Teachers walked off the job at two secondary schools and a primary school in South Trinidad on the second day of school yesterday, because electrical and air-conditioning problems.

This was confirmed by Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association president Lynsley Doodhai, who called on the Ministry of Education to urgently address these problems.

Doodhai said the ministry has also been given until Monday to address issues of rat and pigeon infestations, falling ceilings and rotting floors at the San Fernando Boys’ Government Primary School, or the teaching staff will take similar action.

Concerned for their safety and welfare, teachers, on the advice of TTUTA, walked off the jobs at Princes Town East Secondary School for the second day, the San Fernando Central Secondary (Mud Sec) and the Buenos Ayres Government Primary School.

Speaking in front of San Fernando Central yesterday, Doodhai said they had issued a press release on Monday afternoon indicating that teachers would have withdrawn their services yesterday because of electrical problems at the school.

He said teachers reported for duty but left around 9.30 am.

“It seems that the school is in need of an electrical upgrade. The panel box, it was reported to us, is getting very hot, even may be smoking and the panel box is located in close proximity to the chemistry lab where there are dangerous chemicals stored and also to gas reserve tanks. So it will pose a danger if anything happens with the electrical system and the school with respect to a fire.”

He said an ongoing problem with the air-conditioning system resulted in teachers walking off the job at Princes Town East Secondary on Monday and again yesterday around 8.45 am.

Doodhai said Buenos Ayres Government Primary in Erin also had electrical problems, resulting in teachers leaving the school around lunchtime.

With regards to the San Fernando Boys’ Government School, he said, “We have given the Ministry of Education until Monday to step in and rectify the problems. If that is not done the staff will also be removing itself from that school.”

Expressing displeasure about how the ministry has prepared the schools, he said, “The 142 schools which were earmarked for repairs, it is common knowledge now that not all of these repairs have been completed.”

Apart from those schools, Doodhai said there are other schools, including San Fernando Boys’ Government, which are in critical need of repairs but could not be repaired because of financial constraints.

Reiterating that TTUTA will take a zero tolerance stance to health and safety issues at schools, he said if the environment is unsafe for teachers, then it is unsafe for the students.

“I will just like parents to know that teachers will not be coming back out to school to perform their duties until the problems are rectified and they can pick sense from nonsense and they could make a decision based on what I have said.”

When contacted yesterday, Ministry officials said a contractor has been hired to do the necessary repairs at the boys’ school, a team had visited the Central Secondary yesterday to assess the scope of the work to be done and at Princes Town Secondary efforts were being made to rectify the problem. The official said they were told that at Buenos Ayres there was an electrical outage because of an upgrade being done by TTEC, but electricity has since returned.

Joint Select Committee member Franklin Khan yesterday admitted that the agent for the Super Fast Galicia, Inter-continental Shipping Ltd, was paid $18 million by the former People’s Partnership government for services it never provided to the sea bridge.

Khan also disclosed that in April 2014, a cheque was sent from the then Ministry of Transport to the Port Authority of T&T (PATT) to be placed in an account until a contract was executed for the Galicia, which raised a lot of questionable circumstances.

He made the revelation during the second day of the inquiry into the inter-island sea bridge which specifically focused on the procurement and maintenance of the ferries.

Khan said the 18-month contract between Inter-continental Shipping and PATT was breached on Inter-continental’s part when they unexpectedly withdrew the Galicia from the sea bridge service in April of this year.

“The nation should know that this precipitated the crisis, ”Khan said, referring to the ongoing sea bridge fiasco.

Khan said before departing our shores the country did a lot of good things for the Galicia, which the public was unaware of.

“And check how they behaved at the end. I want to go on public record,” he said.

Khan recalled that a contract involving the Galicia was signed on May 7, 2014 with an effective date of May 1 at $15,000 Euros per day. However, he said the boat started to work the sea bridge on August 4.

“Is it that we paid over that period approximately $18 million before the vessel worked a single day? Is that true? So this country paid Inter-continental the sum of $18 million for services not provided?”

This figure was confirmed by the Ministry of Works and Transport acting permanent secretary Sonia Francis- Yearwood.

Khan also drew reference to another matter involving the Galicia, regarding an April 2014 cheque which was sent from the then transport ministry to the Port Authority of T&T to be placed in an account on hold until a contract was executed.

“Something about this company and this boat found favour with the then administration,” he said.

Khan said while Francis-Yearwood should not be blamed for this action, he queried if it was normal practice for a cheque to be issued without there being an executed contract or an invoice submission.

Francis-Yearwood said she had never experienced such a situation.

“Then who possibly, from your experience, in the hierarchy of the ministry, could have initiated an event like that... far less, get a cheque cut and sent to the Port Authority under these questionable circumstances?”Khan enquired.

Francis-Yearwood said that would have been an activity between the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Finance.

“I don’t want to put you in a spot, it could have very likely involved a minister,” Khan said.

Francis-Yearwood said she would not place herself in that spot.

“I have absolutely no record of that time,” she responded.

A 19-year-old mason who chose not to disclose what he was doing with a loaded revolver in his possession will spend the next 18 months doing hard labour in prison.

Jerrel Alexis, of Pleasantville, pleaded guilty to having a .38 revolver and two rounds of ammunition in his possession when he appeared before San Fernando Magistrate Kerianne Byer.

When asked by the magistrate why he had the gun, Alexis remained silent.

Court prosecutor Sgt Krishna Bedassie said around 5.30 pm on Friday, PC Hayden Dookhie and other officers of the Southern Division Task Force were patrolling the Toradale area when they saw Alexis walking along the road.

Dookhie became suspicious when Alexis turned in the opposite direction and walked away quickly.

Dookhie came out of the vehicle, searched Alexis and found the revolver, loaded with two rounds of ammunition, was tucked in his pants waist.

Asking for leniency, Alexis said his common-law wife was pregnant and she had no one else to care for her. The prosecutor confirmed Alexis was a first time offender.

However, the magistrate said the offence was serious and carried an eight-year jail term and a $25,000 fine. Noting the prevalence of the firearm-related offences in the country, she said a message must be sent as guns were causing destruction in society.

"God knows what you were going to do with this," she said as she sentenced him to 18 months on the gun charge and nine months on the ammunition charge, but the sentences were ordered to run concurrently. The magistrate also commended Dookhie for his keen sense of observation and quick response.

Lack of sustainable economic plans and parliamentary autonomy were two key topics which were brought to the fore during yesterday’s ParlAmericas workshop on Fiscal Transparency Practices and a Co-creation Meeting on Citizen Participation. The event was held at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain.

Independent Senator David Small said it was terrible that many economies were racking up huge debt bills rendering them unsustainable.

He said each time there was a change of government, programmes also changed which also amounted to wastage.

Regarding parliamentary autonomy, he said T&T’s Parliament was still beholden to the Finance Ministry which resulted in constraints for resources.

Saying that he was a “strong supporter” of parliamentary autonomy Small added that resources were not consistently given.

House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George, who also spoke said PalAmericas, as a convener of some 35 national legislatures of member states of the OAS, provided a platform for the widening of duties which was a bedrock of Parliaments beyond respective geographic boundaries to encompass.

She said the role of modern Parliaments was continuously evolving adding that in addition to fulfilling its traditional roles parliamentarians were now duty bound to hold the Executive accountable for its policies and expenditure.

Annisette-George added that yesterday’s workshop “could not be more suitably timed” as this country’s Parliament was near the end of its fiscal year and was preparing for its 2017-2018 budget.

President and CEO of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy and former parliamentary budget officer of Canada Kevin Page, who facilitated, urged that without fiscal transparency there would not be any accountability in any country.

In identifying some of the gaps in ensuring proper processes, Page said the third biggest was the willingness on people’s part to change, especially when the roadmaps were already in place to change the system.

Teenager Mitchelle Francis was shot twice in the head at close range on Tuesday night. One of the bullets severed his upper spinal cord.

According to pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov, 17-year-old Francis was shot in the left side of the forehead exiting on the other side. The bullet did not damage the brain, Alexandrov said. The second and data shot entering the left cheek, exited the right neck. The second shot was the fatal one Alexandrov said adding that the first shot to the head caused a “key hole” wound but there was no damage to the brain. The first shot came at a distance and the second was at close range rupturing the brain stem.

Police said Francis, of Williams Trace, Five Rivers Arouca, was liming with friends around 9.30pm. Residents, according to police, heard the gunshots and later found Francis dead. Police could not give a definitive motive for the killing.

Until the amended Marriage Act is proclaimed, people under the age of 18 can get married and such marriages will be considered legal, child rights activist Hazel Brown said yesterday.

She was commenting on the recent incident where police arrested a 28- year old Aranguez man, Mitchum Deosingh, folowing his marriage to his 17 year old girlfriend but were later forced to release him after his attorney Nikolas Ali told them the Miscellaneous Provisions Marriage Act 2017 is yet to be proclaimed.

The legislation was passed by both houses of Parliament in mid-June and assented to by President Anthony Carmona on June 22 but is yet to be proclaimed. Attorney General Faris Al Rawi explained that input from the finalisation of forms from the Parliamentary Counsel and the Registrar General has just been provided and the matter has to go to Cabinet for consideration.

Only after the Cabinet considers the matter and gives approval can the President proclaim the Act.

Brown told the T&T Guardian: “The fact that the law was passed will not change a lot in terms of the relationships children under 18 have. They will continue to do it. The only thing is they will not be married.”

She said for this reason a coalition of organisations including the Family Planning Association and other NGOs lobbied the Attorney General to include exceptions in the Act. The groups felt the law needed to be applied to “real situations and real people.”

“There will be circumstances which require exceptions and that has to be dealt with because that is the reality,” Brown said.

Among other things the groups proposed that the only exception to marriage by persons under 18 that should be considered is a person over 16 who intends to marry someone no more than three years older.”

A document prepared by the NGOs noted that the provision permitting such a marriage should outline the process for review by an appropriate authority such as the Family Court to ascertain informed consent on the part of the minor as well as for provision of counselling.

Opposition Senator Gerald Ramdeen took issue with the delay after the Government’s rush to amend the legislation. He said this was similar to the SSA Act which is yet to be proclaimed 18 months after being passed in the Parliament.

The debate on changes to the Marriage Act which affects Hindu, Muslim and Orisha marriages was contentious. Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Sat Maharaj voiced his objections and said religious practices are guaranteed under the Constitution.

Maharaj said the Maha Sabha is pursuing legal action.

“We are of the view that our constitutional rights have been tampered with by the Attorney General in his anxiety to get this Bill passed,” he said

He described the action by the police in the case of Deosingh as “high-handed”.

“I am not surprised that the people involved are considering legal action against the police,” he said.

The Office of the President meantime explained that once assented, the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs must prepare and submit a Note to Cabinet requesting that the Proclamation for the Act be prepared for the President to affix his seal and signature.

A statement from the President’s head of communications Theron Boodan said as of yesterday’s date no Proclamation has been forwarded from Cabinet for the President’s Proclamation.

The President according to Boodan awaits receipt of the Proclamation for his seal and signature.

Inter-island Truckers and Traders Association president Horace Amede yesterday called for the one-year contract of the Cabo Star to be scrapped, as the vessel is creating severe headache for his members and Tobagonians.

Amede made the call before the Joint Select Committee (JSC) chaired by Stephen Creese at the Bruce Financial Complex in Scarborough, where stakeholders who have been adversely affected by the ongoing sea bridge fiasco were able to vent their feelings.

Yesterday marked the third day of the inquiry into the inter-island ferry service focusing on the procurement and maintenance of the vessels.

At the start of the hearing, Creese read a letter sent by senior legal counsel Alvin Pascal on behalf of the Tobago House of Assembly, which indicated its representatives would not be attending because the sea bridge issue fell under Central Government, which was already represented by the Ministry of Works and Transport.

In his testimony, Amede pointed out that the ferry service was the lifeline for Tobagonians, who have been losing millions of dollars in business. Committee member Franklin Khan tried to comfort Amede, telling him he felt their pains and Government was trying its best to get the matter sorted out in the shortest possible time.

During a discussion with Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan in 2016, Amede said they were assured the owners of the Super Fast Galicia would not pull the vessel out of service because they needed the money. He said the association then began hearing rumours that the chartered agreement for the Galicia was not signed.

“Everything was working fine with the Galicia. There were one or two minor problems. We made recommendations for the Galicia to stay, lo and behold it was gotten rid of and we are faced with a crisis that some of us are still under stress up to today,” he said.

He said he remained perplexed that the Ocean Flower 2 was bought on June 26 but the Government made the announcement of its contract on June 30.

“We believe that something is wrong in the procurement of those vessels.”

Amede outlined a list of problems on the cargo vessel, ranging from an infestation of rats, roaches and mites, inadequate washroom and bathroom facilities, no food and water on sale, no sick room or air conditioning. He said truckers also have to sleep on the ground during its nine hours of sailing.

“If we had a choice the Cabo Star would not have been here today because of the problems we are faced with. We should not be living like that in this modern society.”

Committee vice chairman Rushton Paray told Amede that Sinanan, in his testimony on Tuesday, said when the proposal for the Galicia came to him he was not in position to make the taxpayers pay a $200 million bill over the next five years.

Paray asked Amede what message he would send to Sinanan to bring a resolution to the crisis, taking into consideration if the Cabo Star’s contract is broken taxpayers would have to pay a heavy price.

Amede said, “Replace the boat because it is definitely not working for us. My recommendation to him would be get rid of that vessel and get rid of it now.”

Amede said seeing that Government has expressed an interest in buying a vessel, they should ensure it is custom built to suit their needs and its sailing time is four hours.

Association vice president Robert Tardieu also queried if the Cabo Star was certified.

“What measures were taken to allow people to travel on the vessel? Who is providing the insurance? Who issued the extension of the certificate for the Ro-Ro vessel, because it was only valid for three months? All these questions need to be answered.”

Tardieu said as far as he understood “people who are travelling on that vessel are doing so, unless I am mistaken, at their own risk.”

Tobago hoteliers are making a case for compensation over the losses they have suffered as a result of the sea bridge crisis.

Appearing before the Joint Select Committee of Parliament yesterday, Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association vice president Carol Ann Birchwood-James said the past five months have been harrowing for Tobago, with “families being abandoned on the ports with no food or communication while boats were delayed or cancelled due to mechanical problems.”

She said many visitors were forced to return to their hotels after delays and cancellations and were accommodated at reduced cost. She said the sea bridge problem evolved to bigger issues, with even the air bridge affected, but conceded that the “airlift on the domestic route is inadequate and cannot be fixed without fixing the sea bridge.”

The cancellation of the Ocean Flower 2 contract sent “shock waves,” and there were many cancellations as a result, she said.

“The situation on the sea bridge is catastrophic for the tourism industry, which saw tourists clamouring for refunds. Businesses are unable to pay banks, utility bills and staff,” she said.

In light of this, she said the association was recommending that “the Government consider compensation for losses, that Government intervene with a moratorium on hotel taxes and all taxes to stay foreclosure of tourism plants by commercial banks” and that the association have a presence on the Caribbean Airlines and Port Authority boards. The association also wants input in the procurement of any future passenger vessel.

While the association is yet to quantify losses as a result of the fiasco, president Chris James clarified that the TT$25 million figure which he had given earlier was “just for the four-month period when we had cancellations.”

The situation is so bad that when people book now they first check whether they have a flight or ferry ticket because “it was becoming too expensive for refunds through the credit card system.”

What is more difficult to estimate, James said, is the loss of confidence of people who may no longer view Tobago as their choice of destination.

“We don’t have the ability to work out costs but you talking many many millions of dollars,” James said.

Bed and Breakfast Association president Kaye Trotman said one to three rooms are now occupied per month as a result of the travel crisis.

“That is a significant blow, there is no way to survive on that. It is because people cannot get to you.”

The inconsistency of the ferry service and CAL flights because of the sea bridge problems had “nullified the Stay to get Away Project launched by the Ministry of Tourism.”

Shirley Cooke, of the Restaurant Association, said “this is a man-made crisis.” Since the departure of the Galicia, she said “we looking at losses of TT$20 million and that is conservative.”

Cooke lamented that no one saw the sea bridge as an essential service.

“The Minister may not understand the full impact on the economy, when you tabulate the cost Tobago suffered tremendously economically.”

The business owners told the committee with occupancy now down to under 25-30 per cent survival is hard.

“People tried to keep staff three days a week, we have asked utility companies for payment plans and properties are in trouble,” James said.

But the ray of light on the horizon is a meeting with the Bankers Association on September 20.

Minority member of the Tobago House of Assembly Farley Augustine wants the Port Authority of T&T board fired and “perhaps if it were my decision to make I will drop the board in the Bocas and ask them to swim.”

Augustine, who joined Minority Leader Watson Duke in a protest swim from Scarborough to Toco last week to highlight the sea bridge problems, made the comment yesterday before the Joint Select Committee looking into procurement and maintenance of the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2 on the inter-island service.

Augustine also suggested that works and transport Minister Rohan Sinanan be fired over the sea bridge fiasco.

According to Farley, it would be inconceivable for New York City governors to sit and watch the subway down for a week. Similarly, he said “the Central Government must see the inter-island service as a critical service akin to the subway in New York or London or the red band going to Arima.”

Both he and committee member Wade Mark were critical of THA Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles’ failure to attend the session. Farley said under the THA Act, the THA “has responsibility for infrastructure, including sea and air transportation.”

Tobago, he said, “cannot lay claims to greater autonomy without first laying claim to greater responsibility. We must take responsibility for what happened, the Executive Council has failed us on this matter, they have ducked the issue all along.”

Augustine said the ferry crisis had damaged the Tobago economy but it also affected Trinidadian businesses.

“We are purchasing goods and services from Trinidad businesses, truckers spend TT$100,000 every single day, that is a significant loss in economic terms.”

He said many other people were affected, including students, people wanting to join the police service and who could not make it to write their exams, as well as those travelling to Trinidad to attend to medical issues, because he said it was “impossible for the hospital in Tobago to provide 100 per cent of the medical treatment required.”

Augustine suggested the committee put “punitive measures” in place against those who “damage the public purse,” suggesting the crisis on the sea bridge was “created, it did not happen by accident, it was not an emergency.”

ST JOHN’S, Antigua—Monster Hurricane Irma, the most powerful hurricane ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean, is still pummelling parts of the northern Caribbean with its Category 5 winds and heavy rains.

Irma made landfall on Barbuda in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and initial reports indicate that roofs of homes and other buildings were blown off by the hurricane packing 185 mile-per-hour winds.

While there was similar damage reported in Antigua, the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) said in a statement issued around 8 am yesterday that “the preliminary report is indicating that damage across Antigua and Barbuda is minimal”.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne issued a statement after 9 am, indicating that Antigua had indeed been spared the worst, as he gave thanks to God for his mercy on the twin-island nation and congratulated residents for heeding his warnings to treat Hurricane Irma with absolute seriousness and ensure they were as prepared as possible.

“The forecast was that Antigua would be devastated, our infrastructure demolished, people killed and our economy destroyed. In the light of day, the picture is very different. In Antigua, no life has been lost—all the people survived. The guests in our hotels are all well. Even our animals were protected from this massive storm,” he said.

Browne announced that flights into and out of Antigua would resume by 2 pm yesterday.

“We received feedback from the District Disaster Co-ordinators, who have already begun some assessment. An initial situation overview is being conducted which will give an indication of the damage and where pockets of damage are concentrated,” it said.

However, NODS did acknowledge that there is still no clear picture of the extent of the damage in Barbuda, as there had been no communication with Barbuda since 12.30 am.

“We are presently trying to re-establish communication with Barbuda to get a clearer picture of the situation there…Before communication was lost, we got reports of several buildings having damaged roofs, [including] the police station. The Barbuda Weather Station, monitored by the Met Office, recorded sustained winds of 119 mph and gusts of 150 mph,” it reported.

After impacting Barbuda, Irma headed towards the French Caribbean islands of St Martin and St Barthélemy.

The French government has confirmed widespread flooding and electrical blackouts on both islands.

In St Martin, government offices—the most sturdy on the island—were partly destroyed, the fire station damaged and several roofs were blown off. The island has been without electricity since 6 am yesterday.

“We know that the four most solid buildings on the island have been destroyed which means that more rustic structures have probably been completely or partially destroyed,” French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said.

In St Barthélemy, firefighters had to take refuge on the first floor of the fire station which was under a metre of water; several homes have been damaged and roofs blown off and there is a total blackout.

At 8 am, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami said the eye of Irma had passed over St Martin, while the northern eyewall was pounding Anguilla.

By 2 pm, the extremely dangerous core of the hurricane was passing over the northernmost Virgin Islands.

At that time, Hurricane Irma was about 20 miles east northeast of St Thomas, US Virgin Islands and 90 miles east of San Juan, Puerto Rico, moving west northwest at 16 miles per hour.

“On the forecast track, the extremely dangerous core of Irma will continue to move over portions of the Virgin Islands during the next couple of hours, pass near or just north of Puerto Rico this afternoon or tonight, pass near or just north of the coast of the Dominican Republic Thursday, and be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas late Thursday,” the NHC said.

More than 2,000 illegal firearms, mostly pistols and revolvers and approximately 37,000 rounds of assorted ammunition have been recovered by the police in the past 36 months.

Most of the illegal guns come through the South American mainland originating from North America.

This was disclosed yesterday by acting ASP Vernly Gift of the Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau (OCNFB) during the T&T Police Service’s weekly media briefing.

Giving a breakdown, Gift said in total 2,158 firearms were recovered from January 2015 to August 2017, “In 2015, 691…in 2016, 765 and from January 2017 to August 31 2017, 702…of the nine divisions, the majority of seizures were made in the Northern, Western and Southern divisions.”

Gift also said that during the period January 2016 to August 31 2016, a total of $109,637,067 in cocaine and marijuana were seized, while in 2017 during the same period, $30,727,305 were seized.

He said that despite the fact that the T&T Police Service (TTPS) has had notable success in the recovery of illegal arms and ammunition, it is difficult to measure the quantity of firearms entering the country.

“Whilst the threat of firearms is real and ever so evident, the effects of the narcotic scourge is equally as devastating and contribute to the loss and diminishing quality of life locally,” Gift said.

With respect to marijuana eradication exercises, police have increased its initiative from 29 exercises in 2016 from January to August 31 to 41 exercises in the same period this year.

“In 2016 233,330 fully grown trees were destroyed while this year same period 1,108,737 fully grown trees were destroyed...a 41 per cent increase in exercises and 375 per cent increase in trees being destroyed,” Gift said.

When asked if the Police Service had full co-operation with the Customs and Excise Division with respect to carrying out exercises at the respective ports of entry throughout T&T, Gift replied: “Yes. We often have meetings and they are fully cooperative”

He, however, could not give any statistics with regards to the amount of illegal firearms and narcotics seized from those respective ports of entities.

“The effort in drug supply reduction by local agencies such as Customs and Excise, T&T Coast Guard, security agencies at all ports of entry should not go unnoticed and for this the TTPS commends them for their efforts,” Gift said.

New Prisons Commissioner William Alexander says the Prison Service will be updating the technology used to safeguard the prisons in wake of recent posting of videos on social media by inmates.

Yesterday, a video of several inmates arguing with cell phones and one with an unidentified object in his hand was posted on social media.

One of the inmates was heard verbally abusing another prisoner while telling him to leave his cell.

Another video posted last week saw two inmates rolling on the ground, wrestling in front of a prison cell.

In an interview yesterday, Alexander said the two prisoners in the first video were interviewed and they claimed they were wrestling.

“The inmates were interviewed and they said they were wrestling but we have rules and regulations and their movements were restricted. The prevalence of these inmates with phones and Facebook is as though somebody has an agenda. I don’t want to venture but to tarnish the image of the service,” he said.

Williams said because of the updated technology the inmates were able to get through the blocks used at the prison.

He said the officers have already started some searches for cellphones and other devices. He said, however, he did want to alert anyone on when the searches of the prison would be conducted.

“It will alert other persons in addition and we have identified the inmates involved all who took pictures who post them and sent them out,” he said.

Williams said he would do everything possible to make the prisons as safe as he could.

“This commissioner, William Alexander, I love T&T and I will do all in my ability and my power to make the improvements necessary to make sure the safety of T&T and these things that are causing anxiety and comfort we need to deal with and there are challenges and all who are willing to make a contribution,” he said.

He said prison officers have been trying to teach inmates to gather a new perspective on life than to destroy and hurt people.

Meanwhile, the Prison Officers’ Association has called for an investigation into the video and to hold any member of staff accountable.

A release from the association said the officers were disgusted by the apparent negligence of members of staff which allowed this atrocity to occur in the video circulating on social media.

“As a staff representative organisation we cannot stress enough that the members of staff who contributed to this must be held to account for this act of negligence.

The responsibility of the organisation to hold in safe custody surely was being flaunted and undermined since clearly this altercation could have resulted in the injury or even death of the offenders, the release said.

Most Government ministers were mum yesterday on negative ratings received by their administration and leader in their second year of office - but the Opposition wasn’t silent.

For yesterday’s second anniversary of the PNM Government, a poll by T&T Guardian-commissioned pollster Louis Bertrand, of HHB and Associates Limited, showed 83 per cent of respondents believe T&T is going the wrong way.

The poll also showed that 32 per cent of respondents approved of the job Dr Keith Rowley was doing as Prime Minister, in comparison to 43 per cent approval for Kamla Persad-Bissessar as Opposition Leader.

“Two years ago, Dr (Keith) Rowley convinced T&T that he could lead our country. I warned the country he had no plan and no ideas,” Persad-Bissessar said via statement after low ratings on the People’s National Movement (PNM) Government were unveiled in the media.

“As a former prime minister myself, I can confirm the job does not allow you to just fly off without serious consideration as to what is happening here at any given time.”

Persad-Bissessar was particularly alluding to Rowley’s absence from T&T. The PM is in the US for medical check-ups and is due home Monday, and so missed the ratings and polls.

However, feedback from within his administration was minimal yesterday. The usual weekly post-Cabinet media briefing (where some Ministers are often available) wasn’t held yesterday.

Acting PM Colm Imbert also didn’t immediately reply to queries on the poll, nor did PNM deputy leader Rohan Sinanan. Other frontline Ministers said they didn’t see the poll as they’d been in Cabinet all day yesterday and several PNM party officials referred queries to “... Government people.”

However, the T&T Guardian was able to confirm some Ministers did exchange brief conversations on the polls/ratings after Cabinet ended.

But Persad-Bissessar accused Rowley of “running away whilst the nation is in crisis.”

“Dr Rowley would be very aware of the questions he would face from the media, pollsters and the society on his second anniversary in Government. Well the polls are out, the media are asking questions and the society is speaking out - and as planned, he’s absent. The Prime Minister has run away.”

She said it was clear to the UNC, “as it was to many of the high-ranking members of his own party two years ago, that the man lacked the compassion, leadership skills ​and vision to move T&T forward.”

“Two years later, 75 per cent of the nation thinks the Government has failed because of runaway crime, that Dr Rowley has chosen to put citizens on the bread line by cutting jobs instead of diversifying the economy. Two years later, Dr Rowley has taken the country in the wrong direction, because of his incompetence as a leader - and now he’s run away while T&T is in crisis.”

Two political analysts yesterday urged Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to take a firmer grip on his Cabinet in order to rebuild the population’s confidence.

Their call follows the results of the T&T Guardian-commissioned Louis Bertrand poll on Government’s two-year tenure in office, which revealed the country was deemed to be “going in the wrong direction” under the People’s National Movement administration by the majority of respondents.

The findings of the poll conducted by Bertrand’s HHB and Associates showed this to be the view of a startling 83 per cent of respondents. Crime and violence was ranked as the single most pressing problem facing T&T by 66 per cent of respondents.

Political analyst Prof John La Guerre yesterday agreed that crime had worsened under Rowley’s stewardship.He suggested that the PM needs to re-assess his Cabinet and bring a few “mature ministers” to manage the country.

“The Government needs to have a firm plan as to what they are going to do in the present and in going forward, which should be communicated to the public.”

He said the Government was currently stumbling from one day to next and there were too many mistakes and missteps in the last 24 months.

“There just have been too many glitches in the Government and people are losing confidence in their ability to grapple with the crime and violence that is stalking our land.They need to do better,” La Guerre said.

If the Government fails to address the concerns of the people, Le Guerre said this “could lead to unconventional forms of protests, especially over crime” in the coming months.

Political analyst Dr Bishnu Ragoonath also expressed similar sentiments, saying crime and violence were the most pressing issues affecting citizens.

Ragoonath said leading up the 2015 general election, Rowley had given a commitment to fight corruption and noted it was recently shocking to hear him describe the deal involving the Cabo Star and Ocean Flower 2 as being crooked.

“So if the Prime Minister has indicated this which happened under his watch, clearly all the things he had promised to get done they are not doing it. Dr Rowley had also promised and campaigned that they would get a handle on crime and they have failed in that regard. This is why people are of the view that they are not going in the right direction,” Ragoonath said.

In going forward, Ragoonath said the PM “has to take a firmer grip on his Cabinet,” to show that they can get the job done and rebuild the population’s confidence.

A 17-year-old from Aranguez, who allegedly went missing after eloping with her 28-year-old boyfriend last month, has surrendered to police.

The T&T Guardian understands that after the teenager read an exclusive report in Tuesday’s edition of this newspaper on her husband Mitchum Deosingh’s arrest over their marriage and her subsequent disappearance, she decided to go to police to clarify the issue.

The teenager contacted her husband’s attorney Nikolas Ali and the pair went to the Barataria Police Station yesterday morning to make a report.

Contacted yesterday, Ali said the teenager gave a statement to investigators in which she claimed she was never missing. She allegedly said she decided to leave her relatives’ home and stay by a friend after police ordered her to return there after she attempted to move out with Deosingh on August 27. She allegedly said her relatives were aware of her decision and the location where she was staying.

After giving the statement, the teen was allowed to leave the station with Ali and return to her husband.

On Monday, Deosingh, a mechanic, was arrested by detectives of the Child Protection Unit, who mistakenly believed that the marriage was illegal. He was released the following day after his lawyer pointed out that the Miscellaneous Provisions (Marriage) Act, which raised the marriage age to 18, is yet to be be proclaimed.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has said that the proclamation will take place soon.

“The proclamation is just awaiting the finalization of the forms which Parliamentary Council and Registrar General has just provided. The issue will then go to Cabinet for its consideration,” Al-Rawi said in an interview on Tuesday.

In a interview on Tuesday, Deosingh explained that he met his wife in December last year and they decided to get married after a seven-month relationship. The couple allegedly informed his wife’s relatives of their plans but they were strongly opposed to it.

Under the Hindu Marriage Act, which will be repealed when the new legislation is eventually proclaimed, parental permission is only required when children are under 14-years-old.

On August 23, the couple eloped with the assistance of a pundit from Bamboo Settlement, Valsayn, in the presence of two witnesses.

Deosingh said several days after the ceremony he and his wife went to the Barataria Police Station to seek assistance in retrieving her clothes and personal items from her home.

However, he said police intervened and began questioning the validity of their marriage. They later returned his wife back to her relatives, but did not arrest Deosingh until this week.

Energy Minister Franklin Khan yesterday defended the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) administration during its first two years in office, as he acknowledged there was bound to be a popularity fall-out due to the trying economic times and hard decisions which had to be made as a result.

However, he believes the party has not lost the favour of its core supporters and denied it was a worrying development for the party.

Questioned on the findings of the T&T Guardian-commissioned Louis Bertrand poll that public support for the PNM had waned in the past two years, Khan said, “We are in an economic downturn, so obviously when you do not have the goods and services to share with the population there will some level of disappointment. But to say that the party has lost popularity, at its core level, I don’t think so.”

Asked to comment specifically on the findings of the poll which reflected that the majority of population was dissatisfied with how the PNM was running the country, Khan promised to respond shortly.

“The actual polls are being studied now in detail and the party will be making a statement shortly.”

Khan noted too that he only became aware of the poll yesterday morning.

“Polling and statistics are very scientific events and you have to understand what the poll is telling you, what questions are asked and you have to do a clinical analysis of what it is. A lot of the polls conducted in T&T are not truly scientific polls based on scientific sampling theory.”

A statistician himself, Khan added, “I did courses at the university and I understand what it is. I have to drill deeper down into the poll and understand what it is asking and understand the numbers that are churning out, whether it is statistically valid.”

Pressed to say if the PNM had conducted any polls of their own to rate their performance during the last two years, Khan said he was unaware of such activity, as this was directly under Rowley’s portfolio and he could not speak to it.

Asked if he could offer a rating of the party and its performance thus far, Khan said while discussions have been had with others, it was not something he wanted to divulge at this time.

However, Khan stressed that Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley had not run away as was being claimed by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

He defended his political leader, saying “Dr. Rowley is out of the country for medical reasons. It is not a dereliction of duty.”

Questioning why this was hard for the Opposition to understand, Khan added, “He has gone for his annual check-up. It has nothing to do with a poll coming out or what issues are facing the country.”

Noting that he himself recently had to undergo medical treatment, Khan added, “Your health and your family comes before anything else, so he was just taking care of his health in a cautionary manner based on what the doctors had prescribed when he last went up, that he should come for an annual check-up and this is the time for it.”

Also asked for an update on the medical condition of Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie, who remains hospitalised at the St. Clair Medical Centre, Khan, offered, “I am aware he had a medical event and he is hospitalised at St. Clair.”

Khan said all other details regarding Cuffie’s condition were being handled by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh.

Editor’s note: Louis Bertrand and his HHB and Associates unit continue to be T&T’s leading team of pollsters and were the only ones to successfully call the seats the People’s National Movement would have won in the 2015 general elections. Bertrand, who is the firm's managing director, has been in the business for over 28 years and has done work for several media companies and government organisations.

With the most powerful hurricane ever to form in the Atlantic, Category 5 Hurricane Irma is approaching the east coast of the United States and Trinidadians in Florida are becoming more and more nervous.

The hurricane, which is expected to hit landfall this weekend, has caused scores of people to evacuate their homes and some of them, including Trinidadians, are said to have driven all the way up to North to Georgia and New Jersey.

Trinidadian Cindy Saroop McNeal, who lives at Boynton Beach, Florida, one mile from the coast, told the T&T Guardian yesterday that she has decided to stay at home with her husband and two small children, ages seven and three.

Mc Neal said she experienced a Category 3 hurricane before and believes she can survive Hurricane Irma.

“I am still hoping that by the time Hurricane Irma approaches us it would have downgraded to a lesser category. My home’s foundation is concrete so I am not quite worried. However, I will be putting up the shutters to block off all the windows,” McNeal said.

McNeal said all schools have been closed since yesterday as a state of emergency has been declared by the governor. “Right now we are stocking up on food, water supply, batteries, flash lights, candles and first aid kits. All gas stations have been ordered to stay open. It is very scary at the moment. A lot of people are scattering all over. It is scary.”

Sharing her experience of her last hurricane, McNeal said she had to dodge fallen trees and live power lines while on her way to work during the category 3 event.

“Everyone’s roofs were on my vehicle…fences were gone…trees fallen all over…flood in front my house at waist heigh. It was really horrifyingly bad. I still had to go to work and remembered dodging power lines and trees on the roadway,” McNeal said.

“Right now all my friends have left Florida already on their way to Georgia and New Jersey. I have chosen to stay because I believe my family and I will be okay, my house is strong enough and I don’t have shingles on my house so I really should be okay,” she added.

According to AccuWeather.com’s website, Hurricane Irma is expected to unleash destructive winds and rain which will cause flooding across Florida starting from tomorrow.

The current track of Irma will bring the most severe impacts to the eastern side of the state, including Miami, West Palm Beach, Melbourne, Daytona Beach and Jacksonville. Tropical-storm-force conditions could be felt as far west as Tampa and Key West.

See Page A18

In the aftermath of Category 5 Hurricane Irma, Barbuda has been totally devastated and will need in excess of US$150 million to rebuild.

Yesterday, many Islanders grappled to get wifi access to make contact with relatives to at least inform them that they are alive and well.

In Barbuda, according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne in an interview on CNC’s Morning Brew with host Hema Ramkissoon, all telecommunications have been disrupted.

He described sheer sadness as he was being airlifted in a military helicopter from Antigua to Barbuda yesterday evening to get a first-hand view of the damage sustained.

“I was horrified and saddened to see the damages in Barbuda. About 90 per cent of all infrastructure have been destroyed and it will take a very long time for us to rebuild, months into years,” Browne said.

He said he has already approached Caricom and international bodies for help as he believes it would take in excess of US$150 million to rebuild.

“Right now Barbuda is uninhabitable and we are relying on temporary relief. People are bunking in small places, one of which is a concrete building that houses a television station.”

A Trinidadian family residing in Rhode Island in the United States, who wished not to be identified, said they were desperately trying to get in touch with their relatives in St Maarten but were having great difficulty as all communication had been lost on the island. Their relatives have been residing there for over a decade.

Tortola, one of the mostly populated islands of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), also suffered severe infrastructural damage as its hospital, fire station and police stations were identified as being completely destroyed by the hurricane.

One resident, Germain Smith, managed to connect to wifi and took to his Facebook page and in an emotional live video feed to show some of the damage.

“Everything mash up…Nothing saved…nothing…We need help,” Smith cried.

He said he and his son had to run from their home to save their lives and were forced to sleep in a corridor on Wednesday night.

Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, expressed solidarity and offered support and assistance to critical post disaster assessment using ECLAC’s established Damage and Loss Assessment (DaLA) methodology.

The United Nations donor agencies in the Caribbean, including USAID/OFDA, ECHO, DFID, Global Affairs Canada and others, are coordinating their aid in light of the impact of Hurricane Irma and in readiness for the approaching Hurricane Jose.

As Hurricane Irma is expected to make its landfall in the United States this weekend, Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has cancelled a dozen flights directly affected.

All flights in and out of Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica; Nassau, Bahama; Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando in Florida on September 10 (Sunday) were cancelled.

Passengers have been advised to contact its reservation offices for rebooking on the next available service. Affected customers travelling on September 10, 2017 will be permitted to change or cancel their reservations without penalty subject to the following conditions: Passengers must have a confirmed ticket issued before September 10, 2017; Passengers who choose to have their tickets refunded, must do so by September 17, 2017; Passengers who choose to change their reservations, must complete their travel by September 17, 2017, unless travel on the original booking was after this date.

Travel must be in the same cabin as the original.

CAL, however, made it clear that the airline will not be responsible for arrangements or transportation to/from an alternate airport or hotel/overnight expenses incurred by affected passengers.

FLIGHT ROUTING

BW 414Kingston to Nassau
BW 415Nassau to Kingston
BW 031Kingston to Fort Lauderdale
BW 030Fort Lauderdale to Montego Bay
BW 039Montego Bay to Fort Lauderdale
BW 036Fort Lauderdale to Kingston
BW 484Port of Spain to Miami
BW 483Miami to Port of Spain
BW480Port of Spain to Fort Lauderdale
BW481Fort Lauderdale to Port of Spain
BW482Port of Spain to Orlando
BW485Orlando to Port of Spain

MORE INFO

Customers are advised to visit www.caribbean-airlines.com and check their flight status before going to the airport or call the Caribbean Airlines Call Centres for further details:
USA, Canada & St. Maarten + 1 800 920 4225
Caribbean & Guyana + 1 800 744 2225
Trinidad & Tobago and Suriname + 1 868 625 7200
Caracas + 58 212 335 7405
Jamaica (International calls) + 1 800 523 5585
Jamaica (Local calls) + 1 888 359 2475
All other locations + 1 800 523 5585

Stephen Broadbridge, son of murdered ex-curator Dr Claire Broadbridge, has no intention of giving the Police Service months in bringing his mother’s killer/s to justice.

He also stated that he had zero confidence in Government’s ability to fight escalating crime and violence taking T&T.

Broadbridge, 80, was murdered last Saturday during a home invasion at her Cascade home.

Her throat had been slit, and the assailants apparently set furniture on the ground of the floor of the home in an attempt to burn down the two-storey building.

Yesterday, throngs of residents along Fondes Amandes, where Broadbridge lived, lit flambeaus at dusk in solidarity for the murdered woman, who was an outstanding member of the community.

Today, Claire Broadbridge, a former director of the National Museum and Art Gallery will be laid to rest.

While the police have been withholding information from Broadbridge, he said he hoped law enforcement officers “would not take months” to conduct their investigations and bring the killer/ killers to justice.

“I would like them to have an arrest soon. Not take months. I know the time my mother was killed was in the day and she had people working in her yard. All I care about is the end result. Once they (Police Service) are being affective…if they are not, I would be most upset.”

He said while the detection rate of the police was poor, the resources allocated to the case have been good.

“But I would imagine they would narrow down what they have to do. I have done a few things for them including locating security cameras along the road. Quite a few faces were seen in the footage.”

Broadbridge said since the killing, a lot of people have expressed fear, while others are furious.

Having to identify his mother’s body at the crime scene and before the autopsy was performed on Tuesday, Broadbridge said this “weakened” him and created a lot of stress just imaging the fear, pain and suffering his mom faced at the hands of her savage and heartless attackers.

Yesterday, Broadbridge supported the result of Louis Bertrand’s poll, which said that after two years in office the People’s National Movement led Government did not have a grip on crime and violence, which respondents agreed was the most pressing problem facing T&T.

“I have zero confidence in the Government when it comes to crime. I don’t think they have a plan. There are simple solutions that have been ignored and rejected. They have had more years in government that any other political party and therefore, I hold them more accountable for what is happening. They are in the same position that they have always been,” Broadbridge said.

If the Government fails to get a handle on crime, Broadbridge predicted a path of “steady decay” for our country and citizens.