Memorable quote: Lyndon B. Johnson on emancipation

Read more about Lyndon B. Johnson

Cricket: Guyana beats Barbados in Twenty20 final in POS

Jonathan Foo played the innings of a lifetime to trump memorable bowling from Ashley Nurse, as Guyana were crowned inaugural champions of the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship, following a one-wicket victory over Guyana in the Grand Final on Saturday.

Foo struck four fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 42 from 17 balls that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, as Guyana, in pursuit of 135 from their allocation of 20 overs, overcame Nurse’s five wickets for 35 runs in his allotted four overs to hit the jackpot with one ball remaining.

Davendra Bishoo, later adjudged the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, struck the winning runs, when he drove Javon Searles through extra cover.

The ball ricocheted from the hand of diving fielder Larry Babb, and Sulieman Benn gave chase from cover, somehow managed to misfiled, allowing Bishoo and Foo to come back for the second run to seal the victory.

The result meant that Guyana have won a regional Twenty20 championship for the second time, following their capture of the 2006 Stanford T20 Cup, and most importantly, they will represent West Indies at the Champions League T20 in September in South Africa.
(CMC)

Dookeran committed to People's Partnership

It seems media reports have sensationalised comments made by Congress of the People leader Winston Dookeran and taken hiss quotes out of context.

Media reports on the speech to winning COP councillors quoted Dookeran as saying that COP can now stand alone. But they did not say that the COP leader spoke of that in context of the of the strength of the People's Partnership.

"The People's Partnership is the current manifestation of the idea of new politics. Always remember that," Dookeran told supporters.

He said he has always had a vision of new politics for the 21st century and was very specific that the The People's Partnership is part of the new politics of "There is no need for divisions and separations", he stressed.

The COP leader made the comments as he spoke about his absence from the management of the campaign. As COP leader he said he delegated the task to members of his party's leadership and he was proud of the job they did.

He made the statement: "I have a party that can run on its own" in the context of addressing the issue of COP running without his presence.

Read Dookeran's full speech
Related story: Warner calls Dookeran's 'standing alone' comment 'unfortunate'

"Madness in SPORTT": Minister Roberts

Minister of Sports on Friday revealed in Parliament what he called "madness" at the Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (Sportt), which won the contract for the controversial $2 million national flag at the National Stadium.

Anil Roberts said the company received confirmation of the award from Sportt prior to even being recommended for the job. He said the information is contained in an audit from the finance ministry.

He gave an example of extravagance by Sportt’s executive chairman and director. He said they leased two BMW X5’s at a cost of $40,000 monthly although they had travelling allowances.

“Errors, omissions, impropriety and downright corrupt practices... from the Caribbean Games, which never came off, to the legacy flag at Hasely Crawford Stadium, to the hiring of interns, the leasing of expensive SUVs, duplication of duties/responsibilities and the creation of a ghost roof at the stadium,” Roberts said about the “damning” report.

He said auditors have recommended that "all breaches of good governance be further investigated".

Speaking superficially on the flag issue, Roberts said there was no Sportt tenders committee but on May 4, 2009 a note recommended a certain company for the award of the project.

However, five days before that, in a letter dated April 29, 2009 the recommended company acknowledged receipt of the contract.

Roberts said the person who made the award of the flag contract had no authority to bind the company. And with regard to the execution of the contract Roberts said the company was supposed to use 200 cubic metres of concrete but used only 30 cubic metres.

He said there were other serious discrepancies between what was supposed to be done and what happened.

Roberts also spoke of $55 million allocated for the upgrading of sporting facilities for the 2009 Caribbean Games that had to be cancelled cancelled because of the Swine flu scare.

“Of the $50 million of works undertaken in preparation for the games, some $30 million were ‘awarded’ to contractors without the use of the tendering process...Of the $30 million of works done and supplies/services executed without the use of the tendering process, $20 million of those transactions were via the use of single quotations,” Roberts told MPs.

He said Sportt conducted 129 transactions, totalling $57.3 million by single quotation. “For the Caribbean Games alone, spanning mere months, over 379 transactions were conducted by Sportt to the tune of $65.3 million,” he said.

He said only $25 million were awarded through the tendering process although none of it was approved by a tenders committee.

“The report states no evidence was available to suggest a tenders’ committee ever existed prior to March 2010, prior to commencement of the audit,” the minister said.

He claimed that PNM appointees at the company had the “audacity to send 62 notes relative to the award of those contracts to a ghost committee.”

He also said Sportt had received 37 applications from interns in 2009. However the eight who were hired never applied, he said.

Sportt's former executive chairman Kenneth Charles and its former director Darren Millien have denied the claim of rampant corruption. And they have defended the lease of the exensive BMW's.

“We realised that because there was a need for managers and engineers to be on the field at all times for key decisions on major contracts, there was need to provide transport which the managers did not have,” Charles told the Newsday newspaper.

Read the story: Former SPORTT execs deny minister's claims

PP gov't committed to serving seniors, increasing pensions

Minister of the People Dr Glen Ramadharshingh told Parliament Friday the People's Partnership is still committed to reducing the pensionable age so all old-age pensioners would get a pension at 60 years.

And he said the Partnership is keeping the specific promise of delivering within 120 days of assuming office a $3,000 pension for pensioners 65 years and over.

Piloting the Senior Citizens Amendment Act, Ramadharsingh said, "In order to address the disadvantage at which this category of persons is placed, Cabinet...approved the expansion of the payment structure of the senior citizens' pension so that the monthly threshold for meeting the qualifying income criterion is $3,000 per month."

The minister also stated that a person receiving an income between $2,800 and $3,000 would now receive a pension of $1,000. That's a change of the previous position where the pension ceiling was $2,800.

He said this allows persons "whose income exceeds the ceiling of $2,800 per month, but is less than or equal to $3,000, to be paid a monthly pension of $1,000."

The minister dismissed the opposition People's National Movement (PNM) charges that the government had failed to deliver on its election promise, saying the senior citizens' pension and the quantum of the pension would not be less than $3,000 at the lowest end and up to $4,000 at the upper limit.

He said it is still the intention of his government to lower the pensionable age to 60 "and that is our intention as we have said".

Ramadharsingh reiterated that his government is committed to serving pensioners "with the highest degree of sensitivity and equity that every citizen of this nation deserves".

He took a swipe at the former government, saying the PNM administration spent "billions and billions of dollars" and was sadly lagging in assistance to the poor and needy.

"It is not that they did not know about the poor and suffering. They simply did not care for senior citizens as much as they cared for big buildings, as much they cared for private jets, as much as they cared for the illegal construction of the churches," Ramadharsingh declared.

PNM accuses PP gov't of reneging on pension promise

Opposition MP Dr Amery Browne on Friday accused the People's Partnership Government of breaking its promise to deliver a $3,000 pension to every citizen of Trinidad and Tobago 60 years and over.

Browne was speaking in the debate on the Senior Citizens' Grant (Amendment) Bill 2010 in the House of Representatives. He called it a betrayal.

Using the coalition's own documents, including the People's Partnership manifesto, Browne stated that the governing coalition promised "every single person in this country who is 60 years and over, regardless of income, would receive a pension of $3,000".

He quoted Page 41 of the manifesto which stated the People's Partnership Government would "remove all restrictions and qualifications for people to receive an old-age pension and, thus, every citizen will automatically receive a State-funded old-age pension upon attainment of pensionable age".

Browne said, "I accuse this Government of deceiving the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. I accuse this Government of breaking its word to senior citizens, age 60 and over.

"Mr Speaker, I accuse the honourable Prime Minister of not being forthright in continuing to deny as the days go by," he said.

He also stated that the government is breaking other promises made during then election. What is worse, he said, is that the government is denying that it made some of the promises.

Bare treasury means fewer $$ for pensions: Warner

Jack Warner told the House of Representatives if the previous PNM government had not pilfered the treasury there would be more money for pensioners in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Works and Transport minister said if there was a full Treasury the government would have been able to drop the pension age from 65 to 55 and pay a monthly pension of $5,000.

“But, Mr Speaker, I will tell you why we cant’ pay it,” Warner stated as he went into details of what he called wild government spending, singling out the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).

Warner read from a document regarding the Tamana E-Tech Park with items allegedly signed by former UTT President Ken Julien.

The items in the document included $60 million for structural steel on the UTT main building at the Tamana Park with no proper explanation for the expenditure.

He said UTT spent about $56 million on "public safety mechanisms" for the three-storey building and an additional $40 million was designated "for design coordination and architectural landscaping".

Other expenses included $3.5 million on the redesign of the building’s auditorium and $13.5 million to build it, he stated.

“The bill for that Tamana E-Tech Park has moved from $1.5 billion to $2 billion,” he claimed. He promised to reveal more at a later time.

Before leaving the subject of UTT spending he revealed another scandal.

The UNC chairman accused UTT of paying rent for Juliana Pena, spiritual adviser of former Prime Minister Patrick Manning. He said UTT paid the rent for one year on a property owned by eminent attorney Bruce Procope.

He challenged the PNM to deny it. “Say no! Say no,” he declared. Opposition MPs did not respond.

Warner refuted opposition charges that the government has reneged on its campaign promises on the pension for seniors.

Warner said the new $3,000 a month pension will create greater independence, give seniors a sense of security and hope.

“Senior citizens built the nation and democracy and we must care for them. We cannot rise without our elderly members and will allow all of us to rise together,” he added.

Letter: Pension provision promised pastured public-servants.

On the campaign trail, the PM promised that all retired public servants would receive a minimum pension upgrade to $3,000.00 for their years of dedicated service, knowing that many surviving retirees were receiving pittances earned several years before recurrent devaluations and inflation.

This upgrade applied to earned pension for service, separate and apart from the proposed entitlement to $3,000.00 for the aged.

No mention was made of how earned concomitant NIS pensions to which all employees including public servants had contributed, would affect the aggregated pensions being received nor the proposed entitled old age pension.

It is well known that for years pensioners were subjected to a combined income ceiling that rendered their “grant” near meaningless. It was clearly implied that the proposed old age pension would no longer be so affected.

Apart from the reduction of pensionable age being reduced to 60 years, to which many had objected for several reasons, the PP appeared to promise a new vista for the aged many of whom could now look forward to some dignified winter years of independence from their complaining families.

Without any claims of reduced revenues, the Government has arbitrarily reneged on its promise of an unqualified old age pension entitlement.

The PNM response to the promises of the PP on the hustings was that the proposal was too ambitions given the reduced revenue streams. The PP, appearing to have a plan, scoffingly maintained their promises.

Today the PP has not officially stated why it has reneged on its promise to pay sovereign TT dollars to nationals, and has determinedly proceeded with providing promised laptops to students which will have to be funded by earned foreign exchange.

Apparently we can afford the dwindling foreign exchange but cannot afford the ever available TT currency.

The reality is that the pensions are entirely affordable to the government if it felt committed to its promise.

Increasing old age pension as promised will be giving money to responsible citizens whose responsible spending will enhance the economy. Their pension earnings will increase the GDP and stimulate the economy in recessionary times.

There is no downside to meaningful old age pension.

Many retirees had contributed far in excess of the minimum NIS requirements and now receive the same as those who met only the minimum installments. The entire ethic of work is being undermined when earned pensions mitigate entitlements.

The government is now secure in office for five years but the LGE will return in three. At that time we shall see how their broken promise will affect their electability.

M.F. Rahman

Warner calls Dookeran's 'standing alone' comment 'unfortunate'

Jack Warner told reporters Friday he is in no position to explain a statement made by Finance Minister Winston Dookeran suggesting that the Congress of the People (COP) can now stand on its own.

Dookeran made the statement earlier in the week when he addressed members of his party who won seats in the Local Government Elections (LGE).

The COP leader said. "I now feel that I have a party that can run on its own. And I have for the first time real politicians in the Congress of the People for they can win elections too. What a great relief!"

Dookeran added, "Keep your banner flying high. It's the idea you support when you support the Congress of the People.

"It's an idea of the nobility of the politics that you support, when you support the People's Partnership. The People's Partnership is the current manifestation of the idea of new politics. Always remember that," he said.

Warner, who is one of the principal architects of the People's Partnership, which includes COP, said he thinks it is "unfortunate" for Dookeran to talk about standing alone "at this point in time".

However he told journalists Dookeran might be the best person to answer their question about the comments and added, "when he answers it, please tell me, because I too want to know."

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, who left COP and rejoined the UNC, also commented on Dookeran's statement.

"The days of standing alone in politics have gone and hopefully receded into a distant memory in this country. The People's Partnership is about bringing people and the country together so we will rise as one people, as one nation," he said.

PM Kamla names retired judge to head coup enquiry

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Friday announced members of a five-member Commission of Enquiry into the 1990 attempted coup. It will be headed by retired justice of appeal Mustapha Ibrahim.

Other members are: Former Independent Senator and social activist, Diana Mahabir-Wyatt; U.S. war veteran Dr H.A. Mohammed; Dr Richard Cheltenhan, leading Barbadian criminal QC and Former independent senator Dr Eastlyn McKenzie.

Persad-Bissessar told the House of Representatives if the enquiry reveals any evidence of wrongdoing, consideration would be given to prosecuting those culpable.

"Let me unequivocally state that whatever is found no one would be above the law. Therefore if there is evidence of wrongdoing, wherever it may be, that will be addressed by our courts" she said.

Persad-Bissessar said her Government hopes that the enquiry would "bring clarity" to certain issues as well as bring "psychological relief" from the results.

She outlined some of the issues needing clarification:

1. Whether any public officials were involved in the attempted coup
2. Whether any members of the protective services, Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, state officials and any other persons in the employ of the government were involved
3. How was the attempted coup financed
4. The mastermind of the attempted coup
5. The role of the Jamaal al Muslimeen and what motivated its involvement
6. Identification of local and international associates and affiliates of the Jamaat at the time of the insurrection
7. The reasoning behind the conflagration of specific buildings
8. The illegal acquisition, supplier(s) and importation of weapons used in the attempted coup
9. Any correlation between the coup attempt and the present trafficking, supplying or possession of illicit drugs
10. The response and performance of the protective services, Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and other essential services during and after the insurrection
11. The response and actions of the Government, the media and foreign services
12. All matters pertaining to the negotiations, preparation, execution, removal and effect of the amnesty
13. Criminal activity including but not confined to looting, during and after the insurrection

Persad-Bissessar is hoping that the commission's recommendations and observations would ensure that counter-terrorism policies and measures are clearly articulated and that terrorism is identified as a national security concern.

AG not rushing into Ish, Steve extradition matter

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is not going to make a rush decision on the fate of businessmen Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson who are facing extradition to the United States.

"This is not a decision one can rush, bearing in mind that the situation is susceptible to judicial review. To rush it would be to defeat the very objective that some people have in mind.

"Due process and the rule of law will prevail and there will be a fair decision at the end of the day," Ramlogan told reporters Friday.

Both men are in jail in awaiting a final word. Earlier this week a judge denied their challenge to the legality of the extradition request, leaving a final decision with the AG.

"Now that my hands have been untied, there is a process that needs to be followed, and the accused here are in fact behind a bar. That means the process will now take place to consider the representations made," Ramlogan said.

He added that there is no possibility at the men of the men absconding so what has to happen now "is a process that will engage, listening to the representations with legal advice from a legal team...and getting representations from...the United States, and then I would make my decision."

Ramlogan said he needs to invite the U.S. Justice Department to make representations as to why Galbaransingh and Ferguson should be extradited and when he has both sides of the story he'll decide using "the discretion given to me as Attorney General."

Galbaransingh and Ferguson are wanted in Florida on several charges of fraud relating to financial transactions during the construction of the Piarco International Airport.

Commentary: We have grown up and discarded race

I have read Dr Cujoe's commentary (Rising from Rock Bottom) with deep interest and have concluded that he got it wrong. He continues to see our politics through colours and ethnicity without paying attention to the change that has truly taken place.

On May 24, it was not a larger Indian population that put the People's Partnership in office. It was a mandate from the widest cross section of the country - 432,000 people who decided that Trinidad and Tobago had grown up and it was time to put ethicity behind and focus on the future of the country.

In fact if there was a vote based on race it might have very well been on the other side, which kept much of its core support. In his analysis of the PNM defeat, respected political scientist Dr Selwyn Ryan observed that "The PNM crowd was more festive and monochromatic than the coalition crowds."

There is no need to spell that out in black and brown or whatever other colours make up our rainbow nation.

Dr Cudjoe uses a lot of political statistics to make his point and goes back into the country's political history.

I agree that there had been without a doubt voting based on race in Trinidad and Tobago and that while Bhadase Sagan Maraj consolidated the Hindu vote in 1956, many Indian Muslims and Indian Christians supported the PNM.

In fact Dr Ryan, in his book "Race and Nationalism in Trinidad and Tobago" makes the point that this was a deliberate strategy by PNM founder Dr Eric Williams "to drive a wedge" and separate the different elements of the Indian population.

And both pawns in that game - Kamaluddin Mohammed and the late Dr Winston Mahabir - have admitted that publicly.

That is why, having seen the strategy in 1956, Indians of all backgrounds came together in the 1958 federal elections to beat the PNM in a fair election only to be dubbed by Williams as "a hostile and recalcitrant minority".

Following that defeat Dr Patrick Solomon made a pitch for buying voting machines to prevent Indians from ever taking power. (Whether the machines "voted" for the PNM remains highly debatable, but affidavits filed after the 1961 elections showed that at least in one case in Tobago the machines recorded more votes than the number of registered electors).

While the PNM attracted some Indian support in people like Kamal and Errol Mahabir (who were literally discarded by the Manning PNM) and later embraced Dr Lenny Saith and others, their presence was always strategic unlike what happened with the People's Partnership.

The PNM was always wary of the rise of Indians. In1976, the chairman of the state-owned Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT) made a strong recommendation to the party to keep the Indians down.

A note that Jimmy Bain wrote for the party had the hallmarks of the Solomon sentiments:

"The East Indians have increasingly acquired education and have been increasingly invading the fields of the Civil Service, the professions and the Government. As their numbers must now reach parity with people of African descent, there is a real possibility that in the not too distant future, they will get control of the Government.

"Should this time come when the East Indian section owns most of the property, business and wealth of the country as well as control of the Government...an imbalance could develop in our society that would cause undesirable stresses and strains that would not be good for the nation.

"It is an urgent necessity therefore, that all of us give serious thought to these matters, and like sensible people make a conscious effort to counter any undesirable consequence that could develop from such a possible situation." (From the book: "The Politics of labour and Development in Trinidad" by Ray Kiely, 1996)

The PNM lost in May and again in July because it was out of touch with the people, had abused its stay in office and had become too deeply involved in corruption. It had nothing to do with demographics or Kamla's ethnicity.

The people of Trinidad and Tobago felt that they had enough of the PNM and made a conscious move to a party of the people. It was not an Indian party; it was a People's party. And that is why it won.

Yes, people of Indian origin voted as did tens of thousands of people of African origin along with every other race and nationality that make up the Trinidad and Tobago society.

And yes I agree with Dr Cudjoe that the people will judge the People's Partnership on its record in office. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has made it clear in every important speech that she is committed to serving all the people unlike her immediate predecessor, Patrick Manning, who said publicly that his mission was to "take care of my people".

For the sake of democracy I hope the PNM rises from the ashes to be a forceful and responsible opposition. However, unless it changes its philosophy and becomes a true national movement in practice and in action, it will remain down.

Dr Cudjoe's statement that Indians will "bask in the glory of their triumph" demonstrates that he has missed the point altogether.

Indeed it is the population of Trinidad and Tobago - Indians et al - from Tobago to Barrackpore - that is basking in the People's Partnership triumph over a failed administration.

Dr Cudjoe states: "Given the development of a more sophisticated electorate, which is inevitable, and a more non-ethnic approach that will emerge among more citizens, ethnic sentiments will give way to national sentiments...".

Again he has missed the point. This has already happened. The People's Partnership came together, offered itself to the people as an alternative and it is because of their sophistication and disdain for race and ethnicity that the people discarded the PNM and embraced the coalition.

The map of Trinidad and Tobago turned yellow on May 24 not because of Indians but because of a leadership that comprised the best political minds in the country, including non-Indians like Errol McLeod, Ashworth Jack, Makandal Daaga and Jack Warner.

We have grown up; we have matured. And we will not return to the politics of race.

And if the PNM wants to return to the game, it must embrace all the people in the same manner as the People's Partnership did. Kamla and her colleagues have demonstrated that Trinidad and Tobago belongs to all of us and the days of race, and rum and roti politics are gone forever.

Jai Parasram

Memorable quote: Kamla on leadership

Cricket: Guyana beats TT, moves to final of Twenty20

Port of Spain: Royston Crandon snared three wickets in the final over, as Guyana withstood a late onslaught from Dwayne Bravo to reach the Grand Final of the Caribbean Twenty20 Championship, with a stunning four-run victory over hosts Trinidad & Tobago on Friday.

Read the story: Guyana beats T&T in four-run thriller

Commentary: Rising from Rock Bottom - by Selwyn Cudjoe

Forgive me if I do not feel as jaded about the PNM as so many commentators do. The PNM is down but it is not out. However, the infighting that we are beginning to see certainly does not help.

While it is true that the PNM has reached its nadir, in time it would begin to assert itself and continue to be an important national presence. It would not necessarily do so as it did before and with the same force but whatever happens it will remain relevant to our society’s political aspirations.

In times such as these we are quick to draw conclusions about the fate of political parties and social groupings without understanding that history must be viewed as a process rather than a static phenomenon.

We draw the wrong conclusion if we look only at the results of the last general and local government elections and conclude that the PNM is done. In fact, the recent performance of the PNM should not allow one to conclude that it has no future in this society nor that the People’s Partnership remains an implacable force of nature.

In the end, we are dealing with people who are fallible and who are prey to the mistakes than any group of people makes as it gets down to the nitty gritty of ruling a country. There are many reasons why the Partnership is where it is today.

The first has to do with the changing demographics of the society. In 1946, Africans consisted of 46.8 per cent of the population whereas East Indians consisted of 35 per cent; in 1990, Africans decreased to 39.6 per cent whereas the East Indians rose to 40.3 per cent of the population.

By 2000, Africans had slipped to 38 per cent whereas the Indians increased their numbers to 42 per cent, which suggests that by 2010 there were more Indian than black voters. Given the propensity of Indians to vote in greater numbers than Africans and their solid commitment to an Indian party, the writing was on the wall.

PNM was neither listening nor thinking. The results were inevitable. Up until 2010, East Indians had tended to split their votes. In 2010 it was a different story.

In 1952, Bhadase Sagan Maraj consolidated the two major Hindu groups (the Sanatan Board of Control and the Sanatan Dharma Association) into the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, which emerged as the most powerful Hindu organisation in the country. It would serve to consolidate the Hindu vote.

In 1956, Bhadase formed the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which received 20.3 per cent of the votes and five seats whereas the PNM received 38.7 per cent of the votes and 13 seats. During this election, there was a split in the East Indian votes, with the Muslims and the East Indian Christians voting with the PNM and the Hindus voting with the PDP.

The Federal elections allowed the PDP to bring in different political elements to form the DLP, which succeeded in gaining more seats than the PNM, although each party received roughly the same number of votes.

In the 1961 election, the DLP received 42 per cent of the votes as opposed to the PNM’s 57 per cent. Significantly, voter turnout among the Indians was over 90 per cent, with as many as 95.17 per cent of the voters casting their votes in the St Augustine constituency.

In 1976, the ULF (a revivified version of the PDP/DLP) was able to capture only 26.9 per cent of the votes for 12 seats whereas the PNM, with 53.6 per cent of the votes, captured 24 seat.

In 1986, the ULF came together with the Organisation of National Reconstruction, the Democratic Action Congress and the Tapia House Movement to form the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR). The result of their combined efforts was obvious. They beat the PNM to a frazzle.

In 1995, the PNM called a snap election. Both the PNM and the UNC received virtually the same number of votes (256,195 and 240,372 respectively) and equal number of seats. ANR Robinson broke the tie and the UNC was able to rule. By 2000, the UNC had increased its percentage of votes to 51.5 per cent whereas the PNM had remained relatively flat.

In the 2007 elections, although the PNM won 26 seats, it had only garnered 299,813 votes as opposed to the combined total of 342,466 votes for UNC and the newly-formed COP.

More importantly, while the PNM voter base stayed stagnant, the predominantly Indian vote (COP and UNC) kept on increasing to the point where they demolished the PNM in both the general and local government elections in 2010.

These results and the movement of the votes suggest that while the East Indians consolidated their votes the PNM began to plateau around 1995. The inability of the PNM to increase its voter base and extend its reach proved disastrous.

It having captured government blinded it to the realities of the times, which is why Mr Manning could have made such a catastrophic blunder in 2010.

However, once the People’s Partnership has had a chance to govern, the electorate would have a better yardstick by which to measure its performance, which is what Keith Rowley was trying to say in his concession speech on Monday evening.

Herein lies my faith in a resurrected PNM. The PNM received 39 per cent of the votes in 2010, which compares favourably with the 26.9 per cent of the votes the ULF received in 1976. It is from that base that it began to rebuild.

It is from a base of 39 per cent that the PNM will begin to rebuild.

Just as the PNM was judged by its performance, so too would the PP be judged by how well it handles the economy, deals with the issues of crime, and creates a more harmonious society.

Indians particularly will bask in the glory of their triumph. Given the development of a more sophisticated electorate, which is inevitable, and a more non-ethnic approach that will emerge among more citizens, ethnic sentiments will give way to national sentiments and the PNM’s place will be assured in our political geography.

It is within this circumference of ideas that I expect the PNM to rise again to give voice to the legitimate sentiments of an expanded electorate.

For more of Dr Cudjoe's writings go to Trinicenter.com

Cell phone ban for drivers coming: Warner

The government of Trinidad and Tobago is planning to introduce an amendment to the country's motor vehicle laws to make it an offence for persons driving a vehicle to use a hand held cell phone while behind the wheel.

The measure was announced Thursday by Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner.

Speaking at the post cabinet news briefing, Warner said he acknowledges that a cellular phone is a convenient device. However he said using it while driving can be potentially dangerous.

Warner said the benefit of banning the use of the phones while driving outweighs the usefulness of having the device.

Warner said a study done in Canada in 1997 showed that people who use cell phones are 18 times more susceptible to cause accidents.

He said drivers could pull over at the side of the road and talk on their cellphone when they receive a call or allow a passenger to speak on their behalf. He said another alternative to taking the call is let it go to voicemail.

The minister noted that it has now gone beyond ta,lking. "It has become even worse now that people are now text messaging while driving and all of this is what contributes to the carnage on the roads," Warner said.

Several jurisdictions in North America have banned hand-held devices while driving and have reported a decrease in accidents caused by drivers who become distracted through use of the phone while driving.

Under the proposed law, which is expected to take effect by the end of the hyear, offenders would have to pay a fine of $5,000 or go to jail for 30 days.

Warner said government would give drivers three months to equip their vehicles with the necessary handfree devices which would allow use of phones without touching the devices.

Floods hit again; Warner to hire expert to fix problem

Jack Warner said Thursday his Works Ministry will bring in an expert to produce a plan on how to alleviate flooding in this country, particularly in Port of Spain, where heavy showers caused severe flooding Thursday and created commuter choas.

Speaking to reporters following the weekly cabinet meeting Warner said he will make the recommendation to Cabinet next week. He did not say who is the person conducting the study.

However he explained that the individual has compiled reports which were internationally acclaimed but were never used in Trinidad and Tobago.

He said the Manning PNM government bypassed the expert and treated him with discourtesy.

He added that he found the report at the ministry and believes it just needs to be "dusted off" and put to use.

"We have tested it even at this point in time, and it is still relevant and valid and it is in this context, we are employing this expert who will work in our ministry and advise us accordingly...at the end of the day, we will openly test it and see how it will work," he said.

He said the ministry will also work to improve the drainage system. In that context Warner gave instructions for the Caparo and Cunupia rivers to be dredged.

Warner also announced that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has instructed all MPs to go out in their respective communities to make an assessment of the flood damage to do everything they can to help people.

It's the second time since taking office that Persad-Bissessar and her political colleagues are out in the field touring flood-stricken areas.

WASA bankrupt

Public Utilities Minister Emmanuel George told reporters Thursday the State-owned Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) is bankrupt.

George said audited financial statements for 2003 to 2005 show that WASA continued to be heavily in debt and suffered from poor liquidity.

"The balance sheet for the ending September 2005 showed a position of insolvency and all of the critical financial indicators of WASA are heading in the wrong direction," the minister said.

He pointed out that the authority’s operating deficit:

• 2003 - $397.2 million
• 2004 - $482.9 million
• 2005 - $391 million

In addition, he said WASA's operating expenditure increased by more than 36 per cent in the three years after 2003.
George also gave the figures for the operating deficit:

• 2003 - $805 million
• 2004 - $920 million
• 2005 - $1.1 billion

The minister said despite all that spending WASA’s service to consumers - particularly a supply of water - continued to deteriorate.

George said the People's partnership has rejected the PNM administration’s plan for the improvement of supply to consumers and cabinet will soon examine a new one-year plan has been proposed.

George said government would have to borrow money in order to reach the goal of improving water supply to consumers for a minimum of two days a week within 12 months.

AG Ramlogan to decide if Ish & Steve will be extradited to US

The fate of business men Steve Ferguson and Iswar Galbaransingh now lies in the hands of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan who must now decide whether they should be extradited to Florida to face charges.

On Thursday both men lost a constitutional motion challenging the legality of an extradition request from the United States.

Justice Vasheist Kokaram discharged a conservatory order issued on June 16 that had prevented Ramlogan from authorising the extraditions, clearing the way for Ramlogan to act if he decides to do so.

However, there is a possibility that if Ramlogan goes ahead with approving the extradition the Galbaransingh and Ferguson might appeal.

In his ruling Thursday Kokaram: "There is no right guaranteed by the Constitution not to be extradited and the ability to extradite a fugitive is a long recognised feature of international law and integral to the international criminal process. This country cannot be a safe haven for criminal activity."

Kokaram said the men are "simply being surrendered to face a criminal process in a foreign state, which is the subject of treaty obligations with this state and which process must be exercised in good faith."

Galbaransingh and Ferguson are have been indicted in Florida on fraud charges relating to the construction of the Piarco International Airport. They are currently at the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca.

COP leader says party can run on its own

Winston Dookeran is elated with the electoral success of his Congress of the People (COP) in Monday's general election and he says he now believes "That I have a party that can run on its own."

He added, "I have for the first time real politicians in the Congress of the People, for they can win elections too."

Dookeran made the comment when he addressed Local Government Councillors-elect at COP's Operations Centre at Chaguanas.

COP was allocated 41 seats for the election and won 25 of them. In the process it has taken control of Arima, which was a PNM stronghold. The COP candidate in the general election also won the Arima constituency.

"They used to say that we did not have a firm footing on the ground. Now, they cannot say that anymore and that's the only thing that prevented us from winning in the 2007 election," Dookeran said.

He Arima has become the party's political flagship. "So a movement has started and you happen to be the new foundation blocks for this movement. The idea is now converted into real political movement," he told the COP members.

He said COP is "an example of where an idea catches on in a country and it cannot be stopped again".

Commentary: Why isn't T&T tourism prospering? - John Lindsay

Trinidad and Tobago is primarily crime ridden as everyone knows, and plus, with specific reference to Trinidad, it really is NOT "beautiful" as many Trinis blindly assert, but a dismal, polluted and garbage ridden industrial back lot and swampland.

Get a grip Trinidad, get a handle on tourist oriented crime in Tobago and then professionally push and promote it.

Providing access is reasonable, i.e. does not involving hours being spent frustratingly in Piarco before getting there, it actually has much of what the stereotypical North American tourists seek.

"Pretty silver sand beaches, blue ocean, verdant greenery, and sun". Of course it also has a lot of locals that prey on and visibly, tangibly resent tourists. The kind of ignorant fools that mistake giving (good) service for being servile.

As for Trinidad, what exactly do you feel the place has to offer to visiting foreigners?

If a magic wand could be found and used to reduce crime levels to something comparable with most of the region, you still need to address the issue of the traffic chaos, the incredible degree of pollution on all fronts, the extent of intense and very scruffy industrialization, the "we is ah oil an gas rich nation" attitudes, the miserable dirty and depressing beaches and brown waters.

Native Trinis can wax lyrical about Maracas Bay, Mayaro, etc, etc. It's to a degree quite natural they would have a special place in their hearts for such places. It's "home".

But you need to look at the place through the eyes of potential tourist visitors, and there is so very, very little in the way of what they consider important. Very little "cute, Caribbean island stuff" and virtually no amenities.

After all, just how often do you expect them to struggle through traffic to Movietowne or West Mall? A step towards reality would be to diversify the island's (Trinidad's) economy aggressively.

It has historically been the industrial services and product supplier to much of the region, so expand on that.

There really are not too many potential competitors for all kinds of manufactured and value added goods, once the country gets off its ass (GOYA), and recognizes there is no known, long term future in oil and gas, so with and without foreign investment and incoming industries and technologies, this island needs to do things differently, if it hopes to have anything of an economically viable future.

And leave hopes of tourism to Tobago.

$130m to repair HDC homes: Moonilal

The government of Trinidad and Tobago estimates that it would have to find about $130 million to repair flaws on houses built by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) under the Patrick Manning-led PNM administration.

Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal gave that figure to reporters Wednesday, which is much higher that the original estimate of about $50 million.

Read the story: $50M to repair houses built by Manning government

Speaking after an Emancipation Day celebration at his constituency’s office in Debe Junction, Moonilal said his ministry has already started working on the repairs to some of the houses.

"Estimates are still being done and they could reach between $125 to $130 million, that is in addition to the billion spent to build them,” Moonilal said.

Moonilal raised concerns about shoddy workmanship shortly after he took office and said many of the homes were unsuitable for occupation. He noted that there were structural problems in many of the homes built on lands that used be under sugar cane cultivation in the Debe, Golconda, Retrench and Corinth area.

“We are doing testing for the geological studies to ensure we do proper remedial works. We cannot do it without the proper testing of the soil. There is an ongoing process with the repairs,” Moonilal assured reporters.

Managing director of HDC, Jearlean John noted that it is consting the HDC $4 million a month to look after the unoccupied houses.

"We have security officers at these units, but yet the vandals get in and they are causing havoc,” John said.

T&T might allow public to buy into state companies: Dookeran

State-owned special purpose enterprise companies (SPECs) in Trinidad and Tobago could soon be more strictly regulated and the public could have an opportunity to buy shares in them.

Finance Minister Winston Dookeran made that statement Wednesday noting that such a change in companies such as UDeCOTT would be one of the ways to give the government what he called "wiggle room" to allow government to re-vitalise the stagnating economy.

“The state enterprise sector, including the special purpose companies, will be subject to new governance accountability and the adoption of a ‘business risk radar’ that anticipates threats, responds and adapts to effective investment that improves the performance of the enterprise,” Dookeran said at a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Port-of-Spain.

“A wider restructuring exercise that incorporates public offerings and ownership is being contemplated.”

SPECs, which include Udecott, NIPDEC and NIDCO, currently manage at least $50 billion worth of public sector projects and also hold assets valued at millions of dollars.

Dookeran said the Government hopes to introduce a new system of “corporate governance for SPECs that will allow for them to become more transparent over time.” He also pledged the process of appointing new board members to the SPECs will “accelerate from now on.”

Dookeran also presented an unflattering picture of the state of the economy, noting that there has been a rapid deterioration in the fiscal position with a 50 per cent decrease in export earnings.

He said for the 2009/2010 fiscal year there will be a deficit of 4.1 per cent of GDP and flat economic growth. He predicted that the overall deficit is likely to widen as the share of energy revenue to GDP falls with debt rising to 48 per cent of GDP in 2010/2011.

However, he said there are ways to deal with then financial problems.

“There is still wiggle room for us to manage our economic prescription, to reverse the direction of our economic trends while building a competitive economy,” Dookeran said.

He noted that the local economy’s troubles were made worse "bad corporate governance and major regulatory lapses" that resulted in the near collapse of CL Financial and its subsidiaries including CLICO.

Dookeran also killed the idea of the Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Ccentre, which was to be housed in two 26-storey towers at Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. He said it was "an idea that never should have been born".

Read the story: Dookeran Axes Financial Centre

Ganga Singh gets top post at WASA

Former Trinidad and Tobago government minister Ganga Singh is the new acting Chief Executive Officer of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA).

He succeeds Andrew Smith, who was appointed to the post three months ago by the former Manning PNM administration.

Public Utilities Minister Emmanuel George said Wednesday Smith wrote in his resignation letter that he wanted to clear the way for the new administration to appoint a new person to head the water authority.

Singh was Public Utilities Minister in the Panday UNC government and George served as his Permanent Secretary.

George said Wednesday WASA is well behind in its obligation to provide water to most parts of the country.

The minister said only 18 per cent of the population gets a daily supply of water. He hopes to correct that problem within 12 months to ensure that most people have a regular and reliable water supply. He is also hoping that with a year the thousands who depend on getting their water from Stand Pipes will be connected to the main system.

Singh would also have to deal with a critical issue about the award of a million-dollar contract just days before the May 24 general election.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who was opposition leader at the time, gave details of the contract at a news conference in May.

She said in February the Manning Cabinet agreed to approve WASA's Management Action Plan and authorized WASA to seek TT$ 2 billion financing in order to meet the obligations under the short term 18 months of the plan.

She added that at the last cabinet meeting on May 13th 2010, the Manning Cabinet agreed to give Citicorp Merchant Bank the mandate "to arrange and fully underwrite a TT dollar fixed rate 20 year bullet bond in the sum of TT$1.35 billion to be issued by WASA."

She added that the Manning government also gave a mandate to Citicorp Merchant Bank to arrange an interim six month Bridge Facility in the sum of $1 billion.

Read the story: Kamla reveals $M sweetheart WASA deal

Imbert blames Rowley for PNM defeat, says party out of touch with reality

Colm Imbert has dismissed suggestions that his absence during the campaign for the Local Government Election (LGE) caused the party to lose the election.

Speaking with reporters Wednesday, the former Works Minister and MP for Diego Martin North East said the People's National Movement (PNM) must acknowledge that something is "very, very wrong" in the party.

He blamed the PNM's new leader Keith Rowley, saying Rowley was unable to make people want to vote PNM.

Some PNM officials have suggested that Imbert's absence for the election was partly responsible for the defeat. Both Imbert and the other Diego Martin MP, did not take part in the PNM campaign.

However Garvin Nicholas of the People's Partnership, who nearly beat Imbert in the May 24 general election, doesn't buy into that explanation. He has said it was the extensive work he did in the area for that election.

Imbert said PNM officials who blame him and Browne are in denial and "are just seeking scapegoats." He noted that the PNM "got more seats in the 1987 local government poll—46 seats—after crushing defeat by the NAR’s 33 to three general election win."

In Monday's election the PNM won only 35 of the 134 seats. "PNM’s defeat has nothing to do with MPs. People vote for local candidates and corporations, not MPs," Imbert explained.

“What appears to have happened is the residual anti-PNM sentiment and momentum from the May 24 general poll made it tough for the PNM and obviously that’s why the PP called the local election so close after the general.

“But obviously we have to examine our end and ascertain why people removed the PNM leadership in corporations like Arima and San Fernando—not Diego Martin alone.

“So PNM has to face deep introspection to figure out what’s going on because obviously we’re not clear on this...the truth is we have not done well and it is not serving PNM well to say everything is hunky-dory. Because it is not," Imbert said.

“Clearly, it has to do with Rowley’s leadership and the fact that ascension to this has not sunk in to the extent to make enough people want to vote PNM. Maybe he hasn’t been there long enough. A month or so may not be enough time for people to properly assess.

“But this is not the time to fool ourselves—that attitude will get PNM nowhere,” he added.

Imbert said the PNM has to "understand the society better" noting that "We’re out of touch." He said "everybody’s to blame" and said the PNM can move forward with Rowley only if the new leader faces the reality.

"At this time I think he needs to receive a fair amount of time for people to see he will accept we have deep fundamental problems and that the PNM’s leadership style has to become more open, embracing, less aggressive, more democratic and more willing to listen to citizens," Imbert said

Sparrow OK after surgery in the U.S.

The Mighty Sparrow is resting comfortably at a private hospital in Maryland, United States, after undergoing emergency surgery over the weekend.

A media release said the Calypso King of the world is expected to make a full recovery.

Sparrow suffered a veritgo attack while performing at a venue in Maryland on Saturday and collapsed. He was stabilised at the site and then transported by ambulance to hospital.

The release stated: “Francisco (Sparrow) was diagnosed with an incarcerated right inguinal hernia, which was reduced within six to eight hours.

"He subsequently had emergency surgery performed by Dr George Conrad on Sunday at the same hospital. He tolerated the procedure well and was in stable condition immediately after surgery. He was discharged on Monday."

Sparrow was ill when he appeared at a concert at The National Academy of Performaing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain earlier this month and was forced to perform from a chair.

Media reports of that event stated that the audience was in shock - some in tears - as they watched Sparrow who has to sit throughout his performance. sit throughout his entire performance during NAPA Fest.

"The sight of the once-powerful performer, now just a shadow of himself, brought tears to the eyes of many. The effect was so disturbing that some patrons left the building," The Trinidad Express reported on July 19.

Read the story: Tears flow at NAPA

Photo story: Former PM Robinson remembers

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Monday praised former president Arthur NR Robinson for praise for his role during the July 27, 1990 attempted coup.

Robinson, who was Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago at the time, who held hostage at the Parliament while armed insurrectionists seized both the Red House and the state-owned television station. Robinson was shot in the leg.

PM Kamla says violence is no way to air discontent

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said Monday Trinidad and Tobago must never again let a small group of dissidents believe the only way to air their discontent is through violence and terror.

She was speaking at the wreath laying ceremony at the cenotaph of the Red House, Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain to mark the 20th anniversary of the failed coup led by Muslimeen leader yasin Abu Bakr.

“The democratic process allows for freedom of expression and not freedom to terrorise, it is our constitutional right to have our say,” she said. Persad-Bissessar said that today then nation still wonders why the coup happened.

“That is why the government took the decision that we should have an inquiry into the event of July 27, 1990. Not just to bring closure, not just to bring feeling but to find out why so we could take a new step that is necessary so it would never happen again,” she said.

Speaking with reporters later, Persad-Bissessar said there would be three members of the commission of inquiry. She noted that the members would have a military background, a social and psychological background and a legal background. She promised that she would give additional details later in the week.

At the sermon at an interfaith service at the Trinity Cathedral Revered Knolly Clarke said the coup was a negative event that must never happen again.

“We all have to be alert and vigilant, this is not the business of the protective services, it is our business, it is our responsibility of all people in this nation,” he said.

Related stories: 1990 failed coup remembered at Red House memorial

No room for corruption, Sharma tells new councillors

Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma warned newly-elected councillors to resist any temptation to become corrupt.

He met with 131 of the 134 elected members at the San Fernando City Corporation for a briefing on their responsibilities and obligations.In an address to the people who will guide local government, Sharma implored them to make sure that their activities are above board at all times.

“Make sure the money that comes in your pocket and stays in your pocket is money that you have earned...Don’t let it come from anywhere else,” Sharma said.

“People voted for you because they want a new way of doing things...They want a right way. Whenever we waste money though corruption, you deny somebody. You deny a spray for dengue fever, you deny a bed at the hospital, you deny additional play parks for our kids to go,” he said.

He reminded the new councillors that they are the representatives of the people and that means that they must now cast aside party symbols and serve everyone, not just their friends and relatives and those who supported them in the election campaign.

The new local government representatives got advice from other cabinet ministers as well.

Minister of Legal Affairs Prakash Ramadhar told them their is a sacred duty and they would find joy from helping people. Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan, a former mayor of Chaguanas, advised them to read the Municipal Corporations Act and use it "like your Bible".

Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism Winston "Gypsy" Peters noted that there is nothing glamorous about the business of serving the people and urged each one to serve selflessly.

And Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal said people are depending on councillors to meet their needs. He reminded them that "it is a noble endeavour which you have embarked upon".

Minister tells councillors to protect citizens from Dengue

The Minister of health told newly-elected local government representatives Monday that they must take some of the responsibility for protecting the nation from Dengue Fever.

Therese Baptiste-Cornelis was addressing new councillors at a briefing session in San Fernando Monday. She told them there is no excuse for the corporation not to take part in the fight against dengue.

"Now there is no excuse for any corporation not to do their part. You have to go out there and identify the areas that need to be cleaned, organise for them to be cleaned, organise for the spraying.

"You have to go out there and do the work and ensure dengue doesn't take over this country."

Baptiste-Cornelis said her ministry is not the only authority with responsibility for protecting citizens from disease, noting that " it is every single one of you and if anybody dies in any single district it is also your fault."

She added, "You get the equipment, you recruit your staff. I hired 60 new staff today. No longer you will be calling me or the ministry to go and spray a different place. You will be organising your corporation to go spray".

There are three confirmed Dengue deaths so far and 600 suspected cases. the minister noted that there is no epidemic at this time but at the same time she urged councillors to be vigilant.

PNM must go back to the drawing board: Penny

The results of Monday's Local Government Elections (LGE) show that the People's Partnership won 99 of the 134 seats in the 14 local corporations, taking control of 11 of them and ensuring that it has representatives in all.

The PNM won only 35 seats and will be in control of Port of Spain, San Juan Laventille and Point Fortin.

It was a disappointing showing for the PNM under its new leader, Keith Rowley, who told reporters Monday night that he expected that the PNM would lose the election.

And Leader of Opposition business in the Senate Pennelope Beckles says the People’s National Movement will have to “return to the drawing board.”

Beckles, who is a former MP for Arima, told local media, “We have to go back to the drawing board and do our homework. We acknowledge the victory of the People’s Partnership. We accept our defeat. We have to do our work and take it from there.”

Beckles added, “I was always conscious, it would have not been an easy win for us. When you do it separately, you get different results. But when you have the combined votes of the UNC/COP, it’s different.

“I was conscious if they were going under one banner it would not have been easy for us...It was a much bigger challenge,” she said.

SAUTT future in hands of PM

National Security Minister, Brigadier John Sandy, has praised the work of the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago.

However he told local media the future of the controversial security agency is in the hands of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Sandy's comments come a day after his ministry released a report on SAUTT which showed that the government spent more than $1.6 billion on the agency since it was established by the former manning administration in 2003.

Read the story: $1.6B for SAUTT in seven years

“Well the decision is with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. I don’t think its going to be disbanded; they are doing good work. There are some well-organised units. I cannot see it being disbanded,” Sandy told reporters who asked about the future of SAUTT.

In opposition the UNC heavily criticised SAUTT, which it said was being used by the State to conduct surveillance on Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Diego Martin West MP Dr Keith Rowley, who was at the time a pariah in the PNM.

SAUTT is yet to be made into a legal body and sandy is not certain about whether the prime minister would table legislation legislation to officially establish the SAUTT.

“Even that is the Prime Minister’s prerogative. People are saying it is not a legal entity, so once the decision is taken to retain it in any form some form of legislation must be brought to the Parliament to ensure that this is a legal entity," he said.

$1.6B for SAUTT in seven years

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has published a detailed report of the operations of the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT) of the Ministry of National Security.

It shows that SAUTT received close to $1.6 billion over the seven-year period 2003 to 2010.
Former Prime Minister Patrick Manning established SAUTT in November 2003 and created various agencies for SAUTT.

The unit spent millions of dollars to buy three sophisticated helicopters and the controversial blimp to form its air operations.

SAUTT's largest expenditure was for infrastructure, followed by air operations and salaries and allowances.

The report also provides details of the work SAUTT has done in its various activities, which include training and assisting in the fight against crime.

Read the full report

Gary Griffith, National Security Adviser to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, said recently some foreigners at SAUTT are being paid more than $100,000 a month, which pushed the cost over $100 million annually.

Salary for Manning's private security cost taxpayers millions

(Former PM Patrick Manning cuddles a baby with his private security on guard)

Keith Rowley accused the government of Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday of a scheme to pay top party officials millions of dollars to use the country's 20,000 security guards in fighting crime.

The PNM political leader said at least three people with close government connections are associated with security companies that stand to gain from the plan.

However, National Security Minister Brig. John Sandy, quickly set the records straight, noting that the plan is a voluntary one that will not cost the State any money.

He said private security personnel would act as "eyes and ears" to help police when a crime is being committed.

Read the story: T&T gov't not paying any money for private security as part of crime plan

Rowley must have been confused about the matter because his former leader, ex-Prime Minister Patrick Manning, spent millions of taxpayers dollars for a private security force and probably thought the Kamla government planned to do the same.

According to a report in the NEWSDAY newspaper in January 2008, the Manning security force comprised 75 specially trained, armed guards who provided security for Manning at the Prime Minister’s official residence, Diplomatic Centre and Whitehall.

Executive Security Services Limited provided the services, which were paid for by the Office of the Prime Minister.

These guards were trained in policing, anti-terrorist activities and VIP security, Newsday stated.

According to the report, the lowest ranking officer in the security company earned between $10,000 and $12,000 a month, while the highest rank received a salary of $25,000 monthly.

Based on the figures and taking an average of $15,000 a month for each guard the office of the PM was paying about $13.5 million a year on salaries alone. And that doesn't take into account any additional overheads.

The report said the private security "virtually replaced Police Special Branch" which previously carried out security duties for the PM and worked under the direct control of former Special Branch Head, retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Mervyn Guiseppi.

1990 failed coup remembered at Red House memorial

Trinidad and Tobago held a ceremony at the Red House on Tuesday morning to mark the 20th anniversary of the attempted coup on July 27, 1990 led by Muslimeen leader, Yasin abu Bakr.

Among guests were A.N.R. Robinson, who was Prime Minister at the time. Robinson and other legislators were taken hostage in the Parliament by armed insurrectionists while another group took control the state-owned television station and the neighbouring Radio Trinidad.

In the days of terror that followed, properties in Port of Spain were destroyed and more than two dozen people lost their lives, including MP Leo Des Vignes.

Read more: From the archives: The 1990 Muslimeen coup

Last week Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that an inquiry would be launched into the events of that fateful day.

On Tuesday morning, Speaker of the House of Representatives Wade Mark remembered what he called "a heinous assault on our Parliament perpetrated by a band of insurrectionists".

In a speech to dignitaries gathered for the memorial, Mark said, "This was the day when our fledgling Republic lost its innocence. Since then our beloved country has never been the same."

He added, "The events of those five days in 1990, left an indelible mark on the psyche of our nation. Our city and our business community was devastated, looted and almost burnt to the ground leaving a scene more akin to war-torn Beirut.

"Today our city has risen from the ashes of 1990 and many are still struggling to recover from losses inflicted on them by those who sought to overthrow our democratic way of life.

He said the planned inquiry will bring closure "to this unsavory and dark chapter in the history of our young democracy".

He added, "This Cenotaph and this Eternal Flame must ALWAYS serve as a reminder that “the PRICE OF FREEDOM IS ETERNAL VIGILANCE”, he said. "Never again must we allow our country to fall prey to such violent and unprovoked attacks...I invite you all to pay tribute to all the heroes of 1990:

• To those who lost their lives
• To those members of the armed forces who put down the insurrection
• To former Prime Minister A.N.R. Robinson who valiantly stood his ground and demonstrated the courage of his conviction by uttering the now famous call to arms “ATTACK WITH FULL FORCE”,
• and last but not least to all those who, under the most adverse of conditions worked assiduously to restore our Parliament and to begin to re-build our country.

"Let us never forget and let us forever be vigilant in defence of our democratic way of life," Mark said. (Read Mark's full speech)

Related:
Reflections on the 1990 uprising - the Peter O'Connor column
Commentary: Is it useful to probe the failed T&T coup after 20 years?

Guest commentary: The challenge ahead for PM Kamla

On May 24, election day in Trinidad and Tobago, Patrick Manning, who had ruled the republic as prime minister for 12 of the past 18 years, appeared on television.

He looked stunned, and his speech was halting as he admitted that the coalition led by Kamla Persad Bissessar, a 58-year-old lawyer and career politician, had won a landslide victory, gaining 29 of the 41 seats in parliament.

The abrupt change in the country’s political power filled the streets with a sense of joyous relief. Pickup trucks loaded with tall speakers cruised through many neighborhoods, playing soca music and broadcasting slogans from Persad Bissessar’s campaign.

The night was humid and soggy, but people lingered on the streets to shake their neighbors’ hands, honk car horns, dance behind d.j. trucks, and drink beer and rum.

Policymakers in the United States and Europe are also paying attention. Trinidad and Tobago is a significant exporter of natural gas, which makes it something of a regional power in the West Indies.

It has the largest economy in the English-speaking Caribbean; although its population is only half the size of Jamaica’s, its GDP is nearly twice as large. The country’s capital, Port of Spain, is the principal banking hub for investing in the Caribbean, and the city has also become a magnet for a young, professional class of immigrant workers from nearby “small island” countries.

Trinidad is a regional military power, too: it has the largest navy in the West Indies, and its military often assists in regional disaster relief. Its strategic location - just seven miles off the coast of Venezuela - also means that Trinidad is a key shipment hub for the cocaine trade.

As elsewhere in the Caribbean, the illegal drug trade has corrupted much of the police force and undermined political institutions and the rule of law.

Over the past decade, gang violence and government corruption have caused civil society to nearly unravel. Successive governments in Port of Spain have bought the support of urban criminal groups through generous - but only marginally effective - make-work schemes, which allow gang members to charge inflated rates for small-scale infrastructure projects.

In attempts to control more territory, and thus gain more access to government largesse, these gangs have turned parts of the capital into virtual war zones.

More than 500 people are murdered in Trinidad and Tobago each year, representing one of the highest per-capita ratios in the world. The effect has been chilling: these days, parties and events are scheduled for afternoons, so participants can safely return home before dark.

In 2002, Manning, then prime minister, convened a meeting of gang leaders in a bid to halt violence. He offered them increased payouts in the form of development grants for landscaping and construction projects.

Manning began referring to some of these kingpins as ”community leaders,” and they, in turn, began acting as a force of political mobilization. During the May election, police say, candidates from Manning’s party were handing out checks worth thousands of dollars to gang members and promising them more fat contracts.

So far, the new government is confronting these gangs head-on.

In mid-July, it put forward legislation that makes gang membership a crime punishable by 20 years in prison. The government has also proposed changes to laws on bail and illegal firearm possession, which would allow police to deny bail to suspected gang members for up to five days.

The ascendancy of Persad Bissessar has raised hopes among foreign investors, diplomats, and Trinidadians themselves that the new government can reverse some of the mistakes of the past. But the West would be wise to temper its early enthusiasm.

Manning’s administration was extremely corrupt and inefficient, and Persad Bissessar faces a tall order in reshaping the political culture in Port of Spain.

Beyond the recent anti-gang policies, Persad Bissessar needs competent help in instituting bureaucratic procedures that bolster economic development, the rule of law, and citizen trust in government.

Yet, instead of articulating a new strategy for reinvigorating the economy, breaking the power of gangs, or pursuing drug smugglers, Persad Bissessar has spent much of her energy since the election publicly humiliating Manning and calling for inquiries against him and his associates.

Such investigations seem wise given the likely scale of the looting of the treasury by Manning and his cronies. But this kind of tit-for-tat vindictiveness can be particularly destabilizing for a small democracy.

In one of its first moves, the new government installed John Sandy, a retired military officer, as national security minister. Appointing a military official to the post revealed a sinking confidence in the police, which was further emphasized by Persad Bissessar’s suggestion to temporarily deploy the nation's soldiers, and even low-wage private security guards, to do police work.

This reform of supplementary manpower makes sense, but only in the short run: sooner or later, the bad apples within the police will need to be fired and tried for their crimes.

In addition, the idea raises some constitutional questions, since the country’s judges do not allow evidence on gang activity that was obtained by the military.

Lately, the reputations of several officers from a high-profile anti-gang unit were tarnished after images posted on Facebook showed them relaxing on a yacht with prominent underworld figures. Instead of being fired or suspended, those officers were transferred to a different department.

Such a laissez-faire attitude toward corruption within the police is deeply troubling for U.S. officials who oversee regional security operations, including cooperation against drug smuggling.

Most important, the government has yet to signal whether it will continue programs that allocate money to gangs. Of course, terminating the grants would rob gangs of a large source of their funds. But in the short term, such a move could also worsen the situation, as gangs would likely react to the diminished revenue stream by fighting over the drug trade, their other main source of income.

For years, officers from the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration have collaborated closely with their counterparts in Port of Spain. In June, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton outlined a $79 million aid package for Caribbean nations, much of which will go toward improving maritime interdiction capacities.

But the United States should also emphasize civil-society projects, such as support for NGOs working in the most violence-afflicted neighborhoods, as well as for independent media.

Trinidad and Tobago also suffers from poor municipal infrastructure: although an average per-person income of around $17,000 means that Trinidad and Tobago is considered a high-income country, in the densely populated neighborhoods where gangs operate, access to such basic needs as clean water is often lacking.

Earlier this year, there were months-long demonstrations over water shortages in some rural communities.

By all accounts, Persad Bissessar is full of integrity and energy. With her strong electoral mandate, Persad Bissessar has an opportunity to reduce domestic support for gangs and to pursue a more vigorous campaign against drug smugglers.

The stakes for Washington are large, too.

It is not in the U.S. interest to watch as Trinidad morphs into a Jamaica-style nation where gangs are hugely powerful. Up until now, its leaders have turned a lazy eye to corruption and violence.

Trinidad is not in danger of becoming a failed state, but it is a floundering one.

Edited commentary by Dorn Townsend - reproduced from Foreign Affairs, July 22, 2010.