A Guyanese national was shot dead in Port-of-Spain yesterday.

Dead is 30-year-old Troy Henry of San Juan.

Homicide detectives are working on the theory that Henry's murder was linked to the killing of Luke Adams, 19, on Thursday.

Adams was killed when a gunman opened fire on the occupants of a car stuck in traffic along Duke Street during the lunch-time rush hour. Adams was seated in the front passenger seat of the car.

According to reports, Henry was shot around 6 am.

His body was found along Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain, by officers of the Duncan Street police post.

Henry was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

Investigations are continuing.

Fruit vendor robbed

Two masked robbers entered the home of fruit vendor Alister Alexander and tied him to his bed before ransacking the house and stealing $130,000 in cash and valuables. They then snatched the keys to his Ford Ranger and drove off. The van was later found abandoned at Grand Bazaar.

Alexander, 62, of Sobo Village, La Brea, told police he was asleep at home when he heard a strange sound in his room. When he opened his eyes he saw the two men wearing masks. No arrests have yet been made.

Guns found in South raid

South Western Division police seized two .38 semi automatic revolvers in separate incidents on Friday.

The weapons were among eight firearms recovered for this year in the Division, which has the highest crime detection rates in T&T.

In the first incident, officers led by Sgt Ali of the Point Fortin CID went to Hollywood Village, where they saw a 34-year-old unemployed man sitting under a mango tree. When they checked his bag, they found the revolver and a bag containing 52 foil packets of marijuana.

In another incident around 12:30 am, PCs Maharaj and Clarke, acting on a tip off, went to an abandoned concrete building at Church Street, Point Fortin, where they found a bag containing a loaded gun.

The firearms have been sent for ballistic testing and police said they are continuing the quest to rid the streets of illegal weapons.

Union leaders say workers are not to be blamed for the low productivity in the work force.

President of the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union (BIGWU) Vincent Cabrera, Leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) David Abdulah and Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus spoke to the Sunday Guardian about what trade unions and the Government can do to engage workers to be more productive in a declining period.

Vincent Cabrera

Cabrera said he did not believe that workers’ attendance rates are to blame for the lack or fall in productivity in the economy.

“When a businessman in particular talks about productivity, he’s speaking about labour productivity. There is something called capital productivity. Is anyone talking about whether the level of capital productivity in T&T is at an optimal and acceptable level? Think tanks and universities are not looking at labour and capital productivity again; they’re looking at Total Factor Productivity (TFP).”

TFP is the measure of the output of an industry or economy relative to the size of all of its primary factor inputs. Increases in TFP result usually from technological innovations or improvements.

He said the country cannot develop a culture of work if management was absent or missing and then blamed workers when they came late if there was no management system in place.

Cabrera said the Public Service was vilified, most of the people the public came into contact with were “green” or very entry-grade public servants. He said the really well-trained people working hard behind the scenes, right up to the position of Permanent Secretary, are not usually seen by the public.

David Abdulah

Abdulah, former Chief Education & Research Officer and General Secretary of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union and former president of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and NGOs, said the party’s position was that the issue of work and productivity were not simply the responsibility of trade unions or workers alone.

He said national discussions were needed about a whole range of matters that had an impact on work productivity.

Abdulah said some of the challenges to workers’ ability to get to work on time included traffic and transport problems, crime and security, lack of water had nothing to do with trade unions or workers.

He said what also had to be discussed was transforming the culture of the country in terms of having a sense of responsibility which had to start at the top where leaders take no responsibility for matters that take place.

Abdulah said if a person going to work does not feel his labour, input and ideas were deemed valuable and respected, it will impact on the effort he puts in.

He said the education system was also not producing outcomes to the demands of the labour market as it was disappointing for university graduates to be cashing in fast food restaurants because they can’t get jobs to suit their qualifications.

Labour Minister

Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus said that it was a very important issue which must be addressed by all parties.

She said the relevant forum to discuss was at the level of the National Tripartite Advisory Council (NTAC) and the council had already begun to address the issue.

President of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) Michael Annisette is questioning Government’s decision to exclude key stakeholders in the selection of a new vessel to service the sea bridge.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert said that Government purchased a ferry which will be named Galleons Passage at the cost of US$17.4 million to service the inter-island sea bridge.

The Government will take delivery of the ferry in China around February 9 and will set sail for the Caribbean shortly thereafter.

Imbert said the ferry was built from scratch in China starting in 2015.

It has never been used and T&T will be the first user, Imbert said.

Imbert said if we were to order a ferry to be built it would not arrive until 2020.

Annisette said the fact that the ferry was not built specifically for us could cause some problems.

“Anybody who knows maritime knows that if somebody is building a vessel from scratch they build it for their own peculiarities and their own operational needs, and therefore the question that I would ask is whether or not those needs meet Trinidad and Tobago’s needs,” Annisette said.

He also questioned why stakeholders who use the sea bridge were not involved in the procurement process for the vessel.

“While the Government would have said they used experts from the UTT (University of Trinidad and Tobago) to do the sea trials I have not been told who are the experts. who are these experts, what are their qualifications what kind of sea trial would they have done in the past that qualifies them to be experts,” he said.

Annisette said the union was also left out of any kind of discussions.

Meanwhile, former transport minister Devant Maharaj has written to the chairman of the Integrity Commission calling for the examination of the procurement process used by (Nidco) the National Infrastructure Development Company for the purchase of the ferry.

Last week, this country bade farewell to a former president, Professor George Maxwell Richards, and elected a woman, Justice Paula-Mae Weekes, to this country’s highest office for the first time.

The events took place as outgoing President Anthony Carmona was in the Hague in the Netherlands where he delivered the inaugural address at the opening of the law term of the International Criminal Court.

It is the very same court where Carmona was due to take up an appointment on March 1, 2013, but which he was unable to take up after he accepted the nomination of the then government led by Kamla Persad-Bissessar to become the country’s fifth President.

Following Carmona’s election by the Electoral College, Persad-Bissessar in an address to the College opined that the “Presidency is no mere ceremonial position.”

“Our Presidents,” she said then, “is the vital and critical collective voice and conscience of our people.”

The role of the President in the Republic, she said, “is far-reaching, decisive, constant and always vigilant.”

Carmona himself raised the hope of the population when in his inaugural address at the Hasely Crawford Stadium he threw down the gauntlet declaring that while he did not have a “magic wand” and was not an “executive president,” the office of the presidency was not impotent.

While there are “parameters within which I must operate,” he said “Powers you think I have, I do not,” but “Power you think I do not have, I do.” He received a resounding applause from the stadium gathering, many looking with optimism to a new dawning of the Presidency.

Under Section 81 of the Constitution, he said, the Prime Minister is mandated to “keep the President fully informed of the general conduct of the Government, and at the President’s request, to submit information which respect to any matter relating thereto.”

Trinidad and Tobago attained Republican Status in 1976 and the man who helped author the Republican Constitution Sir Ellis Clarke became the first President on August 1, 1976, to March 19, 1987.

He was followed by Noor Mohammed Hassanali, March 20, 1987 - March 17, 1997, who was succeeded by Arthur NR Robinson, March 18, 1997-March 16, 2003 whose term had the hiccup of an electoral 18-18 tie which would take days to resolve and which would eventually lead to a change in the composition of the Parliament to ensure that such an event never recurred.

Robinson was succeeded by Professor George Maxwell Richards March 17, 2003-March 18 2013. Carmona succeeded Richards and is scheduled to demit office on March 18.

While his Presidency started with great promise, what emerged was a series of incidents and allegations which rocked the foundations of the Presidency with some unprecedented events taking place not just at the Presidential office but with litigation against the President.

In under two months, Carmona will demit office and is expected to relocate to his Camp Crest, Fyzabad home where he has sprawling agricultural estate.

REEMA VERSUS RACHEL PRICE

Just over a year into his Presidency in October 2014, President Anthony Carmona was prompted to warn that “unwarranted attacks” which seek to bring members of his family and his office into disrepute will not be tolerated.

His office confirmed that attorneys representing his wife, Reema, had sent a pre-action protocol letter to comedienne and radio talk show host Rachel Price over alleged defamatory and offensive statements related to his wife’s attire at the United Nations in September.

A statement from his office said the constitutional right of freedom of expression was not a licence to defame. The statement said: “The Office of the President respects and values the constitutional right of every individual to freedom of expression and the principles of fair comments. Freedom of the press remains sacrosanct.”

The action was unprecedented but the President’s office said: “It will be vigilant to protect the dignity of Office of the President and ensure that the citizens of the Republic of T&T continue to maintain respect for the office.”

Price’s comments were made after publication of a picture of Mrs Camona, with her midsection exposed, standing alongside the conservatively-dressed Mrs Ban Ki-Moon at a United Nations function in New York, USA.

STRAINED RELATIONSHIP

OF PRESIDENT AND PM

In June 2015 then Opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley publicly apologised to President Carmona for saying he was only consulted on the suitability of two members of the Integrity Commission the day before they were scheduled to be appointed. Carmona countered that it had actually been sent and received by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition two days before Rowley said he received it, prompting the subsequent apology from Rowley.

By September 2016 the relationship between the two would be put to the test again when the President invited National Security Minister Edmund Dillon and his advisors to a meeting to discuss the country’s crime problem.

The Prime Minister sought legal advice from Senior Counsel Martin Daly on the matter. Daly’s advice was that the President had no power to invite a Minister for the purpose of discussing matters within his portfolio without reference to the Prime Minister or to seek information directly from a minister.

The opinion noted that the Prime Minister is also chairman of the National Security Council which includes the Chief of Defence Staff and Commissioner of Police and concluded: “It may be considered inappropriate for the President to interact with the Minister of National Security without reference to the Prime Minister and without respect for the Prime Minister’s position as head of the National Security Council”.

The Prime Minister insisted he has no prior knowledge of the meeting but Carmona in an unprecedented act called the media to President’s House on September 26. 2016, telling the media that Rowley had given consent three times for the meeting with Dillon. He also denied leaking to the media a private “missive” which he had sent to the Prime Minister following the talks with Dillon.

Rowley subsequently called a news conference the day after contradicting the statement of the President telling the media that the first he knew of the meeting was when Dillon informed him that it had happened.

The relationship between the two grew cold and there were reports that their weekly meetings were either not held or were very brief.

AUDITOR GENERAL, WINE AND

HOUSING ALLOWANCE:

Carmona’s Presidency was also marred by reports that although he was living in accommodation provided for by the State he was also getting a $28,000 monthly housing allowance, a report from the Auditor General which pointed to “85 instances of incorrect classification of expenditure totalling $2,685,236.90 in contravention of financial regulation 65 which stipulates that a vote may not be applied to a purpose for which it was not intended, ” and the purchase of wine bearing the Presidential Crest.

The President was also accused of retaining the services of his mother-in-law as a companion for his children.

In an unprecedented move, the President invited the media to his Office which he spoke for more than an hour on the allegations levelled against him.

The President told the media: “The President and or the Office of the President neither stole, misuse nor misappropriated any public funds, including the sum of TT$2.8 million.”

He said: “It is to be noted that the Auditor General’s report for the financial year 2015…made absolutely no mention whatsoever of missing or misspent money by the Office of the President in the sum of TT$2.8 million”.

Carmona said the Auditor General’s report had pointed to an “administrative error in the classification of the money spent and states that the said money was classified under a particular vote or heading when it ought to have been so listed and classified under another related vote and heading”.

On allegations that wine bearing the Presidential Crest was purchased by Italian Import/Export a company owned by Pramati Noe Piccolo, who was employed as a stylist to President Carmona’s wife and then private secretary to the President in 2015 and her spouse, Antonio Piccolo.

Carmona said: “Contrary to false media reports Italian Import Export Limited…did not purchase or import any wine on behalf of the Office of the President.” He said his office had “utilised a well-established registered local company to be the agent who facilitated the purchase and importation of such quality wines”.

The President defended the “legitimate use of the presidential crest,” saying “the National Coat of Arms is not the Presidential Crest and the Presidential Crest is not the National Coat of Arms.” He said the wine was to be used “strictly for official functions at the Office of the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,” and that the wine with the presidential crest can be “monitored” so as to prevent “theft and disappearance.”

CALL FOR PROBE INTO

HOUSING ALLOWANCE

In an historic move University of the West Indies lecturer, Rhoda Bharath, wrote to acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) Harold Phillips requesting a criminal investigation be launched into President Anthony Carmona and Chief Personnel Officer, Stephanie Lewis, relating to the issue of the housing allowance granted to Carmona and which she said remained unresolved for two years.

The investigation, she said, should centre around possible misconduct in public office.

Carmona said the Flagstaff Hill accommodation provided to him and his family was leaking all over and he rented an apartment for his family paying $12,000 a month from his own pocket. He said when he moved into the Presidential Cottage on May 30, 2015, he immediately instructed the Accounting Department to stop payment of the housing allowance.

Carmona said “Using the President’s Official Residence—the Great House—as the standard, the Flagstaff residence was not, and cannot, be considered “suitable alternative accommodation”. I did not make the decision nor did I coerce, suggest, authorise or impose that decision of the SRC. It was made by an independent Salaries Review Commission, together with its Secretary, who by letter dated 7 July 2013, informed me that I would receive the allowance during that period I occupied such temporary accommodation.”

BIG MONEY BEING SPENT

In October 2016, the Sunday Guardian published information contained in documents which it obtained, detailing specific payments dating back to March 18, 2013, from the Office of the President.

These documents showed that the Office of the President and The President’s House spent $11.6 million on official entertainment, $2.9 million on hosting conferences, and approximately $3.4 million on overseas travel since Carmona assumed office.

Of the $3.4M for overseas travel, approximately $1.2 million was spent on official travel, while approximately $2 million was spent on vacation travel for Carmona and his family. The cost included allowances for security detail and personal assistants.

Carmona’s official travel was more frequent, with trips to Howard University, Bolivia and conferences on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the 15th conference of Presidents and Governors-General in the Caribbean.

However, vacation trips to Grand Cayman, Panama, Grenada, Scotland and the Bahamas were more costly, with a payment of $441,981.34 being made to Carmona in December 2015 for the cost of vacation travel to the Cayman Islands.

Of the overseas travel expenditure incurred, Savitri Singh, who bears a similar name to President Carmona’s mother-in-law Savitri Seeteram Singh, received allowances of over $300,000 to accompany the Carmona family on several overseas trips, including $78,781.09 to accompany the family on vacation to the Bahamas.

Singh also received payment of a salary of around $14,000 monthly from the Office of the President from May 2013 to January 2014.

A payment of $13,542.54 for “domestic services” to Singh was issued in April 2013.

Queries to Carmona on whether Savitri Singh and Savitri Seeteram Singh were the same person were never answered.

OTHER ALLEGATIONS

Carmona denied a claim that $2M was spent on jewellery.

Carmona claimed to have saved approximately $30 million of taxpayers dollars in the past three years, the actual expenditure for Head 01, President, in the Annual Draft Estimate of Expenditure has been steadily increasing. In 2010, the actual expenditure was $18,235,425.

This decreased to $17.4 million in 2011, then increased to $18.8 million in 2012, with a further increase to $20.4 million in 2013.

In 2014 the actual expenditure was just over $25 million and for 2015, recurrent expenditure stood at $24,252,300.

In 2016, according to draft estimates $2.2m spent on official entertainment, $1.78m spent on hosting of conferences, seminars and other functions and $25,000 on promotions, publicity and printing, overseas travel revised estimate $1m. In 2017- $1m was spent on official entertainment, $.5m on hosting of conferences, seminars and other functions and $25,000 on promotion, publicity and printing and overseas travel amounted to $1m.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia is assuring that the Ramai Trace Hindu School in Debe will be completed and he is optimistic that the completion will be in time for the start of the new school year in September.

But in the wake of more threats of protest by parents and the Member of Parliament for the area Dr Roodal Moonilal, the Minister says “it is their right to protest I have no problem with that.”

Garcia said it was his responsibility “to ensure that all the children of this nation have access to an education and to a quality education that we are determined to provide and we will do everything to ensure that is done.”

Over the past weeks, there have been several protests by parents of students attending the school demanding that Government complete the structure which they say is over 90 per cent complete and which is now overgrown with bushes.

The angry parents say for the past two years, the students have been getting their education at the Hanuman Milan Hindu Temple in Penal, which is almost an hour away from Ramai Trace and many of them have to leave home as early as 6.30 am. But they also lament that the temple has inadequate toilet facilities and inadequate ventilation for the 271 students.

Moonilal,after whom the school was renamed in 2013, has joined the parents in the protest and has threatened to take the protests to the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Prime Minister.

Garcia said: “It is the right of any member of Parliament, any parent group to have a protest or to let their voices be heard. That is their right. I will not interfere with that. So if that is the road that the MP wants to take let him go ahead I have no problem with that.”

He acknowledged that since the construction of the school started just under three years ago the 271 students had been housed in a temple, much to the inconvenience of them and their parents. He said “everything possible” is being done to ensure completion as soon as possible.

Garcia said the Ministry of Education has identified 10 schools which are in “various stages of completion and Ramai Trace Hindu School is one of those and we will be working expeditiously to ensure that the school is completed.”

To this end, he said, “we have already had a discussion with the contractor who at first terminated the contract because of non-payment but he is willing to resume. But we need to have some payment at least some part-payment to be made.”

Garcia could not say how soon that will be done but said: “we are confident that we can restart the school so that it can be completed in the shortest possible time.”

Asked whether the school will be finished in time for the start of the new school year in September, Garcia said: “we are aiming for September for the school to be completed, but I am confident it will be finished this year.”

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and a high-powered ministerial team will sit today for talks with the business community in Tobago.

Stakeholders in Tobago told the T&T Guardian that they will be going to the talks armed with folders of documents on just how the island, which is dependent on the tourism product, has suffered in the past year because of problems on the seabridge which contributed to problems on the airbridge.

President of the Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce Demi John Cruickshank told the T&T Guardian that from the information they have received, the Prime Minister will himself be coming with his own “artillery” bringing several “senior Cabinet Ministers, and chairmen of State boards,” to the meeting which he said will also be attended by Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles and other Secretaries of the Tobago House of Assembly.

The ministerial team which will accompany the PM to the meeting are Finance Minister Colm Imbert, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis, Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe and Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat.

Also expected to attend the talks which begin at 10 am at the Magdalena Grand Hotel are the chairman of Caribbean Airlines and a team from CAL, the chairman of the Port Authority and a team from the Port, the chairman of Nidco and a team from NIDCO, as well Deputy Chief Secretary Joel Jack, Secretary for Tourism Nadine Stewart and others.

The Chamber team will include officials from the Hotel Association, the Bread and Breakfast Association, Tour Operators, Maxi Taxi Operators, vendors and others.

The talks were requested by the Tobago-arm of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in the face of a worsening situation with the economy and in the hope of finding workable solutions to get the island back on track.

Cruickshank said: “It is a large gathering of people. Let us sit down and talk. We don’t need to shout across the table.

“Let us sit down and discuss the issues and see if we can get some genuine solutions to the many problems we face.”

Describing the current situation in Tobago as “concerning,” Cruickshank said there is currently a feeling of uncertainty.

“We are not confident right now as to what will happen in 2018,” he said.

He said while businesses were looking on with optimism to the new year “with the uncertainty of plans and direction from the government and the assembly we are left to wonder what would happen.”

In the past months, he said, hoteliers and guest house owners have seen a significant decline in local tourists. But a number of businesses have also closed their doors.

Stakeholders, he said, will also seek answers from the Prime Minister and his team on the vessel which they announced has been purchased for the seabridge.

Declaring that the stakeholders have a “major concern,” that they had not “heard from the present leadership of the THA on what is their economic development plan for Tobago,” Cruickshank said they will use the opportunity to get some answers, “what are they going to do for tourism. There is a new tourism agency in place and we have not really heard from them since they were installed.”

By now, he said, Tobago should be “preparing for the winter season. All those things will be raised with the Prime Minister in a serious way.”

nadaleen.singh@guardian.co.tt

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said amendments to legislation dealing with terrorism are expected to presented when the Parliament sits this week.

He said the amendments would include recommendations made by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), International law enforcement bodies and information from court cases.

Stating that government has a no-tolerance approach to terrorism, he said already his office has compiled a list comprising of 353 persons involved in terrorism, a list which he said the Opposition was never able to compile before.

Al-Rawi’s comments come as families who journeyed to Syria and Iraq joining terrorist group-ISIS are returning home.

Legislation on the Order Paper includes : ‘An Act to amend the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act, the Proceeds of Crime Act, the Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago Act, the Customs Act and the Exchange Control Act.’

Asked what systems are in place to prevent people who are returning to T&T after getting training from ISIS to start terrorist groups, he assured there is a system in place which involve a number of factors.

He said law enforcement agencies in T&T are already monitoring the people who returned from the “high-risk” areas.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Al-Rawi said, “In fact, very shortly we would be tabling in Parliament on Friday, amendments to Anti-Terrorism Act to specifically speak to this. That is not to say, that operationally this kind of work does not go on.”

“You will note that the Office of the AG which runs the civil side of the equation, has been extremely busy in the listing of terrorism entities and individuals, whereas under the UNC there were no listings whatsoever. We have taken that listing-base up to 353 and I can tell you, there are more listings and more investigation afoot.”

He added that the Government amended the special entity that falls under the Security Intelligence Services Act and this covers a broad range of events referred to as serious crime and anti-terrorism work.

Asked whether monitoring people who returned from ISIS would be discriminatory, Al-Rawi said matters of discrimination would have to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and he referred to Equal Opportunities Commission where people can file actions if they believed they were being singled out.

What is clear, he said, is that putting systems in place to deal with terrorism is a “very active” area which the Government is focusing on extensively and is likely to improve by the amendments that are being brought to the Parliament floor.

“We have legislation, we have amendments in the debate, on Tuesday we would commence debate in the Senate. You will note the improvement in the FIU’s reporting and the jump in statistical information and the fact that we blocked as a country almost $13 billion in suspicious transactions activity by reporting through the FIU that there has been a significant improvement that obviously didn’t happen by mistake,” he said.

The College of Science, Technology, and Applied Arts of T&T (COSTAATT), is “tightening its belt,” and is now operating “pretty much to the bone,” in the face of a declining enrolment.

The management of the tertiary institution and is now “rethinking its business model,” to align its offerings to the economic diversification pillars.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian yesterday COSTAATT president Dr Gillian Paul said because of ‘funding challenges,” the organisation has had to put on hold plans to hire some critical staff and has to cut back in a number of areas, and is now running a “very, very tight cash flow management operation to sustain operations.”

But even so, she said, they have tried “to insulate the students as much as is possible from the effects so that they can complete their studies.”

Within the past two months there has been talk of extensive staff cuts to take place at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).

Talks have been ongoing at the Ministry of Education between the University and the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union which represents the UTT staffers.

Paul told the T&T Guardian that COSTAATT also has its own financial challenges but she said they face the problem of understaffing and had advertised a number of critical positions for hire in 2016. But a shortfall in funding put paid to plans to hire staff in a number of critical areas including the library and IT department.

She said: “What we ended up doing is not filling vacancies in order to deal with the shortfall in funding and we rely more on adjunct as a result, so that we hire less full-time and more adjunct in those areas.”

“We have been running on a very, very tight staffing complement,” and despite the financial challenges “we still trying very, very hard not to affect staff at all, so we have asked staff to tighten their belts. We place a high priority on keeping the staff that we have employed and we are rethinking our business model as we understand that this is the new normal and the level of public funding for the institution will be affected, so we are working on that as well,” she said.

The organisation, she said, had recorded an overall 10-12 per cent decline in enrolment as a direct result of changes to the GATE programme.

“The profile of the students that we serve it is a little bit more difficult for our students to self-finance and with the introduction of the means test, those who would have started and anticipated some funding, so enrolment is a bit down,” she said.

The decline, she said, is also “related to the job market as well, we have an over-supply of graduates and getting jobs is not so straight forward, so they probably a little more thoughtful in terms of investing in education right now.”

People, she said, are also “looking for more training in what I call more short-term, focused areas that will allow them to get employment very quickly, and so one of the things we are doing is looking at our strategic plan and at a broader range of programmes than we would have traditionally offered in the past, doing things that are more relevant.”

Shifting focus

Although COSTAATT was set up as a Community College, which would generally focus on technical and vocational education, Paul admitted that “we have not really focused a lot on that over the last five or six years.”

She said COSTAATT has “always been strong in IT and we have a strong presence in nursing and in health,” but she said the time had come to look at “exploring” some “very practical areas.”

To this end, Paul said, “the Department Chairs are looking at offering more practical immediately applicable short courses in diplomas in Agriculture, Tourism and trying to align the training with where the economic diversification pillars are.”

Those ideas, Paul said, will be included “in the new strategic plan for 2018-2020.”

To sustain COSTAATT’s current operations, she said, there have been cutbacks, “like all the other public agencies, we cannot provide refreshments for every meeting, we are looking at trying to bring electricity cost down, we are spending less on office supply stationary and using as much digital technologies to be able to reduce the amount of expenditure on printing, photocopying and things like that, and really being very careful.”

Paul said: “We have to do a lot of cash flow management is what I would say, so that we get the GATE but sometimes we are not able to pay invoices as quickly.”

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Nursing staff had to keep patients calm after torrents of water began flowing through the ceiling at Ward Seven of the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday, drenching files, furniture and other equipment.

In a video posted online, the water could be seen flowing from the roof in several places. About seven ceiling tiles and a vent appeared to be dislodged by the volume of the water.

A patient, who requested anonymity, said she became alarmed when she heard the water flowing.

“We could not do anything. None of us could get up. I had surgery and I could not get up to see where the water was coming from even though I wanted to,” the patient said.

She said nurses came across and told everyone to stay calm. The ward was cordoned off and security guards were placed at the doorway.

Janitors with mops were seen walking back and forth as they attempted to clean up the mess.

An official from the ward said nobody was authorised to comment saying the South West Regional Health Authority communications department will address the issue.

However, a hospital source said this was the second time in two weeks that a leak occurred.

Two Fridays ago, a leak developed on the same floor and wards 10A and 4 were adversely affected. All six theatres had to be shut down and more than a dozen patients were sent home, the source said.

Cancer patients who came to do elective surgeries were informed that their surgeries had to be postponed. The source also said that eight orthopaedic surgeries were also postponed.

Asked whether yesterday’s leak had impacted negatively on patients, the source said, “I can’t say but this leak will definitely affect the speed of giving the patients medication as well as the admission and discharge of patients because all of that is done in this area.”

Contacted yesterday, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh said he saw the video footage of the leak. However, he referred enquiries to the CEO of the South West Regional Health Authority Gail Miller-Meade.

In a statement yesterday, SWRHA’s officials said the leak was discovered above the nurse’s station at the General Surgical Ward (Ward 7) of the SFGH extension.

“This caused some of the rooms to become flooded. Immediately, the Engineering and Maintenance teams were dispatched to identify and remedy the problem. It was discovered that the leak occurred due to the collapse of a drain pipe in the air-conditioning system. As a result, all electrical fixtures were isolated and repairs have been completed. Further investigations will be conducted to ensure that this does not occur in the future,” SWRHA said.

Since the leak, SWRHA said the Nurses’ Station at the ward has since been temporarily relocated to another room on the same ward.

“Patients and Theatre Services were not affected as our medical teams continue to provide care to our patients,” SWRHA said.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia says the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) is of the view that the organisation is “overstaffed and to run the university efficiently it will mean they have to trim fat.”

But former Tertiary Education Minister Fazal Karim is warning that the decision to retrench 287 staff members, will “compromise the quality of teaching and learning and administration at the university,” and may impact its accreditation with the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT).

Garcia insists, however, that “as of now, no decision has been taken,” as to how many people will be sent home.

The Sunday Guardian reported that details of the separation proposal were submitted to both the Minister and the OWTU. The university’s President Sarim Al-Zubaidy in a letter updating staff on the restructuring indicated that the university was awaiting feedback from both entities.

Garcia, who has been the convenor of meetings between the UTT management and the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) which represents the UTT workers as discussions continue on the university, said he was aware that the OWTU had “requested information from the UTT with respect to the number of persons who might be in line to be sent home, and once the information is supplied to the union I will reconvene the meeting. But the matter is still under negotiations.”

He could not say when that meeting will take place.

Garcia would not get into details on plans to rationalise the UTT telling the T&T Guardian “all of those things are subject to negotiations. I as the convenor of the meeting, I cannot pronounce on any of the proposals either put forward by the university or by the union at this point. I would be compromising my position,” he said.

Garcia said “you have to remember we in a process of negotiation. Once the union receives the requested information, as the person who has been chairing the meeting will reconvene the session where we will continue to work out how best we will deal with the situation.”

The T&T Guardian understands that the plan is to rationalise the UTT campuses and relocate to the Tamana InTech Park which would be the headquarters of the UTT much like the St Augustine Campus is to the University of the West Indies. Garcia refused to say whether this is so.

But on a tour of UTT last November, Garcia said the Government will ensure that the monies invested in the InTech Park over the years are not wasted.

Karim has expressed “deep concern,” over the report that 287 staff members are to be sent home.

He told the T&T Guardian that the “draconian approach to retrench 287 academic and corporate staff at UTT, is a complete betrayal by the Rowley-led Government,” Karim said.

The PNM cannot be trusted, as promises of saving jobs turn into mass retrenchment in all sectors of the economy,” Karim said.

Karim warned that the “decision to retrench such a large quantum of staff, will surely compromise the quality of teaching and learning and administration at the university,” which has recently undergone a review for re-accreditation by the Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago (ACTT).

Karim said: “ACTT will have to re-evaluate its decision to re-accredit UTT, which will result in a further decline of student enrolment.”

He said “all of the gains made in developing our human capital and indigenous talent, achieved under the People’s Partnership Government, are being eroded daily by this PNM Government. Student enrolment in tertiary education, across all institutions locally, has declined since the Rowley-led PNM assumed office.”

The cousin of Olympic Gold medallist Keshorn Walcott was gunned down at his Cumana home on Saturday night in what police said appeared to be as retaliation for the recent murder of a fisherman in the rural northeast coast village.

Police identified the victim as Kevon “Monkey” Walcott, a fisherman of L’Anse Noire. He succumbed to his gunshot injuries while undergoing emergency treatment at Toco Health Centre.

The 33-year-old father of two was shot multiple times by an assailant who ran into his yard around 8.30 pm.

Police said Walcott drove up at his Cumana home, parked his white Nissan Navara van, alighted, and was walking towards the door of his home when a gunman began shooting.

Walcott fell to the ground, bleeding and pleading for help, eyewitnesses said.

His common-law wife and 2 children ran for cover when they heard the gunshots. They have since fled the home fearing for their safety, police said.

Police officers from the Matelot Police Station driving along the Toco Main Road were alerted to the shooting and cordoned off the scene before officers of the Toco Police Station responded.

The first responders saw Walcott, who was still alive, lying on the pathway of his house, with multiple gunshots wounds. The officers took the injured man to the nearby Toco Health Centre.

Police said Walcott death had been linked to the murder of, David Callender, another fisherman from the district. Villagers said Walcott’s name had been calling as the person who concealed the murder weapon.

Callender, 38, of Unity Lane, Anglais Road, Cumana was also shot and killed, by a man after an argument over a missing boat light last Sunday. The 30-year-old suspect in that case was arrested by Matura Police during a roadblock hours after the incident.

On Friday, police received instructions from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to charge the suspect with possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition.

Police in that region is also still investigating the case where the limbs of a Penal man washed ashore in Matura and Balandra last week.

Walcott murder has taken the murder count to 41 in 23 days.

Visiting the scene of the latest murder were Acting Snr Supt Garth Nelson, Insp Ken Lutchman, Cpl Samaroo, PCs Dandrade, Joseph and Insp Christopher Fuentes, Cpl Bernett and Pc Andrews of Homicide Region 11, Arouca.

Insp Fuentes of Homicide Bureau Region 11, Arouca is continuing investigation.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Innovation and invention are touted as solutions to diversify T&T’s economy and director of the Lego Club of T&T Terrence Francois believes supporting the creations among youths will foster entrepreneurial creativity in the future.

He was speaking at the Gulf City shopping complex in La Romaine on Saturday where dozens of Lego builders displayed their skills.

The participants as young as five years had a range of displays. Among these were Savarna Balkaran, who built a Snow White Castle, and Ari Jogie, who built a bucket wheel excavator.

Francois, who plans to open a southern club at the Creative Arts Centre in San Fernando on February 24 said he was blown away by the level of enthusiasm by Lego fans.

In commemoration of International Lego Day the group registered 50 plus participants from as far as Diego Martin and deep south, Francois said.

He said the Legos sets are bought by the owners and some Lego models took years to build.

Saying Legos were now being used as a teaching tool internationally, Francois said, “Lego definitely does something to your mind. Other than building motor and communication skills, Legos build confidence, patience and focus on children.”

Saying T&T needed its own inventors and engineers, Francois said building Lego models will go a long way towards increasing innovation and invention in T&T as it covers the subject areas of mathematics and science in particular physics.

Currently, the club has 25 members but Francois said they planned to take Legos to schools.

“We will also have a Lego caravan in July where we will go to all communities in Trinidad and introduce Legos,” he said.

Francois said he benefited from building with Legos as a child and he successfully participated in competitions.

“I know that Legos helped me and I wanted to give back to this generation so that’s why I started the club,” Francois said.

Even though he does not have children of his own, Francois said he has many adopted children who have benefited from Lego blocks. He called on corporate T&T to support Lego, adding that the Government should also take an interest in introducing Lego in schools.

Meanwhile, transmission technician Keith Pandohie who built a moving crawler crane out of 4,000-plus Lego technic pieces said he was also willing to teach students Lego construction.

Unlike Francois, Pandohie said his parents could not afford to buy him Lego sets so he waited until he was an adult to afford to his hobby.

Saying the cheapest Lego is about US$300, Pandohie said he got his first technic Lego set 10 years ago.

“I saw in a magazine a Lego tractor and tow truck and I waited for two years until my mom went to the States to buy it. My first Lego was a red excavator and a cherry picker. Now I’ve built a fully motorised crawler crane. Like Francois, Pandohie called on Government to support the Lego club and introduce Legos in schools as part of the innovation and invention curriculum.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Calypso tents in North Trinidad have been reporting poor turnout but this was not the case in South as Kaiso Showkase Tent opened at Palms Club, San Fernando on Friday night.

Hundreds of calypso lovers flocked to the venue for the sold-out show which attracted patrons from the United States, Canada and several parts of the Caribbean.

The first half included 17 calypsonians, many of whom steered clear from naming local politicians.

Social problems and economic upheavals were given prominence as Alicia Richards sang Ferry Tales, followed by Joanne Foster’s Hard Times and Singing Sonia’s Our Dying Values.

El Drago sang Women Rule while Queen Victoria and Ronaldo London received encores for their songs Shattered Home and Tomorrow.

Steve “Ras Kommanda” Pascal brought international politics into the arena with his song War of Words, a tongue-in-cheek calypso which relays the “lyrical war” between US President Donald Trump, and the North Korean President Kim Yung Un.

Nine calypsonians sang for the second half of the show and as with the first half, many of them got encores. These included Mr Mack who sang Sample Before you Buy, Rondell Donawa who sang De Problem and Lynn Steele who sang Dragon Lady.

Nerukhi, known for his socially conscious renditions, sang an uptempo calypso/groovy soca titled Ah Need Ah Country Gyal while Count Robin ended the show with his tune Ole Time Brass Band. In an interview yesterday, Pascal said he was pleased by the turnout.

“We are ruling the calypso tents right now and we are very happy. The youths have come out and delivered and that makes me feel real good,” he said.

Comparing the tent to a family picnic, Pascal said Kaiso Showkase had been underrated for many years. Unlike other events, Pascal said there isn’t a need to advertise because people are drawn to the family spirit of Kaiso Tent. Saying there was no racism or stereotyping, Pascal said: “San Fernandians love picong and we respect race. We deal with issues and we are not afraid to highlight problems.”

He said many Carnival events were facing a poor turnout because ticket prices were too high.

“Our ticket price for the opening night is $150 but the other nights are $100. If you watch your pricing and let all cast members use social media to advertise, you will get a better turnout,” Pascal said.

He said officials of the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians will judge artistes on Thursday who will then advance to the Calypso Fiesta semifinals.

The Police Service Commission has narrowed the search for T&T’s next Police Commissioner and out of 20 applicants, three finalists have been chosen, among them former National Security Minister Gary Griffith.

A source, who requested anonymity, said Griffith has been ranking at the top of the list along with president of the Police Social and Welfare Association Michael Seales. However, it will be up to Parliament to approve Griffith as the commissioner

The source also said acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams, retired deputy commissioner Glen Hackett and secretary of the Association Anand Ramesar scored lower on the list.

“There have been some reluctance by the Police Service Commission (PSC) to have Williams continue in his role having received 11 six month extensions for the post he occupied since 2012. Not many people believe that the current Commissioner has been successful in reducing crime so it is unlikely that he will be chosen,” the source added.

With Griffith having a good chance of becoming top cop, First Division police officers have been questioning whether he will get the respect from the lower ranks as a civilian commissioner.

But Senior Supt of the South Western Division Inraj Balram, who is currently on leave, said this was not so. “I will support anyone who is appointed by the relevant authorities to be the Commissioner. I think whoever is appointed will be supported and police officers will all rally around him,” Balram said.

Criminologist Professor Ramesh Deosaran, in an interview yesterday, said the new commissioner “should have the integrity, experience, professional judgment and courage to not only to manage the TTPS but to also implement the range of critical reform which are urgently required.”

Last year, Deosaran’s Police Service Manpower Audit Committee (MAC) rejected the idea of any civilian ever becoming police commissioner

However, Deosaran said regardless of whoever the PSC chooses “there was a need for effective disciplinary procedures in the TTPS, improvement of the promotion system in terms of fairness and expeditiousness as well as abuse of sick, vacation and study leave.”

“I am aware that the Government is moving as quick as it could to bring the MAC recommendations to effective and expeditious implementation. Whatever comes out of the Commission’s deliberations, those are what the public anxiously expects now,” Deosaran added.

The PSC is headed by chairman Dr Maria Therese-Gomes and includes as members Martin Anthony George and Dinanath Ramkissoon.

Contacted yesterday George said he could not give any information on who are the finalists for post of police commissioner. He declined to answer other questions about the tedious process of selection.

Contacted for comment, Griffith said it would be improper for him to comment at this time. Seales also declined comment.

Griffith served as minister under the People’s Partnership but was fired by then Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar over his involvement in the witness-tampering investigations in which David West claimed Anand Ramlogan asked him to withdraw his witness statement in a defamation case brought by Ramlogan against then Opposition leader Keith Rowley in exchange for the PCA post. Griffith was named as a volunteer witness in the issue.

LIST OF T&T’S COMMISSIONERS OF POLICE

• 1931-1938 Col A.S Mavrogodato
• 1938-1948 Col WA Muller
• 1949-1962 Col. EHF Beaden
• 1962-1966 George Thomas W. Carr
• 1966-1970 James P. Reid
• 1970-1973 Francis Eustace Bernard
• 1973-1973 Claud A. May
• 1978-1987 Randolph U. Burroughs
• 1987-1990 Louis Jim Rodriguez
• 1990-1996 Jules Bernard
• 1996-1998 Noor K. Mohammed
• 1998-2003 Hilton Guy
• 2003-2004 Everald Snaggs
• 2004-2007 Trevor Paul
• 2007–2010 James Philbert (Ag)
• 2010-2012 Dwayne Gibbs
• 2012-present Stephen Williams (Ag)

PROCEDURE TO SELECT COMMISSIONER

Appointment of a Commissioner of Police lies exclusively with the (PSC). Section 123 (1) of the Constitution states the PSC is empowered to appoint the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners of Police through a selective process determined by Parliament.

The PSC took out advertisements in September last year. Candidates went through a rigorous assessment process conducted by a firm. The name of the highest graded candidate will be submitted by the PSC to the President who will then forward that name to the Parliament. The candidate must first be approved by the Parliament, before an appointment can be made.

Based on the Appointment of a Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner (Qualification and Selection Criteria) Order 2015, laid by Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon, nominees must be nationals of T&T and have a degree from a recognised university in the field of law, criminal justice, criminology, police service management or other relevant degree. It says the candidate for CoP must have at least 15 years service of increasing responsibility in law enforcement and the candidates for deputy commissioner must have ten years service in the same area.

President-elect Paula-Mae Weekes would have to wait until June of 2019 to occupy President’s House in St Ann’s.

This was the time frame chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of T&T Noel Garcia gave yesterday, as he shared some insight into the historical building.

For the past seven years works on the building has been in abeyance.

“We hope to start work, I would say, in the first quarter of this year. We are going to make a recommendation to the Cabinet with respect to the contractor. We will wait and see what happens.”

Once Cabinet gives the green light for renovations and restorations repairs, Garcia said Udecott will ensure that work goes apace to get the job done.

Garcia, however, kept the name of the local contractor close to his chest.

“No! I can’t tell you. Suffice to say we went out for selective tender. We invited eleven of the top restoration contractors. A number of local contractors submit tenders. We recommended that the one who was the lowest tenderer be recommended to Cabinet.”

Supervising the work, Garcia said would be a restoration architect.

Garcia said if all goes well, the work will take “between 15 to 18 months. We are looking at the middle of next year to complete the project.”

The selective tender, Garcia said went out last September.

“We closed off the tender in October. We evaluated them…we finished that evaluation early this year.”

Asked what was the value of the contract for the project, Garcia said: “Let’s say it falls within the budget.”

In March 2013, Garcia said the repairs works was estimated at $100 million.

“It’s a lot of work. That was why the original estimate was around $100 million.”

Garcia said works on President’s House will be extensive.

“They (contractor) have to repair the roof. Remember the roof had collapsed while former president George Maxwell Richards and his wife Dr Jean Ramjohn- Richards were there.”

In addition, the walls and foundation of the building which was built between 1873 and 1876 would have to be repaired.

While work is ongoing, Garcia said he can only assume that Weekes who will be officially become President in March will reside where outgoing President Anthony Carmona and his family currently stays at President’s Cottage.

“The President lives on the President’s Grounds which is what we know as the cottage.”

Some staff, including security officers, are currently housed in air-conditioned shipping containers on the President’s compound.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Sending workers home will trigger more crime and poverty, Joint Trade Union Movement leader Ancel Roget warned as he continued mass mobilisation in San Fernando yesterday.

Speaking to San Fernando City Corporation workers at their Carib Street Complex, Roget said the Government was implementing austerity measures outlined by the International Monetary Fund IMF, which was causing hardship to citizens.

He revealed that an alternative to austerity plan titled Labour Economic Alternative Plan (LEAP) was submitted to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Finance Minister Colm Imbert since September 2016 but he claims the plan has been ignored by the Government because of pressure from the private sector.

Imbert contacted via WhatsApp yesterday on why the Government had not considered the union’s proposal, he responded: “It involved borrowing $5b to do more or less what is already being done. It will increase the public debt by $5b.”

Roget said the plan was developed by academic think tanks from the University of the West Indies as well as members of the progressive trade union movement, Roget said this will be a better alternative to mass retrenchment.

“Government thinks the only alternative is to send people home and we have provided an alternative to austerity measures. Workers must know there is an alternative,” Roget said, as workers applauded.

Calling on City Corporation workers to stand in defence of their families and communities, Roget said the time had come for workers all over T&T to unite.

Meanwhile, President General of the Contract and General Workers Trade Union Ainsley Modeste called on the workers to shed their red political clothes and walk in line with the “yellow army.” Yellow is the union’s colour and also that of the Opposition UNC, while red is the signature colour of the ruling PNM.

Modeste said negotiations remain outstanding and even though the collective agreement had expired since 2013 there have been no discussions about negotiations or retroactive payments.

He said five Cabinet members—Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, Housing Minister Randall Mitchell and Senator Robert Le Hunte—came from San Fernando but they have not been successful in getting their issues addressed.

What is LEAP

The LEAP plan touted as an alternative to austerity, outlines a two-pronged approach to kick-starting the economy and halting economic downslide through mass expansion of food production ($1.2 billion), development of infrastructural projects ($1.5 billion), tourism and manufacturing projects ($1.5 billion) and expansion of energy products $1.5 billion).

It also recommends the establishment of an Industrial Development Fund and provision of $2 billion for the provision of low-interest loans ranging between one and five per cent to be made available to businesses aiming to generate or save foreign exchange.

The meeting between Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Tobago stakeholders at the Magdalena Grand Beach Resort yesterday has been described as fruitful.

A high-powered ministerial team led Rowley, a THA team led by chief secretary Kelvin Charles and Tobago stakeholders led by Tobago Chamber president Demi John Cruickshank, seemed comfortable following the four-hour, closed-door meeting.

The meeting, which was initiated by Cruikshank, was geared at finding solutions to the island’s strained tourism product after it suffered a decline in 2017 due to the problems of the air and sea bridges causing Tobago’s economy to worsen

Speaking at the press conference yesterday, Cruikshank said he was pleased with the outcome.

“It was a very very fruitful meeting. I think we went into detail in terms of each item step- by- step and I think the private sector is a lot clearer in terms of what the Government’s plans are for Tobago and I hope that in a very short space of time we can see the economy of Tobago on the path of growth and I hope that in the very near future we will see a resolve of a number of the issues that we as the private sector has highlighted to the Prime Minister,” Cruikshank said.

Responding to questions about the declining tourism sector, Rowley said several proposals were put forward by the Government which have not yet kicked in. He said Tobago stakeholders also offered suggestions

“Some of the proposals which they see as solutions may not be the possible answer., They tell us that they were hard-hit and we believe, by the unreliability of the connection to Trinidad, we are going to fix that and the sea ferry which is largely for the movement from Trinidad to Tobago. We are now looking at the possibility in the not-too-distant future having the vessels on the route, the Spirit which has been on dry dock for quite some time is expected to do some sea trials next month and hopefully if the sea trials go well it will be back into service and that will plug the hole there.”

The PM added: “The Express goes on dry dock and we do not expect that dry docking to be as extensive as the Spirit. We just committed to buying a third ferry and we will be owning those three vessels so we will be having three vessels available, dedicated to the Tobago routes. In a matter of months that should put an end to the passenger ferry issue.”

On the issue of the air bridge, the Prime Minister said that there is room for improvement on all sides, but mainly the utilisation of the service by citizens. He said over 1 million seats will be produced for the Tobago route

“We have been producing over 1 million seats to Tobago and therefore it is wrong to say that Tobago is cut off and not serviced. There are 14000 flights per year, I mean 14000 flights per year that cannot be dismissed and those are subsidised flights and we want to work towards improvement and the utilization , so CAL will continue to meet with the THA,” he also said.

Rowley said between CAL and the THA and the business community “we will look at some improvement in the scheduling and of course a request was made CAL to try and bring a direct service in from North America to Tobago.

The Prime Minister also said the Sandals project was still in the pipeline. He said Tobago’s tourism sector would benefit from a Sandals investment commitment.

He reminded that a MoU exists between the Government and the Sandals brand. The project is said to be at the survey stage.

President of the University of T&T Professor Sarim Al-Zubaidy said he has no other motive but making the university sustainable for decades to come.

He said, “I act on the interest of UTT alone because by doing that you are looking at country and students.

Al- Zubaidy spoke with the media after employees staged a lunch time protest against retrenchment of UTT employees. The protest was held on the compound of UTT O’ Meara, Arima Campus yesterday.

He added, “I want to increase UTT International markings. UTT is a pride of the nation and it should be the pride of the nation.”

Al-Zubaidy also dismissed claims made against him about his part in the retrenchment process.

Al-Zubaidy said he assumed his position in August 2017 and it was not his decision to retrench, rather a UTT Board decision.

“Everybody wants better facilities better learning support, but cannot adjust to changes.” He said.

He said the university had a cost overrun of over TT $6 million as they only received TT$10 million while expenditure amounted to TT$16.7 million.

He denied claims that he collected a $240,000 salary per month.

“In fact “I collect 1/3 of the amount,” he said.

High Court judge Kevin Ramcharan yesterday varied the injunction he granted barring construction works on the Manzanilla Highway as he gears up to hear submissions on whether or not a lawsuit filed against the awarding of a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC), allowing the highway to be built, should be allowed.

Ramcharan had initially set yesterday’s date to hear arguments from attorneys representing the Fisherman and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) and Environmental Management Authority (EMA) regarding whether or not a trial should take place.

Most of yesterday was spent arguing whether or not the FFOS should be allowed to amend their original submission, thereby interrupting an already scheduled timeline for the hearing of submissions.

After Ramcharan ruled that he will not allow the timeline to be re-arranged, Anand Ramlogan, SC, began his submissions on behalf of his client the FFOS.

The contention being put forward by the FFOS is that the granting of the CEC which allowed for the construction of the highway will inevitably erode parts of the Aripo Savannas, which is a protected area. FFOS hopes that their claim will go to trial and ultimately stop what they say is the contravention of established laws protecting the environmentally renowned region.

Ramlogan argued that the CEC was granted without proper consultation adding the bare minimum was done to satisfy the necessary criteria.

In response, Senior Counsel Deborah Peake, who is representing the EMA, said apart from the fact that the FFOS filed their claim outside the three month allotted time, the FFOS had ample time to be part of the consultations that were done and failed to do so.

She added that after they failed to participate in the consultations that were done, they were now complaining that the consultations were not done properly.

Peake later gave way for another attorney, Ian Benjamin, who is representing the State to make submissions on the injunction granted last week stopping work on the highway.

Benjamin submitted that he was against the injunction being continued, which expired yesterday. He stated that a variation of the order could be granted which will allow all parties to have a slice of the proverbial cake. The variation he suggested was to allow the access road, which is not near the construction zone, to continue being built, which the judge allowed.

Also in court yesterday was Douglas Mendes SC who is representing the contractor Kallco. Mendes said $3 million had already been spent on works so far and was objecting to the injunction being extended. He said the work being done was outside the area being argued about and while his client had not done anything wrong, they are being penalised by not being able to continue the work.

Chairman of the Caribbean Prestige Foundation (CPF) Peter Scoon has said that this year’s offerings for the International Soca Monarch are “quality songs” but some of the big players have chosen cop-out of the competition due to monetary reasons. Soon assured, however, that the scaled back prizes would not affect the quality of the show.

Each year, Scoon said, the preliminary round draws around 150 to 200 artistes.“Some of the artistes stayed away this year due to money reasons but the show will be a quality show,” Scoon said.The competition is being sponsored by Guardian Media Limited (GML). This year’s cash prizes saw a reduction from $500,000 to $300,000 for the first prize and $300,000 to $200,000 for the second prize. The semifinals are scheduled for January 25 at Queen’s Park Savannah at 6 pm and the finals on February 9 (Fantastic Friday) at 8 pm.

Thirty artistes were chosen from Sunday’s preliminaries.Reigning Soca Monarch, Aaron “Voice” St Louis, in an interview yesterday, said he was going for a hat trick at this year’s competition.St Louis would go up against several other finalists for the title. Saying he was excited about his upcoming performance St Louis added, however, “I didn’t start any preparations just yet. We are not focusing on the competition just yet. We have other things that we need to focus on and when that bridge comes we will cross it. “But we will be doing our best once again. We will be going for the hat trick.”Over the weekend, approximately 136 artistes registered for the Soca Monarch preliminaries held at the NLCB booth, Queen’s Park Oval.

The draw for the semifinal round of the competition takes place today at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of-Spain, at 10 am.

Following is the list of the 2018 Play Whe International Soca Monarch semifinalists in alphabetical order

5 STAR AKILAARON DUNCANAMBIASTEN ISAAC, RIKKI JAI, YANKEY BOYBLAXXCASSICHINGEEDAWG -E- SLAUGHTERDEVEDDIE CHARLESFARMER NAPPYFELUKEHOLLYWOOD HPJADELKERLZKRIS KENNEDYLFS MUSICM1BANJELLAMARLON ASHERMARVAYMARZVILLEMIGHTY & SUBANCEMOTTOOMARDARTH MAHARAJORLANDO OCTAVEQUIN-CROMES.O. KINGSHRADAH MC INTYRESINGER BOY SERGIOSLAMMER CUTTER