Jyoti Communication

St. Kitts Opposition wins final case against Government

2009-11-08T18:38:00.006-05:00

The Opposition People’s Action Movement (PAM) has won its case against the Government of St. Kitts & Nevis in a series of legal actions dating back to July of this year, with the award of costs to the claimants by the High Court in Basseterre, on Friday Nov. 6.

PAM Political Leader Lindsay Grant and PM Hon Shawn Richards first challenged the constitutionality of boundary changes in July in what is now a landmark case in Caribbean jurisprudence. They had also challenged a constitutional amendment on dual citizenship.

The PAM legal team was led by Barbados Opposition Leader, Mia Mottley and included Siparia MP and former Trinidad and Tobago Attorney General Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

The team successfully argued that the boundary changes were unconstitutional and the process of producing a report on the proposed changes did not follow the legal requirements of the country's Boundaries Commission.

On October 19 Justice Errol Thomas ruled that the report was null and void and of no effect.

The opposition claim had effectively halted parliamentary elections which are constitutionally due by March 2010. The court ruling means that the government of Prime Minister Denzil Douglas can now call the election.

However the Boundaries Commission must now submit a new Report to the Parliament or the government will be forced to use the existing boundaries.

Another case brought by the claimants related to a July Amendment to the National Assembly Elections Act which PAM claimed to be unconstitutional and for which they were seeking a judgment in proceedings that started last Monday.

On Thursday Nov. 5. the government of St. Kitts & Nevis agreed with the Opposition that the National Assembly Elections (Amendment) Act was unconstitutional and passed a new amenment to the act it had passed in July.

The July Amendment to the Act, among other things, purported to require a prospective candidate for election to the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly, to provide proof of renunciation of dual citizenship on Nomination Day to be approved by a Returning Officer.

The PAM objected on the grounds that the amendment gave to a Returning Officer appointed by the Executive, a power which the Constitution reserved for the High Court.

The opposition argued that statements by the Prime Minister in Parliament and at media conferences had made it clear that the amendment was introduced to thwart the nomination at the next General Elections of the Grant and Richards who renounced their U.S. citizenship earlier in the year.

Thursday’s amendment has removed all but one minor section of the Act to which PAM objected.

Commenting on the court matter Persad-Bissessar said, "The passing of the Amendment by the Parliament...makes the matter before the Court superfluous."

She added, "They removed four and a half of the offending Sections of the Act, which we were concerned about...so to all intents and purposes we have won our case, without having to bother the Court."

Constance Mitcham, another member of the legal team, explained that the one minor part of the Act that remains now bears no relation to the parent Law or to Bill passed in the National Assembly.

"It has been left hanging in purgatory,” she quipped.

On Friday the St. Kitts Nevis High Court awarded the claimants costs against the government.

The decision is seen as a moral victory not only for the claimants and their legal team but also by politicians across the region.

Warner slams costly "visionless" crime plan

2009-11-08T12:08:00.004-05:00

Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner has scoffed at a new crime fighting initiative announced last week by Minister of National Security Martin Joseph.

In a media release Sunday Warner said the newest proposal, "is visionless, repetitious and uninspiring."

He said it's short on new ideas, "fumbles with logic and stumbles on innovation" since it does not "encapsulate the root problems of crime, nor does it portray any methodological or practical approach to combating this social evil."

The minister's crime initiative is based on a report prepared by retired Canadian Army General Cameron Ross.

Warner questioned whether Ross or any foreign consultant is suited to advise on crime and whether the Ross report took into consideration the most relevant data regarding demographics and the record breaking statistics.

"Between 2001 and 2008, there have been 2510 murders in Trinidad and Tobago. The 600 mark for 2009 is close to reality. In 2008 we were listed as having a homicidal rate of 42.3 per one hundred thousand a monumental increase from the rate of 10 per one hundred thousand as it stood in 2000," Warner noted.

He pointed out that of the 1300 murders committed between 2005 and 2008, only 279 were detected and of this 279 some 20 per cent collapsed in courts.

"Today we read of witnesses and even accused being gunned down in the full view of the police. Such a frightening picture seems to have escaped the scrutiny of the Government’s foreign advisor.

"Minister Joseph has also left several questions suspended in political mid air. He failed to define the new role for the Defence Force under the ‘Ross Proposal’," the MP noted.

Warner noted that the country didn't need a foreign consultant to recommend a closer working relationship between the police and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) because since it was established in 1962 the defence force was always charged with the responsibility of promoting the rule of law.

He said the TTDF has always been under a mandate to work jointly with the Police Service in securing the nation.

"We didn’t need a Canadian national to advise us on that. The Minister must therefore specify his new role of the TTDF. Does he plan to have army officers patrolling the streets with arms and ammunition? Is the Minister advocating an army State?" he asked.

Warner noted the minister's statement that the new crime initiative would also include incorporating the Special Anti-Crime Unit (SAUTT) by an Act of Parliament and promoting the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) to spearhead all natural disaster operations in the country and wondered what is new about all this.

"These are the very same issues which have been debated for years," he said noting that the opposition is on record for its vociferous call to give legitimacy to SAUTT by an Act of Parliament.

"Clearly there is nothing new...It is a rehash of old ideas, political regurgitation at its best," he said. "Nothing has been said about treating violence in our schools, the fight against gangsters or the developing phenomenon of violence against tourists, particularly in Tobago," he added.

Warner said Joseph needs to explain to the nation how much it cost to retain Ross and his team to produce what he called a "pathetic" document.

He outlined other costly failed crime plans in which foreign consultants were involved:

In 2002 the PNM contracted with Thomas Clayton to report on crime. He cost the State millions but his plan failed
In 2005 the PNM invited Professor Stephen Mastrofski. His failed plan cost the State $55 million

"The Government seems to have a penchant, proclivity and political appetite for foreign advisers, all of whom have succeeded only in draining the treasury, straining the taxpayers and failing in crime," Warner said.

T&T government offers apology to Saudi Arabia

2009-11-08T10:45:00.001-05:00

The government of Trinidad and Tobago has offered its "profound apology" to the people and government of Saudi Arabia for the search and questioning of one of their diplomats by local law enforcement on Monday.

Last Monday police interrogated visiting Saudi diplomat Dr Fawaz Abdul Rahaman Al Shabili and searched his hotel room at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain. The next day Deputy Police Commissioner Raymond Craig, head of the Special Branch and Crime Intelligence, offered a public apology.

Craig said police were acting on information that raised concerns about a security risk that turned out to be unfounded.

Foreign Minister Paul Gopee-Scoon subsequently rejected claims that Al Shabili's diplomatic immunity was violated, saying he was not a diplomat "who is afforded special rights or privileges under the Vienna Convention, which gives him immunity from search."

The foreign ministry confirmed that "Al Shabili was deployed by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to travel to Trinidad and Tobago for the express purpose of issuing Hajj visas for the 2009 season."

The issue raised national condemnation, especially from the Muslim community and opposition politicians who demanded that the government offer an apology for the international faux pas.

Read the story: Moonilal on the warpath; opposition wants apology for search of Saudi diplomat

Now, the government has sent a formal apology to the Saudi Arabian Government.

In a media release Saturday, the ministry said it "has conveyed an expression of profound apology in respect of the incident to the Government and the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

The Muslim community in Trinidad and Tobago responded by saying it is pleased with the apology, saying it would help maintain good relations with the Kingdom and prevent any further damage to relations between the two countries.

Manning and Hitler share common belief of leadership inspired by God

2009-11-08T09:35:00.008-05:00

"We need to know what the Prime minister meant when he said that 'he and Mr Panday agreed to work towards the achievement of a new constitution in this term'."

That's the question posed by respected political scientist as he concluded his regular column in the the Sunday Express. "Is Mr Panday the providential ’deus ex machina?'", Ryan asked.

(The term literally means "god from the machine" and is used in drama when a person or thing appears "out of the blue" to help a character to overcome a seemingly insolvable difficulty.)

His column, which deals with Prime Minister Patrick Manning's religious zeal and his apparent lust for power, raises several issues, including Manning's own admission of being intoxicated with God.

Manning made the statement in Parliament while chastising his former cabinet colleague Dr Keith Rowley, saying that while Rowley was consumed by acrimony, hate, and animosity, he believed in the power of love. He told Rowley that if he appeared to be drunk, he was "drunk on God".
Ryan raises that issue in his column pointing out, "Whether one is drunk on God, political power, paisa, or some other in toxicant, however, one is still drunk, and those who are drunk should not drive, since they are likely to make a mess of things politically, as Chalkdust reminded ANR Robinson in 1987."

Ryan also noted that Adolf Hitler professed to be a man of God.

"One recalls Adolph Hitler telling an assembled German crowd at a Nuremberg rally, in rhetoric borrowed from the New Testament, ’that you have found me... among so many millions is the miracle of our time! And that I have found you: that is Germany’s fortune...Now that we are together, we are with him and he is with us, and now we are Germany...'. How messianic and delusional can one get!" Ryan writes.

"Why do politicians feel it necessary to conceal their lust for power and pretend that their purpose is ’service to the people?’ Why do some feel the need to wave Bible...and declare with mock seriousness that they were the chosen of God or the people when in fact it is they who manipulate symbolic language to seduce the people into choosing them?" He says.

"While some do it cynically to achieve a desired objective, others seem to genuinely believe that God miraculously found them out of the millions through whom he could have chosen to channel his blessings," Ryan says.

Ryan takes his cue from Manning's pronouncements in Tobago recentl that his aim in making proposals relating to an executive presidency was "to find the best governance structure for the glory of Almighty God and for the people of Trinidad and Tobago."

Ryan stops short of calling Manning a liar, but observes that in Tobago he was adamant that he had no interest in becoming president, saying the office "hold no attraction for me" only to renege on it later in San Fernando and admit that he would run if the people asked him.

Ryan says, "One however wondered how many people took Mr Manning’s representations seriously and how many felt that he should perhaps sign up for the next round of Lord Nelson’s mythical and hilarious ’King Liar’ calypso competition?

"Why was such a statement ever made when every body in Trinidad and Tobago knew it was not true? Who was he trying to disarm?

"Was it one of those mindless and meaningless things that Trinis say from time to time?

"What about the double speak that we witnessed in respect of the invitation to Mr Panday. Were they of the same order?"

Ryan is not too sure about how to take Manning's pronouncements. "One does not quite know how seriously to take Mr Manning’s expressed belief that he has been called by providence. How much is hypocrisy, how much is conviction and how much is delusion?" he writes.

Read Ryan's column in the SUNDAY EXPRESS

"Panday cannot be trusted by anyone": Warner

2009-11-08T07:48:00.006-05:00

Last week JYOTI published a letter by Richard Williams Thomas that the writer directed to four political leaders: Basdeo Panday, Austin Jack Warner, Kamla Bissessar and Winston Dookeran. Thomas asked each of the four why they cannot unite for the benefit of the majority in Trinidad and Tobago.

Warner has replied, stating that the reason is simply that "Basdeo Panday just cannot be trusted - not by me, not by anyone."

This is what Thomas asked in the open letter to the four:

"If President Barack Obama and Hilary Rodham Clinton...could embrace...why does anyone feel the same cannot happen were Basdeo Panday, Austin Jack Warner, Kamla Bissessar and Winston Dookeran all agree to an open, straightforward contest to decide which of them will win the minds and hearts of all who yearn for one, united, alternative political force to the PNM and who, by the way, comprise the overwhelming majority of the population of Trinidad and Tobago? Eh? Why not?"

In his reply Warner stated that "Panday’s history has demonstrated that he lacks loyalty, his words lack credibility and his politics has a morality of its own."

Here's the rest of what Warner said:

"A panoramic glimpse of his politics reveals fractured and broken relationships with those who dare challenge him for the position of leadership or even dare to disagree with him.

"Yet, based on such a record, you dare call on us who have been betrayed before to submit ourselves to further abuse and other acts of betrayal?

"Isn’t it passing strange that of the ten MPs and the six senators who were part of the original ULF only two, Nizam Mohammed and Kelvin Ramnath, remained with Mr. Panday after it was broken up?

"Have you ever asked yourself the question why or sought an answer from the other fourteen who parted ways with Bas with a view to determine the reason?

"Did it ever occur to you to parlay with former President Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson to discuss the basis upon which he and the ole Bas parted ways and how Mr. Panday’s betrayal when he could not exercise the dominance in the NAR government that he had anticipated, he pulled out his then ULF faction and robbed Trinidad and Tobago of a really great opportunity to unite on the basis of philosophy rather than on the basis of race?

"Was this ever considered an option by you? How can you trust Mr. Panday who after Mr. Robinson gave to him the Government of the day in 1995 he removed Pamela Nicholson, one of the two NAR Parliamentary Representatives from his Cabinet and Nathaniel Moore and Agnes Williams all aligned to the NAR from the Senate?

"What sort of gratitude was that to a man who could have offered the seats to the PNM instead?

"How come in the presence of so much available voluminous evidence of betrayal you dare call upon us to give Mr. Panday a chance?

"Have you considered the implications of what you are asking?

"This is the same man who ignored the presence of senior members of Cabinet and appointed Daphne Phillips and Lindsay Gillette to act as Prime Minister in his absence.

"Wasn’t this act a lack of trust in his friends who toiled with him as he climbed the rough side up the mountain?

"When the former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj raised questions of wrong doing in his government with him, did he not ignore the warning and accused him of colluding with the PNM to bring his government down?

"When his Government did fall under the banner of corruption wasn’t it the same Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, Jack Warner, Anand Ramlogan and a host of others that he now derides who rallied to his side to save him from sure jail yet he ignores the goodwill that was offered him branding us neemarkharams and in spite of that you are calling on us to trust him?

"The list of ingratitude and mistrust is not exhaustive. Before you decided to ask open questions of that nature you should have spoken to Dr Fuad Khan and Gillian Lucky and ask them for their opinion and this question would have never been asked.

"Before you raise questions of trust you should have dialogued with Hulsie Bhaggan, Gerard Yetming, John Humphrey, Trevor Sudama, Manohar Ramsaran, Ganga Singh and the list goes on.

"The stories, my brother, would have revealed a total and complete lack of trust in Mr. Panday who is not only a stranger to the truth but one who will never honour his word.

"You want to know about why he cannot be trusted just talk to the friends and families of the little African boy he adopted who died homeless on the streets in Port of Spain.

"You want to know why he cannot be trusted, my brother, then talk to his chauffeur whom he abandoned in times of need who is in grief still on his dying bed.

"You want to know why he cannot be trusted, my brother, just try to relive my experiences with him.

"His betrayal of Winston Dookeran who was forced out of the party is the most significant of all why he cannot be trusted.

"He promised to hand over the leadership, publicly stated that he did so, then did everything to undermine Winston while he still held on to the reins of power.

"Is this the man that I must trust? Is this the man you ask us all to trust?

"If I agree to your request then I have to admit that politics has a morality of its own; one that is immoral.

"Sorry, my brother, but the Honourable Basdeo Panday cannot be trusted. And consequently I have to reject your proposal.

"Regards, Jack Warner"

In response to Warner's reply, UNC Senator M.F. Rahman wrote:

"It is as if Judas tries to discredit Jesus with charges of treachery. ‘Jack’ begins with a ‘J’ and he is no Jesus.

"Hundreds of thousands accept Panday and continue to trust him. They have no desire for his position. Those who covet his position and failed to dislodge him remain embittered."

Read related story: "I don't trust Mr Panday": Dookeran

Letter: manning outfoxing Bas?

2009-11-08T07:27:00.001-05:00

There are many discussions on the streets, on radio and television discussing the Executive Presidency for TT and some have been asking for expert advice on the topic.

The Chief Justice Ivor Archie in his speech at the opening of the new term went to great length to explain to us the people of this nation that an Executive President in our country would not be in our best interest.

This is from a learned mind who has read and interpreted the draft constitution that we are now hearing that both Mr Panday and Mr Manning are agreeing to.

Something is strange and inconsistent here.

Is the “Silver Fox” being outfoxed once again by Mr Manning?

T CHIN | Port-of-Spain

Performing Arts building ready for CHOGM

2009-11-08T06:03:00.008-05:00

Trinidad and Tobago's new National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain opens Monday in time for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which takes place later this month.

Prime Minister Patrick manning is scheduled to formally open the facility Monday. However, the grand opening ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 27.

The imposing structure was built by the Shanghai Construction Group (SCG), which had to speed up the project to complete it time for CHOGM.

The government has not given a final cost. Two years ago former culture minister Joan Yuille-Williams gave the cost as $358 million.

The SCG has also built the Prime Minister’s residence and diplomatic centre, refurbished the old Piarco airport terminal for the Fifth Summit of the Americas last April, and is currently building the Ministry of Education Tower.

The structure covers hearly half a million square feet and includes a 1,500-seat performance hall, practice halls, teaching rooms, state-of-the-art lighting and sound and a lavishly landscaped surroundings.

Moonilal on the warpath; opposition wants apology for search of Saudi diplomat

2009-11-07T15:00:00.006-05:00

Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal told the House of Representatives Friday the Manning administration is putting citizens under too much stress and warned that the situation is reaching breaking point.

He cited several issues that he said are "straining this country" and the said the "elasticity and patience of this population could burst at any time".

Among the issues he raised were:

the police raid on a visiting Saudi Arabian diplomat at the Hyatt hotel
the death of three people on the Bailey Bridge on the Churchil Roosevelt highway
the new concert hall at the PM's residence
the $2M 'monster flag' in Port of Spain

He was particulary angry about the diplomatic incident involving the diplomat who had come to Trinidad for help nationals obtain visas and prepare for the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca.

He noted that the diplomat was allowed to enter the airport, was met by government officials but then later searched at the hotel. Police have apologized for the incident, saying they acted on "intelligence information".

But Moonilal isn't accepting that. He demnaded that the government apologize to the Muslim community for the incident. Opposition leader Basdeo Panday has also called on the government to apologize.

"I call on the Prime Minister to issue an apology to the Saudi Arabian government, Mr Rahaman Alshubaili and to the people of this country who have been hurt by the actions of top ranking persons of the National Security Ministry

"Clearly their intelligence should have indicated who the diplomat was,’ Panday stated in a news release.

In a media release Saturday, Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner also demanded an apology from the government and urged the state to ensure that there is better coordination between its various agencies responsible for immigration matters to prevent a similar incidence from happening again.

He said the incident "points to a miserable lack of protocol coordination between the Immigration Department and our local police," and asked, "How can the State offer protection to foreign emissaries if they are unaware of their very presence?"

Commenting on the tragic accident on the Bailey bridge, Moonilal noted that it happened because of the delay in building a proper bridge and slammed the works minister for what he called his "audacity and insensitivity" to be demanding compensation from the dead.

"For two years, you cannot put a proper bridge there, which would lead to the loss of life," he said and wanted to know how Works Minister Colm Imbert knew immediately that it would cost half a million to repair the bridge but "he was not sure how much the concert hall at the prime minister’s official residence would cost."

He also called on Government to investigate the $1 billion cost overrun for a development project at the state-owned Petrotrin energy company. And he wanted to know why that same company refused to pay the salary of Trinidad and Tobago cricket captain Darren Ganga for six weeks.

Moonilal accused Sports Minister Gary Hunt of hiding that fact. And he had more to say about Hunt and the $2M flag erected at the national stadium in Port of Spain as a "symbol of national pride".

Moonilal suggsted that the government should fly the flag at half mast "as a permanent symbol of the waste and corruption".

He called it "obscene" that government spent $2 million on a flag while complaining that it did not have money to provide basic services like water.

"You know of the straw that broke the camel’s back, well this is a flag pole that would break the camel’s back," he said.

COP SLAMS FLAG

Congress of the People deputy leader Prakash Ramadhar also offered his views of the flag, calling it a "national shame".

Speaking at a news conference in Port of Spain, Ramadhar said it is "sad and disgusting...to drape corruption in our flag and then call it national pride".

He said, "You can’t tell me about national pride when you allow children to die from lack of government support.’’

COP leader Winston Dookeran said Hunt's announcement that there will be at least two other 'monster flag' adds insult to the intelligence of the people of Trinidad and Tobago and demanded that people "put a stop to it."

National Pride beyond the $2M flag

2009-11-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

Trinidad & Tobago is a proud nation.

Not only are we the region’s leader in cricket, we are also the country with two Miss Universe winners, one Miss World winner, the world’s most popular batsman in Brian Lara and many, many more world class achievements that one is left confused when trying to understand the need for a two million dollar investment in a flag for national pride.

It is possible that the government is not sure about investment options with regards to national pride. Consequently, I offer the following suggestions:

In Moruga the village where it is alleged that Columbus landed, how about setting up a national park on the beach where he is alleged to have landed and in so doing fix the Moruga road especially in the village of Cachipe where the main road is akin to a dirt track?
How about investing in livestock to utilize the abandoned grasslands of Caroni and reduce our dependency on imported meat and meat products? This initiative will make us the pride of the Caribbean with self sufficiency in meat?
Set up a sector in our main library in memory of the late Eric Williams with displays like videos of his most popular speeches e.g. “the address to the school children at the Independence Day of 1962”, and display of his books like Inward Hunger, Capitalism and Slavery and Columbus to Castro?
Rescue the island of Chacachacare from a garbage heap used by campers and restore the island to an area where one can visit the historical buildings that were part of treatment centre for leprosy and develop the island into a premier tourist location
How about asking the Sports Minister to invest in restoring Walker Park in Caroni from a pasture for the neighbourhood animals to the cricket centre it once was?
We can certainly do with employing our youths in Community Policing with training specially geared to ensuring safe communities. The model of the United States local police departments can be used where each Township has its own Police Department. Curbing the escalation in crime can be a tremendous source of national pride
How about investing in providing basket ball courts, swimming pools, tennis courts, football and cricket facilities in areas where youths are engaged in gang violence so that their rivalry can be transformed from fighting for URP jobs and drug turf to a sporting rivalry?
Would it not be a source of national pride to see our policemen using modern methods of checking speeding cars instead of hiding behind a post and waving a piece of PVC pipe? How about investing in modern methods of policing?
How about modernizing our Public Service so that there are now electronic processing of driver’s license renewal and similar transactions in an attempt to minimize the red tape and loads of paperwork associated with governmental transactions?

There are so many things that can be done to engender national pride that one must wonder if a big flag is the best this government can think of.

Steve Alvarez | Political Leader of The Democratic Party of Trinidad & Tobago

UNC internal election Jan. 24, 2010: Panday

2009-11-07T08:05:00.003-05:00

United National Congress (UNC) political leader Basdeo Panday has said that the party's internal elections will be held on January 24, 2010 as planned.

There are rumours that the vote would be cancelled to facilitate discussions among UNC members on constitutional reform.

And UNC deputy leader Jack Warner has written to members of the national executive warning of legal action if they proceed to hold the elections without addressing several pressing concerns.

Among them is the legality of the the executive itself and the integrity of the party's list of financial members. He has also advised them that the congress held on Oct. 25 was not legal.

Read the story: Warner threatens legal action against UNC

The rumours suggest that the UNC might be considering the postponement of the internal vote to hold consultations with its constituencies to get the views of its members on constitutional reform.

In talks this week with Prime Minister Patrick Manning, Panday agreed to support constitutional reform and Manning asked for the UNC to submit proposals in writing.

Party sources have said the UNC position is that constitutional issue is too important to be put on the back burner so it was considering a recommendation to shelve plans for the vote for now and go ahead with its meetings to get ideas of constitutional reform.

The sources said it was Panday who made the proposal to postpone the election and the national executive had agreed with the political leader.

But Panday dismissed that. He said the election will go ahead as scheduled. And UNC deputy chairman Vasant Bharath also comfirmed that the election will be held on January 24, 2010.

Panday told reporters he has no deal with Manning as claimed by critics and Congress of the People (COP) leader Winston Dookeran, who is asking people to reject the "Manday Constitution".

The graphic below, which is circulating on the Internet, has been created by critics who have said there is a secret deal between Panday and Manning to seal a deal on the constitution.
The former prime minister said, "I do not know that there is any agreement between Mr Manning and I about any constitution. It’s sad. It was a very great opportunity for him to say what his position on constitutional reform and what their draft was."

Warner threatens legal action against UNC

2009-11-07T07:30:00.001-05:00

United National Congress (UNC) deputy leader Jack Warner has written to all members of the party's national executive (NATEX) expressing "deep concern" at recent events and warning of legal action if his concerns are ignored.

He told NATEX members rather than "wasting our collective energy on internal backbiting" the party should work as a united front to promote the cause of the UNC.

However he said if he does not get "speedy and satisfactory answers to this letter, I shall be forced, however reluctantly, to seek the assistance of the courts to compel you to act in accordance with the Party’s Constitution."

Warner's letter outlined some of his concerns, which include a "purported meeting" on Oct. 25 that approved a resolution for a Special National Assembly to be held on November 29th 2009.

The assembly is intended to review the UNC's previous decisions to postpone internal national elections until local elections had been held, and to set a date for January 24th 2010 for the holding the elections.

Warner said the October meeting was unlawful because according to the party's constitution the executive has no legitimate standing and therefore cannot legally summon a congress.

He explained that all officers, including the political leader, are supposed to hold office for a maximum of two years. In the case of the present executive they have been in office since November 2005, which is well over the constitutional limit.

He also said the list of financial members is not accurate, therfore delegates to any congress or assembly selected on the basis of the exisiting list would not be bona fide representatives.

"The present membership list woefully lacks the accuracy required to lend legitimacy to the hierarchy of the Constitutional organs within the party," he said.

He said none of the delegates to the October congress was in a position to consult with the 50 members they are supposed represent, nor were they able to seek a mandate from them "as to what position they should adopt with regard to any resolution tabled for debate and adoption at the National Congress purportedly held on October 25th 2009."

He added, "Even if one makes the quantum leap assumption that the 25th October 2009 National Congress was validly called, the manner in which the vote was taken renders the decision invalid."

Warner said the resolution to call a Special National Assembly cannot stand since no count was taken to determine that the resolution was supported by at least two thirds of the financial members at the congress.

The Chaguanas West MP said the real problem in the party today is "a democratic deficit" and suggested that this won't be fixed until proper internal elections occur based upon an accurate list of financial members eligible to vote.

"Therefore, my first request...is that you urgently provide me with a complete list of all financial members, identifying any dues that have been paid in respect of the current year.

"I believe that such a list will comprise of perhaps somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 names," he wrote.

He also asked for "a proper assurance" that the election would be held in accordance with the party's rules.

He reminded the NATEX members that they are responsible for the proper functioning of the party in accordance with its constitution and that each of them would be personally liable for all my damages and costs if "Iam forced to commence proceedings and succeed before the court".

Seetahal rebuked for newspaper column

2009-11-07T07:07:00.004-05:00

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives ruled Friday that Independent Senator Dana Seetahal won't be taken before the Privileges Committee.

But Pennelope Beckles severely rebuked Seetahal for a statement she made about House Speaker Barry Sinanan in her weekly column in the Guardian newspaper.

In the offending column captioned PNM out of Control Seetahal wrote: "The debate on the Validation Bill devolved into name-calling and bad-mouthing, and the fact that this was allowed to happen must surely lie with the Speaker of the House, who is responsible for regulating the conduct of business in the House."

Read the Commentary: Sen. Dana Seetahal for Privileges Committee?

Sinanan had asked his deputy to rule on the matter since it concerned him.

In her ruling, Beckles said, "The actions of this Senator were pre-emptive and unwarranted and demonstrated discourtesy to the Chair and to this House."

She said the offending column did not meet the test to be classified as contempt therefore she found no need to take the senator before the privileges committee.

However she said they could be interpreted as "reckless and ill-advised", especially since the author is a person who is "a serving Senator of this Parliament".

She said Seetahal is aware that "the interpretation and application of the Standing Orders is the sole discretion of the Presiding Officer, and so for a Senator to publicly comment negatively on the Speaker’s interpretation of the rules of this House...is more than a bit presumptuous."

She added Seetahal is the second most senior Senator on the Independent bench and could not argue that she was writing merely as a journalist.

"To compound her glaring disrespect of this House and its Chair, while all you Honourable Members of this House awaited my ruling, Senator Seetahal chose to call a press conference in this Parliament and reassert the rightfulness of her actions," Beckles noted.

Toronto to host 2015 Pan Am Games

2009-11-06T17:01:00.003-05:00

Toronto will host the 2015 Pan Am Games. The capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario beat out two rival South American cities to get the games.

The decision was announced Friday in Guadalajara, Mexico, where a team including Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto Mayor David Miller made their last pitch to host the games.

Organizers hope this win would bring new jobs, facilities and a little civic pride to Ontario's capital.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper declined an invitation to travel to Mexico for the decision, but Federal Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn was among the delegates who attended the event to make the final decision.

Toronto won on the first ballot, beating out bids from Lima, Peru, and Bogota, Colombia.

The Pan American Sport Organization, which represents the 42 countries across the Caribbean and the Americas and whose National Olympic Committees determined the host for the 2015 Games, began a three-day meeting Wednesday.

The host city was chosen in a secret-ballot vote.

Each city had been hosting social events, attending meetings and rehearsing their presentations for Friday - their last sales-pitch before the vote.

The federal and provincial governments are each on the hook for 35 per cent of the CDN $1.4 billion. That's about CDN$500 million each. Municipalities and private investors will pay the remaining CDN$428.5 million.

The last edition of the Games was held in Rio de Janeiro in July 2007 and the next is scheduled to take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, in October 2011.

Canada is also hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in the city of Vancouver.

"I don't trust Mr Panday": Dookeran

2009-11-06T15:05:00.000-05:00

Congress of the People (COP) leader Winston Dookeran said on a morning radio show Friday morning that he does not trust Basdeo Panday.

Dookeran was speaking with Hansly Adjodha on the U-talk show on 97.5fm.

Asked about whether he can work with the leader of the United National Congress (UNC) for a united opposition, he said he cannot trust Panday because he reneges on what he says.

Dookeran has pledged to unite all opposition forces to defeat the People's National Movement (PNM) and has said his party is the only one that is capable of doing that because it reprents a new, forward thinking brand of politics.

He criticized both Panday and prime minister Patrick Manning at a political meeting earlier this week, saying both men have formed an alliance to protect their dwindling support among their own constituencies.

Read the story: COP leader demands Panday, Manning reveal "secret agenda"

Panday has criticized Dookeran for suggesting that the UNC should join COP, saying a party with no representation in Parliament is out of place to tell the UNC, which has 15 MPs, that it is irrelevant.

Dookeran siezed on that comment to say because COP does not have a seat in Parliament it has become the political movement to speak for all the people. "We will stand up for all the people," he said.

"For too long we have been fooled and for some time thought that there was hope, but time has passed, the days are over, a new generation is on the scene, a new dynamics is in our country," Dookeran said.

He added, "We can no longer remain a country in which we simply talk about our ills...We in the COP tell you this is the time for action and we shall lead this country out of the mire it has found itself."

Letter: UNC to postpone internal vote?

2009-11-06T14:45:00.000-05:00

Mr Panday is proposing that the internal elections of the UNC be postponed to a future date to allow each constituency to have discussions and make suggestions on the new constitution and recent amendments being proposed by Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

Mr Panday reiterated that the new constitution is far too important a document to be overshadowed by any internal election of the party.

As a result of this Mr Panday is proposing to have meetings with each constituency to discuss the proposed changes to the constitution and the implications for the rank and file of the UNC and to hear suggestions on these changes from constituents which he would take back to parliament and discussions with Manning.

In this way states Panday the rank and file of the UNC will have a special and direct voice in the changes which would affect not their future but the future of their children.

The proposal which has so far only been discussed privately already has the support of key members of the executive.

Nigel Salick | Penal, via email

Letter: Why can't opposition leaders unite?

2009-11-06T14:00:00.003-05:00

To: The Honourables Basdeo Panday, Austin Jack Warner, Kamla Bissessar and Winston Dookeran.

Re: Openly, now, asking you: "Why not?"

If President Barack Obama and Hilary Rodham-Clinton - his arch-rival in his quest to be come the DNC candidate last 2008 US presidential campaign - could embrace the instant after that party decided that he, not she, would be its candidate, then, why does anyone feel the same cannot happen were Basdeo Panday, Austin Jack Warner, Kamla Bissessar and Winston Dookeran all agree to an open, straightforward contest to decide which of them will win the minds and hearts of all who yearn for one, united, alternative political force to the PNM and who, by the way, comprise the overwhelming majority of the population of Trinidad and Tobago? Eh? Why not?

Richard Wm. Thomas,
5rivers.kid.publik@gmail.com
Five Rivers,
Arouca,
Trinidad and Tobago.

$10M for new structure at PM's residence

2009-11-06T08:12:00.004-05:00

An addition to the official prime minister's residence and diplomatic centre will cost the Trinidad and Tobago taxpayer $10 million.

The Minister of Works estimates that the three-storey structure under construction will be completed by the end of the year.

However Colm Imbert told reporters Thursday he is not sure that the figure is accurate but added that if the cost is $10 million "it is certainly value for money".

His words sounded familiar. That's exactly how his cabinet colleague Gary Hunt defended expenditure of more than $2 million for a huge national flag that he says is a symbol of national pride.

In a media release Tuesday, the Office of the Prime Minister stated that the building is part of the original concept for the compound and would be equipped with a stage, dressing room for artistes, toilet facilities for performers and guests, a holding area and storage space for equipment, such as tents and tables.

It will also include a media lounge, a drivers’ lounge and a garage and have accomodation for 1,000 people.

Read the story: T&T expands Diplomatic centre at PM's residence

3 dead in fiery crash on Bailey bridge

2009-11-06T07:50:00.000-05:00

Three men from Penal burnt to death early Thursday morning when a ten-tonne truck exploded after crashing into the Bailey bridge along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway in Macoya.

Businessman Rohan “Bobby” Maharaj, 36, Kishore Kumar, 30, and Anil Mohammed, 30, died in the burning truck. The impact crumpled a section of the rail of the temporary bridge. Reports say firefighters arrived within minutes but by the time they put out the blaze the men's bodies were burned beyond recognition.

The ministry of workers erected the Bailey bridge as a temporary structure about one year ago when heavy rains washed out the foundation of the existing bridge. The government is building a new bridge costing $25 million dollars and officials say it would be completed next month.

Critics have blamed the minister of works for the deaths of the three men. It is not the first time that negligence by the government has resulted in death, they say.

A similar Bailey Bridge over the Caroni river collpased last year, killing one man when the truck he was driving went into the river as the bridge collapsed.

The temporary dual lane bridge where the three men died Thursday is on the country's busiest highway connecting communities in the east with the capital, Port of Spain, and south Trinidad.

MP Jack Warner who uses that highway for his daily commute was furious and put the blame on the works ministry. He noted that the government should never have put this structure on a highway that handles such a high volume of traffic.

He said it was an accident waiting to happen as thousands pass on the bridge daily. The Chagunas MP also slammed the minister of works for not making this project a priority. A new bridge should have been in place months ago, he said.

"With expenditure of $25 million one would expect this project to be completed within weeks, yet one year later people are dying because of the government's incom,ptence" he said. He added that the delay in completing the project is typical of the government, which has its prioirities misplaced.

He noted that government could spend $2 million to put up a single flag to boost the ego of one man and spend untold amounts of money to expand the prime minister's palatial residence while it refuses to put more resources to complete the bridge and ensure that citizens are safe.

Warner said the minister of works has blood on his hands.

Gov't seeks $0.5M compensation for damage to Bailey Bridge

2009-11-06T07:49:00.003-05:00

Works Minister Colm Imbert said Thursday the government will try to recover the about $500,000 for damage done the Bailey Bridge at Macoya which claimed three lives Thursday morning.

Imbert said the owner of the truck involved in the fiery crash is liable in law. He told reporters he has received an estimate of half a million dollars to repair the structure.

And he said the government will take the necessary steps to recover the costs, adding that it is "regrettable that three people lost their lives".

He refused to take any blame for the accident, saying the bridge was well lit with proper warning signs. He added, "It is the belief of those who have examined this accident that the truck was driving at an excessive speed."

The Minister stressed that the new bridge will meet international standards and will be completed by Dec.10.

Letter: Panday's "duty" challenged

2009-11-06T07:42:00.002-05:00

The more things are different, the more they are the same sometimes.

The Prime Minister brands anyone who questions his government as unpatriotic and anti-PNM.

Anyone who has questioned Mr Panday and his meeting with the PM is called illiterate, ignorant of the constitution and his duty, and a PNM spy.

Suddenly, Mr Panday's duty is the most important thing to him!

Where was his sense of duty when, with corruption charges around his neck, he insisted in leading the UNC into an election?

Where was his duty when for approximately 18 months his constituents had no representation in Parliament because his seat was vacated due to his conviction?

Where was his duty when for another 10 months his constituents had no MP in the House of Representatives because he was kicked out for disrespecting the Chair and refusing to apologize?

Where is his sense of duty when in two years he has participated in no more than three Parliamentary debates?

Where was his sense of responsibility and duty when he refused to meet President Robinson during his term as Prime Minister?

Has he been meeting regularly with President Richards as is his duty?

Where is his sense of duty when he drives out and double crosses persons from the leadership of the UNC?

Where is his sense of duty when he refuses to listen to the voice of the people who say he is the obstacle to opposition unity?

Marsha Clarke-Partap | Waterloo, via email

What's the benefit of Manning-Panday meeting? - Warner

2009-11-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

(Cartoon is from the Trinidad Guardian)

Basdeo Panday has responded to questions posed Wednesday by Jack Warner about the purpose and value of the opposition leader's meeting with Prime Minister Patrick Manning.

"The country knows what Mr Panday has bargained off to Mr. Manning, but they have not been told what Mr. Panday is getting in return," the Chaguanas West MP said in a media release.

Warner said Panday has long sung the chorus that Constitutional Reform must not be piecemeal, but "he has agreed to support Mr. Manning’s moves for Executive Presidency, even though the vast majority of the population is wary of the sweeping powers and immunities that come with that political model."

He also noted that Panday agreed to ease the pressure on the government regarding the legality of the Special Anti-Crime Unit (SAUTT).

"What is there to negotiate?" Warner asked, noting that the government has conceded repeatedly that SAUTT is not a legal entity and that legislation must be brought to Parliament to correct this situation.

"Did Mr. Panday agree to go soft on this issue? If he did then that is a selfish disservice to the nation," the deputy leader of the United National Congress (UNC) said.

"With the government pinned firmly against the ropes on these two issues, one cannot understand why the Leader of the Opposition would compromise on them, unless the trade-off is substantial," he said.

"For what price was this slice of our democracy sold?” he said.

Panday said Warner's statements show that he does not understand the Westminster system and they provide evidence that he is not fit to be a leader.

The former prime minister told the Trinidad Express, "First of all, a person who makes a statement like that clearly indicates that he has read nothing about the Constitution...because under the Westminster system, the leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister meet from time to time and I have met with Dr Williams and I have met with Mr Chambers and Mr Robinson and so on, that is the usual process."

He added, "If that person was Prime Minister he will not meet with the Leader of the Opposition and if he was leader of the Opposition he will not meet with the Prime Minister, such a person is totally unfit to lead," in reference to Warner.

Warner had also wondered who was telling the truth about summoning the meeting since each had said the other inititated it.

Manning clarified that stating that Panday's version of events was correct and that it was he who asked for the meeting. However, Manning blamed the confusion on "erronepus" media reports.

Read the story:Did Manning tell a lie?

Warner cautioned Panday to be wary of Manning and vice versa.

He referred to Manning's betrayal following the Crowne Plaza Accord "where investigations were promised into the Labidco and Caroni Racing Complex affairs and these have not materialized more than eight years later."

He added, "Mr. Manning should also be wary of Mr. Panday’s reputation for keeping his word."

Warner said, "When the Leader of Government and the Leader of the Opposition engage in the cutting of private deals and political accommodation then they are working as a team, adding that "such an alliance is unholy and poses a serious threat to democracy as there becomes no obstacle to dictatorship and tyranny."

COP leader demands Panday, Manning reveal "secret agenda"

2009-11-05T07:57:00.002-05:00

Congress of the People (COP) leader Winston Dookeran aimed his political guns on Basdeo Panday and Patrick Manning Tuesday night calling the opposition leader and prime minister "voices of the past".

Speaking at a political meeting in Curepe, he said it is time for both men to leave the political scene and promised to "give them all the dignity that must be afforded those who have served the people in the past."

Commenting on the meeting Tuesday between Manning and Panday to discuss crime and constitutional reform, Dookeran said if they wanted a solution to crime all they had to do was ask the COP.

"We could have saved all the fanfare that has taken place in that charade" which he described as "a farcical attempt to continue to fool the people of the land into believing that in their hands lies the solution to the problems when they have been the cause of the failure in Trinidad and Tobago."

He suggested that they are political naive to believe that they can continue to keep "their respective flocks in check". Dookeran said the only reason the two got together is because they saw their constituencies drifting away and determined that an alliance would be the best way to deal with the problem.

Dookeran rejected the statements to the media that they offered following their talks and said if they want to have any integrity they must reveal "the secret agenda" of that meeting.

"For too long we have been fooled and for some time thought that there was hope, but time has passed, the days are over, a new generation is on the scene, a new dynamics is in our country," Dookeran said.

He added, "We can no longer remain a country in which we simply talk about our ills...We in the COP tell you this is the time for action and we shall lead this country out of the mire it has found itself."

Dookeran raised the issue of political unity, which he has pledged to pursue saying "we want unity in action and not unity in rhetoric....And when I say unity I mean unity of all the peoples in the country" based the thoughts of hundreds who supported the fast of Prakash Ramahdar and Lincoln Douglas in Woodford Square.

He said, "We are blessed to be living in a country where our people are united but regrettably our nation is divided" adding that the division is the deliberate work of the ruling party and the official opposition.

The COP leader said the PNM-UNC alliance is running scared of the COP "so they have come together to keep us out of the politics of the future...that is their secret agenda."

He urged citizens not to allow that and predicted that COP will take control of government and defend the nation's freedom, which he said is under threat.

He reminded his audience of his role as deputy Prime Minister in 1990 to help save the nation from a gang of insurrectionists who had taken control of the Parliament.

"Our freedom is being replaced by fear," Dookeran said, adding that Manning and Panday are trying to exploit that fear to force the executive presidency and constitutional reform on the people.

He pledged that "your constitution shall never be changed unless it is the sovereign will of the people of Trinidad and Tobago and we shall start a campaign here and now to ensure that the rights of the constitution is yours.

"It does not belong to the two goodly gentlemen...and it doesn’t belong to all those in Parliament who brag about having seats and we not having any seats. I say to them, you sit on your seats and we will stand up for the people of Trinidad and Tobago," Dookeran said.

"Today...as your leader for now, I can say with a great deal of confidence, that the only party that is the genuine party of unity in Trinidad and Tobago is the Congress of the People. We have carved our way into the consciousness of the people of this nation and now we stand ready to take the leadership of this nation and the unity of our nation," Dookeran said.

He pledged a new kind of politics based on fundamental truths, which he said are no longer part of the nation's politics.

"A minister can lie today, and tomorrow the next minister can lie a little more because lying has become part of the governing process. That is why nobody believes what took place there today because there is no truth," he said.

Dookeran said on Nov. 15 COP will open its Port of Spain office that it will call Flagship House "because we believe in this nation that we can have one people, one nation, one flag to unite all of us."

Hunt admits flag cost $2M, no answers on boat

2009-11-05T07:50:00.000-05:00

Sports Minister Gary Hunt admitted Wednesday that a huge national flag at the Hasely Crawford Stadium cost more than $2 million dollars and he also confirmed that the government has bought three additional national flags for more than $18,000 plus each.

But he is yet to explain details of a boat docked at the Trinidad & Tobago Yacht Club carrying the title: "Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs".

He explained that it is wrong to say that the flag cost $2 million since the overall cost includes the construction of the flagpole. Here's how the cost breaks down:

flag and fabric: $18,112,15
foundation and installation works: TT$940,000
design and supply of the ’monster flag pole’: TT$932,400
Hunt also said his ministry has bought three additional flags at a cost of TT$54,336.

Hunt insisted that the flag is a "worthy investment, especially for young people who need to look inward at our heroes."

Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner raised both issues this week in a release saying this "raises some critical questions about the use of our taxpayer’s toil at a time when the entire world is still gasping for a breath of new life following the financial crisis".

On the flag issue, Warner said Hunt's priorities are wrong and he continues to set "unconquerable standards of ministerial absurdity". He said Hunt must explain the "exorbitant and excessive" purchases when he is yet to "consider" a reward to the country's cricketing heroes.

Warner said the minister must also explain why the flag and boat have taken precedence over the refurbishment of hundreds of sports facilities across the nation.

A picture supplied by Warner shows a fancy craft painted in national colours. Warner said its arrival coincided with a erection of the massive national flag, which "allegedly cost the state some two million dollars".

Warner said, "The vessel and the flag speak more than a thousand words of mismanagement of the public’s purse and of an offensive and obscene misapplication of the Ministry’s budgetary allocation."

He added, "It is a frightening revelation which points to what is an obvious misuse of state funds and an indictment on the Government’s prioritization of issues facing the nation.

"It is an odious, abhorrent and repulsive act against those who live below the poverty line," he said.

Warner demanded that the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs give an account to the people and explain the rationale behind the purchase of both vessel and flag.

"He must come clean on the justification and motivation behind both. With respect to the mystery boat, the Minister must set out what purpose it serves.

"Is the Sport Ministry a part of the Ministry of National Security which makes the boat a part of the crime fighting plan? Does the Ministry participate in off shore fishing and racing? Is it used to sport State officials around our coast?

"The Minister must, with urgency, state from whom the vessel was purchased, when and at what cost. He must also state with alacrity whether it was an authorized priority item under the Ministry’s budgetary allocation.

"He would do well to appreciate however, that both vessel and flag have not lifted loyalty or self esteem but have promoted further anxiety amongst a population that continues to lose hope. Hunt’s flag and boat have discouraged an already emotionally hurt nation, which is keen on national development; not on mammoth emblems and speedy toys," Warner said.

T&T expands Diplomatic centre at PM's residence

2009-11-05T07:45:00.002-05:00

The government of Trinidad and Tobago is expanding the Diplomatic Centre at the prime minister's official residence in St. Ann's to include a new building that's nearing construction.

In a media release the government said this is the final facility "to complete the annexures to the compound of the official residence and Diplomatic Centre." It did not provide an estimated or final cost for the project.

The cost of the official residence was officially stated at around TT$148 million. The entire compound includes media and drivers’ lounges and garage facilities, the government release said.

The structure, which was part of the original concept, provides for a stage, dressing room for artistes, a holding area, toilet facilities for performers and guests, storage of equipment such as tents, tables etc.

"The Ballroom of the Diplomatic Centre only accommodates 250 guests and the new structure will enable 1,000 persons to be assembled in open air, whenever occasions arise for appropriate events," the release said.

It added, "This final building will improve the functionality of the Diplomatic Centre and bring it to optimum operating capacity as it was originally intended."

UNC executive fails again to get a quorum

2009-11-05T07:43:00.002-05:00

The United National Congress (UNC) failed again on Wednesday to get a quorum for its regular meeting of the National Executive (NATEX) and UNC vice chairman Vasant Bharat was forced to postpone the meeting.

The last four out of five NATEX meetings were aborted because of a lack of a quorum.

The situation has left UNC members asking why NATEX members continue to absent themselves from meetings and whether this is a coded sign of a loss of confidence in the leadership of Basdeo Panday.

"Has Panday lost his grip on the National Executive?" one UNC member asked.

Party members are concerned that the continuing problem would prevent the party from conducting its business since the NATEX is the only constitutional body to do that between National Congresses.

They are also asking whether there would be proper financial accountability in the absence of meetings at which the executive approves expenditure.

Members have noted that deputy leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has missed most of the aborted meetings and are asking if she and others associated with her are deliberately refusing to sit with Panday "because of how he treats her".

They say it seems that the Parliamentary Caucus is undermining the executive and usurping its functions.

One question that has also been raised is whether Panday himself is engineering the boycott of the meetings to prevent three regional Representatives from contributing towards "the development of our party and the betterment of the People of Trinidad and Tobago?"

Don Sylvester, Dr Rupert Griffith and Sylvester Ramquar had been suspended from the executive but a court ruled that the party acted illegally and that they should be reinstated.

One party source also accused the party of double standards. The source said while the three regional representatives are banned for attending meetings of the Parliamentary Caucus others, including former Chagunas Mayor Suruj Rambachan, are permitted to attend and take an active part in the caucus meetings.