Queen’s Baton Relay delegation will make T&T it’s first Caribbean stop and nineteenth out of 71 overall Commonwealth destinations on the way to Australia’s Gold Coast for the 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

Set to arrive on Sunday, the Baton Relay will make its way through the capital city Port of Spain on Monday and through Tobago the day after that.

Using the occasion of the Queen’s Baton Relay launch at T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) House on Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, T&T Commonwealth Games Association (TTCGA) president, Brian Lewis sent a message of solidarity with the City of Manchester, which hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games and also where a suicide bombing took place on Monday at a concert by pop artiste Ariana Grande.

“In the context of the Baton Relay visit to T&T, it was our intention to highlight and focus not only on the history of T&T and team TTO’s participation in the Commonwealth Games but to focus on the youth and young people,” said Lewis.

“The fact that we are hosting the baton on the back of such a horrific and barbaric act highlights the challenges that we face as a movement not only here in T&T and around the world. The TTCGA expresses its deepest condolences to the people and the youth of Manchester City and the Commonwealth family.”

TTCGA Chef de Mission, Diane Henderson said the Queen’s Baton Relay is something that everyone should be a part of and encouraged citizens to come out to the routes for a chance to see the baton, join in the festivities and cheer on the baton bearers.

The Queen’s Baton will spend four days in T&T embracing the local culture and traditions. The TTCGA hopes to share T&T’s historic landmarks such as the Magnificent Seven, Queen’s Park Savannah, the Botanical Gardens and the Pigeon Point Heritage Park.

Queen’s Baton Relay delegation will make T&T it’s first Caribbean stop and nineteenth out of 71 overall Commonwealth destinations on the way to Australia’s Gold Coast for the 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

Set to arrive on Sunday, the Baton Relay will make its way through the capital city Port of Spain on Monday and through Tobago the day after that.

Using the occasion of the Queen’s Baton Relay launch at T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) House on Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, T&T Commonwealth Games Association (TTCGA) president, Brian Lewis sent a message of solidarity with the City of Manchester, which hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games and also where a suicide bombing took place on Monday at a concert by pop artiste Ariana Grande.

“In the context of the Baton Relay visit to T&T, it was our intention to highlight and focus not only on the history of T&T and team TTO’s participation in the Commonwealth Games but to focus on the youth and young people,” said Lewis.

“The fact that we are hosting the baton on the back of such a horrific and barbaric act highlights the challenges that we face as a movement not only here in T&T and around the world. The TTCGA expresses its deepest condolences to the people and the youth of Manchester City and the Commonwealth family.”

TTCGA Chef de Mission, Diane Henderson said the Queen’s Baton Relay is something that everyone should be a part of and encouraged citizens to come out to the routes for a chance to see the baton, join in the festivities and cheer on the baton bearers.

The Queen’s Baton will spend four days in T&T embracing the local culture and traditions. The TTCGA hopes to share T&T’s historic landmarks such as the Magnificent Seven, Queen’s Park Savannah, the Botanical Gardens and the Pigeon Point Heritage Park.

Multiple times national tennis champion Aleena Edwards has allayed concerns that she will be representing T&T as a player or manager at the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) World Championship, carded from Sunday to June 6 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Though highly capable of wearing the red, white and black for T&T at the tournament, concerns were raised by veteran tennis ace Dexter St Louis, who in strongly worded email accused her of giving the impression that she is the team’s manager/director.

Contacted yesterday Edwards, who is the tennis association’s general secretary, denied this categorically, saying she will be the country’s delegate for the ITTF annual general meeting (AGM) and conference which are held every four years.

Edwards, who admitted to cutting short her career to join the sport’s administration, will be dipping into her own pocket to fund the work-related trip estimated to cost about $10,500.

From this trip the former tennis queen intends to equip herself with information that would be used to better the sport locally. St Louis, who is based in France where he plays tennis professionally, has already been confirmed as a member of the T&T team along with his step-daughter Rheann Chung with Anthony Corbin as the third person. They will contest the Men’s and Women’s Singles.

In his email, he also accused Edwards of attempting to squeeze in local tennis champion Aaron Wilson into the main draw of the tournament, which was held on May 17 and featured 132 players.

According to St Louis, “I have been to seven World Championships dating back to 1985 and the last four of the seven was with Rheann Chung and Anthony Corbin. We never had any problems, but only now and this is because of her pushy attitude and her trying to window dress to probably give someone in the Association an impression that she is some sort of manager director.”

St Louis also made it clear that he did not want Edwards doing anything for them.

“Let me be clear to all, we do not want Aleena Edwards doing anything for us during the World Championships, may it be draws, advice, acting or pretending to act on our behalf. We are fully professional players living here in Europe for over the past 25 years and have been handling our own affairs.

“I am saying this because already there were problems in the registration with her trying to enter Aaron Wilson on the eleventh hour on March 29 before the close of entries,” the veteran player said.

Edwards, who is set to leave on Friday, has refused further comment.

Car dealer Sheron Sukhdeo has appeared before Chaguanas magistrate Wendy Dougdeen-Bally charged with a breach of a protection order.

The matter began around 2:06 p.m. at the Chaguanas Second Magistrates' Court today and is still ongoing.

Members of the media were put out of the courtroom.

Sukhdeo is being represented by attorneys Taradath Singh and Stefan Ramkissoon.

Sukhdeo, 28, was arrested yesterday and spent the night at the Chaguanas Police Station.

Last February 2016 Sukhdeo appeared in court on a charge of assault allegedly committed against his wife, Rachael Sukhdeo.

The case was dismissed eight months later however after Sukhdeo (R) told the court she no longer wanted to pursue the case.

Over the weekend officers of the Chaguanas CID responded to a domestic disturbance at the Sukhdeo mansion.

This lead to Sukhdeo (R) taking to her Facebook account to say she was alive.
 

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, has a requested a full report from Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Darryl Smith, on the recently concluded trip to Tobago by the minister and officials from his ministry.
 
This was announced in a release from the Office of the Prime Minister.
 
 Smith and 11 ministry officials travelled to Tobago to attend the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Sports Awards, which was held on May 20, at the Magdalena Grand Beach & Golf Resort.
 
The issue arose yesterday after information leaked on social media revealed that a $92,000 bill had been racked up by the 12-member team.
 
The blog, posted by Sharmain Baboolal, along with supporting documents, claimed only nine of the 12 officials were initially invited by the THA.
 
Three more people, the minister’s personal assistant Cindy Cupid, communications officer Kate Balthazar and Melissa Assam, executive assistant to the permanent secretary in the ministry, were added after a special request.
 
The hotel bill for 12 rooms for a three-night stay accounted for $77,910.43.
A further $10,400 was for the rental of four cars while $3,600 represented their airfare, bringing the overall cost to $91,910.43.

From May 25 to June 4, the Anglican Church in T&T will engage in a number of outreach activities, including a global day of prayer at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-of-Spain.

The global day of prayer was conceptualised last year by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who had a series in England called Thy Kingdom Come as part of a global prayer movement.

 The theme of the local event is Knowing Jesus Christ and the purpose is to get people to pray for others and themselves.

 Speaking to ther T&T Guardian about the initiative, Interim Rector at the Anglican Church, Fr Carl Williams, said the purpose for Christians across the world was to pray for themselves and others and for others to know Jesus Christ.

 Each day’s theme, daily prayer and homilies at the services will be focused on a characteristic displayed by Jesus Christ. Other themes such as repentance, the youth and the country have been added.

There will also be people present to offer prayer and priests to anoint people.
On May 26, the preacher at the mid-day Holy Eucharist will be Archbishop Joseph Harris. He will speak on the theme “Repentance and Forgiveness”.

On December 10, 2016, T&T cyclist Keiana Lester was involved in a vehicular accident that almost robbed her of the opportunity to see her 20th birthday. She’ll hopefully celebrate the milestone tomorrow, May 26.

“I have one plan for my birthday and that’s to go to the beach,” said Lester in an interview with Guardian Media Sports.

Her best friend along with another fellow cyclist will not begrudge Lester that wish. After all, it is as much as she can do these days due to the extent of her injuries from the accident, which included a dislocated hip and a troublesome neck injury referred to as a hangman fracture and also called traumatic spondylolisthesis of the second cervical vertebra (C2). The C2 plays an important role in rotation of the head.

A resident of Tumpuna Road in Arima, she said: “When I left the hospital I was in a wheelchair for two weeks and from the 18th of January to the 27th of April I was on crutches. Now I’m on a walking stick until the 17th of August, hopefully. I don’t get any pains or anything so hopefully when I go back to the doctors again in June, I’ll be able to take off the neck brace.”

Lester does not remember much about the day in question apart from the fact that she and teammates from the Rigtech Sonics Cycle Club had embarked on a training ride from Siparia to Erin. What she does know is that while her overall recovery has been steady progress it has not been fast enough for the self-confessed competitor.

She revealed: “I know I wouldn’t be able to start back gym or anything like that but, I would love to be able to start going for walks, start going to run and getting my fitness back up. But I won’t be able to do any of those things until August.”

She had set herself a six month timeframe to get back into the saddle and expressed that not being able to meet that deadline caused her some depression. She told Guardian Media Sports, “I had high expectations because the doctor told us that athletes heal much faster than the normal person. So me being an athlete I thought that instead of six months it would have been four months for the most.”

She added: “I’m just looking forward to being back on a bike because I miss it deeply.”

Her family, team-mates and several colleagues in the sport have acted like a kickstand to the talented sprinter, holding her up in tough times. Lester singled out her mother Mary Layne, her aunt Claire Orr and her older brother Anderson as being instrumental in helping her through it. By her own admission, it has not been easy as the tragedy could not have come at a worse time for the Arima resident who was about to embark on her professional career having compiled a stellar junior resumé.

Lester, a former student of Bishop Anstey High School East, started cycling at the age of seven, and has won four junior Caribbean road cycling medals, including one gold and one silver. At junior Pan American Track Cycling level she’s a two- time finalist in the women’s team sprint, winning gold in 2015 with her friend and team-mate Kollyn St George. The next step up would have been to take up a scholarship opportunity to the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) training facility in Switzerland in April.

“The person who runs the camp came down to Trinidad for the opening of the National Cycling Centre last year and when she saw me she told me she wanted me to come. I got the invitation before my accident but, I only found out after my accident. I was very disappointed,” she explained.

She added: “Kollyn is there right now and when I speak to her she says that the training is nice. I have friends there from a training camp I went to in Argentina in 2014 and they keep asking for me, how is my recovery coming along and when I will start back.”

She explained that although she could not take up the scholarship at this time, the opportunity would still be available once she can make a full recovery and is assessed. “I have high hopes of that,” she ended.

From childhood, Marguerite Miranda has had a love for animals, including strays, a love that has blossomed into her Pet to the Vet Pet Ambulance service. Miranda, now 56, says: “Throughout my life I have had a passion for animals and knew that I had to create a service that would be meaningful to both animals and animal lovers.

“From a child I have always had dogs, cats and even squirrels; the love and compassion continuing into my adult age. I am one of those people who keeps a bag of dog food to give to strays along the road. I cook and feed 17 strays at the back of Aranguez currently, together with the nine I have at home, mostly rescues.”

She continued: “My friend who is a vet assistant for years, knowing my bond with animals, encouraged me to consider this business as there was a definite need. However, because of my previous job as a flight attendant, I would not have had the time to perform the professional service needed.

“After the closure of the airline, I went into pre-retirement. This was short-lived after witnessing a tied dog jump from a moving pickup truck, and it was hanging there... The dog survived, thank God. This, together with my sister Marcia Miranda’s encouragement, led me to enter my third vocation.” To become proficient at her new calling, Miranda delved into much research and found that there were a few people locally who would transport animals to the vet, but not professionally. There is also Dr Saraj Kalicharan, who runs an “animal hotel” in south Trinidad.

“My idea was to provide total emergency care comfort for both animal and owner,” said Miranda. “Reassurance that the animal would be transported with the same care and love that it was used to, was paramount. And, reliability that the animal was taken to the vet in the quickest time.”

It is with this vision that the pet ambulance service—Pet to the Vet—was born. Said Miranda: “I purchased the first ambulance, a panel van, which I outfitted with every possible thing to make the animal comfortable, including air conditioning and a seat for the owner close to the animal, if they wished to accompany them. A couple months later I imported a handicap vehicle outfitted with a mechanical ramp, stretcher/gurney and all other fittings of an emergency vehicle. I’m equipped with several sizes of cages.The animal is put into the cage, which is placed on to the lowered ramp and hydraulically lifted into the vehicle. So there’s little anxiety or trauma to the animal.”

Miranda’s business has been an eyebrow-raiser to all her customers. “My customers are surprised when they see an actual ambulance pull up to collect their sick animal rather than some van or pickup, like dog catchers have,” said Miranda. “I must stress that my pet ambulance is fully outfitted with all the stateof- the-art facilities and aids of an ambulance that is used to transport human beings. In fact, not even the ambulances that transport humans in this country can be compared to mine for animals.”

“My service works like this: we transport almost any animal to the vet of your choice. Our base is at Fourth Street, Mt Lambert, but demographically we try to cater to customers in the west, as far east as Sangre Grande, and, as far south as Point Fortin. We, however, are flexible, if needed for further destinations.

“The customer calls, describes the issue, the vet/clinic of choice, and their address. They can choose to accompany the animal if it’s a regular visit where they’re attended to and returned.

“If I am to be solely responsible, I assume all the duties as the owner. I would receive and record instructions from the vet, including prescriptions. The animal is then returned to its home and owner. Unfortunately there are also sad cases where owners have to euthanise their animals, or the animal dies for whatever reason.

“I work with a crematorium company called Pets Are People Too, where your pet can be cremated and ashes can be delivered if desired. It’s the same arrangement—with your loved one being picked up and taken care of with the same professionalism and compassion as that of a human. And yes, there is an animal crematorium, folks.”

Miranda is focussed, obsessed even, with her business. She said: “My days start very early and some days are pretty long. I do occasionally have a driver and/or assistant. I am very satisfied and generally have a feeling of fulfilment. Though there is still quite a great deal to instil in the hearts and minds of Trinbagonians on caring for and loving our animals, I am happy to admit that there has been a vast improvement, based on the passion and concern I have seen with my customers and their animals. I am truly blessed to be earning a living that’s a love, not a job.”

In spite of the amount of work that she does daily, Miranda also takes in stray animals. She said: “Trinidadians do not respect animals and they do not think that they have feelings. I really wish that people would understand that animals have done so much for mankind and continue doing so unconditionally. Regardless of how they are treated, animals give unconditional love.

“We need to show more love to animals and not abuse and abandon them. No animal ever committed a crime but yet we lock them in cages or tie them like slaves. A bone is not a meal. Don’t just throw two bones for the dog and think you are doing something special.”

MORE INFO

Contact Pet to the Vet at 315-PETS, 620-4211, 338-0528.

For the fourth consecutive year, St Paul’s Anglican Primary School has won the coveted Pan For Blue title.

The San Fernando School boys beat out nine other bands in the Primary School competition, held at the Coronation Park, Point Fortin, last Friday. The competition, now in its 17th year, emerged as part of the Borough celebrations in tribute to one of its sons of the soil, Austin “Superblue” Lyons. Each band was asked to play a selection from his vast repertoire.

Over the years, the competition has been dedicated to other Point Fortin performers, including SuperBlue’s daughter Fay-Ann Lyons, Iwer George, Preacher and the late Mighty Duke. This year the honour was bestowed on Morel Peters, calypsonian Luta, who attended the event and performed for the school children and guests.

St Paul’s Anglican performing a Curtis Jones arrangement of Luta’s ‘Tassamania’, amassed a total of 30 points to make it a beaver trick.

In second place, with a total of 24 points, was five time champion, Edinburgh Government Primary, which also performed a Curtis Jones arrangement of Woi Yo. Siparia Police Youth Club, performing a Steffon Thomas arrangement of Pack Up Your Things and Go earned 15 points to secure third place.

San Fernando Girls’ Anglican, dressed as lawyers with white wigs and brown robes, to complement their selection Law and Justice, placed fourth, while Point Fortin RC’s performance of Hang Dem earned them the fifth spot.

The Pan For Blue committee, also gave appreciation awards to two young pan players—Vanessa Headley and Akinola Sennon—who came through the ranks of the competition and have now made it big on the international scene.

Headley, who is pursuing her MA in Music Psychology at the University of Sheffield, UK, placed first in the Caribbean at CSEC Music and is an honours graduate in Musical Arts at UWI. She also earned the first Steelpan Major scholarship winner at Berklee College, where she is a member of the Music All Star Funk Fusion Band and is a founding member of Golden Hands Steel Orchestra, for which she has been composing, arranging and performing.

Sennon is the Executive and Musical Director of Petrotrin Siparia Deltones Steel Orchestra, a member of the Pan/Jazz Fusion ensemble Coal Pot Band. He has performed internationally and with the likes of renowned South African artiste Hugh Masekela.

Amina Sylvester-Homeward is a school teacher at the Speyside High School. And she’s angry.

She’s angry because she had to wait seven years for justice from a T&T legal system which is so deeply inefficient that it lets judges or magistrates leave office without clearing their caseloads first—or without making sensible arrangements for this to be done. This can lead to absent magistrates, inordinate delays, and great inconvenience to ordinary people who need faster decisions in order to get on with their lives.

The issue may have come to the fore recently when Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar was elevated to the High Court on April 12 with more than 50 matters still unfinished. But the issue of an inefficient justice system which is disrespectful towards the public it is supposed to serve, far predates the Ayers-Caesar situation, as Amina Sylvester-Homeward’s case demonstrates.

Sylvester-Homeward studied for a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Andrews University (now the University of the Southern Caribbean), to upgrade herself from a Teacher II to a Teacher III. Then, when she asked the Ministry of Education to be upgraded to a Teacher III, she said the ministry asked that she pursue further courses at the UWI. The ministry told her the highest position someone with a degree from Andrews University could be given was a Teacher II, a position which she still holds.

Sylvester-Homeward decided to challenge that view. In March 2010, she filed a constitutional motion against the Ministry of Education and the Attorney General for their failure to recognise her Andrews University/USC degree. She claimed she was a victim of discrimination and unfair treatment, as many others, who had graduated with the same degree, had been reassessed and upgraded to the position of Teacher III.

The matter was heard by Justice Sebastien Ventour, who retired before delivering judgement in 2012, leaving Sylvester-Homeward—and several other people whose matters were awaiting judgement—hanging.

Ventour was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Integrity Commission shortly after he retired in 2012.

After Sylvester-Homeward, through her attorney Anand Ramlogan, lodged a complaint, Ventour was reappointed by the CJ to sit on the bench for one day, to deliver judgment in her matter—and several others.

“The issue with the court system is really frustrating,” says Sylvester-Homeward. “We went to court so many times, and then .... to find out the judge had retired without giving judgement. He was reappointed for a day, and came back, and dismissed the case.”

Sylvester-Homeward was hospitalised at Mt Hope for uncontrolled hypertension in pregnancy when she got the call that her case had been dismissed—this, after going through the entire process. “Can you imagine how frustrating that was? I was hospitalised because I was under stress—and they added to the stress.”

She asked her attorneys to lodge a complaint: “How could the State appoint a judge, who had heard my case and retired without giving judgment, to such an important position of integrity? I felt cheated and hurt by the justice system.”

The whole judicial system, she says, needs to be overhauled.

“After the judge retired, they could not give me any information on the case. Then they said it had been moved from San Fernando to Port-of-Spain. And then, of course, you present the case, and in this one day, this judge dismisses the case due to lack of evidence. Then they say I will have to refile—after all these years, to refile! That is frustrating.”

She was understandably concerned about the further delays, money and time which refiling her case would entail.

“They put people through a lot, for nothing,” says Sylvester-Homeward: “You go through the steps to deal with the circumstance, and in following the steps, they frustrate you. That is not fair.”

Seven years after filing the matter in court in March 2010, her case at last came up for hearing on May 17 before Court of Appeal judges Allan Mendonca, Prakash Moosai and Judith Jones. They unanimously reversed Ventour’s ruling, and ruled that Homeward was a victim of discrimination.

The court granted a declaration that her constitutional right to equality of treatment was violated, and ordered that compensation be assessed by a Master of the High Court and paid to her.

Sylvester-Homeward was represented by a legal team led by Anand Ramlogan SC, Jayanti Lutchmedial and Chelsea Stewart. The State was represented by Senior State Counsel Linda Khan and Rachel Jacob.

She said “I am happy that the situation has gotten to this point. Now I am hoping that I would be able to experience a change by the Ministry of Education.”

She said she had been “performing the duties of the Head of the Mathematics and Technical Studies department at the school since 2008, but I cannot be paid for the job I am doing because I am a Teacher II. I have to be made a Teacher III.” Now that the court has ruled in her favour she hopes that this will happen soon and that she will be properly compensated.

She intends to meet with Ramlogan this week for them to “work on the way forward.”

Sylvester-Homeward strongly believes judges and magistrates need better regulation, and that the Chief Justice should oversee this.

More than 400 students and their teachers are expected to attend the 2017 edition of Vista Latina, a Latin American arts and culture festival, hosted by Trini Tica International (TTI).

The festival, which takes place at the Lion’s Cultural Centre, Port-of-Spain, is in its second year and event organiser Aleah Guitan said the response by several secondary schools across T&T had been encouraging.

Guitan is a lecturer at Arthur Lok Jack Graduate Businesss in Mt Hope and she has been attached to the main campus for the past three years. “I teach Business Spanish to the students pursuing their Masters degree,” said Guitan.

Guitan has a Bachelors degree double major in Spanish and Latin American Studies from UWI, St Augustine.

She also has a Masters degree in Latin American StuDies, with emphasis in culture and development from Universidad Nacionale in Costa Rica, attained in 2012.

She began TTI in 2013 when she returned home from Costa Rica.

Vista Latina is Guitan’s brainchild. She hosted the festival for the first time last year, through her company TTI, as an opportunity for students studying Spanish to gain further exposure to the language and culture of some of T&T’s Spanish speaking neighbours.

Guitan receives no subsidy from the Ministry of Education or government to produce Vista Latina.

She said: “This entire project is finances by Trini Tica International.”

Five embassies have agreed to participate in this year’s edition of Vista Latina: Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and El Salvador.

Last year, the participating embassies hosted talks with the students about their respective countries. During the day they would host short talks with the students about their countries—discussing culture and lifestyle.

Added attractions of Vista Latina include a Latin dance workshop hosted by Nalini Akal of N9 Dance company, and performances by the Ernesto Salsa Band, a Latin music band originally from Venezuela.

A main feature of the day’s activities is the Conversational Club where students have discussions with facilitators in Spanish.

“The entire day is dedicated to immersing students in Latin American culture and language to help improve their appreciation and understanding of Spanish language and their Latin neighbours,” said Guitan.

“When I conceived of this festival it was really to help students improve their Spanish language skills. I lived in Costa Rica for two years and that immersion really helped my understanding and appreciation of the people, the culture and lifestyle of Costa Rica itself, and Latin America overall.”

Guitan is a major advocate for establishing deeper ties between Latin America and T&T, noting the immense potential for socio-economic partnerships and overall national development.

She added: “We have a great deal to learn from and to offer each other. With Vista Latina the opportunity alone for students to spend the day immersed in Latin culture, makes a big difference in appreciating the language. Many of the schools attending this year, came last year and I am happy that the students and teachers found value in it.”

This week Guitan said that she was overwhelmed by Friday’s event, especially with the response she has received.

She said: “I have over 400 students and teachers registered to attend from school across Trinidad. Unfortunately there are no attendees from Tobago.

“I am somewhat taken aback over there not being any students from Tobago because when I first started my business a school from Tobago, Mason Hall Secondary, was my first client. They did an exchange programme in Costa Rica with me and was also the first school to host Costa Rican students at their school and homes. Since then Bishop’s Tobago has participated in my programme.”

Anyone who is truly interested in indentureship and the general history of how Indians came to Trinidad would have read this book, which may be why Keith Ormiston Laurence, a Trinidadian historian who taught for most of his career at UWI’s St Augustine campus, is hardly ever cited by Trini indocentrists.

It may also be because Laurence’s book, which, 23 years after its first publication, remains the authoritative text on Indian indentureship in the Caribbean, does not embrace the Indo narrative of oppression and triumph (unlike, for example, Canadian academic Dennison Moore’s Origins and Development of Racial Ideology in Trinidad). Laurence, who died in 2014 at age 81, was an old-fashioned scholar who used statistics and, for the most part, went where the data led.

A Question of Labour has answers about all major questions that anyone might ask about indentureship in Trinidad and in British Guiana (as Guyana was then called). How many Indians came to Trinidad between 1845 and 1918? The total was 129,251. What were their religions? Between 1874 and 1917, Laurence notes that 85 per cent of immigrants to Trinidad were Hindus, 14 per cent Muslims, and 0.07 per cent Christians. And what about the caste breakdown? Of the Hindus, 13 per cent were classified as high castes and the largest percentage, 38 per cent, as low castes.

Laurence also notes that “An early consequence of emigration for the Hindu Indians was the partial disintegration of caste values...Hindus in the West Indies mixed easily across caste lines and cross-caste marriages soon began and became common by the 1880s...High caste men continued to have influence among the Indians and Brahmans could get others to do their tasks for them, while it is alleged that some tried to ‘pass’ as of higher caste...Indians of relatively low caste were even able to function as Hindu priests.” (This kind of fact is another reason that Indocentrists, most of whom claim a high-caste lineage, don’t cite Laurence.)

Laurence’s book also contains information about tangential issues of indentureship. For example, what was the status of the Indian women who came to the region? “In view of the difficulty of recruiting women, it is not surprising that many of those who reached the West Indies were alleged to be prostitutes, picked up in city streets, or women seeking to escape their husbands....” he wrote. “The former charge was at least hotly denied by successive emigration agents over a period of years, though they agreed that the women were often promiscuous.” Laurence notes, too, that between 1872 and 1880, 21 of 22 Indian murders in Trinidad involved wives or reputed wives.

And what about the stereotype of Indians as rum drinkers? This, it turns out, wasn’t part of Indian culture but became part of Indo-Caribbean culture because of sugar-cane. If you are really interested in the history of Trinidad, Laurence’s book, still in print and available in bookstores, must be on your bookshelf

REVIEW BY KEVIN BALDEOSINGH

A Question of Labour

Author: KO Laurence

Ian Randle Publishers, 1994

House rules notwithstanding, the smartphones were all drawn at the Musical Arts production of You Will Be Found on the St Augustine campus of UWI on May 13. OMG! would probably have been the online text contraction of choice for most of the young audience members defying the instruction not to record the proceedings and to put away the phones...and with good cause.

For, above and beyond the accomplished offerings of the steel and wind ensembles, conducted by Trinity Cockburn and mobilised for the occasion, were the voices of some of the finest talents under the wings of the Department of Creative and Festival Arts’ (DCFA) graduating Certificate of Music class.

Eric Alvarez worked the stage and audience like a seasoned pro while musical director/vocalist Anton Williams and accomplished pianist/singer, Samantha Joseph displayed a high level of knowledge of their craft.

Christopher Sookhoo also quite clearly knew what he was doing and was a solid participant in what appeared to have been an unscheduled trio with Alvarez and Williams later on in the programme. Kern Summerville also came through with a faithful version of Sam Smith’s Lay Me Down.

It did not matter, by then, that some items on the programme got scrambled or that lighting the JFK stage is always a challenge, or that some members of the audience could not contain their constant chatter during performances.

The first hint of dominance by the voices came early with Anton Williams’ arrangement of Shadowland from The Lion King. Alvarez was to follow up two songs later with a soulful rendition of Feeling Good, to the strains of the wind ensemble.

Though the song is easily recognisable by many through the female blues voice of Nina Simone, it was actually the 1964 composition of Anthony Newley who also presented its first recorded version. Alvarez must certainly have spent time listening to the magnificent Newley version.

Williams came on with I’m Here from The Colour Purple to show he is himself no slouch on the mic’ returning for the trio on The Colour Purple from the movie of the same name.

Much of the accompaniment on the piano was by Samantha Joseph who, in addition to Williams, was arguably the busiest musician on the night. Hers was an exceptional talent on display, lacking only a standing ovation for a delightful duet with Alvarez on the The Prayer written by Carole-Bayer Sager/David Foster in 1998, with finely tuned voices in mind—Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion in the first instance. Joseph and Alvarez aimed rather high.

DCFA director, Jessel Murray, led the cheerleading section six or seven rows behind when the two were done.

Full marks for song selection in a set list that included the melodic I Dreamed a Dream nervously delivered on the French horn by Brian Cave. A more confident solo performance however came from Joshua Ramsey on the tenor sax playing Maria Theresa von Paradis’ Sicilienne.

As noted by Williams at the end of the show, You Will Be Found was entirely the effort of the graduating class—its “proud creation”, according to his notes on the programme.

“Enjoy the experience of the exciting merger of pan, wind, and voice in this explosion of emerging music professionalism,” the programme says.

There were no disappointed participants along the way, both on and off the stage. OMG! Indeed.

Alta Student Stories Part III

Two weeks ago Alta began telling the stories of people enrolled in the Alta programme. These stories were taken from two publications—At Last Adult Learners Write—an anthology of stories and 20 years of Alta—the magazine published for Alta’s twentieth anniversary. This week Alta ends the student stories series with student’s experiences in the hope that they will give readers insight into the minds and world of Alta students.

Scared

Alicia Ramnanan

“I attend Alta class now. My reading has improved. I am 23-years-old. When I was a child I had problems reading. When I was four, my parents separated. My father was a workaholic and he didn’t have time for my sister and I. My sister and I went to live with our mother. She was renting. At first, it was nice but we started moving from house to house. We lived in nine different houses and attended three different primary schools. The first school we went to was fine because we knew what was going on but the other two were hard because the teachers didn’t understand us. Our mother knew but she didn’t have time to help us.

At 15, my sister and I started working and at 17 we started living on our own. When I was 22, I was watching television and saw the Alta programme. I told my sister about it and we went together and started Level 2. We finished and were so happy when we passed. We were supposed to start Level 3 but she died. She always wanted to take classes with teachers who would understand her and Alta gave her that. I am now in Level 3 and I know my sister would be proud of me.”

Walking alone

Manasseha Mohammed

“Have you ever been asked by your best friend to spell something and you had to change the topic? Well this has often been my dilemma too many times. I often blamed my parents for this but with my mother working to put food on the table and a father who beats you, who will want to speak to him? I never thought the future would have held so many moments where you would be ashamed when you couldn’t read something.

I never had any major problem at school because we worked in groups. I also learned that whenever you sit among smart people and don’t say anything you too are smart. With this method I came out of school with three passes. I started to work right after leaving school in a factory. Life was cool, there was nothing to read and no one to ask how to spell anything.

Years went by and I got a new job. In this new work place my nightmare became a reality—there was always something to be read. Most times I worked around that but the real problem was that you needed some kind of qualification to get any bigger post in this establishment.

One day I heard about Alta classes on TV. I started classes and I became more confident in trying to read and spell. I still haven’t told my best friend anything about where I go on a Tuesday and Thursday. I hope one day in the future I will be able to help him spell something. Until then I will continue to walk alone.”

More info 

Volunteer, Donate or Sponsor-a-student. Call 624-2582 or email altapos.tt@gmail.com for more info. Keep up to date with Alta on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: Alta TT

Junior Achievement of T&T launched its nationwide JA Leadership Debate Series 2017 last week, which aims to empower young people to realise their full potential.

The debate series, which is open to youths aged 13 to 17 years, will start with preliminary rounds among schools in September, with the grand finals at the National Academy for Performing Arts in Port-of-Spain on November 29.

JA Executive Director, J Errol Lewis, told JA officials, judges, teachers and students who attended the formal launch at Queen’s Hall last Wednesday that the debate series was a “sound and valuable way of bringing value to the classroom”.

“Engaging in these debates will provide fertile ground for our youths to fulfil their true potential. Our intent is to teach our children how to conduct research, how to speak convincingly and how to argue a case and build a proposition. What we aim to do is to present the debate process in T&T,” said Lewis.

The competition is open to schools, youth clubs or similar institutions. Lewis said he hoped it would trigger debating clubs in schools where they do not exist.

The motion for the preliminary rounds is:

“Be it resolved that the education system that currently exists in T&T is sufficient to produce successful 21st century global citizens.”

Subsequent rounds will debate the following motion:

“Be it resolved that happiness is the most important indicator of well-being and success at the level of the individual.”

A massive seven-foot challenge trophy, along with other prizes, will be at stake in the competition. A drawing of the futuristic-looking trophy, designed by Kemal Manickchand, was unveiled at the launch; it will be made of stainless steel, with brass, copper and a diamond head in the design, said Manickchand.

Present at the launch were JA directors, Michael Calendar (Deputy Chairman), retired judge Sebastien Ventour and Nigel Scott. Judges will include Merle Carrington, Annette des Isles, Dominic Kallipersad, Avril Ramchand, Nicola Harvey, Maurice Chevalier and Dominic Smith.

Carrington gave valuable guidelines on effective debating, pointing out that the exercise was an act of engagement and persuasion. “You may find yourselves proposing a position you do not initially support. You must do proper research, engage in refutation and rebuttal. Open up your minds. Other positions may be just as valid. There are no losers in a debate; all are winners. Every participant will learn and develop from this debate series,” Carrington said.

Giving a student’s perspective was Shauntelle Wilson, Upper Six student of St Joseph’s Convent, St Joseph, and formerly Barataria North Secondary, who participated in a previous debate series.

“I benefited immensely when I took part in 2013. While it was very challenging, it helped me build self-esteem and gave me greater confidence in my abilities. It also helped me prepare for the future, academically and socially,” Wilson said.

Avalon Simon, teacher at Queen’s Royal College, said while teachers could be tempted to prepare and write the arguments and let their students present them, that option would defeat the whole purpose of the debating process.

“This exercise is for our students to grow at the end of the process. They must endure the process and grow in confidence and test their abilities,” she advised.

The JA Leadership Debate Series aims to develop critical thinking, the development of research and problem-solving skills, promoting dispute resolution skills among youths, and cultivate a positive cadre of youths to become productive citizens.

The commentaries in this space last week and the week before achieved their aim in starting a national dialogue about the standard of living in this country and the extent to which government's income tax and expenditure policies impact on the quality of life enjoyed by a majority of T&T residents.

Among the more interesting responses to those two commenaries was this one from a retired accountant: "...the low marginal tax rate, the absence of graduated corporation and personal tax rates, the VAT rate (until recently in a politically motivated fudge) remained unchallenged. To add to the above, and in no way to detract from your report, dividends from private companies remained untaxed, the taxation of capital gains is effectively non-existent and the, dare I whisper the words, taxation of estates is not debated."

And this one from a former government minister: "Of course it was well understood that government tax was largely dependent on LNG. Manning understood that clearly. And expressly set about making the state the most powerful agency in TT. That's why he created a plethora of state companies and set out on an expansionary construction programme...."

Also, this one from a columnist with another newspaper: "These polices were reckless and unsustainable-a fact which is being felt now. Subsides harm our economy and industry. They are also really difficult to remove once implemented. These polices did not as you say 'raise our living standard' -they merely created an illusion of prosperity. An illusion that is now crashing down."

In my view, it is very important that the current administration join in this dialogue because of the possibility, or the likelihood, that the government may be required, sometime down the road, to pick and choose those transfers and subsidies it can afford to keep and those that it cannot afford to maintain.

I think both Prime Minister Keith Rowley and Finance Minister Colm Imbert understand that they may be required to have a national dialogue on transfers and subsidies sooner rather than later.

In responding to some questions from the Sunday Guardian, Prime Minister Rowley said: “Unpleasant as it is, we are forced, at this time, to cut our size to fit our cloth,” which appears to be a more serious and direct message than that given by Mr Imbert in concluding his mid-year budget review: "As a responsible government, in these challenging times, we must cut our coat to suit our cloth."

But it is noteworthy that in the very same concluding paragraph of the mid-year budget review, Mr Imbert said: "Barring unforeseen circumstances, we are on course to achieve our fiscal consilidation targets for 2017."

The first clause in that sentence is disturbing because one is not quite sure what our minister of finance means when he speaks about "barring unforeseen circumstances."

Given the fact that, in the first quarter of 2016, oil prices went below US$30 a barrel and the Henry Hub price for natural gas went below US$1.50 per million BTUs, it ought not to be an unforeseen circumstance if the price of T&T's main oil, natural gas and gas-derived exports were to descend to the lows of last year.

In fact, one might argue that prudence should dictate that T&T should be basing its fiscal modeling on the assumption that our export prices could test last year's lows. Or at least the fiscal scenario planning should assume a sharp decline in revenues from the offshore sector, which could cause a further decline in economic activity onshore.

In other words, if the price of our onshore exports were to experience a quite predictable decline from their current levels—the West Text Intermediate and Henry Hub benchmarks averaged US$51 and US$3.10 per mmbtu last month—it is hoped that the Ministry of Finance would have a plan, based on a tested scenario, for dealing with the decline in the country's revenue and foreign exchange inflows.

Part of the scenario planning, one assumes, ought to be interrogating the 2017, or 2018, budget estimates of expenditure with a view to determining which are the transfers and subsidies that may be reduced or eliminated and which are going to be pruned.

An exercise based on the 2017 Estimates of Expenditure would reveal that the government's $56.57 billion in expenditure was allocated as follows:

• Personnel expenditure............................$10.31 bn

• Goods and Services................................$5.71 bn

• Current transfers/subsidies.....................$22.92 bn

• Current transfers to state bodies...............$6.86 bn

• Debt servicing.......................................$8.17 bn

• Development programme........................$2.47 bn

Analysis of T&T's original estimates of expenditure indicate that transfers and subsidies total $29.78 billion, or about 53 per cent of the $56.57 billion it was originally estimated that T&T would spend during the current fiscal year, which ends on September 30.

Earlier in his mid-year review presentation, Mr Imbert said: "It is worth repeating that as a country, we have lost $20 billion in annual revenue since 2014 and US$2.5 billion in annual foreign exchange inflows...This is the reality we now face–how to run an economy accustomed to $57 billion in expenditure on $37 billion in tax revenue!"

If the current administration is serious about cutting the government's size to fit its cloth, the extent of the transfers and subsidies would dictate that that is the category of spending that it should start.

It would seem to be an exercise in prudence for the government to begin communicating to the population that the expectation that transfers and subsidies can continue at close to $30 billion a year has become unrealistic. They cannot.

It is also unrealistic to expect that as a country T&T can get back to a situation where the government collects $58 billion in tax revenues.

Why are we continuing to operate as though this revenue decline is temporary, when rationality dictates that it is not?

If we realised that we now have to work to earn our living—and not just depend on rents from energy—we would do what's necessary now and not wait until our reserves are down to US$3 billion.

The longer we delay the pain, the more difficult it becomes to adjust to it.

So the question becomes: What does the government need to cut to reduce the allocation for transfers and subsidies by $10 billion from $29.7 billion to $19.7 billion. Cutting $10 billion from transfers and subsidies would reduce the country's total expenditure from $56 to $46 billion, which presents a much easier target for financing if the government is going to continue raising $37 billion in tax revenue.

In delivering an address on January 31, 2017, at the formal opening ceremony for NIB’s new corporate headquarters at Queen’s Park Savannah East, Finance Minister Colm Imbert addressed the issue of the NIB’s assets being completely depleted by 2030, if contributions were not increased.

“As such, in order to protect and preserve the National Insurance system, the actuaries recommended that the Government examine the possibility of an increase in the retirement age from age 60 to age 65 over the period 2025 to 2060. While I must stress that no decision has been taken on this matter by the present Government, and it is not current Government policy, it is in my view an important matter that requires careful consideration and discussion, since many other countries have gone this way in order to protect the viability their national pension schemes.”

The finance minister also addressed the performance of the NIB’s investment portfolio, which yielded a return on its investments of less than 2.0 per cent in 2016 and 2.6 per cent in 2015.

He said when compared to the return of the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund, which earned a return of 5.8 per cent in 2016, this level of income is not acceptable.

“This is especially important, since the NIB is now drawing down on its investment fund to pay benefits.

“As Minister of Finance, I therefore intend to actively work with and support the Board in 2017 to see what can be done to assist the NIB to improve its income from investments, including further increasing the limit on individual investments and increasing the limit on overseas investments.”

The National Insurance Board estimates that more than 99,000 pensioners received $1.6 billion in “system” subsidies in its 2016 fiscal year and $10.7 billion in “top ups” in the 13 years between 2003 and 2016, the institution’s executive director Niala Persad-Poliah confirmed on Wednesday.

Persad-Poliah was clarifying remarks made by NIB’s actuarial manager, Feyaad Khan, at a seminar organised by the Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

In expanding on Khan’s comments, Persad-Poliah said: “At the end of fiscal year 2016, only 3,141 pensioners were in receipt of a retirement benefit in excess of $3,000. This was out of a total number of pensioners of 102,454 and thus accounted for approximately three per cent of all pensioners at that time.

“The remaining 97 per cent of pensioners earned a pension below $3,000 when their contribution history was applied to the pension formula. These 99,313 pensioners were then paid a “subsidy” or “top-up” from the system in order to meet the minimum pension requirement.”

The NIB executive director said if the subsidy for fiscal year 2016 was estimated at $1.6 billion and is included in the total long-term benefit expenditure of $4.2 billion, “this means that about 38 per cent of the system’s long-term benefit payments were as a result of “topping-up” 99,313 people who earned less than $3,000.”

She said that this subsidy was “a strong indication of the strain being placed on the system,” a point that was emphasised at the seminar, when it was noted that the NIB’s assets would be exhausted in 13 years if the National Insurance System (NIS) is not reformed.

Already, the NIB says the system’s expenditure exceeded its contributions in the 2013-2014 fiscal year with the NIB being kept afloat by the investment income from its $25.5 billion portfolio. The NIB’s realised investment income in 2016 was $1 billion.

But in his presentation, Khan estimated that the NIB’s total expenditure will exceed its contributions plus its investment income by the 2019-2020 fiscal year, at which point the national insurance provider will start to eat into its investment portfolio’s assets, if the system is not reformed.

Khan also noted that the NIB’s standard $3,000 per month pension represents 115 per cent of T&T’s minimum wage, while the international range is between 40 and 80 per cent of minimum wage of countries.

At the seminar NIB chairman Michael Toney said T&T’s increasingly ageing population has caused the cost of maintaining the National Insurance System (NIS) to balloon over the last 40 years.

Toney pointed out that a society is considered to be aging when at least 10 per cent of its population is over 60 years.

“In the case of T&T, the data indicate that in 1975, 7.5 per cent of the population were over age 60, by mid 2015 it had increased to 13 per cent. It almost doubled. The trend is clear as we are now an ageing society.”

Toney said this trend has impacted on NIB’s finances and he gave figures to show how payments over the last 40 years have jumped.

“In 1977 we were spending $2 million in retirement pensions, by 1987 this figure grew to over $69 million, in 1997 it was approximately $139 million. For the financial year ended June 30 2016, NIB paid approximately $4.2 billion to more than 135,000 long-term beneficiaries,” he said.

A steady rise

Toney said, according to NIB’s most recent actuarial review of the national insurance pension plan, retirement pensioners are projected to steadily increase in the future. For the sustainability of the system it is important to have an increasing number of people of working age and productive employment paying contributions.

He gave statistics to show that right now four working persons’ contributions support the pension of one pensioner.

“Given this aging society trend, it is estimated that in 50 years’ time, one pensioner’s pension will be supported by only one working person. Just think about the burden that will be transferred to future generations and what the typical person will be required to pay in contributions at that time to ensure the relevance of the National Insurance System.”

He said whenever the topic is brought up, people say that it is a worldwide problem.

“We all agree that it is a worldwide problem, but saying so does not solve the problem. It is one that we here in our space have to confront and resolve and we have to face the fundamental question as to the relevance of the NIS as it is presently configured in the light of this ageing population.”

He concluded: “The national insurance is truly national in its reach and affects and will affect everyone as long as we remain in T&T as an employer, an employee and other beneficiaries.”

Toney spoke on Monday at a seminar on pension reform as it relates to the NIS at the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Westmoorings.

According to information provided by Khan, the executive manager, actuarial services, NIB, “the old pension is $3,000 which represents 115 percent of the minimum wage; 97 per cent of existing pensioners receive a subsidy and the cost borne by employees and employers is 13.2 per cent vs 8.5 per cent.

Pensions in the economy

Economist Dr Ronald Ramkissoon—who spoke on the topic of the economic rationale for pension reform at the seminar—said pensions are important part of the social infrastructure of any modern economy.

“If we were to distinguish between a developing economy and a developed ones, then we would see how pensions in the developed world work.”

He said pensions help what economists call “consumption smoothing.”

“In effect, what this model seeks to do is to transfer consumption from the working age to your retirement years. Secondly, pension surplus insurance covers when people get ill, accidents, pregnancies and so on. So insurance manages uncertainties. Once there are uncertainties then pensions help mitigate some of the risks,” he said.

Ramkissoon added that pensions also help with income distribution as pensions can help to provide a supplementary income. Pensions also help with poverty alleviation as it provides social assistance and it can also encourage savings which spurs growth and development.

“So if pensions are important then it is important to ensure that the existing system is fit for its purpose. A pension system must be able to meet the objectives. We live in a dynamic world and must examine the existing pension system ever so often to ensure that the funds are appropriate.”

He also said that the national pension system should be outside of the reach of politicians so that ad hoc, economically ill advised decisions will not be made.

“We need to pay attention to reforms of automatic adjustments to ensure that we have a sustainable pension system.”

He referred to the conclusion of the 2013 actuarial review of the pension system which showed that the financial situation of the NIS has deteriorated.

“The general average premium of the scheme has increased from 17.6 to 23.8. On that account, major actions must be taken in order to restore the financial health of the system. The report also sees a marginal increase in the population decline in the future. This has an adverse impact on the labour force and the number of persons of pensionable age will grow.”

Ramkissoon described the findings of the 2013 actuarial review as “serious.”

“The fact that income from the mainstay of the economy, oil and gas have declined considerably means that our system needs to be reformed as quickly as possible. I agree that an adjustment should be made from age 60 to 65 for the retirement age. The truth is the situation at the present time is bad as the state of the NIS has come under increasing pressure. If nothing is done then the level of taxation is likely to be much higher as future adjustments are made, or people might get lower benefits when they are older,” he said.

He said pension reform must be considered as part of a cultural shift.

“There are too many that are unaware as to the importance of pensions and education should be made a priority by all relevant agencies. Can reforms of the system stimulate economic growth as in the case of some countries? Chile is one country that is very popular,” he said.

Ageing population costs

Mariano Browne, a former Finance Minister who also spoke at the seminar, said although T&T has an ageing population, no one has asked the question: what is the government’s capacity to maintain public healthcare?

He said government expenditure on healthcare is 5.9 per cent and if there is an aging population, it can be expected this figure spent on health to double in the next 20 years.

“If this is taking place and the level of healthcare is expected to increase then look at a hospital that is still to be opened. The country does not have staff and the income to fund it. The reality is in terms of recurrent expenditure we must talk of priorities and how we will allocate it. What are we not going to spend money on, to move money into healthcare.”

He said the problem is the government and their policy of budgeting for only one year is “putting the country in problems.”

He argues that budgeting should take a longer-term approach.

Browne like Ramkissoon believes that decisions to reform the pension system must be taken out of the hands of politicians.

“We should thank the founding fathers for putting into the legislation an actuarial review into the NIB. Because we are kicking the can down the road with the NIB and we are not making the necessary adjustments,” he said.