A little over three dozen members of various civil society groups braved heavy rains on Wednesday night as they held a vigil in solidarity for environmentalist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh. Armed with wax-filled dawes, the group laid the lit clay lamp in and around the make shift camp outside the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, which Kublalsingh occupied for majority of his over month-long hunger strike in protest of the construction of the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the Point Fortin Highway project. Heavily armed security guards looked on behind the high metal fence surrounding the office complex at St Clair Avenue, but did not intervene to stop the group, which cautiously contained their activities to the edge of the pavement. 

Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) leader David Abdulah, who led the group, said it chose engage in the activity the eve of the Divali public holiday because of the special significance of the Hindu festival. “We hope symbolically the light of the deyas around this building will illuminate the thinking of those who make decisions from within,” Abdulah said. He also delivered a brief message from Kublalsingh, who recently transfered his protest to his D’Abadie home after his family claimed his health had seriously deteriorated after spending over 37 days without food or water. The group, which included a handful of members of Kublalsingh’s Highway Re-Route Movement (HRM) cheered and applauded as Abdulah criticised several recent anti-Kublalsingh newspapers advertisements from a group refering to themselves as “Citizens for the Highway.” “The outcry against that was huge. What that says is when they engage someone in a debate and they are losing, they then turn to insult,” Abdulah said as he claimed the advertisement were paid for by Government supporters using a fictitious name.

The former government senator also expressed optimism over recent meetings between civil society groups, the Joint Consultative Council for the Construction Industry (JCC) and the National Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (Nidco), the State-run organisation managing the construction of the controversial billon dollar project. Abdulah said the JCC was expected to receive a response from Nidco on whether its compliance with recommendations in a report prepared in 2012 by a committee of its members led by former Independent Senator Dr James Armstrong, on Friday. The report is central to Kublalsingh and the HRM’s claims that the segment of the highway should be stopped to allow for a hydrology study and comprehensive socio-economic analysis. “We will see what they say to the JCC. I’m sure they (the JCC) will say if it is unsatisfactory,” Abdulah said. 

T&T’s children will inherit lower public debt if a plan by Minister of Finance and the Economy Larry Howai comes to fruition. He confirmed this in e-mailed responses to questions from the T&T Guardian. Howai said Government would hold in a “debt sinking fund,” the US$1.175 billion it made from the sale of Clico and CL Financial’s stake in Methanol Holdings Trinidad Ltd (MHTL) to German consortium Consolidated Energy Ltd (CEL). The plan was first revealed in an Oppenheimer (investment bank) October 15 report “for investors only.” Oppenheimer analysts wrote the report after meetings with government officials from T&T, Aruba, Panama, Costa Rica, Paraguay, El Salvador and Dominican Republic, who were attending the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings in Washington from October 10-12.

Howai, who led the T&T delegation to the IMF-World Bank meetings, said: “We are in the process of putting the arrangements for debt reduction in place. The challenge that we face is that if we pay off debt now it will result in an exogenous increase in the money supply which will increase the level of liquidity and will raise the spectre of inflation risk.  “We are therefore considering establishing a sinking fund which will offset the debt but not increase the level of liquidity in the system.”  A sinking fund is formed by periodically setting aside money for gradual repayment of a debt or replacement of a wasting asset. Howai said: “We are developing the structure to facilitate that (a sinking fund) when the Central Bank begins the process of repayment, as the funds are now with Clico, which is under the control of the Central Bank. For the time being the funds (from the MHTL sale) have been placed in Treasury Securities by Clico.” 

That explains why Oppenheimer said the government would receive the money in part cash and in part securities. Oppenheimer told investors: “The government expects to receive US$1-2 billion payback from its support to Clico (insurance company that collapsed in 2009 and represented a systemic risk for the country) in the coming 12 months; part will be in cash and part in securities. “As a consequence, international reserves will increase from the current US$10.4 billion,” or 35.1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and over 12 months import cover—one of the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. Asked about the new highest-ever, record-setting foreign exchange reserve level that the country will reach with the inflow of the money from the MHTL sale, Howai said: “The level of foreign exchange reserves has increased as the funds came in to the Central Bank last week and represents part of our strategy to build our financial buffers given the increased risk in energy markets.”

Oppenheimer also looked at the bonds T&T taxpayers will have to repay upon maturity and said: “While the government does not have big maturities coming due, authorities are considering using part of these funds to reduce net general government debt by four percentage points to 40 per cent of GDP by establishing a debt-sinking fund.” T&T’s next bond maturity date is November 30 when $700 million of public funds will be paid to bondholders who financed the government in 2006 at a coupon rate of eight per cent for eight years. Thereafter, around $84 million will become due on February 18, 2015, to bondholders who took the offer of the T&T government in 2000 to buy into an 11.4 per cent coupon rate 15-year bond that started off as $153 million. 

Government has been bringing down the outstanding balance. The country’s next US dollar bond matures on July 1, 2020, and was debt sold by the government of the time—June 2000—at a rate of 9.75 per cent for 20 years. On July 1, 2020, bondholders will be advised by the Luxembourg exchange to collect US$500 million from T&T. Consistent with indigenous investment plans already announced by Energy and Energy Affairs Minister Kevin Ramnarine, Oppenheimer said, with regard to T&T’s state enterprises government, “authorities are considering how to boost Petrotrin capital expenditure but no decision is expected until after next year’s legislative elections.” On another topic, Oppenheimer said Republic Bank Ltd (RBL) “was transformed” into a state enterprise upon the Clico rescue, “but the government intends to disinvest from the bank in a responsible manner.”

Chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation Leo Doodnath says residents who were affected by the Divali day floods in Fyzabad and Siparia must share some of the responsibility for the floods.

He was speaking during a tour of the affected areas yesterday with Local Government Minister Marlene Coudray. Residents of Quarry Village, Siparia, and parts of Fyzabad awoke with water inside their homes on Divali morning.

“There are too many people who indiscriminately throw all kind of things in the rivers. We took out tyres and all kinds of rubbish from the river today. This dumping has a major part to play in the flooding,” Doodnath added.

He said the corporation would crack down on those who violated litter laws. 

“We will be hiring compliance officers to go out in the field and ensure people are not doing those things,” he said.

Speaking to the T&T Guardian during her visit, Coudray said while assistance was being offered to the affected households, the main focus was ensuring the Divali day floods did not happen again. 

“We gave out some mattresses and food cards to those affected but our main objective is to make sure this does not happen again,” she added.

Coudray said the regional corporation was partnering with the Ministry of Works’ Drainage Division to clear all blocked watercourses. 

“This flooding is a result of recent development in the area that diverted the main watercourse. There was also a lot of garbage in the river and a tree that had fallen in,” she said.

Residents of Fyzabad and Siparia spent all day yesterday cleaning up after the floods left some homes under as much as four feet of water. Ricky Sampath, who lives in Quarry Village, said his family lost most of their belongings to the floodwaters. He praised the CEPEP workers for their help in the clean-up efforts but lamented the lack of assistance so far to recoup their losses. 

He said: “So far, we get some help to clean u, but we only getting some temporary mattresses. We didn’t hear about anything else yet.”

One Mulchan Trace family said Divali was not finished. 

“Tonight (Friday night) is the last night for Divali. If we finish cleaning up in time we could light some deyas,” said Varsha Moolchan. 

Moolchan said the family had been marooned in their home all day and all their preparations for Divali were in vain. 

“The boys built arches to light up the street to the main road and every year we make sweet bags for all the children in the village but this year was a big disappointment.”

The family was critical of the visit by Coudray and Doodnath, saying they were not told anything about compensation.

“They came here but we were not told about compensation, apparently they came to sightsee,” said Moolchan.

If comedienne Rachel Price didn’t get the pre-action protocol letter sent by the President’s attorneys, a second letter will be sent, sources said yesterday.

Price didn’t answer cell calls yesterday about whether she had received the letter which was sent by attorneys on October 17. 

On Wednesday the Office of the President issued a statement saying it had sought and obtained the advice of Senior Counsel on certain “offensive statements recently made by a radio talk show host.” 

A pre-action protocol letter was sent by attorneys on behalf of Mrs Carmona and the Office of the President on the alleged statements.

These are thought to have been comments Price made in connection with an outfit which Reema Carmona, the President’s wife, wore at a recent UN function where she spoke at a session on Fashion for Development. She was also interviewed by Allure Magazine during the assignments.

Price’s Twitter account hasn’t said whether she has received the letter yet. 

An October 21 tweet, however, alluded to “Carmona,” saying: “Looking for fire I walking with gas. Senility hitting Carmona? I heading to the dry cleaners, time to bring out mih (deleted) court clothes.” 

Sources explained the legal letter was taken to Price’s east Trinidad home and received by a female family member. The latter, however, was told not to accept it and it was subsequently left with the housing compound’s security guards, sources said.

Contacted yesterday, a legal source said a second letter would be sent, adding that there are many ways of ensuring a party received such a letter.

Queries on who the President’s lawyer is, whether the State is paying his or her fees and whether the President had a legal adviser didn’t get an immediate response yesterday from President’s House communications officer Theron Boodan.

On whether the President's office can sue over comments about his wife, Reggie Armour, SC, said he was not prepared to comment and Douglas Mendes, SC, said he preferred not to. Israel Khan’s office did not reply nor did former public service head Reggie Dumas.

The President’s Office has said while it respected and valued the constitutional right of every individual to freedom of expression and the principles of fair comments and freedom of the press remained sacrosanct, freedom of expression was not a licence to defame. 

The statement said unwarranted attacks which crossed the line into defamation and sought to bring members of the family of the President, and by extension the Office of the President, into disrepute would not be tolerated.

At a UWI graduation function on Wednesday, the President complained about what he described as the lack of depth of broadcast comment, cyberbullying and social media abuse in T&T.

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President’s House subsequently issued a statement that the President and Mrs Carmona “have engaged in a private and confidential relationship with Senior Counsel concerning matters that have arisen recently in the public domain.

“Their Excellencies have been advised by Senior Counsel not to disclose the nature and content of those discussions emanating thereof. The action of their Excellencies will be guided by Senior Counsel’s advice on said matters,” it added.

Health Minister Fuad Khan yesterday said the leader of the Highway Re-route Movement Dr Wayne Kublalsingh was between a “rock and a hard place” and was trying to get sympathy from an “already critical” public.

He said so when asked whether or not he would make an official request for Kublalsingh’s medical record, as the activist had told reporters on Wednesday he would be willing to share his records once such a request was made. Khan had previously said Kublalsingh’s vital signs were fine despite his hunger strike which included abstaining from drinking as well as eating. 

Yesterday marked the 38th day Kublalsingh said he had not eaten or drunk anything. He began his second hunger strike on September 17 to compel the Government to review the proposed route for the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin.

Khan responded: “I don’t have time to be making any requests. The public understands what Kublalsingh is about. If he shows his blood results everyone will know whether there was organ failure or not but he can show the public his blood results without any request. The population is looking at the situation and Kublalsingh is trying to engage in sympathetic foolishness.”

The activist, in a telephone interview, said he spent yesterday the same way as he had spent the three previous days, lying in bed resting and still felt weak.

“We are still calling on the Government to get together to dialogue on the Optimum Connectivity Route. I am asking for an end to the propaganda,” he added. 

Kublalsingh said talks needed to take place in a serious manner. He said for the past few days he had been chatting with priests, civil society leaders and many others on the way forward.

“We intend to continue with the hunger strike to the very end and not to relent at all. There have been a number of persons calling for mediation but it seems the Government is afraid of that word. I still feel that we can come to an agreement where everybody benefits,” the activist said.

CEO at the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce Catherine Kumar says too many people walk through the doors of businesses, degree in hand, expecting success and was unwilling to work a long day. 

She was addressing yesterday’s graduation ceremony for students of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Sports and Physical Education Centre, St Augustine, where she was conferred with the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the university.

In delivering the feature address, Kumar said commitment was so lacking that more time was spent on social media than in toiling to deliver quality work on time.

She told the graduates their academic achievement would not instantly open to the jobs or businesses they wanted nor opportunities they believed they deserved. Commitment, she said, was part of the formula for success.

She told the graduates they should always have a conscience and give back to society.

“Have a conscience,” she said, adding that in today’s world giving back “seems to be something we leave to others.

“Conscience is not martyrdom. Conscience is volunteering. 

“It is giving back to your church, your community, helping those less fortunate than yourself, opening doors for others,” she added.

She called on graduates “to revive the conscience of your homeland with urgency.”

“This must be a priority,” she said, “if we have any hope of being better. Success is conscience. 

“Build and create your legacy with a conscience so that it is filled with inspiration, as it will be with financial means.”

She said success was based on the choices people made. 

“Don’t let circumstances rule you. You have to be in charge,” she added.

An article reporting that there is a Nigerian Ebola patient in T&T, which is currently circulating on social media sites is a fake.

The article, which uses a T&T Guardian reporter’s name under an old-fashioned T&T Guardian masthead, claims a Nigerian doctor had entered the country without a passport and was being treated for Ebola at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex.

Managing director of Guardian Media Ltd Lisa Agard said yesterday the management of the newspaper was disgusted by not only the contents of the article but the fact that the creators had tried to attribute it to the newspaper.

She said: “It was designed to spread fear and panic to the population of T&T.

“We are particularly aggrieved by the fact that someone would use the Guardian’s (old) masthead and fonts and also falsely represent that a journalist attached to the Guardian newspaper was the author of the false article,” Agard said.

“We view this development so seriously that we are going to report the matter to the police for them to ascertain whether any crime has been committed under the Computer Misuse Act, and it is our fervent hope that the authorities would be able to identify who perpetrated this malicious move to scare the population and damage the reputation of the Guardian newspaper.”

Aside from grammatical errors and inconsistencies in the date, the article gives incorrect information about the virus itself.

Nevertheless, the T&T Guardian newspaper received several calls from concerned readers about the story.

One woman noted the errors but said she still had to check and was a little afraid after reading it.

The T&T Guardian posted messages on its Web site and Facebook page yesterday morning to assure readers the story was a hoax and to ask them to ignore it. 

Minister denies claim

​
Health Minister Fuad Khan was quick to deny that the virus had entered the country.

“There is nothing like Ebola in T&T and if people on social media are saying something different maybe they mean a person named Ebola, because the virus is named after a river and people probably named their children after the river too,” Khan said in a telephone interview.

“There is no disease called Ebola in T&T at this time,” he added.

A foreign-used car parts dealership in San Fernando was destroyed by a fire on Thursday (Divali) night.

Karricharan Maharaj, the owner of K Maharaj and Sons Ltd, at Palmiste Branch Street, Duncan Village, San Fernando, speculated that the mishandling of fireworks could have caused the $8 million fire.

“I don’t know if it could have probably been someone playing with fireworks, I just don’t know,” said Maharaj in an interview with the T&T Guardian.

But officers of the Mon Repos Fire Station, who responded to the blaze, say while they are not ruling out that possibility, they are not certain what caused the fire as investigations are ongoing. 

Maharaj said it took him 13 years to build his business and was astonished to see it destroyed in such a short space of time. 

His son, Dean Maharaj, wife and eight-year-old daughter who lived on the compound were able to escape with minor injuries.

Fire investigators returned to the scene yesterday and interviewed several family members. 

Dean Maharaj said his family was asleep after celebrating Divali, when he heard an explosion. 

“I heard a noise around 2 am, something like it blew up and when I peeped out I saw the front of the building on fire. I woke up my wife and daughter and we just ran for our lives.”

He said the thick, black smoke made it difficult to see.

“We had to run out the back, but we couldn’t see anything. My wife fell a few times and I got a big cut under my foot.”

The family was treated at the San Fernando General Hospital and released. 

Maharaj said the building, containing the car parts and five vehicles, was completely destroyed. 

Acting assistant Divisional Fire Officer, Ansar Ali, said when they arrived on the scene the building was completely engulfed.

Neighbours evacuated

​
Residents of Duncan Village, San Fernando, were awakened when thick, black smoke filled the air early yesterday morning, forcing them to evacuate their homes and run out into the streets. The smoke was from the fire that destroyed K Maharaj and Sons foreign used car parts place. 

When the T&TGuardian visited the scene yesterday, one resident, recounted his experience.

“I heard a noise about half one, then the place just full up with smoke,” she said. “We had to leave the house and run, all my neighbours had to run too.”

The woman said worried residents rushed to rescue pets and other animals from the smoke, lining the street for hours, as fire fighters battled the blaze. 

“Everybody was standing on the next side of the road, there were sick people, people with their little children and even people with their animals.”

A Point Fortin truck driver who raped an American teenager ten times in a year has been sentenced to a total of 29 years in prison.

Justice Hayden St Clair-Douglas sentenced the man, who was found guilty in the San Fernando High Court in July, on Wednesday.

The judge sentenced him to 19 years and six months on the first three rape charges.

And on the other rape charges he was sentenced to nine years and six months.

The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, so he would only serve 19 years and six months in prison.

The girl was first raped in 2006 when she was 13 years old.

Her mother sent her to Trinidad in January 2006 to stay at a female relative’s home in Point Fortin. The prisoner was in a relationship with the relative.

The girl, who was among seven prosecution witnesses who testified, has since returned to the US.

The State’s case, led by state attorney Angelica Teelucksingh, was that the attacks took place between June 2006 and April 2007 in the house and in a shed in Point Fortin. 

The girl testified that she was threatened by the man that if she said anything he would put her out of the house. The girl testified that her attacker gave her money which she used to buy school supplies and food.

After the last sexual assault the girl was sent to live with another relative in Port-of-Spain.

Three months later when her grandmother came on vacation from the United States she found out what had happened and got the United States Embassy involved and a report was made to the police. 

The man was charged by PC Christopher Garraway, of the Point Fortin Police Station.

He denied raping the girl. He was represented by attorney Everard Davidson. 

A Point Fortin mason who beat his girlfriend on the face with a concrete block so that no other man would want her was put on a two-year bond on Wednesday and ordered to pay $20,000 in compensation.

Peter Dyer, 57, attacked his then girlfriend, Nikesha Elliot, while she was asleep on the couch in the living room of her Moruga home eight years ago.

Dyer, the father of five, appeared before Justice Devan Rampersad in the San Fernando First Criminal Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to wounding Elliot with intent to do her grievous bodily harm.

State attorney Angelica Teelucksingh said around midnight on July 5, 2006 Elliot was asleep when she felt someone choking her. 

When she opened her eyes she saw Dyer, whom she had known since childhood as they lived on the same street.

Teelucksingh said Elliot tried to alert her father, who lived next door.

Dyer then grabbed Elliot by the shoulder and dragged her out of the house.

Teelucksingh said Dyer then picked up a concrete block and hit Elliot on the face more than five times, telling her: “I want to tell you when I done with you, no man must want you. You playing hard to dead.”

Elliot’s son came out of the house and began screaming and Dyer ran off when he saw Elliot’s father. 

Elliot, who was bleeding from the mouth, was treated at the Princes Town Health Facility and San Fernando General Hospital for injuries to her head, eye and mouth. She also had a broken tooth. 

When Dyer was arrested by PC Hamilton he said: “Boss, me eh beat that woman, that woman fall.”

Attorney Carine Jailal asked for a bond, saying Dyer had accepted responsibility, never had any other matters in court, was an outstanding citizen, had spent 13 months in prison awaiting trial and was seeking forgiveness.

She told the judge Dyer and the woman had been in a relationship and the assault was triggered by a dispute.

Saying it was an unpleasant attack on a defenceless person, the judge said such offences were prevalent in society. 

He said he took a number of things into consideration, including Dyer’s age, his guilty plea, that he had offered compensation, and was remorseful and that he was unlikely to offend again.

However, he warned Dyer that if he broke the $20,000 bond to keep the peace and be of good behaviour he would be brought back for sentencing. He ordered him to pay $1,700 of the compensation immediately and the rest within 12 months.

Having spent a week in hospital, Anthony Williams was discharged on Wednesday and returned to his home at Nepaul Street, St James, on Thursday. 

The 83-year-old veteran pan inventor, composer, tuner, arranger and founder of the defunct Pan Am North Stars fell at his home on October 17 and was admitted to the St James Infirmary. He was subsequently transferred to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital for tests and was eventually given a clean bill of health by doctors.

Williams has been suffering from diabetes and hypertension.

Pan Trinbago Tuners Guild president Fitzroy “Popo” Henry said yesterday: “Tony has been having seizures. He fell and struck his head and was rushed to the infirmary. 

While at the hospital afterwards he was given the best of care and his doctors deemed him well enough to be discharged.”

Among a number of inventions and innovations, Williams is credited with inventing the spiderweb pan. (PRB)

Community Development Minister Winston Peters says elder-care professionals are needed more than ever as the ageing population increases.

Speaking at the Geriatric Adolescent Partnership Programme (GAPP) Level II graduation ceremony at Naparima Bowl, San Fernando, on Wednesday, Peters said the 120 graduates were now advanced professionals in the field of elderly care.

Noting that October 1 was the United Nations-declared International Day of Older Persons, he said by the year 2050, it is expected that there will be more people over 60 than children in the world.

Noting that the UN defined a country as having an ageing population when ten per cent or more of its population was over 60, he said he fell into that bracket, since he celebrated his 62nd birthday a few days ago.

“According to the CentralStatistical Office, at present, the elderly population of T&T is 12 per cent,” he said.

“This means a significant portion of our population comprises the ageing.”

He said it was predicted that the percentage of people 60 years and over would be over 17 per cent in 2025 and that was expected to grow to 30 per cent in 2050.

“This means that your services will be needed more than ever as we move forward as a nation.

“You have a serious mission to face as you practise what you have learnt through Level II of GAPP.”

Two of the six blood collection centres in T&T fear we will not be prepared to treat Ebola victims if they come to our shores.

This was after Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan on Wednesday stated that lots of blood will be needed to treat Ebola patients if there are any infections, and he urged people to start donating. About 27 pints of blood are needed for the treatment of one Ebola victim, Khan said.

But Khan’s call has not stirred citizens to donate their blood.

According to the Ministry of Health Web site, T&T needs 65,000 units of blood per year, given its population. However, only 20,000 units of blood are donated annually. 

Head of Port-of-Spain’s Blood Transfusion Unit Dr Ileana Nordet, meanwhile, said this year 30,000 units of blood were donated so far. 

Nordet, a haematologist from Cuba, said the ministry was working to increase its blood supply. She believes that hospitals would have sufficient blood to treat Ebola patients.

Approximately 40 donors come in on a daily basis to give blood, she said. “But that does not mean we would get 40 pints.” She also said that donations have not increased with the threat of Ebola. Nordet also said blood expires 35 days after going into storage.

At EWMSC: We’re not prepared 

Head nurse at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) blood bank Anita Seerattan-Abrahim, when asked if they are prepared to treat patients infected with the virus, said “No.”

She said: “In order to deal with an emergency situation like Ebola, they definitely need more staff, equipment, and the public’s support.”

She said surgeries and procedures at the hospital utilise the majority of blood. Surgeries can range from open heart to kidney transplants. Five pints are used for an open heart surgery, while a patient undergoing kidney transplant needs four pints.

Blood is also required for cancer and Accident and Emergency patients. The blood bank also supplies 11 private hospitals on a regular basis. Seerattan-Abrahim said the biggest setback was staff shortages.

The bank has only four nurses and one nursing assistant.

Of the four nurses only two are trained, Seerattan-Abrahim revealed.

“The problem is we need trained staff. For a registered nurse to work in the bank, they must undertake a programme called blood transfusion nursing. You need to have that qualification in order to properly assess the donors.”

Despite plans to extend its opening hours at the blood bank to facilitate the working class, Seerattan-Abrahim said the depletion of staff was inhibiting this.

Reclining chairs on which donors sit for blood to be extracted are also needed.

In Tobago: Woe unto us

A nurse at the Tobago General Hospital blood bank, who requested anonymity, said on a daily basis the hospital aims to get between eight to ten pints of donated blood to meet the needs of the wards and the island. “The most we would collect is three to four,” she said.

She said the blood bank sometimes require 30 to 40 pints per week to supply the wards. 

“But most times the demand outweighs supply.” 

Asked if they can come up with 27 pints to treat an Ebola patient, the nurse replied: “Definitely not! If Ebola should come, it would be woe unto us.”

The nurse said she often wondered two things: where the Ebola victims will be housed in Tobago and where they would obtain blood. 

“If we should have an Ebola case, I know we would be in for a problem.” 

From Monday to Wednesday, the nurses said only five pints of blood were collected.

Despite radio advertisements to woo donors, the nurse said “not many people are responding except for those giving blood for relatives or friends on the wards.”

​Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Colin Furlonge is confident that all systems are in place to tackle Ebola if it comes our way.

“There is a difference between a patient with Ebola and a major situation. If we have a patient with Ebola, we are looking at 20 units of blood given over a period of time...a week or so.”

While people have been saying that the blood banks would not be able to supply blood to treat Ebola victims, Furlonge said Khan was heightening the awareness of citizens.

He said Khan’s call on citizens to donate more blood was to increase our need if we have to manage a case of Ebola. “What Dr Khan has recognised in preparing for the Ebola is that there is need to increase the donation of blood.”

Furlonge said it was impossible for a plane load of Ebola victims to come to our shores.

“Generally what we have seen is one or two patients with Ebola. They arrive in another country and they lock down the place in terms of spreading the virus.”

Furlonge said the ministry has been working to improve the blood bank services. 

“We are looking at bringing in a director with special qualification who can manage the national blood transfusion service.”

Another area was extending the working hours and training nurses and technicians. 

“When it comes to things like blood, there is need for a continuous drive. We want to reinstate that and make it a standard thing where we continue the voluntary donation.”

Tears welled up in the eyes of 40-year-old paraplegic Alana Gajadhar yesterday when she accepted her certificate from Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI) George Alleyne at the university’s graduation ceremony in St Augustine. 

Gajadhar, a business teacher at Swaha Hindu College, Sangre Grande, graduated with a Masters in Education with a concentration on curriculum.

“Well done Alana!” Alleyne told Gajadhar as her wheelchair slowly edged its way on the stage before university principal Prof Clement Sankat, hundreds of applauding graduands and parents.

Gajadhar became disabled at aged 16 after a vehicular accident along the Valencia Stretch, while on her way home from St Augustine Girls’ High School (SAGHS).

Overcome with emotion, Gajadhar struggled to contain her tears, which rolled down her rosy cheeks as she made her way down the ramp.

After the ceremony, Gajadhar said she became teary-eyed when she was presented with her certificate because the last two years of her life was “a big struggle and the most difficult” since the one person she needed to give her the final push—her mother—was not physically there. Her mother Naindra died in 2001.

“I felt proud but emotional as well because it was a lot of hard work, and it’s now over,” she said.

“I know mom is here in spirit looking down from above and smiling for what I have achieved despite my disability. When I wanted to give up, there was always an inner voice that gave me the motivation to press on. I know that inner voice was my mom. I still miss her,” Gajadhar said bursting into tears.

Gajadhar said she would not have reached this far in life without the support of her father Deodath, who is her main pillar of strength, her two brothers, friends and God. 

Gajadhar spoke of her tight schedule—teaching at school all day and then attending classes at the university on evenings.

“By the time I reach my Sangre Grande home I would take a nap, get up in the wees hours of the morning to study and do my assignments. Then it’s back to teaching again. For two years I did this, sacrificing everything to obtain my Masters. I will never tell anyone it was easy.”

Reverting to the fateful day of the accident, Gajadhar, who still lives in Sangre Grande, said she was in a maxi heading home on the Valencia Stretch when a vehicle collided with the maxi.

“I was left with spinal injuries. I became paralysed and was hospitalised for several months.”

At that time, Gajadhar was a Lower Six student of SAGHS.

“It was hard to overcome the fact that one minute you had the use of your legs and then, in the blink of an eye, there was no mobility in my legs.”

She took a year off from school and returned to classes to finish her A’ Level examinations.

From there it was no stopping Gajadhar.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Management. Then she got into teaching in 2002.

In 2012, she also obtained a postgraduate diploma (Dip Ed with distinction) at UWI.

“I am not going for my PhD. That is it for me,” she smiled.

Gajadhar has a message for able-bodied people and those with disabilities: “Nothing is impossible. You see something that looks impossible...there is always a way around it, you can achieve it no matter what.”

Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan is condemning self-proclaimed herbalist Trevor Sayers’ latest claim that he has the cure for Ebola.

He is also calling for the Consumer Affairs Division and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to take action against other herbal practitioners who make false claims about their products and their ability to cure various major diseases. 

Flyers have appeared on buildings, and an advertisement has been circulating on Facebook purporting a herbal cure for the deadly virus: Ebola treatment Ebola Cure from Dr Trevor Sayers, lime, honey, bayleaf, zephapeak (sic), Christmas bush, ashes and charcoal.

Speaking to the Sunday Guardian in a telephone interview yesterday, Khan said, “That is carrying this nonsense to the highest extreme, and people have to understand this man now...if he’s trying to use Ebola to make money. 

“We have to look at what is happening now under the guise of economical self interest. 

“I’m condemning that advertisement and all others that indicate that herbal medicine can cure diseases without proper analysis. 

“I also wish that the Consumer Affairs Division and the DPP, which we have written to about that same character’s false advertising about cancer cures, should take serious action.” 

He said flyers for the Ebola cure had been placed all over the hospitals and notice boards, and he had instructed doctors to remove them.

Khan said there was no proof in Sayers’ claims as well as other herbal practitioners who were using innuendoes and supposition to fool the general public. Khan said there was no scientific basis for a lot of these herbal medicines except hearsay evidence. 

He said Sayers had now gone to the extreme with these advertisements.

Khan said Sayers’ claim was not legal and was false advertising. 

He said, however, the Medical Board couldn’t do anything except condemn Sayers’ action. He said he didn’t know what to do again, and that as Health Minister all he can do is bring the matter to the authorities.

Khan said Sayers uses “doctor” before his name and by law he should be dealt with by the legal authorities. He said the title was only reserved for people who have PhDs from recognised universities and pertaining to the medical profession. 

Trinidade: Sayers has no cure for Ebola 

When contacted yesterday, Dr Austin Trinidade, public relations officers of the T&T Medical Association said Sayers had no cure for Ebola and there was no scientific proof of the effectiveness of herbal medicine.

He said doctors only prescribed medicines that had undergone strict scientific testing and had benefits over a placebo and were also approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Trinidade said the association did not recommend herbal preparations which may be good for cleaning you out and providing some kind of tonic, but did not cure diseases.

He said there was major danger that people would stop taking their medicines which were known to work and use herbal supplements which were ineffective and also expensive.

Trinidade said it was not Sayers alone but a whole slew of herbal “pitchmen” that advertised a cure for virtually everything. He said it was dangerous and that it was a pity unsuspecting people were exposed to this. 

Sayers: Ebola cure from Africa

When contacted yesterday, Sayers, the self-ascribed minister of naturalized herbs and healing said his herbal product was his natural approach to dealing with Ebola and other deadly diseases.

He said people needed to build their bodies’ resistance to disease and infections.

Sayers said more than 4,000 people had died worldwide from Ebola, but in T&T more people have died from diabetes and hypertension combined than the deadly virus.

When asked how he discovered his cure for Ebola, he said the information on fevers, auto immune diseases that attack, paralyse the body and cause haemorrhaging has been known by ancient African civilisations from time immemorial by such tribes as the Mandingo near the Ebola river in northern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Sayers said with the ancient knowledge and information from the healers in Africa, he had made many medicines for various ailments and infections, and had even been successful in treating Aids patients with his herbal remedies.

When asked about the cost of his Ebola cure, he said he had given the information for people to use and he wanted to let the health authorities know it worked. Sayers, asked if he had tested his Ebola cure and how he brought it to market so fast as the World Health Organization had announced that millions of doses of experimental Ebola vaccines will be produced by the end of 2015, said vaccines of that nature only worked on less deadly viruses and “don’t really help.” 

Four murders and one police killing yesterday marked the start of a bloody weekend.

In the first incident, around 2.15 am, two men were walking along Wall Street in Pinto Road, Arima, when they were approached by a gunman.

After proceeding to rob both men, the gunman whipped out a firearm and fired at them. One man died on the scene. He remained unidentified up to late last night. The other man, identified as Jason Pierre, of Sangre Grande, was rushed to the Arima Health Facility and later transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, where he remains warded.

The second incident involved a 16-year-old student from the Arima North Secondary School.

According to reports, at around 1.50 am, the victim Anthony Seunarine was walking along Pro Queen Street, Arima, with his friends when a red Kia vehicle pulled up alongside the group. 

Seunarine and his friends started to run. Seunarine, who was running along De Verteuil Street, was being followed by the car when he tripped and fell. One of the occupants came out of the vehicle and stabbed Seunarine in the neck. The vehicle then sped off.

A relative at the scene said Seunarine left home around 4.30 pm on Friday, but did not say where he was going.

Meanwhile, in Tunapuna, Kadeem Sawyer, of Achong Trace, was murdered.

Reports are that Sawyer was sitting on a chair on the Eastern Main Road, opposite the Tunapuna Market, when two men came to purchase doubles from a nearby vendor. 

One of the men whipped out a firearm and shot Sawyer, who ran across the road towards the market. The gunman continued firing. Sawyer was shot four times about the head and upper body before collapsing. Police said the gunman then entered a white Elantra car and escaped.

The fourth killing occurred in Diego Martin around 11.30 am. Dale Mathias was sitting in his white Nissan X Trail outside TruValu Supermarket, when a gunman opened fire on his vehicle.

Mathias was from Rich Plain and is a known community activist. (SH)

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Residents describe police shooting in Laventille as an assassination

At 2.45 pm, the peace in Prizgar Lands, Laventille, was disrupted by rapid gunfire when police shot and killed Nicholas “Bago” Caines, a shopkeeper.

Residents told the Sunday Guardian that Caines, who had marijuana in his possession, was walking in Eastern Quarry, and upon seeing a highway patrol vehicle began running.

Caines ran into a yard at O’ Garro Lane, where he attempted to jump a wall. He was shot once in the leg and twice in the head.

Caines died on the spot.

Yesterday, residents described the shooting as an “assassination.”

As the Government gives the green light for the $5.5 billion Invaders Bay development, the Joint Consultative Council is again renewing its call for an immediate halt on the project.

Accusing the Government of operating under a shroud of secrecy, JCC president Afra Raymond said the project was being done in breach of the Central Tenders Board regulations.

In a telephone interview, Raymond said it has been three years since the JCC, which represents the construction industry, took up the fight to stop the project, which involves the development of 70 acres of land south of Movie Towne, Port-of-Spain. 

“The JCC said in December 2011 that the Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the Ministry of Planning for the development of Invaders Bay was done in breach of the Central Tenders Board Act. 

“The State has claimed to have legal advice on the publication of the RFP but despite several requests from JCC, the State has refused to publish that legal advice and that is what we are challenging in court. 

“The JCC was successful in obtaining a landmark ruling on July 14, 2014, which the State has now appealed. That appeal is due for hearing on November 20,” Raymond said. 

Last October, Planning Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie received legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office authorising the Urban Development Corporation of T&T (Udecott) to lease land at Invaders Bay for the private project. The advice gave Udecott the authority to sublease the land to developers who had been chosen by the ministry after a sole selective tendering process.

Two local companies—Invaders Bay Marine Ltd and Da Chin Commercial Development Ltd—got the nod from Cabinet for their proposals in August.

But Raymond said despite this, the JCC will continue to challenge the Government’s decision to continue the project.

“We will continue to press for the publication of the legal advice which the State is relying upon in this development,” Raymond said. He added that there has been no explanation of the failure or refusal to host public consultations on this large-scale proposed development. 

“This is a case of glaring double standards, when one considers that there have been recent public consultations on the southwest growth pole; the issue of city status for Chaguanas; the review of the Constitution; the redevelopment of King’s Wharf in San Fernando,” Raymond said.

He added, “When Udecott wrote to us on September 25, 2014, on this project, it was noteworthy that they again emphasised their compliance with the recommendations of the Uff Report. Given that the 17th of the Uff recommendations is for consultation before decisions are taken and Udecott is now proceeding with this development—whatever it is—one wonders when will Udecott be hosting the first public consultation on Invaders Bay.”

“More could be done to boost economic development’

Saying the JCC had no objection to private investment on this project, Raymond said more could be done in that area to boost economic development.

“The greater Port-of-Spain region needs to be considered together so that the society can make best use of this unique development opportunity. The redevelopment of east Port-of-Spain must be considered alongside the Invaders Bay matter,” Raymond said.

He added that the possible gains from the development of Invaders Bay must not be confined to a small number of people and must extend beyond basic employment. 

“It is also critical to address the real environmental concerns which arise in a development of this size in this location,” Raymond added.

Told that the Government was using this project as part of its diversification thrust, Raymond said, “Given the repeated emphasis on diversifying our economy away from its habitual reliance on foreign exchange, the JCC believes one of the essential criteria for this development should be that any proposed projects should be net earners of foreign exchange.

“If that was adopted by the State as a tangible commitment to this new type of development, it would immediately exclude a raft of familiar development modes—shopping malls, foreign franchise restaurants, luxury residential and so on. That exclusion would, in turn, open the way for a series of new possibilities which are not at this time visible.

“If the State is unable or unwilling to use prime property like Invaders Bay as ‘springboards’ to promote new development models, when and how will the new models be planted? If not now, when?” Raymond asked.

The chairman of Da Chin Enterprises and Multicinemas Ltd MovieTowne’s parent company, Derek Chin, revealed that his plan is to build themed spaces reflective of the country, such as Indian Street, African Street, Chinese Street, Syrian-Lebanese Street, Fashion Street, etc, to showcase T&T’s cultural heritage and people’s love of shopping.

Justification for Invaders Bay

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In its Request For Proposals document dated October 4, 2011, the ministry said the Invaders Bay project would change the manner in which ports operate and cargo is transported, as waterfront property is now more valuable for its residential, retail and recreational function than simply for port activity with heavy industry, docks and fenced-off warehouses.

The development of the Invaders Bay area will definitely benefit the country both during its construction and operational phases, whilst at the same time producing a significant effect on the civic psyche by giving renewed pride to our nation.

It is expected that the project will:

1. Generate both temporary jobs (albeit over several years) during the construction phase and permanent jobs during the operational phase

2. Add value to the service sector, and contribute to improving the living conditions of the area, and target local companies and subcontractors for the supply of certain components of goods and services

3. Generate foreign exchange earnings

4. Facilitate an expansion of the skills base and the extension of services to the country inclusive of a transfer of technology, especially in “green building technologies” and so develop local entrepreneurship and technical skills

5. Have a demonstrable effect on the other countries in the region, which might follow this example

6. Transform the capital city’s coast line and herald a new age in the development of waterfront urban centres in the region

7. Boost property values in the area

8. Assist the government in realising our vision of making T&T a world-class destination for business and tourism, providing opportunities for greater economic inclusion and facilitating an era of prosperity for all

9. Ensure synergies with the surrounding development and add vitality to adjacent sites, including those in Port-of-Spain city centre and east Port-of-Spain.

Govt not operating in secret —Tewarie

In an interview, Tewarie said it was not true that the Government was operating in a secretive manner.

“As far as I am aware, the JCC is in communication with my permanent secretary and she has written them to indicate that she will respond to their questions,” Tewarie said. “I really don’t see what the charges of secrecy are about. 

“In addition, the matter is before the court, and I cannot and I need to honour the fact that it is before the court. At the same time they are engaging the courts, they are also engaging my PS and they wish to draw me into a public discourse in the newspaper.”

Tewarie said he was “really suspicious of their motivation.”

“I cannot see how they could be claiming the only issue that they are after is a public-interest issue. The facts of their involvement in this matter and the changes in issues over time make it clear that there is more in the mortar than in the pestle,” Tewarie said.

“I take this opportunity to point out that the legal opinion which they are seeking the right to have from the court is clearly already in their possession, because the legal opinions given to the Attorney General’s office have been publicly aired in at least one newspaper.

“I am at a loss to understand what could be their motivation. From my point of view, it could not simply be a public-interest matter,” Tewarie repeated.

The Education Ministry is bracing for possible electrical overloads in the nation’s schools because of the installation of air-condition units in classrooms.

In a bid to prevent any fires or electrical surges, the ministry has already started doing full electrical overhauls in some schools.

Speaking to reporters after touring 18 schools in south Trinidad yesterday, Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh said over $15 million was spent in August to do electrical upgrades in 15 schools.

“A number of schools have installed air-conditioning systems which is throwing a load on the electrical situation. Pretty soon we may have lots of problems,” Gopeesingh said. Earlier this month, the electrical wiring at the Princes Town Presbyterian Primary school caught fire, causing a one-week disruption and subsequent protest action by parents.

However, Gopeesingh said the Education Facilities Company Ltd and MTS will continue to monitor the school conditions to ensure that teachers and students had a safe and comfortable environment. 

Measures taken to stop spread of chikungunya

He also said measures were being taken to prevent the spread of the chikungunya virus.

“We had a campaign started last week to educate and to eradicate in the context of the spread of the Aedes Egypti chikungunya virus and dengue. We want to ensure that all of our schools are safe and clean in their surroundings to prevent the spread of these diseases,” Gopeesingh said. 

He said it was important for students to become actively involved in cleaning up their own environment. 

Praising MTS for leading the way to cleanliness, Gopeesingh said he has seen a marked improvement in how schools are being maintained.

“We have common problems in infrastructure, the toilet areas, the water system, the troughs in the school, the walls, the flooring, the ceiling, the roofs, all of these have been looked at, but I am very pleased to see what is happening regarding the school infrastructure,” Gopeesingh said. 

Throngs of Trincity residents yesterday came out to protest the construction of a proposed five-storey building by Bhagwansingh’s Hardware.

Bearing placards at the proposed site at Trincity Central Road, and accompanied by their Arouca/Maloney MP Alicia Hospedales, the residents chanted in unison “Bhagwansingh must go!”

Hospedales said the residents decided to protest because they were not consulted about the development.

She said they were alarmed to see that a fence was erected on the bank of a water channel, while a guard booth and tool shed were built days after the sod was turned in August.The site is a stone’s throw from the Trincity roundabout.

“The Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation stepped in an issued a work stop order after a complaint was made. The residents are contesting the decision by Town and Country Planning Division to approve the construction of such a facility without consultation,” Hospedales said.

She said the community was already overwhelmed with flooding, traffic congestion, and an overburdened sewage system. The development, she said, would only add to their woes. Some of the areas likely to be affected are Roland, Sunrise, Cassleton and Dinsley, Hospedales said.

The residents said they heard that upon completion of the building, it will be rented as commercial space.

Yesterday, chairman and CEO of Bhagwansingh’s Group of Companies Helen Bhagwansingh said tomorrow the company will issue a statement on the matter.

Almost five years after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, the country is trying to stabilise and expand its flagging economy.

To get the country moving forward, Haiti’s Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development Thomas Jacques has been using the catch phrase “Haiti is open for business” to attract investments.

Addressing regional agriculture ministers and stakeholders at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA) in Paramaribo, Suriname, at the Chamber of Commerce on October 9, Jacques said Haiti was now wooing foreign companies to invest in three areas—agriculture, tourism and trade to stimulate economic development.

The CWA was partly sponsored by the Technical Centre of Agricultural and Rural Cooperation.

While Haiti is on the road to recovery, Jacques said some of its citizens still live on less than US$ 1 a day. The country remains one of the poorest in the Americas.

In the last two years, Jacques said Haiti was able to reduce its poverty rate from 32 to 24 per cent, but more needed to be done.

He said poverty and hunger can be eradication through strategic objectives.

“A new Haiti is coming back. We are confident that Haiti will become a strong nation again. Haiti will not be a problem but a solution with economic development,” Jacques said.

“The ministry of agriculture has created a new unit to help and guide investors coming into the country. If you don’t have a clear project, there are people who can help you put together a business plan.”

He also said if the investor has insufficient funds to start a business, the government can help with finances. 

In the past, Jacques said, it took investors 110 days to register a business in Haiti, now it can be fast tracked in one to five days.

“We are trying to break down the barriers that have been blocking businesses and associations from setting up business in Haiti. It’s one way of making a smooth flow.”

Jacques said his ministry was working to improve food security, reduce poverty, reinforce family farms and promote agro industries.

For this to be achieved, he said infrastructure, irrigation and proper drainage are required.

He said his government also needed to provide a safety net for farmers.

“We are thinking of putting in place credit and insurance for farmers. We had discussions with the World Bank about insurance for farmers against drought, hurricanes and climate change. All this will help re-launch the sector. Investors will not invest if this is not in place.”

Although Haiti has 1,000,000 family farms, the country imports 50 per cent of the food it consumes.

Calls for skilled haitians to return home

According to Jacques, one of their major setbacks was attracting skilled nationals back home.

Droves of Haitians migrated to the Dominican Republic, Caribbean, USA and Canada before and after the 2010 earthquake.

“Fifteen years ago, the government did their best to attract professionals to come back. However, only 100 nationals returned. After working as consultants they wanted to leave. We need the expertise of these people to make it work. They are critical for our development.”

Ambassador of the Bahamas Godfrey Eneas said there were 50,000 Haitians in the Bahamas working in the construction and agriculture sectors.

Of the few investors they have attracted, including USA, Dominican Republic and Mexico, Jacques thanked Jamaica Broiler Group of Companies (JBC) for coming on board.

Two years ago, JBC established a large chicken farm equipped with a feed mill, hatchery and processing plant, costing US $10 million.

It also created jobs for hundreds.

Project manager of JBC Richard Sadler said the biggest challenge for Haiti was “dumped products” which retards the growth of the economy. 

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Some investments in haiti

 In collaboration with the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), the IDB is supporting the government of Haiti to increase agricultural productivity for nearly 30,000 small-scale farmers in the north and north eastern part of the country through a Technology Transfer Program.

The IDB has financed the project with US $15 million, while the GAFSP has injected US $25 million. 

The programme, which was launched in 2012 by Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, has facilitated access to improved seeds and modern agricultural technologies.

 On October 10, Haitian firm Agritrans SA invested US$27 million to cultivate organic plantains exclusively for exportation. The Haitian government injected US $6 million into this project and plan to invest an additional US $15 million in the coming months to increase the plantation to two million banana trees.