Editorial cartoon: The sandesh diaries

Panday pledges to lead until UNC tells him to go

Basdeo Panday served notice on Sunday that major changes are coming to the United National Congress (UNC) as he addressed delegates attending the party's National Assembly at the Rienzi Complex in Couva.

Panday reiterated that he would contest the leadership at the party's internal election on January 24, 2010 and that he wants a disciplined team with him.

And he also went on the offensive with stinging attacks on the Ramjack team of Jack Warner, Ramesh. L. Maharaj and Winston "Gypsy" Peters. Warner and Maharaj were absent, but Peters was there among the estimated 2,000 delegates.

Maharaj is out of the country and Warner has refused to attend what he deems an illegal meeting. Instead he was on a walkabout in Panday's Couva North constituency.

Panday spoke about discipline and said that is what is needed if the party wants to return to government.

"Give me a disciplined team of officers and I promise you I shall give you the government. We did it once, nay, twice, and we can do it again," he said.

He said discipline is the key, noting that it is the quality that helped send the party to Whitehall in 1995 when the UNC was just six years old.

In a reference to Ramjack, Panday said he doesn't need people around him who "run to the media whenever they do not get what they want". And he repeated allegations of misappropriation of funds, without calling names.

He reminded his audience that it was Maharaj who brought down the UNC government in 2001. Maharaj and two other cabinet ministers left the party over allegations of corruption and tried to make a deal with then opposition leader Patrick Manning.

Panday stopped the plan and called fresh elections, which ended in the 18-18 tie that propelled Manning into office when President Robinson fired Panday saying he need to have a government of "spirituality and morality".

In a direct broadside against Warner, Panday suggested that the FIFA vice chairman is a traitor to the UNC and a dishonest person.

"Where were those who now want to take over the party? Where were they?...they want to rob the UNC of your money and fry you in your own fat. I assure you that will never happen as long as I live," he declared.

"They know that to hijack this party they will have to pass me first, that is why they are trying to pass me out. From the time we called for an account of the millions they received on behalf of this party, they began to call for change.

"They say they want change, well, I want change too. I want the change from the money they collect for this party and for which they refuse to account," he said.

"I have said it before and I say it again, to destroy this party they have to destroy me first...I have always told you I will lead you so long as you want me to. I shall never be a yoke around your neck," he said.

"I shall leave only when you tell me to go", he said, adding that he would never step aside for "those power hungry vultures waiting for me to die so that they can inherit this great party."

Panday said that is why he is contesting the party elections on the 24th January, 2010, which he said would give the party an opportunity to pass judgment and "tell me if to go or to stay."

Kamla attends UNC assembly, has no comment of speculation that she might challenge Panday

Kamla Persad-Bissessar was present at the United National Congress (UNC) National Assembly Sunday but she was not giving any interviews to the media.

The UNC deputy leader has been touted as a potential leader of the party and one delegate even stood up at last month's National Assembly and told party leader Basdeo Panday to step aside and let Persad-Bissessar lead.

She has not said if she plans to run in next January's internal election at which Panday is running for the post of leader.

But there is a strong lobby for her to challenge Panday. It's coming from both inside and outside of the UNC and from powerful political players.

Jack Warner, who plans to run for the chairmanship of the UNC, has said if she decides to run he would support her. Others in the Ramjack camp are also planning to throw their support behind her if she takes the plunge.

Warner reiterated his support for her on Sunday during his walkabout in Panday's Couva North constituency. He refused to attend the Assembly because he says it was held on the basis of a bogus list, which he will not recognise.

Warner told the Trinidad Guardian Sunday UNC people have been calling him to say that they would support Persad-Bissessar for leader.

The Guardian has also reported that the Siparia MP is getting strong support from members of the Congress of the People (COP).

The paper quoted an unnamed COP strategist as saying that if she runs and wins Persad-Bissessar could emerge as possible leader of a united opposition that would include both the UNC and the COP.

Persad-Bissessar leads a UNC team that's trying to find a formula to unite all opposition groups and has appeared on a COP platform representing the UNC. However, she pulled out of a COP-supported "Axe-the-tax" rally after Panday said publicly that she did not have the party's approval to speak on the platform. Since then she has kept a low profile.

Dookeran is on record as saying that Persad-Bissessar would be a good choice to lead her party. But he declined to make any commitment about a future role for her in his party.

He told the Guardian, "While we may have our wishes, we won’t interfere in the internal affairs of any party; but my wish is that Panday would find a nice way out and go out to pasture."

Many UNC supporters feel that while Persad-Bissessar might make a good leader and stand an excellent chance of beating the People's National Movement (PNM) she would not challenge Panday for the leadership because of her loyalty to him and the party.

But others have suggested that her silence is a smart move because to be bold enough to oppose Panday would amount to political suicide since no one has ever challenged Panday for the party's leadership in the UNC's 20-year history.

Persad-Bissessar held on to the official post of Opposition Leader when Panday was convicted for failing to declare a London Bank account to the Integrity Commission and was expelled from Parliament. Panday remained UNC leader.

The only other UNC leader in the past 20 years was Dookeran who was anointed by Panday and won the leadership unopposed in an internal election that saw Panday emerge as chairman of the party.

When Dookeran left and formed COP, the UNC executive handed back the leadership to Panday.

Some UNC insiders have also said that Persad-Bissessar's silence means that she is keeping her options open.

Manning to use carbon capture; Kamla wants moratorium on smelters

Prime Minister Patrick Manning told reporters Sunday his government is considering the use of carbon capture to help deal with the problem of Global warming.

Manning was speaking at the close of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which he and many other leaders hailed as a great success.

Climate change was an important part of the weekend discussions during which the Commonwealth came up with a consensus declaration to present at next month's UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.

Manning will be attending the talks in Denmark in his dual capacity of leader of the Trinidad and Tobago delegation and the chairman of CHOGM.

He noted that Trinidad and Tobago falls under the broad heading of small and vulnerable states and would likely qualify for financial assistance from a proposed fund of at least US$10 billion that leaders will discuss at the Copenhagen summit. Trinidad and Tobago, he said, would have to contribute to that fund.

He admitted that as the country moves forward on its agenda to reach developed country status by 2020 it would leave a larger carbon footprint than many developing nations as a result of Trinidad and Tobago's heavy industrialization.

However he pledged to adopt a policy of "minimising our carbon emissions and the emissions of other greenhouse gases and we will seek to retrofit existing plants in collaboration with companies that operate here in the industry."

Manning said the policy would be fast tracked.

Commenting further on the carbon capture plan, he noted that the technology is "very contentious because there are countries that believe that if you place carbon oxides in formations that once contained oil and gas, you run the risk of leakages from these horizons."

Manning addded that he does not see that in the same way, which is why he is contemplating it.

"In fact, in Trinidad and Tobago, we have been doing some of that for some time, because carbon dioxide is the commodity that we use in the secondary recovery of oil," he said.

"Some ammonia plants already have carbon dioxide as a by-product and methanol plants use carbon dioxide to increase their product...So it is a kind of trade off situation; a net situation in which we have an excess of carbon dioxide produced over carbon dioxide consumed and it is in those circumstances we are considering carbon sequestration", he said.

While Manning addressed the emissions issue in Port of Spain, United National Congress (UNC) deputy leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar spoke in Couva, calling on Manning to declare a moratorium on the aluminium smelter plants.

"As we conclude CHOGM and approach Copenhagen, I call on the Prime Minister to cleanse our image in the world community and demonstrate a commitment to emission reduction by announcing a moratorium on the planned aluminium smelter plants proliferation, pending further studies," Persad-Bissessar told delegates attending the UNC’s National Assembly at the Rienzi Complex.

Persad-Bissessar said she is formulating an economic development plan that will review all the energy intensive and capital intensive mega projects in Trinidad and Tobago in which she would give consideration to appropriate modifications or alternatives as part of a diversification strategy.

She doubted Manning's declared concern over climate change and noted that he presides over an administration that has allowed Trinidad and Tobago to be ranked among the top ten global polluters.

"Mr Manning wants to use the basis of ’absolute emission’ or total emission instead of looking at our disproportionate rate of polluting the environment. This is like claim to a ’right to pollute’ on the part of Trinidad and Tobago.

"Mr Manning wants the advantage of masking our ugliness as a top ranking polluter and go unnoticed in the crowd," she said.

Commonwealth admits Rwanda, skips rights issue

Commonwealth leaders ended their biennial summit in Port of Spain Sunday on an upbeat note, pledging to present a consensus position on climate change to the UN global conference in Copenhagen next month.

They also agreed to meet in Australia for their next conference in 2011 and in Sri Lanka two years later.

Sri Lanka had lobbied to host the next 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) but the leaders agreed to let the South Asian nation host the 2013 meetings instead.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was one of the leaders who opposed Sri Lanka as the 2011 hosts.

He said the delay to 2013 would give Sri Lanka enough time to deal with the fallout of the government's handling of the civil war.

"That should give Sri Lanka plenty of time to get on a path towards genuine political reconciliation, and broad-based, multi-ethnic participation in their democracy," Harper said.

The Commonwealth leaders also agreed to admit Rwanda, increasing the group's membership to 54 members.

It becomes only the second nation without direct colonial links to Britain to join the Commonwealth. The other is the former Portuguese colony of Mozambique.

Uganda's proposed "anti-homosexuality bill" that seeks to jail and even execute homosexuals, didn't get a mention at summit despite calls before the conference for the country's suspension from the organization.

But Canada made a special point to address it. Harper said leaders generally don't talk about specific laws during the Commonwealth meetings but he felt strongly enough about it to express "Canada's deep concern".

He said he told President Yoweri Museveni Canada finds the legislation inconsistent with any reasonable understanding of human rights.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also expressed concern with the law.

The proposed legislation is a private member's bill, but at least one government minister has praised it and Museveni has yet to comment on it as it goes through the parliamentary process.

The bill would send anyone who has engaged in homosexual activity to prison for life. Those found guilty of "aggravated homosexuality," for having had sex while HIV positive or with someone under the age of 18, would face a death sentence.

In addition, anyone found to be promoting gays and lesbians on the Internet or through the media would also face prison, as would anyone who does not expose homosexuality when they find out about it.

The bill is being framed as a defence for heterosexual marriage in the country.

Read related story: Manning in hot water over gay rights

The Ugandan anti-gay bill has a shocking footnote. The independent online site Alternet is claiming that the bill was engineered by a right wing Christian group in the U.S. that is aligned to the Republican Party.

Read the story by Stephen Webster: Cult of Conservative Christian GOPers Backs Death Penalty for Gays With HIV

Column: Why do people follow tyrannical leaders?

Recently I have been viewing a discussion on the titled topic and have decided to add my two cents.

People follow so called tyrannical leaders for the same reason they follow noble ones. Sometimes they just don't know the difference.

In addition, it is sometimes easier to follow the tyrants because to do otherwise is to face being ostracised by the community and even death. Society is based on group identity.

People align themselves to groups that they believe will protect them and assist them, whether these groups are based in religion/spirituality, economics, academics, ethnicity, geographic location, secret societies (usually economic), political (usually economic and security) or overlapping subsets of each.

These groups are usually headed by people who understand the human psyche and whose sole aim is self advancement, they manipulate the followers accordingly for their (the leader's) own benefit.

They appear strong and firm in their beliefs and can usually communicate their message effectively, essentially manipulating the minds of their followers who cling to whatever ideology brought them together in the first place.

The group dynamic then takes over and any dissent is portrayed as an attack on the group. When the group system is firmly established, the leader has the momentum to take the group in any direction he then chooses, many times without the group realizing until it is too late.

People who challenge the status quo (real leaders) that is established by the group leaders are attacked by the sycophants who surround the leaders and who feel that by standing up for the leader he will in turn show gratitude.

They point to the fact that the challenger is standing alone and therefore cannot be right, after all the group cannot be wrong, even if heading towards a precipice in a maxi taxi.

History has however shown that the world has only been changed by those who have stood up alone against all odds and criticism and have challenged the status quo when it was not working for the people.

Unfortunately, these people have usually paid with their lives for doing so. Ironically, their lives are usually snuffed out by the very people for whom they were fighting.

Garvin Nicholas | Port of Spain, Trinidad

Lara gets Australia's highest honour

Australia bestowed its highest national honour to Trinidad and Tobago cricket legend Brian Lara Sunday.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd handed the award to Lara at a simple ceremony at the residence of the Australian High Commissioner in Cascade.

The Order of Australia has been established as “an Australian society of honour for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service”.

Lara also holds Trinidad and Tobago's highest national honour. “His achievement in international cricket is unmatched,” Rudd said, as he acknowledged that both Australia and Trinidad and Tobago share a great passion for cricket. He said many Australians consider Lara one of their great heroes.

Lara made his maiden test century in Sydney, Australia, and has named his daughter Sydney in honour of that remarkable event in 1993 when he scored 277. She was present Sunday when her father met the Australian leader.

Lara accepted the honour with humililty. "I am blessed with this distinction and proud...But it was not bestowed only on me but the game of cricket and will only serve to strengthen the relationship between our countries.

"It is a great honour but it is more representative of the relationship between Trinidad and Tobago, the West Indies and Australia," he said.

Lara, 40, played professional cricket for 17 years and is now retired.

He still holds the record for the highest test score of 400 not out and highest score in a first-class match of 501 not out. He has 11,953 test runs to his credit, second only to India's Sachin Tendulkar, who has scored 12,917 runs in test cricket.

UNC Assembly to confirm internal election for Jan. 24, 2010

The United National Congress (UNC) holds its National Assembly in Couva Sunday at which it will approve resolutions from the congress held last month, including one to hold internal elections on January 24, 2010.

UNC leader Basdeo Panday is so far the only person who has said he is running for the party's leadership. Deputy leader Jack Warner plans to run for the chairmanship of the party, which Panday currently holds in addition to being party leader.

Warner won't be at Sunday's assembly and neither would Ramesh L. Maharaj, who is out of the country. Warner is spending the day in a walkabout in Panday's Couva North constituency, meeting people and hearing their concerns.

His Ramjack group has set up a private political office in Carapichaima, claiming that it is necessary since Panday does not offer any representation to the people.

Warner is not attending because he has deep concerns about the legality of the meeting, which he says is being held on the basis of a bogus list of financial members.

He said he will not recognize decisions taken unless he could peruse a credible membership list. UNC members will also be watching to see if Deputy Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar would attend.

At last month's congress a delegate told Panday to step aside and let Persad-Bissessar take over the leadership because she has the best change of beating the People's National Movement (PNM) in an election.

Panday had told the delegate that the national executive would consider the matter. Persad-Bissessar herself has not publicly indicated any interest in running against Panday.

In the history of the UNC, no one has ever challenged Panday for the job and there's every indication that this unwritten convention would continue.

Panday has led the UNC since the party was born in 1989 except for a brief period from 2005 to 2006 when Winston Dookeran was leader. Panday had stepped aside and allowed Dookeran to run unopposed in the 2005 internal election and he was elected unopposed as chairman.

When Dookeran left the party and formed the Congress of the People (COP), the national executive appointed Panday as interim leader until fresh elections.

In announcing his candidacy last Monday Panday also said he would field his own slate of candidates because he wants to be sure that he could work with the people elected to the executive.

He has stated that many MP's have expressed an interest in running but declined to name them, saying he would do so in January.

Asked by local media if he would have a problem if Persad Bissessar decides to run against him, Panday said no, adding that she has that right. But some members of the UNC are saying that if she opposes Panday, it would mean political suicide.

Read the story: Panday says it's Kamla right to run for UNC leadership
Related: News feature: Will anyone challenge Panday?
Related:Letter: Kamla is best hope to beat PNM

There is speculation that Panday might actually do an about face, pull out at the last minute and let Persad Bissessar run.

At least one source close to the UNC told JYOTI Panday knows that he cannot beat the PNM, so his best chance would be to hand over the leadership to Persad-Bissessar who has a strong following inside and outside of the party. The source added that she is also seen as the best person to unite the opposition.

But the Ramjack group has dismissed that, saying that Panday would never give up the leadership.

Warner has even suggested that Panday is holding on because it guarantees that the PNM would continue to win elections so long as Panday leads the UNC. Warner and his colleague, Mayaro MP Winston 'Gypsy' Peters, have said they would support Persad-Bissessar if she decides to run against Panday.

Read the story: Jack, Gypsy will support Kamla for UNC leader

Today's page from the Sandesh Diary

Column: Opposition political games hurting T&T

I have followed Trinidad and Tobago politics as closely as I can from Toronto, relying largely on media reports and to a lesser extent on the political connections I have maintained since leaving home many years ago.

And I get the impression that while there is obvious discontent in the Manning government, there is very little anger or desire to upset the status quo beyond much of the predictable political rhetoric.

While a perfect political storm has been building for a long time that could sweep the Manning administration out of office, the opposition seems oblivious to that reality.

And apart from random bursts of enthusiasm to demonstrate that its elected members are not comatose, there is little to give the citizen hope that change is on the horizon.

The United National Congress (UNC) headed by its founding leader Basdeo Panday, its offspring, the Congress of the People led by former UNC political leader Winston Dookeran, and the Ramjack group led by Chaguanas west MP Jack Warner are all presenting themselves as the logical alternative to the People's National Movement (PNM).

But none has demonstrated a clear agenda for change that is attracting mass excitement or presenting hope for the suffering masses.

In other words, there is nothing on the political horizon to suggest that Manning is in any imminent danger of losing his mandate. If fact, if he were to call an election soon, he might very well get the constitutional majority he so desperately craves.

It's because there are mixed signals from the COP and the UNC. On the one hand Panday is saying he is ready to talk about uniting all the groups opposed to the PNM and has even sent letters inviting Dookeran to meet.

But at the same time he has told COP it is impertinent to suggest that the UNC must merge with the UNC.

For his part, Dookeran, who initially relaunched his "unity" effort to do what he once failed at, is now connecting the political dots to draw a picture of intrigue involving Manning and Panday in an endgame destined to deal a fatal blow to COP and install Manning as an executive president without even giving the people an opportunity to have a say in the matter.

Another part of the equation is the dissident UNC group led by Warner that insists that it will stick with the UNC and reinvent it as the political vehicle to save the nation. Warner hopes to restablish himself and his change agenda in the UNC and from there, build a strong united opposition alliance to crush the PNM.

But Panday and the UNC establishment are keeping the Ramjackers out for now, while Warner is keeping the threat of legal action in his back pocket for use if necessary.

There are those who still believe that simple arithmetic would have changed the political equation and they still point to the results of 2007 to explain their theory that had COP heeded Panday's eleventh hour call for an alliance the combined effort would have put Manning out of office.

That argument doesn't stand up for one principal reason: the bulk of defectors from the UNC to COP were tired of the way the UNC was running its affairs under Panday's leadership and the new and hidden voters that COP attracted were also no fans of the UNC and Panday.

A merger of COP and UNC would have likely created a devastating blow to the opposition and probably handed Manning a stronger victory since many of the 148,000 who voted for COP would have either stayed at home or considered voting for the PNM.

Panday is going to run again to be the leader of the UNC and if those who support him behave like they have always done, the "chief" would be re-elected unopposed.

All the talk about Kamla Persad-Bissessar challenging Panday is just talk. While she would love nothing better than to lead the UNC she is smart enough to know that she cannot challenge the "chief". It's just not done. Nobody has ever done it.

So voters who want an alternative to the PNM will get Panday leading the UNC because the Ramjack team, with all its advertised muscle and professed good inentions, seems unable to topple the UNC machine.

That leaves COP, which is still led by Dookeran at least until his present term ends in 2011. As for Warner and his team, they could soon be left without a party.

Warner has always been very clear that he is not leaving the UNC, but if the party continues to frustrate his efforts to run for and get elected as a member of the national executive he would have no choice but to move on.

But where?

That's the mammoth political headache that still leaves the unity question unsetttled.

Warner has kept the door open for a union with COP but the door isn't wide open and there is talk from very reliable COP sources that some of COP's backers would be more comfortable if Warner is not a part of their "tribe".

Then there is the huge socio-economic chasm separating COP and the UNC. Some of COP's most influential backers want nothing to do with the UNC. They have made it clear that UNC tribe doesn't belong in COP.

On the Panday side there is no enthusiasm to unite with COP and lose its identity.

The UNC's founding base is dwindling, but it remains signficant enough to make a difference in the country's political fortunes. And those who continue to sustain the UNC are not going to walk over to COP.

If I were to guess I would say even if Panday and Dookeran want to do business they could very well find it nealy impossible because their respective memberships have no love for one another.

Despite all the platform rhetoric and posturing in the media, there is no real sign of any united opposition in the near future.

And that leaves Manning as secure as he ever was.

Jai Parasram | Toronto - 29 Nov. 2009

Manning wants T&T to host 2018 Commwealth Games

After two international summits in 2009 at a cost likely to exceed TT$1 billion, Prime Minister Patrick Manning wants more.

He reportedly told a private sports breakfast meeting of the Commonwealth that he wants Trinidad and Tobago to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

News of Manning's ambitious plan came from the chairman of the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games 2010, which are being held next year in India.

Suresh Kalmadi told reporters in Port of Spain Nigeria and Australia are also bidding for the 2018 games.

Kalmadi revealed that so far, the Indian government has spent US$2 billion to prepare for the games. But he said the expenditure is worth it because the event is bringing tangible rewards to India.

“The games are expected to create an enormous employment opportunity for close to 2.5 million jobs. Delhi will host over 100,000 tourists during the games", he said. Kalmadi said between 2010 and 2012, India stands to earn nearly US$4.5 billion as a result of hosting the games.

He added, "India is looking to further bolster trade and business relations with other Commonwealth nations via this mega sports event, through the formation of the Business Club India, which will conduct a series of events and road shows in important Commonwealth destinations coinciding with the travelling baton relay in major cities around the world."

The games will run from June 3 to 14.

Commonwealth leaders agree on climate change plan

Prime Minister Patrick Manning will join other world leaders, including U.S. President barack Obama, at next month's climate change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, starting next week.

Manning will be attending in his dual capacity as the head of the Trinidad and Tobago delegation and the chairman of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Speaking with reporters in Port of Spain, Manning said Commonwealth leaders have recognized the "undisputed threat" to their security, prosperity and economic and social development posed by climate change, which led to the signing of an historic declaration aimed at addressing the problem.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, United Nations Secretary General Bank Ki-moon and Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen met with Commonwealth leaders at a special session at which they reaffirmed a commitment to the Lake Victoria Commonwealth Climate Change Action Plan adopted in Uganda in 2007.

Manning said the Port of Spain Climate Change Consensus represents the concerns of Commonwealth leaders and sets specific objectives to achieve in Copenhagen next month.

The declaration commits the Commonwealth leaders to approach the climate change summit "with ambition, optimism and determination" and insists on addressing the needs of the most vulnerable.

"Their voice must be heard and capacity to engage strengthened. Many of us from small island states, low lying coastal states and least developed countries face the greatest challenges, yet have contributed least to the problem of climate change,” the declaration said.

The leaders concluded that "we only have a few short years to address the this threat" of rising temperatures caused by the increase in carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions.

"The latest scientific evidence indicates that in order to avoid dangerous climate change that is likely to have catastrophic impacts we must find solutions using all available avenues. We must act now," they said.

They declaration urges world leaders to agree to "a comprehensive, substantial and operationally binding agreement in Copenhagen leading towards a full legally binding outcome no later than 2010," with emphasis on the urgent needs of developing countries.

It said these countries need financing and support to help them make the changes and adjustments necessary to arrest the environmental degradation without compromising their legitimate development aspirations.

The leaders also want the establishment of a Copenhagen Launch Fund starting next year to help the most vulnerable countries with immediate allocation of at least 10 per cent of the funds to small island states and associated low-lying coastal states of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).

“We also recognise the need for further, specified and comparable funding streams, to assist the poorest and most vulnerable countries, to cope with, and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. We recognise that funding will be scaled up beyond 2012,” the leaders said.

Environmentalists slam French president's support for smelter

While Commonwealth leaders were meeting to conclude their declaration on climate change ahead of next month's Copenhagen conference, a coalition of interest groups formed to raise environmental awareness was heaping scorn on French President Nicolas Sarkozy for saying that Trinidad and Tobago's proposed aluminium smelter is no threat to the environment.

Sarkozy, who is attending the Commonwealth summit as a special guest, told reporters an aluminium smelter like the one Trinidad and Tobago is building is not in conflict with the goal of combating climate change. He also suggested that industrial development by itself is not a threat to the environment.

He said the suggestion that development and the protection of the environment are in conflict "belongs to the 20th century".

He said, "What we are suggesting is...financial aid and assistance to modernise and upgrade your industry, and through technological transfer to be able to subscribe to the principle of sustainable development."

The French leader suggested that the real objective for nations such as Trinidad and Tobago is to have carbon-free growth and noted that the wealthy nations would be prepared to help with finance and technology transfers.

Read the Trinidad Express story: Smelter support

"President Sarkozy is ’farse and out of place’ to come to our country and tell us to accept smelters...We are sure that he cannot simply plant a smelter anywhere in France or in the middle of Paris, at his leisure. His statements are unacceptable," one speaker at the environment forum declared.

Environmental activists have called the Trinidad and Tobago government hypocritical for presenting itself to the Commonwealth and the world as a defender of the environment when the reality is that it has shown no regard for protecting the environment.

The opposition United National congress (UNC) has also complained about the government's record.

In a comprehensive document submitted to Commonwealth leaders, Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh outlined some of the issues that demonstrate the government's double speak on the issue.

Gopeesingh noted that the country's nine ammonia and seven methanol plants are contributing to the production of 33 tonnes of harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually.

In addition the large per capita vehicle count of more than 400,000 vehicles for 1.3 million citizens adds to the problem, he said.

Gopeesingh said despite widespread protests from the citizens and a Judicial ruling against the continuation of construction of an Aluminum Smelter (ALUTRINT) the government "arrogantly pursues its continued construction".

He said for the last eight years the Manning administration has shown no interest in following the recommendations from the international agreements and conventions for the protection of the environment and has failed to produce even one Green Paper on climate change issues.

Read the story: Opposition sends climate report to CHOGM

Dookeran presents new economic formula to fight poverty

Congress of the People Leader Winston Dookeran on Saturday commended Curacao's opposition Partido Pueblo Emansipa (PPE) for its efforts to find a way to fight poverty.

He called the PPE's effort "an arduous journey" and urged the party to never lose its sense of direction and risk being blown off course.

"Set your compass in the right direction and move on – full steam ahead," he said.

Dookeran was the guest speaker at the party's convention on the theme of emancipation from poverty.

Dookeran reminded his audience that to be free means more that casting off the symbols of oppression. He said It also means respect for the freedom of others.

He invoked Bob Marley's memory to define freedom. "Emancipate your mind from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind", he said, quoting the Jamaican icon's redemption song.

He spoke of humankind's innate desire for freedom where the human spirit prevails and human dignity reigns. "This year, 2009, the issue of freedom has again surfaced in our public conversation," he said in reference to Trinidad and Tobago. "Clearly, as a society, we have to guard constantly that freedom," he said.

Addressing the goal of the party Dookeran called it "noble" but also reminded decision makers that the the global economic meltdown is redefining how a country seeks to measure its assets.

He told the politicians of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's initiative to contribute to a new debate on measuring economic performance and social progress by inviting Nobel Laureates Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz and Professor Amartya Sen to share their considerable wisdom on the issue.

The commission’s report, he said, argued that the way nations measure economic performance is flawed since its focus is primarily on a country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said such a measurement of citizens’ well-being is flawed because GDP does not include resource depletion and environmental degradation.

He quoted Professor Stiglitz from a lecture he gave last week at the University of the West Indies: "If equality increases enough, relative to the increase in average per capita GDP, most people can be worse off, even though their average income might be increasing".

He agreed that raising per capita income is a distorted measure of well-being of citizens, calling it the source of an incorrect approach in dealing with poverty and inequality.

The former T&T Central Bank Governor noted that one of the conclusions of the commission’s report is that there must be a shift from measuring economic production to measuring the well-being of citizens and that well-being should be placed in the context of sustainability.

"This argument underlines the faulty approach that emerges when policy makers use GDP, which really measures market activity, when what we should be doing is measuring the sustainability of the well-being of citizens," he said.

Dookeran said if citizens' welfare were to become the central tenet of governments' policy, it would cause nations to redefine development. He referred to Prof. Sen's thesis that development is building capability in people.

"Capability is a measurement of people’s health, education, personal activities, environmental condition and life’s satisfaction... Freedom, in this sense, refers to the enhancement of "people’s capability", which includes the process of decision-making and the opportunity to achieve outcomes which people have reason to value," he said.

"This will allow them to lead a life where they have the real choices to make," he added.

Speaking specifically about poverty, Dookeran said the orthodox approach is the creation of an adjusted framework to include two issues - building capability in people and sustainability of people’s well-being.

Dookeran said according to the policy brief of the Inter-American Dialogue, there has been a decrease in poverty and inequality in Latin America due to strategic economic growth and innovative social programmes.

However he said in spite of that one in every three Latin American is poor and one in every eight is extremely poor and unable to meet their basic nutritional requirements.

"Poverty rates range from 75% of the population in Haiti to 13.9% in Barbados. In Trinidad and Tobago, the rate has been estimated to be between 16.5% and 27.3%, based on different studies," he said.

"We in Latin America and the Caribbean have not yet found an effective strategy for reducing poverty and inequality," he said and suggested that social policy be significantly revamped and strengthened in the region.

He said it is a fallacy to expect that when the current global economic crisis is over things will be back to "good times" because there will continue to be a persistent rise in poverty and inequality.

"Let’s not fool ourselves. The challenge ahead is enormous. It requires a fundamental shift in the paradigm for development and in the design and engineering of new instruments that can address the vexing and burning issues of poverty and inequality.

"In the old orthodoxy, it was recognised that the market system promoted inequality and that the state involvement would correct that failure. It is now recognised that state’s involvement is indeed ineffective," he said.

Dookeran proposed a new agenda for dealing with the issues of poverty and inequality comprising:

• Finding new ways and means to produce social goods within the market framework
• The need to search for smart decisions in the provision of public services
• A more open political process to allow the voices of the poor and dispossessed to be heard and to be loud
• Special institutional changes in the system of accountability to provide a special place for the voice of the poor and underdeveloped in the councils of government

Related: Dr Selwyn Ryan on Prof Stiglitz's lecture:

"The giggles and twitters coming from the packed auditorium indicated that the audience wished that the Prime Minister and his technocrats were there to get the message, which was that the concept of what is glibly deemed ’developed nation status’ had to be rethought in the context of what is happening to planet earth and our own immediate natural environment.

"Stiglitz made the telling point that if newly developing countries all sought to use the US development model to achieve their 20-20 visions, the planet was doomed."

Read Ryan column in the Sunday Express

Introducing JYOTI's Sandesh diaries...

Jack hits the road as UNC gets set for National Assembly

United National Congress (UNC) deputy leader Jack Warner is taking Saturday off to walk among his constituents in Chaguanas West to mark his second anniversary of being elected as their Parliamentary Representative and also to discuss issues that concern them. And on Sunday he will do the same in Couva North, the constituency that UNC leader Basdeo Panday has represented since entering the House of Representatives in 1976. In an interview with JYOTI, Warner confirmed that because of his Couva North walkabout he won't attend the assembly but he said he is trying to get a group to represent his Movement for Change "to raise concerns about the January 24th Elections." The meeting is expected to confirm the internal vote. Panday told UNC supporters earlier this week that he will run for the leadership and will field a fuill slate of candidates. So far no one has challenged him, but there is a strong lobby inside and outside the party for deputy leader and Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar to run against Panday. Warner has said he is interested in running for the chairmanship and would support Persad-Bissessar if she decides to run. Asked about why he is not attending the meeting Warner explained that it's a matter of his stand on the party's membership list. "I have said from day one that the Party's membership list is bogus and since it is on the basis of that list that the Assembly has been composed then the Assembly is improperly constituted," he said. He insisted that he is not accepting any list that he cannot verify. Commenting on plans to register new members he said this effort is being frustrated by UNC officials at the party's Reinzi headquarters. "We cannot get registration forms from Rienzi, this matter has been raised several times with the General Secretary, as late as Wednesday but with no results." He added, "We have submitted membership forms several months ago for Chaguanas West and they haven't been approved to date. Wade Mark has blocked all applications coming from sources other than whom they know and trust." Warner said his plan for a membership drive across the country is on hold. "We had a massive drive in place and several meetings were already held by the regional coordinators, but because we are denied membership forms we are at a standstill at this point." Despite all this he is still considering running for UNC leader. He said a core group of planners met on Wednesday "and we will be submitting a list of candidates". He said his colleague, Tabaquite MP Ramesh L. Maharaj, is out of the country and since "we are also awaiting his input" a final decision will be made when he returns to Trinidad.

Panday says it's Kamla right to run for UNC leadership

"It’s her right."

That's what United National Congress (UNC) leader Basdeo Panday told the Trinidad Guardian when asked to comment on reports that UNC deputy leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar might challenge him for the post of leader in UNC internal elections on January 24, 2010.

"It’s her right if she wants to. She’s entitled to contest a post if she wishes," Panday told the paper.

Persad-Bissessar has been silent about her intentions. But there's a growing lobby for her to run for the leadership. It started at last month's UNC National Congress when a delegate asked Panday to step aside and let Persad-Bissessar lead the party.

He told Panday she is only one who can return the UNC to government.

Read the story: UNC delegate tells Panday step aside and let Kamla lead

Persad-Bissessar is out of the country and is likely to miss Sunday's National Assembly at which the party would confirm the date for the election.

Chaguanas MP Jack Warner and Mayaro MP Winston "Gypsy" Peters have said if she decides to run they would support her.

And an online Facebook group formed to encourage her run has more than 400 members.

The Guardian quoted Peters as suggesting there are moves to prod Persad-Bissessar.

"I don’t want to divulge those things as yet. But there has been dialogue going on within the party all the time on a continuous basis in a general sense with everybody, including some of them who are not saying anything and some of them are very supportive of other people apart from Mr Panday," the paper quoted him as saying.

And it said he reiterated his support for Persad-Bissessar. "As long as she goes up I’ll support her 100 per cent—and she would win. Jack doesn’t want to be leader. He wants to be chairman and I will support that as well," he said.

The paper asked Panday if he would be disappointed or hurt if Persad-Bissessar had been talking secretly with the Ramjack team.

He said, "I don’t know and I don’t care. I wouldn’t be surprised about anything. People are entitled to speak to whoever they wish."

He also told the paper he has not spoken with Persad-Bissessar about any alleged links with the Ramjack faction but suggested that he is concerned about her absence from several executive meetings.

He told the paper the internal election is a process in democracy. The UNC Constitution allows one-person-one-vote for members in good financial standing, which makes the UNC "the most democratic party", he said, adding that anyone from the rank and file can run for office.

He said the Constitution has been deliberately designed to prevents "anyone from hijacking the party."

The paper said Panday mentioned that several MPs are eager to run as part of his team in the internal election but didn't name any, saying he would do that in January when the list is final.

British PM meets FIFA boss Warner to discuss 2018 World Cup

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown left his Commonwealth colleagues after the opening of Friday's formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting in Port of Spain for a one-on-one meeting with FIFA vice president Jack Warner.

The two met at the British High Commission in St Clair at Brown's request. Britain has been lobbying to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 but Warner recently suggested that the authorities were dragging their feet on pursuing that goal.

Brown's intervention is seen as an attempt to give England a fighting chance against two other strong contenders, the United States and Australia.

Earlier this year, Warner and FIFA President Sepp Blatter met at the White House with President Barack Obama to discuss football and the possibilities of America hosting the 2018 tournament.

Local media reports quote Brown as saying England has "invested heavily in our facilities".

He added, "We are keen because 1966 was the last time we had the World Cup, and 50 years later, in 2018, we have a chance of having the World Cup. We know we are up against very worthy opponents. But 50 years later, with all these facilities, we are determined to have the World Cup again."

The reports say Brown told Warner his government is ready to underwrite the event.

"We intend to make the event so secure...We know there is a long way before a decision is made, but we want to be ready, we are very keen to be supportive, including financing the event."

Warner heads to Nigeria Sunday for the Fifa 2010 World Cup draw in South Africa, and is expected to meet on Tuesday with former England captain, David Beckham, in South Africa. Beckham is seen as an inspiration to youth generally, especially those involved in sports.

A spokesman for Brown said, "The prime minister re-emphasised his personal passion and the nation's passion for football and sport more generally and underlined the government's commitment to sport, saying that sports in schools would be going from two hours a week at present to five hours a week in 2012."

Read more at the Guardian

Warner also had ameeting Friday with the other Commonwealth contender for the 2018 FIFA tournament. The discussions with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd took place at the residence of the Australian Ambassador in Cascade.

Media reports quote Rudd as telling Warner, "We have a strong bid and it will only get stronger."

Warner has commended Rudd on his commitment to the 2018 bid and told the international media Australia has a "good chance" of wining the bid.

FIFA's decision for the tournament is a long way off; an announcement is not expected until December next year.

Indian PM praises Indian Diaspora

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised people of Indian origin in Trinidad and Tobago and other countries throughout the world in a speech Thursday night at a reception at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port-of-Spain.

The Indian leader is in Trinidad for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) which officially started Friday morning.

"The sun never sets on people of Indian origin across the world as they remain a phenomenal community, with their creative ability forging new establishments wherever they are settled," Singh told his audience, which included prominent members of the Trinidad and Tobago Indian community.

He urged local business people to make use of opportunities that India offers and invited them to "walk with us to find new pathways to major investments in India.”

Singh said the Indian diaspora has provided a huge network between India and the rest of the world, adding that the Indian heritage is all encompassing, offering shade to everyone like the legendary Banyan tree.

He said his government is committed to opening up opportunities with the people of Indian origin of Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the world.

Guests at the reception included Opposition Leader, Basdeo Panday, and his wife Oma; Congress of the People leader Winston Dookeran, and former president of the Senate, Linda Baboolal and her husband, Michael Baboolal.

Today's quote: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II at the opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Nov. 27, 2009.

Manning in hot water over gay rights

Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago landed himself in political hot waters during his first media briefing as chairman of CHOGM when he described human rights as "domestic issues" that have no place on the summit agenda.

Commonwealth leaders opened their biennial summit in Port of Spain Friday morning and Manning took over the group's chairmanship from Uganda.

The international gathering was supposed to be Manning's moment of glory, but he landed in the middle of a building controversy over human rights involving two African Commonwealth members - Uganda and the Gambia.

Human rights groups that have been urging Commonwealth leaders to put pressure on Uganda to drop proposed legislation that calls for the execution of HIV-infected gays and lesbians.

The private member's bill under consideration proposes the execution of gays and lesbians who have sex and makes it mandatory for all Ugandans, including family and friends, to report this sexual activity to authorities within 24 hours.

Opponents of the bill say Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who handed over the chairmanship of CHOGM to Manning Friday, fully backs the measure.

They have also been calling for the Commonwealth to censure Gambian President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia for threatening to kill human-rights activists in his country.

Read the story: Rights groups demand action from Commonwealth on Gambia

Jammeh decided to stay away from the Port of Spain summit to avoid the controversy, but rights groups have insisted that his non-attendance must not mean the issue must come off the agenda.

But it was the Uganda homophobic bill that caused a stir at Manning's first media conference Friday afternoon.

He told reporters, "Individual countries have their own positions on these matters...but it doesn't form part of our agenda. It need not detain us."

Canadian HIV-AIDS activist Stephen Lewis was furious. He told the Ottawa Citizen newspaper Manning's comments are "a terrible error in judgment." However he said he expects other Commonwealth leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, would pressure Uganda to drop the bill.

Lewis hopes leaders would raise the issue "in the corridors outside the meeting".

He told the Citizen the bill will demonize homosexuality, intensify the stigma suffered by all AIDS sufferers in Africa and drive gay men and women underground.

"It will diminish dramatically the prospect of counselling and testing to establish HIV status...and to make it virtually impossible to reach homosexuals with the knowledge and education and condoms that prevent the spread of AIDS."

Maja Daruwala, executive director of the New Delhi-based Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, called Manning's attitude to the Ugandan and Gambian situation misguided.

"It's a great pity that the leader of a country with a good record on human rights would miss the opportunity to show real leadership," she said. "As the new chairman of the Commonwealth, he has failed an early test."

She added, "It is not only disappointing but against all Commonwealth principles. He is dismissing the cries of ordinary citizens who are asking their leaders for basic human rights."

Royal Commonwealth Society director Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah was also shocked at Manning's remarks.

"The Commonwealth is about shared values and principles everyone has signed on to...so if they can't be discussed here, then where? If a member state falls short you either help them or sanction them in some way.

"If the Commonwealth stops being about that, we've lost another leg of the Commonwealth stool," he said.

The Royal Commonwealth society released a comprehensive report on the eve of the CHOGM warning that unless the Commonwealth makes drastic changes to the way it operates it risks become irrelevant with its voice muted on the global stage.

Read the story: Report warns that Commonwealth risks becoming irrelevant

Homophobia is a contentious issue in the Caribbean and Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding faced tough questions recently over the issue on the BBC's Hard talk program.

Watch that interview on YouTube
Read more on the issue

Unicef Report: Child sex abuse in EC serious and extensive

A comprehensive study on child sexual abuse in the Eastern Caribbean has concluded that the practice is a serious and extensive problem for societies in the sub region.

The study “Perceptions of, Attitudes to and Opinions on Child Sexual Abuse in the Eastern Caribbean” was commissioned by the UNICEF Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

The landmark study carried out in six Eastern Caribbean countries was principally aimed at investigating:

• perceptions of child sexual abuse
• exploring attitudes towards the perpetrators of child sexual exploitation
• garnering opinions on the forms of action that might make a difference

The researchers concluded that the practice is perpetuated not only by adults who carry out harmful sexual practices with children, but by non-abusing adults through complicity, silence, denial and failure to take appropriate action.

The research team, led by Professor Adele Jones of the University of Huddersfield and Ena Trotman Jemmott, a consultant working on the behalf of Action For Children, confirmed findings reflected in other studies that the majority of child abuse was committed by adult men, with most victims being girls.

However, it also indicated that the abuse of boys, mostly by men also, was a significant and growing problem.

Men who abuse children were reported as coming from all social backgrounds, walks of life, professional groups, levels of education and ages.

The study, which involved over 1,400 people through surveys, interviews and focus groups, showed that while some women were also sexually abusing children, women’s main contribution to the problem was failing to protect minors even when made aware that abuse was occurring.

Tom Olsen, UNICEF Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, described the study as the first important step in the process of addressing the growing problem of child sexual abuse in the sub region.

"We've always believed that we must have an evidence-based approach to support partners in the delivery of programmes to ensure a protective environment for children in the sub region.

"This study fills some of the research gaps which previously prevented stakeholders from designing holistic programmes to begin tackling this problem," Olsen added.

The results of the study are currently being discussed with the governments of Anguilla, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat and Saint Kitts and Nevis, where the research was carried out.

Article provided by UNICEF.

For More Information please contact:
Patrick Knight, Communication Specialist, UNICEF Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Tel + 246 467 6162
E-mail: pknight@unicef.org

Tamar Hahn, Communication Specialist, UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

The Queen opens CHOGM, warns leaders to guard against complaceny

The Queen formally opened the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Port of Spain, Trinidad Friday morning at the new National Academy for the Performing Arts.

She told the leaders of the 53 nations that comprise the group that on the Commowealth's 60th anniversary it is time to look back and reflect but also a time to look forward.

The head of the Commonwealth also urged the leaders of nearly two billion people spread across the globe to guard against complacency as they confront the real challenges that face the global community.

She also challenged leaders to take up the cause of protecting the environment and to make their voices heard on this very critical issue.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning also touched on the environmental issue he as assumed leadership of the Commonwealth, taking over the chairmanship from Uganda, which hosted the 2007 Commonwealth summit.

Manning noted that the Port of Spain summit is the last international gathering before the Copenhagen climate change conference sponsored by the United Nations. He said that is why so much emphasis is being placed on presenting a common front at the talks beginning Dec. 9 in the Danish capital.

The underline the importance of CHOGM to the climate conference, the UN secretary general is attending the conference in Port of Spain along with the French president and the Danish prime minister.

Manning said Thursday he believes CHOGM could do more than just reflect the global divisions on climatic change, noting that the mere fact that CHOGM is not a negotiating body removes the divisive atmosphere that could help develop consensus.

"A CHOGM statement cannot be taken lightly and would have some influence on events in Denmark," he said.

The opening day of the summit features an executive session on climatic change to discuss and say how the Commonwealth can add value to a process that has been ongoing for some time.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he will focus on this along with the global economy and human rights.

For full details of all CHOGM activities please visit the official site: CHOGM 2009

Please also visit the BBC Caribbean website for full details of the conference and relevant background information

Manning defends T&T environmental record as CHOGM opens

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opens Friday with many leaders intent on keeping climate change on the front burner.

It's the last international summit before the much-anticipated Copenhagen global climate change conference sponsored by the United Nations.

UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon is in Port of Spain as a special guest of CHOGM as is the French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Danish Prime Minister, Lars Leokke Rasmussen,who is the host of next month's summit.

On his way to Port of Spain Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper told media that his focus at CHOGM would be the global economy, human rights and climate change. And he said he would join other world leaders, including the U.S. president and the Chinese premier for the Copenhagen talks.

But at home Harper is not respected as a defender of climate change. He grudgingly agreed to go to Copenhagen after the American and Chinese leaders announced their intention to participate.

He had rejected the idea of going to the conference because in his view there was little hope of getting a agreement. His environment minister said this week that an agreement is still years away.

The host of CHOGM 2009 is also presenting himself as a champion of the environment but Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning is facing criticism for not doing enough to develop policy to help.

The criticism has come from the opposition United National Congress (UNC), which has presented its own climate change proposals to the summit, and from apolitical environment groups.

Read the story:Opposition sends climate report to CHOGM

But Manning rejects the charge that the country's heavy industrial economy has made it one of the largest polluters in the world, on a per capita basis.

Speaking with reporters on the eve of the summit Manning denied that the country is among the world's top 10 polluters.

"Trinidad and Tobago categorically rejects any analysis of this matter on a per capita basis...When the earth responds to concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, it does not do so on a per capita basis. It does so on the basis of absolute emissions", Manning said.

He called that analysis a convenient argument for countries with large populations. an obvious reference to nations such as China and India.

Manning did concede, however, that with 11 ammonia plants, seven methanol plants, an iron and steel smelter and natural gas trains the country is a contributor to atmospheric damage.

"Yes, Trinidad and Tobago has to concern itself about the extent to which we have been making a negative contribution... We have already made it clear that whatever agreements are arrived at, Trinidad and Tobago understands its responsibilities to the international community and to its own population.

"And on a voluntary basis, Trinidad and Tobago is going to seek to do something about it," Manning stated.

He assured reporters that his government is considering a policy document on climatic change and would make "comprehensive announcements" about it early in the new year.

He said he believes CHOGM could do more than just reflect the global divisions on climatic change, noting that the mere fact that CHOGM is not a negotiating body removes the divisive atmosphere that could help develop consensus.

"A CHOGM statement cannot be taken lightly and would have some influence on events in Denmark," he said.

The opening day of the summit will feature an executive session on climatic change to discuss and say how the Commonwealth can add value to a process that has been ongoing for some time.

"This is an opportunity for some kind of meeting of the minds on the way forward in such a manner that it would allow the Commonwealth to add value to the outcome in Copenhagen," Manning said.

The session has added importance because of the presence of three influential non-Commonwealth leaders including the UN chief.

"We hope that with the added weight of these voices together with the voices of the Commonwealth, to arrive at a political statement that would add value to the process that would culminate in Copenhagen early next month," he said.

T&T takes a holiday Friday for CHOGM

Trinidad and Tobago has declared an unofficial holiday on Friday, the opening day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Port of Spain.

The Ministry of Education has instructed principals to close schools and an advisory from the Office of the Prime Minister has told all government ministries "in proximity to CHOGM activities" that they may close for that day.

Most government ministries in the city have decided to close, which means that thousands of public sector workers will get a holiday.

The Judiciary has also decided to shut down the Port of Spain High Court and Magistrates Court on that Friday. In a media release it said one Magistrate and supporting staff would be on call at the Port of Spain Magistrates Court.

All other Magistrates Court in the country would be open, one Magistrate would be on call in each district to deal with emergency cases and Supreme Courts in South Trinidad and in Tobago would be open as usual.

Panday calls CHOGM expensive talk shop, calls on media to expose gov't

Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday is questioning statements made by Prime Minister Patrick Manning that that Trinidad and Tobago will gain "future benefits" from hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

In a media release Thursday Panday said he has serious doubts about that especially since the nation is still waiting to see benefits from hosting of the Fifth Summit of the Americas in April.

"T&T is ranked 79 out of 180 countries on the Transparency Institute’s 2009 Corruption Perception Index, I am beginning to think that CHOGM 2009 may very well be an expensive talk shop," Panday said.

He added that the Local and International media have a duty to ask the organizers of CHOGM 2009, why "in such a rich country pregnant women and the elderly have to sleep on chairs and benches at our nation’s hospital."

He said they need to also ask why more than 70 per cent of the country still don’t have a continuous supply of potable water, why roads in such disrepair and why "in this small country quarter of the population is in absolute poverty, unsure as to where their next meal is coming from."

Panday said citizens continue to be denied basic amenities while the government "ramajays on the international stage of CHOGM, paid for by the taxpayers."

He said all the talk about development, climate change and the youth is a charade.

He also pointed to the Royal Commonwealth Society, which says the Commonwealth, representing 2 billion people, risks fading into irrelevance unless leaders take “bold action”.

Read the story: Report warns that Commonwealth risks becoming irrelevant

Panday also expressed concern about how the Manning administration is funding the CHOGM.

"A day before its official opening, we are unaware of the ‘real’ cost of the meeting, who were granted contracts and why so much more work had to be done when infrastructure had already been in place since the last summit."