the Trini Outlaw

Headline Inflation falls to 3.9 per cent

2011-07-07T14:59:00.000-04:00

According to the article below, headline inflation is down to 3.9 per cent in May and the major reason for this is the drop in food inflation from 15% in April to 8.2% in May. Is the Central Bank trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the citizens? Has anyone experienced a decline in food prices? Because I certainly haven't...

HEADLINE INFLATION RATE FALLS TO 3.9 PER CENT:

CENTRAL BANK MAINTAINS ‘REPO’ RATE AT 3.25 PER CENT

Recent data released by the Central Statistical Office indicate that inflation continued on a downward trajectory in May for the fifth consecutive month. On a year‐on‐year basis, headline inflation slowed to 3.9 per cent in May from 6.4 per cent in the previous month. Headline inflation is now at the lowest level since January 2010 when the rate measured 3.7 per cent. On a monthly basis, the Index of Retail Prices fell by 0.4 per cent in May following an increase of a similar magnitude in the previous month. Core inflation, which excludes the impact of food prices, measured 1.3 per cent (year‐on‐year) in May, the same rate as in the previous month.

The marked slowdown in headline inflation is due, in large measure, to the sharp decline in food inflation which fell to 8.2 per cent in May from 15.0 per cent in April. This decline reflected the “base effect” associated with the surge in food prices in May 2010 as well as the 1.0 per cent decline in food prices during the month of May 2011. On a monthly basis, the fall in prices in May for fish (‐6.7 per cent), vegetables (‐2.5 per cent) and sugar and confectionery products (‐0.2 per cent) compensated for price increases in other major food groups such as oils and fats (2.9 per cent), fruits (4.8 per cent), bread and cereals (0.6 per cent) and meat (0.4 per cent).

The Bank continues to be cautious about the outlook for domestic inflation given the steady increase in the global price of some key grains such as corn and soya meal which are major inputs in some main domestic food groups such as dairy products and poultry. Over the last four months, credit conditions in the financial system have shown incipient signs of a weak recovery. In the twelve months to April 2011, private sector credit extended by the consolidated financial system fell by 0.8 per cent (year‐on‐year) following declines of 1.4 per cent in March and 2.3 per cent at the start of the year. Within the financial sector, commercial bank lending to the private sector rose by 1.6 per cent in April (year‐on‐year) while credit extended by non‐bank financial institutions recorded a 13.3 per cent decline.

Both consumer credit and real estate mortgage lending have been the major drivers behind the improvement in overall credit, growing by relatively robust rates of 6.7 per cent and 8.8 per cent, respectively in the twelve months to April 2011. Business lending still remains relatively sluggish and declined for the eighteenth consecutive month by 5.9 per cent.

In recent months, lower net fiscal injections along with the liquidity absorption measures employed by the Central Bank have helped to reduce liquidity in the financial system. In June, actions by the Central Bank in the government securities and foreign exchange markets withdrew approximately $125 million from the financial system. Commercial banks’ excess reserve balances at the Central Bank have averaged $1.3 billion in June so far compared with $2.0 billion in December 2010. As liquidity conditions tightened, some commercial banks tapped the inter‐bank market as well as the ‘Repo’ window at the Central Bank to meet their short‐term funding requirements.

In the somewhat tighter liquidity environment, short‐term interest rates continued to increase with the yield on 3‐month treasury bills rising to 0.98 per cent in June, up from 0.68 per cent in May and 0.47 per cent in April. As a consequence, the differential between local and US short‐term interest rates widened to 93 basis points in June from 62 basis points in May.

With the recovery in credit gaining steady momentum and with underlying inflationary pressures remaining well contained for the time being, the Bank has decided to maintain the ‘Repo’ rate at 3.25 per cent.

The Bank will continue to keep economic and monetary conditions under close review.

The next ‘Repo’ rate announcement is scheduled for July 29, 2011.
June 24, 2011.

Source: Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago

KAMLA 2010

2010-05-21T19:08:00.005-04:00

The Peoples Partnership

http://www.kamla.tt

http://www.unitednationalcongress.org/

http://www.coptnt.com

President Obama's Diwali Message

2009-10-17T23:03:00.000-04:00

Is Annisette viable?

2009-10-11T18:16:00.003-04:00

Sunday, October 11 2009

Source: Newsday

INDEPENDENT Senator Michael Annisette’s inflamed speech to the Senate last week Thursday raises serious questions as to his impartiality in that office, and on his suitability to continue in such an esteemed post.

“I am not afraid of you; You made a mistake to mess with a dock worker,” he had stormed.

There are two issues.

Firstly, we consider that as a director of Udecott appointed by the Government he had absolutely no business taking part in that debate, in the role of a Senator who is supposedly independent. Secondly, we say he was wrong to use the parliamentary chamber to attack other people, including a politician, a businessman and even a journalist. He kept looking in the direction of the press gallery and shouting, “Where is Mr Bagoo” (Newsday reporter).

More fundamentally, was the fact that Mr Annisette in the guise of an Independent Senator, passionately defended a Government company which is embroiled in controversy over the awards of billions of dollars in contracts, while also vehemently attacking the character of other individuals.

The whole issue was, to us, a blatant conflict of interest.

If Mr Annisette felt he had to get something off his chest in his own defence, he should instead have sought to simply make his views known and then get on with the debate on hand.

In addition to the content of his speech, we also have serious concerns about Mr Annisette’s style of delivery.

Mr Annisette’s delivery was loud and some might also say, aggressive. Further, while speaking he vigorously waved his arms around with an apparently agitated body language.

It was a sight never seen before within living memory on the Independent benches.

We accept that things may get heated in the cut and thrust of partisan politics in the elected Lower House. Such partisanship may even spill over a little into the Upper House between Government and Opposition Senators. But this conduct should never be displayed by an Independent Senator.

By and large, the purpose of the Senate in a bicameral parliament is to be a restraint on the raw power of the Lower House. Further, within the Senate itself, the Independent Senators are expected to be the voice of moderation and decorum.

Up to this time, Trinidad and Tobago has been very well served indeed by the dignity of our past Independent Senators.

Sadly, Mr Annisette’s speech last week was certainly not calm, reasoned, measured and impartial.

He has failed to assuage fears of a conflict of interest in his role as an Independent Senator and as a director of Udecott (and other State boards), or that he has the right temperament to be an Independent Senator.

We say it is time for Mr Annisette to do some serious soul-searching about his future.

This man doesn't have one independent bone in his body, he is an outright PNM to the bone, PNM till he dead. What he doing as an independent senator, only Max could answer that. And we all know how good Max is at selecting people with integrity. After the Integrity Commission fiasco, we know for sure just how qualified Max is at selecting people to serve the country. Max and Annisette are both creatures of the PNM and should both be forced to resign ASAP!!

Four more murders push the toll to 408

2009-10-01T01:54:00.003-04:00

Four more murders
Gyasi Gonzales
Source: Trinidad Express

Thursday, October 1st 2009

PAIN: Avril Dowell, left, is consoled by a relative after her son, Mikhail (inset), was killed on Tuesday night at Priest Hill in St Joseph. -Photo: ABRAHAM DIAZ

FOUR more men have been murdered as the spate of violent crimes continued across the country, pushing the toll to 408 as of last evening.

And although the police have lumped all these killings as "gang related homicides", the relatives of the dead offered other motives.

The first murder occurred in St Joseph.

The victim, Mikhail Dowell, 18, was chopped to death just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to the police, Dowell was liming with some friends at Priest Hill, which is off King Street in St Joseph, when they were approached by another group of young men.

Police said there was an argument and Dowell was grabbed by a man and chopped on the neck repeatedly.

The man who chopped Dowell and the group he came with then ran off and remained at large up to last night. One of Dowell's friends held the young man's head but his wounds were so severe he quickly bled to death.

The St Joseph police were called, along with Dowell's family.

Yesterday, his mother, Avril Dowell, said that "as far as I know", the men who killed her son came looking for someone else.

"It's a case of mistaken identity," she said.

The police said they did not believe the killer really intended to kill Dowell.

And around 8 p.m. at Mason Street Extension in Diego Martin, Jahkimo Brewster, 28, was liming with friends when a man crept out of a bushy gully and opened fire on the group.

Brewster and another man, 20-year-old Dillon Rodney, were hit. Brewster ran a short distance, collapsed and died. Rodney was taken to hospital where he was treated.

The Express met two female relatives of Brewster yesterday morning at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, but they would only confirm the correct spelling of his name, nothing else.

In another incident, Leandro Baptiste, 24, was killed around 9.30 a.m. in Woodbrook. He was employed with the Port of Spain City Corporation as well as SM Jaleel.

According to eyewitnesses, Baptiste and a group of city corporation employees were on a pavement rebuilding jobsite at Luis Street, when a Nissan Wingroad driven by someone he knew stopped near the site.

A man who spoke to the Express near the scene yesterday said a man came out the vehicle and walked towards Baptiste. Both men spoke and the killer walked off.

Just before getting into his car, however, the man turned around and walked back towards Baptiste. He pulled him close, embraced him and told him something. He then withdrew a pistol and shot Baptiste in the abdomen. As Baptiste fell, the killer fired more shots until the gun was empty. He then cooly walked back to his car, got in and calmly drove off.

When approached by the Express yesterday, workers on the jobsite claimed they knew nothing.

"Apologies rastaman but we eh know nutting," said one man.

Some of Baptiste's relatives later arrived on the scene. They confirmed that Baptiste had been threatened.

When asked why, one of his relatives said, "Jealousy, they was jealous of him."

The fourth murder occurred at 11 a.m. yesterday.

Police said they knew the victim, Duane "Bad Jesus" Joseph, very well. They said Joseph was on Duke Street, Port of Spain, when he was attacked by a gunman. Joseph was still able to run to Nelson Street where he collapsed. He was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital but died before he got there.

Some PNM apologists would say that the PNM does not have a program where they teach criminals to be criminals, therefore the PNM is not responsible. The question I ask is, who is in control of the State's Treasury and all the necessary resources to curb criminal activity? Not the ruling PNM-led Government? Therefore who should be held accountable? You and I? I think not. Wake up and smell the rottening corpses T&T!

How to make a Budget

2009-09-27T18:35:00.003-04:00

How to make a Budget
Kevin Baldeosingh
Trinidad Express

Friday, September 11th 2009

Over the past week, all serious commentators have analysed the Budget, but now I am going to do so. In order to understand the 2009-2010 Budget, and all Budgets for the past eight years, you have to understand the principles, perspectives, and PNMs that inform the various measures. Without this, you may fall into the trap of looking for economic ideas, policy measures, or common sense.

For example, given the world-wide slump and the drop in government revenues, you might have expected a Budget which emphasised austerity and which tried to avoid a deficit that may well worsen the country's fiscal situation in the near future. But, if that's what you were thinking, you are clearly unaware of the first rule of Budget-making in Trinidad and Tobago, which is:

If You Doh Spend, Yuh Cyar Tief

This is why in the second paragraph of the Budget, Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira read, "My profound appreciation is also extended to the Honourable Prime Minister and my Cabinet colleagues who share with me collective responsibility for the integrity of this Budget." This, you would recall, was the same reasoning Nunez-Tesheira used to claim there was no conflict of interest in her overseeing the bailout of CL Financial while she was a shareholder in CL Financial. However, since this Cabinet is headed by a Prime Minister who falsely alleged that $10 million were missing from the Cleaver Heights project, who has had four court decisions go against him in six years, and who needs $3 million drapes, Nunez-Tesheira's statement is not persuasive. But she feels free to make such absurd assertions because of Rule#2:

Those Who Fail To Learn From The Past Are Condemned To Vote PNM

Everybody with sense, and even some radio talkshow hosts, warned the Manning administration that it was repeating the policy mistakes of the first energy boom of 1973. Back then, the oil dollars were also wasted on grandiose projects rather than sustainable development and inflation reached double digits. And, now that the second boom is bust, the same strategy which failed in 1983 is being pursued again. When the bottom dropped out of the oil barrel in 1982, the Government did not reduce expenditure. Instead, it increased its wage bill by $1.4 billion. By 1983, unemployment began creeping upward, by 1986 the Treasury was pretty much emptied, in 1988 the NAR administration had to go to the IMF, and by 1989 unemployment was 22 per cent. Which brings us to Rule#3:

You Can Fool All People Some Of The Time, And PNM Supporters All Of The Time

"As we have clearly illustrated, our current economic performance is creditable by any standard," Nunez-Tesheira told T&T last Monday. Well, apparently not by the standards of the Global Competitiveness Report. Although T&T's ranking in 2009 improved for the first time in five years to 86th out of 133 countries, it seems the Government's standards for measuring economic performance are not the Report's, which cites inefficient bureaucracy, corruption, and crime as undermining business in this country. The Report also ranks us 122nd in the prevalence of organised crime. Which reveals Rule#4:

Budgets Are For PNM-Till-Ah-Deads, Even When They Deading "We will not waiver from our zero-tolerance posture towards criminal activity," read Nunez-Tesheira, with nary a blush. "From the traffic violator to the kidnapper, from the white-collar criminal to the drug trafficker, the message to the criminals is simple: you will be found and brought to justice and you will feel the full brunt of the law. The Government will act to eliminate criminal activity at all levels, especially gang related activity."

Yet the Unemployment Relief Programme has still been allocated $429 million, which should fund a good bit of gang-related activity. Last year, the murder rate among URP workers alone was 50 per 100,000 (compared to a national rate of 40 per 100,000). The Government has spent billions more dollars on blimps, crime plans, boats, radar, helicopters, even as murders reached 540 last year and are already past 350 with four months still left in 2009. So why would a Government which claims to be serious about crime refuse to revamp the URP? Because of the final rule of Budget making:

Do So Doh Like So

"Our vision is for a nation where there is respect for the rule of law and human rights and the promotion of the principles of democracy," Nunez-Tesheira read in the conclusion to the Budget, while all around the country even PNMs snickered. After all, her dear leader has spent the past fiscal year defending Calder Hart, shafting the Draft Gender Policy, invading a radio station, and giving public lectures to explain why he should be Executive President, Benevolent Dictator, and Cutest Christian in the Caribbean.

kbaldeosingh@hotmail.com

One of the best commentaries of the 2010 budget so far.

Bravo Mr. Baldeosingh! Give this man a standing ovation.

2009-09-18T21:02:00.002-04:00

Sharma asks: Is the PNM against East Indians?

Anna Ramdass aramdass@trinidadexpress.com
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161532862

Thursday, September 17th 2009

People of East Indian origin are being discriminated against by the People's National Movement (PNM) at every level of society, an upset Opposition MP Chandresh Sharma has said.

In his contribution to the budget debate on Monday, Sharma raised the issue of racial discrimination against Indians and pointed out a number of areas where he claimed Government had been unfair in its distribution and hiring practices.

He noted that some $5m was given to the Emancipation Committee when $150,000 was given to the Indian Arrival Day committee.

"Shame!" fired Information Minister Neil Parsanlal as Sharma hit back, "That's not shame that's racism and that's discrimination and that's what the PNM survives on, they play the race card morning, noon and night".

Sharma proceeded to point out that of the 178 students awarded Government scholarships to study in Grenada only 16 were of East Indian origin.

He further added that 16 Ambassadors placed in different countries, only two are of East Indian origin.

Parsanlal shot back at Sharma saying, "I am ashamed that on every occasion this has to descend into race...that on every occasion this Parliament has to be treated with this kind of nonsense".

Sharma persisted, noting that of the 28 permanent secretaries, three were of East Indian origin and of 33 deputy permanent secretaries, five were of East Indian origin.

He added that in the state enterprises of the 250 board directors of 30 corporations only 35 were on East Indian origin.

"What is happening to the East Indians in this country?...Is the PNM against them?" he asked.

PNM is a racist Goverment! TALK DONE!

15 murdered in four days

2009-09-16T01:14:00.002-04:00

Joel Julien jjulien@trinidadexpress.com

Wednesday, September 16th 2009

SINCE Saturday some 15 people have been murdered in this country, according to statistics.

The murder toll for this year now stands at 380 with more than 100 days left until the end of the year. The murder rate for this same period last year was 379.

The year 2008 was the bloodiest year in this country's history with some 550 murders being recorded, according to statistics.

And adding to this bloody trend yesterday was the fatal shooting of four men in separate incidents.

In the first incident Clint John, 28, from Claxton Bay was fatally shot sometime around 8.30 p.m on Monday at 19th Street Beetham Gardens, police reports said.

And then some two hours later, Errol La Borde Junior, 23, was fatally shot in Petit Valley, according to police reports.

La Borde Junior, lived at Bakr Trace, Pioneer Drive, Petit Valley, his father Errol La Borde Senior said at the Forensic Science Centre, in Federation Park yesterday.

The senior La Borde could not say why anyone would want his son dead but revealed that his son was involved in an altercation on Sunday.

And just after midnight Lewis Phillip, 19, was found shot dead at Eden Trace in Laventille, police reports said.

Phillip, from Pashley Street, had a single gunshot wound to the back of his head, police said. The bullet exited under his left eye.

"Too much bloodshed in this country," Phillip's aunt, who requested anonymity, said at the Forensic Science Centre yesterday.

"It is high-class nonsense. The gangs taking over Laventille. If one group see you talking to another group they don't like they will kill you. It is frustrating, it is a whole nastiness, crime is not under control," she said.

And in the last of these four killings, Levi Mendoza, 17, was shot dead around 2.30 a.m. while sleeping in a camp at Bagatelle, police reports said.

It was the first time Mendoza slept away from his family's home, his sister La Toya said yesterday.

Mendoza decided to sleep out after a dispute over dirty dishes, relatives said.

So he opted to sleep at a camp in the area, relatives said. Mendoza died on the spot.

An unidentified man who was also at the camp at the time of the shooting was listed in critical condition at the hospital up to presstime, police said. A third occupant of the camp escaped on foot, police said.

Investigations are continuing.

Yup...we really reach...this is PNM country...Patrick....we steppin up with you!

Stepping up to the highest murder rate in the country's existence that is.

Kamal Mohammed denied National Award

2009-09-01T23:59:00.004-04:00

Trinidad Guardian Newspaper dated 31/08/09 :

NCIC questions Kamal’s ‘rejection’
Richard Lord
Published: 31 Aug 2009
Richard Lord

President of the National Council for Indian Culture (NCIC) Deokinanan Sharma is questioning the method of selection of recipients for national awards. This, as the NCIC’s nominees for awards—former government minister Kamaluddin Mohammed and Justice of the Peace Ackbar Khan—were rejected by the National Awards Committee. Mohammed was one of two nominees for this country’s highest national award—the Order of T&T. When contacted for comment yesterday, Sharma said he was “very disappointed that a man who has done so much for this country has been rejected.”

He said Mohammed served as a councillor, a minister in several PNM governments, “and was called as Mr Caricom for his tremendous work with the regional body.” He said Mohammed was also a president of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and served those country exceedingly well. Sharma said while no one explained the reasons for rejecting a nominee, “something is very wrong about the national awards.” He said the process did not appear to be transparent and questioned whether there was “racial discrimination in the selection of awardees.” He said he did not know what a citizen had to do in this country to be rewarded with its highest award.

In response to another question, Sharma said over the years he noted the racial imbalance in the list of awardees. Secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Sat Maharaj said yesterday that the awards could no longer be considered to be national, but instead it was the Patrick Manning’s awards. He said the SDMS had decided last year against any further participation in the awards. Maharaj said Mohammed deserved the country’s highest award but should not feel too disappointed by the rejection of his nomination. Mohammed, when contacted, said he had no comment to make on the matter. But a source said family members were very upset over the rejection.

Trinidad Guardian Newspaper dated 01/09/09 :

Kamal’s nephew in shock

Published: 1 Sep 2009

Jamal Mohammed, nephew of former government minister Kamaluddin Mohammed, says he is shocked and dismayed over the omission of his uncle’s name from this year’s Independence Day awards ceremony. Jamal said his uncle was formally nominated to receive the nation’s highest award—the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. As far as Jamal was concerned, the nomination was properly prepared and submitted on time to the relevant committee.

Jamal added, “These national awards have been designed to recognise those citizens of our country who have dedicated their lives in the service of Trinidad and Tobago. “If ever there was someone who deserves a national award—and the highest award, too—it must be Kamaluddin Mohammed. “For over 56 years, more than half of his life, he has dedicated his time to the service of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. “By rejecting his nomination, a number of questions come to mind:

• Was his nomination received and considered by the awards committee?
• If not, why not?
• If his nomination was considered and approved, was it forwarded to the Prime Minister and Cabinet for final approval?
• If not, why not?
• If his nomination was forwarded to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, was it considered?
• If the Prime Minister and his Cabinet received the nomination, what possible rationale could there be to refuse the nomination?
• Is it true that only friends of the Prime Minister and the PNM receive awards?
• Remember 1981? When Dr Williams died, Uncle Kamal was supposed to be appointed Prime Minister, since he was the most-qualified and experienced Member of Parliament at the time.
• Uncle Kamal was not appointed for reasons unknown to all, but understood by all. Was the same rationale that was used in 1981 re-used in 2009 to deny Uncle Kamal his national award?
• What message are we sending to our younger generation? Uncle Kamal has given his life for Trinidad and Tobago, yet his country—Trinidad and Tobago—represented by the Government, the State, Patrick Manning administration refuses to recognise his contribution.
• What else must one do to deserve a national award?

First off let me wish you Trinis out there a Happy Belated Independence. Right...now that the pleasantries are over...time to get down to some business.

Everybody wants to know why Kamal didn't get a National Award and Jamal, his nephew, is in shock. Hear what...lemme break it down for allyuh in real simple terms - RACIAL DISCRIMINATION!

Yes, you heard me, it's outright discrimination against a man of East Indian descent by the current PNM regime. Who vex loss and if yuh don't like it then take it in yuh pipe and smoke it!

I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie Borough

2009-08-04T21:47:00.005-04:00

Navas: Call me Barbie

Richard Lord

Published: 1 Aug 2009

Chaguanas West MP, Jack Warner, has his hands full as he poses for a picture with Local Government Minister Hazel Manning, left, and Chaguanas Mayor, Natasha Navas, at the ministry’s Kent House office, Maraval, yesterday. PHOTO: SHIRLEY BAHADUR

Richard Lord
http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2009/08/01/navas-call-me-barbie

New Chaguanas Mayor, Natasha Navas, says she wants to be the Barbie of Chaguanas. She said this in an impromptu interview with reporters following a courtesy call on Local Government Minister, Hazel Manning, at her Kent House, Maraval, office yesterday.

Navas was accompanied by Chaguanas West MP, Jack Warner. Asked how she felt about being called a Barbie doll by some people because of her physical beauty, Mayor Navas said, “I have to be popular because Barbies are popular all over the world. And that’s why I have decided to serve the people. I’ll be the Barbie of Chaguanas,” she said with a chuckle in her voice.

She later denied being just a pretty face. Navas said her life experiences have qualified her for the office. She admitted that some people may be concerned about her background but she insists that she comes from among the people to serve the people.

She said she has always been in leadership being the first-born in her family. “You don’t have to be born into politics or grow up in politics to understand it. I want to serve the people of Chaguanas and that alone should qualify me for the job,” Navas insisted. Navas said she had concerns about the impending retrenchment of hundreds of Local Government workers when the new system is implemented next year.

What d f*ck is dis I relly seeing here? She cyah be f*cking serious....na...I doh believe this. She expects anyone to take her seriously after this?

49 held in pre-dawn Beetham raids

2009-07-02T23:19:00.003-04:00

Early-morning raids in Beetham Gardens yesterday resulted in the arrest of 49 residents, several of whom are wanted for questioning in connection with various murders in Port of Spain and environs.

The raids, which began at 3 a.m., were headed by Acting Commissioner of Police, James Philbert, and field operations were coordinated by acting DCP Gilbert Reyes, ACP John Travajo and Insp Sahadeo Singh.

Over 300 police officers from various units, including the Inter Agency Task Force, Guard and Emergency Branch, Special Anti Crime Unit and Divisional Task Force, were involved in the exercise, which ended around 10 a.m. Three women, aged 17, 26 and 42, of Hell Yard, Beetham, were among those held and are expected to appear before a Port of Spain magistrate later this week, charged with possession of four kilogrammes of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Over 500 grammes of cocaine was also found.

Raids were also conducted on 23rd, 24th and 25th Streets in Beetham, and six firearms, including four pistols, one shotgun, one revolver, along with five loaded magazines and 136 rounds of assorted ammunition, were seized.

In a media release, Philbert thanked persons who shared information with the police and pleaded with citizens to continue assisting the police.

Source: Trinidad Express

Saw some Beethamites on the TV today, complaining about how there is no justice for Beetham residents.
What about Vindra Naipaul? Where is the justice for her? What about Naail Ali? Where is the justice for him? Where is the justice for all the citizens who are robbed in traffic on the Beetham Highway? Why the residents don't complain then?

The residents were also complaining that the police used unnecessary force in their search and that their cellular phones stopped working. What else do you expect? The kind of attitude and behaviour that comes out the the Beetham is a far cry from civilised. Robbing people who are stuck in traffic. Is sorry I sorry for the ones who don't have A/C in their car, because once yuh in traffic in the Beetham, yuh have no choice but to roll up your windows, otherwise the chances of you getting robbed is very high. Then we have the issue of all the illegal firearms and ammunition that was found during the raid. You think the police should knock on the door an wait for them to hide everything?

And I must say kudos to the officers involved in this raid. You all did a fine job and handled the situation well. You did what you had to do to get the job done. Bravo!

Homicide rate predictions for 2009-10 - not looking good.

2009-07-01T18:25:00.004-04:00

Click image to enlarge

According to this graph, the murder rate went down during the time the UNC was in power and skyrocketed upon the return of the PNM.
Here's an idea, maybe it had something to do with Manning meeting up with the crime lords and hailing them as community leaders. Maybe it had something to do with Manning's criminal infested election campaign. As I recall one Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, leader of the 1990 coup on T&T, said that Manning and the PNM took his help to win the 2002 general elections. I recall Bakr even saying Manning owes him. You all know who you have to blame when someone you know is brutally murdered.

Manning: No regrets over Tecia statements

2009-07-01T18:05:00.003-04:00

There would be no apology by Prime Minister Patrick Manning on statements he recently made on the murder of ten-year-old Tecia Henry.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to the San Fernando Girls' Government School at Rushworth Street, San Fernando, yesterday, Manning said he had no regrets.

"I was just responding to commentators' impressions on the incident; whoever said anything else was just trying to be mischievous. And like anyone else, I condemn the death of any ten-year-old child.

"But I have no regrets for anything I do," he said.

Little Tecia, a pupil of St Rose's RC School in Port of Spain, was found strangled under a house at Block Eight, in Laventille, four days after she was reported missing.

At a PNM convention on June 21 at the Chaguaramas Convention Centre, Manning, in his address, referred to the murder of Tecia and told the audience that he wished he could reveal the facts relating to the murder of the child but could not.

He said they too knew the facts surrounding the case and urged them not to take it at face value.

His comments drew wide criticism from members of the public, and residents of John John-where the little girl lived-demanded an apology.

Source: Trinidad Express

Why should Manning apologise if it is the truth? Collateral damage is collateral damage and if there is more to the murder of 10 year old Tecia Henry than meets the eye doh vex!
Maybe Mr. Big had a hand in it...and up to now Manning can't say who Mr. Big is.

Chamber condemns record murders

2009-06-26T21:09:00.002-04:00

Friday, June 26th 2009

THE Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce has condemned the murder of Camille Daniel, who was shot dead by carjackers on the compound of the West End Police Station on Wednesday.

Chamber president Angella Persad stated in a media release yesterday that the "barbaric" murder, which occurred in the front yard of the station, coupled with last week's murder of Tecia Henry "has brought our country to an all-time low".

"The murder figure is at an all-time high at 271 in six months, and it is a frightening indication to the public at large that the relevant authorities do not have a handle on the situation, and for the most part, do not inspire any confidence in our helpless population. It is simply not good enough for the Minister of National Security to express outrage at the situation and assure us that things will get better," the release added.

The chamber, once again, appealed to the prime minister to "take direct control and coordinate the approach among all the law enforcement agencies to restore law and order to our country."

I leave you with one question after reading this....Was this Chamber in support of the nationwide shut down that was organised by Inshan Ishmael in protest of the escalating crime rate and the inaction of the Government?

Between the lines

2009-06-25T00:51:00.000-04:00

Between the lines

Paolo Kernahan

Published: 25 Jun 2009

Paolo Kernahan

I have been following some of the more recent utterings of the Prime Minister and even though I consider myself possessed of a sturdy constitution, I have been tickled incontinent by his remarks and what they portend.

Recently at the PNM convention/ritual gathering, the Prime Minister raised the spectre of blood and mayhem if we do not yield to his integration ideologies. “…We cannot stand idly by and watch the Caribbean in this economic situation and do nothing. We will pay in blood for taking such a position.” WDM!!!!!! Let me break it down for you like Chuck D.

How would the leaders of the eastern Caribbean nations referenced in his speech digest the perception of their countrymen as one GDP point away from scrambling everything buoyant together for a flotilla bound for Trini shores, all of them a band of ne’er-do-wells and nefarious characters? Try hearing it how I did: “Our Caribbean brothers and sisters, it is crucial that we form ourselves into a political union. It is imperative that we ensure that your economies remain stable so that you don’t come to Trinidad to kill us all and foster narco-trafficking in the region.

“We shall overcome, my brothers and sisters! You shall overcome! As long as you don’t come over!” In his address to the PNMites, Mr Manning is admitting that notwithstanding the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on fast patrol boat contracts and surveillance equipment, we will be powerless in the face of refugee-laden pirogues penetrating our defences.

There is no doubt these “small islanders” will set up criminal enterprises and trigger an onslaught of murder and mayhem the likes of which we have never seen! Wait a minute… It is obvious, the only solution to avoid this terrible fate is to create this union and along with it a single passport so that they can pour into our borders legally.

“You agree with me or not?” he asks the mesmerised audience waiting out the speech patiently for the smorgasbord of food and drink, a fleeting opportunity to press the flesh with the anointed one, and the climax of DJ music (dahlin oyeeeee, let’s have a good good time!) for the party faithful to undulate their massive buttocks with such ferocity as to spark a small blaze in their flammable spandex tights. Funny that we are now being terrorised with the prospect of being overrun by illegal migrants when the PNM has a well established history of encouraging Grenadians to come here to set up a beachhead at Sea Lots. What was convenient then isn’t now? “I am not an obeah man. I have been around a long time.” We know, heavens to Betsy, we know.

There was, though, a most offensive remark for which I wager we will faster see Mr Manning step down from office than apologise for. It was quite plainly a deeply hurtful inference. He indicated his deep sorrow at the injunction on his detailing the circumstances at the heart of the brutal murder of Tecia Henry. “I know all of you know the facts. Ent you know (the judicious application of the term ent designed to elicit head nodding from the faithful in the audience).

Don’t take it at face value. That is all I would say.” Leave it to Mr Manning to confuse a thinly veiled insinuation with a cipher. It reminds me of a family friend who is “ah PNM ’till ah dead” who routinely offers her theories on the latest murders to assuage the prevailing impression of crime beyond control. “But you know dem was in drugs, daiz why de kill de boy!”

At the end of it, Mr Prime Minister, a child has been killed, a ten-year-old girl will celebrate her 11th birthday being put into the dirt , no cake, no ice cream, only flowers of mourning and a torrent of tears insufficient still to quell the burning fires of the Laventille heart. But she done dead arready, why not exploit her passing for crass political expedience. “That is all I would say” was already too much. Yet we must ask ourselves, have we seen the signs of a chronic condition exhibited recently by our beneficent leader, a condition observed in medical science as “pedeore” (foot in mouth). Let us go back to some earlier manifestations of this troubling malaise.

“What I noticed this morning was the regular anti-smelter crowd. That is what I saw, which means there is nothing new. I looked very carefully to see the people of La Brea and they were not there.” One is left to assume that Mr Manning has a digital file embedded in his brain of every La Brea resident such that he could recognise any Labrean upon sight. It gets worse: “…anti-smelter outsiders who have no business in La Brea.” Does he mean that Trinidadians not resident in La Brea need a visa to be in that southern community? Are activists, environmentalists and Trinis concerned about the possible impacts of the smelter banned from La Brea?

The most spine-chilling remark to issue forth from his blessed lips however had to have been his admonition to his supporters at the PNM family day no less: “All I am saying to you, ladies an gentlemen, is sharpen your political cutlasses!” Hear that kids? Sharpen your political cutlasses. In a society where violence is rampant, young men are killed for watching the area don the wrong way, this is the advice doled out on a sunny Sunday afternoon at a sports and family day.

By the way Mr Panday, you are the last person to offer comment on that remark. “You must do them before they do you!” Remember that gem? That simple exhortation provoked an immediate reaction amongst some supporters at the Rienzi Complex who were a molotov cocktail of forres park special reserve and “maximum leader” fervour. We live in times of economic turmoil, rising unemployment, a squall of crime with the minutes between each thunder clap shorter, the stories of brutal killings closer to home.

In the midst of all of this we are forced to contend with a barrage of irresponsible statements. Questions of a Karen Teshiera/ Clico conflict are deflected, yet Brigid Anisette-George is jettisoned with dispatch, her potential conflict apparently significant enough to suggest possible legal action for unnamed parties. Before we knew it Ron Jeremy was riding high again as the AG. Where does this insanity all end? It is clear that the media have not been able to move the public sufficiently to stand against this tyranny.

I recently cast my eye on a flyer announcing a rally meant to discuss many of the issues I have raised in this column. From what I can tell it is an amalgamation of civil society groups and activists. It looks like a very promising change from the generations of apathy which has allowed politicians to live out their dreams and weave our nightmares in this country. Read between the lines people, before the only lines on offer are an obituary of our nation.

WE WILL PAY IN BLOOD

2009-06-23T23:39:00.006-04:00

PM: Regional unity a must or...

Ria Taitt Political Editor

Source: Trinidad Express

Monday, June 22nd 2009

in full flight: Prime Minister Patrick Manning yesterday.

The floundering Eastern Caribbean economies pose a serious threat to the economic welfare and well-being of the people and economy of Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister Patrick Manning warned yesterday.

Ah yes, way to go Manning, godfather of the Caribbean. Talking a load of horse manure about Eastern Caribbean economies causing a threat to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

What about the local criminals that are roaming the streets, hacking people like Jameel Ali to death? Aren't they also a threat to the people?

What about the local criminals who killed Tecia Henry? Aren't they also a threat to the people?

What about the criminals that held up the St. James Licensing Office? Aren't they a threat to the people?

What about the local criminals in Beetham and Lavantille who shoot and kill one another with illegally obtained firearms? Aren't they a threat the to public when they go out robbing and killing people in the general populace with those illegal firearms?

Who are you really trying to fool with all this hog wash? The illiterate masses of the Beetham Landfill and the slums of Lavantille? Well if that is the case, then I'm sure you are doing a fine job...but you are not fooling the educated people who live outside of your PNM strongholds. Yes, you keep your die hard PNM voters uneducated and totally dependent on the state. That is the only way the PNM will keep winning elections. It won't last forever, every rope has its end.

The blood done start to flow!

Woman shot by bandits in the West End Police Station Compound.

Guard robbed, killed at home

2009-06-23T23:22:00.003-04:00

Gyasi Gonzales ggonzales@trinidadexpress.com

Source: Trinidad Express

Tuesday, June 23rd 2009

CHOPPED TO DEATH: Jameel Ali

BANDITS took a DVD player, cellular telephone and a wallet from an off-duty security officer, before almost splitting his head open with a hatchet during what police believe was a robbery at his D'abadie home early yesterday morning.

What d hell!

During the ordeal, Jameel Ali's wife of the last four years was forced to watch but ordered not to scream, under threat that she would face the same fate.

Ali, 45, who lived in a small but ramshackle apartment below his mother's house at Recreation Road, was employed at Pentagon Security. The couple had no children.

The horror began shortly before 3 a.m. Ali and his wife were asleep when the three men, two armed with cricket bats and one with a hatchet, forced open a door leading to Ali's one-room apartment.

Police sources said Ali was beaten about the body by the men with the bats. As he crouched in a corner, the man with the hatchet attacked him, striking a blow almost to the back of his head.

Ali's mother, Rosey Birjoo, yesterday recalled that a few days before the attack, her son spoke of strange men walking on Recreation Road, which has a dead end. Beyond the dead end road is a large tract of unoccupied land.

Birjoo said she heard the commotion sometime before 3 a.m. and called the police, but by the time she made the call the killers were already making their escape. Ali's wife however was left physically unharmed. Crying while she spoke to reporters yesterday, she complained that the police "took long" to arrive at the scene. They searched the area for the killers when they got there but to no avail.

Emergency Medical Services personnel arrived afterwards. Two of the attendants walked downstairs to the bloodstained apartment, and walked back up grim faced, saying Ali was already dead and there was nothing they could do.

Officers from Crime Scene Unit and Homicide Bureau, led by ASP Stanley Ramdeen, visited the scene afterwards.

"I eh know what this country coming too nah. He was a good son," Birjoo said, adding that the only thing she wanted was to see was the faces of her son's killers.

Homicide Bureau officers are continuing investigations. The murder toll stood at 266 yesterday evening.

Yes Trinidad, we finally reach! This is what Vision 20/20 is all about folks. Ministers living large and citizens getting hacked to death. This is what it is all about, this is what you vote for when you vote for the PNM...violent murders, rape, kidnapping, human trafficking, larceny and the list goes on. Notice PM Manning has nothing to say about crime, his major concern is hosting summits, having meetings in his diplomatic centre and spending millions of taxpayer's dollars to do this. This is how the PNM cares for you.

CLICO $20m PNM GIFT

2009-06-21T03:23:00.005-04:00

How cash-squeezed insurance giant bankrolled 2007 elections

Camini Marajh Investigative Desk

Sunday, June 21st 2009

Above:A cheque for $5 million, made out to the People's National Movement, dated June 29, 2007, and signed by then CL Financial chairman Lawrence Duprey, as well as three other signatories, was endorsed less than a month before the November 5, 2007, election by Rose Janierre, assistant party secretary, and Linus Rogers, PNM elections officer.

Well what do you know? It seems there is some serious "back scratching" going on behind closed doors. Great is the PNM!

Lawrence Duprey's CL Financial Group provided scarcely imaginable largesse to the ruling People's National Movement (PNM) party in the last general election at a time when it was already on the ropes-short on cash and highly leveraged.

The by-then cash-poor conglomerate bankrolled the 2007 election campaign of the Patrick Manning-led PNM party to the tune of some $20 million, according to sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

And while much of CL's money went through a somewhat circuitous route to sundry suppliers of goods and services: from the printing of fliers and tee shirts to tent and maxi-taxi rentals, the bulk of it was applied to direct billings from advertising agencies for media activity, said sources.

Some of it however, was paid directly into the party's coffers. One such payment was made directly to the People's National Movement from the group's insurance subsidiary, Clico, on June 28, 2007, for the generous sum of $5 million. The $5 million cheque, drawn from a Republic Bank-held account at Independence Square in Port of Spain, was endorsed less than a month before the November 5, 2007, vote by Rose Janierre, assistant party secretary and Linus Rogers, PNM elections officer.

Look how mark bussin on ah Sunday so...what d NLCB go say!?!

The $5 million Clico payout to the PNM's war chest was made at a time when the country's No1 insurance company had already been red-flagged with solvency issues, a statutory fund deficit of close to a billion dollars and what financial observers warned were dangerously excessive levels of inter-party transactions within the group.

If the Manning government had any concerns about the holding company using the country's largest insurer as a lucrative little money machine, it not only kept its own counsel but it lined up at the feeding trough.

Manning and the PNM truly do care after all!

In the middle of this interplay of politics and business stood Andre Monteil, the then group financial director of Duprey's $100 billion business behemoth, his No1 lieutenant, party treasurer of the incumbent PNM government and the PNM face of the corporate animal known as CL Financial. Entrepreneurial titan Duprey was the other public face of CL Financial and despite his protestations of being a-political, he was viewed by many as a United National Congress or Basdeo Panday sympathiser.

How shocking! Look at the names getting called up...

Some say the group's fortunes rose and fell on the political connections of these two public faces of CL Financial. Whatever the truth, Duprey's CL Financial group spread a lot of wealth around the PNM in the last decade. And the point man who distributed a lot of that CL money around the ruling party was Duprey's right hand man, Andre Monteil, who, until recently, was numbered among the party's most formidable power brokers.

Monteil was also the corporate chieftain who operated within the context of loopholes that allowed the CL Group to conduct business as usual in the seemingly opaque world of deficient legislation and well outside the good governance expectations of the Central Bank. In his January 30, 2009, containment effort to rescue the floundering financial giant, Governor Ewart Williams complained that the Central Bank had been "stymied" by inadequate legislation from going after the rogue insurance company.

Governor Williams said that for the last five years the Central Bank was forced to watch helplessly from the sidelines as the country's No1 insurer sailed ever closer to the edge. He cited several areas of concern, including:

- Excessive related-party transactions which carry significant contagion risks.

- An aggressive high interest rate resource mobilisation strategy to finance equally high-risk investments, many of which are in illiquid assets (including real estate both here and abroad).

- A very high leveraging of the Group's assets, which constrains the potential amount of cash that could be raised from asset sales.

The Governor said that the Central Bank had consistently "focused on these deficiencies" but was stymied by the "inadequacies in the legislative framework which do not give the Central Bank the authority to demand the necessary changes". He also noted that it was a matter of public record that all was not well at Clico and that the financial crisis which forced an initial $1 billion taxpayer bailout on January 30 was long in coming.

Clico's solvency problems have in fact been on the public radar for close to two decades. In 1997, a report from the then Supervisor of Insurance raised concern about Clico's inability to satisfy its statutory fund requirements for the years 1992, 1993 and 1995 and the insurer's insistence in the face of a deficit on paying dividends. The years under question were during the first Manning administration 1991-1995. In fact, Prime Minister Manning was the Finance Minister in 2007 when his party received huge sums of money from the CL Financial Group.

Sources say CL was the single largest financier to the PNM's 2007 re-election campaign. A former executive at the brokerage firm of CMMB, one of the distressed finance companies owned by the CL Financial Group, told the Sunday Express that in 2007 Monteil complained that CMMB was the only board he sat on that didn't give the PNM money.

In 2007, Monteil was chairman of the Home Mortgage Bank (HMB), Clico Investment Bank (CIB), the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and the Education Facilities Co Ltd. He was also a member on the board of directors of the CCN Group, parent company of the Trinidad Express Newspapers, Home Construction Ltd (HCL) and Angostura Holdings Ltd.

A CCN spokesman said yesterday that the media group made no donation to the PNM 2007 campaign or to any other party for that matter.

Monteil was a co-signatory to the $2.5 million cash payment to the party in the 1995 election at a time when he sat in the Group Financial Director's chair. He later became party treasurer following the death of Anthony Jacelon in April 2005.

And while Duprey may have signed off on some overly generous financing for the PNM and friends of the ruling party, sources close to him say it got him no favours. In fact, Duprey allies contend that his testimony about providing scholarship and other financial gifts to the Pandays in the Panday corruption trial had the effect of setting him in the gun sights of the then Attorney General John Jeremie.

The Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB), a premier white-collar police unit operating under the wing of the Attorney General's office, raided Duprey's private Maraval residence and his corporate offices in what the courts later ruled were illegal searches.

And as reported in an exclusive Sunday Express series detailing the sharp exchange of correspondence between Jeremie, in his first tenure at Cabildo Chambers and the then Director of Public Prosecutions Geoffrey Henderson, now a High Court judge, Jeremie, in 2006 attempted to pressure Henderson into bringing criminal charges against Duprey and Panday, the then Opposition Leader.

Well look at bacchanal now! The cat get pulled out of the bag, kicking and screaming! If this is not enough reason to jail every man jack in the PNM, I really don't know what is!

Grieving mother: ‘Somebody kill my child’

2009-06-19T22:51:00.002-04:00

Geisha Kowlessar

Published: 20 Jun 2009

Yvonette Joseph, with daughter Shanaya, ten,
and son Aaron, 19, at their home in Cunupia,
yesterday. INSET: AMY JOSEPH..shot dead.

Geisha Kowlessar

Distraught mother, Yvonette Joseph, remains adamant that her daughter Amy, was lured out of a relative’s house by a man whom Amy knew, shot in the head and dumped in a forested area in central Trinidad. Up to late yesterday afternoon a man, said to be son of a senior police officer, was assisting investigators.

I like how they use the term "assisting investigators" when they have a suspect in custody.

It has been reported that the firearm used in the killing was licenced (somebody introduce spell check to the editor please). In an interview at her home in Cunupia, Joseph vehemently denies a newspaper report (not The Guardian) that her 17-year-old daughter got into a heated argument with a man, took the man’s firearm and shot herself in the head in a fit of rage. The teenager had been staying with an aunt at Point Pleasant Park, Enterprise, over a three-week period.

So the firearm used in the killing was licensed eh? This one shouldn't be too hard to solve. Did they say the son of a senior police officer was helping in the investigation? Quite shocking!

Her body, which bore a single gunshot wound to the head and clad in pyjamas, was found in a forested area near Todd’s Road, Caparo, on Thursday afternoon. “It is nothing at all like a suicide. Somebody kill my child,” Joseph said. “My daughter was never a child like that. She was always happy and was setting up her own business. She already had most of her things for her salon.” She said her daughter who had a boyfriend, began talking to a male friend of the family about a month ago.

According to the teenager’s mother, the relationship was not romantic. “It was just casual. That man was not my daughter’s boyfriend, it was nothing like that,” Joseph insisted. She said her daughter was last seen alive by relatives on Wednesday night. Also dispelling reports that her daughter sneaked out of the house to meet someone, Joseph said, “My daughter was in her pyjamas. She would not go off with the person.

“She was probably dragged in the car and then killed.” Joseph said just before her daughter went missing she received a phone call. That call, police believe, lured Amy to her death. The call has since been traced to a man who was said to be known to the teen, investigators said. The teenager’s death has left her mother crying out for justice. “I want justice. Somebody must be responsible for my child death. “My child did not deserve to die like that,” Joseph said. An autopsy is expected to be performed on the teenager on Monday.

Source: Trinidad Guardian

Ok lets review,:

1. The girl was shot with a licensed firearm

2. The last call she received, which police believe caused her death, was traced.

I expect to hear this one being solved pretty soon.

Condolences to the family.

Shame on Martin Joseph and shame on Patrick Manning! They have the resources and look at the situation the country is in.

West Indies lose T20 Semi-finals

2009-06-19T22:47:00.003-04:00

It was a disappointment in the end, but the boys did well to reach this far.
They really were outplayed by the Sri Lankans but hats off to the team for reaching this far.
We're still proud of you.

Good luck to the Sri Lankans in their final match!

Tecia Henry found dead

2009-06-17T19:39:00.000-04:00

I heard it on the radio today and saw it later on the 7 o' clock news.
Really sad state of affairs.

Now the news report mentioned that the mother of the deceased child is on some pending drug related charges. It's strange how the dead body of the child was found not far from where she lived.

Is this some sort of message that is being sent?

When asked if there will be reprisal killings, the father of the deceased child stated on camera that others will cry just like he and his family are doing now. So basically he said in a technical way that there will be reprisal killings and yet this man is allowed to walk freely.

I was reading some responses to this topic on a Trini Forum and it seems that some people believe that the PNM is to be blamed for this child's death. Others on this forum firmly disagree with this view and are of the belief that no politician can be blamed for the murders and that it is the citizenry that should be blamed. They believe that corporal punishment and other such measures is what will straighten out our society. What baffles me is that some of them firmly believe that the ruling PNM is not to be blamed at all.

Last I checked, the ruling PNM has been in charge of this country and its resources for the past seven years or so. Shouldn't they be held accountable for the sad state of affairs we are in today?

The hubris syndrome

2009-06-16T00:34:00.003-04:00

Selwyn Ryan

Sunday, June 14th 2009

For reasons of space, last week's column (Sunday Express, June 7), The Root of the Problem, ended without my indicating what I saw to be the root of our contemporary discontents. My view was that the basic problem was not the absence of due diligence on the part of the President, misbehaviour on the part of the Attorney General, the Minister of Finance or some other minister, the Chairman of UDECOTT etc, but 'maximum leadership' which has seriously undermined the integrity of some of the key institutions in our political system.

The leader is not, however, the singular cause of our problem. We, the Prime Minister included, have all become trapped in a political system in which institutions are separated in theory but have become fused in practice. Things fall apart because the centre has become too strong.

Absent mindedly, we are slouching towards dictatorship, even if the symptoms are of the soft and benign variety. In retrospect, Ken Valley was correct, but we have all contributed towards the making of the "coup" that has quietly taken place. We have empowered a hubristic leader.

Some of the characteristics of this hubris syndrome are analysed in a brilliant book by Dr David Owen, In Sickness-and in Power. Owen is a neurologist who gave up his practice to become an MP for the British Labour Party and the leader of the breakaway Social Democratic Party.

One of Owen's basic complaints is that political analysts too often ignore the impact which the mental unbalance of leaders have on how political institutions function. Owen's generalisations are based on a study of political leaders over the past 100 years. One of the central concepts of the book is hubris. The Greeks used the term to define behaviour that is characterised by vaingloriousness and "excess". The hubristic person is one who achieves greatness and glory but who thereupon behaves in a way that suggests that he believes he is a child of God, God himself, or a secular instrument of History, and is thus invincible, indestructible, or irreplaceable. Greek Gods do not favour "heroes" who are presumptuous, and have them self-destruct. The instrument of this fate in Greek mythology is nemesis, the goddess of retribution.

Owen regards hubris as an "occupational hazard" of all leaders. The "hubris syndrome" is, however, not an illness as such and is difficult to diagnose, but those who are perceptive can recognise it in leaders when they get up close.

According to Owen, hubris is more commonly found in heads of government, whether democratic or not, than is often realised. The leader may not even be aware of his affliction and invariably considers himself to be as great as his flatterers tell him/her he/she is. He becomes delusionary and an addict to power with which he becomes intoxicated. As Lord Melody said in his calypso about Jonah and the stolen bake, "power fly up in the old man head".

The key question to determine is whether the leader's behaviour is driven by factors "outside" of him or from factors "within", and if neither, how are the factors dialectically linked. Of concern too, is whether the affliction goes into remission when the leader loses office or is constructively "bereaved", or whether he remains consumed by an incurable political tabanca that might lead him to contemplate suicide as a "Greek necessity".

Owen's case studies suggest that the origins of the syndrome are often mixed. Some of the behaviours suggest that the environment in which the leader operates is the major predisposing factor.

The key external factors would be "overwhelming success in achieving and holding power, a political context in which there is minimal constraint on the leader's exercise of personal authority, and the length of time he stays in power". Incidence of the God syndrome is greater when the leader remains in power for a long period and when there is no credible opposition to him.

Some leaders, however, have personalities and belief systems which facilitate the acquisition of the syndrome. They feel that they have been selected or called to serve as an instrument of the divine, and are contemptuous of those who do not recognise their heroic mission. When they look in the mirror, they can virtually see the halos dancing over their brows. According to Owen, Bush, Thatcher, and Blair all believed that they were called by God and History. As Blair himself explained, "if you have faith about these things (religion), then you realise that judgement is made by other people. If you believe in God, it's made by God himself". Accountability is not to the electorate, but to God or a prophetic personage who serves as medium and intermediary.

If, however, he is already convinced of his own goodness, that accountability is not constraining, as it would be to the believer aware of his own capacity to sin. The belief in God becomes a spur to hubris rather than a constraint on it. Stubbornness, arrogance and self righteousness come to typify behaviour.

Leaders who have dysfunctional personalities, and who also overstay their welcome in their pursuit of legacy agendas, are dangerous, perhaps without intending to be so.

The dangers which they pose are obvious in despotic or totalitarian societies, but they also exist in democratic societies which have established institutions which are informed by the assumption that men and women are not angels and are corruptible even by the smell of power.

As we have seen in our own case, these institutions do not always work effectively. As we have also seen in the case of Gordon Brown, removing a hubristic leader in a mature democratic society such as we have in the UK, is difficult even when the society has prophylactics such as votes of no confidence and free and fair elections to help constrain leaders.

What then are some of the characteristics of hubristic leaders? They are, inter alia,

- A narcissistic propensity to see the world primarily as an arena in which they can exercise power and seek glory rather than as a place with problems that need approaching in a pragmatic manner.

- A disproportionate concern with image and presentation.

- A messianic manner of talking about what they are doing and a tendency to identify themselves with the state to the extent that they regard the outlook and interests of the two as identical.

- A tendency to talk of themselves in the third person or using the royal "we".

- Excessive confidence in their own judgement and contempt for the advice or criticism of others.

- Exaggerated self-belief, bordering on a sense of omnipotence, in what they personally can achieve.

- A belief that rather than being accountable to the mundane court of colleagues or public opinion, the real court to which they answer is much greater: History or God.

- An unshakeable belief that in that court they will be vindicated.

- A tendency to allow their "broad vision", especially their conviction about the moral rectitude of a proposed course of action, to obviate the need to consider other aspects of it, such as its practicality, cost and the possibility of unwanted outcomes: a wooden-headed refusal to change course:

- A consequent type of incompetence in carrying out a policy, which could be called hubristic incompetence.

-To be continued

Source: Trinidad Express

To sum it up...Manning is displaying the classic qualities of a budding dictator.

The root of the problem

2009-06-16T00:31:00.002-04:00

Selwyn Ryan

Sunday, June 7th 2009

Institutions are the sites within which conflicts in society are negotiated and resolved. Often, however, the problems require more than the proverbial nine days of the policy cycle for resolution. The key economic, political and social institutions which regulate our behaviour as citizens are now overloaded, and in danger of collapsing.

The Presidency, the Prime Ministership, the Cabinet, Parliament, the Judiciary, the bureaucracy, the statutary agencies, and the police are all undergoing stress tests, and might not long survive in ways that are recognisable. The country is in deep trouble and we all need to do some serious stocktaking and thinking outside conventional political boxes.

It cannot be business as usual. One does not want to be melodramatic, but our politicians are leading us down paths that can result in institutional failure. Little wonder that few people trust many of them to do what is right. One is reminded of the sharp that controls three card games.

One can illustrate the process of decomposition by reference to the offices of the Attorney General and the Director of Public Prosecutions which have recently come on stage. Under the 1962 independence constitution, the Attorney General was the official who had the power to institute criminal proceedings.

The Attorney General was, however, a member of Cabinet and like any other minister, was answerable to and dismissible by the Prime Minister. Observers felt that responsibility for criminal proceedings should lie with a public official who was not directly responsible to the Prime Minister since it was important to ensure that justice was not only done but also seen to be done.

The Wooding Constitution Commission advised that the functions performed by the Attorney General should be split between two separate ministries. Responsibility for advising the Government should be performed by a politically appointed Minister of Legal Affairs and that the functions of a Director of Public Prosecutions should continue to be performed by the Attorney General.

The latter would, however, also perform other advisory functions such as legal adviser to the President, the Service Commissions, the Election and Boundaries Commission, the Auditor General, the Ombudsman and such other officials as Parliament may prescribe.

Unfortunately, Dr Williams did not accept Wooding's proposed division and left the AG's office with responsibility for advising the Government in respect of civil proceedings for and against the state, and the Director of Public Prosecutions in charge of criminal proceedings.

Quite apart from what was said in the 1976 Constitution, the two office holders have over the years chosen to interpret the provisions of the Constitution in accordance with their own political agendas and their dispositions towards the use of power.

Both claimed to have powers that were exclusive to them. In the extant case, Jeremie claims that the Republican Constitution makes the AG responsible for the administration of legal affairs, and that this responsibility entitled him to enquire about ongoing anti-corruption investigations.

As a "strong" Attorney General he was merely doing what he was authorised to do by the Constitution to ensure that actions which needed to be taken in the public interest were in fact being taken.

What he was doing was asking the DPP to advise him what was being done in respect of matters which the state had spent a great deal of money to investigate since he was accountable to Parliament and ultimately to the electorate.

The DPP felt that the actual terms of the constitution supported his interpretation of the division of responsibility, and that his view was supported by the High Court per Justice Bereaux. The latter ruled that "it could never have been the intention to permit the Office of DPP to be subject to any form of direction on the part of the Attorney General".

Jeremie countered that "certain constitutional powers are subject to "[his]" section 76 powers. The power is mine, he argued. One question of course is that no one knows what was in the minds of the persons who framed the constitution. These are invented when necessary to argue and clinch a case.

What we have here is a classic"clash of powers" and also a "clash of power brokers." The powers given to both overlap, and what we in fact have is a case of a mutual power grab that is rationalised in two competing versions of what constitutes the public good. Jeremie believes that crime and corruption were critical issues, and a responsible AG had to act. "In the midst of a crime wave, the political directorate cannot tell the people of Trinidad and Tobago that an acquittal was due to a learning exercise. Perhaps, it is time for less talk and greater action in the public interest".

Henderson cited other imperatives, viz, the right of the individual to the protection of the law until evidence is adduced that prosecution is warranted. He therefore refused to prosecute Panday and Duprey at the instance of the AG when his investigations were incomplete and he was still uncertain as to whether charges could be properly laid.

Henderson advised Jeremie that he was not "subject to his directions," and that his continued efforts to have him initiate charges against persons were highly improper, "and should they continue, could imperil the successful prosecution of a charge initiated in the matters under investigation".

Henderson warned Jeremie that it was important to ensure that decisions to prosecute were not politically driven. The fact that one had spent large sums of money to investigate a matter should not dictate whether charges should be laid against citizens.

Henderson feared that Jeremie, acting at the behest of the Prime Minister, wanted to lay charges against Panday and Duprey which would have been politically disabling for the former. Keith Rowley has also claimed that the AG was after him as well for reasons which have to do with political competition.

The question as to how the power should be best shared between the two officials was addressed by the Ellis Clarke draft constitution and the Round Table exercise which considered that draft. Clarke proposed that the AG should have general superintendence of the DPP.

The proposal which is currently on the table for public consideration after much debate is that the DPP shall exercise his powers in consultation with and with the prior approval of the AG in matters directly involving official state secrets, terrorism, and state to state relations.

The DPP must also consult with the AG if the latter requests such consultation Similarly, the AG must consult with the DPP if the latter requests such a consultation. In sum, neither official can operate in splendid isolation. Both share responsibility for some aspects of the administration of the law.

The document, however, makes clear what was not so clear in the 1976 constitution, viz that the DPP is under no obligation or duty to accept any direction given or proposal made by the AG following the consultations which he has had with him. It also provides that subject to what was said above in respect of official secrets and state to state relations (etc) "the DPP shall exercise his powers and discharge his functions under the constitution independently of the control and direction of any other person or authority, and shall be free and independent from political, executive and any other form of interference."

Source: Trinidad Express

See article above for continuation...

Laventilleans join in search for 10-year-old girl

2009-06-15T00:07:00.003-04:00

Heavily-armed soldiers and police, dressed in tactical uniforms, gather at the bottom of John John Road in Laventille, yesterday, as angry residents called for greater efficiency in the search of missing 10-year-old Tecia Henry. Photo: KEITH MATTHEWS

Geisha Kowlessar

Published: 15 Jun 2009

The desperate search for a missing ten-year-old girl turned to near violence in the Laventille community yesterday, when scores of irate residents clashed with heavily-armed police and soldiers. In their bid to locate Tecia Henry, a pupil of St Rose’s Girls’ Primary School, angry residents blocked the major roads with burning debris, demanding swift and more efficient action by law enforcement officials. Tecia went missing after leaving her mother’s home on Essex Street, John John, around 7.30 am on Saturday. The child was sent to K and G Mini-mart, at the lower end of John John, to purchase a phone card and other items. She never made it to the shop.

How exactly does clashing with police and soldiers and blocking roadways with burning debris increase the efficiency of law enforcement officials? Can someone explain this to me?

Sitting in front of the parlour, which was closed yesterday, the child’s mother Diane was visibly distraught. She tried to comfort her 12-year-old twin daughters, Tia and Tamara, who sat at their mother’s feet shedding tears for their missing sister. According to Diane, the walk from her home to the mini-mart is a mere three minutes. “When I saw a certain time I sent one of her sisters to check on her. The owner of the shop said he glimpsed her going up Crook Street,” Diane said.

Believing the mini-mart might have been closed, Diana said she thought her daughter might have gone to another shop on St Paul Street, not too far from where the child’s grandmother lived. “I called the aunt, but they said she not around. I call everybody and they say she not around.” Diane said her daughter never ran away from home. “It was school and home; nothing else.” Tecia Henry was last seen wearing a pink and grey jacket, a denim skirt, a shower cap and slippers.

Rapist on the prowl

Her disappearance has stirred fears that a rapist may be on the prowl in the Laventille district. One resident said last week a girl making her way home from St Phillip’s Primary School was snatched by a man who appeared to be in his 40s. The man dragged the screaming child at the back of the school and attempted to molest her. The child’s screams, however, alerted a teacher and other residents, causing the man to release the child.

Another resident on his way to work the morning Henry disappeared, said he, too, spotted a gunman lurking behind a house. According to the resident, as Henry was making her way to the shop she stopped to fix her slipper. The resident was adamant, however, that no “stranger” could have been responsible for Henry’s disappearance.
“Nobody would come in Laventille so, especially at Crook Street. Is somebody from right in here responsible.”

Well at least some residents are smart enough to realise that the criminals are from within their village so again I ask the question, how does blocking roadways help in finding the child? Are they protecting the alleged kidnapper?

Joint effort

Henry’s disappearance has united the Laventille community, as warring factions have joined in the search. Gangs from Beverly Hills, Picton, Canada and Africa combed the hills up to late yesterday looking for the child. Describing the police response as “sickening,” residents said they had no choice but to take matters in their own hands. “Is a poor, black child from a poor community. That is why the police doing nothing.

HUH? So are these "Lavantilleans" inferring that the police "doing nothing" only because it is a "poor, black child"? Don't they realise that is the normal response of any Government agency, whether police or clerical worker, when the PNM is in power? Then again, these "Lavantilleans" not to smart anyway, because they always vote PNM, even if it means more gang violence and even starvation.

She was part of group of other parents who gathered at the bottom of John John Road expressing their disgust by what they claimed was poor police response. “When we went to Besson Street Station to make the report, a Const Francis was abusing us, cursing us and trying to put us out the station and say he not taking the report,” the resident claimed.

Did Naail Ali get any better treatment when he went to a Police Station, wounded and bleeding, after escaping his kidnappers?

Source: Trinidad Guardian

Time To Free Africa

2009-06-13T12:10:00.004-04:00

Black Power activist praises Mugabe:
Saturday, June 13th 2009

TRIBUTE: Mukasa Dada (Brother Willie Ricks) addresses the audience during the Kwame Ture Memorial Lecture Series on Thursday at Lions Centre in Woodbrook. -Photo: ANISTO ALVES

As Mukasa Dada (Brother Willie Ricks) launched the annual Kwame Ture Memorial Lecture Series put on by the Emancipation Support Committee at Lions Cultural Centre in Woodrook on Thursday, he called on Africa to be free.

"Africa was raped for 300 years by colonialism and we are going to fight to get it for you. We are confused, we don't know our history, we look in the mirror and we don't like what we see," he said.

But he added that the new enemy was now the "Uncle Tom neo-colonialists", causing confusion in their own countries. And he paid tribute to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.

"Long live Mugabe. Ain't y'all proud of Mugabe, he's still standing strong and running the white people out of Africa."

Speaking on the topic "Seize the Time: Black Power and Pan Africanism as Forces of Change", Dada, who was known as Trinidad-born Stokley Carmichael's (Kwame Ture) right-hand man, spoke of the turbulent days they shared in the civil rights and Black Power movements of the 60s and 70s.

"I loved that boy, anything he told me to do I did it well. If I tell you what he told me to do Homeland Security would be in here tonight, so I'm going to be cool."

He was anything but, however, as he analysed Carmichael's chairmanship of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1966 to his formation, one year later, of the militant Black Panther Party.

"Stokley started the first Black Panther Party in Lowndes County, Alabama, and he organised it with guns...he was the one who said after James Meredith was shot...what we need is Black Power."

Dada made it clear that while Carmichael and Martin Luther King Jnr did not always see eye to eye, "Stokley loved Martin and Martin loved Stokley. We fought but loved him. When King was killed it was Stokley who said 'burn down America'. He then asked the audience...'what y'all think I did?...I did the best I could".

Above everything else, however, Dada said Carmichael, who died in 1998, took Black Power out to the world.

"He identified with every liberation movement of the world. Stokley Carmichael was an international freedom fighter," Dada said.

Source: Trinidad Express

Long live Mugabe!!! Ain't y'all proud of him? Running the white people out of Africa...All hail Mugabe!!!
This man, Mukasa Dada, should be shot for being such an idiot. He is singing praises to Mugabe for running the "white people" out of Africa, and yet it's the same "white people" who are bringing aid to other African nations that are suffering from famine and disease.
I admit, the Europeans did plunder Africa, but they also did the same to South America and the Indian sub-continent.

Mukasa Dada should set an example to all Afro-Trinis by packing up and heading to Zimbabwe, and while he's at it, he should take Patrick Manning (the dictator in training) and the PNM along with him.

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