the speech. 

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, in charge of the economy for the five years leading up to September but showing epic chutzpah in disclaiming all responsibility for the current state of things, had warned her successor not to go there. 

Its effect can be devastating, regardless of the size of the adjustment of a country’s currency. 

In the 80s the Guyana dollar went from $4.30 to $1US, to $10 to $1US. It was the equivalent of having your savings halved without touching your money. One relative saw the chance of a US college education disappear, just so. Still, he had it better, much better, than many poorer people in the country. 

Such a big adjustment was never on the cards in T&T, of course, but devaluation changes the cost of absolutely everything, from bread, to flour, to doubles, to gas, to rent, to getting to Barbados. 

No matter how modest the numerical adjustment, it can be a big blow to consumer confidence and can deepen economic gloom.

So, devaluation dodged. The threat can’t have gone away and we will be asking the economists if it’s a question of when rather than if in the coming months.

Dr Rowley spent much time laying out the context: How the country came to be where it is. Much of this we heard before from Finance Minister Colm Imbert in his budget and subsequently, but less politically combatively presented than Mr Imbert. But Mr Imbert was right. It was a reality check.

The Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago’s (TSTT) avoided the embarrassing prospect of one of the country’s largest state companies being unlicensed, and therefore, technically, an illegal operation, by last night reaching an agreement on their concession with the Telecommunications Authority of T&T (TATT). 

TSTT chairman Emile Elias had earlier in the day accused TATT of acting “illegally” as TSTT had been left without a licence on Tuesday night until yesterday afternoon. He said he and TSTT’s staff were disappointed in the way TATT acted in the process of the renewal of its licence.

He added: “TATT was established by the Government by an Act of Parliament and I think it has lost its way. TATT seems to have forgotten the reason for their existence and that is to serve the best interest of the people of T&T. 

He asked: “These are the same people who own the 51 per cent of TSTT whose interests are being served by the illegal behaviour of TATT? Can they claim ignorance of the very law by which they are governed? TATT is supposed to serve the people of T&T.”

Elias was speaking to the media yesterday at TSTT’s head office, Port-of-Spain. He said a major disaster had been averted as the Minister of Public Administration, Randall Mitchell, and the Minster of Public Utilities, Ancil Antoine, had intervened before the licence expired on Tuesday night.

The concessionaire, the government, has a 51 per cent stake in the company. It’s representative, minister Randall Mitchell, only put pen to paper with the licensing agent late yesterday. According to TSTT’s documents provided, it has been engaging TATT since last March on the process to be followed for its licence to be approved.

Breach of the Act
According to the documents, TSTT objected to the unilateral imposition of amended terms in breach of the Telecommunications Act and lack of consultation. Elias added: “As of midnight last night TSTT had no licence to operate in any of its five business segments for which we have licences. 

“After the close of business on December 22, 2015, TSTT received the draft contract from TATT. They pointed out we had to sign the agreement by Tuesday night. 

“We had four working days to analyse the document. On Sunday 27 a draft response to TATT’s amended contract was prepared. We responded to TATT and also the minister responsible for TATT which is the Minister of Public Administration. 

“I received the assurance from the line minister of TATT that we would be issued the approval today. While that approval is not in our hands, we have received verbal communications through our CEO that we should have something in our hands within the next hour or two. 

“This means the renewal of our licence will be under similar conditions as the one in our hands,” Elias added.

Economic future
“We want to grow TSTT’s revenue. We want to market our products and hope to have our five licences this afternoon,” he added. He also asked the Government to withdraw immediately the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a third mobile operator.

“It is the opinion of TSTT this sector is saturated and it is a totally unnecessary overlap to introduce a third mobile operator. This is not logical. We want the Government to review this and withdraw the RFP and not make an award for a third mobile operator in a saturated market,” Elias added.

During the question and answer session with the media, he was asked about TSTT’s operations during the current recession and its financial performance. He said: “Part of the changes would require an investment that could be between $600 million and $1.5 billion. 

“TATT said these things would be done in a specific time or we would face a $10 million fine. TATT needs a bush bath. TATT needs to rethink the reason for their existence.” He said he thought long and hard about TATT’s motives and what it was doing to TSTT.

“There needs to be a review at the political level of the constitution of TATT... the laws that govern them and the way they have been behaving in the technological development of the country. Are there other forces at work that are not in the best interests of T&T?” he asked.

Valdeen Shears-Neptune 

A 17-month-old baby boy lost his father yesterday after gunmen ran into their Gasparillo home and shot the man five times. Dead is 27-year-old Anthony Kevin Bissessar of Altima Drive, Marabella. He was a courier with BK Holdings in Couva. According to relatives, the young father was visiting his girlfriend of six years, Anisha Mohammed. 

The murder took place at Mohammed’s family home at Parforce Trace, Bon Aventure, Gasparillo. Police said the shooting took place around 6.30 pm, and that two gunmen ran into the home and robbed the family while the father was in the bathroom. 

One relative, who wished to remain anonymous, said the gunmen asked for “the fellah in the white jersey with the gold tooth.” The relative said they pulled back the lips of Mohammed’s two brothers, apparently searching for the gold tooth. They robbed the mother of a gold wedding band. The two men ran into nearby bushes, said police, who later found five spent shells.

“I want to see him, I want to see him,” wailed Anisha Mohammed when the DMO arrived after 8 pm last night. The family had been making plans to go on a trip.

Coming public panic and desperation, devalued back pay dollars for public servants and fears of a return of the 1986 recession. These were some of the responses the T&T Guardian got from economists, former ministers and trade unions to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s long awaited address to the nation on the state of the economy Tuesday night.

Selby Wilson
Selby Wilson, who served as finance minister in the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) government during the 1980s recession, said there might be concern whether the mitigating measures announced by Rowley were adequate given T&T’s  economic circumstances.

“I think his measures are a step in the right direction but not enough is articulated about how robust they are.” Wilson said while Rowley spoke about cutting state expenditure by seven per cent he gave no firm indication how his Government would deal with its own expenditure.

“I am not sure how he plans to handle Central Government’s expenditure. It appears he plans to do so by dipping into the Heritage and Stablisation Fund.” The wisdom of this move will have a lot to do with how the HSF will be used, whether to support current expenditure or initiate productivity activities in other sectors, Wilson added.

“If the HSF is to be used to support current expenditure, this will not be moving forward.” He said the country could end up in dire straits like the 1980s recession when the government of the day had no choice but to go to the IMF.

“Not going there would require very good management of our resources,” he advised.

Bhoe Tewarie
Former planning minister, Dr Bhoe Tewarie said there was little clarity, no discernable plan and no identification of priorities in Rowley’s address. Further, Rowley’s failure to inspire confidence in the general population could lead to panic and desperation, Tewarie warned.

“It is unlikely Rowley’s statement will trigger confidence anywhere, in the general population, local business sector or international ratings agencies,” he said.

“The lack of confidence in the general population will fuel uncertainty and, if not managed properly, can lead to panic and desperation.

“Lack of confidence within the business sector could curtail investment and impact foreign exchange demand. 

“A negative response from the ratings agencies will affect the cost of money from international sources.”

Tewarie said, except in the housing sector, he did not see an emphasis on stimulation of private sector financing and private sector action in the economy. 

“I find his entire approach to business activity contradictory and confusing.”

Unions
 If the TT dollar is devalued, it could mean public servants’ late back pay would also be devalued to half the amount. This was the concern expressed by Public Services Association president, Watson Duke, on CNC 3’s Morning Brew programme yesterday. 

Duke was referring to Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s promise that public servants, owed some $5 billion, will be paid at an unnamed date in the new year. Imbert made the promise as he announced on December 11 that the Government had no money to pay public servants outstanding arrears on salaries.

Duke felt a devaluation of the TT dollar may be on the cards and could impact the value of public servants’ back pay. He called for an urgent meeting, with Rowley and the labour movement to discuss the matter. National Trade Union Centre president, Michael Annisette, called on the Government to avoid any unnecessary delay. 

“They should do everything humanly possible to settle outstanding issues, the same way they find money to pay contractors,” he said. Annisette said an initiative introduced by the NAR government during the 1980s recession to allow public servants to own shares in state companies was rejected by his union at the time but would be a good idea now.

“In hindsight, we saw the wisdom,” he said. Annisette welcomed Rowley’s embrace of the labour movement at this time but expressed reservations about whether it will bear good fruit.

“Our experience has been that the tripartite approach has been cosmetic and not real and we really hope given the dynamics we find ourselves in, discussion will be based on mutual respect and on putting T&T first.”

Annisette called on everybody, not just labour, to make sacrifices.

“Everybody has to make sacrifices, the business community, the Government, not just labour. “For instance, an economist called for wage freezes across the public service but said nothjing about freezing prices on goods and services.

“If labour suffers whole economy suffers.”