Is French oil and gas company Perenco the front runner to buy into what will be the newly established Exploration and Production company to replace state-owned Petrotrin?

Well Petrotrin’s chairman Wilfred Espinet told Business and Money that while there is no immediate move to bring a partner into the new entity, Perenco has the capital, expertise and experience that the Exploration and Production company will need when it comes into being.

Espinet was at pains to point out that no decision has been made on a partner for the new enterprise but insisted that the E&P company will need capital that can be risked to increase production and put the business on a sustainable footing.

The Board of Petrotrin has decided to split the company into two with an Exploration and Production company and a Refining and Marketing company.

Only recently in an exclusive interview with Business and Money, managing director of Perenco Trinidad, Baptiste Breton, said the French outfit would be interested in Trinmar should the government make it available.

He said, “Of course we will be interested in the Trinmar asset if it is on the table. We would certainly look at it. We are a company interested in mature oil and gas assets and we are looking for opportunities in T&T but we have not seen any at the moment.”

The government has stated its intention to fix Petrotirn this year and has lamented that the company’s cost of producing oil both on land and in its Trinmar asset was too expensive and would require a mixture of capital injection and significantly more investment to make it profitable.

In addition, it is well known that the Trinmar asset which produces around 20,000 barrels of oil per day (bo/d), has significant potential to produce a lot more oil.

The Trinmar asset has more than 100 million barrels of proven reserves and significant exploration prospects but has not been able to bring the oil to market because of ageing infrastructure.

With the decision to form an E&P company it means that in addition to the Trinmar asset, the land assets are also available and with it an additional 22,000 bo/d.

Espinet said, “We have seen the reports of the interest of Perenco in the asset and we have also seen how the company has come in and bought the Repsol assets and how it has been able to turn it around. So we are very impressed and certainly if we decide to go with a partner in the E&P company Perenco would certainly be a possibility.”
 

Perenco is known globally for purchasing aging assets and turning them around.

It is also the operator and 70 per cent owner of the Teak Samaan Pouis or TSP fields off the East coast of Mayaro that was once operated by Amoco.

Breton said that Perenco is confident that by 2020 it can increase TSP daily production to in excess of 15,000 barrels of oil per day.

This would be a 25 per cent increase in production from its current 12,000 bo/d.

Perenco’s managing director said, “You have to consider that we are losing 500 to 1000 bo/d in production every year and therefore what we are doing is saying we will compensate for that annual loss and plateau the production to more than 15,000 bo/d and this can be done by 2020.”

With a projection from Petrotrin’s Board of directors that even with the best will in the world, the Refining and Marketing company will not turn a profit, Petrotrin’s chairman said that taxpayers were likely stuck with the refinery.

He said, “I do not see a potential investor in the R&M company because the cashflows show that it is unlikely to be profitable unless some strange twist of events happen.”

Pressed on why taxpayers should continue to support the company he said it was necessary to save valuable, skilled jobs and to earn foreign exchange.

Rates in the US are on the rise. This will give rise to many interesting issues for T&T in terms of how we craft our monetary and fiscal policies.

The Treasury yield curve is a measure of the difference between the rates on short-term and long-term debt issues by a government.

Under normal conditions this curve is upward sloping to reflect the extra compensation that an investor will want to lock away their money. So the rate on a shorter-term bond, say, two years should be lower than a medium term five-year bond and this should be lower than the rate on a ten-year bond.

During the fourth quarter of 2017 the US Treasury yield curve was flattening as the US Federal Reserve continued to raise its short-term interest rates but longer term interest rates most notably the 10-year US

Treasury bond did not move in lock step.

The US 10-year bond started the year at a yield of 2.40 per cent while the 30-year bond was at 2.74 per cent. For a number of years the US 10-year did not go above 2.65 per cent and was often seen trading at a low two per cent handle.

What is taking place now represents a fundamental shift in the interest rate dynamic. The US 10-year bond has broken out of its trading range and is trending towards three per cent. It is likely to get there despite the recent pull back from last week.

Fundamentally the 10-year bond should trade at the level of the rate of nominal growth in gross domestic product (GDP).

The recently introduced tax measures in the US means that in the short term at least, economic growth is expected to pick up. This creates a fundamental argument for the 10-year US Treasury to land at three per cent trending towards four per cent.

All in all this reflects a path towards a normalised interest rate environment, which is essentially where markets need to be outside of a time of crisis.

The US Federal Reserve has signalled this intent with the market pricing in between three to four 25 basis point rate hikes over the course of 2018.

Tricky path

The path to normalisation is where things can quite possible get very tricky. One of the lessons from the 2008 financial crisis was that when things stay out of line for a long period of time, risk is mispriced and imbalances begin to occur.

It was in 2001 with a mild US recession, a dot com crash and a terrorist event that the US cut interest rates to then record levels. These low rates were maintained for half a decade leading to imbalances in the financial markets, specifically related to the housing sector, which eventually lead to a collapse once rates began to rise again.

This time around we have seen close to a decade of zero interest rates and it is only over the past year that the US Federal Reserve has begun the process of normalisation.

That process involves two aspects.

The first was selling off assets or allowing assets which it held on its balance sheet to run off or mature. This causes the size of the balance sheet to shrink. It is similar to a bank not replacing loans that are paid down each year with new loans. Less credit is being created.

The next step is what we have just discussed which is the raising of short-term interest rates and the resulting effect that this will have on the overall term structure of interest rates.

In the short term the argument is that the US Fed will not be raising rates if the economy was not on sound footing and so at the initial stages there is cause for optimism. We are now getting to the next phase where that growth rate has to be proven and also be seen to be sustainable.

Impact on T&T

What goes on in the US is going to affect us in some way.

Post 2001 investors brought money back to T&T and the Government took advantage of the low interest rate environment to cut rates and lower taxes. That pushed our local stock market up until it peaked in 2005.

Following the 2008 financial crisis we had our version with the collapse of CL Financial. Then the rebound in the US housing market saw significant outflows of US dollars for portfolio investment purposes, which has impacted our level of currency reserves today.

Appreciate that about US$150 trillion denominated short-term debt and derivatives in the emerging market space are tied to the short-term US Treasury rate.

In addition note that changes to the term structure of US rates is going to affect global debt in some way or another.

A change in interest rates in the US directly affecting the yield on debts outside the US is a first-order effect. How market actors respond to those changes are second order effects and at this stage is dependent on the specific circumstances of each entity.

In T&T we have attempted to hold interest rates steady. Under the previous Governor of the Central Bank of T&T there was an attempt to front run the US Fed rate hikes but since then the repo rate has reflected a neutral stance despite the signals from the US Fed.

We are at the stage now where there is little disparity between US and TT rates and so the incentive to hold TT dollars over US dollars is virtually non-existent.

Against this we have to factor in the decline in our foreign currency reserve position from US$9.4 billion to $8.3 billion at the end of 2017.

It is my estimation, based on the difference in credit rating between the US and T&T, there should be a 300-basis point spread between the US and TT interest rates.

There is an argument that the tighter fiscal stance by the Government, on account of reduced revenues overall leads to tighter conditions, so there is no need for higher rates.

However, while this will hold true for domestic conditions it does not address the relative position between US and TT rates.

The other reality is that low rates also favours government’s need to borrow to plug its budget deficit. In addition, higher interest rates could slow the rate of onshore economic activity, which is critical at this time.

Add to that mix the considerable amount of variable rate mortgages that are in place where a rate increase on top of less disposable income can have significant consequences.

What should be clear is that the TT economy has also developed significant imbalances on account of more than a decade of low interest rates and government deficits.

Now the re-balancing act is going to become even more difficult as the US Federal Reserve continues on its stated course.

Ian Narine can be contacted
via email at ian.narine@gmail.com

Darryl Smith, the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, presented Dexter Wilson with his letter of appointment as a Caricom Youth Ambassador at the Ministry’s Head Office, St Clair, yesterday. Wilson together with Terez Lord who received her letter of appointment on January 11, will officially represent T&T in the Caricom Youth Ambassador Programme.

The programme contributes to the increase in youth knowledge and awareness, raises the profile of young people at the National and Regional levels and assists in integrating the views and perception of youth across the region into national, regional and international policies and programmes.

During their tenure as Youth Ambassadors for the period 2017-2018, they will advocate for and educate young people about Caricom issues and priorities and effectuate other roles and responsibilities along with a network of young Caribbean Nationals in the Caribbean Region in areas such as;

1. Targeting vulnerable groups to assist them to develop requisite skills and competencies and to boost confidence levels that helps young people to develop skills, build competencies and obtain confidence;

2. Promoting multi-sector collaboration by engaging a wide range of partners in order to plan for community action programmes and services provided for youth or by youth; and

3. Fostering an environment that is supportive of youth participation and leadership.

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff ) and Canadian High Commission are teaming up to encouragethe making of local short films on human rights issues, as part of a filmmakers development programme that began in 2017.

The Human Rights on Film training programme encourages filmmakers and writers who participated in a scriptwriting workshop with Canadian-Jamaican film professional, Annmarie Morais, last year, to put their training into practice.

The link with Morais will continue as she mentors them through the writing of a five-minute narrative or documentary film, on a human rights issue of concern to T&T, or the wider Caribbean.

A panel of three judge—including a representative from The National Film Board of Canada and from the Canadian High Commission in Trinidad, will select the best three scripts.

Trinidadian-born, National Film Board of Canada producer Selwyn Jacobs, will then conduct a twoday workshop on how to move from the scriptwriting phase to production and post-production.

The completed films will screen at ttff/18.

According to Annabelle Alcazar, programme director of the ttff:

“This programme marries our interest in developing the skills of local filmmakers and writers, with advancing the conversations on human rights in Trinidad and Tobago.

“We are excited about this project and look forward to seeing how filmmakers rise to the challenge of using their artistic knowledge and skill to bring these important issues alive.”

Also commenting on the project, High Commissioner for Canada, Her Excellency Carla Hogan Rufelds, said: “Human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. The promotion of human rights is an integral part of Canada’s engagement in the world.

“Canadian human rights efforts include advancing the rights of women and children, LGBTI persons and human rights defenders and freedom of expression, including Internet freedom and civil society space.

“Human rights cinema is an extremely powerful medium that can touch and inspire audiences.

It can challenge us as individuals to expect and demand justice for all, and remind us that personal commitment can make a difference.”

The trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff ) celebrates films from and about the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as from world cinema, through an annual festival and year-round screenings. In addition, the ttff seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging industry programme and networking opportunities.

Calypsonians seem too into lip service when it comes to the treatment of their own. This was apparent at a tribute to the iconic “Master Blaster” of the piano, Ralph “Ralphie” Davies, last Friday when not a single calypsonian turned up to pay tribute to this great son of the soil.

I find it hard to understand that a man who has backed so many calypsonians on piano or keyboard over his 60 years has been treated so poorly.

The tribute was put on by the effervescent and ‘Trini to the bone’ opera singer Anne Fridal and friends of Ralphie, who is also widely renowned in international jazz circles. The event was held at Calypsopera, familiarly called Anne’s Place, on Cipriani Boulevard, Port-of-Spain.

Among those who were present were musicians Theron “Terrific” Shaw, Dougie Redon, Rellon “Trumpet” Brown, Roger Salloum, Felix Ruiz, Juliet Robin and Ian Henderson.

Singers Ava Hutchinson, Faye Husbands, Harold Richards, Bruce Greenidge, Christopher Wilcox, Deanna Diefenthaller, Tylah, Leandra Head and hostess Anne Fridal were also in attendance. All singers and musicians brought their A game to this memorable event.

The singers all serenaded “Ralphie” after which, he was presented with a caricature drawing for his contribution to jazz and calypso. The drawing was signed by all attendees. Keith “Culture Man” Anderson performed Tribute To A Master Blaster, a song he specially composed for the occasion.

Despite the absence of calypsonians and more artistes of the jazz persuasion, the event turned out to spectacular. (KA)

Hosted by Million Laffs, Allan “Entertainer” Augustine, Love & Laffter Live in the Same House III was held at Kaiso Blues Cafe, Newtown.

A unique concept, this production is a comedy show that engages couples through games such as Toffee Love, a game where couples attempt to open a toffee candy piece using only their mouths and no hands, and Get It Up, a game where couple participants attempt to move a ballon from their waist to their necks without using hands.

The night also offered patrons live stand up comedy by Allan Entertainter as well as Learie Joseph and Delores Alexander.

Expected to be reprised at the same venue, Love & Laffter Live in the Same House III is a great way for couples, new and old, to enjoy themselves with other couples like themselves. Prizes are also given to all participants whether placing first or last. (Dion Glenn)

Everybody Loves Raymond tomorrow night

Last Friday, I made a monumental error by stating that Everybody Loves Raymond (ELR) would have been held last Saturday at the Centre of Excellence. So wrong was I that I even got dressed to attend the show, organised transport to go and, it was only when the driver arrived in pouring rain, did I realise that the show is fact being held tomorrow night.

So today, Pulse apologises to promoter Rafi Mohammed, Raymond Ramnarine, the members of Dil-e-Nadan and members of the public who perhaps read my report and ventured to the Macoya venue.

Accompanied by his band, popular crossover act Dil-e- Nadan, tomorrow’s headliners include Amit Mishra, singer of hit song Buleya, and new Bollywood singer Avanie Joshi. One of the star attractions as well  will be the young Ramnarines, known as G3, the third generation of Dile- Nadan—Varun, Vinesh, Amish and Arvind Ramnarine.

Led by Raymond, the Dil-e- Nadan frontline will include Rennie Ramnarine, Renuka Mahabir, Andy Singh and Derrick Seales. Tomorrow’s concert begins at 8.30 pm.

Clean family fun at Phagwa It is that time of year once more when communities nationwide are bathed in colour at the observance of the annualPhagwa celebration. This year, festivities can be expected tobe held on Sunday at venues in Chaguanas, Debe, Aranguez, Longdenville and St Augustine. One of the biggest and popular Phagwa productions is being held from 2.30 pm at the Kendra Grounds, Gilibia Trace, off Raghunanan Road, Enterprise Village, Chaguanas.

One major difference for this weekend’s Kendra Phagwa and Pichakaaree Festival, as opposed to previous years, is that the Pichakaaree event won’t be a competition. According to a Kendra spokesperson, “it will be a festival of music.” As usual, aside from participants of all ages dousing each other in coloured abeer, patrons can expect the normal delightful attractions like the Makan Chor, Ranga Bharse, Sada Roti & Condensed Milk eating competition for the children and the singing of traditional chowtal.

For information contact Hindu Prachar Kendra president Geeta Ramsingh (790-6606) or Seeromani Maraj (680-4322) The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) also has its Phagwa celebrations taking place this weekend. Today, the SDMS has organised Phagwa festivities at all Maha Sabha schools.

Come Sunday, it will hold general Phagwa celebrations at El Socorro South, Munroe Road temple, and the Felicity Recreation Grounds.

MusicTT’s Live Music District begins in PoS

This year is expected to be an exciting one for local musicians as the T&T Music Company Limited (MusicTT) rolls out its Live Music District. After a private launch next week, expect, to hear great things as the Live Music District comes to life.

In October 2017, the plans for the first Live Music District of T&T were released in the Fiscal 2018’s Budget Speech in Parliament.

The creation of this Live Music District is a key strategy being undertaken by MusicTT/ CreativeTT through the Ministry of Trade and Industry in order to not only address the challenges presented by the industry’s stakeholders but to also stimulate a new wave of economic growth through the creative industries.

As such, stakeholders of the local music industry were engaged by the end of October 2017, and the details were released to an extremely receptive and cheering audience.

By then, venue sound assessments had already begun with most owners/ managers expressing excitement at the prospect of adding live music into their weekly mix.

The main areas within the nation’s capital that will be targeted include the heart of Port-of-Spain, St James, St Clair, Ariapita Avenue, as well as most areas consisting of existing hotels, restaurants, lounges and sports bars. These areas were chosen due to the already-present infrastructure suited for live music as well as the existence of a solid customer base who currently frequent these areas.

Charmaine Forde returns home

Having not being home for several years, Belmont songstress Charmaine Forde is due to return home shortly for a one-night-only performance on Sunday, March 11. Aptly nicknamed “Champagne” when she was at the top of local entertainment alongside divas like Mavis John, Carol Addison, Pat Baptiste, Nadie La Fond and the late Annmarie Inniss, Forde migrated to greener pastures in the United States. Her journey has been an eventful one inclusive of hosting her own radio programme on WHTY 1600AM and producing her television show A Touch of Charm.

The March 11 event is billed as We Kinda Jazz and will feature renowned guitarist Mike Boothman and crooner Steven Encinas.

For Forde and Boothman this is a long overdue reunion as back in the 1970’s Boothman produced Forde whose single Waiting For Your Love was a top ten hit on the local charts.

Other big hits for Forde were her remake of Bobby Condwell’s What You Wont Do For Love, Hero and Gonna Dance.

Looking forward to her return to Trinidad, this week Forde told Pulse: “I can’t wait, its gonna be the best time ever. Don’t miss this, it’s a once in a lifetime performance.”

A star in his own right, plus, chief cook and bottlewasher behind successful music aggregations Rockerfellas and Family Tree, Boothman has also produced albums for revered calypsonians Lord Nelson (Hot, Sweet and Jumpy) and the late, great, Maestro who will be remembered for the hit Fiery from the album of the same name.

These were among the first soca albums produced in T&T.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s decision to bring Port-of-Spain South MP Marlene McDonald back as a minister is certainly cause for concern and it has been talk of the town, as John Public tries to come to terms with the puzzling decision.

And the reason is quite simple. As far as we know, the investigations by both the Integrity Commission and T&T Police Service into allegations of misbehaviour in public office by Ms McDonald remain open.

Furthermore, the other major infraction which led to McDonald’s demise in her second, and very brief, incarnation as a minister—fraternisation with the unsavoury characters and the PM’s sound roasting of McDonald for it—also remains fresh in the national psyche. So while the PM, in defending his decision, has suggested everyone deserves a second chance (or, in this case, a third one), he certainly owes it to the citizenry to properly explain his decision.

No one is necessarily denying McDonald is worthy of holding a ministerial position, since based on her political and ministerial past she is one of the more seasoned party members to hold such portfolio. But how does Rowley, having promised during the campaign trail to do things transparently and differently to the previous People’s Partnership government, justify returning McDonald to the innermost belly of his Cabinet with these allegations still hanging over her head? From where this newspaper stands, unless the PM has received information which has exonerated Ms McDonald, which he also has a duty to reveal publicly, this is the wrong call.

Where is emergency plan?

This week’s landslide event on the Lady Young Road in Morvant has once again raised the importance of an emergency evacuation plan for Port-of-Spain.

While the incident was not a major disaster, it led to a string of events which ultimately caused traffic gridlock for hours not only in and out of the capital but within the city as well, due to the blockage of one of its main road arteries.

Any proper emergency evacuation plan for the city would entail a traffic management system which should be operationalised to ensure that what happened doesn’t happen again. Once we have one, the emergency response bodies would merely have had to initiate the traffic management system to reduce the impact of any major route blockage. Clearly we are not there yet.

TKR looking good

This newspaper congratulates reigning Hero Caribbean Premier League champions Trinbago Knight Riders on the finalisation of a strong squad for the 2018 edition. Captain Dwayne Bravo had already ensured he had the nucleus of his side retained long before Thursday’s player draft in England. However, management made some further player buys to shore up what seems a formidable side. Good luck this season, TKR.

When Indian indentured labourers arrived in Trinidad aboard the SS Fatal Razack on May 30, 1845, they brought with them their religion, culture and traditions. The sugar estates and plantations provided no place of worship but our ancestors who revere nature, used rivers, ponds and other such natural spots to create altars (bedi) upon which offerings were made and Sanskrit prayers chanted.

In addition to Sanatan Dharma or Hinduism which they practised, they also brought with them their cultural traditions. Divali, Ramleela, Kartik, Shivraatri and Phagwa are now cultural celebrations that reach beyond the Hindu community. In fact, the religious text known as the Bhagwat Gita is being studied by people other than the traditional Hindu devotees.

According to Alain Danielou, life is a ritual, and “The whole of human existence is considered a participation in the cosmic symphony. Life is priesthood. There are no indifferent actions. All our gestures, all our deeds, bear consequences; hence they should be controlled to conform to the harmonic pattern of the universe.

“There is a ritual for bathing; there is a ritual for taking food; there is a ritual for love, for procreation. There are rituals to be performed at sunrise, midday and the sunset and all the crucial points in the cycle of seasons and years. There is a ritual for breathing, a ritual for dressing, a ritual for study. There is a fire ritual, a ritual for each change of status and rituals for all the important events of life. All our actions are forms of divine worship and should, therefore, be accomplished with composure, order and precision.” (The Gods of India).

Holi, referred to as Phagwa, is also called Holika. It is an annual festival celebrated on the day after the full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna (early March). It celebrates the arrival of spring, commemorates various events in Hinduism and is the time of merrymaking.

On the first day, the burning of the demoness Holika takes place in huge bonfires at night. On the second day, known as Dhulheti, people spend the day throwing coloured powder and water at each other. In spite of being such a colourful festival, there are various aspects of Holi which make it significant for our lives.

Foremost is the story of Prahalad and his father Hiranyakashyapu. The legend commemorated by the festival of Holi involves the evil king named Hiranyakashyapu. He forbade his son Prahalad from worshipping Vishnu, one of the Hindu triad. He instructed that Prahalad should worship him instead. But Prahalad continued to offer prayers to the god.

Getting angry with his son, Hiranyakashyapu challenged Prahalad to sit on a pyre with his wicked aunt Holika who was believed to be immune to fire. Holika put herself and Prahalad on the fire on orders from her brother. Prahalad accepted the challenge and prayed to Lord Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone watched in amazement as Holika was burnt to death, while Prahalad survived without a scar.

The celebration is also associated with a legend involving Lord Shiva, a member of the Hindu triad. Shiva is known for his meditative nature and his many hours spent in solitude and deep meditation. Madana, the God of love, decided to test his resolve and appeared to Shiva in the form of a beautiful nymph. But Shiva recognised Madana and became very angry. In a fit of rage he shot fire out of his third eye and reduced her to ashes. This is sometimes given as the basis of Holi’s bonfire.

The festival of Holi is also associated with the enduring love between Lord Krishna and Radha. According to legend, the young Krishna complained to his mother Yashoda about why Radha was so fair and he so dark. Yashoda advised him to apply colour on Radha’s face and see how her complexion would change. Because of this association with Krishna, Holi is extended over a longer period in Vrindavan and Mathura, two Indian cities with which Krishna is closely affiliated.

Tomorrow, Sunday March 4, will see thousands of Hindu devotees cross-crossing the country visiting many Phagwa venues, singing traditional Phagwa songs and sprinkling coloured water (abeer) on fellow revellers and spectators. The community of Felicity in Central Trinidad, famed for its attractive Divali celebrations, attracts many of the travelling groups at its various venues.

Do Tobagonians believe that they do not possess the beauty nor do they have the talented workers that it takes to carry off having an internationally recognised hotel franchise? How many times must it be said that the few hotels in Tobago, even painted in gold, cannot attract sufficient visitors to keep the island solvent?

Sandals will attract more airlines. Sandals will attract other visitors who can afford to spend serious money.

Sandals will enhance the reputation of a tiny island of some 60,000 persons. Sandals will most likely provide employment for an estimated 3,000 locals.

How many young people these days, world wide, know anything about Robinson Crusoe’s island? The Crusoe legend on its own cannot sell anything these days. And besides, if The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Grenada and Antigua can prosper with Sandals resorts, what is wrong with Trinidad and Tobago?

Why not admit that “quaint destination” went out of style and has been exchanged for “exciting” and “romantic” destinations?

Is it that the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago people are too “small time” to deal with the “big time?”

LYNETTE JOSEPH,
DIEGO MARTIN

It was with much satisfaction that I read in the T&T Guardian Thursday, that the quality of our fuel was subject to be checked. It was reassuring to learn of this and also to know that something was working behind the scene.

It has been a while, I would say since last September, that I personally noticed that the MPG/KPG was significantly reduced and the fuel was burning at a faster rate. I would make conversations would other motorists at the pumps and the consensus would be the same.

May I take this opportunity to ask the TTBS to also test the quality of road marking paint that we use, as it seems to wear our rather quickly and possess no reflective properties that is a feature of proper road marking paint.

JASON KARAM,
WOOD BROOK

I read that one of the top men associated with the Sandals plan for Tobago has forecasted that the number of visitors to the island will increase from 10,000 to 100,000 annually when the planned Sandals complex is up and running. In my opinion, this chap is living in dream land.

If he really wants this to happen he must set a course and be serious about his intentions in helping the government to first stem the flow of crime within the country.

Without a drastic fall in crime and the introduction of the death penalty and a more effective and proficient police force, his prediction should be treated as mere hopefulness and is most likely never to happen.

GA MARQUES

The public has been made to understand that there is general agreement by both the Government side and the Opposition that the Anti-Gang Bill, as drafted, is desirable in the fight against crime.

We have also been made to believe that the major sticking point in having this piece of legislation on the Statute Book hinges on the wish by the Opposition for a sunset clause of (I believe ) 18 months.

On the other hand, the Government opposes totally the inclusion of a sunset clause in the Bill.

I am of the view that, given the existence of “Trinidad time”, a period of 18 months will not allow for a meaningful determination of the effectiveness of the proposed legislation. On the other hand, a period of five years, say, could be too long as it could engender a certain degree of tardiness in implementing the provisions of the Bill.

Let us try three years.

ERROL OC CUPID,
TRINCITY, TACARIGUA

She was so involved, settling in with her new job at the Public Administration/Communication Ministry that Minister Marlene McDonald didn’t make it to the start of Parliament yesterday.

Promoted from the last seat on the Government backbench to a new one—six up the row—she didn’t get an early chance to Christen that, either.

But the mood of hilarity in the Chamber prior to proceedings—when she was expected—signalled many were awaiting her entrance.

“Rudy Indarsingh, I go buy you a bottle of honey!” PNM’s Fitzgerald Hinds offered.

“You was on that committee that buy the (Tobago) boat?!” Indarsingh replied.

“A proud moment…,” Hinds gleamed.

Not that MPs were debating it yesterday but McDonald’s latest job comes within a package of consolidation developments in various sectors in the last week.

Where she’s concerned, PNM sources said her job may be more than in the Ministry.

That McDonald was Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s main pillar—Opposition whip—over 2010-2015, and that she’s one of only a handful of seasoned Ministers is the tip of the political iceberg.

Never completely sidelined after last July’s dismissal, she’d continued chairing Cabinet’s Report Review team and Parliament’s Foreign Affairs team.

Most importantly, McDonald is a strong instrument for PNM’s “grass roots” reconnection drive after support’s been sorely tested by Government’s economic policies. Particularly so following recent east PoS rumblings which PNM’s Stuart Young correctly said cannot be ignored.

PNM officials believe McDonald is necessary to help consolidate the party and return it to moorings ahead of upcoming tests: a June internal PNM election when some executive posts may be challenged by those seeking to “take the party back.”

A Barataria by-election (replacing late councillor Pernell Bruno) when former PNM deputy Nafeesa Mohammed—who lives there—was recently fired from Government, and expected fallout from that. Plus, 2019 local government and 2020 polls.
Caricom states are also consolidating regarding counter terrorism strategy, big item at Caricom’s recent meeting. It’s particularly necessary considering regional tourism dependency—and in T&T’s case, following movement on Tobago’s Sandals project.

Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar also consolidated her political stocks, one-upping Government in securing agreement on a two and a half year sunset clause for the Anti-Gang bill.

Consolidation of T&T security will be of greater importance—internationally—considering the profile of T&T conveyed following the Carnival threat alert, Rowley’s confirmation of an Isis cell locally, plus Caricom statements about 200 nationals known to have “expressed sympathy and contact” with Isis.

Rowley’s promise to meet the Muslim community when he returned from Caricom—yet to materialise—may have to include more seats. Efforts recently intensified among newer independent masjids to consolidate with older traditional Muslim groups.

Muslims of T&T spokesman Imtiaz Mohammed said a meeting was held Wednesday with the main Asja body and other groups including attorney Nafeesa Mohammed on the Anti-Terrorism bill “and discussions turned to unity of all bodies.”

Nafeesa Mohammed added, “The one good thing arising from the so-called Carnival ‘threat’ is, Muslims are coming together.”

While a planned media briefing on the matter with Asja fell through on Thursday, another meeting tomorrow continues talks on the bill, consolidation of groups and a proposed March 11 rally.

Imtiaz Mohammed said “The effort is to sensitise the wider Muslim community on issues. This is a critical juncture. Recent statements—Carnival threat etc—have been a wake-up call. Things we’ve seen on BBC and CNN are reaching home. It’s become difficult to be a Muslim in T&T,” he added.

“Those detained during the Carnival alert may now find it difficult to travel among Caribbean states after recent Caricom statements. Some Government statements have tarnished the community and Islam’s image. We’re particularly concerned about the PM’s statements. If we feel insecure, the non-Muslim public may also feel insecure around us—so overall this has the potential to divide T&T.”

There are 40–plus independent Muslim groups—most led by young people—with members totalling about 30,000, he estimated.

Eyes now, on how respective consolidation efforts flow here on in.

Since its launch in 2016, Soca On The Seas has grown to encompass multiple cruise experiences.

The concept, founded by Trinidadian Juliana Fermin, owner of HJ Travels based in Houston, Texas, has now grown from its original cruise from Miami to The Bahamas to include a European cruise and a Chutney cruise.

This, as Fermin, an avid lover and supporter of Caribbean culture, continues her mission to spread our culture to new audiences.

“Music in my blood since I born,” said Fermin who was raised in the band room with her father who was the leader of a music band in Arima. “This is my way of contributing by having these cruises and taking our culture to the world.”

A travel agent based in Miami, Fermin has partnered with Royal Caribbean to stage the Soca on the Seas experiences and based on the popularity of the initial event, which has grown from three days to five days, the cruise line has welcomed the new initiatives.

The European cruise will take place aboard the spanking new Symphony of the Seas which will spend its first few months sailing the Mediterranean before being dispatched to the Caribbean.

The European cruise will take passengers to Spain, France and Italy over the Mother’s Day weekend in May. This Soca On The Seas edition will be called the Unity Edition and will showcase soca and dancehall music with artistes such as Nailah Blackman, Turner, Preedy, Shurwayne Winchester, Ricky T and Charly Black.

In October, the flagship Soca On The Seas cruise will keep the party going from Miami’s Carnival onto the Mariner of the Seas ship which will undergo a US$90 million overhaul in Spring to include a new Italian restaurant by Chef Jamie Oliver.

This year, Soca On The Seas will be themed the “Afro Soca” cruise with performances from some of T&T’s top soca artistes as well as big names from the African continent. The cruise will sail to The Bahamas, where a SOS Raw J’Ouvert will be held on the picturesque private island CocoCay. There will be performances also from soca artistes around the Caribbean including Barbados, Grenada and St Vincent.

In November, the spotlight will be thrown on the region’s top chutney artistes with the inaugural Chutney cruise aboard the new Symphony of the Seas the weekend after Divali. The Chutney cruise will sail from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico

Catering to an audience looking for a good party and also appreciative of the cultural eco-system fuelling the parties, Soca on the Seas is not just about the music but aims to showcase Caribbean talent from fashion to comedy which is included on all cruises.

Being part of the Royal Caribbean family also allows Soca On The Seas to market our culture to the diverse audiences that share the ships and always end up enjoying the fare that Soca on the Seas has to offer.

For more information on Soca On The Seas or to book your spot on the October and November cruises please visit www.hjtravels.com or on Facebook and Instagram or call the toll free number at 877-457-1268

The 27th edition of the Kendra Phagwa Festival takes place tomorrow at 2.30 pm with grand celebrations at the Kendra Grounds, Gilibia Road (off Raghunanan Road), Enterprise. Phagwa celebrations at the Kendra venue are community-based and family oriented with many innovative features, the most popular being the Pichakaaree presentations.

This year attendees will be treated to a special ‘Back in Times’ Pichakaaree segment with presentations that will span across 26 years, from when the artform was introduced in 1992 leading up to last year.

Other features for the afternoon include Chowtaal Recital—the traditional Phagwa genre, Bachon Ka Khel—traditional fun games for children, Maakhan Chor—the thrilling human pyramid team sport and Ranga Barase with vibrant community dancing in abeer showers. All these features re-enact and bring to life ancient traditions and the sacred legends associated with the festival.

President of the Hindu Prachaar Kendra, Geeta Ramsingh Vahini, reiterated the importance of nurturing culture that is uplifting and inspirational. She said: “This festival, like all Hindu festivals, has a sacred centre, a relevant and universal message for all, about the triumph of truth over untruth, good over evil and justice over oppression.

“Prahalad, the child hero of Phagwa reminds us all of the power of faith in God, which is really faith in oneself and the potential in each one of us to become the agent of the changes we wish to see.

“This is the culture we must nurture. This is why the motto of the Kendra Phagwa Festival is ‘creating the difference’.

“The focus of the Kendra’s work is on children and youths so this event is very family oriented. The Kendra is very committed to Phagwa activities where children don’t just get soaked in abeer but they are as though ‘soaked in’ an environment that will motivate and bless them as they play and have fun with their friends and family.”

The singers billed for tomorrow’s Back in Times Pichakaaree concert are Mandeep Poonwassie, Nirmala Ramdass Singh, Mukesh Babooram, Reena Teelucksingh, Mohip Poonwassie, Shanta Ramnath, Ricky Khandoo, Pooja Ramoutar, Akshay Khandoo, Kamaldai Ramkissoon, Jagdeo Phagoo, Marva Mckenzie, Toolsie Ramdass Singh, Rohini Dube, Subhagie Jaikaran, Giselle Ramoutar and Geeta Vahini.

For details on the Kendra Phagwa Festival contact 790-6606, 685-6133, 680-4322