Community service and photography—one would initially perceive these as two unrelated disciplines, but in one afternoon, the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts (MCDCA) experienced how both of these disciplines celebrated the beautiful diversity of T&T in a very special way.

On May 3, more than 100 men and women from different walks of life assembled in two adjoining venues; the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) and the National Museum and Art Gallery, for two different purposes.

The first event at NAPA saw Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister of Community , Culture and the Arts, present letters of appointment to board members of the Upper Malabar and Malabar Phase IV Community Centres, the Maloney Regional Complex, and the Mayaro and Sangre Grande Civic Centres, respectively.

In delivering the instruments, Minister Gadsby-Dolly expressed that these community centre boards will ensure that the Ministry’s investments will be soundly managed and bear fruits in each community. She also expressed gratitude to the appointees for embracing their role as public servants. Both the young and young at heart were well represented among the appointees, and were evidently eager to get down to business.

A few hours after and just a stone’s throw away, we saw this patriotic expression in a different medium; photography. The National Museum and Art Gallery launched its Through My Lens- To T&T, from Me Exhibition featuring over 50 photographs depicting those sites and moments that are part of our collective memory. The call for submissions took place during the month of March to find our varied perspectives on life in T&T, and collated these perspectives through the medium of photography.

Gadsby-Dolly delivered the feature address at the launch and reminded attendees that, “It is the museum’s responsibility, and by extension the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts’ responsibility, to unearth pathways for our artforms and artistes to be recognised and celebrated, and this evening our country’s premier art institution is saying to our talented, amateur photographers, “this is your space, this is your time. Let your skill tell your story’.”

Curator of the museum, Lorraine Johnson, also expressed that these photographs “challenge the viewer to take a second look at our country, bringing to the fore some of our most visually stunning physical vistas whilst capturing social issues.”

She thanked all participants, who represented a range of career disciplines and age categories, and advocated for photography entrepreneurship. The exhibition will be open to the public until June 16 at the museum.

These two events redeemed that there will always be an outlet to express one’s passion and dedication to T&T, regardless of one’s calling in life.

The rough time the T&T Police Service (TTPS) was experiencing got even worse yesterday, after a marked police vehicle in a music video glamorising the use of weed surfaced online.

The music video, titled “Bunnin It”, was released on Youtube.com on Tuesday and up to press time last evening had close to 4,000 viewers.

It is just about three minutes long and features a local artiste from Arima known as The Writer & Riddim Royals.

In the video’s first 40 seconds, a marked police four-door pick up is parked in a bushy area adjacent to a coconut field and the artiste is sitting on its bonnet smoking what appears to be a marijuana joint.

It starts up: “When I on the beach ah bunnin it…in the middle of the street ah bunnin…in front of the police I bunnin it.”

However, in the video’s introduction, the artistes made it known that they were advised not to use the opening footage. It read: “The label advised us to exclude the opening footage…F@#- the Label…F@#- the police too.”

The artiste then continued: “Under the coconut tree ah bunnin it…When I done eat ah bunnin it…High Grade in meh backpack…when I open meh laptop high grade centres the back drop.”

The video quickly reached officials at the TTPS and instructions were given to officers at the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) to launch an immediate investigation into the authenticity of the police vehicle, the location where that part of the video was shot and who were the officers who sanctioned the promotion of the TTPS’ vehicle in the music video.

The T&T Guardian contacted a spokesperson at the music platform responsible for the video, Mumra Music, on the issue yesterday and was told the TTPS “had nothing to worry about” as it was not one of their official vehicles used in the video.

Speaking from Washington DC, the spokesperson, who wished to remain anonymous, said the video’s producer was German-based and added that decals (a design prepared on special paper for durable transfer on to another surface) were used on the vehicle seen in the video.

“The actual vehicle, if they (referring to the police), look at it properly, it is not a make that the police service use. Secondly, that particular shot did not happen in Trinidad and then, it is actually decals that were used temporarily onto the vehicle. It is not a police vehicle number,” the Mumra Music spokesperson said.

Asked where was the location for that aspect of the video he declined to answer but insisted that it was done “on another island.” Asked how many countries were used in shooting the video, he said: “I prefer not to say, but yes some of the shots, example the scene by the water (referring to the coastline shot), was done in Trinidad.”

However, he also declined to disclose the local areas where the shooting of the video occurred.

Asked if any ganja smoking was promoted in the music video, the spokesperson said: “No illegal substance was used in the making of the video. It was all acting.

“A lot of money was put into this production and its intention was to make it as much local as possible (meaning T&T).”

The bullets that killed Sgt Darryl Honore were not the standard ammunition used by licensed firearm holders in T&T. Rather, they were the deadly hollow point bullets which are proven to be more deadly to their target.

The hollow point bullet is an expanding bullet that has a pit or hollowed shape in its tip that causes the bullet to expand upon entering the target as it penetrates. It is said to cause more tissue damage.

In an autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre on Tuesday, it was discovered that Honore was hit twice in the abdomen by hollow point bullets. The report found that the bullets “ripped” apart Honore’s internal organs, causing massive internal injuries.

According to investigating officers, among the 28 shells recovered from the scene last Wednesday at Grand Bazaar, where Honore engaged in a shootout with one of his colleagues, were several hollow point shells as well as the standard 9 mm ammunition.

A police source explained yesterday that the hollow point is the choice by servicemen for their private handguns, rather than the standard or full metal jacket bullets because it causes maximum damage and can be fatal. Full metal jacket bullets are widely used for self-defence purposes, as they cause little injury and minimise fatalities, the officers added.

“What would need to be incorporated in the investigations is why the choice of bullets, noting that hollow point is not illegal in this country but has been banned in other countries,” the police source said.

The T&T Guardian was told that firearm licenses are granted for .38 revolvers and 9 mm pistols and do not allow for more powerful weapons. The permit also allows for 25 rounds of ammunition. However, a lot of firearm users tend not to use the standard 9 mm ammunition and resort to more expensive ammunition such as the hollow point, wide cutters and the Rhino.

These types of bullets can range from $12 to $25 a round.

Contacted yesterday for comment, Honore’s father, attorney Joseph Honore, confirmed he was told hollow point bullets killed his son because they caused massive internal damage.

“I believe if the standard bullet was the kind that penetrated my son his chance for survival would have been greater. It was not one bullet but two,” Honore said.

Asked if any of the investigators had contacted him yet, Honore said: “No…and I am very concerned as to why none of them saw it fit to speak to me on how they are treating with this.”

A colleague of the other police officer involved in the incident yesterday told the T&T Guardian he was not in good spirits and is said to be “very regretful of the entire situation.”

“Both of them were good friends and it is sad to see this situation escalated like that. But what I can say is that there are many regrets and many apologies from the heart,” the officer said.

Honore’s military funeral takes place tomorrow at the St Phillip’s RC Church in Chaguanas.

Former PNM minister Mariano Browne has been invited to the upcoming meeting involving the Basdeo Panday family which will explore new political possibilities - but he says he will be out of T&T.

However, ex-mayor Louis Lee Sing, says he would attend the meeting if he was invited.

Browne yesterday confirmed that he had been invited.

“But I already had something on overseas,” he added.

Browne declined to comment on the May 20 meeting.

Former prime minister Basdeo Panday and his daughter Mickela will spearhead the meeting at Gaston Court, Chaguanas.

Panday said it was being held by a number of young people who want to seek a direction, politically.

It is widely speculated the meeting - open to the public - is being held to assess possible chances for a new political party and for Mickela Panday to lead this. On Tuesday, Panday didn’t rule out a new party being formed.

Lee Sing said, “If I get an invitation I’ll attend. Anything that represents the possibility of a better political future for T&T remains of interest to me,” he said.

“Mr Panday still has an important role to play in the politics of T&T and I think the same applies to Ms Panday,” he said.

“As to whether she is the best person to take T&T in a direction of peace, harmony and stability and offer the country discipline, tolerance and productivity, is left to be seen. So we have to be cautious on how we move from where we are as we have - time and again - jumped from the frying pan into the fire,” Lee Sing said.

Lee Sing added, “Many people have leadership aspirations. But it’s not about being able to get up and talk and ramajay, as we’ve seen a lot of that with (Prime Minister) Keith Rowley over the years. It’s much deeper than that.”

“I hope any group prepared to present a challenge to T&T to do something better, will certainly demand of itself the best leadership it can give. So I commend all who summon troops or engage people in a possibility that offers better governance,” he said.

The murder toll now stands at 194 following three murders yesterday morning, one of which was said to be a “case of mistaken identity.”

The incidents took place in Cocorite and Carenage.

In the first incident at about 1.30 am, gunmen went to a house at Freedom Street, Waterhole, Cocorite, where they killed two men who were said to be very close friends.

They were identified as Dwayne “Monkey” Mansano, 34 and Damian “Southie” Maingot, 36, who were found dead in a bed next to each other. Police said it is believed both men were made to sit on the bed by gunmen and then executed. One of the men lived on the upper floor of the two-storey house.

Police believe these killing are reprisals for two murders that occurred in the area last week.

Last Friday at about 7.35 am, Devon Gregoire, 35, was asleep at his Freedom Hill, Cocorite home when gunmen smashed in the louvres to his bedroom and shot him several times.

Police said then that they suspected Gregoire’s murder was linked to the murder of Charlton Williams, 39, who was shot and killed in Cocorite last Thursday night.

In the latest incidents, police believe the murders of Mansano and Maingot were connected to the others and also believe that “it seems as though gang members were fighting among themselves.”

However, a relative of Maingot, who wished not to be identified, said they had no evidence to support the police’s claim.

In the other incident in Carenage, Neil Williams, 28, and two other men were shot by occupants who pulled up in a vehicle at Prisco Junction, at the corner of Upper Haig and Abe Poujade Streets.

Williams and the other two were taken to hospital, but he died while undergoing treatment. The other two men were warded in stable conditions last night. But police said Williams was not the intended target of the gunmen, adding the fatal shooting was a “case of mistaken identity.”

On Monday night, six people were shot in Diego Martin. Two of them — Jabari Goodridge, 21, and Adrian ‘Blackie’ Charles, 39 - died.

Western Division police have since given the assurance that police patrols will be increased in Petit Valley, Diego Martin, Cocorite and Carenage.

The Government should not institute the property tax since Finance Minister Colm Imbert recently said T&T has “turned the corner” and also projected “good news” in today’s mid-year Budget review, says Opposition Chief Whip David Lee.

“He has painted a more positive outlook for T&T in recent weeks. Also, energy prices are better than before. If the situation is really good, Government should have no need to pursue the property tax and inflict further hardship on the public,” Lee said yesterday.

Imbert will deliver his review at 10 am today in Parliament, detailing the economic and financial outlook in the seven months since the 2018 Budget was presented last October. The $50 billion Budget carried a projected $4.76 billion deficit, with measures aimed at reducing this.

Imbert is expected to give the status of Budget plans - including property tax implementation - revenue streams and energy projects and give possible adjustments.

This might extend to amendments to property tax proposals. Debate on the tax continues in the Senate tomorrow with amendments from Government which - in last week’s debate - noted Opposition and Independent senators’ concerns on various aspects of the planned tax.

In preparation to handle activities over the rest of the fiscal year, Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee on Tuesday approved the shift of $796.2 million from the Finance Ministry to 18 divisions. This was to supplement funding for specific projects and in some cases increase their 2018 Budget appropriations.

At that meeting, Imbert indicated he would answer questions on aspects of Tobago infrastructural preparations for the Tobago Sandals plan as well as other issues concerning Tobago which received $120m in supplemental/increased funding on Tuesday.

Imbert recently told media to “wait and see” if the review would have any gasoline price hike. But at Tuesday’s meeting he hinted there might be none while replying to Lee’s question whether a gasoline price hike was expected.

Imbert said while Budget plans were to introduce a formula via which gasoline prices would fluctuate according to international oil prices the formula has not been started. Imbert said the oil price is now higher than Budget projections and Government would have to return to the “drawing board” on formula plans.

Lee said yesterday, “We expect his review will try to counter the recent Standard and Poors downgrade and talk about ‘turning the corner’. We hope he fully details how we have ‘turned the corner’. If we have, Government shouldn’t pursue the property tax.”

“We are also concerned about Tuesday’s exercise, shifting that $796.2m from Finance’s funds to recurrent expenditure in the 18 divisions. If the oil price is good, why is there need to use Finance’s funds which are normally for infrastructure? We also hope to hear the status of Budget plans for oil royalties and negotiations with the energy companies,” Lee said.

“We at least know there will be no old age pension increases coming. On Tuesday when we asked why Social Development needed $28m - which they said was for old age pensions - we asked if there would be a pension increase. But Imbert said no.”

Normal speaking time for MPs is 45 minutes. However, Imbert can seek to suspend procedural regulations - the Standing Orders- and extend his review speaking time.

After Imbert, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar will give the Opposition’s reply. Lee said all 18 Opposition MPs intend to debate Imbert’s review.

A request will be made to the House Speaker for this.

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said the Ministry is considering to install concrete barriers along the highways because of the high cost to repair the broken cable barriers.

He said insurance companies should be made to pay for the repairs and noted that there were two cases currently before the court.

“Unfortunately when people run into the barriers and don’t report them, there is no way to bring a case against anyone,” he said.

The cable barriers were installed after a series of fatal collisions in cross-median crashes.

Sinanan said Ministry had been saddled with a bill dating back to 2013 for the installation of cable barriers on the highway. It was part of the reason why his Ministry required a $62.5m variation discussed before the Standing Finance Committee in Parliament on Tuesday.

Sinanan said the contractor retained in 2013 on a three-year contract was owed $18m.

But he lamented that the cable barrier project is extremely costly.

Sinanan said a month ago the Ministry spent $1m to repair cable barriers on the highway, “since then a significant portion of it went down, once you have an impact you lose about 500 metres,” he said.

As a result, he said, the Ministry was now looking at the entire highway and whether they should go the route of “Jersey Barriers on a phased basis because I don’t know if we can continue to spend this amount of money on cable barriers, it is ridiculously high to maintain.” Doing repairs in-house, he said, will “save on maintenance cost.”

Responding to questions from Princes Town MP Barry Padarath, Sinanan said the installation of the Jersey barriers “cannot happen overnight, because you can’t just put Jersey barriers where the cable barriers are, you have to fill the median and when you fill then can put the jersey barriers. It cannot be done in a year.”

Sinanan admitted in response to a question from Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe that the Ministry was exploring “getting the insurance companies to pay.”

In relation to another debt, Oropouche MP Dr Roodal Moonilal says a $233m loan taken out by UDeCOTT from ANSA Merchant Bank when he was Minister, was to facilitate payment on a loan which a former chairman of UDeCOTT Calder Hart took from the Home Mortgage Bank.

Moonilal made the claim when the Standing Finance Committee met to discuss the $796,297,635 Variation of Appropriation which will be debated today as it forms part of the mid-term review to be presented by Finance Minister Colm Imbert.

Moonilal has promised to speak more to the issue when the debate begins.

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert raised the issue of the $233m loan as he sought an increase in recurrent expenditure of $11,200,000 for the Ministry of Housing and Urban

Development to finance the principal obligation on a loan entered into in October 2013 for the Real Spring Housing development project.

Imbert said the Government was “still trying to find what the money was spent on because we inherited a half-finished project.” Despite this, he said, the government was committed to repaying the loan.

Moonilal sought answers from Imbert whether “this is the same loan arrangement taken out on August 21, 2006, involving Home Mortgage Bank,” but Imbert referred the issue back to Moonilal saying it was under Moonilal’s watch that the UDeCOTT “engaged a $233,097,000 loan from ANSA to meet the cost of construction at Real Spring.”

Blind grandmother Bhagwanie Sookoo yesterday begged the public to help find her daughter and three grandchildren who went missing on Saturday.

She said she was disappointed that the police were not out searching for Veronica Young and her daughters.

Sookoo, of Mohess Road, Penal, who assists in caring for Young’s children said she has not been able to eat or sleep since the family, Vanessa, 10, Marisha, seven, and Calissa, two, went missing along with their mother.

All three are students of Penal Government school and Sookoo said she did not think that Young walked out of their lives with her daughters leaving her husband Marcus and son Antonio, 12, behind.

“I wish they were here. On Saturday, I went to get an injection and when I asked her where she was going, she said to San Fernando.

There was no misunderstanding or argument. They looked okay. They had no bags or anything to show that they were leaving for good so I think something bad must have happened,” Sookoo said.

Step-father-in-law Baldeo Samaroo said he dropped Young and her three daughters on the SS Erin Road to get a taxi to go to San Fernando on Saturday.

“I was in shock when they called me on Saturday night to say none of them came back home. I took care of Marisha. She used to stay with me. I used to take them out to the mall. For her birthday she said she wanted a phone. I hope she will be here for her birthday,” Samaroo said.

Sister-in-law Annette Ali said a report has been made to the police but no one has been searching for the family.

Ali said Young’s husband Marcus Sookoo has been staying in Los Iros where he is working on a house. She said he came back home on Sunday and left again.

“It is really hard for him. We know that she is a bit naive and she could get set up. We are very worried about the children,” Ali said. She said she often warned Young about going to San Fernando to beg with her children.

“We knew it was dangerous. Lots of people used to come and drop stuff for them and we used to help out. We really want her to come back home with the children,” Ali said.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Young and her three daughters can contact the Penal police station at 647-8888.

Penal police were actively investigating the matter but had no leads.

They said the missing person’s report was only lodged on Tuesday.

The increasing gang and drug-related murders in T&T is very worrisome for heads of the European Union delegation to T&T.

However, they strongly believe that the death penalty cannot put a damper to the crisis.

The issue of guns on the streets was also raised by the delegation during a media conference held at the EU’s office, Sagicor Financial Centre, Queen’s Park West, Port-of-Spain on Tuesday.

The conference was to bring awareness to Europe Day which was celebrated yesterday.

Ambassador to the United Kingdom Tim Stew said that there was enough evidence in the courts which suggests that juries are less inclined to find accused people guilty of murder when they know for a fact that the only penalty available to a judge is the death penalty.

“They are more inclined to let that person walk out of that court, event hough they may have done what they were alleged to have done,” Stew said.

He added that if there are a range of options available to a judge, they jury may be more inclined to see that justice is done by declaring a guilty verdict.

Stew further explained that the death penalty is not an effective death penalty especially to those into drugs- and gang-related crimes and criminal activities as the individuals themselves have already made up their minds that they are going to lose their lives by the hands of another drug dealer.

“So, it’s not a deterrent and the Government needs to think through these issues equally. The same goes for crimes of passion.

“We don’t think that’s the right answer but it’s not for us to tell you what to do. It’s your country and you can run it as you wish,” Stew said.

Head of the delegation, Ambassador Aad Biesebroek said there is need for dialogue, which they— the European Union leaders— are willing to sit and discuss.

Also present were Ambassador to Spain Javier Carbajosa; Ambassador to France Serge Lavroff, Kingdom of the Netherlands Ambassador Jules Bijl and Counsellor Deputy Head of Mission Germany Andreas Haack.

Last week Wednesday’s shoot out between two police officers has been criticised as “not poor quality officers” but “poor quality management.”

This was the view of former national security minister Gary Griffith.

Griffith, in an interview, blamed the hierarchy of the Police Service for not being able to “grasp the importance of providing officers with the proper training and tools needed to excel.

“This incident yet again shows the failure of proper leadership and management of the Police Service by those at the highest level. Two officers firing dozens of rounds at almost arms length to each other and not one shot being an accurate hit. Also the childish and clumsy method seen of how they held, aimed and fired the weapon, causing such inaccurate shooting, shows that these officers, like many, are not mandated to go on a firing range annually to properly utilise the marksmanship principles for firing a weapon,” he added.

Griffith said during his tenure as minister he had set up the National Security Training Academy in Cumuto, led by Brigadier Carl Alfonso “to do just that.

“Training for every officer to know when to draw a weapon, using the minimum use of force policy how and how to use it effectively to take down the criminal,” Griffith said.

“The hierarchy of the TTPS abandoned such systems that were there as they simply do not understand the type of training, units and operations required in this era.

Proper training should be provided so that officers would know if they can and should draw their weapons, as they would know how and when to use it,” he added.

The shooting incident between Sgt Darryl Honore and another officer took place outside Ruby Tuesdays restaurant at Grand Bazaar. Honore died on Sunday night

Last week, Finance Minister Colm Imbert hinted at a positive budget mid-year review based on the latest economic indicators, notably al rise in oil prices.

He said in 2013, the energy sector contributed more than 50 per cent of total government revenue but by 2016, that sector’s contribution had dropped to 18 per cent. Direct revenues from oil and gas also declined over the period from US$3 billion to less than $500 million.

However, there have been some positive signs.

The Central Bank’s Quarterly Index of Real Economic Activity (QIEA) for March 2018, shows that activity in the energy sector picked up during the third quarter of 2017. Upstream production was buoyed by new natural gas output from the Juniper field, which also made more gas available to some downstream producers.

“Fortunately, we are seeing the signs of a recovery in the energy sector, with average daily natural gas production increasing by over 15 per cent over the last 12 months.

“In fact, the gap between supply and demand in the natural gas sector is closing steadily, and we hope that by next year, all of the requirements of the gas-based industries can be satisfied.

We have also seen a rebound in oil prices, from a low of US$28 per barrel in 2016 to over US$68 a barrel as of today May 4th, 2018,” Imbert noted during the launch of the Eximbank Forex Facility.

He had said these improvements in gas production and in oil prices, coupled with the new royalty regime for oil and gas introduced in the 2018 budget, resulted in increased inflows of foreign exchange.

Indicators for the non-energy sector, the Central Bank noted, suggest that in the third quarter the sector contracted at its slowest quarterly rate (1.9 per cent) since the fourth quarter of 2015.

In an environment of sluggish economic activity, the latest available labour market information from the Central Statistical Office (CSO) shows that the unemployment rate increased to 4.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2017, up from 3.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2016.

Headline inflation remained low over the second half of 2017—it measured 1.3 per cent in December—despite a pick-up in food inflation in the latter months. Food inflation was affected by supply disruptions resulting from flooding and the pass through of higher international dairy prices.

Core inflation was restrained, notwithstanding upward impetus from higher transportation costs as a result of the reduction of energy subsidies in October 2017.

The Central Bank also noted that the fiscal accounts improved in the first quarter of financial year 2017/18 compared to the similar period a year earlier due mainly to higher petroleum prices and natural gas output.

A deficit of $228.3 million was recorded compared with $2,468 million in the first quarter of financial year 2016/17.

Total public sector debt amounted to $120.9 billion (77.5 per cent of GDP) in December 2017, compared with $121.4 billion in September 2017.

Regarding expected outcomes, the Central Bank noted that the anticipated improvement in the energy sector may have positive spillover effects on the non-energy sector.

Stronger demand for imports in some Caricom countries as a result of firmer growth could support increased output in the local manufacturing sector.

In the context of the moderate pace of domestic economic activity, inflation is expected to remain restrained despite some upward pressures from some budget measures such as the cut to energy subsidies.

The unemployment rate could rise slightly but the pace of increase could be tempered if prospects in the non-energy sector improve, the Central Bank said.

The T&T EITI steering committee will be launching the release of its fifth Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative report tomorrow. The theme will be Champagne History| Mauby Reality:

Adjusting to the New Normal, and it will cover the period October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016.

The report’s findings will provide citizens with a better understanding of T&T’s current economic reality as it will feature snapshots of the economic performance of its extractive sector primarily oil and gas. Given that T&T is highly dependent on oil and gas, the report will also illustrate how the significant decrease in local oil and gas productions has contributed to the country’s declining revenue.

It was assembled by an independent administrator, the local/UK alliance of BDO Trinity Ltd as the lead consultant, supported by Hart Nurse Ltd and will provide snapshots of the payments made directly or indirectly by participating oil and gas companies involved in upstream and associated activities to the Government, along with revenues reported as received by government agencies from those companies during the 2015-2016 period. It will also include an analysis and reconciliation of material payments and receipts in the oil and gas sector in the 2016 fiscal year.

The EITI report will also include a review of the country’s mining sector in this report five mining/quarrying companies participated in the study, two of which are state owned enterprises (SOEs) and three are private companies, as opposed to four during the last reporting period. The report will include royalty payments along with the results of reconciliation for the participating companies.

It will also highlight social expenditures by extractive companies along with a breakdown of the extractive sector’s contribution to the economy.

It will also provide recommendations on how the government can improve areas such as auditing, collecting fees due under production sharing contracts (PSCs), royalty monetisation, improving the mining sector, amongst others. www.tteiti.org.tt.

One wonders whether Caricom can get it right this time; to use the petroleum resource discovered in the region to develop sustainable economies. This resource reportedly holds some 13.6 billion barrels of oil and 21.2tcf of natural gas and 5.74mmbbl of NGLS as compared with the three billion barrels of oil retrieved for T&T’s resource sine the 1970’s while T&T had some 30tcf of natural gas reserves.

Today with the resource in T&T depleting and an economy that is still underdeveloped, undiversified, the concern is whether, like Michael Manley’s prediction for T&T, the expected oil/gas foreign exchange revenues will wash through our, the regional, economies like a dose of salts.

Still, the exploration has started in Guyana the same way with the global entities, Exxon Mobil, CNOOC and Repsol, exploring the basin with Guyana, via the various contracts/royalties/taxes, hoping to reap the rents, like T&T’s experience, to usher in the good life based on imports.

The hope in the 1960s/1970s was that the natural resources of the region would be used to galvanise the population into the production of finished goods for export and so create sustainable economies. This did not come about. What were the missing ingredients? The errors made in T&T in establishing the Pt Lisas complex demonstrate the continuing misunderstanding in the region of how to build sustainable economies.

The global petroleum entities coupled their advantages of know how/technology and continued innovation with T&T’s comparative advantage, natural gas, to produce and export the basic petrochemical commodities, to produce added value products in their global network.

The initial plan by the T&T government was to own these plants, to use our comparative advantage and purchase the knowledge, know how, plant technologies and marketing from the developed nations.

This method could have also allowed us to move up the reward curve of the value chain if we had used the plants to build our own capabilities (operation skill, knowledge, R&D, innovation and product branding).

The plan, however, was simply to provide locally the input commodities and hope that the on-shore private sector would invest and again purchase the knowledge, know how, technology required to manufacture petrochemical based products for export- mistaking comparative advantage combined with imported knowledge as providing sustainable global competitiveness.

Unfortunately a recession ensued and under IMF advice we sold the plants and the private sector did not invest in further downstream consumer products. Prof John Foster tells us that the private sector because of its history may have developed a certain rigidity and was unable to adapt to this opportunity.

We then reverted to simply a plantation economy where T&T allowed its natural resource to be exploited with the minimum of local expertise gained and the rents earned contributed to our survival, bought the imports for the population.

The fault lies with many. First, we were created as a region to contribute to the metropole via plantation economies where we, cheap labour and natural resources, were the comparative advantage exploited by foreign knowledge, marketing etc. Colonialism managed this kind of economy.

When we became independent we mimicked the colonials since we did not recognise that all sustainable development is driven by continued knowledge creation, innovation and their exploitation in what Schumpeter refers to as “creative destruction”; the automobile destroyed horse drawn transport, steam ships destroyed sailing ships; the word processor put paid to the typewriter and digital technology to photographic film.

To date, we have depended on the rents from the exploitation of the natural resource without providing this substance of economic sustainability. Also, our education and training system is out of step with the demands of such an economy.

Out sourcing one’s comparative advantage runs the risk that it can change, or it can be challenged by competitors.

For example, China’s comparative advantage was its low labour cost and abundant labour which is being undermined by Vietnam, forcing China to redefine is economic future.

In our case the natural resource is depleting and searching for more oil/gas by foreign investors is high cost compared with other locations.

The development of sustainable economies then is a collaboration among governments, the R&D institutions and the private sector in funding the acquisition of knowledge, its implementation and creation/innovation, the supply of R&D grant and venture capital funding, branding, market development and export marketing.

Hence a knowledge-based economy is fundamental to the development of sustainability.

MARY KING

The hands of Kamal Ramdeo were once used to dig drains on the sugar cane estates at Waterloo during his tenure at Caroni (1975) Ltd when that company was the island’s only sugar producing entity. Today, Ramdeo is a sculptor who makes murtis of Hindu deities at his workshop at Brickfield Village, Carapichaima.

Ramdeo, 57, was bareback when we visited his home that seemed to be splashed with a fresh coat of orange paint. A large shed that joins his private temple is his workshop. It is littered with tools, cement, and lots of plastic sheets to cover his work. Ramdeo was overly eager to speak about his entry into the world of sculpting. He recalled at the age of 17, he was asked by devotees of a Kali Temple in the area to create a murti of Kal Bhairo, a manifestation of Lord Shiva. Ramdeo said that the murti he then made with steel, sand and cement is still looking as good as the day it was created.

Said Ramdeo: “The Madras people who worshipped at the Kali Temple had no murtis and they used a stone and they did not have any money to buy a murti and I ended up building the murti for them and donated it to them.”

Stating that he does not have any formal training, or has never taken classes in the art of sculpting, Ramdeo said: “I see this as a gift from God, so that I, as a humble servant of the lord, can play the role in promotion of my faith.”

Ramdeo said after making his first murti, he did not reenter the craft until 2001, two years before Caroni (1975) Ltd closed its sugar producing operations. He added that he has since produced several murtis including large Hanuman murtis, one which can be seen on the Maha Sabha compound at Tunapuna near Radio Jagriti.

Ramdeo said there are about 12 people making murtis in T&T and all of them use the same basic process. He said a steel skeleton is constructed and mortar is slowly layered to take the form of the deity. Sandpaper, hacksaw blades and other tools are used to create the details and forms on the murtis. Ramdeo said he uses an airbrush and autocolour paints to give the murtis a glossy look. He said auto paints are durable and weatherproof and can last a long time.

Nevertheless, he has taken on several jobs to repair murtis that have succumbed to the weather.

Ramdeo said murtis are representations of gods and goddesses and must be treated with the respect and care and not neglect. He said the locally crafted murtis are much more durable than the plastic murtis that are imported from China. He said locally produced murtis not only support local talent but can create an avenue for young people to get involved in sculpting if there is a demand. 

Ramdeo said learning sculpture is not an overnight skill and can take an individual several years to master. Ramdeo said he has been working on a special murti for his temple at his home for the past three years. He said when that project is revealed it would be his most glorious creation yet.

Ramdeo can be contacted at 794-5931.

In celebration of Alta’s 25th anniversary, Alta students around the country were asked to write about the impact the organisation has had on their lives. Since 1992, Alta has provided classes around the country for thousands of Trinidadians who struggle with reading and writing. Alta students enrol in the programme at many different levels of literacy and leave when they have accomplished their literacy goals. While it is difficult to manage work and family life alongside Alta classes, students continue to persevere and in all cases see changes in their lives after attending Alta classes. In the coming weeks, Alta will share their pieces through this column. This week, two students from the Couva South Government Secondary venue share how Alta has impacted their lives.

Student Name: George Edwards

“Before the Alta class I had a problem with reading, sounding words and spelling. It was difficult to understand a lot of information around me. I decided that I am growing older and I need to improve for work and for my family. I must be able to achieve my childhood dream of standing in front of a class, reading and writing on a blackboard. This is why I joined Alta.

After joining Alta, my personal and work life improved. I learned to read and spell. I became more conscious of my surroundings and read every sign whenever I am driving.

I feel good to stand in front of my class and be able to read and write on the blackboard. This was something I could not do as a boy because I did not understand words well. Now, I can help my grandson with his reading, spelling and sounding words. I have improved in writing for my job and I feel more confident thanks to Alta”.

Student Name: Leanna Khan

“When I was younger I did not know how to read. No one was around to help me so I was ashamed. I left school and started working as a young girl. My boss told me about Alta, she wanted me to be somebody better in life.

Now I’ve been coming to Alta it has changed my life thanks to my boss. I have learnt a lot coming to Alta. I can help my daughter with her homework; I can read and sign off the receipts that I receive on my job”

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more Alta student writing on the impact the organisation has had on their lives.

More info

Volunteer, Donate or Sponsor-a-student. Call 621-5708 or email Altapos.tt@gmail.com for more info. Keep up to date with Alta on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: Alta

The Catholic Religious Education Development Institute (Credi) will host a Hidden Disabilities Conference—What you cannot see, Wednesday 16—17, at the Government Campus Auditorium, Lower Richmond Street and Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain at 8.45 am.

The conference will contribute greatly to an enabling climate to address challenges that some students may be experiencing: mental, physical, intellectual, and sensory impairment in a positive, professionally and socially pleasing way.

Credi believes that the nation’s schools are still hindered by inadequate systems to facilitate early intervention, and insufficient training programmes designed to equip teachers to deal with special needs’ cases in their classrooms.

The need for a drastic end to this situation is urgent and critical.

Credi chooses not to turn a blind eye to another area of social discontent that can exacerbate an already critical national situation.

In this context, the purpose of the conference is to: n Continue to sensitise relevant career professionals about the reality of hidden disabilities so that they can be open to and plan for innovative teaching and curricular strategies for ensuring that all children can selfactualise optimally in caring, sensitive contexts; n Cater for the existential rights of each child to be engaged in an educational environment that is inclusive and holistic in its pedagogical approaches and social dynamics; n Provide a basis for pertinent administrators and care-givers to work towards the provision of infrastructure and human and technical resources that facilitate the challenged stakeholders; n Underline the indisputable reality that disabilities exist and that understanding must strongly feature in all initiatives for human management and development.

Credi’s Hidden Disabilities Conference promises to be a rich conversation with local and international presenters who will speak to challenges faced by educators, parents and anyone who has cause to interact regularly with young persons.

Renowned speakers include Archbishop of Portof- Spain Jason Gordon; Dr Tim Conway, neuropsychologist and owner of the Morris Centres in Trinidad and Florida, USA; Dr Launcelot Brown of Duquesne University, Pennsylvania, USA; Dr Madonna Wojtaszek–Healy, hidden disabilities consultant and lecturer from Illinois, USA; Dr David Bratt, paediatrician; and Kitts Cadette, principal, Eshe’s Learning Centre and Special Education lecturer at Credi.

Today is World Lupus Day and its theme is Lupus Knows No Boundaries. As the day is commemorated, The Voice of Lupus Foundation (VLF) will once again be hosting its annual Public Information Day and Candlelight Vigil at the Brian Lara Promenade, Port-of-Spain, from 2 pm until 6.30 pm.

The VLF organisation as an official member of the World Lupus Federation, is intent on spreading the awareness of Lupus and continue its work of Giving Lupus a “voice” as T&T participates in the 15th annual observance of World Lupus Day.

This day is sponsored by the World Lupus Federation, a coalition of Lupus patient organisations from around the world, united to improve the quality of life for people affected by Lupus.

Through co-ordinated efforts, the World Lupus Federation and the VLF have been working to create greater awareness and understanding of lupus, provide education and services to people living with the disease, and advocate on their behalf here in T&T.

World Lupus Day serves to call attention to the impact that Lupus has on people around the world for a common purpose of bringing greater attention and resources to efforts to end the suffering caused by this disabling and potentially fatal autoimmune disease.

Lupus is more pervasive and severe than people think, and has a devastating impact that the public doesn’t realise. In fact, research shows that a staggering two-thirds of the public knows little or nothing about lupus.

You all can help VLF change that

There is no boundary to the impact of Lupus here in T&T. It affects people of all nationalities, races, ethnicities, genders and ages. Lupus can affect any part of the body in any way at any time, often with unpredictable and life-changing results. While Lupus knows no boundaries, knowing all you can about lupus can help control its impact.

Citizens can help us by joining the nationwide effort of the VLF today by wearing something purple for the awareness of Lupus and attend its annual candlelight vigil.

Put on Purple...Tell the story...Change Lives!

Symptoms of Lupus include chronic fatigue, severe joint and body pains, organ failure, skin rashes, hair loss, depression, mouth ulcers and photosensitivity especially to sunlight.

Over the past seven years, the VLF has been creating change through Advocacy, Awareness and Action fostering the much needed awareness in society.

Feel free to contact VLF via its email address: voiceoflupus@gmail.com or contact the president of the VLF, Reeanna Harrilal (327-0220) for further information.

Also, to learn more about the Voice of Lupus Foundation and see first hand of the work it has been doing in T&T, visit its website at www.thevoiceoflupus.com or “Like” it on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/thevoiceoflupus/