KEVON FELMINEkevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt

A cocktail of obsession, tabanca and a violent past spilt over on Monday night when a 28-year-old Arima man travelled deep into a forested Palo Seco community to hack his former lover, Tehila St Clair, to death.

Despite St Clair's screams for help, neighbours only became aware of the tragedy taking place when her five-year-old son, Tyler, ran out of their Allen Street home to find help.“Help! Help! (Name called) killing my mommy,” he shouted to a neighbour standing on the junction.Homicide investigators were still at St Clair's home yesterday afternoon, collecting evidence to build a case against the suspect, who they found hiding out in the bushes nearby. He was taken for treatment for minor wounds he suffered as St Clair battled with him when he attempted to chop Tyler.Her elder sister, Brittney, who lives a few houses away, said that it had been a month since St Clair broke up with the man because he was too possessive: Always watching her movements and never wanting her to come off the phone. When St Clair finally ended the relationship, he threatened to kill her and set her home ablaze. Brittney said that the suspect even called her phone, asking whether her St Clair had found a new lover.Brittney said that it was around 11 pm on Monday that the suspect broke into her St Clair's house and entered her bedroom where she slept. Afraid, St Clair called her father Basdeo for help, saying that the suspect was inside her house. However, he was far away in Point Fortin.“My father called me at 11.33, telling me to walk in the gallery, (Name called) trying to kill my sister. I didn’t go because I was thinking that he could come and do something to my three children,” Brittney saidIt was then Tyler ran out for help and three neighbours ran to the house. They met St Clair on the kitchen floor, bleeding from several head wounds. The suspect had already left. Insp Mangroo, Insp Khan, PC Plaza and officers of the Santa Flora Police Station responded along with an ambulance and St Clair was taken to the Siparia District Health Facility. However, she died while receiving emergency treatment.The family has been shaken by the brutal act, saying that they did not think that he would have killed her. However, they were aware that he was charged with an alleged sexual assault on another former lover several years ago.“He looked cool and quiet but he was kind of underneath. He never used to want her to come off the phone. He was always on the phone with her day and the night. If the battery died, he would curse and get on. He would call on my phone, he would call on my father’s phone. He was obsessive,” Brittney said.She said it was only a few months ago that St Clair resigned as a preschool teacher and was looking forward to finding another job.

T&T could be in for a precarious situation this Friday if members of the essential services accede to Public Services Association (PSA) president Watson Duke’s appeal for them to rest and reflect.

“On Friday, every single worker, every single public servant, those who are police officers, those who are firefighters, prison officers, teachers, those who are working in all essential areas, you take a day off to rest and reflect. It is your damn right to do so,” Duke said yesterday as the labour unions continued to mobilise for the action.

Section 69 of the Industrial Relations Act states that members of the Public Service, Prison Service, Fire Service, Teaching Service and the Central Bank are prohibited from engaging in industrial action. Anyone who contravenes this provision is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $500 and three months imprisonment. Any trade union office holder who calls for or causes industrial action to be taken in any of the essential services is liable on summary conviction to a fine of S10,000 and 18 months imprisonment.

But according to labour leaders of FITUN, NATUC and JTUM, workers are simply taking a day to rest and reflect on the many injustices affecting their lives.

During a joint media conference at Palm’s Club, San Fernando, yesterday, Duke even gave workers the backing of the law, which allows every worker 14 days sick leave. He described Public Administration Minister Marlene McDonald’s cautioning of workers against staying away from their jobs on the anniversary of the People’s National Movement winning the 2015 general election as a symptom of her feeling unwell.

In a statement on Monday, McDonald said pub­lic servants who stay away with­out au­tho­ri­sa­tion on Friday run the risk of be­ing record­ed as ab­sent from work with­out pay.

However, Duke said no worker is required to produce a medical certificate if they participate in Friday’s demonstration.

“She is not reading the law properly and she is not applying the law properly. I want to say to Marlene McDonald that under the Minimum Wages Act, Section 7, all workers of this country are guaranteed 14 days sick leave. Under Section 85 of the Civil Service Regulations, all public officers, police, prison, civil servant, they have a right to 14 days sick leave… As a matter of fact, the law is clear. You do not have to supply a medical paper or give any evidence that you were sick if you take one day off. No evidence at all. None!” Duke said.

Government’s impending closure of Petrotrin, the termination of the Tourism Development Company, Caroni Green Ltd and their non-meddling in the shutdown of ArcelorMittal has caused tension with the various trade union bodies, members said.

All Trinidad General Workers Trade Union president Nirvan Maharaj said it is important for citizens to send a message as it was the same PNM that destroyed the sugar industry with the closure of Caroni (1975) Ltd that now seeks to destroy the oil industry. He warned that the country was on a slippery slope and if nothing is done soon it will fall into an abyss. As the unions prepare for Friday’s demonstration, they will hold public meetings in Marabella and Point Fortin today and tomorrow respectively.

Embattled People’s National Movement (PNM) financier Harry Ragoonanan has threatened to sue Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and National Security Minister Stuart Young for defamation.

Ragoonanan’s legal team yesterday served Rowley and Young with pre-action protocol letters in their roles as the party’s political leader and public relations officer, respectively.

While both letters are essentially based on the same grounds, they pertain to separate comments made about the party’s ongoing disciplinary proceedings against Ragoonanan for alleged corruption and bribery. According to the letters, which were obtained by the T&T Guardian, Young made the allegedly defamatory comments after the corruption allegations against Ragoonanan arose in PNM General Council meeting in October last year.

Rowley’s allegedly offensive comments were made at a Housing Development Corporation (HDC) function in August this year. It dealt with Ragoonanan’s participation in a press conference on the Government’s procurement of the vessels for the inter-island ferry service and the T&T Coast Guard. That press conference was hosted by former United National Congress (UNC) minister Devant Maharaj and maritime attorney Nyree Alphonso. The comments cannot be republished as they may be later deemed to be defamatory.

In the letters, Ragoonanan’s lawyers Mario Merritt, Danielle Rampersad and Hasine Shaikh alleged that the comments caused irreparable damage to their client’s personal and professional reputation.

“By reason of such words and/or statements, Ragoonanan has been greatly injured in his good name and position, brought into public scandal and disrepute and held up to contempt, ridicule and shame with and among his business colleagues, relatives, friends, acquaintances and citizens of T&T,” they said.

They also claimed that Rowley and Young intended to defame him when they made the statements.

“The intended defendant undoubtedly contemplated and intended that the words/statements he so said in the public domain would be reported upon by the news outlets to the wider citizenry and ultimately lead to the intended claimant’s shame, embarrassment, contempt, ridicule, odium and injury to his business and trading character and reputation,” the letter to Rowley stated.

Ragoonanan owns several businesses including a restaurant and bar and a water park in Rio Claro, which bears his name.

The letters stated that Ragoonanan would forego filing lawsuits against them if they publically apologise and pay him compensation for the damage to his reputation. They gave Rowley and Young 21 days in which to respond.

The allegations against Ragoonanan relate to a recorded telephone conversation purportedly between him and a Chinese businessman over obtaining contracts from the Public Transportation Service Corporation (PTSC) in 2016.

Ragoonanan, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, has since been suspended pending the outcome of the PNM committee’s inquiry into the three disciplinary charges levelled against him. Hearings of the party’s disciplinary committee had been adjourned in the past due to issues with Ragoonanan being represented by his attorneys at hearings.

The latest hearing was held last month and Ragoonanan requested that the controversial recording be disclosed for his attorneys to prepare his defence. The committee, which is chaired by Planning and Development Minister and Arouca/Maloney MP Camille Robinson-Regis, did not immediately grant the request as it said it would have to consider it further. However, the following day, excerpts of the recording were apparently leaked and broadcast on a radio station.

We are proud of you Ola.

So stated the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) yesterday, as it extended congratulations to soca artiste Olatunji Yearwood on his recent performance in the “X Factor” talent show in the United Kingdom.

“For us at TUCO, Olatunji has been a success story since he captured the ‘Groovy Soca’ Title in 2015 at the International Soca Monarch Competition with the song ‘Ola’. His success in that international competition marked the note of transition for a young artiste from the National Junior Calypso experience to adulthood,” TUCO stated.

“We at TUCO have taken note of his moves….not only on stage, but from the youth competitions arena, to frontline singer with then Roy Cape and the All Stars and other bands. We have observed his preference for musical productions which can be easily distinguished in the midst of the usual Carnival offerings, which tend to sound the same.”

Olatunji won kudos locally and in the UK after making it through the audition phase with a rendition of his hit Shake Your Bodyline on an episode of the reality talent show which aired last weekend.

TUCO said it did not need the X Factor judges to validate what they already knew Yearwood’s talent to be.

“We at TUCO, like so many calypso and soca music lovers, have known for quite some time now that Olatunji Yearwood is a professional artiste. We certainly were not waiting for Simon Cowell and the other judges of ‘X Factor’ to validate the power of Ola,” TUCO stated.

“We are certain Ola himself knows this. What is important though, is that in spite of his relative success in the Carnival diaspora, Olatunji saw it fit to secure new paths forward on his journey to promote the music he has dedicated his life to—calypso and soca from the Caribbean ‘Trinidad and Tobago to be exact’. In doing so, he would have gambled with the gloss and the integrity of his personal and professional reputation.”

Saying it hoped his success would redound to a greater recognition of his artistic worth and open the gates for other young entertainers in calypso and soca who may be as ambitious and adventurous, TUCO said, “The United Kingdom and Europe will continue to present great opportunities for our entertainers in talent shows, music trade shows, clubs and music festivals. From the Edinburg Festival to Womex, from the ‘X Factor’ to MIDEM, the possibilities are endless. But they are all beyond the Carnival boundary and located in relatively new cultural territory and our homegrown stars have to be ready to make that sacrifice to make their own statement in the world of music.”

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is moving to stave off action by the trade union movement to shut down the country on Friday by agreeing to meet with them at three o’clock tomorrow afternoon. One day after the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) delivered a letter to the PM seeking a meeting to discuss the OWTU’s alternatives to the Petrotrin refinery shutdown, Rowley agreed yesterday.

Commenting on the PM’s acceptance of a meeting with them, Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union president general Ancel Roget told the T&T Guardian that if the Government fails to meet the demand to rescind the decision, “we are very, very serious about what will happen. It will not be pleasant.”

He said the trade union movement will be mobilising citizens across the entire country in preparation for what is to come.

“They are not going to be allowed to get away with this at all, at all, at all. They will pay a high political price for the misdeed they are perpetrating on the country.”

Roget said after being told by Petrotrin last week of the planned shutdown of the refinery, they were due to meet again and were prepared to meet on Monday but the meeting was not convened. Now, he said they had received a request to meet on Friday, “because Friday is a day of rest and reflection they trying to meet, but we already set a whole programme for Friday.”

He said the union is prepared to meet with Petrotrin “tomorrow, Thursday, Saturday or next Monday, but why Friday?”

Roget believes that the decision to shut down the refinery was aimed at the heart of the union, “simply because we would have done an appraisal on the Government’s performance and found it to be wanting and in addition we have taken a position which is held by the entire trade union movement that Friday should be a day of rest and reflection to send the most powerful message to the Government.”

He said members of JTUM, NATUC and FITUN are all united.

“The miscalculation which Rowley made is believing that the disunity which he thought he saw would prevail while he runs through the line down the centre and score. That will not be allowed to happen at all,” Roget said.

He said the union agreed that Petrotrin needed to be restructured, “but how they want to do it is where we part company.”

Roget said while the Government has said the country’s ratings could fall because of Petrotrin’s ‘black hole,’ they must understand that the ratings can also fall on the basis of “upheaval and so on in the country, where the working people who supposed to be on their jobs raising levels of productivity have to be on the streets fighting for justice and their jobs and so on. So there could be a serious level of uneasiness in the economy because workers are not at work simply because of an inept government treating the workers unfairly and with disregard and contempt.”

The union was due to hold a mass meeting with Petrotrin workers last evening “as we continue this campaign for justice,” Roget said.

He said the workers are feeling a “great sense of betrayal” and although they are on the job they are worried about their futures.

He said in the new model, the employees to be re-hired “will not have a union and their terms and conditions will be different.”

Petrotrin officials told the T&T Guardian that managers of the state oil company had been meeting with staff seeking to reassure them that things were not all bleak and counselling had started for workers.

Two local spoken word poets have been selected to represent the country at the Individual World Poetry Slam 2018 in October in San Diego, California.

The duo of Brendon O’Brien and Keir Roopnarine will be the first T&T-based Spoken Word poets to ever compete at the slam.

However, the duo is now running against the clock to secure funding to attend the event, since they do not have all the required funds.

“We’re eager to get out there and take our Caribbean storytelling to a world stage! There’s just one thing, while we’ve managed to raise funds for visa fees and registration for the event, we’re still working towards funds for travel and accommodation at the event,” O’Brien said on a social media post.

On the post, O’Brien explained, “We’ve heard from the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts that some funding has been approved, but they don’t have any idea of when that would be disbursed to us.”

As such, the poets have turned to the public for help in getting them there by starting a gofundme account.

They are working to raise the remaining US$3,500 (TT$23,602) to cover airfare and accommodations for the competition, as well as daily costs throughout the event.

O’Brien explained that they were very lucky to get into the International World Poetry Slam.

“As far as being selected, the system they have is that poets from the US actually represent particular venues through slams in their states. Outside of that, they have ‘storm poets’, who can register for spaces in the slam after that, but there’s a draw for which poets actually get to make it to the event. And luckily, we both get through in the draw.”

The duo is part of the poetry group The Griot Guild and while they have performed at various spoken word events nationally, this would their first international event as competitors.

O’Brien was present as a member of the coaching staff for the T&T team ‘Poetry in D Gayelle’ which finished second at the Brave New Voices international youth poetry slam event in July. But despite being a regular finalist at the Bocas Lit Fest Poetry slam competition, he has yet to compete in an international tournament.

Roopnarine has also graced several local spoken word events and also presented a workshop alongside O’Brien at the Brave New Voices Festival, introducing young poets from the US to the oral tradition of the Midnight Robber.

Anyone seeking to assist them can contact The Griot Guild via email at thegriotguild@gmail.com or telephone at 297-POET (7638).

Winston “De Original De Fosto” Scarborough thanked God for giving him an “extra” bout to life as he celebrated his 64th birthday several days ago.

In May this year, Scarborough began experiencing severe shortness of breath, exhaustion and “very” high blood pressure readings. In June, he was hospitalised and doctors were concerned about his status. His heart was affected by the condition and as a result, it became bigger than the normal size and is now said to be working at just 35 per cent of its normal functioning capacity.

However, Scarborough remains in high spirits and said yesterday he is very determined to see himself back to full health, as he is sticking with the diet and medication recommended by his doctors.

“I am thanking God for where I am today, being able to wear shoes again as my feet were swollen like a young elephant. I couldn’t walk from here to two steps away without experiencing shortness of breath,” Scarborough said.

“I taking all my medications and eating what I am supposed to eat and I’m not falling apart again. I am getting better and feeling much better.”

Scarborough admitted that he never took the time to take care of his health.

“I was careless before, not knowing my circumstance. If you don’t know your circumstance how would you know what to do and what not to do, but my health is my priority now. I not making joke with that—plenty green food, no chicken and no oil.”

Sending out advice to his colleagues in the calypso and soca arena, Scarborough said: “Don’t do the things you used to when you were young…you are getting older now, make your health your priority. Your health is your wealth.”

Scarborough anticipates that his health will be back up just in time for the Carnival 2019 period, where he promises to hit the tents with a song titled Boom Bam.

“I will be coming out for them with a soca Boom Bam. People love to dance and I intend to make them dance and laugh. We must recognise that the time has come for us to lift the game as writers and composers,” he added.

Scarborough’s comments came moments after the Trinbagonian Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) presented him with over $13,000 in cash, which represented funds raised from a benefit concert organised to financially assist him.

Scarborough thanked Tuco and all others, including fellow calypsonians, who came forward to assist.

Despite an assurance that an electrical engineer will be sent to their school today, parents of students attending St Dominic’s RC school in Penal are keeping up their protest action, saying a promise is a comfort to a fool.

The school, which has had sporadic protests over infrastructural defects since 2016, has now been shut down and pupils have been using the community centre nearby to house more than 200 pupils.

But parent Keisha Felix said yesterday that the community centre is a fire hazard as the electricals were malfunctioning.

“The electrical is overheating so the electricity supply cuts off many times. Since June classes have been dismissed every day at noon and this is not good enough,” Felix said.

Following a protest yesterday, PTA president Vonetta Daniel said they were lobbying for a new school.

“This electrical problem has existed since last term. They saying the place was not wired to handle a school and the possibility of fire exists. This is a hazard to the safety of the children. We have been waiting all of the August holidays for them to fix it and nothing was done,” Daniel said.

She said a team from the ministry who visited the school explained that the repairs were on an emergency list but since the earthquake repairs were pushed back. However, Daniel said this was nonsense because the earthquake occurred on August 21 and the ministry had seven weeks before that to rectify the problem.

“Even though we got some feedback from the ministry we do not trust this. The Health and Safety officer viewed the school and spoke to the director of EFCL and he said he will send in the electrical engineer with the Ministry of Education to see the situation,” Daniel added, saying parents will continue their protests today.

Contacted yesterday, Garcia said he did not have all the details about what was causing the problems at the school. He said he was awaiting a report on the matter.

radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt

Insisting that Friday’s planned action by teachers was tantamount to an illegal “sympathy strike,” Education Minister Anthony Garcia yesterday insisted that he never threatened any teacher but simply outlined the law as it relates to absenteeism.

Speaking to reporters at a laptop distribution at the Ste Madeleine Secondary School, Garcia said: “We are not threatening any teacher at all. That is not our mandate. We sought the advice of our legal department and the Attorney General, who advises Cabinet and Government.“

He added: “All we have done is outline the position and therefore we are not threatening any teachers. In view of the position we outlined, we want to stress that a sympathy strike is illegal.

“We want to make sure that teachers are aware of this. This is why at the media conference we played a recording of the president of TTUTA saying most definitively that teachers must come out and support the OWTU in their struggle with respect to Petrotrin. This must not be misconstrued as any threat, but it is the position of the Government with respect to the law.”

Minister in the Ministry of Education Dr Lovell Francis also said the statements were meant to encourage teachers to think about the well-being of the pupils and not stay home.

“We are not threatening teachers. We are encouraging teachers to come out and fulfill their duties. At this time in the education system we face serious issues in terms of primary and secondary education,” Francis said.

“Everyone is aware that we had 2,500 students in the last Secondary Entrance Assessment exam who did under 30 per cent at Maths and Language.

“At the secondary level we had 1,400 students who left school with no subjects. That issue is extremely important. We have been in education all of their lives so we are not in the business of threatening teachers.”

He added: “We are encouraging them to give their teaching time, as to what happens if they don’t is a legal situation will be sorted out after. Our job is not to bully or terrorise or argue or quarrel with teachers.” Francis said.

Asked what plan was put in place to ensure students’ safety if teachers failed to show, Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan said if no one showed up, classes would be dismissed early. He said if teachers showed up, classes wouldl go on and if some teachers were present there would be supervision of pupils.

Garcia also revealed that he planned to take a Cabinet note requesting additional funding to repair schools affected by the earthquake.

Although the earthquake occurred on August 21, Garcia could not say how much money was still needed for repairs or how much was already spent.

Saying an assessment was ongoing, Garcia explained: “When that exercise is completed, then I will present a note to Cabinet which must be on basis of a scope of works and costing which I don’t have that at this time.”

Days after announcing the planned closure of the Petrotrin refinery, board chairman Wilfred Espinet is warning employees about increased levels of absenteeism. He has also issued a strong caution to anyone who may be contemplating acts of violence to damage the company’s assets, saying they may be disqualified from getting any form of exit compensation.

In an internal memo to staff dated September 3 titled “Clarification on Current Issues,” a copy of which the T&T Guardian obtained, Espinet admitted the company recognised that there was a lot of “uncertainty and anxiety” within the organisation.

He noted that since the announcement of the refinery shutdown there had been a “noticeable increase in absenteeism throughout the company,” which can prove to be “counter-productive.”

But Espinet said while the board had announced plans for a “restructuring,” no employee had been given “notice of termination” of their employment and as a result, there had been no change in their “obligation” to the company. He advised employees to “re-familiarise” themselves with the Absenteeism Policy, pointing to the sections on Policy, Responsibilities and Procedure.

Espinet noted some “key highlights” of the policy, the first relating to excessive absenteeism exceeding nine days in six consecutive months, which is subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.

The Petrotrin chairman said the company was “particularly sensitive” about the increases in “stress and anxiety” the loss of employment may cause and remained open to suggestions in addressing the concerns. But he said psychological and financial counselling and advice are available to “all employees and their families for a period of six months.”

Under the sub-heading “Securing Our Assets” in the memo, Espinet said the company recognised that there may be persons who may decide to “resort to violence and or seek to damage assets.” But he said any such action would be “unlawful and constitutes a breach of employment” and will “disqualify offending individuals from receiving any form of exit compensation.”

Espinet urged employees and their representatives to keep true to their serious obligation of ensuring that as the country’s only fuel supplier they “maintain an uninterrupted supply of fuel for the nation.”

The memo noted that while October 1 is the start of the transition that would not be the “last day of work for every Petrotrin employee.”

The timing and duration of the transition, according to the memo from Espinet, will be determined by “our ability to do it smoothly, efficiently and safely over the next few months,” as he pointed out that it would be “impractical to have a single hard stop date.”

The staff was told the company was now in the process of implementing the “most practical approach to transition the company, without negatively affecting the business.” A smooth transition, according to Espinet, required an “overlap between the modes of operation.” In the meantime, he said Petrotrin’s business continues to operate as usual, adding it was imperative that the company continue to manage its assets and operations “responsibly because we have financial and other obligations to our suppliers, contractors, customers and most importantly you our employees.”

Espinet also informed the workers that details on compensation and benefits are currently being finalised and will be communicated as soon as they are completed.

“We do not want to provide any approximations or any information that is not completely accurate,” he said, noting this would lead to “greater uncertainty.”

kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt

Police say they have few leads in their investigation into the robbery of Fr Jose Marie Thekkekutte on Sunday night. They have also not recovered any of the stolen items.

Officers continued their search for the three suspects who looted the Our of Lady of Montserrat presbytery along the Mayo Road, Tortuga up to yesterday.

Contacted yesterday, Thekkekutte, an Indian national, said he was clueless about the police’s investigation.

He said so far, the church’s SUV and money had not been returned and the police had not given him an update.

On Sunday, Thekkekutte was asleep at the presbytery when two masked men with cutlasses entered his bedroom and asked for the proceeds from the church’s annual harvest that took place earlier in the day.

However, the money was not there as it was taken away by committee members.

The men proceeded to ransack the room, taking local and US currency, including funds meant to help the needy.

During this time, Thekkekute was forced to remain on the bed.

The bandits then took him downstairs the presbytery where they further ransacked the rooms in search of more cash.

Joined by a third bandit, they then broke into the garage and stole the alcoholic drinks that remained from the harvest.

They then stole the church’s Hyundai Tucson SUV. Before leaving they disconnected the phone and took a clothesline and pieces of sheets and tied up Thekkekute.

He was eventually able to free himself and call for help. Gran Couva police are investigating.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has ruled out the importation of Guyanese crude to save Petrotrin’s Pointe-a-Pierre refinery, saying that Guyana has no intention of bringing their oil to shore for any refining operations.

Rowley said when the Government learnt of Exxon Mobil’s find off the coast of the South American nation, they sought to find out who owned the oil. It was found that while Exxon has a claim to it, the Guyanese government owns a third.

Subsequent inquiries have revealed the Guyanese would not need any arrangement with the T&T Government and Petrotrin.

Speaking at Tuesday night’s PNM meeting at the Marabella Community Facility, Rowley said that modern technology being used in Guyana allows for crude to be pumped onto specially designed ships, where it is separated from the water.

The product then leaves on the ships without having to be brought to shore.

But Rowley said business ties with Guyana have been allowed to lapse, as he noted that under the People’s Partnership government an agreement for the exchange of goods and services had expired and was left alone. He is expected to travel to Guyana next week to sign a new agreement after a year-long negotiation.

He said this paves the way for local companies to participate in the prosperity that is coming to Guyana, even if their oil does not come to the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.

The PM’s comment was sparked by suggestions made earlier this week by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissssar. She had suggested that the Government should pursue a partnership with Guyana to refine its oil as a means of averting the closure of the 101-year-old Petrotrin refinery.

In response to this, however, Guyana’s former energy minister Robert Persaud told Persad-Bissessar that she should not look to Guyana to bailout the Petrotrin refinery. Persaud said Persad-Bissessar’s track record as prime minister in relation to the treatment of Guyanese and trade of Guyanese products was as appalling as her predecessors and successor.

“Guyana’s oil and gas industry, as I have said before, should not be T&T or anyone’s next meal,” Persaud said.

Guyana has an estimated 3 billion barrels of oil reserves. In February, Guyanese company GuyEnergy announced its intention to build a modular oil refinery at a cost of US$100,000 million and complete it before ExxonMobil’s estimated production start date in 2020.

kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt

Ahead of Friday’s planned day of rest and reflection, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is warning Civil Aviation Authority workers that if they take the advice of the Public Service Association president Watson Duke to shut down T&T’s airspace, the Government will take them to court.

During a joint press conference on Tuesday by the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM), National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) and Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FITUN), Duke called on members of the essential services to take a sick day to rest and reflect on the struggles the working class face under the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM). This category of workers also includes police, fire officers, prison officers and teachers.

Under the Industrial Relations Act, members of the essential services are prohibited from engaging in industrial action. Breach of the Act can lead to fines and imprisonment for workers and union leaders. However, the unions are not dubbing the day of rest and reflect as industrial action, but as a social stand being taken by all citizens, not just the working class.

Responding to Duke’s appeal on Tuesday night at a PNM meeting called to address the Petrotrin restructuring plan at the Marabella Community Facility, Rowley said that any strike by workers of the Civil Aviation Authority could lead to a shutdown in the airspace, which could endanger the lives of people from the region.

“My Government is not engaging in any fight with anybody but we are going to enforce the law. If civil aviation workers take that irresponsible advice and shut down our airspace, I don’t have to instruct the Attorney General to sue every one of them personally,” Rowley said.

“And we’ll go where the law takes us. Wherever there are irresponsible arrangements like that and encouragement by leaders in communities or in the union to encourage workers to break the law and put lives at risk, we are going to the place where the law is and complain about those actions.”

He appealed to public sector employees to appreciate their jobs, saying that it was at the expense of those who have none. He said the country has gone an extra mile to keep them employed as it faces financial difficulties. If the country’s reward for doing this is for public servants to endanger lives, he said the Government will go to the court.

“There are governments who are less pressured than this government and took action to reduce its expenditure on the public service, we have not done that,” the PM said.

He said the PNM’s action was not about short-term popularity, but about long-term survivability for all citizens. While this happens, he said there will be good and bad days and while the Petrotrin’ issue would be considered hard times, be careful about those who are just using it to launch or resurrect their political careers.

Using the old adage “Birds of a feather flock together,” he said all of a sudden Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was chummy with Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union president general Ancel Roget and his predecessor Errol McLeod.

He said it was Persad-Bissessar’s fear of losing the election during her tenure that led her to take decisions that almost led to the country being bankrupt. He said now when the country is facing problems she was hoping that the Government would collapse. However, he said that it has not and come Friday, citizens should celebrate the PNM’s anniversary of winning the 2015 general election.

“When these things begin to happen, you have to understand what you’re dealing with. As information comes to you, especially at this time, you have to look at who is talking. The very same people who got us where we are today are out front, trying to hold themselves to you as if they are a saviour in your moment of grief and hurt.”

He said the People’s Partnership could have dealt with Petrotrin with less pain, as the National Gas Company (NGC) had $60 billion in a bank account that could have been used to bail out the oil company. Instead, he said she spent it on other things while enriching a few people.

Veteran longstanding photographer Andre Alexander died at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, following a battle with cancer. Alexander died less than a month before his 64th birthday next month.

With the T&T Guardian since 1997, he had been working up to earlier this year.

His grieving wife Mary Elizabeth Sutherland-Alexander, a retired assistant nursing manager, said, “We celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary only last Sunday.”

Alexander, who had been in the US for medical treatment earlier in the year, returned home a few months ago. He had also been warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital for some time up to recently.

Alexander was a well-known face on the media circuit for decades. Known and regarded as a powerhouse in the photographic field, he was a no-nonsense focused light behind the lens and a professional who had the knack for copping “the shot” and the best angle regardless of circumstances.

His wife recalled, “He had been dabbling in photography since age 14. He had worked in almost every media institution and in his long career he formed a number of photography training classes also.”

She recalled he spent more than 20 years at the T&T Express and was among founding members of the Newsday. His photographs and his name featured in a number of other local newspapers, including the Tobago News, Tobago Times and the T&T Mirror group. His work also extended to various other types of publications.

At the T&T Guardian, Alexander covered every type of assignment, from political situations and protests to natural disaster issues and entertainment. He also piloted the “Talk of Trinidad” photo essay for a number of years and also did the Business Guardian’s photo page.

Former T&T Guardian editor and veteran journalist Andy Johnson, who brought Alexander to the Guardian in 1997, yesterday said, “He was a tremendous resource with an acute eye for news photography—the type of pictures he would come back from assignments with were just phenomenal.

“And he was also a great soul. If some people didn’t think he had the right image for the ‘Talk of Trinidad’, it was actually his character and social skills which were among the reasons that helped make that feature such a great success. It got to the point where Andre was friends with every diplomat and all respected him highly—a photojournalist of the highest order.”

Veteran journalist Lennox Grant said he met Alexander at the Guardian when Grant joined in 1998.

Grant said, “With his passing, the T&T media lost yet another figure who qualified as a ‘character’, registering in our minds as somewhat larger than regular life in our shared practice. He saw journalistic work as a continuing adventure for which he always showed himself well prepared.

“For the likelihood of covering rainy-season floods, he used to keep knee-high rubber boots in his car. His camera, of course, was always at the ready, as was his humour, expressed in the raspy voice by which he came to be identified.

“Andre taught photography and also instructed those with a head to learn how to win friends and influence even important people. He specialised in covering activities in diplomatic circles and showed himself to be easily on familiar terms with big-name foreign dignitaries.”

Veteran journalist Sharmaine Baboolal, head of news at the T&T Radio Network Ltd, added, “Andre and his camera were inseparable. He was the ultimate news photographer, especially in the social circles where he had a way of assembling the right people to create just the right picture for the society page.

“He was also a loving spirit—Andre brought joy to every newsroom he passed through, including at the Mirror Group when he was there. Yet with all the access he had to people in the social circles, he always remained a humble person.”

Andre leaves to mourn his wife, six sisters and one brother as well as his extended media “family.” Funeral arrangements will be announced later.

Big wages and salaries at Petrotrin. An average $45,000 monthly wage bill per Petrotrin refinery worker, $21,000 monthly per temporary worker and a $616 daily rate for labourers, plus a $70,000 monthly overtime earning for one carpenter.

Those figures were given by Energy Minister Franklin Khan at Tuesday night’s People’s National Movement meeting at the Marabella Community Centre where the Petrotrin restructuring plan was dealt with.

Khan said even a labourer in a company contracted by Petrotrin to cut the grass receives the same wages under the union agreement for Petrotrin labourers.

“... $616 per day. Yet CEPEP workers only getting $80 a day,” he said

Khan said wages/salaries occupied 52.8 per cent of operating costs. The latter was $4.1 billion annually and salaries/wages, $2.19 billion. Petrotrin has 3,437 permanent employees, he added.

“The wage bill is 1.87b annually. The average wage bill per employee is $45,000 a month, ministers don’t even take home $45,000,” he said.

The annual wage bill for the 1,229 non-permanent (casual/temporary) workers is $320 million, a monthly average wage bill per temporary worker of $21,000, he said.

The company’s overtime (OT) bill is constantly averaging $22.7 million per month. He said when he found overtimes was “out of whack,” he sought a list of the top OT earners.

“One was a carpenter who earned $70,000 a month in overtime, I don’t know if the refinery was made of wood,” Khan said, adding they were “by and large responsible for their own demise.”

Khan’s wage figures were greeted with shouts of “Lies!.... Lies!” from a group of Petrotrin workers who tried to attend the meeting. A mixture of permanent and temporary workers with service from four to 25 years, they initially stood on the street. One held a small OWTU flag.

They later walked into the centre’s yard. On reaching the door they were blocked by two police inspectors. The workers said they wanted to attend the meeting. Ten Guard and Emergency police (in riot gear) then reinforced blockage of the door. Plainclothes police stood behind them.

The meeting featured an unusually heavy police presence from 6 pm before attendees’ arrival. A police bus and Jeeps brought more reinforcements. Plainclothes and Special Branch officers abounded, all told there were almost as many police as attendees at the small centre.

Despite being blocked, the workers maintained their stance. When they said they wanted to go into the meeting, one PNM official muttered, “Leh dem send their questions when the Prime Minister meeting JTUM Thursday.”

When the PM’s turn to speak arrived, the workers turned their backs and walked away.

But UNC Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee yesterday knocked the party’s refusal to allow the workers entry to the meeting.

“It was disingenuous to say it was a public meeting yet turn away workers who wanted to attend. Some Petrotrin workers live in Marabella, they might have wanted to hear what explanations Government wanted to present, that was the reason for holding the meeting in Marabella,” he said.

“If the workers were feeling distressed before the meeting they would have felt more upset at being treated as a threat, such handling is what creates problems. Also, were they provoked by some PNMites’ reactions? If they didn’t want people interested in Petrotrin to attend the meeting, why come to Marabella?”

Meanwhile, noting Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s claim at the meeting that Petrotrin “hid” its true accounts, UNC MP Roodal Moonilal said, “Auditors refer to ‘deferred taxes’. Government put nine politically appointed people in positions, fired the professional staff and came up with this loss ‘hiding’ attacking the integrity of the KPMG auditors, an internationally reputable firm,” he said.

He said the Petrotrin issue was a distraction from scrutiny of the Government’s performance in its third anniversary of office tomorrow.

Police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 15-year-old girl from Laventille who has been missing since Independence Day.

A release from the T&T Police Service (TTPS) Public Affairs Unit stated that Mya Lewis was last seen at her home at Mentor Alley, Laventille, around 5.30 pm last Friday.

However, Lewis' mother Natoya Christian only reported her missing at the Besson Street Police Station around 7.05 pm on Sunday night.

Lewis is five feet nine inches tall, of slim built, light complexion and has black hair. She was last seen wearing a green top, long green pants and white sandals.

Members of the public who may have information on her disappearance or location are asked to contact police at 999, 555 or 800-TIPS.

Motorists are being warned that criminals are now using technology to force car alarm malfunction.

Guardian Media spoke with at least two members of the public who were victims of a method of theft which has grown in infamy internationally and now seems to have been put in use by local car thieves.

One resident of Orchard Gardens in Chaguanas told Guardian Media he was a victim on August 28 at the Medford Gas Station in Chaguanas. The 62-year-old man, who asked to be referred to as ‘Uncle Joe’, said when it was time for him to go into his vehicle he could not.

“It just triggered off the alarm, I had no control, then I heard another vehicle close by, the alarm went off and he had difficulties in cancelling it. Then there was a chain reaction, several alarms went off and people were standing there confused,” he said.

He said he called his alarm specialist who told him he had heard of several instances of this happening in Grand Bazaar, Valsayn and Price Plaza, Chaguanas.

Eventually, the man said he was able to get into his vehicle. But his ordeal did not end there. When he and his wife got to their Orchard Gardens home they noticed their electronic gate slightly opened The gate then began opening and closing on its own. It was only then that he and his neighbours identified a possible culprit.

“We were standing in the road chatting when a black Corolla passed in a flash and it triggered several car alarms. One of the neighbours said he saw a man with a laptop in the front passenger seat of the vehicle,” he said.

He said he believes criminals are now using scramblers to deactivate alarms and force electronic gates to open.

He told Guardian Media that he believes they were monitored and followed from the gas station. He subsequently went to the Chaguanas Police Station where he was told by an officer that they are aware of the issue.

This was not an isolated incident either. Several kilometres away at Massy Stores in Petit Valley, Kevin Lee, also suffered a similar fate. Lee said he went into the store for just one item but when he returned he too was locked out his vehicle.

“When I pressed the disarm I heard nothing, I saw the lights flashing, which means that it’s armed and I knew I could not open the door, I continued pressing but nothing happened,” Lee recalled.

“At this point, other people began asking if it was happening to me too and eventually I noticed that at least seven other motorists were locked out of their vehicles, the cars just would not disarm.”

Guardian Media brought the matter to the attention of Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith, who promised to look into the matter.

Car jamming is the use of radio transmitters to interrupt the signal emitted from a car key and the vehicle’s transponder.

One car alarm specialist who spoke to GML suggested that drivers could protect themselves by double-checking their vehicles after parking in public car parks. He said although the car alarm or lock activation sounds are heard, motorists should still check to ensure that the vehicle is indeed locked.

A nine-year-old boy who was hit by a maxi taxi last week died at the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex yesterday.

Relatives of Emmanuel John had spent much of the past week hoping his health would improve, but instead were given grim news by doctors that little Emmanuel was to be removed from life support just before noon yesterday. He had been pronounced brain dead a day earlier

Emmanuel, who was set to start Standard Three at the Aranguez Government Primary School on Monday, died shortly before 4 pm yesterday. He was attempting to cross the Priority Bus Route near Sixth Avenue, Barataria, last Wednesday, hoping to meet his mother at a friend’s house when a maxi taxi heading east hit him.

He suffered severe head injuries and was taken to the EWMSC where he had been struggling for his life since.

Witnesses said the boy attempted to cross the busy intersection correctly, with the light on red. The maxi taxi driver reported the incident to the Barataria police but was not arrested.

Police are continuing enquiries in relation to the incident.

After coming into office in very trying times, Government has managed the situation “extremely well,” says Energy Minister Franklin Khan on Government’s three-year term in office.

Khan made the comment at yesterday’s media briefing at the Prime Minister’s office. This followed Government’s meeting with union leaders on the Petrotrin issue.

Asked about Government’s third anniversary of office today - and if there were any plans to celebrate or mark this - Khan said, “It’s a normal working day for Cabinet members and I hope, for all citizens. There’s nothing unusual about a third year in office, there’s no anniversary to celebrate in any form.”

He added, “We continue to work. We came into office in very trying times and I think we have managed the situation extremely well if I should say so myself. There are still challenges ahead and we hope to continue along a path of sustainable growth and prudent financial management to take T&T on to a new path of sustainability.”

Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis said yesterday’s discussions with unions on the Petrotrin issue didn’t deal with the unions’ plan to mark the Government’s third year in office today with a “Day of Rest and Reflection.”

Unions had called for this during recent Labour Day celebrations when they gave the Rowley Government a failing grade.

Government earlier this week warned that some essential services could be penalised, fined and/or jailed if they stayed away from work and public servants who did so also risked losing pay. After the National Security Ministry met with the Police Social and Welfare Association, the ministry was assured that association wasn’t participating in today’s “Rest and Reflection” exercise.

But in view of the negative outcome of yesterday’s meeting with unions, Robinson-Regis said Government is ready for the “Rest and Reflection” situation.

“Government isn’t overly concerned. That’s a call the union leaders made and their members will have to decide what they want to do and if they want to adhere to the call. We’ll have to wait and see what happens and if people actually stay away from work, we have our contingencies in place,” she added.

Tributes continued to pour in yesterday for veteran and long-standing ace photographer Andre Alexander, who died at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, on Wednesday, following his battle with cancer.

Alexander passed away less than a month before celebrating his 64th birthday next month.

Some of the touching tributes were posted on social media by members of the media fraternity, friends and mourners.

Earlier this year, Alexander had been in the US for medical treatment.

At Guardian Media Ltd (GML) where Alexander worked from 1997, his colleagues spoke highly of him as a professional in his field and one who always gave sound advice.

Photographer Nicole Drayton, who worked alongside Alexander for many years, described him as a stalwart who took his job seriously.

“At any event Andre covered for the T&T Guardian, he positioned himself to get the best photograph for the newspaper. I learnt a lot from him,” Drayton said.

“Photography wise, he was a cut above the rest. I always admired the professional manner in which he carried about himself. It was one to emulate.”

Drayton said she will miss Alexander for his raspy voice and his scandalous laughter in the newsroom.

“Even if you were angry and you heard Andre’s laughter you would smile. He was the last of the Mohicans,” Drayton said.

Drayton said whenever Alexander went on an assignment, be it cocktail, political, news, business, features, sports and came back to the office to download his photographs, he had a story to tell of how he captured the pictures or what difficulty he faced.

GML senior photographer Shirley Bahadur said her heart broke into a thousand pieces when she saw a Facebook post that Alexander had died. She recalled that when Alexander returned to Trinidad after seeking medical treatment abroad, he brought back a CNN mug for her. Bahadur said the mug was token of appreciation for being there for him during his difficult time.

“I used to call him regularly on Whatsapp to find out how he was doing and to cheer him up. One thing I would never forget about Andre is whenever he saw you he would give you a warm hug and kiss. Also, he always had a nasty joke to tell and loved his liquor.”

Former Port-of-Spain mayor and People’s National Movement member Louis Lee Sing described Alexander as a unique and special person who gave yeoman service to the media industry for decades.

“I remembered Andre as a warm, caring and supportive individual. He cared for his colleagues more than himself. Many people trusted Andre for his professionalism. Andre, as it were, took the photographs that told the entire story. On a personal note, his passing is a tremendous loss to the media fraternity.”

Lee Sing said in his conversations with Alexander he always shared an objective view on any topic.

Former education minister and Opposition MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh was close to tears as he related the memorable times he shared with Alexander.

“I am saddened at his passing. I know he was suffering for a while. Whenever we met I would always try to give him some words of encouragement to keep him going.”

Alexander made an entire circle in the print media, as he worked in the T&T Express, Newsday, Tobago News, T&T Mirror and Sunday Punch before joining GML, where he piloted the “Talk of Trinidad” photo essay for a number of years and also did the Business Guardian’s photo page.

Former T&T Guardian editor in chief Judy Raymond, now at Newsday, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, said she could not believe Alexander was gone.

“I’m just glad the suffering of the past few months is over. He was one of the best news photographer I’ve worked with, not for technical reasons but because of his intelligence which meant he knew what he was going to happen before it happened, and made sure he was there when it did.”

Raymond said Alexander worked harder than he partied, had his naughty ways which made for very funny stories and never held any malice.

“If he needed an idea for what he should photograph, he read the paper. How many photographers would do that? He was a sweet and loving friend for 30 years and deserved so much more than to die now.”

Among those who extended deepest condolences to Alexander’s family, friends and media colleagues was the T&T Unified Calypso Organisation.

Alexander leaves to mourn his wife Mary, six sisters and one brother as well as his extended media “family”.