Dr Anand Chatoorgoon’s forthrightness about nurses’ absenteeism and their general lack of compassion towards patients at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) is refreshing. I am sure other CEOs are having similar experiences at the other public hospitals. I don’t know how they choose to address the problem but I want to commend Dr Chatoorgoon for confronting the issue.  

Somebody needs to bell the proverbial cat. The nurses seem to be a law unto themselves and those who are placed to supervise them have begun to sympathise with their poor attitude towards the vocation and as a consequence, patients, including the aged, are suffering at their hands.  

The Nurse Manager at the SFGH has indicated that she has made suggestions to deal with “the negatives taking place.” I wonder if she is aware that one possible solution is the full implementation of the hospital visiting policy that caters for relatives assisting with the care of very aged patients at the public hospitals? I wonder if she is also aware that the nurses themselves, aided and abetted by their nursing supervisors, have refused to fully implement the policy? 

As for the role of the Nursing Council regarding the general conduct of nurses in T&T, I am yet to hear their collective voice supporting the policy rather than commenting only when they feel their turf is threatened.  
 
Wendy Williams,
via e-mail

PORT ELIZABETH—West Indies batsman Shiv Chanderpaul has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to bounce back against South Africa in the second Test match at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth starting tomorrow. West Indies suffered their heaviest ever defeat in South Africa, when they were humiliated by an innings and 220 runs, 70 minutes before lunch on the penultimate day of the opening Test last Saturday.

The Windies will need a vastly improved batting performance after they failed to capitalise on starts in the first innings and were annihilated in 80 minutes in the second. Chanderpaul believes the Caribbean side has players who can step up. “They’re the No 1 team in the world, and to be there you have to have the best bowling attack in the world. It’s been a learning experience for the youngsters, and I’m sure they’ll come out of this stronger,” said Chanderpaul. “The guys we have here are the best in the Caribbean, that’s the reason they’re here. They’ve all scored runs in the past, scored a lot of hundreds in regional cricket. They all have talent and are bright stars for the future.”

In an effort to boost their scoring the West Indies will be expecting much from Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels, who was the highest run-scorer on their last tour to South Africa. Additionally, West Indies have Devon Smith, who was had the third-best aggregate in last season’s regional challenge and was leading the charts in this season’s before embarking on the tour, Jermaine Blackwood, who was last season’s most successful first-class batsman, and Kraigg Brathwaite, who already has a Test double hundred to his name. “Hopefully this game we …the batting lineup can get it right and put some decent scores on the board,” said the experienced left-hander, preparing for a record 160th Test match. “That’s something we talked about, the start we got and hopefully a few guys can carry on”.

He has good memories of this historic ground – where he scored a match-winning 104 back in 2007 – when the West Indies captured their only Test match victory on South African soil. The 40 year old cricketer is hoping  that the opening defeat would have a positive effect on the players and says the  Windies are even more determine to take the fight to the homeside. “So we just have to put that game behind us and take it as a learning experience. It is not going to be easy but we are going to put up a better fight than we did in centurion,” he said. “It is a learning experience for the younger guys and I am sure coming out of this they would be much more stronger than they came into the tournament”. First ball on Friday is 10:30 am (4:30 am Eastern Caribbean Time/3:30 am Jamaica Time). CMC

Factbox
First test Pretoria South Africa won by an innings and 220 runs
Second test Port Elizabeth Dec 26-30
Third test Cape Town Jan 2-6

SOUTH AFRICA
World ranking: First
Captain: Hashim Amla
Coach: Russell Domingo
Squad: Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Morne Morkel, Rilee Rossouw, Alviro Petersen, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Stiaan van Zyl

Tests in 2014
Feb Australia Pretoria Lost (281 runs)
Feb Australia Port Elizabeth Won (231 runs)
Mar Australia Cape Town Lost (245 runs)
Jun Sri Lanka Galle Won (153 runs)
Jul Sri Lanka Colombo Drew
Aug Zimbabwe Harare Won (nine wickets)
Dec West Indies Pretoria Won (innings and 220 runs)

WEST INDIES
World ranking: Eighth
Captain: Denesh Ramdin
Coach: Richie Richardson
Squad: Sulieman Benn, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sheldon Cottrell, Narsingh Deonarine, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Leon Johnson, Kenroy Peters, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton

Tests in 2014
Jun New Zealand Kingston Lost 
(186 runs)
Jun New Zealand Port of Spain Won (10 wickets)
Jun New Zealand Bridgetown Lost (53 runs)
Sep Bangladesh Kingstown Won (10 wickets)
Sep Bangladesh Gros Islet Won (296 runs)
De South Africa Pretoria Lost (innings and 220 runs)

South Africa vs West Indies Tests
Matches 26
South Africa wins 17
West Indies wins 3
Draws 6

Previous West Indies tours of South Africa
1998-1999 Five South Africa 5-0
2003-2004 Four South Africa 3-0
2007-2008 Three South Africa 2-1

Swimmer George Bovell and field athlete Cleopatra Borel were named the 2014 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year respectively, at the annual Guardian Sports Desk Christmas Lime, on Tuesday, at the company’s office, St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain. Also recognised were Michelle Lee Ahye, who was named ‘Emerging Athlete of the Year’ while former national footballer/coach Everald ‘Gally’ Cummings was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award for his contribution to national life. The Desk also named cricket writer Vinode Mamchan as its ‘Personality of the Year’ while Nigel Simon collected an award for his productivity and Jelani Beckles was named ‘Young Sportswriter of The Year.’ Andre Baptiste was named ‘Columnist of the Year.’ 

Bovell and Borel were the two outstanding athletes for T&T at the 22nd Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games at Leyes de Reforma Aquatic Centre, Veracruz, Mexico, in November.
Bovell won the 50 metres freestyle, speeding home in 22.30 seconds, .07 hundredths of a second outside in 2010 record of 22.23 to turn the tables on his rivals Suriname’s Renzo Tjon-A-Joe (22.62) and Cuban, Hanser Garcia (22.69). Bovell also bagged nine medals at the FINA/MASTBANK World Cup Swimming Circuit which included three gold, five silver and one bronze. The highlight of his World Cup was a first ever 50m breaststroke medal, silver in 26.91 seconds Bovell also picked up a bronze medal in the 50m backstroke at the CAC Games.

Borel won gold in the shot put for the second consecutive time at the CAC Games to follow up her second place at the Commonwealth Games, in Glasgow, Scotland, in July. She collected her award from Guardian Managing Director, Lisa Agard, and said she was thrilled. Borel noted that 2013 was an up and down year for her but she was able to bounce back this year. “There is still a long way to go in 2015, but I am working hard, and I know with the kind of support I have been getting, things will be a lot easier.”

Bovell is currently out of the country on personal business but expressed appreciation at his award.”I am really sorry I could not be there to receive the award. I am very grateful for it and for all the support from everyone.” Cummings, in his acceptance speech, said he was grateful for the honour, noting that he sometimes felt like a forgotten person. Cummings guided T&T within a point of the World Cup Football Finals in 1990, arousing and igniting the nation with his Kaisoca, a brand of football he described as indigenous. “You can’t achieve anything without a piece of your culture. That is why we were so successful in 1989.”

Cummings was also a member of the national football team which was robbed of a place in the Germany World Cup finals in 1974. T&T finished second in the Concacaf finals in Haiti, losing to the hosts 1-2, after scoring five goals in the match, four of which were disallowed. The referee from that match was subsequently banned by Fifa. Sports Editor Valentino Singh described Cummings as a national hero and a treasure for whom a permanent place within the administration of football should be made. The function was attended by a number of sporting personalities, among whom were TTOC president Brian Lewis, TTFA secretary Sheldon Phillips, Sportt chief executive officer Adrian Raymond, batting legend Brian Lara, former national cricketer Colin Murray, ex world boxing champ Ria Ramnarine, sports analyst Andre Baptiste, motivation speaker Don La Foucade and university lecturer and sports columnist Anand Rampersad.

T&T Under-20 footballers, the reigning Caribbean Football Union Under-20 champions will take their spot among the 12-team Concacaf Under-20 Championship carded for Jamaica from January 9-24. This after the Ministry of Sport made an about turn in providing financial support for the youngsters, while the Sport Company of T&T also came in to offset expenses for the Derek King-coached team in their bid to secure one of the four qualifying spots to next year’s Fifa Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand. 

On Tuesday, the young Soca Warriors place in the qualifying tournament looked in jeopardy after the Ministry of Sport Permanent Secretary informed T&T Football Association operations manager William Wallace that there was no money to fund the team’s trip to Jamaica which stood at an overall budget of $988,000.00. According to Wallace, that money was to cover players stipends to cover for the almost month-long stay, airfare, hotel accommodation, extra staff and medical expenses.

Wallace made it clear that it was important to note that Concacaf do not fund the entire bills of teams to these tournaments while the players who are not entitled to match fees would have been provided witha  stipend of US$100 per day. “Most of the budget is being taken up with allowances for the players and staff to the sum of $538,000.00 while airfare cost stood at $225,000.00 and the other expenses totaling $174,000.00. “However, because of the lack of funds available I have had to shave down the budget for the team almost down to my skin and we will now have to look at cutting the allowances for the places, and owing them, just as we did with previous teams.” Wallace also expressed that the remainder of the funds will be provided from the Sport Company of T&T, which he said called and requested some information to assist the team.

He said, “We were hoping to leave on 27 in two batches, but because of the late release of funds we are now going on December 31 and will use the extra days at home to get in some more training. “We will have a five-day camp in Florida and already have a match against Canada confirmed while the USA also wanted to play us in a warm-up match, but we are still mulling over that decision because we are in the same qualifying group in Jamaica, “ explained Wallace.  The T&T team will then leave for Jamaica on January 6, ahead of their Group A matches against the host, USA, Panama, Guatemala and Aruba in their round-robin pool. 

Earlier this month, the Under-20 Soca Warriors who crush Haiti 3-0 in the CFU final on September 19 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo thanks to a hat-trick from Kadeem Corbin, the tournament’s “Most Valuable Player” and top scorer had to abort a planned camp to Mexico as part of their preparations also due to a lack of funds. The camp which was expected to include two matches against the Mexico Under-20s, the reigning Concacaf champions and a top club team was due to cost $782,000.00, but none was available.

Group B of the Concacaf Championship comprises Mexico, the two-time defending Concacaf Under-20 champions; Cuba, Canada, El Salvador, Honduras and Haiti and the end of the tournament four teams will qualify to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015. Mexico are two-time defending Concacaf Under-20 champions, having claimed the title in Puebla, Mexico in 2013 and in Guatemala City in 2011.

The top team from each group after round-robin play advances to the World Cup, and the second and third place nations from each group advance to the final day knockout phase, with the chance to dispute one of a pair of play-in matches which will determine Concacaf’s other two World Cup spots at the Fifa Under-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015. 

Boca Juniors successfully defended their knockout title in the Petrotrin sponsored Fyzabad Community Football League when the season came to exciting end on Sunday November 30 and walked away with all major trophies when the curtain came down at the Petrotrin Fyzabad Recreation Ground. Boca Juniors, who earlier in the season copped the opening Fyzabad Community Cup and then the coveted League title were the better team on the day when they came up against A.S.A.P. FC in the Knockout Final.  Both teams had equal opportunities to take the lead but some excellent goalkeeping and heavy ground conditions kept the score tied at nil at the half. 

Boca Juniors Chris Collins then opened the scoring in the second half, only to see Jerome Clarence of ASAP FC equalized one minute later. Boca Juniors then took the lead with a second item from Chris Collins before Tristan Khan and Renford Martin added one each to complete the 4 - 1 victory for Boca Juniors and the start of the celebrations for the jubilant Boca supporters. 

The Fyzabad Community Football League which is in its 29th year is noted for producing top players who went on to represent the country nationally. One such player was Bertrand ‘Bertie’ Noel who passed away recently and was honored with a posthumous award for the contribution he made to the development of the league as a player of the now defunct Juventus FC. The league which continues to be grateful to Petrotrin and its predecessor companies for the use of its facility and other support also acknowledges community sponsor Ralo’s Tent Rental and its former sponsor Tiger Tanks Trinidad Unlimited. Corporate Communications Brian Williams was on hand to witness the game and assist with the presentation of prizes and awards which followed.

Honour Roll
2014 Fyzabad Football League:
League: 
1. Boca Juniors - $10,000 
2. Gallows United - $6,000
3. New Comers - $4,000

Knockout:
Champion: Boca Juniors - $1,000
Runner-up: ASAP FC - $500

Individual awards:
Most Discipline Club: New Comers - $500
Most Valuable Player: Nicholas Bhola (Boca Juniors) - $400
Most Outstanding Goalkeeper: Shakeem Darius (Gallows) - $400
Most Goals: Keston Grant (Boca Juniors) - 11 goals
Player of the Year: Atiba Woldron-Gibbs (Gallows) - $500
Most Outstanding Club Official: Sean Procope (New Comers) - $200
Best Supporter Male: Neil Ahford
Best Supporter Female: Dalia Cross
Junior Player of the Year (Under-18): Tevin Scott (South Oropouche)
 

For many people, regardless of their religion, Mt St Benedict represents an oasis of peace and tranquility. Though it’s located just north of St Augustine/Tunapuna at the top of St John’s Road, and is fairly close to the bustling, traffic-congested chaos of Tunapuna, the Mount seems many worlds way from all this because of its beautiful geographical site on the side of a forested hill. Those seeking solace or peace of mind may choose to enter the church itself, to meditate, pray, light a candle or talk to a priest. So maybe there’s truth to Abbot John Pereira’s statement that Mt St Benedict is a “centre of spirituality,” a place of healing and wholeness.

Providing a sanctuary away from the wicked world may be part of what has attracted monks to this Benedictine Abbey since 1912. The monks have always created their own community, leading a monastic lifestyle whose origins date back to Egypt towards the end of the third century AD, according to the 2005 book: The Abbey: Mt St Benedict, written by Mark Tierney, a Benedictine monk from Glenstal Abbey in Ireland. 

Tierney explained in his book that long ago, in an age when Christian martyrs sacrificed themselves and faced a “pagan morality,” the earliest monks retreated into the desert (or other remote places), renounced all worldly values, and practiced solitary penance. But later, monks began to band together in groups around experienced teachers or spiritual masters. This new monasticism involved electing leaders called abbots; obedience was now added to the existing monastic practices of silence, humility and poverty.

Today at the Mt St Benedict Abbey, the monks are still their own community, but they are also involved with the secular community, responding to specific needs as these arise. The monks run a mix of small businesses, religious outreach and community aid or training programmes. The Abbey includes not only the church, monastery and seminary, but also a yoghurt factory and gift shop to help them be self-sustaining, a drug rehab centre to help addicts, and Pax Guest House as part of their mission to offer hospitality. The monks also counsel people, and teach woodwork and technical education.

But no matter the changes, the core of a monk’s life remains the same: worshipping God and following Christ through a community of fellow monks. Benedictine monks order their lives through a disciplined daily practice of prayer, private meditation and practical work—and that routine happens on Christmas Day, too. “As every other day in the life of a monk, our Christmas day is punctuated with times of prayer,” said Fr John Pereira, the Abbot of Mt St Benedict, in an interview with the T&T Guardian a few days ago. “And so we have our morning prayer, our Mass, our midday prayer, our evening prayer.”

“Because Christmas is such an important event in the life of a Catholic, priests make ourselves available to celebrate the sacrament of the Eucharist.  Our major work is what we call here the work of God, which is the work of prayer, of being available to people,” he said. (For non-Christians, the sacrament of the Eucharist refers to a Christian rite in which bread and wine are seen as symbols of the body and blood of Christ, to be shared and consumed by believers.)

So priests must work on Christmas day, too, leading the Christmas services. Fr Pereira, for instance, led last night’s Christmas Eve mass, and will also conduct this morning’s 5.15 am Holy Mass. Another priest, Fr Christopher, will conduct today’s 7 am and 8.30 am masses, said Fr Pereira, who will also be hearing confessions today at 8.30 am. After the religious services, however, the monks can finally relax for Christmas among their chosen family of fellow-monks: a family of faith, not blood.

Fr Pereira explained: “Whereas we all come from natural families, we prefer not to leave the monastery and visit our families on Christmas, because for us, this monastic community is our family. 
“So the commitment we take to live this monastic life takes precedence over our blood commitment to our mother, our brother, our sister. “So ever since I joined Mt St Benedict (which was in September 1985; I was 30), I made it clear to my mother that although it had been my tradition before I joined…to have a family reunion on Christmas Day…unfortunately I would not be able to join my blood family for these occasions. So my mother put in a different gear, and soon after, instead of organising a family reunion on Christmas Day, she chose Boxing Day. “And so I am free now on Boxing Day to spend as much time as I would like with my blood family.”

At Mt St Benedict, the monks all look forward to their Christmas lunch together, revealed Fr Pereira. The monks also enjoy an informal supper together after their evening prayers, during which they exchange gifts, said Fr Pereira. “The community would put aside a small fund where different items would be bought and wrapped in lovely Christmas paper; items that would be of use or of value—it doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, you know, but something that would just give a little appreciation to each other,” said Fr Pereira.

For the priests who’ve had a hectic Christmas season since the start of Advent, Christmas Day (after the masses) brings with it a welcome chance to just kick back and rest. “So basically, Christmas day here for us is a little homely,” said Fr Pereira, “where we want to be with ourselves, and we try not to leave the compound, even if it is to visit blood family, because we give preference to our monastic family. 

“This day is so special, that although it’s nice to go out paranging and so on, that can break the bond of the community, because this is our family which we have embraced.  “It’s not a blood family, and I didn’t choose any brother to be my brother, we were just thrown together, but we are here with one heart and one mind seeking one thing, which is God.”

—Reporting by Shereen Ali, Shirvan Williams and Bobie Lee Dixon

What’s it like working on Christmas Day?
T&T Guardian spoke to several people who spend Christmas Day at work to find out what their day is like and how they’d prefer to spend the day.  

Fitz Albert Victor, prison officer
“If I had a choice I would certainly do Christmas with my family. We usually have a Christmas lunch where all my family members gather, but I often miss this because I am at work,” Victor said. 
“Management tries to foster comradery by preparing meals and drinks for us on those days, but nothing beats being home with your family just having a good time.”

Jenelle Wilson, broadcast journalist
“I’d prefer to spend my Christmas cuddling with my daughter, my pillow and the remote with Christmas lunch waiting in the wings,” the i95.5FM journalist said. “Usually, I’d have to get into the office by 6 am which was a real drag. I mean who wants to crawl out their bed that early in the morning to go to work on Christmas Day? Thankfully this year I have the day off for the first time in a very long time.”

K.E., firefighter who prefers to remain anonymous “Working on Christmas Day is difficult for most people because we believe its a time to relax and spend time with the family,” he said.  “My first Christmas in the Fire Service was not uncomfortable because I met a lot of new friends who became like family to me and made the day fun and interesting, so the void was filled with friendship on that day.”

After eight years in the Fire Service, he’s used to the Christmas work. “As a seasoned firefighter in the service now I have grown accustomed working on Christmas day and most public holidays. It’s usually very eventual in terms of co-workers joining together to have fun with eats and drinks. What I think would make it an easier time to work would be for those who are very intimate with their families be allowed to have them on the job so they can all spend time together.”

Kirk Seegobin, sous chef, Waterfront Restaurant, Hyatt Regency Trinidad “Christmas Day is very busy for me as we have Christmas breakfast at the Waterfront Restaurant as well as Christmas brunch. My day will be about nine to ten hours long, overseeing breakfast and brunch, making sure the Hyatt quality and standards are upheld, and keeping guests happy with their meals,” Seegobin said. 

“I have actually been at Hyatt for seven years and worked on Christmas Day for six of those years. A memorable experience for me was once when a guest asked to see the chef,” he said. “When I went to his table, he said the food was fantastic and unlike anything he had tasted before. I remember the dish clearly: it was steamed fish with saffron mashed potato, garlic spinach, and pumpkin with a chive hollandaise sauce.”

“There’s a big difference working on Christmas Day at the Hyatt compared to other days—we do a lot of Christmas dinners and cater to many guests. “I enjoy bringing a smile to guests, whether they be here away from their families, or people who are here visiting families for the season.”

The Joint Consultative Council (JCC), which had intervened in Kublalsingh’s first hunger strike in an attempt to end it, is distancing itself from the second. JCC president Afra Raymond made it clear on Wednesday that the council’s intervention this time around had nothing to do with Kublalsingh’s second hunger strike. Wednesday made it 100 days since Kublalsingh embarked on a second hunger strike he started on September 17. He said his body has embarrassed him since he did not think he would live this long. He started the second strike saying he would not eat until Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar puts the segement of the highway on hold and meets with him.

Raymond was asked to respond on Kublalsingh’s 100th day without food and water. He said the JCC wrote National Infrastructural Development Company (Nidco) head Dr Carson Charles about the Debe to Mon Desir highway on October. “But it was not on the basis of the second hunger strike,” he said. “It was to find out what steps Nidco had taken with the recommendations of the Armstrong Report.”

Raymond noted, too, that Kublalsingh in an Express interview this week said he “did cheat in a way” by having intravenous fluids administered to him several times after he collapsed one month after the second hunger strike. Raymond said the JCC did ask the PM to meet Kublalsingh after the first fast, but not after this one. “Our first letter to the PM on November 26, 2012, done in conjunction with the T&T Transparency Institute, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Working Women, was intended to both end Dr Kublalsingh's hunger strike and propose an independent review of the disputed aspects of the Debe to Mon Desir link of the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway.” “Our current ongoing intervention is intended to determine what has been Nidco’s response to the recommendations of the Armstrong Report, so we wrote to them on October 10.”

Raymond said Nidco responded and the JCC is carefully considering that before making further statements.”  Nidco, responding to the JCC’s concerns in newspaper advertisements defended its decision to continue the Debe to Mon Desir route.  Nidco said Dr Bheshem Ramlal, UWI GIS specialist and lecturer said it was the optimum route.

Guinness has spoken
Communications Minister Vasant Bharath, asked to comment to Kublalsingh’s 100-day hunger strike, said: “I think the Guinness World Records have already pronounced on that.” He was referring to The Guinness Book of Records also known as The Guinness Book of World Records, a reference book published annually, listing world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. The Guinness World Book of Records states that the longest anyone ever went without food and water was 18 days. Bharath said the Government continues to ask Kublalsingh to let good sense prevail. “The Government has done everything in its power to ensure the recommendations in the Armstrong Report are adhered to.”

The Armstrong committee was commissioned by Persad-Bissessar after Kublalsingh embarked on his first hunger strike. The intention was to look at the Debe to Mon Desir route and make recommendations where necessary. Bharath said the HRM took out three court injunctions against the State and failed all. “We have even agreed to help speed up the Privy Council matter once they make an application. “They have been tardy in making the application. “We have agreed to do anything in our power to prevent Kublalsingh causing any further physical or mental harm to himself, to no avail.” The minister said the Government can now only hope and pray there is no sad ending to the Kublalsingh saga. Bharath visited Kublalsingh at his home when he had entered into the 50th day of his hunger strike in a reconciliation bid.
It was not successful.

Two weeks after URP worker Robert “Peter” Navarro told relatives he was going to meet a friend at San Fernando Hill, his decomposing corpse was found hanging in a tree near the bottom of the hill. Police could not tell how 31-year-old Navarro, of Ambard Street, San Fernando, was killed, but relatives believe he was either shot or stabbed and his body thrown off the hill. Police said that around 4 pm on Christmas Eve, a man was hunting for iguanas at the back of the San Fernando City Corporation’s compound, along Carib Street, when he saw the corpse slumped over a tree branch.

After speaking to other residents, the man went to Navarro’s relatives’ home at Upper Hillside to break the news. It took undertakers several hours to remove the body, which was stuck in a tree rooted on the hill. Navarro’s sister, Yolanda Navarro, said her brother got a call-me request on December 9 and responded to it. Around 1 pm, he went to the hill and left his phone at home. When he did not return, his friend Henry Solzano reported him missing to San Fernando police. Homicide officers and the police K-9 unit searched the hill, but Navarro could not be found.

Two days later, she said, corbeaux were circling the area where the body was found. She chastised police for not doing a proper search. “If he was a rich person, they would have done a proper search and found him a long time now,” Yolanda said. She continued: “Every night I prayed for Peter to send me a sign and to show us where he was. Each time I would see him in a jockey, he was muddy and he looked sad. Now I see why, someone killed him and threw him off the hill.” His cousin Peggy Gomes said even though his body was found, there would only be closure when his killer is arrested and imprisoned.

Murders and other violent abuses are taking place in the country because the perpetrators do not experience the joy of knowing Jesus Christ. This is according to Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Harris who delivered the sermon at a Christmas Day Mass at the Mary Immaculate Queen of the Universe RC Church, Bourg Mulatresse, yesterday. “There are parts of Trinidad and Tobago where that joy is not experienced (and) that is why we are surrounded by the murders, abuse and violence, et cetera, because there are people who have not heard God’s invitation in ways that are attractive to make them want to experience it.”

He said Christians, having had that experience, now have the obligation to help others to experience that joy of knowing the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Christmas is not the celebration of Jesus’ birth but “the tremendous love of God who sent his Son into the messiness of our lives so that we could experience the joy of the embrace of Almighty God.” This love, Harris said, must be taken into “all the hot spots, in all those places where we have to have police and army patrols; in all those places where people don’t go out after dark because they are afraid of the bullets.”

The message of Jesus Christ was one of good news, peace, happiness and salvation for all, he said. Harris urged everyone to meditate on God’s love even as they enjoyed their drinks and food during the Christmas season.

The recent robbery of a soca superstar on Ariapita Avenue cast a shadow on one of West Trinidad’s most popular liming spots. But police say crime in the area is on the decline. Kees Dieffenthaller and two friends were robbed at gunpoint on Ariapita Avenue at around 4 am two Saturdays ago en route to their respective vehicles after performing at Aria Lounge. No one was hurt but Dieffenthaller’s friends were forced to hand over valuables, while the 2011 Groovy Soca Monach winner escaped with everything but his cash.

The incident caused a stir on social media, sparking public concern about the safety of the entertainment hub, in the lead-up to New Year and Carnival celebrations. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Stephen Ramsubhag, who is in charge of the North-Western Region, said police have been vigilant in their efforts to reduce crime and to make the entertainment hub “as safe as possible.” “City Police, St Clair and Woodbrook (police stations) collectively joined their forces (in making) Woodbrook and Ariapita Avenue a safer place, during the day and night,” ACP Ramsubhag assured.

He said statistics have shown a “drastic reduction” over the last 12 months of almost all types of crime in what he described as the “fun strip.” “The CID (Criminal Investigation Department) is also playing its role,” he said noting an increase in seizure of illegal firearms. Among the initiatives taken to address last year’s surge in crime in the area is an increase in the presence of uniformed and plain clothes police and traffic wardens, along with increased use of breathalysers. Asked if there were perhaps too many bars, clubs and casinos in the one central location, ACP Ramsubhag replied, “I can’t comment on that. We do not grant licences and do not have control of that. We are here to police and ensure a high level of safety.”

CRIME WATCH
In an earlier incident on the Avenue, veteran calypsonian Denyse Plummer had her cellphone taken from her by a group of women at around 3 am, mere blocks away from where Dieffenthaller and company were robbed. In between the incidents involving Dieffenthaller and Plummer was the low-profile robbery of Diamond Club and Casino, also on Ariapita Avenue, in which an armed man entered the building and reportedly left with more than $100,000 in cash. There have also been several break-ins at commercial and private buildings, and numerous cases of robbery, theft and assault, all in relative proximity to the Woodbrook Police Station. In February, there was an unusual event of an armed robber reportedly being stabbed by his own knife during a struggle when a victim sought to retreive his stolen gold chain.

LIMERS UNFAZED
The Guardian visited Ariapita Avenue last week and spoke to several patrons including Marc Stampfli, 26, who said he regularly patronises several bars and clubs on the stretch but was not fazed by the latest incident. “I'm on the avenue every week, literally (and) no disrespect to Kees or anyone but it really doesn't matter who you are to be robbed... So no, I don't feel any less secure.” He said police “should focus on the bigger problems rather than beating down on people for parking a foot over a white line, for example.” 

32-year-old Amrita Mohammed said she did not feel any less safe on Ariapita Avenue than anywhere else in the country. “I wouldn’t walk the road at early hours of the morning anywhere in the country, and I wouldn’t do it on Ariapita Avenue,” she said.

It seems, then, that the Government would be well advised think deeply and holistically about all aspects of the problem—crime detection, the pace of justice and the quality of the prisons system—before engaging in simplistic, politically correct responses.

Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams must be commended for his honesty in admitting that the police service has only managed to arrest and charge people in relation to 63 of the 399 murders committed up to the time he spoke. The figures confirmed by Mr Williams illustrate an ongoing problem that has accompanied the country’s high murder statistics—an abysmally low rate of detection. At 16 per cent, which is well below internationally accepted standards, T&T’s detection rate is a disaster to all but the criminals who must believe their chances of literally getting away with murder are very good.

If 16 per cent of the murders this year have been “solved” with people arrested and charged, that means that in 84 per cent of the murders in T&T this year the police have been unable to ensure that the consequence of the action of killing someone is swift detection. This killing without consequence is not only leading to a culture where there is absolutely no respect for the law, it is also contributing to hundreds of people walking the streets of this country with blood on their hands. Sixty-three murder cases solved means 336 unsolved and more than 300 murderers walking free, adding to hundreds of free killers in the last five years alone. The real problem with the country’s low detection rate is that the population has lost faith in the ability of the police service to protect them repercussions of cooperating with the law. This often means that the eyewitnesses to murders fail to come forward to cooperate with the police service—a sure sign that the ‘Informer Fi Dead’ culture has been transposed from the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica to Trinidad.

While there would be national support for the proposal by the anti-crime authorities to get foreign assistance to redress the abysmal murder detection statistics, T&T has heard that song before. In fact, reports of the police seeking foreign assistance have been played so often, that the song has taken on Top 40 status. Even if the Government goes ahead and gets crime-fighting assistance from overseas, the murder detection rate is but one important part of an overall plan to reduce the murder rate.  Swift detection must be followed by swift prosecution, a judicial system that is able to mete out swift justice and a prison system that serves as a deterrent to crime. Or no prison system at all.

Quite predictably in the face of an out-of-control murder rate, the Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has fallen back on the easy hang-them-high solution. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the prime minister said that she had asked Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to bring the Constitution Amendment (Capital Offences) Bill back to Cabinet with the possibility that the legislation, which would allow the State to hang murderers, would be reintroduced for debate when Parliament resumes in the new year.

Even if the legislation is passed by both houses of parliament, quite clearly in light of the 1993 Pratt and Morgan judgment of the Privy Council, the ability of T&T to impose capital punishment would be constrained by the slow pace of justice, even in high profile murder cases. It seems, then, that the Government would be well advised think deeply and holistically about all aspects of the problem—crime detection, the pace of justice and the quality of the prisons system—before engaging in simplistic, politically correct responses.

So Christmas is over and I didn’t get the chance to write a Christmas column. Damn. I feel like tapping up Santa Claus. Fat, red fraud. If any children are reading this, I want you to know Santa Claus isn’t true.  If you received any presents at all, they did not come from Santa. They came from the mall. If you don’t believe me, look at the bottom of your “Frozen” Anna: if Santa is true, why is he living in China? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and he lives at the East Pole with his little helpers, the Khmer Rouge.

Why do people fool their children into believing in Santa Claus? It wouldn’t be so bad if parents only wanted their children to adopt the positive attributes of Christmas—who doesn’t want children to be generous and loving?  But parents take tender young minds and bludgeon them until they accept there is a fat, white man living at the North Pole icecap who, without an income of any sort, heats a workshop filled with industrious midgets who devote their lives to making toys for children they have never met.

If my child swallowed half that from a stranger, I’d write him off. But that is not enough: the fat man flies around the world in a sled pulled through the sky by reindeer and climbs down chimneys we don’t have in this part of the world, that are smaller than even one of his legs, to leave presents from a sack which never empties, like a Trinidadian Cabinet Minister handing out state contracts. 
The flying reindeer don’t even have firetrucking wings! The thing is your average kid will baulk at a flying sled but parents will use all the influence they have over their trusting offspring to warp them into thinking Santa Claus is true; then, when the child’s intelligence eventually triumphs over their sentimentality, when the kid shakes his head and says, Mom, Dad, I love you, but this is all crap, the parents get depressed and weep for the child’s lost innocence.

All in all, then, I don’t mind having missed the chance to write about Santa. But Christmas itself might have inspired something in me.  As it stands now, Christmas is over and I don’t feel I celebrated it properly because I have not written about it. I’m beginning to feel any experience is incomplete unless I write it out of me—except for certain aspects, of course. Apart from those private parts, though, I find myself writing about everything. I am not so much living any more as doing research. Anything that happens to me is a potential column. Everything I encounter must be considered at an intellectual level; but, then again, how cerebral can you get about pastelles?

Still, I keep thinking about the new Pink Floyd CD I put under the tree for myself, “To: BC From: BC,” a trick I learned from Brian Lara, who learned it from Michael Carew, son of Joey (Brian’s mentor): if you give yourself something for Christmas, you make sure you have at least one present under the tree you are pretty sure you will like. Your own gift to you becomes increasingly more important each year: as you grow older, the wide range of stuff people who couldn’t be sure what you wanted would get you—good stuff like coffee, rum, books, CDs, DVDs and liqueurs—all transmogrify into socks; and brown ones, too; for dress shoes; and you haven’t worn anything but track shoes for ten years; including weddings and funerals. (I’ll wear a tux and track shoes on Old Year’s Night and all.)

Even if you’ve had pastelles and ponche de crème to excess, you’ve probably been able to tell something is not entirely right this morning so I’ll just confess: You are reading this today, Boxing Day, but it was written—or rewritten—on Monday, two days before Christmas Eve. I am sitting here considering how I feel about having missed Christmas and it hasn’t even taken place yet. Pretty scary stuff, huh? But it gets worse. I am not even here. I’m in Barbados. Indeed, Christmas came before me, if you see what I mean. Sheesh. It would probably be easier to do this with mirrors. I’m getting a little confused, and more than a little fed up, myself, now. 

This must be what Patrick Manning felt like last week. You mean I’m gone? But I wasn’t finished! I wrote this column reflecting on having missed out on the Christmas I am actually still anticipating. My brain and syntax are frazzled. I have no idea which tense I should having been used. The greatest problem with time travel, as Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy correctly observed, is not scientific but grammatical; or, as Judy Raymond once wrote, brilliantly: when am I?

Anyway, there you have it, but here I don’t: I am here as I write but there as you read. The Christmas I missed and regret not having had the opportunity to write about has not yet taken place, which reminds me of a joke: What do you get when you cross a lawyer with a member of the Mafia? Someone who makes you an offer you can’t understand.) Christmas is over for me because it is over for you—because a writer must be defined by his reader, not his writing. But a part of me thinks: Christmas is four days away. Tell everybody Merry Christmas. But, of course, I can’t do that: Christmas is over; and I didn’t get two chances, 20 years apart, to write about it.
 
BC Pires is Santa’s little lingerie department helper. A version of this column appeared on Boxing Day After 21 years ago

Knowing how criminals think is one effective way to deal with crime in conjunction with other strategies. Understanding the criminal mind is a science in itself and has been studied for a few hundred years. Non-criminologists may know much of it but in less technical terms. 

What is a crime? Is it only when a law is broken? Is it also when something harmful is done to someone or society but haven’t been made an “official” crime yet? Does it include when something wrong is done but not found out? If it is the latter, then probably all of mankind would have committed some wrongdoing sometime in our lives. Some get caught, others don’t!

Crime, according to law, includes from less harmful behaviour like using obscene language and trespassing to more harmful ones like fighting, stealing, wounding, illegal drugs, fraud, corruption, murder, terrorism, etc. A criminal can be from a cussbud to an outright killer. 

A proverbial question is: what causes crime? One way to understand this is to examine the mind of a criminal. Psychology deals with the study of an individual’s mind and how the mental processes influence behaviour, in this case, criminal behaviour. One notable explanation states that the criminal has free will or choice and rationally decides to commit crime without being forced or predisposed. In the criminal’s mind, he is making that conscious decision on what type, when, where, how, etc. 

There is, however, the flip side of this explanation—a criminal cannot freely choose to commit crime as there are always some things that push or pull him into criminality and it is not free choice. If a criminal has free will to engage in crime, what can be done to deal with him? If he doesn’t have free will, what can be done as well; should be it the same interventions? 

A second much-accepted explanation of the criminal mind suggests that the values and processes of criminal behaviour are learned just as how other human behaviour and values are learned. In the same way a person learns the norms, values and behaviour like respect, honesty, relationships, etc, similarly, criminals learn norms and values associated with criminality. Therefore, to deal with criminals, one has to deal with the learning and un-learning of criminal behaviour. This has tremendous implications for policies for home/family, schools, communities, prisons, rehabilitation, etc. 

A third critical explanation of the criminal mind deals with labelling/profiling. It is argued that if someone is labelled/called a particular way and he internalises that label and starts to believe that label, a self-fulfilling prophesy kicks in whereby he begins to behave in that way. If a family, community, or society through the police and courts label someone as a thief, rapist, killer and that person begins to see himself as that label, he can act out that label. Again, hosts of policy implications exist for families, schools, prison, juvenile homes, police and the judiciary.  

Fourth, one cannot have a discussion about the criminal mind and exclude Sigmund Freud (father of psychoanalysis). In short, Freud showed that part of the criminal’s mind (superego) is not well-developed and functioning properly. It is not restraining the criminal from engaging in crime. Other psychoanalysts noted that criminals have predisposed traits like a desire for immediate gratification, place greater emphasis on personal desires over ability to have good relationships with other people, and lack of guilt. 

The concept of the criminal mind also deals with issues such as mental illnesses/conditions like an anti-social personality disorder. It includes issues of the cognitive development of people and psychopaths. You often hear in T&T when certain types of serious crimes occur that he or she “is ah psychopath.” Some key characteristics of psychopaths are they lack remorse or empathy, possess shallow emotions, are manipulative, lying, egocentric, glibness, have low tolerance level when frustrated, have episodic relationships, engage in parasitic lifestyles, violate social norms persistently, etc.

How can understanding the criminal mind help us? It leads to programmes to detect and treat such people early. For example, young people or adults who show certain tendencies can be prescribed age-appropriate interventions. If there is the understanding that criminals think a certain way, better designed interventions for crime prevention and management can be possible. If we don’t take the time to understand what goes on in the minds of criminals, there will be scattershot policies which are destined to fail. 

It is important that people who deal with schools, communities, families, the entire criminal justice system (police, courts, prisons) all understand the criminal mind professionally. Parents, teachers, guidance counsellors, prison officers, probation officers, police officers can all benefit from appropriate training in the conduct of preliminary diagnostics and appropriate referrals to experts. The criminal mind is not an elusive phenomenon—capture it, confront it and reduce crime!

The Caribbean Institute for Security and Public Safety offers short training and development courses in many areas including understanding and dealing with criminal behaviour, law enforcement, private and public security, prisoner rehabilitation, and HSE among many others. Contact us at 223-6999, info@caribbeansecurityinstitute.com or www.caribbeansecurityinstitute.com

There is a moral grandeur of the teachings of Lord Jesus Christ as enunciated in the Sermon on the Mount for it has not only regenerated a common humanity and promoted social solidarity, but is has inspired mankind to noble deeds of self-sacrifice, charity, compassion, integrity and service. This was the tenor of his teaching and message just over 2,000 years ago. Today, 2014, are we the manifestation of this great universal declaration? “Like Lord Krishna and Buddha, Jesus Christ did not preach a mere ethical or social gospel, but an uncompromisingly spiritual one. He declared that God can be seen, that divine perfection can be achieved,” writes Swami Prabhavananda.

He continued: “In order that men might attain this supreme existence, he taught the renunciation of worldliness, the contemplation of God, and the purification of the heart through the love of God. These simple truths, stated repeatedly in the Sermon on the Mount, constitute its underlying theme...” The question is when would we feel the spirit of Christmas? Is it found in the shopping malls, bars or the market square? In fact, where are we mortals looking for it? Do we expect it to come from the pulpits or from the wayside preacher? To some, it might be so. But the answer remains incomplete until we get to know ourselves, and our real purpose on Planet Earth.

Will there ever be goodwill to men? Will there ever be peace on earth? Will there ever be the spirit of love? Where there ever be truth, integrity and honesty? The negatives or the immorals of life continue to outstage the morals of life. What has caused this social, moral, ethical and spiritual decadence? Who engineered it? Why? What is the prescription to cure these ills? The hope is there for a cure but there must be an immediate embargo on all forms so terrorism, greed, waste, genocide, murders, corruption and the like. No amount of legislation will solve this. It must come from within. And this is within the competence of all of us.

Most times, we speak of peace as an objective, but we seldom examine the ingredients of peace that comprise the moral and spiritual force of mankind. In the case of Christians, the underlying message of Christmas is found and circles around the Sermon on the Mount. Through it mankind’s hope for salvation may be realised for it is a monumental spiritual document of the most profound significance and importance.

Now, we have the Sermon on the Mount and there is so many problems in the world. What would have happened without it? Probably mankind would still be living in a world where in the immortal words of Hobbes, where the life of man would be, “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” We in T&T, because of our cosmopolitan makeup, can boast of sharing Christmas with each other. At Christmas, Hindus, Muslims and other religious denominations join with Hindus and Muslims in the observance of Divali and Eid. Likewise, Hindus and Muslims join hands with Christians and celebrate Christmas.

It aims to promote inter-religious and inter-racial solidarity and points the way for the adoption of a policy on multiculturalism. German mystic, Angelus Silesius said: “Christ may be born a thousand times in Bethlehem, but if he is not born anew within your heart, you remain eternally forlorn.” The Sermon on the Mount is a counsel for perfection. It teaches that the real goal of human life is to unfold and manifest divinity. The world has another chance in 2014 to do just that. Let us embark on a spiritual programme to uplift ourselves and our societies through the reverence for life.

Paras Ramoutar
Caparo

I waited for the second instalment of Tony Fraser’s article in the T&T Guardian on Wednesday 17, entitled “Corruption strangling the soul of the nation” before I submitted this letter but there was no need to, because enough was already said to boggle the mind. This article for me, raises two issues. Firstly, I marvel that this journalist can go where angels fear to tread in unmasking the institutionalised corruption that lies beneath this façade of glitter in the society when others like him are either indulging in it as in a recent episode, or indulging in safe spaces or compromising or dissembling the truth of issues. 

One such from academia is so predictably “ethnic” in his approach, and others from the same frame subtly manipulate the argument so as not to offend, as in the case of attempting to justify the “run-offs” widely perceived as favouring the Government. As academics from the university, the latter should try to project the objectivity and balance that are the hallmark of good journalism, but sadly some of us who are duty-bound to chart the course of the society often fall prey to the inducements of the “eat ah food” culture which overwhelm us. Speaking of which, our flagship university should be the bastion of society above all other institutions, blowing the chaff away and laying bare the truth of issues, but of late it has compromised its role as watchdog of the society as in its patronage of the state visit to India, and further, in partnering with conglomerates for facilities, one sure way according to Thom Hartmann in The Big Picture on RT (Russian TV) to facilitate “corporate takeover” which is the threat faced by democratic societies all over the world. 

But while on the subject of media and its writers I have always wondered how another newspaper, reputed for its “integrity and fearless journalism” could foist on the intelligentsia of this country one who openly flaunts his support for the Government and indulges in the worst form of illogic and unadulterated partisanship one can imagine in his articles. Is this newspaper also victim of the “eat ah food”culture, compromising its integrity for the “returns” involved? 

When the media fall victim to this institutionalised corruption of which Fraser speaks, what hope is there? On the other front, the content of Fraser’s article is jolting to say the least, for he gives a sense that “corruption is endemic at the “highest political and corporate business levels” with the standard approach being one of “you scratch my back and I scratch yours” of which the current gift-giving seems ample demonstration, for how else can the source of such gifts be explained, despite protestations to the contrary? And what of the $55 million to the churches? Of all institutions, the Church should be a monument of ethical conduct, but again, despite all the propagandising about how noble this gesture is, what expectations can there be but the political from this “gift”? 

And for Fraser there are so many other manifestations of this all-pervasive corruption such as the threat to a popular media person known for exposing corruption and the death of a prominent attorney perhaps for the same reason, but space does not permit. 

But what is clear is that “all that glitters is not gold” and my wish as I must end, is for more journalists like Tony Fraser who would dare to unearth “what lies beneath,” not for itself, but for a better society where education is at the centre, preparing our people to live in a free and fair society, where each is rewarded according to his just merits which such educational opportunity can bring.

Dr Errol Benjamin,
via e-mail

The wrecking of vehicles for parking violations in T&T is generally unconstitutional. In 1948, the right to own and not be arbitrarily deprived of property was enshrined in article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Since then, facsimiles of this article can be found in many Constitutions around the world. In T&T, this right is echoed in section 4(a) of the Constitution, with the annexation of something even more important—“except by due process of law.”

“Due process” is the three-part system for all legal issues: (1) adequate notice, (2) an opportunity to be heard and (3) the right to appeal. What’s limpid here is that rights are not arbitrary or negotiable; and therefore cannot be abrogated without just cause. 

This brings me to the topic at hand; the ex parte decisions to wreck vehicles in T&T—or the more apropos appellation: the law with no recourse. According to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”), section 108 gives a member of the police service, the permission to wreck a vehicle that is likely to cause an obstruction—powers based on subjectivity with no specific guidelines.

What is “likely,” and what exactly is an “obstruction”? Is the definition under Rule 7 of Section 38 of the Act the ambiguous guideline the police are using?

Section 109(1) goes on to state that once wrecked, the vehicle will not be released until (a) the $300 removal charge and (b) a daily custody charge of $200 is paid in full in cash. It should also be noted here that the $200 daily custody charge rolls over at midnight, so if you get wrecked at 23.30 and get to the impound lot after your dinner/concert/show any time after midnight, you’ll be paying $400 on top of the $300!

The removal charge goes to the “wrecker man” and the custody charge goes to the relevant Corporation, which according to the Act, should be going to the Commissioner of Police—a major discrepancy. Both Municipal Police (who aren’t associated with the TTPS) and members of the TTPS accompany wreckers, yet the Corporations benefit. 

On June 19, 2012, the T&T Guardian reported that “The Port-of-Spain City Corporation earns approximately $800,000 a month from wrecking illegally-parked cars on the city’s streets. The revenue from wrecking in a single day can reach $85,000, and on a weekend brings in close to $200,000.” This illustrates the lucrativeness of wrecking, not only for the privately-contracted wreckers, but for the Government.

When the wrecker man knows that he will collect $300 for every vehicle he wrecks, what would then be his main objective—wreck more, make more. Even a legally-parked vehicle with no witnesses around becomes fair game—$cha-ching! They don’t have to prove that you were illegally parked and you can’t prove that you were parked legally; and even if you could, you still have to pay to get your vehicle back and then what?

Who’s responsible for hearing parking grievances? Or is section 5(2)(e) of the Constitution also an irrelevant piece of wording? What if the vehicle is damaged?

Now, let me address the most vocal of complaints by drivers: signage. According to the Act and its subsidiary legislation, parking is prohibited on certain streets at certain times, many of which do not have any signage. This is where the parking and wrecking scam begins: section 64(1)(b) is explicit in stating that no signs should be erected in reference to any parking order made under section 65, which is the section empowering the Minister responsible for transport to make laws regarding parking on any road. 

As most of us may know, ignorance of the law is no excuse, but it is entirely unconscionable to expect drivers (what about tourists?) to know where and when to park without having to carry around the following regulations and peruse them before deciding to park at a specific location:

Road Traffic (Prohibited Parking) Order (GN 206/1979)
Miscellaneous Roads (Unilateral Parking) Order (GN 207/1979)
Miscellaneous Roads (Unilateral Alternate Parking) Order (GN 208/1979)
Private Motor Cars (Parking Places) Order (GN 214/1979)
Independence Square (Parking of Vehicles) Order (GN 220/1979)
South Quay (Parking of Vehicles) Order (GN 219/1979)
Broadway (Parking of Vehicles) Order (GN 218/1979)
Restriction of Parking (Public Buildings) Order (GN 56/1963)

I’ve written all of this and still haven’t touched on the absurdity of walking around with measuring tape to measure the distance of nine metres (or in more common measurement terms: 354.3 inches/0.0005 miles/29.5 feet) from any corner or road intersection (Rule 5(10) under section 38 of the Act). I’ve heard police officers say that nine metres is approximately three car-lengths, so I decided to do this measurement myself.

Let’s take one of the most popular cars in T&T; the length of a Nissan Almera is approximately 165 inches. Therefore, 354/165 is approximately two car lengths. However, thankfully, there are yellow lines and the white marks being painted now, but don’t you dare let your bumper cross that line by a millimetre...otherwise yuh car gone!

We’re not the only Commonwealth Caribbean country where wrecking is enshrined in law (See Barbados’ Road Traffic Regulations, for example), but in their case, wrecking is done only when absolutely necessary, not as a business. In most cases, the wrecking of vehicles in T&T is illegal and only contributes to the weakening of the rule of law, while eliminating everyone’s right to justice. “A threat to justice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere”—MLK Jr.

Alleviating the traffic and parking problems in T&T can only be solved with an efficient public transportation system. Building more roads and all the other asinine ideas are only political legerdemain: more roads aren’t the solution...less cars is!

Jamille Broome
PhD candidate, LL.M, LL.B

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa–Three missed chances in the post-lunch session proved critical as West Indies were put to the sword by South Africa on the opening day of the Boxing Day second Test here yesterday. Riding their luck, the hosts reached the close on 270 for two, thanks mainly to a third Test century from opener Dean Elgar and an unbeaten 99 from Faf du Plessis. The pair’s second wicket stand worth 179 formed the catalyst of the Proteas innings after they were put in to bat by the tourists at St George’s Park. Elgar, a 27-year-old left-hander in only his 14th Test, survived a chance on 48 to stroke 121, an innings that consumed 239 balls, 5-1/2 hours and contained 18 fours.

Du Plessis, meanwhile, on the verge of his fourth three figure score in Tests on 99, has so far faced 228 balls and struck 12 fours and two sixes. He was partnered by captain Hashim Amla, unbeaten on 17, the pair having already posted 44 in an unbroken third wicket stand. West Indies handed a Test debut to left-arm seamer Kenroy Peters, called up as a late replacement for fast bowler Kemar Roach who was ruled out of the series after picking up an ankle injury on the first day of the opening Test at Centurion last week.

The 32-year-old Peters finished with one for 44 after claiming Elgar in the final session. Shannon Gabriel, who along with fellow speedster Jason Holder were three changes made to the Windies squad, took the other wicket to fall on a tough day for the visitors in the coastal city of Eastern Province. Elgar and Alviro Petersen (17) capitalised on some pretty ordinary stuff from the Windies seamers in the morning session, to add 47 for the first wicket. Petersen stroked Peters to the cover boundary off the last ball of the fourth over when the debutant over pitched and Elgar followed up next over, whipping a full toss from the ineffective Jerome Taylor to the ropes at mid-wicket.

They were scoring at nearly four runs an over when Gabriel struck with his fifth delivery on the stroke of the first hour, claiming Petersen to a catch at cover by Leon Johnson off a rank long hop.
Du Plessis was far from convincing early on, and both he and Elgar were forced to survive a testing spell from Holder especially, whose first spell yielded a mere seven runs from six overs.
Restricted to just 21 runs in the second hour, South Africa crawled to lunch on 68 for one, with Elgar on 35 and du Plessis, six. However, as is now their wont, West Indies then squandered any momentum they had built up, with shabby fielding after the break.

Du Plessis suffered a let-off in the fourth over after lunch, put down on eight by Marlon Samuels, after slicing Taylor low to gully. He celebrated his good luck by clearing the straight ropes with left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn before pulling Taylor to the square boundary . Du Plessis continued to ride his good fortune, however, getting a leading edge through point on 22 off Taylor before surviving another chance when he edged to slip on 26 only for Devon Smith to muff the chance. Of the very next ball, Benn could have accounted for Elgar when the batsman charged out of the crease and was deceived in flight. Captain Denesh Ramdin failed to gather the low take and Elgar escaped.

On 48 at the time, Elgar struck the last ball of the over back overhead for four, to reach his half-century off 127 deliveries. Both batsmen then got stuck in. du Plessis slapped a wide Benn delivery through cover for four and drove to the mid-on boundary when Gabriel over-pitched, to be unbeaten on 42 at tea, accompanied by Elgar on 85, with South Africa on 157 for one.

After tea, Elgar inched closer to his landmark, driving Gabriel square for four to move into the 90s while du Plessis gathered his half-century off 137 balls, with a leg-side boundary off Benn. Elgar survived an anxious moment on 95 when an lbw appeal went against Benn and the subsequent review showed the delivery brushing leg stump. He eventually reached his hundred with a boundary wide of gully off Taylor and then accelerated, reverse-sweeping Benn for four and cutting to the point boundary, in the lanky spinner’s 20th over. Elgar got two more boundaries off an over from Peters before finally perishing, nicking one from the same bowler which shaped away slightly. Amla then joined du Plessis to ensure South Africa ended the day on top.

SCOREBOARD
South Africa vs West Indies
SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings

D Elgar c wkp Ramdin b Peters    121
A Petersen c Johnson b Gabriel    17
F du Plessis not out    99
H Amla not out    17
Extras (lb4, w5, nb7)    16
TOTAL (2 wkts, 88 overs)    270
To bat: +AB de Villiers, S van Zyl, T Bavuma, V Philander, d Steyn, M Morkel, Imran Tahir.
Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-226.
Bowling: Taylor 19-4-64-0 (w1, nb2), Peters 15-6-44-1, Holder 13-5-25-0 (nb1), Gabriel 15-0-52-1 (nb3), Benn 25-3-81-0 (nb1), Samuels 1-1-0-0.

WEST INDIES –     +D Ramdin, K Brathwaite, D Smith, L Johnson, M Samuels, S Chanderpaul, D Ramdin, J Holder, J Taylor, S Benn, S Gabriel, K Peters.
Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: B Bowden, P Reiffel; TV – Aleem Dar. (CMC) 
 

Minister of National Security in T&T, Gary Griffith says that the decline in West Indies cricket has little to do with talent but more to do with poor administration. The former hockey player who was on the Technical Staff of the West Indies World T20 team in England a few years ago made his feelings known concerning the dumping of T&T’s Dwayne Bravo as captain.  He said: “The gradual decline of West Indies cricket has little to do with lack of talent, but rather poor administration and management, and this latest fiasco emphasizes the point.

“The West Indies Cricket Board has the audacity to attempt to undermine the intelligence of the millions of fans of West Indies cricket by trying to pick a scab team for the upcoming 2015 World Cup and drop several starting eleven players, not because of form or talent, but because they stood up against blatant incompetence and disrespect to the team. “They then try to add insult to injury by again disrespecting our intelligence by saying that they did not pick the squad, but this was done by the selection panel, who by the way were selected by the WICB.

“This blatant bias, victimisation and vindictiveness by those with little knowledge or success in the sport who hold administrative positions is what is killing West Indies cricket and the present WICB has continued on this path of self destruction of our prime regional sport.

“This is not the first time that administrators and pen pushers with their personal agenda have caused us to be defeated before the first ball is bowled, as we simply need to recall the highly questionable and ill timed exit from cricket by the then captain Brian Lara, which was not because he was past his prime, but because, yet again, as a result of issues pertaining to the WICB, causing the loss of the greatest player in the sport at the time.

“Why must we continue to have a mediocre team represent our region, time and time again, and our top players are given a raw deal over and over, whereby when they attempt to represent and rightfully stand up for the rights of the rest of the team, they are victimised by vindictive administrators, some of whom, probably never even played in a windball cricket match on a beach, but believe that they can control West Indies cricket based on their dictatorial actions.

“I wish to fully endorse the statements made by prime minister Ralph Gonsales.  It is indeed nothing more than village vengeance, with the kangaroo court being the West Indies selectors who were singing for their supper, and selecting a team not based on talent but to ensure that a scab team would be selected to adhere to the wishes and orders of the WICB.”