Daynte Stewart can consider himself fortunate to have been born to two former volleyball players. His father Daymian has also served as an administrator with the T&T Volleyball Federation (TTVF) for over 20 years, holding the position of president for five years.

So at seventeen, the graduate of El Dorado East Secondary School is literally born into the sport and garnered a lifetime of knowledge and experience.

“I guess it is a big advantage because I have a lot of people who I can consider as family to give me any help I need in terms of technique or learning something,” he told Guardian Media Sports when asked about growing up in a volleyball environment.

The Arouca native added, “Learning different ways people play, and soaking it all in from all of those players have helped me as I try to become the best version of all of them. I want to the be the best, the number one player in T&T in both indoor and beach volleyball.”

Stewart who plays the outside position, admits that beach volleyball is his main focus these days and he is eyeing a spot on T&T’s Commonwealth Games team for next year’s event in Australia.

Currently ranked jointly at number-two in the country via the TTVF’s National League points system, Stewart is second only to Daneil Williams whom he has coincidentally partnered for the past three months. The two recently won the Barbados Independence Invitational Games which was Stewart’s first foray on the senior international stage having represented T&T at multiple age group levels.

The resident of Cunupia said, “It opened my eyes a lot, getting to play at a high level. It has been a good experience so far (playing with Daneil). He has guided me and showed me the ropes, but I still have a lot to learn form him so I’m just trying to soak up as much as I can.”

With volleyball riding a wave of recent success, Stewart is eager to carve his space in history. And as the sport’s popularity grows he said his pending emergence on the scene is perfect timing.

Separated by a mere 6.8 miles of Atlantic Ocean and, if told through geography, once presumed to be one country, the relationship between T&T and Venezuela has long been a bit of an oddity.

That two countries could be so close to each other physically, and yet so different politically, economically, culturally and socially speaks volumes in itself. That said, and with the fullness of context and circumstances in view, the following statement is worthy of consideration: at no point in time in the collective histories of T&T and Venezuela have both countries perhaps needed each other more.

To say that the situation in Venezuela is desperate would be a bit of an understatement. Food shortages (imports have declined by 80 per cent in the past five years), electricity rationing, hyper-inflation (at 1000 per cent year-on-year) and protest after protest (more than 125 people have died as a result of ongoing clashes in 2017 alone) have all, at one time or another, punctuated a country in the throes of the sharp decline of energy commodity prices.

Add to this the country’s total debt load of some US$140 billion, dwindling foreign exchange reserves, throw in a few US sanctions, and one gets a reasonably solid understanding of a country teetering on the edge of survival. It should thus come as no real mystery to grasp the exodus of many Venezuelan nationals fleeing their homeland and heading to T&T in search of opportunity and betterment.

But while many see Venezuela as a hemispheric basket case, and in spite of all its shortcomings, the Nicolas Maduro-led country possesses an asset that T&T desperately needs at this time: gas—and lots of it.

In fact, the country has the world’s largest conventional oil reserves, and ranks eighth in the world in terms of its gas reserves. It is this singular resource that provides the nexus around which the relationship between the Bolivarians and Trinbagonians hinges, and will continue to evolve.

Put differently, T&T needs Venezuelan gas to offset the long-standing curtailment issues that have stymied operations of both the LNG and petrochemicals sector in Point Fortin and Pt Lisas, and the Venezuelans need the cash associated with monetising their hydrocarbon resources. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that on both sides of the ocean, feverish activity is underway to iron out issues that constrain the progress of the relationship at the commercial level.

The major players involved (NGC, energy powerhouse Shell, and Venezuela’s PDVSA) clearly understand the opportunities for collective gain all around. If all goes as envisioned, it is expected that as early as 2019, first gas from Venezuela’s Dragon field could make landfall in T&T—supplying roughly 150 million standard cubic feet of gas per day at the start.

With additional supply expected to come on stream from the cross-border Loran Manatee field in 2022 and deals signed for gas from the Venezuelan fields in the Mariscal Sucre region, the long-term commercial outlook for both countries appears promising.

While the economics of the gas-sharing arrangements makes sense, the politics of it is another issue altogether. Venezuela’s socialist governance structure and history of political turmoil has been the proverbial thorn in the side of many a commercial venture in the country.

In 2007, for example, when oil prices were on the rise, the then Hugo Chavez-led government sought more revenue as billions of dollars of investments in technology and infrastructure made by international oil companies such as Total, ExxonMobil, BP and Statoil began to pay off. Venezuela demanded changes to agreements made by international oil companies that would give its state-run PDVSA majority control of projects.

Many acquiesced, but Exxon and ConocoPhillips refused and, as a result, their assets were expropriated. (A World Bank arbitration tribunal has ruled against Venezuela in both expropriation cases, but the country continues to appeal the decision).

Though the overtures coming from the Maduro administration seem to signify a more “business-friendly” stance, the fraught political system in Venezuela provides a sobering reality check about the potential for things going wrong in any deals made with Caracas.

Crisis has a way of unifying purpose, and though the scale and scope vary, both T&T and Venezuela are battling their own predicaments.

Working together in the trenches, however, is often quite different from working together when things get better.

Although it would appear that the local real estate industry was on an accelerated disruption curve over the last couple years, experts have warned that it may not improve any time soon as underscored by rapid changes in tenant dynamics, customer demographic shifts and the ever-increasing demand for improved service delivery and amenities.

Real estate developer and businessman, Joseph Rahael confirmed, “There has certainly been a general reduction in the demand for all rental spaces in the warehousing sector, the office sector and the retail sector.”

He added, “That has been existing now for the past couple of years and has not improved recently.”

Pressed to say if the situation might improve anytime soon, Rahael who heads Amera Caribbean Ltd replied, “It would depend on the economy. If it rebounds and if there is an uptick in economic and commercial activity, then clearly the demand for rental spaces in all categories will improve.”

He continued, “Eventually, you will see the demand start catching up to the supply on the market and you will start seeing a greater absorption of space in the market-place. One usually follows the other.”

Formally defined as property that is used solely for business purposes and are leased out to provide a workspace rather than a living space, commercial real estate can range from a single gas station to a huge shopping centre, and extends to include retailers wanting to operate offices, hotels, strip malls, restaurants, convenience stores and boutiques.

Rahael said while there were various reasons for businesses having closed their doors in the recent past, he stressed that not all closures were related to the current economic downturn.

Focusing on the impact the state of the economy has had on the business community, Rahael said, “As a result, businesses are experiencing lower sales and reduced economic and commercial activity. It’s a situation where sales are down and profits are down, and that is obviously impacting on a business’s ability to pay rent, pay staff and generally conduct business. “

He added, “There is an impact on the economy and businesses across the board, and it’s no secret, it is well known to everyone.”

In the “office” sector, Rahael said, “The office rental market has been very soft on the demand side for quite some time. There has been very little, if any, new demand for office space so you would find anyone who has space available for rent would have a tough time in getting that space rented at the moment. This is because the demand is so low.”

He said there was no evidence to suggest an over-abundant supply of office space although new buildings had been constructed—mainly by private individuals—for this purpose.

Rahael added, “But the lack of demand coupled with the supply on the market has created a gap in the equilibrium and therefore, there are some empty spaces.”

He said people would continue to see the For Rent signs for quite a while as this availability was not being absorbed as quickly as it previously might have been.

On the retail side, Rahael said, “This sector is usually more resilient to economic downturn than the office market and that’s because in the retail environment, it’s a combination of mom-and-pop stores and national chains.”

He said national chains are equipped to better withstand an economic decline as opposed to the mom-and-pop outfits as they, “Try and ride out the economic downturn for as long as possible as they won’t necessarily give up their place as it is likely that long-term leases are in place.”

He said this is similar to the mom-and-pop operations, as they too would rally to hold on as long as possible.

Rahael revealed, “In the retail sector, although business is down as a result of the economic downturn, there has been less fall-out here compared to the office sector.”

“However, that’s not to say there hasn’t been any fall-out in the retail sector because, in fact, there has been some, and that is as a result of some tenants having no choice but to close down.”

He said one of the main issues which remained a major set-back for many businesses was the lack of foreign exchange, which had led to the premature closure of several operations.

Rahael said some closures were not directly linked to the economic decline as some businesses closed for other reasons such as changing consumer patterns, career mobility, demographics and because it had proven to be an unsuccessful business model.

For those now entering the market through the provision of new commercial rental space, Rahael was cautiously optimistic as he said, “You are still getting some absorption but it is not as quickly as it used to be.

Before, if someone was building a small strip-centre or a new mall, that would have been rented within a six- to eight-month period. Now, it might take a year and a half or so, to get it fully rented.”
Asked to offer suggestions on growing the sector, Rahael said investors and developers needed to be mindful of the type of property they wanted to build or buy moving forward.

He explained, “In an economy where the tenant demand is shrinking, you have to be very careful about the amount and type of space you put into the market.”

Rahael cautioned potential investors, “Be wary of the time-frame associated with how long your development might remain vacant until it is rented.”

He urged individuals to be mindful of all the factors involved before building or buying a property.

To landlords, he said, “You have to look for creative ways to be get your premises rented, whether offering tenants an extra month or two rent-free so they can do outfitting, or offer tenants enticements to come into the space.”

Unable to provide official statistics, Rahael said, “Landlords may prefer to lower the rent of an existing tenant rather than lose that tenant and not be able to rent the space.”

He said landlords would have accessed loans in order to develop the commercial space and that it was not always simple or feasible to reduce the rental income as they, too, had financial obligations to honour.

HCL softens rental arrangements

Confirming the negative impact the economic decline had left on larger property developers, chief executive officer, HCL Group of Companies, Richard Le Blanc said, “It’s obvious T&T is in a recession.”

Refusing to sugar-coat its effect, Le Blanc admitted, “I would agree over the last year or two, we have actually seen a rise in vacancies that were not expected and are, in fact, out of the norm.”

However, Le Blanc said they could not afford to ignore the fact that more commercial properties had been built over the last couple of years.

“Yes, there is an economic downturn but we can’t underscore the fact that in Port-of-Spain, new office buildings have been erected along with new shopping malls in San Fernando, Arima and Maraval too.”

Le Blanc said along with the economic downturn supply was also increasing.

He, too, advised people to look at the picture in a holistic manner because there were solutions to keep the industry alive.

He claimed, “To sit down and just merely place the vacancy rate squarely on the shoulders of recession, I think it might be a little bit unfair as there are also other factors at play.”

In addition to One Plaza located at One Woodbrook Place, St James, HCL owns and operates two of the country’s largest and most popular malls: Long Circular Mall and Trincity Mall.

Asked to recommend possible strategies on how to help the sector grow, Le Blanc said, “Some of the key strategies to help the sector grow would involve the undertaking of modern approaches to the development of commercial space.”

He defined modern approaches as those referred to the principles enshrined in the concept of sustained development, as he cited office buildings being developed along ‘green lines.’

“The benefits of adopting such a modern development programme will allow for profitable growth for the developer, while at the same time improving the quality of life and service to the user.”

Le Blanc said employees, retailers and shoppers would all benefit from such a move.

He argued that the impact of technological advancements was also affecting the industry.

“In addition, technology has also impacted the property industry as it has done so many other industries. We have seen the increase in online shopping affect brick-and-mortar shops negatively. Office space is no longer the traditional office buildings we are accustomed to as technology has allowed for initiatives such as hot-desking and work-at-home-employees.”

Pointing to the pioneering moves abroad in which cars were becoming driver-less, Le Blanc urged individuals to be mindful of the role technology had assumed.

He declared, “T&T continues to be in a state of flux. Obviously we are going through some level of structural change but, at the end of the day, we still operate in a free market system so going forward, if the demand is falling and the supply is increasing, then it stands to reason that rental prices ought to fall to reflect these changes.”

Le Blanc posited, “I would think that once the time-lag has passed, that rental rates may very well fall.”

He said as landlords, they always had to evaluate why there is a failure with regards to an unsuccessful tenant.

Le Blanc surmised that some tenants may be experiencing difficulties not remotely linked to the economic downturn, which made it doubly important for them to ensure proper assessments were carried out in respect of each situation that occurred.

“Any incentive we may offer at this juncture if they are in that position, will not make a difference so it is not a simple and clear-cut case of merely giving incentives during these times.”

However, he emphasised, “We are cognizant that there is an economic downturn, there is greater supply on the market and therefore, our actions are a little bit softer than it used to be in the past.”

Le Blanc said “softer” encompassed rental rates and the outfitting periods offered to tenants.

Le Blanc said there was one defining characteristic which had set real estate apart from other industries, “Usually, when people are involved in a real estate transaction, they are locked into a lease and it would last a specific numbers of years.

“So there is a time-lag between renewing the lease and what goes on between. Also, you can start a project in a down period and, by the time you are done, we have entered another up period as some takes years to complete.”

Regarding the concessions HCL has introduced to help their tenants navigate this trying time, Le Blanc said while people were always happy to receive the benefits, “we continue to monitor the situation and look at what is happening in T&T, and we will act accordingly.”

Reflecting on his own position as a real estate executive, Le Blanc suggested an approach which he felt most appropriate given the present circumstances.

He said: “We have to be a lot tighter in terms of how we spend money, what we spend money on and that has to be combined with a more accommodating approach towards our customers. We have to look at our customers and their business models and sometimes as landlords, we actually have to go out and help our customers make a success of business because once they are successful, we become successful as landlords.”

Banking sector confirms sector is static

Echoing similar sentiments as Rahael and Le Blanc, a senior banking official said, “On the basis of what I am seeing in our sector, at best it is static but definitely on the decline both in terms of occupancy and rates.”

Pressed to say what trends they had observed in the last two years, “The commercial sector as described by the Central Bank has been in decline for the past two years and based on initial numbers will continue in 2017.”

Asked about the possible causes for the slow down, he explained, “Government, who was one of the main commercial users is currently rationalising its rental programme and consolidating such as the Government Campus, which means there is now an overstock of both commercial and housing for rent stock as a result of the significant decline in foreign direct investment and the sluggish economic prevailing conditions.”

Weighing in on what steps could be taken to stimulate the market, the banking expert suggested, “For one, pricing per square foot will have to come down as you will not be able to get the rates as previously existed in the market.”

He stressed, “The pricing will have to change, perhaps to one flat rate instead of rent and facilities and more lease-to-own type arrangements and longer tenors to be more cost effective.”

AREA urges landlords to be ‘fair and flexible’

According to the Association of Real Estate Agents (AREA), “The commercial rental market is currently very quiet with various types of inventory available and unrented for between 12 and 18 months.”

Officials said this included both older properties that have been vacated within the last 18 months, as well as new buildings that may have been completed during the economic downturn where tenants are asked to pay higher prices.

Regarding the economic outlook for T&T, AREA said: “We have seen businesses downsizing or rethinking any type of expansion or relocation plans in efforts to save money and weather the slow down in business activity in their various sectors.”

They reasoned, “The acquisition and occupying of new space or premises carries costs which can sometimes be substantial and prudent business practice has seen a hold on any capital expenditure from businesses as they navigate the way forward as the local economy transitions through to the new normal set by lowered oil prices and reduced government spending.”

Like the banking sector, AREA urged property owners/developers to consider reducing rental rates being implemented.

They said, “While property owners need to rent their commercial space to generate the returns on their real estate investment, most need to now reconsider the price per square foot they are asking for their space.”

“With high inventory and limited interest, lower rates would potentially attract businesses looking for quality space at more affordable rates.”

They warned, “Owners that chose to hold out for their asking price may lose multiple opportunities of maybe as much as 90 per cent of the asking rental price income when not willing to negotiate.

“A discounted rent could equate to less than one month rent but the owner could lose many months of rent while waiting on their asking price. Basically, owners need to be flexible at this time.”

The Inter American Development Bank’s (IDB) sponsorship of the Startup Weekend is indicative of its support to develop entrepreneurship in the country.

Carina Cockburn, chief of operations at the Inter-American Development Bank, said last Thursday that they view Startup Weekend as a perfect opportunity to encourage individuals to partner with organisations to solve challenges that affect everyone.

Startup Weekend was held from November 24 to November 26 with attendees bringing their best ideas to inspire others to join their team.

On Saturday and Sunday, teams focused on customer development, validating their ideas, and building a minimal viable product with the help of various mentors.

On Sunday evening, teams demoed their prototypes to a panel of judges and received valuable feedback about their business idea.

Launch Rockit is the local organiser for the global bi-annual event.

This is the 8th Startup Weekend held in T&T, with events being held in over 150 countries around the world.

Cockburn added that the IDB’s initiative is also aligned with the Government’s ongoing effort to develop an entrepreneurial culture in T&T.

“Through this partnership with Launch Rockit, not only will participants have a space for their ideas to be nurtured and flourish, they will also be provided the opportunity to overcome a stumbling block that keeps so many good ideas from coming to fruition—access to finance.”

Cockburn also added that they hope that this event enables and empowers persons to go beyond identifying problems to solving them, and that it will help cultivate a solution-oriented culture where the citizens see these challenges as opportunities.

“When it comes to improving lives, we recognise that everyone has a part to play and we are 100 percent committed to making our contribution and collaborating closely with other stakeholders,” she said.

Local organiser

Gerard Thomas, CEO of Launch RockIt, described the event as a weekend business bootcamp where like-minded individuals (anyone who is interested in turning an idea into a business) come together to share ideas, form teams and turn real ideas into businesses.

He said the theme for this year’s event was National Solutions Driven by Citizens’ Ideas.

“We asked citizens who have ideas that can improve education, tourism, culture, housing, security, community, health, transport, agriculture or any public sector across T&T, to attend to pitch and build their idea in one weekend. After Startup Weekend, winners will get training to help strengthen their pitches and pilot their ideas, and have a chance to receive funding up to US $10,000, through the support of the Inter

American Development Bank and Launch RockIt.”

He said Startup Weekend is for anyone, at any age, and with any skillset willing to participate with the only requirement being that participants’ ideas must be able to improve the lives of others and the country.

1. In 2016, the TTSE witnessed a decline in total trades and total value relative to 2015. No doubt much of this could be attributed to the prevailing economic climate and decline in listings on the exchange. With 2017 coming to an end, what has been the overall level of activity on the exchange this year relative to 2016?

Our main thrust at the TTSE is market development. We have been very pleased to host some major listings in recent years.

In our market, investors tend to hold on to their investments, whether listed or private placement, mainly due to challenges in finding alternatives. Therefore, market tends to revert to its average trend in activity when there are no new issues. This led to trading activity in 2016 that was lower when compared to the flurry of activity with the $1.5 billion TTNGL Initial Public Offering in 2015.

In 2017, we were pleased to host additional offerings from TTNGL and from First Citizens. These types of sizeable listings of profitable companies are a boon to the economy in many ways as investors get opportunities for investing for their future.

This can be for their retirement or investing for the benefit of their family, as institutional investors like our NIB and pension plans are able to deploy cash that too often remains un-invested. This can result in possible shortfalls for future liabilities and as government finds a mechanism to meet its funding requirements and streamlines its involvement in commercial entities.

Thus far, in 2017 trading activity remains robust with total activity to date at $1.03 billion, just 11 per cent lower than activity for all of 2016.

There has been a decline in market values as investors price in the effect of what has been decreasing profits in some listed companies. Also, the index has been buoyed by the upward momentum in cross-listed shares as the T&T market remains an excellent location for regional entities who aim for multiple listings. We see this period as part of a cyclical pattern and continue to work assiduously to encourage the signs of growing interest in the stock market, both from the investor side and from entities interested in raising capital.

2. There are three major exchanges in the Caribbean: T&T, Jamaica, and Barbados. What is the communication/collaboration like—if any—across these exchanges and are there any plans to move to a regional stock exchange?

Regional trading is an objective that makes sense for the JSE, BSE and TTSE and we see this as a real possibility. We have considered the harmonisation of activity whereby traders from any of the three jurisdictions may trade in any other. This has come up in discussions as something the three of us (stock exchanges) see as a viable goal.

We have regular communication and recently completed the joint implementation of a new trading platform and host infrastructure which was only possible through ongoing and open collaboration.

I am very pleased with the level of communication and co-operation that has been taking place throughout the experience and in discussions on other upcoming initiatives.

3. Many people in T&T lack an understanding of how the stock exchange operates. What sort of activity has the exchange embarked on to sensitise the public about the workings of the stock exchange and potential benefits for them?

It is very important that potential investors understand the basics of the stock market, the characteristics of traded shares and the process for investing.

Institutional investors such as pension plans and mutual funds understand the market as it is their area of focus and expertise.

Smaller investors need to build their knowledge and the most successful individual investors are the ones who have an understanding of how different news may affect the market particular stocks and, of course, continually inform themselves about the companies in which they invest.

We have been conducting various outreach initiatives whereby we present information on the stock market and investing to audiences such as schools, university students, groups of employees etc.\

For the year, we have completed four such programmes and we have found the response very appreciative and engaging.

We have also partnered with the T&T Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to sponsor prizes and provide support for various competitions which are geared towards building this knowledge and again we find the response reflective of a very excited and interested public of young investors.

4. The local stock exchange is perceived as being “illiquid”.

How is this perception being addressed and what sort of initiatives are being undertaken to drive more activity/listings on the exchange?

We have been taking a multi-pronged approach.

1. Raising awareness of the benefits of listing: increasing our one-on-one marketing outreach and maintaining a close collaboration with potential issuers and their advisers.

A major added benefit available to small- and medium-sized businesses is access to a much lower tax rate if listed on the stock exchange. Such an opportunity is ideal for the company that wishes to raise capital whether for expansion or for reorganising ownership in a long standing family business. This has established a trend of profitability.

Such a company can avail itself of a tax rate of 10 per cent instead of 25 or 30 per cent for a period of five years, in addition to the benefits of raising capital.

2. As part of our market development thrust, we also wish to increase the avenues for trading, looking into online trading which we see as necessary for the current and moreso the upcoming investing public, as well as broadening the scope of products available.

3. We have been placing focus on our regulatory activities ensuring that transparency in trading activity may be more and more visible. Our current board of directors initiated measures to increase transparency in trading activities and our chairman, and vice chairman, with the support executive management, are working with the existing rules and the SEC to allow less room for scepticism about the way trading is conducted.

Online trading, efficiency in order execution and closer collaboration with stockbrokers and securities dealers are measures being implemented to increase activity.

5. Technology has made trading on international exchanges more accessible to wider audiences. Has the TTSE explored replicating any of these technological platforms to facilitate trading in T&T?

Making the process of trading easier for investors is of great importance to us and, with the scope allowed by our new trading system recently implemented, we see online trading as a real possibility in the near future.

While investors will always need a broker as a conduit and support in conducting trades, the benefits of online trading are clearly of great value to the average person who now expects more autonomy, allowing them to conduct most transactions at their personal computer or on their mobile device.

Progress in technology has already allowed us to offer investors greater scope, one example being custody of international assets through our subsidiary the T&T Central Depository (TTCD) in partnership with international custodian Euroclear, allowing investors to use their local brokers for purchasing international assets which can be held in custody through TTCD.

With such an arrangement whereby a local entity provides custody facilities within our market, there is no need to lodge foreign assets elsewhere.

This arrangement is also opportune for investors now exploring the international securities market where there may be challenges in opening foreign brokerage accounts.

ANDRE WORRELL
Deputy Head of News-Business
 

Officials from the government of T&T and Shell are to travel to Caracas today, hoping to resolve several issues that are preventing the development of the massive 10 trillion cubic feet (TCF) Loran/Manatee cross-border gas field.

At the heart of the challenge is the signing of what is called the Unitisation and Unit Operator Agreement (UUOA).

This is an agreement amongst Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron and PDVSA which will determine how much each company invests in the project and how the gas is shared amongst the companies when it is produced.

The agreement has to be approved by both the governments of T&T and Venezuela.

When the two governments last met in Port-of-Spain they raised more than a dozen concerns they had over the UUOA proposed by the companies.

One of the major sources of disagreement is the length of time that the companies are asking between the sign-off on the UUOA and they having to produce a development plan.

Under the treaty between the two governments, upon the signing of the UUOA the consortium has 90 days in which to produce a development plan that outlines the time frame that they expect first gas, the size of the investment, where the platforms are to be placed and how many wells will be drilled to produce the gas.

However the companies are asking for as much as one and a half years to produce the development plan.

Highly placed sources say this is unacceptable to both the Venezuelans and the T&T government.

Venezuela is anxious to get the project going as a source of additional revenue and T&T also desperately needs the gas to sure up its supply to Atlantic LNG and downstream companies.

The Guardian Business and Money has learnt that Chevron has argued that it has spent a lot of money up front on the project without a UUOA in place and has not been able to recover that money from Shell and PDVSA and was not prepared to spend more money until it can get the UUOA in place which would then set a clear mechanism for cost allocation.

Sources say that Royal Dutch Shell has raised concerns about the termination clause in the treaty and the ability of either the governments of T&T or Venezuela to walk away from the agreement.

It is understood that this is a particular concern because of what has happened in the past in the Bolivarian Republic in which the government walked away from agreements and also took away acreage from international companies.

Business and Money was told that the T&T government has sought to reassure the parties that there are sufficient safeguards in the agreement; pointing to the treaty itself which says even if there is a termination of the treaty both countries will fulfill its continuing obligation.

The treaty reads, “upon termination of this treaty the parties undertake to fulfill any continuing obligation which may have been assumed pursuant to this treaty or any related agreement, unless otherwise agreed by the parties.”

The companies are also concerned about the mechanisms of the rebalancing of the gas. In other words while the technical studies show that 2.7 tcf is on the Trinidad side and 7.3 tcf on the Venezuela side, there may be a possibility that when they start producing the gas more pressure may be on one side or another and that can impact how much gas and money goes to each company and each government.

But Venezuela and T&T have argued that this is catered for in the treaty which identifies a set number of times that you can have rebalancing and says if it is to be done there must first be compelling evidence that the resources are different from what was initially thought to exist and cannot be triggered on the whims and fancy of either government.

Loran/Manatee is considered a monster gas field by global standards and the gas is expected to be sent to T&T for processing.

The governments want the negotiations to conclude by the end of the year.

Not so long ago, the formula for selling newspapers was pretty straight-forward: cover the story, get the copy, ensure you have your ads and sell like if your byline depended on it.

How times have changed.

Modern technology has changed the rules and revolutionised how news is covered, consumed and disseminated. Not only is the formula changing but the model for survival is no longer a cookie-cutter approach. What will happen pivots in part on whether the news industry can move into the more lucrative areas of digital advertising, particularly using consumer data to target ads, persuading major legacy advertisers to also advertise online and moving into new revenue streams.

At last year’s business media luncheon, we focused on the Rise of Digital Media and its Impact on Mainstream Journalism which gave an insight into how quickly the digital media landscape is changing.

This year, Rethinking Media Business Models: Navigating the New Abnormal is appropriate because there is nothing normal about today’s news landscape. You have citizens taking to social media to cover the news themselves, fake news, declining revenues, reduced staff, on-line news and mobile streams competing with traditional media. It’s a minefield to navigate.

A study of advertising in US news by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism finds that, currently, even the top news websites in the US have had little success getting advertisers from traditional platforms to move online.

The digital advertising they do get appears to be standard ads that are available across many websites. And with only a handful of exceptions, the ads on news sites tend not to be targeted based on the interests of users, the strategy that many experts consider key to the future of digital revenue.

Overall, the analysis finds that while news organisations have tried to persuade their advertisers to buy space across multiple platforms, there was little evidence that they had succeeded. The kinds of products and services being advertised online were quite different from legacy platforms. So where does that leave us?

The fact is media houses are grappling with the reality that they either adapt, evolve or face extinction. One thing is certain, there is no magic digital carpet to ride.

Like it or not, digital and social media transformed the way journalists work.

There is no denying the speed, immediacy, consumption and audience reach which digital and social media are driving. But the idea that traditional newspapers or the traditional mission of newspapers is becoming archaic is incorrect.

What does all this mean for our mainstream media? You still need to manage costs, grow revenue and profits, and deliver and package content that keeps your audience engaged. And all this while maintaining your credibility.

Never before in human history has so much information been available to so many people, so quickly.

People crave information, it is human nature and our democracy thrives on it. But it’s fair to ask what kind of information. What role will media play in its dissemination? Can legacy media adapt so that legacy doesn’t come to mean extinct?

KARRIAN HEPBURN
Chief customer relationship officer,
Unit Trust Corporation

After the successful hosting of Danielle Boodoo-Fortune’s Inspirited and AJ Rogers with Impression, Uncorked Wines and Spirits Limited, in collaboration with The Fashion Arch Gallery, continues its local art exhibition series at Uncorked, located on Tragarete Road, Port-of-Spain.

To wrap up its installations for 2017, Uncorked is introducing a collection of art pieces by artist Sheldon Martin Warner from past exhibitions and new pieces that include acrylic on canvas, miniature canvas pieces, limited prints and hand painted tableware (glasses and tea sets). The exhibition is titled BELIEVE.

Sheldon M Warner is the artist and textile surface designer behind the brand SM Warner: artwithattitude. His philosophy revolves around creating an offering that is unique and reflective of craftsmanship. The emphasis, therefore, is on the conceptualisation and creation of original art in the form of wearable art, acrylic on canvas, fabric, pottery and glassware. The brand is a true representation of an artistic lifestyle experience.

A former student of Queen’s Royal College, Warner was taught art by well-known artist Jackie Hinkson. He is a member of the Art Society of T&T and has participated in the Society’s annual exhibitions. He has also hosted solo exhibitions - Finally (2009); A Gift of Colour (2010); Me…You…We. All One (2015); and, All One (2016).

Warner is inspired by the vibes of the Caribbean people. “The way we walk, the way we dance, the way we move, even our motion when we talk. That flow...that feel...that colour,” said the artist.
“Life is truly a journey, sometimes filled with challenges as we go along our way,” he added. “No matter how difficult it may get we have to remain focus on our dream. Live in the moment. Through it all...BELIEVE.”

On the fashion scene SM Warner has shown collections at various fashion weeks – Barbados Fashion Week (2011); San Fernando Fashion Week (2012 and 2013); Red Runway (2013 and 2014); Styleweek POS (2014); and, UWI Instyle (2017).

BELIEVE opens tomorrow, at 6 pm to 9 pm, and runs until December 22, during the hours of 10 am–6 pm from Monday to Friday, and 10 am–4 pm on Saturdays. For more information please email ain@thefashionarch.com or leiseldouglas@gmail.com

Uncorked is committed to exposing and supporting the local art fraternity and bring awareness to these talents to its clients and the general public while The Fashion Arch Gallery is the event arm of the branding consultancy. The Fashion Arch aims to create a space where creativity is highlighted and promoted, a home for local and regional fashion, art and culture.

The reason for the season of Christmas will be presented on December 9-10 when the T&T Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (TTYP) stages Christmas: Wonder of His Glorious Majesty. With a cast of almost 200, and having hosted the first locally sold out performances at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (Napa), TTYP, with Music Director Kenneth Listhrop, will again return to Napa to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. The December 9 show begins at 7.30 pm with its December 10 reprise starting at 5.30 pm.

Guests include the children’s choir Voices of The University School (VOUS) and TTYP’s resident chorale - the Euangelion Singers and Band.

The wide repertoire will feature some of the most delightful Christmas classics, immortalised by the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Andrea Bocelli; and, Contemporary Gospel, as well as a bit of “Symphonic Parang”. This repertoire is arranged and transcribed by Listhrop, all heralding the glad tidings of great joy to all people.

TTYP conducts year-round school and community programmes which include St George’s College, Barataria; Bishop Anstey High School East/Trinity College East, Trincity; The University School, St Augustine; St Theresa’s Girls’ RC Primary School, Woodbrook; and, the Arima West Government Primary School.

DVDs of past performances including Timeless Classics - Love Unlimited, Tribute to Barry White (1944-2003) and Hearts Afire - Tribute to Maurice White (1941-2016) will be on sale.

TTYP has thrown out an invite to the nation’s music teachers, and their students, all primary and secondary schools, churches, and the general public to support our youth as it ventures to build the nation’s own orchestral tradition.

Part proceeds are in aid of TTYP’s property fund and for more information refer to TTYP WhatsApp: 736-1763 Email: boxoffice@sacottyp.org or info@sacottyp.org

The Parang Soca season brings with it a feeling of true happiness in T&T. Tony Prescott, a man some would call a “young veteran” on the Caribbean’s music circuit, is once again delivering, adding to the season’s nostalgia in a way that only few have been able to contribute effectively.

His new Parang Soca track, Coming Home is one of a few tracks on the Christmas Vibe Volume 3 riddim and while in T&T there seems to be an unspoken overriding of the Christmas season when it comes to music, as the carnival vibe seemingly takes central focus, Prescott says this cannot be allowed to happen.

“This song’s been getting a lot of love since its release,” said Prescott. “I guess it depends on the radio stations you listen to. There are some stations that switched their programming to completely accommodate the Christmas lovers but some of the urban stations kind of wait till the month of December so we’re still hearing dancehall, rap and hip hop, mixed in with the new soca music that’s being released.”

Prescott is a radio personality too, so he understands the programming dilemma, but anticipates that airplay will be given to the song he co-wrote with Daniel Spyro. He is in the least bit bothered by the short time period between Christmas and Carnival 2018 though, in fact, he’s well prepared. He’s recorded two Carnival 2018 singles—the first release called Energy on the Mansa Musa riddim, which was produced by Jesse John of Optimus Productions TT. Benjai is also featured on the riddim with a track called License.

“We’re taking on the season ahead with nothing but positive energy and good vibes,” said Prescott. Life imitates art and so with that understanding, the artiste who’s best known for the boat ride anthem, All Aboard, which remains a party classic, is delving into the carnival season with a positive attitude. “I have another single called, Oil Drum, which was written by Asten Isaac and I know the people will love it. I anticipate that the pan men would pick it up to, but we’ll have to wait and see.”

Prescott’s musical ambitions remain intact. He passionately creates and wants his music to always be a true reflection of his positive spirit. “We’re not about bringing any negative energy into the year ahead, so I just want everyone to take the time to enjoy the new releases and I’m urging they deserve,” he ended.

Last weekend, it was Holistic Foundation’s Dingolay...Big People Party at Club Zen that took the cake but this weekend consider the entertainment bar being raised even higher with a plethora of fun events scheduled.

The fun actually begins with children in mind when FireOne hosts its annual Children’s Christmas Party for the Cyril Ross Home at 2 pm—5 pm at its warehouse in Macoya.

It is expected that 33 amazing children from the home will be coming out to enjoy this year and the folks at FireOne are going all out to treat them to a petting zoo, face painting, a photo booth, refreshments, goodie-bags with Christmas cookies and a visit with Santa for a gift. With Nikki Crosby as the afternoon’s host, Kevon Carter has been thrown in as some additional entertainment.

The FireOne charitable event is in its second year as Andre Abraham continues his efforts throughout and beyond to spread goodwill.

On Saturday, the National Trust of T&T will host its second annual Ponche de Crème and Parang on Nelson Island from 3 pm to 6.30 pm at the Nelson Island Heritage Site. This event will feature the parang bands Los Sonidos and Los Alumnos de San Juan, featuring Parang Queen Alicia Jaggassar.

Los Sonidos was founded by students of the Bishop Anstey High School East and Trinity College East and has won the National Junior Parang Championship in 2009 and 2010. Similarly, Los Alumnos de San Juan was founded by the teachers and students of the San Juan North Secondary (formerly San Juan Secondary Comprehensive) in 1986 and has won nine National Parang Championships. This group has performed in Puerto Rico, Panama, Cuba and several other countries and they continue to entertain local audiences every season.

Tickets for Ponche de Crème and Parang on Nelson Island are available at the National Trust of T&T’s Office, 68-70 Sackville Street, Port-of-Spain, the San Fernando Water Taxi Terminal and the Port-of-Spain Water Taxi Terminal.

For further details about the event contact the National Trust of T&T (225-4750), Fax: 226-1008 or email: chenelle.spooner@planning.gov.tt.

The best idea of encouraging local tourism during these hard times is ensuring that one can present a popular event in a local destination acceptable and accessible to all. 

On Saturday, Salybia Nature Resort and Spa, in association with Yorke Inc and More104.7FM, has done just that with the presentation of its Wildmeat Soca Parang Food Festival, from 4 pm at Salybia Nature Resort.

Patrons can look forward to experiencing a traditional countryside Christmas with beautiful natural ambience and a sumptuous choice of wildmeat, curry, roast pork and creole dishes for only $350 at this fund-raiser to assist the Credo for Justice charitable organisation.

They will also be entertained by the masters of Soca Parang in Baron, Scrunter and Marcia Miranda, along with 2017 Road March champion MX Prime & The Ultimate Rejects. DJ music will be supplied by Sounds of Kabuki and The Hitman Howie Tee. It promises to be an evening of fun, frolic and friendly faces.

Interested patrons who are not seeking weekend accommodation at the resort and need transport can call the following to arrange a maxi taxi shuttle service: Nancis (776-6227), Brian (795-2231), Lennox (722-2961), Frosty (721-5731), Oswald (472- 5854) and Shannon (704-4648).

Saturday’s big steelband event is the seventh edition of Pan in D Rosa, scheduled to begin at 6 pm at Lime Boulevard, Santa Rosa Heights, Arima. Staged by the Management Committee under the chairmanship of the hard-working Neville “Pageye” John, with assistance from the ministries of Community Development, Culture and The Arts and Tourism, and Tunapuna Regional Corporation, Pan in D Rosa 7 promises to be a must-attend affair.

Pan in D Rosa 7 has attracted eight of the world’s finest steel orchestras—Desperadoes, bpTT Renegades, Republic Bank Exodus, Melodians, FCB SuperNovas, Arima Angel Harps, CAL Invaders and San City Steel Symphony—along with a slew of popular entertainers such as Anne Fridal, Oscar B, Aaron Duncan and Chuck Gordon who will be performing with the bands. All of this talent will be powered by Johnny Q Sound Co Ltd.

While admission is free, the organisers have promised seasonal foods and well-stocked bars for patrons as they enjoy the songs of the season played on the national instrument.

Among the specially-invited guests are Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, her Tourism Ministry counterpart Shamfa Cudjoe, Arima Mayor Alderman Lisa Morris-Julian and Tunapuna Regional Corporation Chairman Paul Leacock.

Among the corporate sponsors making Pan in D Rosa 7 possible are the NCC, Pan Trinbago, NLCB, Carib, Fire One, Nestle, Angostura, Iceland Ltd, One Stop Garden Shop, Dianne’s Bakery, Intersol Ltd, Hermitage Lime Stone Quarry, New Gate Place, Racetrac, Xtra Foods, Republic Bank, Cepep and Hearty Foods.

This weekend’s entertainment roster is headed however by the continuation of Brian Mac Farlane’s acclaimed Christmas Joy: The Gift of the Drum which premiered last Sunday at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s.

Featuring Wendell Constantine, Lennox Gray, Wendy Sheppard, Marlon de Bique, Marvin Smith, Kelwyn Hutcheon and much more on its cast, showtimes for this production are 7 pm until Saturday with a 5.30 pm matinee on Sunday.

Los Vikingos, the parang side which turned Mooneram Street upside down recently when it performed at Cheers Pub’s annual Christmas Street Jam, and Parang Soca Queen Marcia Miranda, are headlining Sunday’s Parang & Soca Luncheon at Paragon Sports & Cultural Club, located on Western Main Road, Cocorite.

Sunday’s fun stuff also includes Pan, Parang & Pork being held by the St Francois Girls’ College Alumni holds Pan, Parang & Pork at The Clubhouse, Millennium Park, Trincity. Among the acts listed to perform are NGC Couva Joylanders Steel Orchestra, St Francois Girls College Steel, Los Angeles de San Miguel, Moricia Cagan and Nigel O’Connor. The fun begins at 4 pm.

Myron B’s annual Backyard Parang Jam is also on this Sunday evening at 37 Bengal Street in St James. This event is chock-filled with popular talent and its acts include Crazy, Rembunction, Rome, Ronoman, Walter Taylor, Jerry Howai, Philman, Mistah Shak, BB Serenaders and Los Amigos Cantadores.

MOHAMMED: CARLTON of 2 Loshon Road, Petit Valley died peacefully at Vitas House Hospice on Sunday, November 26, 2017. Husband of Zorina Mohammed. Father of Khayam Keith and Patricia,Fareed Wayne and Selene,and Sean and Cherylann. Grandfather of Kevin Mohammed. Son of Sookoor Mohammed and Helen Rapier (both deceased). Sister of Marjorie Rapier Greenidge. Uncle of Karlene Rapier Greenidge. Nephew of JohnMc Intosh, Greta Greaves and Norma Aiello. Son-in-law of the late Tabeeban and Rahamut Ali Kajim of San Fernando. Brother-in-law of the Ali, Kajim and Ali Kajim families of San Fernando, Petit Valley and Canada. Uncle-in-law of many. Funeral Service for the late Carlton Mohammed takes place at 9:00a.m. on Saturday, December 2, 2017 at R. M. de Souza Memorial Chapel, Diego Martin Main Road, Diego Martin.Cremation at the St. James Crematorium, Long Circular Road, St James. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Trinidad & Tobago Cancer Society. For enquiries call R. M. de Souza Memorial Chapel Limited 223-2007/637-2009. 

BELTON-BAPTISTE, INGRID of Sheila Lamorell Drive, Rancho Quemado Development, Palo Seco formerly of Los Bajos Junction. Departed this life on Saturday 25th November,2017. She was the loving wife of: Peter Baptiste. Mother of:Georgia, Jason, Petal and Christene. Daughter of: Daisy Belton and the late George Belton. Sister of Walter, Sarafina, Wayne, Patsy, the late Annand others. Funeral Service for the late Ingrid Belton-Baptiste takes place on Thursday 30th November,2017 at 2:00 P.M. at the St. Cyprian's Anglican Church, Santa Flora,thence to the Los Bajos Cemetery for burial.The body will repose at the Los Bajos Junction from 1:00 p.m. Enquires can be made to Mad hosingh Funeral Home Tel: 649:5641.

ROOSEVELT; CECIL AWONG passed away peacefully at his residence on Thursday 23rd November, 2017. He will be lovingly remembered as the husband of Mrs.Angela Awong, father of Susan,Ingrid and Judy Awong. Uncle of Michael Wilson, Joan, Mikey Hillsand many others. Brother-in-lawof Theodora Latroy and Lena Hills.Cousin of Carl Awong and many others. Friend of Sam and the Hernandez family. The funeral service for the late Roosevelt Cecil Awong will take place at 12:30 pm on Thursday 30th November, 2017 at Belgrove Prayer Room #107-109 Coffee Street, San Fernando, fol-lowed by cremation at 2:00pm. Enquires can be made at Belgrove's Funeral Home & Crematorium at 223-2178. To extend condolences to the family of Roosevelt Cecil Awong please log onto www.belgroves.com

THE ANTHONY family r-quests the honour of your presence at a special ceremony as we celebrate the Life of Judy Mc Intyre nee Judy Anthony formerly of Diamond Vale, Diego Martin. A Funeral Mass for the late Judy Mc Intyre takes place at the St.John's Roman Catholic Church, Church Street, Diego Martin on Friday 01st December, 2017 at 11:00 A.M. Private Interment will be held on a later date. At the ceremony,you will have an opportunity to share your fondest memories of Judy. Judy died in the loving arms of her sister Dr.Sandra Anthony. Judy was the first-born child of Mrs. Lucille Anthony (Crest Camp, Fyzabad) and the late Mr. Cyril Anthony (Petrotrin). Judy was previously cared for by her brothers Joseph Anthony(Petrotrin) and Ian Anthony(former PNM MP) and by Patricia Cain (West Coast Villa,Petit Valley). Judy was the niece of the late: Bobby "Jagan" Romano (Diego), EulieLai Fang (Diego), Leorna Madoo (Santa Flora) and Mother Bibiane David (Fyzabad). Judy was the aunt of Christopher and Luke Anthony, Dr. Peter Branday, Dr.Michelle Branday and 15 others. Judy's related to: The Romanos, Faheys (Sr. AntoinetteFahey), Lai Fangs, Edwards,Marcanos (the late Victor Mar-cano), Rahims, Marie Poliah,Timothys, Achilles and almost every senior citizen iDiego! A funeral Mass collection will be taken up to benefit the "Dr. Eric Williams Memorial Collection", UWI, St.Augustine. To offer condolences to the family please goto www.belgroves.com

In the context of the recent events on the Beetham Estate, Wednesday, March 4, 1970, was a very meaningful day. It was the date on which the late Chief Servant Makandal Daaga led a massive demonstration through the streets of Port-of-Spain to “Shanty Town” (the original name for Beetham Estate) to show the conditions in which the dwellers were living.

The demonstration was the first major protest march of the 1970 Trinidad and Tobago Revolution (the Black Power Revolution) which took place only eight years after Independence.

The effect of the demonstration was so stunning that the newspaper headlines in the following days screamed: “Black Power stuns the city” and “Shanty Town is a symbol of neglect…”

The irony about a “favela” like Beetham Estate is that despite the neglect that it continues to suffer, Laventille remains the spiritual centre of Africans in T&T and deserves consideration as a heritage site. If that aspect of Laventille is understood, we may have a clear path toward the further development of the area.

Respect for Beetham and other parts of Laventille has to be addressed urgently because we are now confronted with Ella Andall’s “missing generation.”

Laventille is one of the birthplaces of Pan. Poets like Abdul Malik and Lasana Kwesi have written about their experiences. Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts), David Rudder, Dee Diamond (Deneison Moses), Mr King (Marvin Lewis) and Young Creole (Winston Barker) are Laventillians or have sung about Laventille. Lancelot Layne and Leroy Clarke have their roots in Gonzales, adjacent to Laventille. Laventille is featured in our politics. There were the 1881 Camboulay Riots, the Negro Welfare Social and Cultural Association, Tubal Uriah Butler, Dr Eric Williams’ PNM and of course, NJAC.

Trinidad, during the 19th century, was the “most cosmopolitan of the English-speaking West Indian islands” according to Dr Milla Riggio and more African labourers on the island lived in Port-of-Spain than in rural areas.

Africans settled in Port-of-Spain as part of their escape from the plantations. It is in Laventille that Jonas Mohammed Bath set up his community of liberated African Muslims. Within Laventille the Spiritual Baptists grew and developed. Within that community the Orisha devotees kept their tradition alive.

Unfortunately for many Laventillians, recognition was dependent on escape from the community. Derek Walcott who penned “Laventille” wrote, “To go downhill from here was to ascend.”

The harsh conditions in Beetham and Laventille have become exacerbated. In 1994 the manifesto for Makandal Daaga’s campaign for the Laventille West by-election stated: “When one looks at Laventille, one does not see a community. Instead, one sees poor housing; poor roads; poor toilets; poor health facilities; run down schools that fail to produce a few good students for colleges; no nurseries; no recreational facilities—men are playing football on dirt. Those who have made it in anyway, have left Laventille.

“The image of Laventille, as portrayed by the media, as a community of criminals has led to that area being subject to a lot of disrespect.”

Now in 2017 a young man observed:“…poverty mixed with poor parenting, the lack of mentorship in our hotspot schools and lack of positive role models, which see children turn to the gang leaders as idols.

“It also seems as though the Government finances the war by awarding contracts and then, on the other hand, they are trying to stop it. How does that make sense?

He added: “there are the low detection and conviction rates which make crime attractive… There’s definitely a high illiteracy rate amongst many in our community”.

The current political and financial overlords of Laventille have to be removed and the younger residents, whose parents and grandparents led that 1970 march have to be inspired to make Beetham Estate and Laventille great.

Respect for Laventille has to be established now. It is a spiritual centre.

Aiyegoro Om

Given the manner and form in which the UNC internal elections were called and held, without proper transparency or accountability, questions need to be asked about the validity of the results posted by the elections committee, a body appointed by the former National Executive, headed by the political leader.

It is public knowledge that from the outset, it was going to be an uphill battle for anyone attempting to contest the internal election, not least because of the unrealistic deadlines set to comply with, but also the fact that no one was going to be given access to the membership list to campaign effectively. How can you convince financial members to vote for you if you don’t know who the financial members are?

The importance of holding free and fair elections is not only to ensure when the election results have been published they will be deemed credible, but more so for the citizenry to be able to trust those seeking a mandate to run the country.

The incumbent leader, who called the snap election on herself, received, as claimed by her elections committee, 99 per cent of the votes cast for her as leader and actually increased her votes by 2,800 from the 2015 internal elections and by 7,000 from the 2010 internal elections. If those figures are to be believed, the political leader is more popular now than before even though she lost six successive elections, as prime minister, including the general elections in 2015.

According to the results published, it wasn’t just a victory for her. Her slate’s candidates for the few contested posts in the UNC’s National Executive of Education Officer, Party Organiser, North West Regional Co-ordinator and North-East Regional Co-ordinator, each got over 17,000 votes, while their rivals mustered in the low hundreds. Curiously, if people voted according to slate, no one was able to garner near the leader’s 20,328 votes, which would mean additional 3,000 members voted only for the political leader and no one else on her slate.

So let’s for the moment buy into the notion that there was some kind of election with some kind of result and see what it tells us. According to the election committee there were 77 polling stations across 37 venues to accommodate the membership of 102,900 people. So what was the actual turnout according to their numbers?

Assuming that everyone who voted for the leader voted for her slate, the starting point is the 20,328 votes she received. The total votes cast for candidates not on her slate was 2,783. While it is impossible to dis-aggregate that number to ascertain precisely the number of members who cast those votes (remember one member would have voted for different candidates so the actual number of members who voted against her slate is less than 2,783), let us add that number to get an idea—inflated as it is—of the total turnout, which works out to be 23,111 members. That is 22.5 per cent of the alleged 102,900 members, which is a low voter turnout.

Alternatively, if according to the UNC, the leader’s 20,328 votes represented 99 per cent of the turnout, then the turnout was 20,533 members which was a 20 per cent turnout. So according to the UNC itself, only one in five members bothered to vote.

What is more interesting is the fact that the 20,328 members who voted to re-elect the leader are a mere 19.8 per cent of the alleged membership. The hard reality, therefore, using the UNC and its election committee’s own statistics, is that four out of every five UNC members had no interest in the internal elections and either do not or could not be bothered to support the political leader.

The majority of the UNC’s membership is clearly disenchanted with the direction or lack thereof of the party, hence the reason the party finds itself in this position today, like the PNM, disconnected from its supporters. You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

Mickela Panday

Every society and culture has its own ideals and standards of beauty for both men and women. These ideals inform our personal choices about our physical appearance and our perceptions of ourselves and others.

We might want to believe that our sense of style is a unique expression of individuality, but more often than not it’s simply a regurgitation of trends we’ve observed from our peers and popular celebrities. We learn what appears appropriate and desirable to others and we fashion ourselves accordingly. However, this can become problematic when the images in popular culture neglect to represent some members of society.

The term “inclusivity” refers to an intention or policy of including people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalised, typically on the grounds of gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, etc. Advertisements try to catch the attention of the public by using faces that the audience can identify with, and loyalty to a product is achieved when the consumer can see themselves in the images being presented. For example, when they can identify with the model wearing the clothing to be sold, or with a musician who appears to be relatable to their audience. Familiarity and similarity leads to trust, and we buy from people we are comfortable with and who seem to have things in common with us. Familiarity sells.

Advertising intends to appeal to the masses by showing us people who look like us, and also by showing us people who have the appearance we idealise. If the type of people we idealise are using this product, we can become like them by using the product too.

The film industry is also affected by this. Large budget Hollywood films are notoriously known for casting white actors in non-white roles, a practice known as “white washing”. The BBC proposed two explanations for this: institutional racism and producers expecting well-known white actors to attract more audiences and increase earnings for the films. In Bollywood, darker skinned Indians are under-represented, as most leading roles show actors of a lighter complexion.

In 2016, a global campaign on social media against colourism, using the hashtag #unfairandlovely, challenged the widespread belief that fairer skin is more attractive. The campaign’s name, “Unfair and Lovely”, was named after the popular Indian skin-lightening cream Fair and Lovely.

Representation and inclusivity help young people feel acknowledged by society, and research has shown that those who do not feel a secure place in society are more likely to develop negative ideas about their identify and worth. According to Dr Nicole Martins of Indiana University, “there’s this body of research and a term known as ‘symbolic annihilation,’ which is the idea that if you don’t see people like you in the media you consume, you must somehow be unimportant.”

One might argue that portraying ideals to strive towards is not harmful, but this portrayal relies on the assumption that the ideal presented is the most attractive look one can aspire to.

In Trinidad and Tobago we are not exempted from this. Idealisations of attractiveness can be seen on the billboards along our highways, and every year as models are chosen to sell our carnival costumes. It’s even seen in the social media albums of popular fetes where photographers choose particular looks to represent the event. There is an undercurrent of preference and privilege in T&T that we hesitate to acknowledge, and many of us are torn between the choice of speaking out against it or finding a comfortable place within it.

Challenging the status quo is not for everyone. Kudos to those who are strong enough to stand in their own truth.

JONATHAN ST LOUIS-NAHOUS
PRESIDENT, GUILD OF STUDENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, ST AUGUSTINE