The Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (Matt) has expressed “serious concern” over the advertising campaign being run by a group called Citizens 4D Highway. MATT described the campaign as an attack on the media and noted that Citizens 4D Highway had “no identifiable face, no telephone contact and postal address.” The group claims it is being denied its freedom of speech by the editors of the daily newspapers, which have refused to publish most of its advertisements.

They include one, Matt noted, which seemed to refer to Highway Re-route Movement leader Dr Wayne Kublalsingh, who has been on hunger strike for several weeks, as a “human reptile.” The ad in question was designed to look like a news page from the T&T Guardian. Similar ads have been aired on radio and television. After some of its ads were turned down, the group began a campaign calling for “freedom from the press.” 

It has posted them on its Web site, along with photos of what it described as a “silent demonstration” in which young people with their mouths taped shut are pictured in front of images of the offices of Newsday and the Trinidad Express. Matt said in a release yesterday editors were entitled to refuse to publish any advertisement they deemed harmful to their organisation’s image or was defamatory or in poor taste. 

It added: “It is an editor’s right to refuse to print any material, including advertisements in keeping with established standards and policies. According to the Advertising Standards Authority in the United Kingdom, advertisements must not prejudice respect for human dignity.” 

Matt emphasised: “Freedom of speech is of paramount importance to a democracy and on par with freedom of the press. However, Matt does not believe this is an issue of the media taking away an organisation’s constitutional right of freedom of speech.”

Public Administration Minister Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan says the Government is not interfering in the recruitment and selection of individuals for permanent (established and pensionable) positions in the public service, which, according to the law, has been, still is, and will always remain, the remit of the Public Service Commission (PSC).

The minister was responding to comments by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley on Monday that “Government is trespassing on the authority of the Public Service Commission” over a Cabinet note dated September 4.

In a statement late yesterday the minister said contrary to Rowley’s claims, Government was not breaking the law, and continued to uphold and respect the remit of the Public Service Commission for the recruitment, selection and appointment of personnel to established, pensionable positions in the public service.

Seepersad-Bachan explained that the Cabinet note in question dealt with the introduction of a clerical, secretarial and office support relief programme and not on filling established positions in the public service. The minister said what was taking place was the modernising of the public service.

Modernising the public service, she said, would require re-engineering and those posts which were no longer relevant would need to be phased out while new posts would be created to reflect the realities and demands of the 21st-century citizen-centric public service workplace. “The creation of modern jobs is producing new openings for people to enter the public service.

“All these new jobs have gone to the personnel department for the determination of their salary ranges (classification) and these jobs will become pensionable as soon as this exercise is completed,” the minister said. She added: “This means hundreds of new, permanent jobs in the service will become available across all government ministries. At present, many of these new jobs are available only via contract. 

“Our intention is to have these contract positions replaced by pensionable, established positions. The contract positions are ‘untenable,’ and that is why we are working assiduously to create new, professional, pensionable positions in the service.”

The grandfather of the missing one-year-old child from Brasso Seco is calling on whoever has his “heart”, as he called her, or has information on her whereabouts to divulge it so that the family and the community can heal. Speaking with the media yesterday, Steve Amoroso said all he wanted was closure. He added: “We know it have people in the village who know what happened and are not saying anything and some of them incarcerated right now. 

“We want to know what is going on. We want to help the police. “We just want the family back. If they dead, we want them still. We want the case closed and the family back so people could heal and start to live again because people right now dying.” Today is 11 days since the four were last seen. Amoroso’s grandchild, one-year-old Shanaia Amoroso, along with her mother, 19-year-old Jenelle Gonzales, her aunt, 17-year-old Felicia, and their mother 49-year-old Irma Rampersad, have all vanished. 

They were last seen at their Bleu Road, Paria, home last Sunday and were last heard from the day after. Amoroso said although he moved into the area two years ago he wanted back the village he knew which cared for its neighbours. “This hadda stop! We want back we village. We family, dead or alive. My granddaughter is my heart. I want she back, dead or alive,” Amoroso said.

Another resident, Eddie Hill, said in his lifetime of living in the area it was the first something time like this had happened and it has traumatised the community. “I am the son of a mother. I have aunts, sisters, daughters and granddaughters. It is a whole family of women they take. I lost family members and never shed any tears but right now I want to get some answers. This is very sad,” a tearful Hill said.

Both men, like other relatives of the missing family, believe they have been taken and are being held against their will. Amoroso said he was further enraged by the fake reports daily about his granddaughter’s lifeless body being found. “Whoever do this, allyuh have no heart. Why kidnap a little baby and have her living in the bush? Please release them and go allyuh way,” he added.

Police said yesterday they were pursuing all leads after they received a report that two armed men were spotted in a makeshift camp in a christophene patch in the area. They said after getting the report they went to where the gunmen were allegedly spotted but found nothing. Police did not search yesterday for the missing family but allowed villagers to do so. They are also looking for a man who they believe could assist them in their investigations into the disappearance of the four.

JENSEN LA VENDE and SHARLENE RAMPERSAD

Police have shot and killed two suspected robbers in two separate incidents in north and south Trinidad. The first incident took place in Couva on Monday afternoon while the other happened early yesterday in St Augustine. The dead men have been identified as Kwesi de Coteau, 30, of Alexander Street, Corinth Hill, San Fernando, and Jonathon Ramlogan, 18, of Meade Street, El Dorado. 

In the latter incident PC Rodell Phillip was shot in the chest and remained hospitalised last night after he was shot during an exchange of gunfire with Ramlogan and another accomplice. Investigating officers said around 3.30 am Phillip and another member of the Northern Division Task Force were on patrol along the Eastern Main Road when a man stopped them in St Augustine near the tunnel leading to UWI. Police said the man told them he had just been robbed and the two bandits were close by. 

As the police went in the direction pointed out by the victim, they were reportedly shot at. They returned fire. Both Ramlogan and Phillip were shot during the exchange and taken to Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. Ramlogan was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital while Phillip was shot in the chest. The bullet is his right lung. The other robber escaped.

Head of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association Insp Anand Ramesar visited Phillip, who is attached to the Tunapuna Police Station and has three years’ service. Ramesar said while Phillip was resting comfortably, the police were keeping their fingers crossed and praying for a swift recovery as bullet wounds could be very tricky. 

In a telephone interview yesterday, Ramlogan’s uncle Mukesh Lutchman said his nephew had a few infractions in the past and at the time the shootout took place he assumed his nephew was in bed but around 9 am he was told his nephew was dead. He described Ramlogan as a down-to-earth, loving man who cared deeply for his three younger brothers. 

In the other incident De Coteau and another man robbed a cellular store in KK Plaza, at the corner of Noel Street and Southern Main Road, Couva. De Coteau and his accomplice, 18, armed with guns, went into the store at around 4.40 pm on Monday and robbed employees of cash, cellphones and accessories valued over $150,000.

The men locked the employees in a stockroom and escaped onto Noel Street. A report was made to police and Senior Sup Johnny Abraham launched a search. Police spotted the men on La Croix Street. They started shooting and the police returned fire, hitting De Coteau. His accomplice escaped. De Coteau was taken to the Couva Health Facility where he died during surgery.

The second suspect was held later in Couva and is expected to be charged with robbery and gun-related offences. All  the stolen items were recovered. 

Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar yesterday expressed doubt that mediation efforts were possible in the current impasse between Government and the Highway Re-Route Movement (HRM). Speaking to media after the launch of the National Centre for Dispute Resolution at the Hyatt Regency yesterday, Ramadhar said mediation needed to be voluntary.

This comes less than a week after Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran, Ramadhar’s COP colleague, said he would support any mediation between Government and the HRM leader, environmentalist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh. Mediation was first suggested by religious leaders last month. However, Ramadhar said: “There were efforts to mediate by (Works and Infrastructure) Minister Rambachan and it was rejected by civil society.

“In terms of dialogue with Dr Kublalsingh, we are all open to that and I do believe that there comes a moment when across from all of the legal and other issues, that the humanity must be spoken to. “I think it is necessary now for Dr Kublalsingh and all who support him to encourage him that his battle is best fought in his longevity and not in his passing because decisions have been taken on the highway and I recognise the value of Dr Kublalsingh and I admire the conviction to what he believes.

“Nobody wants to see further harm come to Dr Kublalsingh. He is a very valuable citizen and a strong advocate for what he believes in but he cannot have things his way. There must still be an openness in dialogue to end this hunger strike. “At the end of the day a government has to take decisions and stick to it.”

About the centre
The new Centre for Dispute Resolution will provide co-ordination of mediation services as well as assist in the development of legislation for alternative dispute resolution implementation in T&T. Ramadhar said the centre would provide mediation services to government entities and ease the burden of litigation matters before the Judiciary by encouraging government bodies, as well as the general public, to use mediation to solve disputes.

Kublalsingh: We are trying for mediation
Environmental activist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh is still waiting on Government to agree to mediation to resolve the ongoing impasse with the HRM 50 days after he initiated his second hunger strike. Speaking to the T&T Guardian from his D’Abadie home yesterday afternoon, Kublalsingh said he was waiting for a response from Government while trying to conserve his energy.

For the past few days, Kublalsingh’s wife, Dr Sylvia Moodie-Kublalsingh, had said her husband’s condition remained critical and he could not speak. However, the activist said yesterday: “There are a lot of initiatives happening and a lot of calls for mediation from Project 40, Gary Aboud and Mary King. “On our end, we are trying for mediation. I assume the Government is considering it and I await a response. 

“Our position is that mediation should happen.” Kublalsingh said he had not seen a doctor since his admission to the St Clair Medical Centre on October 12.

The man whose expertise lies at the centre of the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin, Dr Rae Furlonge, amid all the controversy, stands by the design. Furlonge, a senior traffic engineer, was contracted by the National Insurance Development Company (Nidco) to make recommendations on how to facilitate the demands of traffic but minimise the disruption and impact. He says: “I’m not pulling punches I have nothing to hide and nothing to gain by hiding anything.”

The studies he led uncovered that more than 100,000 vehicles pass in and out of the southland. Further to this, he says while there are many inter and intra southland transits, “we found that a lot of traffic travelling from North to external, past San Fernando to get down to areas on the western and eastern sides of the peninsula.” Furlonge says he used a scientific approach and his views were based on analyses of traffic counts, origins and destination and travel times.

Antagonists are contesting the viability of many legs of the network, saying there was no need to link rural hubs, but his studies showed that Siparia and Point Fortin were the most inaccessible towns. The highway is designed with a practical capacity of 1,600 cars an hour and the route is primarily the same as proposed by consultant LEA-Trintoplan in 2005. Furlonge said the route was designed to fit traffic needs until 2035 and would accommodate an annual two per cent increase in vehicles.

That’s close to two 200,000 vehicles 20 years from now. A second study using geographic information systems (GIS) was undertaken and had similar findings. It involves a computer programme selecting the best route by working in restrictions, such as wetlands, protected areas, historical sites and gas pipelines. “Amazingly, the computer-generated route was very close to what the manual route done by LEA-Trintoplan achieved,” Furlonge said. 

Asked to settle the controversy “does the route pass through wetlands?” he pointed at a map showing the lagoon in blue, with the road nowhere close. “Look where the lagoon area is. This is the highway, the west side, and this is Mon Desir and Debe. Where are you seeing blue?”

His team also analysed the initial route proposed by the Highway Re-route Movement (HRM). “That’s absurd, because you are simply looking at lines and saying let it function to move traffic,” was his initial reaction. The HRM proposed the expansion of existing local roads into arterial roads, something Furlonge says can never take place in a first-world territory.

“You just want to use roads willy-nilly? Those are local roads. People must be able to walk the roads comfortably,” he said. But Furlonge admitted that while the highway was a must, it was not the solution to traffic. He explained the highway addressed the baseline need for connectivity but it certainly was not the solution, especially as the country approached vehicle saturation.

What is needed, he says, are policies to manage road use since each person in the country travelled by vehicle at least once every day.  The highway, he maintains, provides accessibility to the regions to and within the region’s most traversed areas.

•Conclusion of five-part series tomorrow

Even though former national lightweight boxer Wendell Joseph and his disabled wife Erica have been living rough in the Queen’s Park Savannah for 39 days, the couple have refused an offer by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to move back into their ground-floor apartment at the Embacadere, San Fernando.

HDC managing director Jearlean John explained to the T&T Guardian on Monday in a phone interview that the HDC had outfitted the apartment with a ramp to allow access for Joseph’s wife but the couple insisted they would not move back to Embacadere, as accessibility was not the major issue. 

Joseph said if they moved back to their apartment his wife’s health would only get worse because of neighbours. He said they were still traumatised after the treatment they received, which forced them to leave in the first place. One of the neighbours would purposely pour maggots into his home, he claimed. Another was running an illegal rum shop and they would be kept up for hours late at night because of cursing and food preparation, he continued.

Joseph believes his wife became ill because of this environment which he said his “criminal” neighbours created and added that no matter what, he is not returning. John now says on the basis of the couple’s needs, the HDC has identified a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home at Tarodale Gardens, San Fernando. She hopes the renovations to make the house more accessible for Erica will be completed by the end of the week, so that the couple can move in. 

A flawed disciplinary system within the Police Service has resulted in suspended police officers being paid salaries for years while they await disciplinary action. In 2014, 28 officers were charged with criminal offences. Acting Commissioner Stephen Williams recently announced that since 2011, over 60 police officers had been charged with criminal offences, including rape and murder. These officers, though suspended, sometimes continue receiving their salaries for years.

President of the Police Social and Welfare Association Insp Anand Ramesar, in an interview yesterday, said the current disciplinary process was not working. In some cases, he said, a disciplinary tribunal only fined officers accused of crimes a few days’ pay. Ramesar added: “The challenge is that there are people on suspension for several years, receiving salaries, with no prospect of them being dealt with by the tribunal.

“I know of some cases where the tribunal took over two years to meet and dismissed the matter, citing an abuse of process because of the delay. “What is needed is a recalibration of the process and an injection of capable human resources into the tribunal committees, as well as more administrative clout for the Commissioner of Police.” The Police Service has repeatedly said it was continuing its plan to filter out “rogue officers.” 

A rogue officer, as defined by Williams, is one who has committed crimes, has been involved in corruption or misbehaved in public office. In a telephone interview last week, Williams said the process of removing them was active, as police officers were being prosecuted in court on a weekly basis. “We have been treating it as a priority matter. They are being investigated and prosecuted,” he added.

He said, however, that officers did not undergo disciplinary action unless they were convicted of a crime, and during his tenure so far, no officer had been dismissed, despite being charged with serious crimes.

Different views on process

But Williams’ position was disputed by attorney Ulric Skerritt, who has represented about 15 officers at police tribunals this year. Skerritt said while in the past the service waited until court matters were completed to initiate tribunals, that was not the present process and tribunals were completely independent of court cases. While many of the officers have been charged, very few have been convicted, as many cases are still going on. 

One Special Reserve officer was fined $5,000 in March after being convicted of assaulting a 73-year-old pensioner in south Trinidad. Skerritt said: “Sometimes the tribunals take place after the officer is charged, but before the court matter ends, and the decision taken at the tribunal is not affected by what happens in court.  “The court is of no consequence to the tribunal and I have seen it happen several times where the tribunal takes place before the court matter has ended.

“At the end of the day, if the officer is found guilty at the tribunal and receives disciplinary action, they would have to make their appeal with the Police Service Commission.” Williams said a two-part process was initiated when officers are charged. “First they are suspended and then they are interdicted.” Interdiction, he explained, meant that when an officer was charged a determination was made in terms of salary.

“Then,” he said, “once the officer is convicted, disciplinary action is taken in terms of dismissing them from the organisation.” But Williams said he had not dismissed anyone. “The power of dismissal is only exercisable where a tribunal determines that the penalty that it can impose is not sufficient for a disciplinary offence and refers the matter to the commissioner to impose a more severe penalty. 

“I have not received any such referral since I have been acting as commissioner,” he added. Williams said the service had been making continuous progress against rogue police and he recently ensured that 30 individuals who had admitted to committing illegal acts had been barred from entering the service.

Recent incidents

In September, a sergeant was charged with having sex with a minor, a 15-year-old girl. In another incident in September, four officers — a sergeant, a corporal and two constables — were charged with stealing over $600,000 from a Chinese couple.
Last month three Southern Division officers were charged with robbery, kidnapping, assault, drug possession and misbehaving in public office.

Griffith concerned

\n the absence of a chairman of both the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) and the Police Service Commission (PSC), National Security Minister Gary Griffith said last week he had some concerns about the removal of rogue officers but had confidence in Williams. The PCA, which up until recently was led by attorney Gillian Lucky, is also investigating 19 of 26 killings involving police officers that took place this year.

Canada’s Scotiabank announced in Toronto yesterday that it would close 35 of its over 200 branches in the Caribbean and that it would sever 1,500 full-time employees, including 500 in its international operations. In a news release, Scotiabank said it expected to record certain charges in its fiscal 2014 fourth quarter earnings, aggregating to a total of approximately $451 million pre-tax. 

Of the Caribbean, Scotiabank said: “Due to the prolonged economic recovery and continued uncertain outlook, these additional amounts bring the net carrying value in line with the expected net recoverable value.” The bank said it had started restructuring initiatives “in order to improve the speed and quality of service it provides its customers, to reduce costs in a sustainable manner, and to achieve greater operational efficiencies. 

“The bank intends to record a restructuring provision of approximately $148 million in the fourth quarter. The majority of the restructuring provision relates to employee severance charges in the bank’s Canadian banking and international banking divisions and will affect people at all levels of the organisation.”

The statement said “in international banking, the charges are primarily for closing or downsizing approximately 120 branches, which will allow us to focus on high-growth markets, minimise branch overlap, and realise synergies resulting from recent acquisitions.” In a conference call, Brian Porter, chief executive officer of Scotia, said of 120 branches to be closed across the bank’s network, 35 would be shuttered in Mexico and “about 35” in the Caribbean.

In response to a question from a Canadian banking analyst during the conference call, Porter said: “In some of these (Caribbean) countries, we are just overbranched and we have to size it to the economic realities of these economies.” Scotiabank operates in 21 countries in the region. Scotiabank T&T, which is owned 51 per cent by its Toronto-based parent, was contacted for comment about how the changes would impact on T&T, but did not respond up to press time.

The bank also wrote down the value of its unremitted dividends from a 27 per cent stake of a bank in Venezuela as it “adopted a revised exchange rate.” Scotiabank said it announce its year-end and fourth quarter results for fiscal 2014 on December 5. 

Two incidents at secondary schools over the last 72 hours have again thrust the issue of gang violence into the media glare and the Ministry of Education, T&T Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), and National Parents Teachers Association (NPTA) seeking answers to the disturbing trend. 

In the first incident, an eight-member girl gang at the Carapichaima West Secondary School allegedly turned their anger on a teacher on Tuesday after she attempted to part a fight in which they were involved. The T&T Guardian was told the attack occurred shortly after 12 noon in the school’s hall. The girl gang reportedly picked another student at random and began beating her.

After other school officials tried unsuccessfully to stop the fight, the teacher intervened and was reportedly slapped several times. The stunned teacher eventually left the area and the girls continued beating their victim before the fight died down and they left. On Tuesday there were about six fights at the school, a school official confirmed.

One pupil gave an account of what transpired that day: “The hall was filled with children screaming, shouting and cheering on the girls that were fighting. It was so much chaos. “The MTS security guard, a woman, tried to part the fight but then she walked away maybe because she was afraid. Even the teacher and another school official tried to part the fight but were struck by the fighting girls.

“The librarian was selling poppies at the time of one of the fights and the children knocked down one of the blackboards. I was so frightened that I ran away to a safe place.” The pupil said there were rumours that two of the fighting girls sustained sprains and bruises during the melee. “I heard that one of them, their hand broke, but I am not sure. The girls in the gang walk around and pull random pupils and beat them up just so.

“We don’t see the police coming in so we think that the teachers not even reporting it to the police. We are scared and don’t know if we are safe here anymore.” Some students are reportedly now afraid to go to school because fights are increasing daily and they are constantly being bullied by the all-girl gang. 

The members of the girl gang are said to be in Form Five and wear improper uniforms, including a shorter version of the red and blue plaid skirt, and sometimes refuse to wear the navy blue tie and belts around their waists. Some of the male students at the school also allegedly sell marijuana on the compound.

Contacted yesterday, principal Phyllis Lutchman denied the incident occurred. Pressed further, she said she was not at liberty to speak to the media and directed all queries to the communications unit at the Education Ministry.

NPTA concerned
Also contacted for comment, National Parents Teachers Association president Zena Ramatali said she was trying to contact the secretary of the region to find out whether reports of such violence were being made. She also called on supervisors at the ministry to look into the school’s administration in an attempt to bring some sort of solution.

She asked: “We definitely have to look at putting measures in place, in terms of the pupils. Why are they engaging in fights in the school? Where are the teachers? “What programmes are the school putting in place to help these children, who surely have social problems,” she added. Ramatali even suggested that schools throughout the country be upgraded with security monitoring and surveillance units.

“This would enable us to see what’s happening in our schools and allow us to deal with it accordingly,” she said. Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial said she was unaware of any specific incident at the school but promised to see if she could assist in any way possible. Also yesterday, students at the Tranquility Government Secondary School damaged a teacher’s car after they threw a scratch bomb at it. 

When the device exploded the Nissan Almera’s back glass was shattered. It was allegedly done by a student who was part of a group who were setting off the scratch bombs throughout the day. One school official said the students have promised to continue the activity today.

Efforts to contact Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh for comment on both incidents were unsuccessful yesterday as calls to his cellphone went unanswered. He had earlier attended a meeting with stakeholders in Couva but the issue of violence in schools was not seriously raised.

Two Trinidadians had a brush with the law in India earlier this week, after they were suspected of attempting to hatch a jailbreak in Ajmeer, Rajasthan. Cousins Mariel and Amanda Sabga, in India to attend the wedding of a friend they met at university, were initially questioned by police after the hot air balloon carrying them landed in the middle of a prison on Tuesday, sparking a major security alert, Sky News reported.

Authorities in the prison had feared the balloon’s occupants were trying to rescue inmates when they saw it approaching, since the area is a high security zone. As such, they had already confined all the inmates to their barracks by the time it landed. The women boarded the balloon in Pushkar to get an aerial view of the region’s famous annual animal fair. But pilot Dhawal Kedar lost control in high winds and ended up having to force a landing inside the jail after he crossed security lines.

The Sabgas and the pilot were questioned for nearly two hours until the police were convinced the incident was an accident. The policemen, the women said, were polite and courteous. All hot air balloon rides over the fair were cancelled as a result of the incident. A case has also been filed against the tour operator for “unlawful entry” into the jail and their licences were revoked.

The cousins yesterday opted for a safer and uneventful ride on an elephant.

Either the Government accept the process as outlined in the Armstrong Report or accept the optimum connectivity proposal alternative to the Debe to Mon Desir Highway or face the irreparable harm or death of leader of the Highway Re-Route Movement (HRM) Dr Wayne Kublalsingh. This was the position taken by Kublalsingh in another bid to bring resolution to the controversial Debe to Mon Desir portion of the extension of the Solomon Hochoy Highway to Point Fortin 

He completed Day 50 of his second hunger strike yesterday. The environmentalist said that was not an ultimatum to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar but rather an analysis by the HRM on the matter. He warned if he were to die there would be “myriad and widespread” social, political and psychological impacts. Asked what he hoped to achieve by that Kublalsingh said he still hoped there would be mediation.

“All we could do is just hope, wait and I have to continue to try. I am absolutely positive now that they would be thinking about the situation. “All I can do is offer them my prayers so they could find the best way forward for the country,” Kublalsingh added. In a statement yesterday Kublalsingh said the Government, after three years of vicious attacks on the HRM and its principles had failed to defeat the movement.

He said its money, rhetoric, power, violence and propaganda have boomeranged towards it at every turn and knocked it from the moral high ground. He added: “The Government has attempted to make us into the Jews of Nazi Germany; select persons, unbecoming of the dignity of their party, have acted as storm-troopers to harass, demoralise and denigrate. 

“Thank God our cosmopolitan Trinidad and Tobago has risen up and supported us. The Government is now a minority force in this battle and is in a lose, lose, lose situation. It must mediate to save itself.” He said he had no problem to die as that was a decision he had already made. On his health he said he felt very strong spiritually, especially since he was visited by a RC priest who prayed with him for a lengthy period yesterday.

The activist said over the past three years public office holders have launched a systematic pattern of abuse against members of the HRM and other citizens of Debe to Mon Desir. See Page A6

Kublalsingh’s claims of abuse include:

• Physical violence and threats, using intimidation, threats, police, army and weapons and police dogs.
• Attempts to bribe and cajole citizens to accept relocation and compensation.
• Use of personal attacks and propaganda to vilify and deliberate distort the HRM’s message.
• The use of CEPEP and partisan individuals to attempt to intimidate citizens and HRM members at meetings and press conferences.
• Stonewalling, prevarication and procrastination to treat with HRM’s concerns.
• Failure to sincerely comply with assurances given to the HRM and the denial of such assurances.
• Wilful neglect of HRM’s letters and offers to meet.
• Disrespectful attitude to citizens and HRM members at private meetings with officials, including sarcasm, irony, anger and expulsion.
• Possible illegal influence of persons in public and private institutions to attack and distort the HRM’s advocacy and deny fair process.
• The overall bad handling of peaceful advocacy. 
• Use of prevarication and procrastination in the legal process, while expediting works in the ground.
• Lack of transparency and accountability involving possible instances of white collar criminality.

Saying that all these issues had led to an escalation and prolonging of the impasse Kublalsingh added: “Owing to the fact that our citizens and members have refused to relent and have acted with restraint under the above abuses the Government has now backed itself into a corner and narrowed their range of choices. 

“The Highway Re-Route Movement is expectant that the leaders of Government will now accept the long-expressed calls for transparency, accountability and for a process of tripartite mediation to begin,” he added. 

Protest outside Parliament

Members of the HRM have been rallying supporters as they prepare to gather outside the Waterfront Complex, Port-of-Spain when Parliament reconvenes tomorrow. Spokesman Satu Ramcharan said several civil society groups have also expressed interest in coming out in their numbers to lend support. She added it was a pity Persad-Bissessar had taken no steps to mediate.

Some HRM members staged a small, silent gathering outside the office of President Anthony Carmona yesterday to show their solidarity for Kublalsingh. Members of the Project 40 movement, who have also pledged their support to the HRM, are also expected to be outside Parliament tomorrow.

Point Fortin resident Daniel George, who was the 24th person to take part in a 24-hour “relay fast” yesterday, said he wanted to be part of a cause which fought for good governance. “That is what I think should motivate any real concerned citizen of T&T. Now that people are getting the correct information through this cause I think it would make a great impact,” George added.

Some 42 civil society groups have knocked Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar who had expressed doubt whether mediation would solve the current Debe to Mon Desir impass. While fielding questions from members on the media at a recent function Ramadhar had said: “There were efforts to mediate by Minister Rambachan (Suruj) and was rejected by civil society." But in a press release yesterday, the groups said that was a misrepresentation of the position held by civil society members.  

It added that Rambachan was a party to the dispute and therefore could not be a mediator. 

"The civil society groups have been consistent in our stance on this issue as evidenced by the press release of October 12 which states 'The HRM and Dr Kublalsingh agreed to mediation of this issue from the time it was called for five days ago by religious leaders. Our role as civil society is to support calls for mediation to resolve differences through dialogue and to encourage the Government to follow due process in accordance with good governance practices’.”

The groups added they readily accepted an invitation on October 15 with Rambachan and Nidco. "Our letter of acceptance of Minister Rambachan’s meeting said, 'As our letter to the Prime Minister stated solutions can be arrived at through dialogue and commitment to achieve win-win outcomes’. The creation of the space for this dialogue can properly take place in a meeting such as you have now proposed in your letter.

"Our opening statement at the meeting explained that the Prime Minster stated that her government had considered the Armstrong Report. “We accept this assertion but we do not have expertise in these areas and therefore cannot judge the merits of such an assertion. “We cannot assess any particular aspect of the Armstrong Report or the optimum connectivity proposal. Our concern is the process, which would help us be able to live together in our communities,” the release added.

A Princes Town mother wants to know how her son, Navin Bheesham-Singh, died from a rare flesh-eating bacterium, five days after a doctor diagnosed and treated him for a pinched nerve. An autopsy at the mortuary of the San Fernando General Hospital gave the cause of his death as septic shock necrotizing fasciitis of the right limb

According to the Centres for Disease Control, necrotizing fasciitis is a serious bacterial infection that spreads rapidly and destroys the body’s soft tissue. Known as a flesh-eating infection, this rare disease can be caused by different types of bacteria. Navin Singh, of Gajdhar Lands, Princes Town, died on October 30, two days after his 30th birthday, and was cremated on November 2 at the Shore of Peace. He was the first of the four children of his parents, Bhagwantee and Andy Weekes. 

He worked as a welder with a contractor at Petrotrin and had set a date to marry his girlfriend of five years, Janice Soogrim, on April 16 next year. Soogrim had already ordered and received her wedding dress. Bhagwantee Singh-Weekes yesterday went public with a plea for all doctors, including Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan, to examine her child’s case and tell her what went wrong. 

She said the bacteria not only destroyed the flesh, fat and muscles of her son’s leg but caused all of his organs to fail. She believes if he had been properly diagnosed when he first sought attention, he might have been alive today. She said the death of her first-born had caused her no end of grief and promised to leave no stone unturned until she got justice.

“Please, please look at it, Madam Prime Minister, anybody, and tell me why my child is dead today. Investigate, analyse and tell me, so I can get some closure,” Singh pleaded at a news conference at the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union headquarters, Paramount Building, San Fernando.   

His father, Andy Weekes, said he wanted to know why the doctors did not carry out the proper procedure to examine and diagnose Navin. “Why, when he went, they told him he had a pinched nerve and based on that theory, gave him an injection with steroids? “You must have an MRI or X-ray to determine if you have a pinched nerve. You can’t just watch a person and diagnose him with a pinched nerve. 

“Why, when he went back on Monday night to the hospital, they gave him another injection? Why did they not take a blood test?” the grieving father asked. 

‘Pinched nerve misdiagnosed’

Navin’s parents said he had no existing medical condition before October 2, when he went to the Princes Town District Health Facility with a pain in his right knee. His mother said they thought he had contracted chikungunya, as she and two other members of the family had had the virus. His sister, Shanika Weekes, said because Singh was in so much pain, his parents took him to the health facility. As he was an adult, they were not allowed to go with him to see the doctor.

Weekes said he came back out a short while later and told his parents he had been given an injection and a prescription for steroids. She added over the weekend the pain intensified and on  October 27 he could barely walk as his leg was swollen. He went back to the health facility and this time, Weekes added, he was so weak, he had to be put in a wheelchair and wheeled in.

His mother, who accompanied him again, interjected to say he came out after approximately five minutes with the doctor. “I asked him what happened and he told me he got another injection. He was wearing a short pants and I enquired what the doctor said about his leg. Navin told me the doctor did not examine him,” she said.

Weekes said by Wednesday morning, her brother’s condition had deteriorated further and they again took him back to Princes Town facility where once again he had to be put in a wheelchair, as he could not get out of the car on his own. When they got inside, his parents were told they had to wait as there were many patients ahead of him.

Bhagwantee said she called her sister, who had a friend working there, and that friend, taking one look at Singh, saw his eyes were yellow and rushed him in to see the doctor on duty. “At this point,” Weekes said, “the doctor called my mother and asked her why she was now bringing Navin to seek medical attention. My mother told him he was here twice before. “The doctor turned to my mother and told her, ‘Your son is dying’.”

She said her brother was transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital where he was first taken to the resuscitation room and then to the Intensive Care Unit. Doctors explained that the infection, which had become poisonous, had spread throughout his body and all his organs were failing. They said it was a rare case and explored possible causes with the family. 

She said the doctors also informed the family they had to take Navin into the operating theatre to relieve some of the stress on his leg and that amputation was also an option. He died on October 30.

About the bacterium
Necrotizing fasciitis is a serious bacterial infection that spreads rapidly and destroys the body’s soft tissue. Known as a flesh-eating infection, this rare disease can be caused by different types of bacteria. It happens when bacteria enter the body through breaks in the skin such as a cut, scrape, burn, insect bite or puncture wound. Most people who develop this condition may have diabetes, kidney disease, cancer or other chronic health conditions that weaken the body’s immune system. 

Symptoms include:
• Pain or soreness, similar to that of a "pulled muscle". 
• Warm skin with red or purplish areas of swelling. 
• Ulcers, blisters or black spots on the skin. 
• Fever, chills, fatigue and vomiting. 

Treatment usually includes an antibiotic injection to a vein but because the bacterial toxins can destroy soft tissue and reduce blood flow, rapid surgical removal of dead tissue may also be required. Once a person’s immune system is strong and they practise good hygiene and proper wound care, the chances of getting necrotizing fasciitis are extremely low. Source: Centres for Disease Control

Human resource official Cherrie Ann Crichlow-Cockburn, daughter of late PNM Senator Nathaniel Crichlow, was among nominees screened yesterday by the PNM for the Lopinot/Bon Air seat. PNM general secretary Ashton Ford confirmed yesterday’s screening continuation at Balisier House for that seat and others in the East-West Corridor.

Crichlow’s father had served as a PNM senator for ten years over periods between 1963 and 1986 and was the first president general of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (which current PP Senate Vice President James Lambert now heads), as well as serving in other aspects of the labour field

Other Lopinot/Bon Air nominees were businessman Waldron Louison who PNM officials said was among those PSA members involved in the 2011 fracas at PSA headquarters with PSA leader Watson Duke. Also screened for that seat was public sector workers Jervon Abraham. Listed for screening for Cumuto/Manzanilla were vice-chairman of the Sangre Grande Corporation Barry Lochan, David Alphonso (Sangre Grande corporation alderman) and insurance executive Litty Molino.

Listed for screening for St Augustine were businessman Nirvan Balkissoon, company director Alisha Romano and project manager Jermilla Cato. PNM officials have remained silent on recently reported hints that senior magistrate Lucina Cardinez-Ragoonanan was among frontrunners tipped for the San Fernando East seat held by former leader Patrick Manning. 

Ragoonanan is the wife of PNM frontliner Harry Ragoonanan who played a main role — among others — in PNM activities since advent of the current Keith Rowley administration. Meanwhile, Port-of-Spain South hopeful, former city mayor Louis Lee Sing, who intends challenging incumbent Marlene McDonald for candidacy for the seat, has continued lobbying and meeting with party groups in Duncan and Piccadilly Streets, Port-of-Spain, and Woodbrook. 

He started doing that while awaiting on word about screening for the seat. He recently wrote constituency chairman on the issue, seeking information on all party groups, PNM chairmen and secretaries in the area. Lee Sing said in his letter his request was in keeping with PNM leader Keith Rowley’s announcement there would be equity and fairness in the screening process. 

Lee Sing said the Port-of-Spain South chairman responded to his request, saying there was no screening yet for that seat and when that was on, he would be notified of party groups. Lee Sing was not available for comment yesterday on why he sought the information. But PNM Port-of-Spain South sources said there had been long-standing concerns about “ghost party groups” in that constituency and they hoped that would not be an issue in the screening exercise.

Port-of-Spain South chairman Jean Elder was unavailable yesterday and incumbent McDonald said she had “absolutely no comment “ and did not know about any “ghost party groups.”

The official call by acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams on Tuesday for his men to wear their bulletproof vests was just a reiteration for the adherence of safety protocols, public information officer of the Police Service, ASP Joanne Archie, said yesterday during the weekly police press briefing. On Tuesday Williams ordered his divisional heads to ensure their men wear their vests after PC Rodell Phillip was shot in the chest during a shoot-out with Jonathan Ramlogan. 

Ramlogan, 17, died in a gun battle while Phillip is warded in a serious condition at the Eric Williams Medical Complex, Mt Hope, having been shot in the chest. The bullet pierced his right lung as it exited his body. Asked about the call made by Williams, Archie said officers were always required to wear protective gear whenever going on the field and the call was just a reminder in light of what happened.

When asked if there was enough bulletproof vests for every officer, Archie was unable to say but an audit, she added, would be conducted to determine if that was the case. She said she would not be able to give a time frame as to when the audit would be completed. Archie added t when recruits became police officers they were issued bulletproof vests and whenever they went missing the officers were held accountable.

Archie said with the reiterated order any officer found in breach would be penalised. She added: “As it stands now once the (acting) Commissioner of Police gives the order and there is a breach, certainly that becomes a breach of discipline and the officers will be dealt with according to what is laid down. “The officer will be served with notice identifying breach then he has 30 days to respond and if found guilty by the tribunal he could be fined some days pay.” .

Archie was unable to say if any action would be taken against Phillip for not wearing his vest, adding that there are “so many things will have to be looked at, including the reasons as to why he was not wearing the vest.” 

Concern over vacancies in PCA

When questioned about the non-appointment for the head of both the Police Service Commission and the Police Complaints Authority after their respective heads — Prof Ramesh Deosaran and Gillian Lucky — resigned, Archie said the Police Service was concerned by the vacancies. She added that despite their absence the work of the service continued. She said she could not speak on behalf of Williams but as a police officer she was concerned. 

She added: “Certainly the work goes on. As we speak tribunals are being conducted and police officers are being charged for disciplinary matters so the process is continuing. “We have to do what we have to do as a police service and  an independent body will do what they have to do but that should not debar members of public from making complaints’ “They can go to any police station and it will be investigated in the same way.” 

Works and Infrastructure Minister Suruj Rambachan has agreed to enter into mediation talks to settle his defamation lawsuit against his former Cabinet colleague and leader of the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) Jack Warner. High Court Judge James Aboud was due to set deadlines for the filing of evidence in the case yesterday. However, when the case was called in the Port-of-Spain High Court, Warner’s lawyer Keith Scotland suggested the parties resolve the case out of court. 

Rambachan’s lawyer Kelvin Ramkissoon said his client was not opposed to the move but expressed reservations over the private nature of a judicial settlement conference mediated by a High Court Judge, suggested by Scotland. “Sometimes these conferences do not find itself in the public domain. Because of the vile and vicious comments in this case we may wish for some sort of public statement or apology,” Ramkissoon said.

Aboud responded by saying he supported the idea and would try to find one of his colleagues with vast experience in defamation lawsuits to preside over the conference. He also stated that Ramkissoon’s concern over a public response could be resolved through the discussions with Scotland.

In his lawsuit, Rambachan claimed Warner made “malicious, reckless and irresponsible” comments against him while speaking at an ILP political meeting in New Settlement, Caroni, on July 23, last year. 

“By reason of the publication of the words complained of by the defendant, the claimant (Rambachan) has been and will be greatly injured in his good name and position, brought into public scandal and disrepute, and held up in the contempt, ridicule and shame with and among relatives, friends, acquaintances, constituents and citizens of T&T,” Rambachan’s lawsuit stated. 

Rambachan was in court for yesterday’s hearing but Warner was absent. The politicians will return before Aboud on February 9, next year, to inform him if the settlement conference was successful. If no agreement is made, the lawsuit will proceed for trial before Aboud.  

With pain etched on his face grieving father Eric Knights begged acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams for help to find his son Michael, who has been missing since August. The Gasparillo father, clutching a flyer with a photo of his missing son on Tuesday night, pleaded with Williams as he addressed a police town meeting at Gasparillo Secondary School, Bonne Aventure.

Michael, 25, of Third Street, San Fabien Road, Springland, Gasparillo was last seen on August 5 at the Marabella Secondary School where he works as a stores attendant with National Maintenance Training and Security Company Ltd (MTS). Knights told the Police Commissioner, together with the top brass in the Southern Division such as ACP Donald Denoon and Senior Supt Cecil Santana, he had been searching for his son for three months.

He said he made a report at the Marabella police station and also in Port-of-Spain because he was not satisfied with the response by police in the Southern Division. “I am not saying they not doing anything, but tomorrow will be three months since my son missing and I am pleading for your help, I am asking you, Mr Commissioner, to help me find my son. It is three months since I have not seen my son. I am pleading that they pay special attention to my son,” Knights said.

The grieving father struggled for words as he declared that he had done everything he could do to help the police. He put forward an example to Williams that if Knights were missing and Williams had his bank card, “Ent something wrong? If you calling my cellphone and it switch off...That’s all I have to say.” Knights then walked out of the auditorium with his hand covering his face. He returned shortly after as Williams was responding to his plea.

The commissioner said he did not have any information on Michael’s disappearance, but assured he would follow up on the investigation. He said in missing-person cases the Anti-Kidnapping Squad and the Homicide Investigation Unit would be engaged to help support the efforts of the police station in the investigation. Williams said he felt Knights’ pain as a father whose son has been missing for months without clear word.

“It is really about finding a way to locating him, with the help of the police and the community. I will get some feedback. We will see how best we can assist,” Williams told him. Santana said Knights was being updated on the investigation into his son’s disappearance by inspector in charge of crime Don Gajadhar. He also revealed that a suspect had been held and interrogated, but “no evidence was unearthed in respect of prosecution.

“The investigation into your son’s disappearance is continuing feverishly. I want to assure you that every effort will be made to find your son and take whatever action is necessary in prosecuting,” Santana said. Tabaquite MP Dr Surujrattan Rambachan, who addressed the meeting, said he was disappointed that it was poorly attended. Rows of chairs stood vacant and at one point there were more police officers than members of the public. He also lamented that it was poorly advertised. 

While some members of the public complained about the tardy response from police at the Gasparillo station, others commended the officers for keeping the community safe. Among the concerns raised were poor traffic management and the failure to address complaints about noise pollution from bars. 

The Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin project is 34 per cent complete and with several sections already open, traffic experts say the effects are already being felt. Despite the project having its roots with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), at a subsequent meeting with the bank in 2010 it indicated its unwillingness to fund the project.

Several financial experts explained it had become a norm for Government to seek international funding with low-interest loans for mega development projects like these. Former Minister of Planning, Mary King, who was at that 2010 meeting, said the IDB cited improper tendering processes, not enough local involvement and a steep tender prices for their refusal.

The project carried an engineer’s price tag of $3.5 billion, but the Brazilian firm Construtora OAS won the tender for the project with the lowest bid of $5.3 billion, with an additional $2 billion spent on the acquisition of land and relocations—taking the total cost to $7.3 billion. Contracts like this, on international tender, follow the Fidic model, which covers everything from the discovery of fossils to delays, variations and termination.

Commercial advocate Terrence Bharath commented on the possible penalties involved if the project is to be temporarily halted, re-routed or terminated altogether. He explains: “Fidic is an international standard of terms and conditions of contracts used to govern projects across the world.”

He says these universal terms and conditions become important in cases where foreign firms operate on local soil. OAS, he says, having completed many such projects internationally, would be cognisant of the many bumps to be encountered along the road. “Under Fidic, it typically provides that nine out of ten times, if a problem occurs beyond their control: your problem, not mine,” Bharath said.

As a result, the foreign company may be entitled to demand compensation for ordered material, mobilisation and demobilisation. Fidic provides for temporary work stoppages or delays due to natural disasters, wars, and even protests. “The Highway Re-route Movement (HRM) chaining themselves to equipment and stopping work from happening is nothing that is glaringly out of the ordinary," the attorney said.

And while the employer (in this case the State) usually bears the brunt of the cost, OAS must serve a notice to Nidco within 28 days to ask for an extension or compensation. One such incident occurred in 2012. A court affidavit filed by OAS reads: “When OAS attempted to carry out works, they impeded and threatened our workmen and other personnel. This has contributed to delays as OAS was unable to carry on works on the site during this period.”

Compensation might certainly be an entitlement, explained Bharath. GML could not confirm whether OAS pursued that issue. “The size and value of the contract demands some sort of mutual understanding between parties,” Bharath added, saying OAS may not necessarily make demands for every inconsistency. But the company did not take things lightly when an incident occurred later that year.

OAS wrote: “Members of the Highway Re-route Movement and persons unknown damaged pieces of our equipment including GPS surveying equipment valued over £50,000 and hurled abuses at our workmen and other personnel.” OAS did, in this instance, request monetary compensation.

“What the clauses would provide there—one would look to see if OAS was negligent in leaving equipment unprotected, and if they were not, and this was a malicious act, then that cost would be passed on to the State,” Bharath explained. The HRM is calling for a re-route of the Debe to Mon Desir section of the highway, but because the project was a design-and-build package, this would likely involve a price variation.

Bharath says: “There is flexibility always in these contracts for variation, but again the project manager, National Insurance Development Company (Nidco), and the State will ultimately pay. The question is, is the variation so great that it will cause a deviation from what was originally intended?”

But the situation could be more complex, as OAS would have entered into contracts with local sub-contractors. Variations can involve amended terms or termination altogether. “All these companies would have subcontracts with the main contractor (OAS) who then becomes liable to claims under those subcontracts. That (claims) would eventually be passed on to Nidco and the State,” Bharath said.

As Bharath puts it, these contracts are governed by one golden rule: “When these contractors come into your country, they always make it clear in the contracts that whatever happens on your soil and it’s not my fault, I’m always compensated in a certain way.”

more info
According to Fidic it's always the employers prerogative to terminate the contractor, but not without paying these costs:
•Return performance security
•Pay for the amount of work done.
•Cost of plant and material ordered for work
•Cost incurred by expectation of completed works
•Cost of removal of temporary works
•Cost of repatriation of staff and labour

The amount of any loss of profit or other loss or damage sustained as a result of this termination

Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) has entered into an agreement to acquire Columbus International Inc. for US$1.85b.

If completed, the purchase will make CWC by far the Caribbean’s largest wholesale and retail broadband service provider. CWC currently serves 5.7m residential customers with a suite of fixed telephony, high-speed broadband, television, and mobile services. 

The deal will give CWC ownership of Columbus International’s three operating divisions—Columbus Networks' subsea fibre infrafructure; its Columbus Business Solutions division; and its crown jewel Flow which services 700,000 Caribbean households with triple-play services. 

The acquisition of Columbus adds a significant pay-TV operation and so-called next-generation fiber network to Cable & Wireless’s existing businesses, Bentley said.

CWC is funding the deal by paying $707.5 million in cash, issuing 1.5 billion new shares to Columbus investors and placing shares worth nearly 10 per cent of the company on the markets. According to filings with the London Stock Exchange, CWC estimates that the combined entity will be able to achieve recurring annualised pre-tax cost synergies of about $85 million. 

However, initial market reaction to the announcement was unfavourable, with CWC share price falling 6.3 per cent to 45.85 pence in London after issuing shares to pay for the US$1.85bn deal.