Letter: Duke out of line

I would like to comment on the President of the PSA Watson Duke's remarks where he claims to have instructed the CPO not to pay public officers for the month of December.

This statement must be condemned because:
The CPO does not have the authority to instruct any accounting officer not to pay salaries without good reason eg authorised no-pay leave or suspension
The PSA as far as I recall represents at most 40% of all public officers. Many have left the PSA from time to time due to a lack of proper representation, while some officers never bothered to join.

I also condemn threats made against the Minister of Finance and the Cabinet of Trinidad and Tobago, and advise the president of the PSA to negotiate in good faith. There are processes that could influence a negotiation process. 

If talks with the CPO fail, then you could meet with the inter-ministerial negotiating team. Failure to achieve any agreement then results in the matter being referred to the Industrial Court.

Let us not head to any social unrest in Trinidad and Tobago which we will all regret.

Manohar Ramsaran
(Former cabinet Minister)

T&T going ahead with purchase of 9 ATR planes: Report

The Trinidad Express reported Tuesday that the European airplane manufacturer ATR has confirmed that Caribbean Airlines (CAL) is going g ahead with the US$200 million agreement to buy nine new aircraft.

The negotiating team with ATR for the purchase of the plane was Ian Brunton, who was fired as the airline's CEO last week.

Cabinet approved the deal on September 27 this year. At that time ATR made the announcement and quoted Brunton as saying the acquisition of the ATR 72-600s will allow Caribbean Airlines to continue to develop and improve its.

"The low operating costs and fuel consumption of the aircraft are particularly appealing and provide us with tremendous flexibility in adding frequencies and developing new markets in the regional sector," Brunton was reported as saying in a media release from ATR.

According to the Express, ATR has said it has already received a down payment to build the nine turbo prop aircraft and is going ahead with plans to meet the delivery timetable.

The paper cited David Vargas, an ATR spokesperson at the company's headquarters in Toulouse, southern France, saying Vargas stated that "nothing has changed" since the company and Caribbean Airlines announced the deal in September.

The plan is to deliver all nine planes in 2011. The paper said Vargas was clear that there had been no news of any delay in the deal from anyone in Trinidad and Tobago and there he knows of nothing to indicate that there is a chance that the deal might be reviewed or cancelled.

Questions about the deal arose after a disagreement between the airline's chairman, George Nicholas, and the line minister Jack Warner following Brunton's dismissal.

Warner has written Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar about what he said was a "lack of respect" for him from Nicholas. He suggested that Nicholas had a "penchant" for Bombardier planes.

The ATR planes will replace CAL's ageing fleet of Bombadier's Dash-8.

UWI lecturers take 5% pay hike; PSA rejects 5%, holding out for more

The government of Trinidad and Tobago has settled wage negotiations with University lecturers but the big problem of concluding negotiations with the Public Services Association (PSA) remains unresolved.

And PSA President Watson Duke is saying he is not accepting what's on the table right now.

The West Indian Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) has accepted a five per cent increase for its members covering the period August 1, 2008 to July 31, 2011. A media release from the government said both sides signed the agreement Monday.

The deal ends weeks of protest action at the campus where lecturers had threatened to disrupt end of semester exams.

"This is exciting news, especially when taking into consideration the on-going wage negotiations involving the Chief Personnel Officer and the President of the Public Services Association." the release quoted finance Minister Winston Dookeran as saying.

Duke is not ready to accept that kind of deal for his thousands of members. "Our members are ill paid and we will not be accepting any five per cent," Duke told reporters Monday.

He added"The PSA will not be accepting that kind of offer. We will not be accepting five per cent, ten per cent or 15 per cent. The Government will be seeing a blue Christmas."

The government originally offered the PSA one per cent over three years. However it has increased it to five per cent over the same period.

Public sector workers are expected to hold another demonstration in Port of Spain Tuesday to press demands for better pay and improved working conditions.

PM, CoP meet to discuss crime

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar meets Tuesday with Police commissioner Dwayne Gibbs to discuss what Gibbs is doing to fight crime in Trinidad and Tobago.

She is going to police headquarters for the meeting at which Gibbs will brief the Prime Minister on the how he intends to deal with serious crimes as well as the short term periods of Christmas and Carnival.

Persad-Bissessar is deeply concerned about the sudden rise in murders. There have been at least 450 homicides this year. 

According to police statistics for October, the latest available, there were 32 murders in the month and eight kidnappings, although there were no demands for ransom. In addition there were 455 robberies.

Persad-Bissessar campaigned to reduce crime and take back the country from criminals so that people could escape from their self-imposed jails at home and walk the streets again. While there has been a statistical decrease in crime the brutal multiple murders continue.

Gibbs, a Canadian, is one of the most highly-paid commissioners ever, earning US$205,000 per year (TT$1.3 million), during his three-year contract. However, the contract is not written in stone.

It has a clause that allows the Police Service Commission to fire Gibbs if his performance is deemed to be below expectation.

Reports say Gibbs will give the Prime Minister details of an anti-crime initiative that is being launched on Wednesday that includes 24/7 police visibility during the Christmas and Carnival seasons.

"We is the government!" PM Kamla proclaims

"We is the government!" 

That was the vernacular line - given by one supporter -  that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar used Monday evening at the end of an emergency meeting at the Diplomatic centre attended by most members of cabinet, heads of regional corporations, councillors and chairmen of state boards.

News of the meeting had sparked speculation that the government was in crisis mode and that there might even be a cabinet reshuffle. Earlier in the day JYOTI confirmed that no such thing was going to happen.

And JYOTI confirmed that the meeting was mainly a pep talk for members of the People's Partnership and an opportunity for the leaders of the partnership to reiterate their commitment to the government and the coalition.

It was also a briefing session for the Prime Minister's Children's Christmas events, which will be held in six venues for children from each of the 41 constituencies, starting this weekend at the Jean Pierre stadium in Port of Spain and ending on December 17. The plan is to host more than 16,000 children.

The meeting also heard from Attorney General Anand Ramlogan who explained the critical role of the heads of state boards, pointing out their obligations under the Integrity in public Life Bill. Ramlogan also lectured the chairman on conflict of interest rules. 

He said a more detailed briefing will be held later for all chairman to ensure they full understand their roles and responsibilities.

In a brief address earlier Persad-Bissessar acknowledged that the government has been taking its time in appointing state boards. However she said it is because the government is taking great care to ensure that the people selected are the best. She also said the government has been making a conscious effort to include people from the grass roots level.

She explained that so far the government has named 80 state boards and it has been careful not to have the same person serve on two separate boards. In addition the government is doing its best to make sure family members of MPs are not included on boards.

Persad-Bissessar told her audience that the state boards are an extension of the government and urged the chairman to see the big picture in conducting their affairs. She warned them that their actions can make or break the government.

The leadership of the People's Partnership was present and each group pledged continued support for the government. NJAC's Makandaal Daaga cautioned about impatience and expecting too much and said people should be offering to give rather than asking for favours.

The leader of the Congress of the People (COP), Winston Dookeran, noted that Persad-Bissessar pledged that she would be a magnet for unity and she has fulfilled that role and continues to do so. He said the partnership is strong and committed.

David Abdullah, speaking for the Movement for Social Justice, acknowledged that it is impossible for everyone to agree on everything. However he said what is important is that there is consensus. There is no need for anyone to be concerned, he said, because the partnership is strong and will remain that way.

Vernella Alleyne-Topin represented the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP). She urged everyone to continue to support the government, noting that "we stand together or fall together".

The Prime Minister said it is a given that in every organisation and every family there would be differences. Life would be terribly boring, she said, if everyone agreed on everything or if all the colours were the same or all the vegetation looked the same.

She said there have been differences within the partnership and it will continue. That is a good thing, she said, adding that in the end what is important is that the partnership has stayed strong and will continue to remain solid.

And in conclusion she said one supporter told her everything is going to be alright because "We is the government!" She chanted it and asked others - including cabinet members - to join in and repeat it: "We is the government!" resounded in the auditorium of the diplomatic centre.

Don't seek injunction in Clico matter, Ramesh advises

Former Attorney General thinks it's a bad idea for Clico policyholders to file an injunction that would tie up payments to the holders of Clico’s Executive Flexible Annuity Plans and the insurance company’s mutual funds in the courts for years.

Maharaj, who is representing some policyholders, is advising his clients to take a different route.

“It may be that the better course for litigation at this stage is to compel the Government to provide an accurate list of the assets of the company and to give the valuations it is relying upon so that the policyholders would be able to put forward their position on the valuations,” he said.

He also said policyholders should seek the court's intervention "to restrain the disposition, mortgaging or assigning of the assets from which the policyholders have to receive their monies.”

Maharaj said the two courses of action would be "without prejudice to the rights of the policyholders to file action for the recovery of their full sum of monies.”

He said shakeholders need to restrain the Government from selling the assets of Clico's parent company, CL Financial, and Clico itself.

“Information that I have is that the Government is planning to sell some of the most valuable assets relating to the chemical plants—Clico Energy, Caribbean Nitrogen and Methanol Holdings (Trinidad) Ltd,” The Trinidad Guardian quoted Maharaj as saying.

The Central Bank obtained an injunction in February to prevent CL Financial from selling any Clico-owned assets. At the time there were plans CL to sell its 51 per cent interest in Clico Energy to Proman AG, a German project management company.

Petrotrin 75% liable in death of worker in 2004 explosion

A court in San fernando ruled Monday that state-owned Petrotrin was 75 per cent liable for an explosion in 2004 on an offshore platform in which technician Kenneth Merrique was killed.

The court also ruled that Valve Components Limited (ValCom) was 25 per cent liable. Both companies will have to pay damages, according to the ruling. The court will assess the damages on March 21, 2011.

The lawsuit was brought by Anthony Chin-A-Fat, who was injured in the explosion. He was on the platform at the time of the explosion, working with Merrique, a senior supervisor with ValCom,

Justice Kokaram ruled that the oil company had “failed to ensure the valve was properly maintained before the accident” addin g that Petrotrin also “failed to depressurise the system” before work was started on valves that were being checked. The judge also reuled that “ValCom did not discharge its duty to care for Chin-A-Fat.”

Two other lawsuits arising from the same incident are pending in the San Fernando Supreme Court.

Brian Stone leads new media association - AIMtt

A new media association was officially launched Sunday with the election of an interim executive headed by Brian Stone, who will hold the post of president.

Other members of the Association of Independent Media of Trinidad and Tobago (AIMtt) are: 

• Vice President - Kevan GibbsSecretary - Kristal Ramroopsingh
• Assistant Secretary - Elizabeth Sankar
• Treasurer - Michael Kerr
• Research & Education - Jairaj Singh
• Committee Members: Stephen Cummings, Neil Ramdath, Shivanand Ramanand,Clevon Raphael
• Legal Adviser - Navindra Ramnanan

About 40 people attended the inaugural meeting. Attendees agreed that the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) had failed to serve its legitimate constituents.

They said MATT "has failed to deliver fair, equal, and equitable representation, rendering the organization digressive and obsolete."

In an inaugural address, Stone said the organisation will defend the right to freedom of the press. He expressed his deep passion to protect the country's democracy. 

Stone also reiterated that AIMtt will cater for columnists, reporters, photographers, as well as persons involved in new media – Internet blogging and social networking.

PM calls special meeting; no crisis spokesman says

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has scheduled a meeting for Monday evening with government ministers and chairmen of state boards.

However a spokesman confirmed to JYOTI that this not a "crisis meeting" as reported by some media in the country.

There has been speculation that Persad-Bissessar might be planning a cabinet reshuffle. However the spokesman said no such thing is happening.

This tallies with what Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal told the media. "There is no problem, but, there are a couple matters outstanding, urgent national issues, I imagine those issues the Prime Minister would want to discuss," Moonilal told the Trinidad Express.

Montano to host radio talk show on CNMG 91.1FM

State-owned CNMG in Trinidad and Tobago is launching a new talk show Monday with host Robin Montano.

The program will air on 91.1FM from 4pm to 6pm every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

In a media release Montano says the afternoon drive show - Counterpoint - will attempt to answer "the questions that you always wanted to have asked, but everybody was always too afraid to ask".

The attorney and former Senator added, "We are going to try to have everything out in the open. No subject is sacred. All views (except the libellous ones) will be welcome. The main purpose of this program is to try and inform and make people think."

The topic for the inaugural show is the Clico matter.

Clico group plans to sue State, Central Bank and Clico directors

The CLICO Policyholders Group voted unanimously Sunday to take legal action against the State.

The group met the University of the West Indies in St Augustine and took the decision with a show of hands, authorising the five-member executive team try to recover all of the investment in the company.

Policyholders said they are unhappy with the way the government handled the Clico matter last week in Parliament and passed a motion of no confidence in Finance Minister Winston Dookeran.

"We need to send a clear message and tell the Honourable Prime Minister that Mr Dookeran is now a liability to the People's Partnership," Peter Permell, head of the group, said.

At the same time Permell assured members that the legal move doesn't not end negotiations with Government. "We have to put the mechanisms in place to pursue legal action on your behalf," he said.

He said he has written a letter to the Prime Minister asking her to intervene to stop Dookeran from taking the actions the minister announced in Parliament. He said Dookeran's plan would cause the economy to crash.

Dookeran's plan involves a payment of $75,000 immediately. Permell advised member to take the money only if there are no conditions attached to the payment.

Permell also announced that the group will take legal action against the main directors of CL Financial. "Legal action is an option open to us. We could be suing the directors of the company, the Central Bank, the Minister of Finance," he said.

Dolsingh claims he has proof that CL broke the law to access $$ from Statutory Reserve Fund

Attorney Bindra Dolsingh said on Sunday he has proof that the CL Financial group was allowed to break the law and access money in CLICO's Statutory Reserve Funds.

Dolsingh spoke at a CLICO Policyholders Group meeting in St. Augustine at which members agreed to take the state to court to recover funds invested in the failed insurance company.

Dolsingh said the money was used to fund several activities.He said it is because of that illegal activity that caused the company to be unable to service payments from the Executive Flexible Premium Annuities (EFPA's) to investors.

He said the previous Manning PNM administration had approached him to negotiate with the Central Bank governor to liquidate some of CL Financial's assets. 

"Everything was put in place. I have the letters there, but the letters were just being considered, nothing was being done," he told stakeholders.

He said despite all the talk of liquidating the assets, there was no move to actually do it. "Those are the properties that they didn't run any proper assessment on and took as assets into the Statutory Fund and ... was able to put a note on it and take the money out," he said.

Dookeran not worried, says PP government planning action to prevent future meltdown

Winston Dookeran isn't bothered by the threat of legal action by the Clico policyholders group, which passed a no confidence motion in the minister Sunday and has written to the Prime Minister asking her to remove Dookeran from the finance portfolio.

Dookeran told the Trinidad Guardian he is not going anywhere. And he said there is no truth to charges by the group's deputy chairman Peter Permell that he threatened to resign if Cabinet did not accept his proposal to the resolve the Clico issue.

“I don’t know where Mr Permell gets his information from but all I can tell you is that there is absolutely no truth to his most recent allegation,” Dookeran told the paper.

Permell made the claim at a meeting in Sunday at which the group agreed to take action to recover all of their investments in the failed insurance company.

Dookeran said Government is taking action to pass legislation to prevent future meltdowns like what happened at Clico and the Hindu credit Unuion (HCU).

“I want to indicate to the national community and the financial sector that it is not expected that the Government would have to pay out failed companies in the past. We will be passing legislation both at the credit union level with respect to the Insurance Act to make it something that will not happen so much, of course.”

Dookeran: Wiretapping Bill a move to clean up the democracy

Winston Dookeran told the National council of the Congress of the People (COP) Sunday the passage of the Wiretapping Bill is one in a series of initiatives that the People’s Partnership (PP) Government is taking to clean up the democracy in Trinidad and Tobago.

The COP leader, who holds the finance portfolio in the PP cabinet, commended Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for taking the legislation to Parliament.

He also spoke about the CLICO and Hindu Credit Union (HCU) issues, Dookeran said that he is prepared to "get tears today, and applause tomorrow” in dealing with thoese matters. “The Government did what was justly right in dealing with these two thorny matters,” he told his party.

With respect to the HCU, Dookeran said the government has allocated about $300 million to deal with that issue.

“The government’s decision to deal with the depositors of HCU who have been denied their rights to that deposit and we have allocated something in the order of $300 million to handle that issue and the Deposit Insurance Corporation is now engaged in putting the machinery in place to make it happen, so that’s another aspect of clearing the clouds which we inherited,” he said.

Dookeran said these measures are among others being announced or in the pipeline that would lay a solid foundation for strong economic and development programs in the future.

He indicated that the Inter-American Development Bank(IADB) would meet later this week to finalise the US$140 million loan, which is part of an overall loan aimed at giving a new lease to the economic life of our country, which he said would take Trinidad and Tobago “away from the point of strangulation.”

Dookeran said that the IADB loan to T&T is unprecedented in the Bank’s lending policy with regards to its approval time and the rate of interest of 1.75 per cent.

He further said that when the People’s Partnership Government came in power last May, its first premise was to clean up the balance sheet, clear up the clouds and set the platform for economic growth.

Photo story: Ministers, CEPEP in beach cleanup

 

Minister of the People and Social Development Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh took part in a beach clean up at Salybia Beach in Toco Sunday.

Ramdharsingh said the beach was littered with glass bottles, which presented a danger to beachgoers were are usually barefooted. 

The minister joined members of CEPEP gangs in the Toco area as well as MP Dr Rupert Griffith and local government councillor Terry Randon in the beach cleanup.

Which Plane? ATR or Bombardier?

Caribbean Airlines considered both the ATR and the Bombardier planes and decided on the ATR's because it is a superior product and costs an average of US$5 million less per unit that the Canadian-made Bombardier aircraft.

NCIC honours Hanoomansingh

The National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) held a function at Divali Nagar over the weekend to honour Hans Hanoomansingh, who guided the organisation for many years after taking over from its founding leader, Bisram Gopie.

The current NCIC president, Deokienanan Sharma, praised Hanoomansingh, who was honoured earlier this year with an honorary Doctor of Sciences (DSc) degree for excelling and contributing significantly in the field of culture.

Sharma noted that Hanoomansingh rose from very humble beginnings in central Trinidad to become a national icon, especially in the fields of broadcasting and culture.

“Hans came from a very depressed area in central Trinidad and from an equally depressed family, and who sold at the Chaguanas market to assist his family, to become a national icon loved by most, disliked by a few, but highly respected by all,” Sharma said.

Sharma noted that Divali Nagar was Hanoomansingh’s "crowning achievement" in the field of culture. Hanoomansingh conceptualised the project and launched Divali Nagar at Mid Center Mall in 1986, long before NCIC acquired the current permanent site for the Nagar.

NCIC members presented Hanoomansingh with several paintings and gifts.

Hanoomansingh told the gathering his stint as a Member of Parliament allowed him to better understand the needs East Indians. He illustrated the point with a story about an Indian singer who had recieved a scholarship to study in India but no provision was made for the cost of travel.

He said the NCIC head at the time approached MPs for a donation to send a singer to India. 

“So I had to give from my pay which was $480 back then,” he said, adding that the then NCIC head Gopie received the amount but it signalled the start of many more ideas to promote culture through educating the public.

Highway to Point Fortin, Mamoral Dam to create 27,000 jobs: Warner

The highway project from San Fernando to Point Fortin and the Mamoral Dam Reservoir will create as many as 27,000 new jobs, Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner told reporters Saturday.

Warner was speaking at a briefing for the media about the project. He said the idea of creating so many jobs is "like music to my ears". However he said this can only be achieved through the collective efforts of "all of us".

Apart from the main construction personnel on both projects there will be jobs for masons, engineers, plumbers, steel benders, welders as well as office support staff and even even food vendors.
 
Finance Minister Winston Dookeran who was also present at the conference said the start of the two major projects is a step in the right direction.

Dookeran said: “I am very confident that we will be able to source funding for this project. We have had two years of flat negative growth in the industry. We are not saying all would happen immediately but surely it is a move to stimulate the economy especially in the construction industry.”


Dookeran noted that the  economy is poised for growth in the new year, primarily because of the fiscal approach adopted by the People's Partnership government. 

The bidding process for the construction of the highway started under the previous administration. The current government has pledged to ensure that a substantial amount of the work will be done by local contractors. 

Warner is hoping that the preparatory work will be done before the end of the year to allow the ministry to formally turn the sod in January to officially start the $5-billion projects.

Construction will be undertaken in phases, starting with a five kilometre stretch of the four-lane highway from Golconda to Debe. 

(with files from Ann Dookie)

PM Kamla to consult AG, meet with CAL board over Warner's complaints

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will meet with the board of directors of Caribbean Airlines (CAL) and consult with Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to discuss a dispute between the airline's line minister, Jack Warner and CAL chairman George Nicholas.

Warner has sent a letter to the Prime Minister complaining about Nicholas. Warner said Nicholas did not explain why he fired the airline's CEO Ian Brunton last week. He also said Nicholas was disrespectful to him.

Read the story: Caribbean Airlines fires CEO Ian Brunton

The Works and Transport Minister also reported that Nicholas disagrees with the cabinet decision to buy nine new aircraft valued at US$200 million from European manufacturer ATR.

The minister suggested that the chairman "had a penchant" for foreign aircraft manufacturer, Bombardier.

Read the story: Warner complains to PM Kamla about new CAL chairman

The Sunday Express said it spoke with Persad-Bissessar who confirmed that she has received the letter from Warner and that she will be meeting with the board and getting advice from the Attorney General before making any statement on the matter.

Cabinet ratified the decision of Caribbean Airlines (CAL) to buy nine turboprop aircraft ATR planes its meeting on September 16. At the time there was no board of directors at the airline.

The ATR 72-600 turboprop 68-seater aircraft would be used for CAL's domestic and regional operations. The deal was confirmed by the manufacturers on its website.

However reports say Nicholas wants to overturn the agreement in defiance of cabinet and fired Brunton, who was the chief negotiator for the new planes.

The Express said Nicholas declined comment on the matter through one of his lawyers.

About the ATR-72 turboprop

The ATR-72 is a stretched version of the earlier ATR-42.

The first of three ATR-72 development aircraft flew for the first time on October 27 1988, followed by the awarding of French and then US certification in late 1989. Entry into service was on October 27 1989.

It has a maximum cruising speed of 526 km/h at altitude of 15,000 feet and has a range of 2,665 kilometers or 1200 nautical miles.

It carries a two-member flight crew of two and has maximum seating for 74 passengers at four abreast. The version ordered by CAL will be configured with seating for 68. 

It can accommodate a payload of 7200kg (15,875lb) in 13 containers. 

More at airliners.net

Photo story: house comes tumbling down

Three people narrowly escaped death and serious injury Saturday when their home came crashing down a hill off Dundonald Hill, Long Circular Road, St James.

Heavy rains triggered the landslide which pushed the concrete-and-wood home off its foundation, sending the structure crashing three metres below.

High Commissioner designate to London Garvin Nicholas visited the family and promised that the government will offer them help.

COP's curious campaign - The Peter O'Connor column

One cannot help but wonder for what the Congress of the People (COP) is currently campaigning. Is there a general Election in the air, for which they are preparing, or are they under the delusion that they are actually in opposition and not the government?

To be fair to those who sit in parliament, there appears to be closer cohesion to the tenets of the People’s Partnership among them. 

Indeed, while there is considerable public disagreement among cabinet members of the Partnership, the COP members of the Partnership do not seem to be more active in this as the persons identified as UNC. 

But we must accept that it was never going to be any easy task to create a unified team, on no notice, to win an election and then govern the country.

The UNC was already split to its core when Manning decided to demit government and hand over to whatever entity was pulled together by several competing interests. 

The election result could well become a victory for Manning’s long range scheme, given the problems with which he had burdened the country. That the UNC, COP, TOP and others were able to pull a team together out of their competing interests is a credit to all of the parties concerned.

My current concern, and I am not alone in this, is to understand what is the role of the “non-parliamentarians” in the Congress of the People? People like Vernon DeLima, Joseph Toney and others make it their official position to publicly attack decisions being taken by a cabinet where their own political leader and several others sit. 

In short, what is their agenda at this time? I have no doubt that they will defend their points of view, and they are entitled to that, even if their positions differ from the publicly-stated opinions of Messrs Dookeran, Seepersad-Bachan, Prakash Ramadhar, Anil Roberts and other COP members who sit in cabinet. 

But why are they rushing to the media to air their claimed dissatisfaction? Is there no forum within the Partnership, or even within COP to work out their differences?

These non-parliamentarians have complained about the cabinet appointees, the senate appointees, appointments to State Boards, and more recently, about policies and legislation. 

And all of this simply gives credence to the view of cynics, and the ranting of Rowley and Manning, that the Partnership will not hold. And it bothers me that I considered the COP as the leaders in good sense and political compromise out of all of the elements of the Peoples’ Partnership. 

So why are they now working to destroy what they helped to create, and in so doing, giving Manning comfort?

As I have pointed out many times, the PNM is working, using fair means and foul, to destroy the Peoples’ Partnership government of Trinidad and Tobago. 

Their success in this can be measured by the fact that they are no longer seen as the villains for the position into which they have put the country. 

Last April, we all accepted that they were, but today, because Dookeran cannot honour Karen’s “commitment” to CLICO victims (she having gotten her money and her bonus!) this government is the villain. 

And Peter Permell is announcing that there is a split in cabinet over how CLICO victims—to whom this country owes nothing—are going rewarded for their lost investments. 

Clearly Permell has an agenda here; to make the Partnership look bad, and this the PNM would encourage. The Partnership must not allow this issue to divide them, and the COP “outsiders” must support their government or don their balisier ties. The PNM have good reason to support Permell right now, and Permell has good reason to accept their support.

And Manning’s resurrection to slander Kamla is a demonstration of the use of distraction to deflect attention away from his personal spy network as it has been exposed. 

I am personally shocked that Vernon DeLima would have criticized Kamla’s “outing” of this insidious network, which had nothing whatever to do with the fight against crime. 

Manning, who hid the facts surrounding what he now blasphemously calls “God’s Church” at Guanapo is calling upon Kamla to ‘be transparent” about the home her husband is building for her!

And Watson Duke and the PSA are now being supported by the PNM, who would not talk to PSA while in office! And Watson Duke embraces this support, conveniently forgetting that it is the PNM wasteful term in office which prevents the PSA from getting what they deserve.

Our country cannot afford to fall on the intrigue of the PNM heaped upon their corruption and mismanagement while in office. And the people of COP cannot betray us by cutting the road for the PNM walk.

Haitians voting in presidential election; 19 candidates running

The people of Haiti are voting Sunday to elect a new president and members of the legislature amid a cholera epidemic that has killed at least 1,000 people.

Some 19 candidates are vying to succeed current president, Rene Preval and it is likely that the election will go to a second round run-off on January 16. The winner must capture 50 percent of the votes to avoid a runoff

Some candidates are already crying fraud and the delivery of voter identification cards was mired in delays and confusion on Saturday.

Haiti has a long history of corrupt elections, and although international observers have been working with Haitian officials to ensure the integrity of this year’s vote, several candidates have denounced the process.

Colin Granderson, chief of a team of election observers from the Organisation of American States and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said in an interview on Saturday that he was unaware of fraudulent ballots and noted a tradition of rumormongering in Haiti around election time.

Although he predicted that Sunday’s voting would “all in all, for the most part, go fairly quietly,” he expressed concern that many poll workers had not received adequate training.

Uncertified results are not to be reported until December 7, and Mr. Granderson said he feared that between now and then political parties observing the voting and ballot counting would declare their individual candidates winners, which could ignite fraud claims.

“Because of the long period of suspense, I am sure a number of candidates will be saying they won and that could ratchet up the climate,” he said.

-report by the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC)

Caribbean Airlines fires CEO Ian Brunton

Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has fired its Chief Executive Officer Ian Brunton and appointed vice-president, commercial and customer experience, Robert Corbie, as interim CEO.

Brunton, 64, had been head of the national airline since October 15 2009.

A statement from CAL’s corporate communications department confirmed the changes. “Caribbean Airlines has today (Friday) announced that its chief executive officer, Captain Ian Brunton, has demitted office,” the statement said, adding that “Mr Corbie will be overseeing a newly merged workforce of 1,866 employees.”

CAL said Corbie has been mandated to have the airline function as one company responsible for two brands—Caribbean Airlines and Air Jamaica—in keeping with statements made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in July.

Brunton served in senior positions in both BWIA and CAL and replaced Phillip Saunders as CEO when Saunders resigned from to return to the United Kingdom. He was a captain at BWIA from 1976 to 2005 and served as fleet manager of the now defunct airline between 1980 and 1987.

He also served as chairman of the T&T Airline Pilots’ Association from 1993 to 1995 and was a member of the Standing Air Advisory Board. Brunton was also the first local chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority.

Warner complains to PM Kamla about new CAL chairman

Jack Warner has written to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to complain about what he calls a lack of respect from the new chairman of Caribbean Airlines (CAL) George Nicholas.

It has to do with the airline's dismissal of its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ian Brunton. The airline announced Friday that it had fired Brunton. 

In an interview with the Trinidad express the Works and Transport Minister, who has jurisdiction for the alrine, confirmed that Brunton was fired following a disagreement between the minister and the chairman.

"I had a disagreement with the chairman and he had a complete lack of respect for me as the line minister," the Express quoted Warner as saying. "He did not inform me as the line minister about why he dismissed Mr Brunton."

The paper said Warner stated that there were a number of meetings about policy direction for Caribbean Airlines and the recent acquisition of Air Jamaica, as well as the purchase of nine new turbo prop aircraft by CAL from European manufacturer ATR. The new planes will cost US$200 million.

Read the story: Caribbean Airlines buying 9 new planes for $1.2 billion

The Express said Warner stated that his disagreement with Nicholas was over which company should get the contract for the new planes. The paper said Warner complained of a "lack of respect" from Nicholas, which has forced him to formally complain to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

"I have lodged a formal complaint with the Prime Minister against the chairman. He has been there for three weeks and he decided he had all the knowledge...I have written to the Prime Minister and I intend to take this matter further, to deal with this matter," he told the paper.

He added, "I hold no brief for Mr Brunton but the chairman had a lack of respect for me as the line minister."

The minister said he has no idea why CAL fired Brunton and suggested that the chairman "had a penchant" for foreign aircraft manufacturer, Bombardier. Warner had advised Brunton to negotiate the deal with ATR for the planes.

Brunton was the chief negotiator with the European plane manufacturer, ATR, to buy nine new aircraft at a cost of US$200 million to replace the airlines current fleet of Dash-8 aircraft.

The Express also reported that there was disagreement over the management of Air Jamaica.

The interim CEO has stated that "in keeping with the statements made by the Honourable Prime Minister in early July, we intend to nurture two distinct brands, one of Air Jamaica and the other Caribbean Airlines".

Wiretapping bill in T&T gets unanimous approval in Parliament

The House of Representatives on Friday unanimously passed the wiretapping bill after MPs made some changes to the legislation that would allow interception of communication under stringent conditions.

Former Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who was the head of government and also chairman of the National Security Council when the illegal wiretapping occurred, was not present when MPs took the vote.

Manning did not speak in the House during Friday's debate. However, he held a news conference at which he insisted he was never benefited from any information gathered during the illegal wiretapping of telephones and interception of private emails.

He insisted that his government had planned to bring legislation to the Parliament to legalise wiretapping but that was not possible because the defeat of his party in the May 24 general election upset his agenda. The legislation was scheduled to go to Parliament in May, he said.

In her contribution to the debate Friday Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissesssar took issue with Manning for the manner in which he handled the matter. 

She said Manning's plan was a frightening one since he admitted that he had decided to do something illegal without Parliamentary approval and introduce legislation if the plan worked.

She noted that such actions went against the very heart of the country's democracy and put eveyone's freedom at risk. She said what was worse was that Manning was in breach of his oath as an MP and as Prime Minister in which he swore to uphold the law and defend the constitution.

She also praised the opposition for its support noting that although her government had the majority need to pass the bill alone she wanted full agreement from both sides of the House. She thanked all members of the opposition who participated in the review of the bill as well as other interest groups, including the Law Association.

Opposition whip Marlene McDonald described the collaborate work of the government and opposition as an example of democracy at work.

One of the principal changes to the original bill is the section that determined who could ask a judge to approve eavesdropping. Initially only the national security minister would have that power. 

The revised clause will extend it to the Chief of Defence staff, the commissioner of police and the director of the strategic services agency in order to remove any chance of political interference. Persad-Bissessar stressed that the change had nothing to do with the capabilities of the current minister of national security.

The new law, which still has to be approved by Parliament and get presidential assent, will allow wiretapping of conversations relating only to crimes deemed to be serious.

Speaker sends former T&T PM Patrick Manning to Privileges Committee

The Speaker of the House of Representatives ruled Friday that Patrick Manning should be sent to the House Privileges Committee in connection with allegations he made concerning Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. 

The Committee can censure Manning or take the drastic action of suspending him from Parliament.

The motion against the former Prime Minister was presented on Wednesday by Jack Warner, the MP for Chaguanas West.

Warner asked Speaker Wade Mark for leave to refer Manning to the committee over allegations made by Manning last Friday during the debate on the second reading of the Interception of Communication Bill 2010. He stated that Manning:

• deliberately and willfully misled the House 
• imputed improper motives against the member for Siparia (the PM) and persisted in that behaviour, despite being repeatedly called to order, thereby bringing the House in disrepute and public odium 
• grossly and recklessly abused the privilege of freedom of speech 

Warner noted that at the sitting last Friday that "the member of San Fernando East displayed a photograph of a house under construction owned Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, which he described as “Kamla’s Palace”.

Manning claimed that the facility was bigger that the Prime Minister’s residence and "the best estimate that we have, the all inclusive cost of building this facility is $ 150 million.”

Warner pointed out that Persad-Bissessar subsequently informed the House that the Member for San Fernando East was misleading the House but that did not deter Manning from making further allegations.

He reminded the House that Manning said that the motive for bringing the wiretapping bill to Parliament was because the government wanted to "close the eyes and to close the ears of intelligence agencies" in order to protect "those who financed them in the election campaign and who are involved in the drug trade."

Warner reminded the House that the Speaker intervened to stop Manning. However he said Manning persisted in attempting to justify the allegations made earlier in his contribution questioning Government’s motives in piloting the bill.

Warner said based on the statements made by Manning he believes that the Member for San Fernando East did "deliberately and mischievously" misled the House.

In addition, he said Manning "imputed improper motives against the Honourable Member for Siparia, in clear violation of the Standing Orders of this Honourable House". 


He added, "Further and by innuendo the said words were said to mean that the Member for Siparia was a party to a criminal conspiracy whose purpose was to facilitate criminal activities of drug lords and drug dealers and to compromise or weaken security agencies of the State."

Warner said he was convinced that Manning "recklessly and premeditatedly committed a breach of privilege, despite my protestations to the contrary, by deliberately misleading this House" when he alleged that the value of the Prime Minister's private residence was $150 million.

"Further, Mr. Speaker, I contend that his statements implicating the Honourable Member for Siparia, as Prime Minister in promoting the agenda of drug dealers in Trinidad and Tobago by bringing to Parliament The Interception of Communication Bill 2010, were a scandalous reflection on her character and conduct as a member of this Honourable House. 

"Mr. Speaker, it is a contempt for the Member for San Fernando East to deliberately mislead this House more so, if the member makes unfounded, unsubstantiated and unwarranted allegations reflecting on my integrity and conduct as a member.

"His statements, taken in their totality constitute a desperate attempt to demean the Member for Siparia, the Honourable Prime Minister, in the eyes of her fellow Parliamentarians and by extension in the eyes of the nation as a whole.

The UNC chairman said the conduct, "by a long serving Member of this House should not and must not be permitted to go unchallenged as it is likely to bring this House of Representatives into disrepute and public odium."

In making the ruling against Manning, Mark said he considered the issues of free speech but also noted that the privilege of free speech is not an absolute privilege. He pledged to vigorously defend the privilege of freedom of speech.

New PTSC board promises improved service

Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner on Friday installed the new board of directors for the Public Transport Service corpoiration, headed by Devant Maharaj. Other members are:

• Carol Merritt — vice chairman
• Benedict Armstrong
• Carol Erica Noel
• Jeewan Mangroo
• Ashvani Mahabir
• Clive Nunez
• Gordon Ramjattan

In a brief address, the new chairman promised a bette service. “Our priority is to deliver," he said. "We intend to hit the ground running.” The first board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.

Warner said he expects the new board would take “us from where we are to higher heights,” adding that he is confident the team "will have some new strategies.”

Ted Joseph, deputy general manager of operations at PTSC, spoke about modern innovations to help people who depend on the PTSC service. He said soon members of the public may be able to call from home and find out when the next bus was leaving.

Joseph said the PTSC is also seeking to expand its rural service and the possibility of going more than one place on one ticket.

New media association chooses interim executive Sunday

A new Media association will be formally launched on Sunday in Chaguanas.

A release from the Association of Independent Media of Trinidad and Tobago (AIMtt) states that there will be no membership fee for the new organisation, which will represent workers in convention radio, tv and print as well as persons working in new media, including social networks and blogs.

Sunday's meeting is being held at Plaza De Montrose, Chaguanas Main Road starting at 2 in the afternoon. media veteran Marcel Mahabir, one of the founders of FM103, will address the gathering. he will discuss the challenges of establishing of a new institution within an old order.

AIMtt is also expecting a specially invited "surprise speaker" from within the media fraternity who will speak about failures within MATT, the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago.

AIMtt was established as an alternative to MATT. Its FACEBOOK welcome pages states:

"Given that in the past the Media Association of Trinidad & Tobago has been slow to respond to issues such as the threat to journalist such as Sasha Mohammed , Andre Bagoo, and Kevin Baldeosingh during the Manning led PNM Administration and the alacrity in which the association has responded to the issue of Fazeer Mohammed many have wondered about the political agenda of the Executive of MATT."

Sunday's meeting will choose an interim executive.

Column: Is the concept of state media relevant to T&T?

Kiran Maharaj, the President of the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA), raised an issue this week about the relevance of state media in a country such as ours.

"Is state-owned media best for a democratic country such as Trinidad and Tobago and what should their role be?"she asked, suggesting that this should be the subject of debate in the new year.

“There are two contrasting theories of state control of the media–the public interest or Pigouvian theory which states that government ownership is beneficial, whereas the public choice theory suggests that state control undermines economic and political freedoms,” she said.

Maharaj was speaking at the seventh TTPBA Annual Dinner and Awards for Media Excellence at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port of Spain on Thursday night.
 
Maharaj expressed concern about the future of journalism in the news technological world.

“No one can predict the future...because in the new media world, the reaction time to competition is almost immediate; time-based competition is no longer a strategy option for competitive advantage, it is part of everyone’s business plan,” she said.

Maxie Cuffie, the former head of the the Government Information Services Ltd. (GISL) recently raised the issues as well and suggested that government has no right owning media.

In response I wrote a column which becomes relevant again in the context of what Krian Maharaj has raised. 

My position is that the media collectively is an essential part of democracy. That, more than any other reason, is why in a society such as ours we need to have state ownership, which by extension means ownership by the people. 

Private media have their own agenda and must satisfy the bottom line and the needs of shareholders. Look at the United States today and the role of FOX news.

In Trinidad and Tobago powerful conglomerates own all the main media. That means their interests come first, although there have been no sustained attacks similar to what we see in the U.S. with the FOX experience.

Still there is the danger that citizens would not get the whole picture if they rely entirely on private media. I concede that technological changes today with social networking and the Internet have changed the rules since anyone can become a publisher.

However, that doesn't diminish the need for a well-organised, professional run media organisation that is owned by the state with a clear mandate of its role as part of the democratic process.

Click here to read the column: I beg to disagree with Maxie; it's Ok for people to own media

CCJ to rule on whether former government minister can be sued by State

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will begin hearing a case in Port of Spain Monday that could determine whether a government can take legal action against former government ministers for losses suffered by the State as a result of misfeasance.

The case involves the Belize government, which has filed the lawsuit against former ministers Florencio Marin and Jose Coye seeking to recover US$473,923 plus exemplary damages. The new Dean Barrow government claims this was the loss suffered when the previous administration sold lands below market price.

The Ministry of Natural Resources in Belize filed the lawsuit against the two former ministers in the Said Musa administration for what it says is conduct "unbecoming of a government minister while in office".
 
The lawsuit alleges that the two men were "malfeasance in the sale of the 57 pieces of prime government lots to a private company, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars to tax payers." The land was once owned by the University of Belize.

Belize recently became a full member of the Port-of-Spain based court. The other full members are Guyana and Barbados.

Most of the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are signatories to the original jurisdiction of the court that also serves as an international tribunal for interpreting the Revised treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional integration movement.

Related story: CARICOM worried about future of POS-based CCJ

Don't take any form of abuse, PM Kamla tells women

The Trinidad and Tobago Parliament observed one minute of silence Friday in honour of female victims of violence. 

It came after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar addressed the House of Representatives and urged women not to endure any abuse from men and if they are victims they should go to the police and report the matter.

Her advice came in a message to mark the United Nations’ (UN) International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. She said while women are guaranteed equality "our hearts are made heavy by negative forces that stifle this right."

She said, “I am directly referring to the continued rise in violence against women via domestic abuse, murders targeting women and sexual abuse against our women in various forms.”

The country's first female leader said despite the protection of the law women continue to suffer abuse while remaining silent for fear of retribution if they speak up.

“That silence, I acknowledge, is the direct result of fear, which condemns women and other victims of abuse in this country to live in psychological, physical, mental and emotional trauma.”

She added that all citizens - especially women - should know their rights under the Constitution. The Prime Minister noted that everyone has the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression and equality before the law.

She noted that the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that all people are “born free and equal in dignity and rights” and added that her Government is committed to ensure all citizens are treated equally.

She said there are laws that give abuse victims safe and effective ways of reporting these crimes to the police. In addition, she said the new Ministry of the People and Social Development is providing shelters and support groups for women victims of abuse.

“I give the assurance that the plight of any abused citizen, and especially abused women and children, will never fall on deaf ears as long as your People’s Partnership Government is in power,” she declared.

“But the sad fact is, as is the case with most crimes of abuse, we cannot help victims unless that code of silence is broken.

“And so, I urge all citizens to now come forward, if you are a victim of abuse or know someone who is a victim of abuse. Contact the police and your local Social Services office to ensure that help is made available for these victims immediately,” she said. “This is your responsibility and duty as a citizen of this country...

“Look around at the country and tell yourselves that we all have to work to end violence against our fellow citizens once and for all,” she said noting that men and women are all equal in the eyes of the law, under God and among each other. 

"We want to be respected, not to be victims of abuse in any form," she said.

Read related column by Fazeela Jiwa. The column was written in 2009 in reaction to the murder of of four girls by their own family.

Also related: Commentary: Culture, family values and murder