West Indies could have their limited-overs stars in the fray for national selection, particularly for the 50-over format, after Courtney Browne, the chairman of selectors, hinted at the possibility of the WICB revisiting the eligibility criterion.

Currently, the WICB has followed a stringent policy of considering only those players who have featured in the domestic 50-over competition, one that goes back to 2010, under the regime of Julian Hunte and Ernest Hilaire.

The current criterion has ruled out a bunch of senior players including Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. None of them were part of West Indies’ most recent series against Pakistan, which they lost 2-1, falling further behind in their race to be among the top eight teams in the ICC rankings and so qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup. But if this change in selection policy is cleared, West Indies could significantly boost their chances of fielding a full-strength team leading up to the showpiece event.

“There is some discussion going on about revisiting the eligibility rule,” Browne told Line and Length, a Barbados-based network. “I know it’s with a working committee. That will then go to the board. But we have to understand our domestic cricket is key.

“Players coming out of domestic cricket and showing they can perform at the international level is important. Yes, we have to look at it [the eligibility rule] but also be mindful that we have to develop our own domestic product, a stage where we can have a very good standard of regional cricket.”

However, Browne also made it clear he would rather not have a situation where young players who have come through the regional system are ignored. Vishaul Singh and Shimron Hetmyer, who captained West Indies to the Under-19 World Cup title last year, are two examples he cited while explaining the need to maintain continuity. The pair gave modest returns—159 runs in 12 innings between them—having played their first three Tests over the last couple of months.

“We have a lot of young developing players, they’re all bunched together in terms of number of Tests, that’s par for the course. When you have a bunch of people you’re exposing to international cricket, you will tend to get these sorts of performances. But the good thing about it is, you have the coaching team and you have to give them some time to develop players.

Browne was pleased with the enthusiasm of the new recruits. “They’ve shown the fans here’s a bunch of young people who are showing fight. It has shown the players too that with determination and passion like that, you can be competitive.”(ESPNcricinfo)

If the politicians in charge of the Government of T&T really want to increase life satisfaction among voters, they should repeal all laws that discriminate against homosexuals.

In their book Modernisation, Cultural Change, and Democracy, political scientists Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel cite data from the World Values Surveys which show that “Societies whose people are more tolerant of homosexuality have higher levels of life satisfaction.” Inglehart and Welzel explain: “This does not mean that people are more satisfied with their lives because they themselves are relatively tolerant of homosexuals. Instead, societies in which tolerance is widespread have a friendlier social climate that affects all members of that society, increasing the overall level of life satisfaction.”

The first question, then, is whether a change in the laws would foster diminishment of the one remaining bigotry which is still acceptable in T&T. In the 2010 World Values Survey, 47 per cent of T&T respondents said they would not like to have homosexuals for neighbours, as compared to less than two per cent of respondents saying they would mind having neighbours of a different race. Similarly, the 2011 Norms & Values Survey conducted by the ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre found that 48 per cent would not lime with gay people, as compared to 37 per cent who would.

In political science, the general rule is that a critical mass of between 25 per cent to 40 per cent facilitates social change, depending on how polarising the issue is. The data thus imply that T&T is almost ready for change in respect to gay rights.

The second question, then, is how many homosexual males there are in T&T? I specify males for two reasons: first, estimating lesbians is difficult even in data-driven developed nations, because of the fluidity of female sexuality as compared to males; and, second, I suspect male homosexuals are more likely than lesbians to vote because of this issue. Needless to say, though, there has never been any reliable survey of the homosexual population here. The late gay activist Godfrey Sealey once asserted that 45 per cent of men in Trinidad had had same-sex experiences, but that was clearly just wishful thinking. One former newspaper columnist and national scholarship winner claimed that ten per cent of the population was gay and, when I pointed out to him that the best surveys estimated two to four per cent, he invited me to just look at the guys walking on the main road in Chaguanas: which told me that this country’s best and brightest aren’t taught about confirmation bias or even that anecdote is not data.

In his book Everybody Lies, economist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz used Google search data to analyse whether there is any difference between what people say on surveys and the truth. While US surveys show that three to four per cent of men are gay, Stephens-Davidowitz estimated from online searches about gay sex that five per cent of American men are homosexual. Since the causes of male homosexuality are biological in origin—ie, genetic and hormonal—that percentage is likely to be the same in T&T. So, according to the Central Statistical Office’s 2011 census, there are 490,651 males 18 years and over, which works out to 24,532 potential homosexual votes for the political party that promises to repeal anti-gay laws. But against this must be calculated the number of votes that a political party will lose if it expresses support for gay rights.

Such blowback will come mainly from fundamentalist Christians, who number about 147,000 people of voting age. The polling data doesn’t exist, however, to predict either how many gay men and persuadable voters (whom I estimate at between 200,000 to 300,000) would be swayed by a repeal of anti-homosexual laws, or how many fundamentalist Christians (and Muslims) would vote against the party in power based on this single issue. However, religious fundamentalists have lost significant credibility due to their intransigence on the child marriage issue, so are unlikely to sway the wider electorate on any issue.

But such a legislative change could also have other effects, which would knock on to electoral support in indirect ways. The Keith Rowley administration has already figured out that the 2020 general election will hinge on the economy. If the PNM continues on its present trend, displaying its historical lack of fiscal innovation and imaginativeness, the country will be at best in stasis for the next three years. In that context, trying to make voters come to the polls on social issue grounds might be good political strategy. However, a repeal of anti-gay laws would also send a message to European nations which, as noted by ambassador of the European Union Delegation to T&T in his statement last week for the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, are “funding projects worldwide aimed at improving LGBTI organisations’ visibility and acceptance, enhancing their dialogue with authorities to change laws...” This means that a change in T&T’s anti-gay laws could be a useful part of a foreign investment strategy, including enhancement of the country’s tourism products.

Unfortunately, the local groups who got EU funding are the worst advertisements for tolerance and rational argument. Then again, tolerance and rationality have never influenced politicians’ calculations, anyway.

Email: kevin.baldeosingh@zoho.com

Kevin Baldeosingh is a professional writer, author of three novels, and co-author of a History textbook.

The recent decision by the Privy Council in the matter of the Attorney General v Dumas has opened the door to public interest litigation in a manner that now places all public authorities—from President to Prime Minister and Cabinet to commissions—in a place where they can all be challenged in court for the validity of any of their decisions.

It is a landmark judgment for which Mr Dumas must be openly congratulated for having the fortitude to pursue notwithstanding the great personal financial risk that he faced.

According to paragraph two of the judgment:

“The respondent, Mr Dumas, as an engaged citizen with an interest in the good governance of the Republic, seeks a determination of the meaning of the phrase ‘qualified and experienced in section 122(3) of the Constitution and declarations that the nomination and appointment of two persons to the Police Service Commission under that section of the Constitution were invalid because, he asserts, the nominees lacked the specified qualifications and experience. Mr Dumas claims no personal interest in the appointments. He asserts a right as a citizen to seek the assistance of the courts in the upholding of the Constitution.”

It is clear from this that Mr Dumas had no personal interest in the matter other than seeking the assistance of the courts in upholding the Constitution. The Privy Council commented on, and agreed with, the decision of the Court of Appeal of T&T (Jamadar, Bereaux and Smith JJA) to reverse the decision of Mohammed J at paragraph 12 of their judgment as follows:

“The Court held that Mr Dumas had an arguable case on a matter of public importance, that he was not a busybody or acting for a collateral purpose, and that he had demonstrated the competence to litigate the matters effectively. It stated that there was no established tradition in Trinidad and Tobago of the Attorney General raising proceedings in the public interest to make sure that the rule of law was observed. The citizen had a legitimate interest in upholding the Constitution and the rule of law.”

The decision of Mohammed J was delivered on July 22, 2014, and the Dumas appeal was determined by the Court of Appeal on October 20, 2014, with a written judgment being delivered on December 22, 2014.

On September 7, 2015, there was a change of government and a new attorney general was appointed on September 9, 2015. The Privy Council appeal was heard on January 31, 2017.

What was most interesting in this case emerged in paragraph 27 of the judgment as follows:

“The Attorney General in his written case sought to raise new arguments which had not been presented to Mohammed J or to the Court of Appeal. The Board agreed to hear the submissions de bene esse. It will rarely be appropriate for the Board to consider submissions which have not been presented to the courts in Trinidad and Tobago. But because the appeal raises constitutional issues, because the Board is satisfied that there is no substance in the new arguments and because, therefore, Mr Dumas’s counsel is not prejudiced by the late arrival of those submissions, the Board deals with them briefly.”

The original appeal that had been filed by the Attorney General under the People’s Partnership administration had been buttressed by further points of appeal from the new attorney general in the hearing before the Privy Council on January 31 instant.

The Privy Council addressed these two new points of appeal which were outlined in paragraph 28 of the judgment as follows:

“The first submission founds on the approval by the House of Representatives of the President’s notifications and the second invokes the ouster in section 38(1) of the Constitution.”

These two points were argued by counsel for the attorney general before the Board of the Privy Council and they concluded as follows in paragraph 35:

“In his oral submissions counsel for the Attorney General cleverly sought to finesse the two new arguments by asserting that Mr Dumas’s claims went far beyond a claim of error of law and amounted to a disagreement on the quality of the nominees’ qualifications. In his reply he conceded that if the nomination and appointment were ultra vires, neither the approval of the House of Representatives nor the section 38 ouster could save them. He was correct to do so. Both of the Attorney General’s new arguments therefore fail.”

In dealing with this case, the Privy Council had before it the original points that had been litigated before the High Court and the Court of Appeal locally. However, the new Attorney General who came into office on September 9, 2015, in maintaining the appeal that had been filed by an attorney general in the previous People’s Partnership administration, added two new points of appeal for the consideration of the Privy Council.

With both of those points being dismissed together with the other aspects of the appeal, the local courts are now required to hear such challenges to appointments involving express qualifications for appointees to high office.

At the St Mary’s College Prizegiving ceremony held in 1991, the former principal of St Joseph’s Convent, Sister Paul d’Ornellas, gave the feature address which emphasised the importance of having pride in one’s secondary school. Extracts of her speech are contained in the school’s annual from that year. She said we [students] belonged to an institution, “…with a glorious history. Earlier generations have handed you the precious gift of an inspiring tradition…it is a tradition of excellence in character”.

Looking at CIC’s alumni, it’s easy to see what she was talking about and why. Counted as “saints” ole boys are two of our country’s presidents, two of its chief justices, two Catholic archbishops, and numerous luminaries in the fields of politics, art, sport and business. So the reputation of being a “prestige” school is well-deserved. But these days, St Mary’s may be better known for its social events than its past glories. They host the gastronomic pleasures of “Dining with The Saints“, the carnival extravaganza of “Fete with The Saints” and, for those unfortunate enough to have experienced it, the particularly painful “Session with The Saints”.

Schoolyard violence has become a hot topic owing to a couple of high-profile incidents of bullying, both of which resulted in the recipient students suffering grievous bodily harm. But even before that, brawls involving packs of uniformed youth had already become a mainstay on the nightly news and social media. As a result of the proliferation of mobile phones, viewers are being treated to a veritable “ringside seat” to the frenzy of flaying limbs and the accompanied chorus of obscenity-laced encouragement. One episode from 2014 involving a group of female students from Mucurapo West Secondary caused Dr Rowley, then the opposition leader, to describe them as, “…behaving like hyenas in the African jungle”. Anyone who thought that such displays of adolescent anarchy only occurred in “certain” schools were “re-educated” last week by a similar video that was circulating online. This one featured a group of male students raining down licks on one of their classmates, whose floor-bound defence seemed woefully futile. Though no identifiable monogram was visible on their uniforms, the light blue shirts and khaki pants were recognised as belonging to St Mary’s College, making them “loyal sons of the old white and blue”.

In an email to parents sent on Thursday of the same week, Principal Nigel Joseph confirmed what had taken place and informed them of the school’s response. Suspensions were meted out to those involved and, according to him, “At our Monday Assembly, students were reminded of the school’s policy on use of cellphones and also on the school’s stance regarding ‘sessioning’ of any kind.” Unfortunately, I highly doubt that his warning will have any meaningful effect on the student body. This tradition, and I use that term facetiously and with utmost contempt, goes back to when I was a student there. And since that was a while ago, it means that past warnings, detentions and suspensions have had little effect on curtailing its occurrence.

A birthday was something to be wary of if your peers found out about it and were crusin’ to give you a brusin’. But the irony is that it wasn’t necessarily an expression of malice towards the person on the receiving end. Participants would rationale that it’s just “kicksin’ around” (no pun intended), and since it was something everyone did, you just had to take it when your turn came. I remember one session in particular where it wasn’t even the poor lad’s birthday; some of his friends just approached him and started singing happy birthday. It triggered a Pavlovian-like response, causing other classmates to join in on the action. When he emerged from the physical blitzkrieg, there was a pattern of dirty footprints on his uniform that looked like someone had taken a stroll up his back and down his chest. We’re not talking about a few friendly taps but brutish engagements that could have disastrous consequences. I don’t have any solutions for Mr Joseph, but more needs to be done other than issuing suspensions and stern warnings.

There’s a certain mystique associated with the local denominational schools in how they take our nation’s youth and mould them into virtuous adults. I accept that part of the scholastic experience for boys includes a little roughhousing—I know because I was subjected to some of it. But far from being an exercise in building character, the only lessons I learned was to keep my mouth shut about what was going on and do my best to avoid it. The most telling aspect of the infamous video shows that the so-called prestige schools have something in common with their government counterparts. All those glorious achievements, past and present, mean nothing if there is a failure to engender a sense of mutual respect amongst its students. Perhaps that is the most important lesson to be taught in our nation’s secondary educational institutions. If Sister Paul saw that video, she would be disappointed by how much St Mary’s College had changed. When I saw that video, I was disappointed by how much had remained the same.

​Ryan Hadeed

On more than one occasion in the past few months, my mother and I would get into a debate on the quality of the blood pressure and diabetes medications that she’s taking. She would exclaim that the CDAP drugs were not good and that she would be dipping into her monthly pension to buy all her medications.

Of course, I would tell her that the only difference between the CDAP medications and the expensive pills that I purchase for myself, is that my meds are the original brand-name product and hers was generic. I would reassure the now 71-year-old that the generic drugs have exactly the same dosage and strength as the expensive originals.

This week, however, I was forced to eat those words with a dry dose of reality from Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh. “There is now sufficient anecdotal evidence that CDAP drugs are not effective with diabetes and blood pressure....,” Deyalsingh calmly said during his contribution in Parliament. He added, “And I’m satisfied the anecdotal evidence can now be supported by fact and we’ll be coming and taking off those drugs that have proven to be ineffective and from this cycle we’re going to change the procurement system as our patients on CDAP need to be assured that drugs they’re taking to treat their chronic conditions are safe and effective.”

In other words, the tablets being dispensed to thousands of mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers all over the country are in reality nothing more than placebos. I dare add to his statement that in all likelihood, other CDAP drugs are also worthless.

Deyalsingh went on to simply say that the Pan-American Health Organization will conduct an investigation.

The facts he presented from an administrative report was done in classic PNM style, coming across totally absent of any type of empathy for those affected and, even more importantly, without a timeline as to when more effective drugs would be available through the CDAP programme.

He never told us when patients can expect to receive a supply of working and tested drugs or a solution for our ageing population in the interim. What was even more stunning was that this issue seemingly went by without any form of public or civil outcry in the scandal-ridden republic.

No one will ever know how many deaths the bogus drugs contributed to.

How did a supposedly modern country end up purchasing these bogus drugs for so long?

Who is responsible for my mother and the thousands of other senior citizens who are today suffering from the side effects of not being on the right medications? Even though I’m sure I already know the answer to my next question, I must ask if those procurement officials within the Ministry of Health are still involved in the process?

Deyalsingh informed the nation that the bogus drugs are only authorised to be sold in just one state in India, the country in which they are manufactured. Didn’t that raise a red flag to those who purchased the pharmaceutical products? There are reports that the medications were bought at a cost of literally a few cents each. Didn’t the cost send off the alarm?

The really difficult thing to come to terms with is, like the rest of Government members who in the last 20 months have proven themselves to be devoid of ideas, Deyalsingh has joined the ranks by failing to offer a plan moving forward, if only to make sons like me rest a little easier at night.

Much can be said about the Rowley administration and our citizens when bogus drugs are given to our sick and the reaction to the scandal is accepted with stone-cold indifference.

As disturbing as that is, it must not overshadow the national disgrace and indignity and suffering experienced by our ill friends and family.

It is very troubling to me, but no one seems to care, except for the thousands of people like my mum, whose crying for months fell on my deaf ears.

KEVAN GIBBS

It was very wrong of the politicians here to send a team of policemen and soldiers to destroy the homes of some of our citizens at Pine Avenue in Valencia, without giving the tenants any notice or checking whether they had any rights to the occupation of this land.

According to the rules pertaining to squatters’ rights in this country, squatters have the legal right to the possession of any land or building provided they could established they occupied the said land or property for 16 years or more. It would appear that a great injustice has been done in respect of this incident act and the innocent victims should be compensated.

Those who were evicted and can prove they had the legal right to possession of the land and buildings should be immediately rehoused especially for the sake of the children involved, thus preventing the creation of more homelessness. Particularly bearing in mind, the legal aspect of local squatters rights as per the Constitution.

G A MARQUES

Via email

MOORE-THOMAS GLORIA formally of Marabella departed this life peacefully on Tuesday 16th May, 2017 at the age of 80. She will be lovingly remembered as the: Daughter of: The late Harold& Elrita Rodney Mother of:Clayton Moore (U.S) Sister of:Myrtle Blackman, Patricia Annor (ENG) & Mc Donald Rodney Mother-in-Law of: Rose Ellen Moore (U.S) Sister in law of: Norbert Blackman &Muriel Rodney Aunt of:Cheryl Rodney, Beville Blackman & Kkern Rodney Relative of: The Doughty & Rodney families Adopted mother of: Wilva Da Silva

The funeral service for the late Gloria Moore- Thomas will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Monday 22nd May, 2017 at the Marabella Seventh Day Adventist Church, Amarsingh Street, Gopaul Lands, Marabella followed by a interment at Marabella Public Cemetery. Enquires can be made at Belgroves Funeral Home & Crematorium at 223-2178. To extend condolences to the fami-ly of Gloria Moore- Thomasplease logon to www.belgroves.com

THOMAS: HOLLIS Gilman passed away peacefully on Monday 15th May 2017. Son of Louis Gilman and LucyThomas (both deceased). Husband of Kim née Lee Quay. Father of Robert (Wendy), Debra (Gregory), Susan (Erik), Nicoletta (Kevin) and Lauren. Grandfather of 9.Brother of Thora, Rooseveltand Louis, (Alvin, Gilma, Gregor, Nestor and Alberto alldeceased). Uncle and friend of many.

Funeral Service for the late Hollis Gilman Thomas takes place at 10:30 a.m. on Monday 22nd May 2017 at The Church of the Assumption, Long Circular Road, Maraval. Cremation at the St.James Crematorium, Long Circular Road, St. James. Additional parking available atthe Trinidad Country Club. For enquiries call R.M. deSouza Memorial Chapel Lim-ited 223-2007/ 637-2009.

Valencia squatters yesterday blocked the State from a planned demolition exercise scheduled for today.

In an emergency hearing Justice Frank Seepersad yesterday granted a conservatory order (an injunction) in the Port-of-Spain High Court against the State from entering and trespassing on lands at Pine Avenue, Valencia.

The High Court’s decision by Seepersad comes six days after the homes of 15 squatters were demolished by crews sent by the Commissioner of State Lands.

Police and soldiers supervised the exercise.

After the incident, residents set fire to debris blocking the Valencia Stretch leading to a massive traffic gridlock in East Trinidad.

The flattened homes were reportedly valued at between $91,000 and $800,000 were built on State land.

Following the incident, residents called for answers as to who gave instructions to demolish their concrete structures as they were not served with any prior notices by the State.

Attorney Gerald Ramdeen yesterday made out the case on behalf of his clients Annesa Maharaj and Ashminee Joseph of Pine Avenue.

Yesterday, Ramdeen said the order will prevent the State from a proposed demolition today.

“This clearly demonstrates an oppressive and arbitrary exercise of power by the Government in relation to a community that voted heavily in favour of the Government both at the general elections and local government elections,” said Ramdeen.

Ramdeen said the case will come up for hearing on Wednesday.

The order stated that “the actions of the defendant, its servants and or agents in trespassing upon the lands that are in the possession of the claimants was unlawful and in breach of the fundamental rights to the enjoyment of property.

“The threat to continue this unlawful action is real and extant and the Court has the power and duty to protect the rights of the claimants from the threatened action by the Defendant, its servants and or agents.”

In the order it stated that on May 15, agents of the State demolished the home of Maharaj and informed (Maharaj and Joseph) that they would be returning on May 22 to complete the demolition of the Joseph’s dwelling house.

The order stated that any such action by the State would be in breach of the law.

Ramdeen said his clients pointed out they have exercised control and possession over the said lands for in excess of 30 years coupled with the intention to possess the lands as their own.

Ramdeen is asking that the State to compensate Maharaj from the recent demolition exercise.

The Opposition yesterday raised new questions about the possible collusion and Government interference in the Judiciary hours before the Appeal Court convenes to hear an application to overturn an injunction effectively stalling the implementation and collection of the property tax.

    A letter sent to the Registrar of the Supreme Court Jade Rodriguez by former attorney general Anand Ramlogan SC, lead attorney for former government minister Devant Maharaj, yesterday detailed the events which unfolded after Friday’s ruling by Justice Frank Seepersad blocking the process.

Thousands of home-owners have been flocking to Valuation Division offices across the country for the last two weeks to submit copies of their deeds and other documents to meet the May 22 deadline. Due to the long lines and slow process the deadline was extended to June 5. The court ruling has in effect stopped the process temporarily.

Ramlogan yesterday questioned how Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi could announce in Parliament shortly after the ruling that the matter is being appealed and the hearing had been fixed for  Monday when both the Registrar of the Supreme Court and the Manager of the Registry for the Court of Appeal told him no appeal had been listed. 

“When she (Registrar) called on Saturday night at 6.55 pm she indicated that she had “only just” received instructions and that the Notice of Appeal in this matter was only emailed to her at 5.29 pm.”

Ramlogan also questioned if, as indicated by the Registrar, the State’s attempt on Friday to have the appeal dealt with as a matter of urgency was rejected, why that was not communicated to him. He further questioned who overrode the decision not to entertain the appeal and listed it for hearing on Monday and on what basis.

Ramlogan also questioned why the composition of the Appeal Court panel has “suddenly” changed.

“The Attorney General has publicly stated Justice (Allan) Mendonca confirmed that he would hear the appeal on an urgent basis on Monday morning at 9 o’clock. If this is in fact so, why has the composition of the panel suddenly changed? The quorum now comprises Justices of Appeal Peter Jamadar, Gregory Smith and Judith Jones.

“Did Justice of Appeal Mendonca recuse himself and if so, on what basis? This raises an even greater concern of the Court having communications with the State in this matter to the exclusion of the proposed Respondent to the appeal.”

 “Such one-sided, unilateral communication between the Court of Appeal and the Appellant is patently unfair, improper and contrary to settled practice,” he said, adding, it “begs the question whether there was direct contact with the learned judges.” 

Ramlogan requested that the letter be brought to the attention of the Chief Justice and for the Judiciary to respond before today’s appeal.

Interviewed by reporters at the San Fernando Hill yesterday, Al-Rawi described Ramlogan’s claims as ridiculous suggestions of a conspiracy.

  “I would certainly invite you to remember that the Opposition even when it was in government had a habit of saying a whole bunch of things that just didn’t add up to propriety. I will be polite as I can on a wonderful day like today, but the truth is we have followed all the proper processes.

“Anybody who has been to court on an  emergency basis can testify to this for you and really they are condemning some of the most notable attorneys in Trinidad and Tobago. Are they saying that Mr (Russell) Martineau, Mrs (Deborah) Peake, Fyard Hosein, the Chief State Solicitor, that they are all incompetent and who are in collusion with some fabric of dissonance? That just has to be ridiculous so I denounce it outright and I ask you not to pay attention to foolishness.”

In a separate statement, Minister of Finance and Acting Prime Minister Colm Imbert, stated, he “did not utter a single word in Parliament about this matter on Friday...and any statement to the contrary is completely untrue.

Imbert said that his comment to the media on Friday was that the matter will be appealed, not that it had been appealed.

He further stated that attorneys for the Commissioner of Valuations made efforts to get an urgent hearing before the Court of Appeal on Friday, but were advised that the Court of Appeal would convene on Monday.

The four teenaged girls who ran away from the St Dominic’s Children’s Home in Belmont last Wednesday have all been found. A Beetham Gardens man is assisting police with their investigation in the case.

According to police, the girls—sisters Angel Farrel, 16 and Niana Farrel, 15, along with 15-year-old Parbatie Ragbir and 16-year-old Sumintra Jaikaran —were found between Saturday night and yesterday.

Police said two of the girls were found in Phase Five, Beetham Gardens on Saturday night while the others were found in Sangre Grande and Belmont. The last girl was found in Belmont yesterday while the others were found Saturday.

Officers of the Child Protection Unit are continuing investigations. The girls will be taken for medical examinations, police said.

In an unrelated incident officers from the Old Grange Police Station, Tobago, are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a teen who went missing last Friday. Elisha Walker, 15, was last seen at Lowlands, Tobago, after attending classes. She resided at a Probation Hostel in Canaan. She was wearing a black skirt, red shirt and black shoes.

Anyone with information can contact the police station at 639-8888. 

Highway Reroute Movement leader Dr Wayne Kublalsingh says the Government has assured that work on the contentious Debe to Mon Desir segment of the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin Highway has been shelved for now. Speaking at a press conference at the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union’s headquarters at Paramount Building, San Fernando, Kublalsingh said, “We had a meeting with the Minister of Works Rohan Sinanan on March 13 and this meeting was requested by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. At the end of the meeting he gave the undertaking that no works will proceed between Debe and Mon Desir which is the contentions segment of the until the HRM is first consulted.

“They didn’t have the money to start any works at this time, but in the event that they start work in that segment during their reign, they would first consult with us before any decisions are made.”

He said Rowley was not at the meeting, but the NIDCO president, chairman and other NIDCO and ministry officials were present.

“And they basically said that they have to start afresh. Put everything aside and then start afresh with us. This battle has been going on for 14 years and there have been a lot of misunderstanding.”

“He felt that so much had gone down, so much conflict, and so much bad planning, so let us clean the slate and the Government will start afresh with us. I think that is what he meant. I think the minister is a man of his word.”

He said had they walked though the area in the planning stages instead of using satellite and Google maps they would see how rich the area between Debe to Mon Desir is in terms of community life and ecosystem.

The Prime Minister turned the sod to recommission the highway last week Tuesday at South Trunk Road, La Romaine.

On May 8, the Privy Council delivered its judgment in the case of Attorney General v Dumas, in which it affirmed a citizen’s right to approach the court for an interpretation of the Constitution.

In 2014 Reginald Dumas, a former head of the Public Service, brought constitutional proceedings challenging the President’s nomination and appointment of two people—James Armstrong and Roamar Achat-Saney—to the Police Service Commission on the basis that they lacked the qualifications and experience specified in section 122 (3) of the Constitution.

Dumas sought the court’s determination of the meaning of the phrase “qualified and experienced” in that section. He claimed no personal interest in the matter but asserted his right as a citizen to seek the assistance of the courts in upholding the Constitution.

The High Court first dismissed Dumas’ claim on a preliminary point that the court had no jurisdiction to hear the claim. It held that under the rules of court (Civil Proceeding Rules) the court could interpret the Constitution only where a claimant alleges a breach of his or her fundamental rights—that is by seeking redress under section 14 of the Constitution.

The Court of Appeal overruled this and held that, in the exercise of its supervisory jurisdiction and as guardian of the Constitution, the court could entertain public interest litigation for review of alleged unlawful constitutional action outside of section 14; provided that the citizen has an arguable case with sufficient merit, grounded in a legitimate public interest. It was held that Dumas had shown this and could competently litigate the matters effectively.

In agreeing with the Court of Appeal, the Privy Council noted that the Court is the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution. Support for the court’s jurisdiction to entertain such challenges outside of section 14 was found in the Constitution itself.

Section 108, for instance, includes among the constitutional questions that can be appealed as of right to the Court of Appeal “any order or decision in any civil or criminal proceedings on questions as to the interpretation of this Constitution.”

It was noted that both the old procedural rules of court as well as Part 56 of the CPR have provided for such challenges. There were also precedents of citizens approaching the court to seek rulings on the proper construction and enforcement of provisions of the Constitution.

Further, the Judicial Review Act 2000 allowed the court to entertain applications for judicial review that are justifiable in the public interest. Their Privy Council considered that the right to seek a declaration on the interpretation of the Constitution exists alongside the right to apply for judicial review.

Ouster clause

Regarding section 38 (1) of the Constitution, which provides that the President shall not be answerable to any court for any act done by him in the performance of his functions, the Privy Council noted that the protection which this gives to the President does not prevent the courts from examining the validity of his acts. The ouster clause will therefore not protect a decision from a legal challenge that it is ultra vires (unauthorised) and therefore invalid.

This column is not legal advice. If you have a legal problem, you should consult a legal adviser.

In August 2015, in front of a crowd of thousands of red-clad People’s National Movement supporters, Dr Keith Rowley announced a number of initiatives to be introduced by his government if the party won.

These initiatives included a new curriculum for the primary school system, a code of ethics for parliamentarians, Cabinet reform, a new Integrity Commission (IC), 1,400 police officers to be deployed at the 14 municipal corporations, industrial expansion, open discussions with the trade union movement, establishment of a road network from Valencia to Toco, local government reform, and internal self-governance for Tobago.

Whether these promises will be fulfilled within a five-year term remains to be seen, but Rowley, who led his party to victory and was appointed Prime Minister of this country less than a month later, is now running a government struggling to balance a budget and deliver key services.

The first budget presented by the PNM decreased VAT from 15 per cent to 12.5 per cent but increased the number of items now being taxed, increased the personal allowance from $60,000 to $72,000.

It also decreased the subsidy on fuel, raising transport prices.

The Government is actively pursuing a cut in expenditure, managing to save $10 billion in 2016 due to cuts in government spending, according to the latest Auditor General’s report.

Still, the PNM’s 20 months in Government has been underpinned by a constant reminder of the country’s depleted resources, and statements that have been labelled as out of touch by some parts of the population.

‘We have a political culture of freeness’

Political analyst Derek Ramsamooj said the major challenge that confronted the present administration was leading the transition to restructure the society.

He said historically the PNM Government encouraged a number of programmes that sought to create a level of State patronage that while creating initial work, had now become an albatross around the neck of the State.

“The present economic demand that confronts T&T requires a drastic reduction of State patronage as exists by the work-fair programmes such as CEPEP and URP as well as a dependency on the private sector for State contracts as we see in the construction sector,” Ramsamooj said.

Ramsamooj said productive work and the removal of subsidies will become a necessity.

“The excuse that the removal of non-productive work programmes will fuel possible increase of criminal activity is an excuse for laziness in which people are only interested in revenue as opposed to being productive earners of revenue.

“We can never emerge as a strong economy if our people refuse to adhere to programmes which will improve our national productivity level.”

He said the challenge for the administration was to lead the transition out of patronage into productivity and out of corruption into effective procurement, out of work fair into creating sustainable productive jobs.

Ramsamooj said the responsibility of the present PNM was to change the societal value system and do what is in the interest of the Government and not in the interest of the party.

“The present administration, therefore, if it wishes to bring about change and transformation, must change the work ethos of our society.

“Dr Rowley’s leadership must indeed be a no-nonsense approach to productive work and one that engenders national patriotism.

“He said judging the PNM government by its political actions seems to suggest that their approach is incremental, taking small initiatives as opposed to making a quantum leap.

“The property tax is one of these incremental examples, as is the reduction in the fuel subsidy.

“There are numerous other initiatives that must be considered, such as allowing our currency to find its true market value, replacing national patronage programmes with means-testing programmes.”

The Government has already done this with the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses programme (Gate).

Ramsamooj said what was clearly evident is that transitioning the society away from patronage by restructuring Gate, introducing the property tax and attempting to reduce state wastage, while incremental, are steps in the right direction if we wish to create a modern state.

“If you look at the legislative agenda and government programmes, the culmination of implementation is being structured to take place between mid-2018 and 2019 as the Government approaches the end of their term.”

Even in the midst of economic instability Ramsamooj said the PNM have been able to keep further political unrest at bay.

“I believe they have been able to cap whatever discontentment exists both within the PNM as well as various sectors of the national community.”

Asked how the PNM would fare if an election were called today, Ramsamooj said the party had a strong probability of returning to office.

Ghany: Disappointing performance by the PNM

Another political analyst, Dr Hamid Ghany was less complimentary of the Government’s performance.

In an interview, Ghany said the PNM’s overall performance in government since 2015 had been disappointing because they indicated that they were “red and ready” to govern and after almost 20 months in office, it seems that there is a lot of studying and analysis going on.

“Valuable time has been lost worrying about what the previous government did instead of addressing what this Government will do now that it is in office,” Ghany said.

Still, he said the population seemed to be giving the PNM a chance.

“I think that the population has decided that they will give this Government a chance to deliver on things that they said they were going to do.

“However, it appears that the Government does not have immediate answers to the predictable economic situation that they met with the decline of energy revenues since the end of 2014. The chance for them to shine in the face of dire economic prospects is now.”

Ghany said this particular incarnation of the PNM in government is the most left-wing PNM government in the party’s history, evident by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the leaders of the PNM and Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) in August 2015.

“That may have helped to deliver the election victory to the PNM, but it handcuffed them from being able to seriously address all policy options for dealing with the economic crisis that any government was going to have to face after the 2015 election.

Ghany said it had been disappointing that in the 2017 budget and the mid-year review of that budget that no such specific measures were announced.

“The country is in a holding pattern. It needs to privatise or divest large sectors of the state enterprise sector to reduce the burden on the Treasury in respect of operating expenses and generate short-term cash from those sales of state enterprises.”

Ghany disagreed with Ramsamooj that the PNM stood a strong chance of being re-elected.

“If an election were called today, it would be difficult to predict the outcome because I think there would be a low voter turnout similar to the last local government election.

He was also strongly critical of the leadership provided by Rowley so far, calling him a “very good tap dancer who can talk his way out of difficult situations far more effectively that most others on the local political scene at this time”.

“I suspect that he is torn between the PNM party financiers who would like a more robust engagement of free market policies and the trade unions who are holding an MOU over his head that once broken will unleash an uncertain political outcome for him.

T&T’s Michelle-Lee Ahye made a brilliant run to secure a silver medal in an intense women’s 100 metres at the Jamaica International Invitational, an IAAF World Challenge meeting on Saturday in Kingston.

Christania Williams had a bullet start while Allyson Felix on her immediate right was two strides behind. Felix and Morolake Akinosun began to chisel into the lead with Shillonie Calvert-Powell also mounting a challenge on the inside.

Ahye’s top end speed kicked in and she joined the party in earnest with 20 metres to go before the top-three blanket finish.

Akinosun, Ahye and Felix were nearly inseparable at the line, with Akinosun getting the nod over Ahye. Both were credited with 11.06 seconds, 0.01 ahead of Felix.

In the men’s race Emmanuel Callender placed fifth in a time of 10.25. Jamaican Yohan Blake won the dash in 9.93.

In the women’s 200m, local sprinter Semoy Hackett just missed out on a medal, placing fourth in 22.87. Winning was double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson of Jamaica in 22.09.

Middle-distance runner Alena Brooks of T&T too missed out on a top three finish in the women’s 800m, crossing fourth in 2:03.09.

Away from the track, Ayanna Alexander was the lone T&T athlete active on the field and she placed seventh in the women’s triple jump. Her best effort measured 13.27m.

Denoon, Parris and Warren Zakiya Denoon, Jeminise Parris and Portious Warren each picked up gold in their respecitve events at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Hutchinson, Kansas, USA, over the weekend.

Denoon of Monroe College completed the women’s sprint double, getting gold in the women’s 100m dash in 11.59. Sophomore Mauricia Prieto of South Plains College also competed in the event and she was 10th overall in 11.93, while Shania Alexander of Neosho County Community College was 17th in 12.16.

Denoon cross the line in 24.01 to win the women’s 200m. Prieto won the bronze in 24.17, while Alexander’s time of 25.54 placed her 17th overall.

Parris of Central Arizona College claimed gold in 13.49 in the women’s 100m hurdles final. She also raced in the 400m hurdles and the freshman clocked 1:06.91 to finish ninth.

Prieto was part of the South Plains unit that placed second in the women’s 4x400m relay in 3:44.74 while Parris team just missed out on a medal, placing fourth in 3:47.54. Alexander’s team was 15th overall in 4:14.21.

On Friday, Warren dominated the women’s shot put competition again. The Central Arizona College athlete grabbed gold in the event with a 15.89 metres effort in her second throw. It was not her best performance having to contend with stormy weather conditions, but it was enough to earned her the top spot on the podium.

Her other tosses measured 14.78m on the first try, 15.48 in the third, 14.92 and 15.44m in the fourth and fifth, respectively and had a foul in her final attempt. This followed her up her record-breaking performance at the NJCAA Region I Track & Field Championships in Arizona two weekends ago, when Warren erased a 27-year-old record, when the Central Arizona College athlete threw a personal best 16.90m to grab gold in the women’s shot put, to better the 16.86m NJCAA standard achieved in 1990 by Nigerian Grace Apiafi.

Then she was fourth in the hammer throw with a 48.39m effort but on Friday she was unable to get a mark, fouling on each her three throws.

Warren returned on Saturday to place 14th with a 40.82m effort in the discus and in the javelin, she was 12th with a 32.79m throw.

A spirited performance from T&T international goal shoot Samantha Wallace and her New South Wales Swifts was unable to prevent a 49-63 loss to the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Round 13 at the Suncorp Australian Super Netball League at University of Sunshine Coast, Australia, on Saturday.

As soon as the game was underway it was obvious strong defensive pressure would play a key in deciding the result.

The Swifts were the first to reap the rewards, with Sarah Klau having a great start against Australian Diamond goal shoot Caitlin Bassett, providing the visitors with the first two shots of the game.

However the quarter soon fell into a see-sawing battle with the Lightning falling into step with the Swifts. But the visitors were their own worst enemy at times, throwing away crucial possession which saw them fall behind the host side and a late flurry of consecutive goals set up Lightning to take a three goal buffer into the first break, 15-12.

While the Swifts stayed in touch, the Lightning showed incredible speed across the court—at times catching their opponents off guard when switching from defence into attack.

This was especially damaging early in the second quarter with Lightning putting up five unanswered goals to stretch their advantage.

Despite the deficit, the Swifts defensive unit continued to work hard for every opportunity and as the match approached half-time the visitors began to find their mojo again.

A quick change introduced captain Abbey McCulloch to wing defence, with Paige Hadley moving to wing attack to match up on New Zealand netball legend Laura Langman.

The move seemed to reinvigorate the Swifts who found more movement through the attacking third, but the visitors couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard with Lightning’s prolific scoring continuing to score at will to lead 33-26 at the half-time whistle.

Despite the 23-year-old Toco-born Wallace picking up an injury the Swifts were able to stay with the Lightning for the majority of the third quarter until the hosts began to flex their muscles in the closing minutes to maintain a 47-38 lead at the final break.

Lightning made a few changes for the final quarter and the moves paid dividends as it brought more speed to their attacking third, which saw their advantage grow and in the end the move mattered little as Lightning saw out the match with a comfortable victory,

Wallace ended with 39 goals from 45 attempts for 82 per cent accuracy to improve her season tally to 475 from 533 attempts, fourth best in the competition while Amy Sommerville added ten from 15 in the absence of England international Helen Housby.

For Lightning, star player Bassett returned to top form with 49 goals from 52 attempts, Stephanie Wood got nine from 11 and Cara Koenen, chipped in with five from six attempts.

Bassett is now second in overall scoring with 550 goals from 585 attempts just behind fellow Australian international Caitlin Thwaites of Magpies Netball who leads with 550 goals from 603 attempts. Jamaican Romelda Aiken of Queensland Firebirds is third with 480 goals from 588 attempts.

A week ago, finished with scored 33 goals from 36 attempts and Housby tallied 17 of 17 in a 50-62 loss to Magpies which got a game-high 48 goals from 51 attempts by Caitlin Thwaites, C

The Swifts will return to Qudos Bank Arena for their final match of the season in recent rivals the Firebirds in Round 14 on Saturday.

Reigning champion Glamorgan women and Central Warriors claimed the first titles at stake when the final day of competition in the Flow T&T Volleyball Federation Indoor League season served off at the Jean Pierre Complex in Mucurapo, yesterday.

In the opening match of the day’s six-game schedule Glamorgan retained the Women’s B Division with a straight sets defeat of West Side Trendsetters 25-12, 25-15.

However, in the Men’s B Division decider, Central Warriors stop Glamorgan from repeating a clean sweep of the division with a hard fought 25-23, 25-17 triumph.

Last night the Super League men and women third place and finals was to bring the season to an end at the same venue.

In the Women’s championship match, title-holder Glamorgan came up against West Side Stars.

This after both teams won their semifinal match-ups at the same venue in straight sets on Saturday afternoon.

In the first semifinal West Side Stars, the regular season round-robin winners with a 5-0 record powered past Southern United Volleyball Academy 25-15, 25-8, 25-19 while Glamorgan rallied past bitter rival and former champion University of T&T (UTT) 25-20, 25-21, 25-23 in a rematch of the opening game of the season which Glamorgan won in four sets.

Stars went into the decider brimming with confidence after beating Glamorgan 25-19, 25-20, 25-19 in their round-robin league decider prior to the playoffs. Also last night, Men’s Super League holders Glamorgan came up against Zenith for the title.

In the semifinals, Glamorgan humbled Titans 25-13, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23 and Zenith silenced Defence Force 25-15, 25-12, 25-18.

On Friday night at the same venue, Police men and Zenith women secured third spot playoffs win.

In the Men’s B Division, Police came-from-behind to beat Vishnu Boys 20-25, 25-22, 15-13 while Zenith denied Police double glory on the night by sweeping its women’s team 25-9, 25-18 in their bronze medal contest.

In a dining room in a wealthy district in the hills above Haiti’s capital, waiters in black outfits whisk plates of crunchy malanga fritters and a creamy cornmeal dish to well-off locals and tourists. In the kitchen, the chef ladles glistening, fresh conch into a pot as his staff dice tomatoes and watercress.

Haitian cuisine is a spicy confluence of French, Spanish, African and Amerindian cooking traditions that blends indigenous ingredients like the rich, earthy black mushroom known as djon djon with a variety of cooking techniques, crusted baguettes and flaky pastries.

For decades, Haitian food has been seen as simple, hearty fare best simmered for hours over charcoal stoves at home or fried up and served in cheap curbside restaurants.

Haitians who could afford a night out at a restaurant used to opt for versions of continental menus or a generic Caribbean fusion mimicking the food in island resorts.

In recent years a new generation of Haitian chefs here and abroad has begun reimagining the country’s cuisine.

Traditional delicacies like the milky cornmeal beverage called akasan; the fiery carrot and cabbage condiment called pikliz; citrus-marinated chicken with boiled cashews; and whole fish in spiced broth are being prepared using haute cuisine techniques and served in the growing number of restaurants serving foreigners and Haiti’s small middle- and upper-class.

“It’s a real exciting time right now for Haitian gastronomy. We have serious, bona fide culinarians who are creative and focused on raising the profile of our food,” chef Jouvens Jean said as chile-laced shrimp sizzled in a pan at Jojo Restaurant in Petionville.

Accomplished chefs like Jean and Stephan Berrouet-Durand moved back to their homeland from the United States, importing the presentation and kitchen know-how of the various countries where they’ve worked, while others are increasingly vocal ambassadors for their food culture overseas, appearing on US and European cooking programs.

“Suddenly, a lot of Haitian chefs don’t have this fear of saying ‘Haitian cuisine’ out loud. It is becoming a very popular thing,” said Georges Laguerre, a Miami-based food entrepreneur who ran a Haitian eatery in Los Angeles for over a decade.

Dependence on food imports has grown as a result of intractable economic stagnation, but local favourites like malanga root, chayote squash and a dark spinach are still grown organically on farmland plowed by oxen and maintained without pesticides or chemical fertilizers only because most farmers could never dream of affording them.

The fact that Haiti has a vibrant food culture at all can be surprising to those who only associate this Caribbean nation with hunger and crushing poverty. But even through decades of decline and recurrent political turmoil, Haiti never lost its delicious recipes.

“I think one of Haiti’s greatest resources is its food. I have yet to meet anyone who did not appreciate the flavours of traditional Haitian cuisine,” said Nadege Fleurimond, a Haitian-born writer and caterer based in New York City whose 2014 cookbook Haiti Uncovered: A Regional Adventure into the Art of Haitian Cuisine helped kick-start a fresh look at the country’s recipes.

Some beloved dishes have roots stretching back to Haiti’s founding on January 1, 1804, following the world’s only successful slave rebellion. The vibrantly coloured pumpkin soup known as joumou is a typical Sunday dish and a must on independence day for the world’s first black republic. During the dark days of bondage, plantation slaves in Haiti were prohibited from eating an aromatic squash soup—a favourite of their French masters—or much of anything else other than rudimentary provisions.

“When we got our independence what better way to celebrate than to eat the very thing that we were unable to eat as slaves,” Fleurimond said.

Haitian restaurants and food festivals are springing up in cities such as Miami and Montreal, where members of the Grammy-winning rock group Arcade Fire back a Haitian eatery that serves specialties like stewed oxtail over rice along with cocktails made from the country’s Barbancourt rum.

One famed chef, Spanish-born Jose Andres, turned his culinary adventures around Haiti into a 2015 television documentary.

In a culinary school in downtown Port-au-Prince operated by Andres’ nonprofit and the Haitian government, young people eagerly prepare for careers as the nation’s chefs and food-industry professionals, learning the basics of preparing dishes delectable to the eye as well as the palate.

“Haiti has a rich culinary history and we make sure we celebrate that in our curriculum,” said Andres, whose World Central Kitchen nonprofit is also working to rejuvenate the country’s fishing sector by investing in a new processing facility in the south coast town of Jacmel.

A growing pride in Haitian food is apparent among aspiring chefs.

“This is my country’s culture and I want to show it off,” said 23-year-old culinary student Peraldine Alceguerre as she sliced juicy Haitian mangos to bake into a pie. (AP)