My name is Adanna Jackson-Idoko and I am young, ambitious and have a big heart.

I went to live with my father’s sister in Barataria at the age of three, after my mother passed away. My aunt and uncle were more financially capable of giving me a better future. But I live in San Juan seven years now, with my dad. I have no memory of my mother; only a photo. I have six other siblings, three boys, three girls. I’m the last.

I went to Newtown Girls’ RC and passed for Tranquility, but transferred to Bishop Anstey East. I liked school. Now that I left it.

I regret not being focussed in school: it prevented me from getting a stable job with a comfortable salary. I have plans to go back to school. That’s the only way I could acquire the wealth that I have intentions of accumulating.

My husband’s name is Prince Ene Idoko. I’ve been with him a year now.

He cooks Nigerian food for me, like ochro soup! With different meats in it, like in the Nigerian movies. I would love to go to Nigeria. But it’s TT$21,000 for a ticket.

I would love to have kids. But the financial situation isn’t what it should be yet.

It’s a hard thing, to make your way in the world: to acquire a home, a car, a little job. I watch a lot of motivational videos on YouTube that helps empower me to think more positively. It helps in my everyday situations: instead of telling myself I can’t do something, I tell myself I can.

I’m a firm believer in God and Christianity is what I follow but I don’t like divisions when it comes to God. And I admit I’m a backslider when it comes to going to church.

I’m not much of a Carnival person. I was never much of a big limer.

You have to hold on to something. If is not money, you have to hold on to God.

I like alternative rock, R&B, a little bit of soca. And I’ve begun to like Nigerian music of late.

A lot of people say I speak very maturely, for my age. Is probably because of my past. I’ve had a lot of job and personal experiences for age 24.

I grew up very, very sheltered with my aunt and uncle, very little access to the social life: no cellphone; had to dress a certain way; Disney Channel was my favourite because that was the only one I was allowed to watch. That forced me to run away at the age of 16. And play big woman, curious to see what life holds. I’ve done a lot of living for my age; but that’s what makes me special and stronger.

My hero is my same aunt I ran away from, who is like my mommy. I admire the class and calibre of woman she is.

Now that I’m out here in the hard world, I’m realising the value of a dollar. Things were given to me when I was young. Now, working and cooking and cleaning and making a life with my husband, I now seeing what it is to be an adult with responsibilities.

I have a big heart. Seeing how people [are] treated out here, I [want] to be either a motivational speaker or even a prime minister. I want to have a grand impact on the people I live amongst. A lot of people have it hard and don’t have anybody. I’m one of the people who might feed a vagrant when I get pay. Is hurt my heart. And I say to myself, “If ever I was in a position to make that different, I would”. That’s why I say I have a big heart.

Some people with money have hearts. Working in customer service in Westmoorings, I’ve met a lot of them. Not all of them snobby in attitude. Some are really, really nice people.

I hope one day, if I can’t be a prime minister, to open a non-profit organisation geared at helping people that need help. To become a prime minister, you have to join a political party and it’s a bit corrupting to have to deal with people who have already corrupted the system. I wanted to make my own path but everybody telling me it not likely.

A Trini is somebody free-spirited, hardworking and love to lime.

T&T is my family: full stop.

Read a longer version of this feature at www.BCRaw.com

The National Security Ministry is investigating the cause of death of former National Security Minister Martin Joseph, whose body was recovered January 5 from a beach in Tobago.

According to reports, Joseph, who was on vacation, left Skylark Villas around 7 am. Some time after, he went swimming at Grange Bay with a friend, George Caruth of Haleland Park, Maraval.

Joseph got into difficulty and Caruth was unable to help him to safety, reports said.

Officers at the Old Grange Police Station said they responded to a call and went to the beach, where they retrieved Joseph's body, with the help of a 17-year-old young man.

Joseph's body was brought to shore at about 8.50 am, according to reports. 

In a release issued January 5, the National Security Ministry confirmed that the body was positively identified as Joseph, and said they were probing his death.

Rough seas
The beach is known for large swells and is frequented by surfers. T&T Meteorological Office has recently been issuing rough seas bulletins for the west coasts of Trinidad and Tobago. Similar conditions are expected to persist at least until Wednesday, a Met Office spokesperson said on January 5.

The T&T Coast Guard got a call 8.05 am on January 5 that Joseph went missing after he went swimming at approximately 7.40 am, the Ministry of National Security statement said.  The Coast Guard base in Tobago was notified and searched for Joseph at sea. 

"It was during their search the body washed ashore near Grange Bay and was recovered by the Old Grange Police," the release said.

Condolences pour in
National Security Minister Gary Griffith and the Ministry of National Security extend condolences to the family and friends of Joseph and the People’s National Movement (PNM), the release said.

Political leader of the PNM Dr Keith Rowley hailed Joseph as a "stalwart" and described him as the Deputy Campaign Manger of the 2015 general elections.

Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Orville London described Joseph as "a good friend, a good comrade, a good colleague."

THA Secretary for Tourism and Transportation Secretary Tracy Davidson Celestine described his death as "a significant loss for the People's National Movement."

THA Heath and Social Service Secretary Claudia Groome Duke described him as the "lifeblood of the organisation."

THA Secretary of Community Development and Culture Denise Tsoiafatt-Angus described him as "a dear friend, a colleague and a key team player for the People's National Movement."

COP Chairman Nicole Dyer Griffith also extended condolences to the family and colleagues of the decesaed former minister.

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According to the T&T Parliament website, from 1995 to 2002, Mr. Joseph was the elected Member of Parliament for the St. Ann's East Constituency. His appointment as a Cabinet Minister in the Trinidad and Tobago Government began in 2001 when he assumed the portfolio of Minister of Public Utilities and the Environment. In October 2002, Mr. Joseph was made a Government Senator and was given the portfolio of Minister of Housing, an appointment he held until November 2003. Mr. Joseph was appointed Minister of National Security in November 2003.

The People’s National Movement (PNM) has been thrown into mourning after the death of former National Security Minister Martin Joseph.

Joseph died on January 5 while vacationing with friends in Tobago.

According to reports, Joseph was staying at the Skylark Villa, Running Ground, Mt Irvine when he left with his friend George Caruth of Haleland Park, Maraval around 7 am to take a swim at nearby Grange Bay. The Guardian understands that during the swim Joseph got into difficulty, and Caruth tried to assist but failed. 

Responding to calls made to the Old Grange Police Station, two officers arrived at the beach where they saw the body floating away from the shore. 

The Guardian understands, with the assistance of 17-year-old Zen Orion, PC Quamina, who was in uniform, changed his clothes, swam out and retrieved the body around 8:50 am.

District Medical Officer Dr. Kale Ferguson visited the scene, examined the body and ordered it removed to the Scarborough Hospital mortuary, pending an autopsy.

The body was identified by George Caruth and former CL Financial director Andre Monteil, both of whom were staying at the Skylark Villa with Joseph.

PC Quamina of the Old Grange Police Station is continuing investigations. 

Grange Bay is a small beach just before the entrance of the popular Mt Irvine Bay Hotel. The beach is known for its current, rough waters and huge swells. It is also frequented by surfers from all over the world. Grange Bay is not patrolled by lifeguards. 

In an immediate response to the death of Martin Joseph, Deputy Political Leader and Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Orville London described Joseph’s personality as unique and noted that he was the mastermind behind many of the party's political campaigns. 

“There is only one Martin Joseph to be quite honest—meticulous, professional...I think if there was one person who was responsible for structuring the campaign that would have led to that overwhelming victory that we had in last Assembly elections it would have been Martin Joseph, but from a personal level he was private person but a good friend, a good comrade, a good colleague."

London said Joseph was responsible for many positive things in the party and by extension the country. He said Trinidad and Tobago has suffered a great loss.

THA Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary for Tourism Tracey Davidson-Celestine said the Joseph's death was a significant loss to the PNM.

Speaking to the media on the beach where Joseph drowned, Davidson-Celestine said she was "in shock."

"I am in total shock and I am in deep mourning at this time. This is a significant loss for us within the People’s National Movement and of course within all of Tobago and throughout Trinidad and Tobago. This is not something we expected at all, so I really wanted to extend deepest condolences to the PNM family at this time, all of Trinidad and Tobago and his family in this time of loss,” Celestine said.

THA Secretary for Health and Social Services Claudia Groome-Duke, who was also on the scene, described Mr. Joseph as vital to the PNM.

“This is somebody who is the life blood of our organisation. At this time I really want to reach out to his family and the PNM family. I know it is a significant loss for all of us,” Groome- Duke said.

Public Relations Officer for the PNM Tobago Council Dr. Denise Tsoiafatt-Angus said Martin Joseph was a key team player of the PNM. She said he was instrumental in PNM’s win during the THA elections and he would be sorely missed.

“Martin Joseph was a dear friend, a colleague and key team player on Team People’s National Movement and therefore he would be greatly missed and I am sure that the party will go into a period of mourning and together we would come out stronger, because we know that Martin’s legacy will continue to reside within each of us,” Dr. Tsoiafatt-Angus said.

Despite National Security Minister Gary Griffith’s decision to place the law enforcement agencies on high alert, the criminal element’s attack on law-abiding citizens continued unabated across T&T yesterday. Most of their crimes were committed with guns as three people were murdered, taking the toll to 14 for the year, a toddler and two women were shot and a security guard shot a bandit dead after he and an accomplice had committed a brazen daylight robbery at a roti shop in Barataria. 

In the latest incident, 18-month-old Imani George is today fighting for his life in hospital after he was shot in his mother’s arms in a mid-afternoon shooting in east Port-of-Spain yesterday. According to reports, around 2.45 pm, Lichel Francois, 29, of Trou Macaque Road, Laventille, and her son, Imani George, were seated in a taxi near the corner of Prince and Nelson Streets, Port-of-Spain. 

As the driver was awaiting other passengers, a heavily-tinted car with five men inside stopped alongside the passenger side of the taxi. One of the men then lowered the window, pointed a gun through it and fired several shots at the taxi. The men then drove off. Francois was shot in her left hand while George was struck in his head. The taxi driver, who was not identified by police, escaped unscathed.

The driver drove to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where Francois and her son were stabilised and then transfered, via ambulance, to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope. Francois’ non-life threatening injury was treated but she was warded overnight for observation. 

However, George remains warded in a critical condition at the Wendy Fitzwilliam Pediatric Hospital. Doctors were said to be closely monitoring the toddler’s condition due to his age and the location of the wound.  

Residents scared
Police have not established a motive for the shooting but are working on two preliminary theories: That the taxi driver may have been the intended target or that the gunmen mistook Francois for someone else. The shooting caused instant pandemonium with pedestrians seeking refuge inside nearby businesses. When a T&T Guardian team visited the area within half-an-hour of the shooting, the crime scene was cordoned off by heavily-armed police and crime scene investigators who were retrieving spent shells. 

Several limers at a bar on Prince Street said they heard the gunshots but refused to comment on the shooting. “I don’t really want to say anything right now. I don’t live too far from here and you know how the situation is right now,” one man said. His response was echoed by commuters waiting at the Laventille taxi stand, as well as patrons of a shop metres away from the shooting.

Woman in stalled car shot
Francois was the second woman shot in east Port-of-Spain in less than 24 hours. Around 8 pm on Monday, Murlesha Majid, 32, of San Francique, was travelling home with her friend, Rajpath Balgobin, when he stopped along the shoulder of the Beetham Highway to check on a mechanical problem with the car. Before he could get out they heard several gunshots, one of which hit Majid on her left arm. Balgobin contacted police as he drove Majid to the hospital. 

Although police responded within minutes and searched the area where the shooting took place, no one was arrested. Majid remained warded in a stable condition at hospital up to late yesterday.   
Insp Etienne and Sgt Spence of the Besson Street Police Station are continuing investigations into both incidents.

San Fernando police spent last evening searching drug blocks around Mucarapo Street and Paradise cemetery for the suspect who hacked a homeless man to death a stone’s throw away from the police station. Around 4 pm yesterday, passersby saw the victim, known only as Barry, running down Harris Street bleeding from wounds to his upper body. 

He eventually collapsed on the sidewalk at the corner of Court Street where he bled until police came and took him to the San Fernando General Hospital. He was pronounced dead at the Accident and Emergency Department of the hospital Police said Barry was in an abandoned lot of land along Harris Street where he was involved in an argument with another man behind a wall. It appeared he and the suspect had a fight and he was chopped several times.

Police learned the suspect was seen running away with a bloodied cutlass and was also wounded. He was identified as a former convict from Siparia who was recently released from jail on shooting and robbery charges. A team of police, including Snr Supt Cecil Santana, Insp Don Gajadhar, Sgt Toolah Julien, processed the crime scene and co-ordinated a search for the suspect but he was still on the run up to last night.

Two homeless men who slept nearby said Barry was a drug peddler who often did odd jobs at Ali’s Doubles, Harris Street. They said Barry was seen at a drug block near the San Fernando Market earlier in the day. “He was running down the road and he collapsed, bleeding on the ground. It was a lawyer who came and told us, ‘Look a man bleeding on the ground.’ We only know him as Barry. He does be by Ali’s washing clothes,” one homeless man said. 

He added: “He was on the ground there asking for water so I took some water to give him but the police said not to give him cold water and they gave him warm water. They were already on the phone with someone from the hospital. “Then we saw him start to beat up on the ground and hit his head and that was it. He just stopped moving. The police put him in the van and carried him to hospital. I hope he ain’t dead because I don’t like to hear people dying.”

There were several CCTV cameras on nearby buildings which police hope will help them to capture and charge the suspect.

Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams has rejected criticism of the police’s response to a robbery at a bar in Barrackpore last Friday, which left one rookie policeman nursing gunshot wounds in hospital. 

Contacted yesterday, after CCTV footage of the exchange between police and three armed robbers at Vietnam Bar was repeatedly aired on the popular CrimeWatch programme on CNC3 on Monday, Williams refused to accept public criticism over the police’s handling of the situation, which resulted in PC Kashyap Lochan being shot in his stomach and the suspects escaping. 

The video drew wide public criticism after it was also posted on the Crime Watch Facebook page and was reposted by several users of the social media site. Many of them complained about the apparent poor response to the incident by the police, including the fact that they seemed to lack the proper training in how to deal with such a situation. 
 

Asked yesterday to explain why the police were not wearing bullet-proof vests when they responded to the scene, Williams claimed that even with protective equipment the outcome would have been the same. “It only protects the chest area. Even if he had put on a bulletproof vest the injury would have still fallen below the protected area,” Williams said. A defensive Williams also questioned the validity of the criticism. 

“You are missing the point. What happened here is police responded to the needs of citizens and a criminal was brazen enough to shoot deliberately at the police,” he said. Williams also rejected suggestions that more experienced police should have been ordered to respond to the robbery than Lochan, who had entered the T&T Police Service seven months ago. 

“Criminals do not pick and choose based on who is old, young or more experienced,” Williams said.

cop’s ultimatum
The issue of all police wearing bulletproof vests while on duty has cropped up several times in the past, most recently last year after another police constable, Rondell Phillip, was injured while responding to a robbery in St Augustine on November 3. In the aftermath, Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams immediately issued an inter-department directive making the use of the life-saving vest mandatory.    

“We continue to remind officers that bulletproof vests are protective gear not to penalise, but to protect them. So I will continue to encourage them to use them when on duty, as we never know when a situation will occur when you can encounter a fire fight in the line of your duties. “To that end, I have given a directive to all divisional commanders that all officers who will be operating on the field should wear their vests. I see it as important that all officers, whilst on duty, be fully prepared and protected,” he said. 

heavy gunfire
According to reports, around 10.30 pm last Friday, Lochan, WPC Cholai and PC Sookoo, of the Barrackpore Police Station, were on patrol when they responded to a report of a disturbance at the Vietnam Bar at New Colonial Road, Barrackpore. They stopped in front of the bar unaware that a robbery was in progress. But inside the bar’s gaming room, the bandits, two of whom were masked, saw when the police arrived on CCTV cameras and waited for them to enter. 

When Lochan approached the door to the gaming room, police said, he was greeted by gunfire. Lochan was shot in the abdomen and left leg but he and his colleagues returned fire and he managed to scramble back to their vehicle outside. 

The video, however, showed that Ramlochan was alone as he kicked in the door to the bar and was greeted by gunfire. After he was shot he retreated into the street and his colleagues were also forced to take cover as the bandits fired at them. The police van and two other vehicles were shot up during the attack. The bandits then ran to the back of the building and escaped with over $35,000 in cash, as well as cellphones,  jewelery and other valuables they stole from the bar’s patrons. 

A 23-year-old man reported missing by his relatives three days ago was discovered dead in an abandoned house in Laventille on Monday. Miguel Gaskin, a security guard from Sarah Lane, Laventille, was found shot dead by police in the abandoned Church Street house. Gaskin’s godmother, Lisa Huggins, told the T&T Guardian he went missing on Saturday after helping a neighbour paint his home. 

“He was by his neighbour helping them paint. I called him to give him a plaque to take to his grandmother and that was the last time I saw him,” Huggins said at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday. According to police reports, at about 5.30 pm on Monday residents called them to report a foul stench coming from the abandoned house. Upon investigating police discovered Gaskin’s decomposing body with visible gunshots.

Yesterday, Huggins described Gaskin as a loving person who was always willing to help others. She added: “Miguel was loud but he was loving and nice. He was not that type of person to be involved in anything (criminal activity). “He just liked to lime and make jokes. It is shocking that someone will want to kill him.” Huggins said before Gaskin went missing, two men from the neighbourhood said a man was chasing them down with a gun. However, she could not say if that was related to Gaskin’s case. 

“On Saturday we heard firecrackers, followed closely by gunshots. Then, I did not know what to think,” Huggins said. Gaskin’s mother died when he was a baby and Huggins said his father was not involved in his life. He was raised by his grandmother and aunts with whom he resided until he went missing. “His grandmother is in a state right now. She loved that boy so much. He was a good youth. He never interfered with anyone,” Huggins said. 

T&T Guardian visited Detour, Gaskin’s former place of employment, where a worker who asked not to be named expressed shock at the man’s death and also stated he was friendly and kind. “He was a really nice person. He was a lot of fun. When we found out this morning the entire place was down.”

For the second time in as many months, Lyndira Oudit has resigned from a position in the Independent Liberal Party (ILP). This time, Oudit, who resigned as political leader on November 2, has submitted her letter of resignation as a member of the ILP to political leader Jack Warner, effective yesterday. In a two-line statement, she asked Warner to “kindly accept my resignation as a member of the ILP” and to have her name removed from the party’s membership list.

She also extended best wishes to him in his future endeavours. In response, Warner described Oudit as a political grasshopper without any significance. He did not answer Guardian’s calls to his cell phone, but in an interview on radio I95.5 FM Warner said no party worth its salt would want an alliance with Oudit. He said though she might now have submitted a formal letter of resignation, the party had resigned from her a long time ago. 

But Oudit dismissed Warner’s comments as being unfortunate and said not to count her out from the political landscape. In a telephone interview, Oudit said she was not done with politics and the possibility existed that she might be on one of the three political platforms as the country prepared for the 2015 general elections.

“I see myself as having a future in politics. I don’t see why when you leave one party you should have to end your political life. I believe I have a contribution to make and as citizens we have a responsibility to make our statements and participate in the running of a democratic country.”

ILP a one-man party
Two months ago Oudit resigned as ILP’s political leader, saying her appointment was merely tokenism as the ILP was a one-man show. Since then, she said, the situation had not changed. She said she had had no communication with or work to do for the party and decided this party was not the right one for her. PNM PRO Faris Al-Rawi said his party was not concerned with the internal wranglings of the ILP, COP or UNC. He said their focus was on winning the next general election.

Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi says he hopes former national security minister Martin Joseph’s legacy would be “properly recognised” by the state. In an interview yesterday, he said many Government officials and other citizens have finally got the courage to confirm Joseph’s tremendous contribution in the fight against crime. He said so after the Government, in a release from the Communications Ministry, described Joseph as a good citizen and a master strategist.

Al-Rawi, who is also the PRO of the 59-year-old-party, said during Joseph’s tenure at the ministry there was a 35 per cent detection and conviction rate for homicide. He said under the current minister Gary Griffith the detection and conviction rate was three per cent. Joseph was national security minister from 2003 to 2010. Al-Rawi said Joseph should be remembered as the “true hero that he was.”

Joseph , who was the general secretary of the party from 1993 to 2010, drowned at Old Grange Bay, Tobago, on Monday. He was the party’s deputy campaign manager. A condolence book was opened at Balisier House and party leader Dr Keith Rowley, chairman Franklin Khan, general secretary Ashton Ford and deputy political leader Rohan Sinanan were among those who signed it yesterday.

Funeral arrangements were still to be determined. Khan said yesterday Joseph’s funeral would be either Friday or Saturday. He said the family was awaiting relatives to return home from abroad. The party has scheduled a wake for Joseph at Balisier House from 6 pm today.

The battle to save what is left of the historical Greyfriars Church of Scotland, in downtown Port-of-Spain, took a new twist with the State moving to acquire it under the National Trust as a heritage site. The move came even as the building continues to deteriorate, with its roof caving in on Monday, and the rubble in the yard providing a breeding ground for the aedes aegypti mosquito—which spreads the dengue and chikungunya viruses.

Although the gates to the property are locked, homeless people now occupy the premises at night, according to employees at nearby stores. The building’s owner, Alfred Galy, now has to provide the Port-of-Spain City Corporation with a detailed plan of how he intends to clear the site and preserve the facade of the church. Workmen previously expressed concern that the roof of the church hall contained asbestos—a potentially hazardous material.

The corporation took Galy to court after he demolished the church hall and began tearing down the church last November. The corporation obtained an injunction preventing him from continuing the demolition. That legal matter came up for hearing in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday and the injunction remains in force until January 16.

Chief Building Inspector at the corporation Deoraj Ramtahal said yesterday that following the court hearing, Galy and his attorneys accompanied him and other officials to the site. Galy said yesterday that though he retained ownership of the building, he had been restricted from carrying out any clearing work because of the injunction.

He said only yesterday he received an advisory from the Ministry of Health about ensuring his business premises were clean—in order to stem the spread of the dengue and chikungunya viruses. “It is in the middle of the city. We have debris accumulating and water as well, but they are telling me not to do anything. It’s dangerous and could crumble anytime.”

Noting the roof had collapsed, Galy said, “The wall on the southern side could crumble anytime. The only part that is stable is the western-facing wall, where the steeple is,” Galy said. Galy said the resultant health issues also needed to be addressed quickly. 
Executive secretary of the non-governmental organisation Citizens for Conservation, Michele Celestine, said yesterday the demolition work “put everything at risk.”

However, she was happy that discussions were continuing with Galy as to how the remaining structure could be preserved. Celestine said Government was concerned about retaining some aspect of that building in the new structure.

Notice of National Trust
In a notice published in the Gazette on December 8, 2014, the Council of the National Trust stated its intention to list the Greyfriars Church of Scotland as a heritage site. The church is to be named as part of the Woodford Square Historical District. The notice was signed by chairman of the National Trust Prof Winston Suite.

The notice describes the site as “Two contiguous parcels of land in the City of Port of Spain comprising 1,791.1 square metres on which are located the Greyfriars Church and Hall, numbered 50 and 52 Frederick Street, Port of Spain. Bounded on the north by 54 Frederick Street, on the south by 48 Frederick Street, 66 and 68 Prince Street, on the east by 52, 53, 55 and 57 Henry Street.”

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Contacted yesterday, National Diversity Minister Rodger Samuel confirmed that discussions were continuing with Galy. However, he declined to comment on the roof collapsing and the structural stability of the remaining building. 

The church hall was completely demolished on November 30, while the northern wall of the church and half of the roof were also taken down.The eastern, western and southern walls remained standing, exposed to the elements, as workmen were prevented from entering the site due to an injunction secured by the corporation to prevent any further work.

There will be no holding back of funds or downsizing of Carnival 2015 because of falling oil prices, nor will the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism be responsible for any downscaling. The line minister Lincoln Douglas revealed this when speaking with reporters after the media launch of Ten to One yesterday. The production is a collaboration between Iere Theatre Productions and Canboulay Productions at Nalis, Port-of-Spain.

“There has been no cutbacks. We are working with the same budget for Carnival 2015 and we're not expecting to see any reduction. If there is, it wouldn't be because of the ministry.” He admitted, however, that the ministry was only about 90 per cent ready for the season, but he expected all preparations would be completed on time and it would be a major success.

“We're looking forward to an excellent Carnival. Of course we had to change the chairman of the NCC board in between but I think the prior chairman put a lot of work in place.” Douglas said he was also working with the National Security Ministry to make sure that the proper security measures were in place. The major challenge for this year's festival is determining the route for the Parade of the Bands, he said.

“What we have to address immediately is the Carnival route, which seems to be a bugbear every year and it's not because we are not trying. I know right after Carnival 2014 we met in March with all the stakeholders to make a determination on the route. So I really do not want to hear people coming up again saying how we are waiting last minute to do it because I know we have put in place all the consultations since March of 2014.”

The Carnival 2015 parade route will be announced today. Douglas said he hoped to meet with several ministries and other organisations linked to Carnival, including the Ministry of Health, to compile a “complete readiness package” which would then be delivered to all the major stakeholders. He hopes to have the package completed by the end of next week. There was also no need to panic about people infected with the Ebola virus entering the country during the festive season, he said.

“We have no threat right now from Ebola and I have said repeatedly there is no connection between Carnival and Ebola. “If there is any type of health threat, those will be determined by the Ministry of Health and it would be something related to the whole country.”

While many sectors of the country are bracing for the backlash of falling oil prices, band leaders in South Trinidad say this has not dampened preparations for Carnival in the city of San Fernando. The Guardian visited several band camps in San Fernando to check on preparations in the run-up to Carnival 2015. At Kalicharan’s mas camp on Harris Street, San Fernando, finishing touches were being put on the colourful creations. 

Speaking with the Guardian, Aaron Kalicharan said, “The season started a bit slow, but since Boxing Day there has been a vast improvement.” “We are seeing the rush, that influx of people wanting to purchase costumes.” Kalicharan said not even last year’s Ebola virus scare could keep away South revellers. The costumes for the band, which has won the Band of the Year title in San Fernando 21 times, start at $1,275 for backline and as much as $3,800 for the frontline, all-inclusive sections. 

“You see, most of the people that play mas in South are southerners, so there is not much worry about the interaction with tourists. Since the Government gave the all-clear for Carnival, we have seen a lot of people who usually play in town coming here to buy costumes.” He also expressed hope that various government bodies would “push” T&T’s Carnival internationally. 

“The National Carnival Commission, the city corporations, the Ministry of Culture, all of them have the resources to promote T&T Carnival regionally and internationally, if they can do it and let the world know our Carnival is on. It will be better for all of us.”

No limited state of emergency (SOE) and no community lock downs will be included in a national security alert state of readiness, National Security Minister Gary Griffith gave the assurance yesterday. The ministry has put all law enforcement agencies on high alert because of an increase in gang-related homicides early in the new year. In the first four days of 2015, ten murders were recorded.

Asked if the security alert would include a limited SOE and community lock downs, an irritated Griffith said, “There is no such thing as a limited state of emergency. “That is a very ridiculous statement. A state of emergency is a state of emergency, curfew or not. “You can’t have a curfew unless you have a state of emergency.” He said the national security alert would not include an SOE.

Asked if there would be community lock downs, he replied, “No.” As for what measures the security alert would include, he said that was already revealed in a comprehensive press release last Friday and he referred the Guardian to it. The ministry said the alert state was led by the Police Service and the National Operations Centre and was necessary to rapidly bring the crime situation under control.

“This current alert state of readiness is in no way intended to curtail civil liberties but has become necessary to ensure the safety and security for all,” Griffith said. The last four murders took place in separate incidents over the weekend. Four men were shot dead in Carenage, Biche, San Juan and St James.

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Measures include the following:

• Increased joint police/defence force patrols throughout T&T

• Increased air patrols in support of police ground initiatives

• Increased roadblocks and stop-and-search activities

• Increased intelligence and surveillance exercises, specifically in all crime hot spots, and among persons of interest.

A couple of inches was the relatively short distance which proved to be the difference between life and death for 18-month-old Imani George whose head was grazed by a bullet in a brazen shooting attack in east Port-of-Spain on Tuesday afternoon. George remained warded in a stable condition yesterday at the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital, Mt Hope, yesterday. 

His mother, Lichel Francois, whose right forearm was the final destination of the bullet after it struck the toddler, was treated and discharged from hospital yesterday morning but remained there to monitor his condition. As she left her son’s bedside for five minutes to speak with media personnel yesterday afternoon, Francois thanked God as she admitted their injuries could have been worse if the bullet’s trajectory was slightly different. 

“It could have been worse. He (Imani) is just in a lot of pain but he playing and eating,” Francois said as she gave an update on her son’s condition. Francois, who said she was deeply traumatised by the incident, vowed not to return to that area of Port-of-Spain again. “I used to pass there everyday on my way home with my son but I can’t do that again. Port-of-Spain getting scary. You can’t linger in town anymore,” Francois said.

Recounting the incident, Francois, who is employed at the St James Early Childhood Centre, said she was feeling ill on Tuesday and left work early to return to her home at Trou Macaque Road, Laventille. Francois and George had just boarded a taxi on Nelson Street when upon reaching the intersection with Prince Street she heard a loud explosion. 

“I start to quarrel with the driver because I thought he ran over a glass bottle. Is only when I heard a next noise I realised it was gunshots,” Francois said. The young mother said she told the taxi driver to drive to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital after she felt a burning sensation in her arm and saw that her son was bleeding. She said she did not see the shooter as her head was down at the time. 

“It had plenty traffic and we weren’t going anywhere. I jumped out of the car with him (George) in my arms and I start to run to the hospital,” Francois said. 

Kudos for doctors

Francois said she was lucky to see a police car responding to the scene of the shooting, stopped it and was taken to the hospital. Asked about the treatment she received there and later in Mt Hope, Francois described the staff at both institutions as wonderful and kind. “They attended to us immediately. Doctors and nurses even came by his bedside last night to pray for him,” Francois said.

The T&T Guardian also spoke with Francois’ mother, Hazelyn Harewood-Edwards, who sent a message to the perpetrators of the shooting. “Black people, you need to put down your guns because you are not serving a purpose. All you are doing is hurting people just like you,” she said. Police sources were said to be reviewing CCTV footage of the incident up to last night in an attempt to identify the suspects.

From preliminary reports from eyewitnesses, however, police said the gunshots appeared to have come from a white car with five people. It stopped near the taxi at around 2.45 pm. Investigators are yet to determine who was the target of the shooting and the motive behind it. However, they believe Francois and her son were in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one had been arrested up to late yesterday. 

ASP Ajith Persad, Insp Etienne and Sgt Spence and detectives of the Port-of-Spain CID are continuing investigations.
 

On the eve of a statement today from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar about the impact of falling oil prices on the state of the economy, Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine says he is certain the sector will withstand the period of falling oil prices. 

Addressing major energy sector players at the opening of Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd’s (PPGL) administration building at Couva yesterday, Ramnarine said the outlook for the energy sector for 2015 remained very strong. He also expects 2015 to be a very strong year of investment in the energy sector. “We have faced these challenges before,” Ramnarine said, pointing out that he did not want to pre-empt what the PM will say on the subject today in the Parliament.

“Of course the revenue will be impacted and we are very concerned but our energy sector is strong and its strength will be tested by the low price environment,” he added. The revenue stream from the energy sector contributes to 50 per cent of Government’s overall revenue, with 16 per cent coming from PPGL, which, he said, was established during a very difficult economic period in this country in 1989. 

PPGL has now become the largest gas processing facility in the western hemisphere and the axis of the gas industry in T&T, he said. Answering questions from the media, Ramnarine said so far low oil prices had not affected the capital investment programme for 2015. He said he spoke with the CEOs of all the major energy companies in T&T about that on Monday. 

"I started off with bpTT and I spoke to BHP, BGTT, I spoke to Mr Indar Maharaj, who is our president of the NGC this morning (Wednesday). “The capital investment programme for 2015 from the energy sector is very significant and it has not been affected thus far by the downturn in international oil prices and gas prices," he said.

He assured: "The companies are constantly being looked at, their capital investment,  but the feedback coming to the Ministry of Energy thus far is that the capital investment programme for 2015 will hold." As to whether Government will have to adjust its fiscal regime to attract investment in light of falling oil prices, Ramnarine said back in the late 1980s there was an adjustment to the tax rate. He said they have done a lot of work with the fiscal regime in the last four years.

"But we are now in a different world from where we were in 2011 and 2012. There is a Cabinet-appointed committee chaired by PS Vishnu Dhanpaul that looks, on a regular basis, at the fiscal regime and would recommend changes,” he noted. He also said Government may look at the tax regime governing the sector, as some people have recommended tax breaks as an incentive to keep the investment flowing. 

"In the price environment that you have right now, you have to continue to attract investment. "Yes, we will look at the tax regime governing the sector. The Prime Minister has said that we will meet with all the sectors in the business community to hear what their views are but that is definitely a possibility," he said.

Sacrificing quality for quantity. That was how president of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association Insp Anand Ramesar summed up the training of police officers. He said if modern policies were not implemented to train police recruits there would be more incidents like that of the shooting of PC Kashyap Lochan and even worse. At the same time, Ramesar commended Lochan, who has been in the service for only seven months, for displaying dedication and bravery in the line of duty.

Ramesar said an examination of the incident involving Lochan showed the service sorely lacked proper policies. He said back in the 1980s, officers underwent some 18 months of training—six months in what was known as the Police Barracks, six months on the job and six months back in the barracks, with one month of vacation. Now a person undergoes six months of training to become a police officer and six weeks for a Special Reserve Police.

“The training is more academic than actual physical training. A lot of the drills have been cut out. “When we evaluate it, we recognised that the organisation lacks policies and proper modules when it comes to training and development that is structured to providing the relevant competencies for police officers,” Ramesar said. He said simulation exercises must be a part of the training process if the service was expected to produce quality officers.

“The Commissioner of Police needs to put proper modules in place when it comes to training. We need the simulation training that is taking place in first world countries like that of New York. “We need to look at those countries where policing and best practices operate. We need to bring real training where officers would be faced with dangers like close combat and real shooting situations,” Ramesar added.

He said such recommendations were made to acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams but were yet to be implemented. Executive members of the association are expected to meet with Williams early next week and top on the agenda is the issue of training. At the weekly press briefing held at the Police Administration building in Port-of-Spain yesterday, public information officer Supt Joanne Archie said the service was faced with challenges, but this would not deter officers from carrying out their duties.

She said members of the public needed to be reminded that crime was not a static phenomenon but rather dynamic. “The guarantee I would give members of the public is that the police officers would continue in all  their initiatives to ensure crime is reduced and the fear of crime is also reduced.

“The public’s fear needs to be allayed. In some areas we have had some successes but we are also saying we need to do more. When we look at our statistics and feedback from members of the public we agree there is so much more to do and which we are working on,” Archie added. She said many of the investigations which were solved were based on information from the public.

On the issue of training, she said, officers in their line of duty were faced with combatting lawlessness. “We are aware of what is happening and it is not the first time one of our officers have been shot. “We continue to train our officers and ensure they are equipped when they go out there to deal with crime and the lawlessness that pervades,” Archie said. When contacted, DCP Simon Alexis, who is the provost at the Police Training Academy, in St James, said he was in a meeting and could not comment.  

Griffith: Simulation training for police soon

Minister of National Security Gary Griffith said arrangements were being made to have simulation training organised for all police officers through the Ministry of National Security Training Academy. “We will be getting an indoor shooting range. We have to do the tender process for this. We will also have simulation training to give the officers the opportunity to look at different scenarios based on the threat. 

“We will train them to use minimal force. They will be trained in how to use verbal persuasion and then the baton, then pepper spray and tasers before using their firearm. There will be drills for proper operation,” he said. Griffith said training directors went to the Waterloo Training College, in the United States, last year for training in dealing with all scenarios including road blocks, vehicle searches, car chases, aggressive confrontations, and customer service.

Relatives of wounded police officer Kashyap Lochan are disappointed that his colleagues left him at the mercy of gunmen when he responded to an armed robbery in progress at Vietnam Bar in Barrackpore last Friday. Lochan’s cousin Ricky Rambhajan said after looking at the footage on Crime Watch they were appalled to see the response of the two officers with Lochan. He said they failed to cover him when he was shot repeatedly.

Rambhajan also disputed reports that Lochan was not getting the best care at the San Fernando General Hospital where he remained warded under police guard. “He is getting good treatment and he is much better. He is talking and we are happy and proud that he is recovering well,” Rambhajan said. 

Asked whether Lochan planned to stay in the Police Service, Rambhajan said, “It’s a little too early to say but we think he should stay. This should not deter him.” He said Lochan’s parents were very supportive of him. Hospital officials said Lochan might be discharged by weekend. Once he returns home, additional precautions would be taken. Rambhajan said it might be a few months before Lochan healed completely.

...Off-duty cops were in the bar—witness

A man who was inside the bar during the robbery said two off-duty police officers were in the bar when the bandits struck but they too failed to intervene. 

“It was very poor response from the police. The police were very inexperienced. We were inside the gaming room when two men, one with a ski mask and the other with a green camouflage bandanna over his face, walked in. The man with the automatic gun said ‘Lie on (expletive) ground and if you raise your head, I will buss way your (expletive) skull,’” the witness said, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

About 25 people were inside the bar, he said. After shoving thick wads of cash into the bag, the robbers saw Lochan approaching on the surveillance camera. Lochan kicked the door which swung open and the gunmen fired. “While the shots were firing, there was no talking. After the 12th shot, one of the bandit start to bawl, ‘Dog come, I have you covered, dog come.’ He start to fire at the police car with an automatic weapon. The police were not prepared. They couldn’t even take out the safety from the gun.

“The WPC was so shaken that other police officers had to pick up Lochan and carry him to the hospital. She hid in the police car. The bandits had a lot of time to escape,” the witness said. After Lochan was placed in the car, the vehicle broke down at Monkey Town and another police car had to take the injured officer to the hospital, another source said. He said the off-duty police officers and the back-up officers could have held the robbers if there was proper co-ordination and response among them.

In the light of falling oil prices, Government may have to seek a loan to finance the completion of the $7.5 billion Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin. This was revealed by Finance and the Economy Minister Larry Howai in response to questions from Opposition MPs during yesterday’s Finance Standing Committee meeting in the Parliament Chamber, Tower D, Waterfront Complex, Port-of-Spain. 

The price of oil dropped to below US$50 per barrel this week and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is scheduled to make a comprehensive statement today on government initiatives to deal with the reduced earnings. The 2015 budget was based on an oil price of US$80 a barrel. Yesterday’s Standing Finance Committee meeting was called to vary and supplement the 2014 budget. It was chaired by House Speaker Wade Mark.

Howai, responding to a question from Point Fortin MP Paula Gopee-Scoon, said, “Given what is happening now with oil prices, we may need now to consider going into the market to borrow the funds and if we need to do so, we will do so,” Howai said. He added that “up to the time when we did this particular transaction, we were able to fund it out of our existing cash flows.”

Earlier, in response to questions from Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley, Howai said the “initial disbursements” for the project were from treasury notes. He said “there was no need to increase government’s borrowing, given the fact that through our treasury deposits we had funding that would have been sufficient to meet the required costs.” 

Howai said it would not have been sensible to raise the money and put it on deposit, as Government would have incurred interest costs prior to drawing down the funds. He said there was no intent to mislead the nation on that issue and stated repeatedly the Government did not want to borrow funds for the project unless it was necessary.

Howai said he was unable to say when the project manager, the National Infrastructure Development Company, was stopped from securing a loan for the project as he was not in office then. The Works and Infrastructure Ministry was the first to be examined by the committee. It was given an additional sum of $450 million for the highway project. Works Minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan said the funds were transferred from the Ministries of Local Government and Housing and Urban Development.

Rambachan said the money was required to “retire” advances from the Treasury. “Arrangements for financing of the project have not as yet been finalised,” he said. He said the project was 43 per cent complete and several segments of the project would be opened to the public later this year. A sum of $2.8 billion was paid to the Brazilian contractor OAS Constructora and an additional $4.7 billion has been paid to cover other expenditure, including advances to OAS.

more info
Leader of the Highway Re-route Movement Dr Wayne Kublalsingh has been on a hunger strike for over 100 days in an attempt to get the Government to accept calls for mediation over the Debe to Mon Desir segment of the highway. He said the route would have a negative impact on the environment, but the Government has rejected his claim and the project continues apace.

Also, leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) David Abdulah last month called for the controversial segment to be halted and the entire project reviewed in the light of falling oil prices.

Former prime minister Patrick Manning says if the People’s Partnership Government had continued with some of the security initiatives implemented by former national security minister Martin Joseph, citizens “would not be in the current dire straits that we find ourselves in today as it relates to crime and criminality in the nation.” Manning made the statement on Facebook yesterday as he paid tribute to Joseph, who died on Monday. Joseph drowned at Grange Bay, Tobago, while on vacation.

“Martin was an excellent minister of housing,” Manning said. Manning said it was because of Joseph’s success as housing minister that he was given the national security portfolio in 2003. He said Joseph “truly poured out himself during his many years as minister of national security. He understood the policy position taken by the government of which he was a part, and he steadfastly pursued the mandate and programmes assigned to the ministry of national security.”

He said Joseph was an unswerving advocate of the programmes for the positive reinforcement of good values in youths, such as the Military Led Academic Training (Milat) and Military Led Youth Programme of Apprenticeship and Reorientation Training (Mypart), and also of the more direct military interventions such as the Special Anti-Crime Unit of T&T (SAUTT) and the ill-fated Off-shore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).

He understood clearly that there could be no successful substitute for the sound, well-planned strategy that was being implemented methodically and wisely, Manning said, and kidnapping for ransom was reduced to zero under his watch. Manning said Joseph worked hard and paid a tremendous price for his public profile. He served the country and the PNM “brilliantly and his legacy will be fairly recorded in the history of our nation.”

Joseph was also a former public utilities and the environment minister and general secretary of the party. He served as MP for St Ann’s East from 1995 to 2002. He was later appointed government senator until 2010 when the PNM was voted out of office.

Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly Orville London yesterday dismissed a call to close Grange Bay to the public following the drowning of former minister of national security Martin Joseph. He said to do so would be a knee-jerk reaction.

Speaking at the post-executive council news conference, London said he did not believe that shutting down the Grange Bay beach would solve the problem. He said while the death of Joseph was tragic, when one examined the number of people who had used the beach in the last decade without incident, there was insufficient reason to bar access to the area.

“I would not consider that incident is enough. It is tragic, it has hurt all of us, but I don’t think it is enough to close down the beach. However, I think it is enough for us to ensure that there are warning signs there with respect to the dangers and therefore people will know what they do or do not do at their own risk,” London said. London also said that the THA would be looking at putting permanent life guards at the location, though in comparison with other beaches worldwide Grange Bay was relatively safe.

“I think it is also a situation where we have to seriously consider placing permanent life guards at the venue but what we consider as unsafe beaches in Tobago are what are considered the norm in some countries. I never bathe there but my information is that there is a big drop and that every now and then there is a current coming up. I don’t know because I don’t trust the sea,” he said. 

rough seas
Rough seas warnings were being issued since December 27, 2014, and are expected to continue for the next week. Waves as high as ten feet have been breaking on the shoreline. In a release, the Tobago Emergency Management Agency said the T&T Meteorological Centre issued the 18th rough sea bulletin for the year and all warnings continued to be in effect. 

“T&T would be experiencing north-easterly swells along its exposed coast. All marine interests are asked to exercise extreme caution in the preservation of life and property.”