The Ministry of Education yesterday released the names of the 2017 scholarship winners for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). Veshala Goon, of Lakshmi Girls's Hindu College, and Sanjaali Maharaj, of St Augustine Girls' High School, were announced as the joint President's Medal winners. Below is the full list of scholarship winners.

ASJA Boys' College, San Fernando

Andy Burke, Natural Sciences, Open

Joshua Raghoo, Natural Sciences, Open

Lindon Samuel, Natural Sciences, Additional

ASJA Girls' College, San Fernando

Arielle Ramadharsingh, Humanities, Open

Merlisa Bharath, Mathematics, Open

Latisha Jahoor, Business, Additional

Sahra Ramdath, Business, Additional

Allissah Mustaphar, ICT, Additional

Meera Madhavi Ram, Mathematics, Additional

Samara Mohammed-Khan, Natural Sciences, Additional

Raheema Mohammed, Natural Sciences, Additional

ASJA Girls' High School, Charlieville

Vasishma Persad, Natural Sciences, Additional

Bishop Anstey & Trinity College East 6th Form

Danicia Solozano, ICT, Open

Keiswanna Pierre, Business, Additional

Tai Rosemin, ICT, Additional

Raphael Superville, ICT, Additional

Jade Noriega, Mathematics, Additional

Laura Martinez-Garavito, Natural Sciences, Additional

Tia Gilkes, Natural Sciences, Additional

Danissa McLeod-Irish, Natural Sciences, Additional

Bishop Anstey High School

Jenia Cunningham, Creative Arts, Open

Maya Hinds, Languages, Open

Kai Seale-Sloane, Mathematics, Open

Anastasia Francis, Natural Sciences, Additional

Bishop High School, Tobago

Keizel Hayling, Mathematics, Open

Safiya James, Natural Sciences, Open

Lloyen Scotland, General Studies, Additional

Phia Rochford, Natural Sciences, Additional

Couva East Secondary

Katrina Samaroo, Environmental, Open

Sameerah Mohammed, Natural Sciences, Open

Chernell John, Environmental, Additional

Leandra Ramjattan, Environmental, Additional

Kadeem Ali, Natural Sciences, Additional

Krishna Kesarisingh, Natural Sciences, Additional

Cowen Hamilton Secondary

Ian Sooknanan, Natural Sciences, Additional

El Dorado East Secondary

Ajay Ramjit, Natural Sciences, Additional

Fatima College

John-Michael Herrera, General Studies, Open

Gyasi Husbands-Vialva, Humanities, Open

Isaiah Colthrust, ICT, Open

Adam Alexis, Mathematics, Open

Liam De Verteuil, Mathematics, Open

Damani Garcia, Mathematics, Open

Daniel Cockburn, Environmental, Additional

Christopher Voss, Environmental, Additional

Steffon Lewis, General Studies, Additional

Cian Coonai, Natural Sciences, Additional

Joshua Gooding, Natural Sciences, Additional

Muhammad Ibrahim, Natural Sciences, Additional

Xavier Lezama, Natural Sciences, Additional

Hillview College

Jordan Ramcharitar, Environmental, Open

Dominic Hernandez, ICT, Open

Isaiah John, ICT, Open

Harold Raghunandan, ICT, Open

Stephanie Chadee, Mathematics, Open

Aidan Gajadhar, Mathematics, Open

Reshawn Maraj, Mathematics, Open

Christopher Mohammed, Mathematics, Open

Ishmail Mohammed, Mathematics, Open

Denison Mylon, Mathematics, Open

Ronald Ramdeen, Mathematics, Open

Suhaas Vadigi, Mathematics, Open

David Abraham, Natural Sciences, Open

Adilla Bekele, Natural Sciences, Open

Jonathan Hosein, Business, Additional

Zane Mohammed, Business, Additional

Raemus Rampaul, Business, Additional

Sayyid Ali, Environmental, Additional

SItara Rambarran, Environmental, Additional

Anton Greenidge, ICT, Additional

Dillon Salick, Mathematics, Additional

Stephen Akaloo, Natural Sciences, Additional

Christian Chamaroo, Natural Sciences, Additional

Nabeel Khan, Natural Sciences, Additional

Tariq Mohammed, Natural Sciences, Additional

Xian Ramdass, Natural Sciences, Additional

Revash Ramtahal, Natural Sciences, Additional

B'jon Shallowe, Natural Sciences, Additional

Varun Singh, Natural Sciences, Additional

Holy Faith Convent, Couva

Amelina Ramlal, Mathematics, Open

Priyanka Kissoonsingh, Natural Sciences, Open

Shivani Ramnath, Environmental, Additional

Ronica Jagbir, Natural Sciences, Additional

Kristal Manboadh, Natural Sciences, Additional

Nikita Mohammed, Natural Sciences, Additional

Sonya Mulchansingh, Natural Sciences, Additional

Shania Saunders, Natural Sciences, Additional

Samantha Simboo, Natural Sciences, Additional

Holy Faith Convent, Penal

Celeste Alexander, Business, Open

Cristal Bernard, Environmental, Additional

Chevelle John, ICT, Additional

Sapphire Sookram, Languages, Additional

Jinelle De Gannes, Natural Sciences, Additional

Karisma Samaroo, Natural Sciences, Additional

Holy Name Convent, Port-of-Spain

Taylia Henderson, ICT, Open

Dominyque Mohammed, ICT, Open

Kyra Lewis, Business, Additional

Siann Questel, Business, Additional

Diane Sooklal, Creative Arts, Additional

Shenelle Ashton, Environmental, Additional

Crystal Hackshaw, Environmental, Additional

Tamera Mendez, Environmental, Additional

Soleille St Louis, Environmental, Additional

Iere High School

Karishma Harrykissoon, Mathematics, Open

Lakshmi Girls' Hindu College

Veshala Goon, Business, Open

Jordan Singh, Business, Open

Himlata Sumair, Business, Open

Ansara Balgobin, Environmental, Open

Devi Mahadeo, Environmental, Open

Vanita Ramnarine, Environmental, Open

Nickarlet Jeffrey, Mathematics, Open

Evanna Dadd, Natural Sciences, Open

Ashni Maharaj, Natural Sciences, Open

Aryaa Ramnarine, Natural Sciences, Open

Sherissa Budhram, Business, Additional

Cherisse Gomez, Environmental, Additional

Arissa Singh, Environmental, Additional

Ashrena Arman, Humanities, Additional

Karishma Balsingh, Humanities, Additional

Renesha Ramkissoon, Mathematics, Additional

Aliyah Ali, Natural Sciences, Additional

Keeara Bhagaloo, Natural Sciences, Additional

Parveen Dookie, Natural Sciences, Additional

Riana Kandhai, Natural Sciences, Additional

Danae Khan, Natural Sciences, Additional

Runella Mohammed, Natural Sciences, Additional

Malini Rajcoomar, Natural Sciences, Additional

Shivana Sankar, Natural Sciences, Additional

Naparima College

Ronaldo Lee Justin, Creative Arts, Open

Timothy Singh, ICT, Open

Addesh Bhagwandeen, Mathematics, Open

Vinai Birbal, Mathematics, Open

Adam Cassie, Mathematics, Open

Kavir Gopaul, Mathematics, Open

Matthew Kowlessar, Mathematics, Open

Kevon Seechan, Mathematics, Open

Kevan Singh, Mathematics, Open

Avinash Dass, Natural Sciences, Open

Danté Frett, Natural Sciences, Open

Rajiv Gangoo, Natural Sciences, Open

Emmanuel Singh, General Studies, Additional

Vasisht Ramnath, Mathematics, Additional

Luke Armoogum, Natural Sciences, Additional

Kameron Chatoor, Natural Sciences, Additional

Imran Khan, Natural Sciences, Additional

Matthew Ragbir, Natural Sciences, Additional

Siro Rajnath, Natural Sciences, Additional

Jeremy Ramjohn, Natural Sciences, Additional

Keiron Ramkissoon, Natural Sciences, Additional

Naparima Girls' High School

Zari Dowrich, Business, Open

Rachel Trotman, Business, Open

Pyria Kissoonsingh, ICT, Open

Steffi Maharaj, ICT, Open

Chela Aufderheide, Languages, Open

Manisha Balkissoon, Languages, Open

Allisha Rahaman, Languages, Open

Michaela Joseph, Mathematics, Open

Alyssa Ramsubir, Mathematics, Open

Chelsea Sobransingh, Mathematics, Open

Naveela Sookoo, Mathematics, Open

Christiane Dookie, Natural Sciences, Open

Shalini Jagdeo, Natural Sciences, Open

Marianna Lalgee, Natural Sciences, Open

Kenya Lewis-Alexander, Natural Sciences, Open

Kerissa Ramasar, Natural Sciences, Open

Janessa Campbell, Business, Additional

Christin Mohammed, Creative Arts, Additional

Chelsea Sanatan, Creative Arts, Additional

Farhaana Dan, Environmental, Additional

Aleema Mahabir, Environmental, Additional

Meagan Gopaulsingh, Humanities, Additional

Adana Racham, Humanities, Additional

Aasha Ramlal, Humanities, Additional

Kimberly Gookool, Mathematics, Additional

Saveeta Paray, Mathematics, Additional

Charisse Alexander, Natural Sciences, Additional

Vanell Benimadho, Natural Sciences, Additional

Tricia Bissoo, Natural Sciences, Additional

Tishelle Boodoo, Natural Sciences, Additional

Shanaya Chadee, Natural Sciences, Additional

Amanda Deonanan, Natural Sciences, Additional

Jenine Dhoray, Natural Sciences, Additional

Melanie Dookhantie, Natural Sciences, Additional

Daniella Mohammed, Natural Sciences, Additional

Sasha Omadally, Natural Sciences, Additional

Samantha Parmasar, Natural Sciences, Additional

Dana Ramsingh, Natural Science, Additional

North Eastern College

Arti Ramroop, General Studies, Open

Presentation College Chaguanas

Savio Keith, Business, Open

Nevash Maraj, Environmental, Open

Krsn Ramsumair, Environmental, Open

Reece Bajnathsingh, Mathematics, Open

Marc Bhopalsingh, Mathematics, Open

Adrian Chitan, Mathematics, Open

Rajeev Parmasar, Mathematics, Open

Adrian Ramlal, Mathematics, Open

Kieran Ramlogan, Mathematics, Open

Jaron Ramsundar, Mathematics, Open

Rohan Ragbir, Natural Sciences, Open

Ahmad Rahman, Natural Sciences, Open

Mikel Rajkumar, Natural Sciences, Open

Kristoff Sahadeo, Natural Sciences, Open

Mahendra Singh, Natural Sciences, Open

D'jean-M'onteil Murray, Environmental, Additional

Zachery Ragoonath, Environmental, Additional

Vikash Surujbally, Environmental, Additional

Darren Fung, Mathematics, Additional

Josiah Gosyne, Mathematics, Additional

Vivek Barran, Natural Sciences, Additional

Majel De Coteau, Natural Sciences, Additional

Suraj Deodath, Natural Sciences, Additional

Rajeev Harripaul, Natural Sciences, Additional

Joshua Manickchand, Natural Sciences, Additional

Siddique Mohammed, Natural Sciences, Additional

Matthias Rambally, Natural Sciences, Additional

Wesley Ramnarine, Natural Sciences, Additional

Mohammed Shaddy, Natural Sciences, Additional

Presentation College San Fernando

David Craig, Mathematics, Open

Gregory Jaggernauth, Mathematics, Open

Joseph Simon, Mathematics, Open

Joel Kissoon, Natural Sciences, Open

Riyad Khan, Technical Studies, Open

Gregory Cassim, Environmental, Additional

Richard Bernard, Mathematics, Additional

Alario Mendoza, Mathematics, Additional

Ronaldo Mills, Mathematics, Additional

James Bhola-Singh, Natural Sciences, Additional

Jelani Borrel, Natural Sciences, Additional

Anthony De Silva, Natural Sciences, Additional

Dariel Maurice, Natural Sciences, Additional

Akshay Pawar, Natural Sciences, Additional

Dominic Tam, Natural Sciences, Additional

Queen's Royal College

Brandon Ramkissoon, Creative Arts, Open

Okera Duncan, Languages, Open

Brandon Joseph, Mathematics, Open

Jonathan Paul, Mathematics, Open

Rio Claro West Secondary School

Chelsea Sudama, Environmental, Additional

San Fernando Central Secondary School

Meenakshi Saroop, Natural Sciences, Additional

Saraswati Girls' Hindu College

Jyvanti Ramroop, Business, Additional

Gabriella Sookram, Business, Additional

Shiva Boys' Hindu College

Suraj Sakal, Natural Sciences, Additional

Tyler Seudath, Natural Sciences, Additional

Signal Hill Secondary School

Selena Campbell, Environmental, Additional

St Augustine Girls' High School

Amanda Wiseman, Environmental, Open

Rochelle Bally, ICT, Open

Joanna Boxill, ICT, Open

Maryam Ali, Mathematics, Open

Kaitlin Latchu-Rampersad, Mathematics, Open

Sian Lee Kitt, Mathematics, Open

Saanjali Maharaj, Mathematics, Open

Nicola Ramdass, Mathematics, Open

Vishanna Balbirsingh, Natural Sciences, Open

Alyssa Brathwaite, Natural Sciences, Open

Chelsea Hosten, Natural Sciences, Open

Rachel Madoo, Natural Sciences, Open

Saacha Mohammed, Natural Sciences, Open

Stachenne Ollivierra, Natural Sciences, Open

Kevelle Cooper, Business, Additional

Amanda Mitchell, Business, Additional

Naveena Persad, Business, Additional

Lindsay Siriram, Business, Additional

Caitlin Boodram, Evironmental, Additional

Anala Deo, Environmental, Additional

Alyssa Khalawan, Environmental, Additional

Atiyyah Newaj, Environmental, Additional

Khadeejha Rajkumar, Environmental, Additional

Karishma Saith, Environmental, Additional

Paige Scott, Environmental, Additional

Khendrea Sambury, Languages, Additional

Safiyah Ali , Natural Sciences, Additional

Komal Bhola, Natural Sciences, Additional

Jenelle Boodoo, Natural Sciences, Additional

Kelsey Ganessingh, Natural Sciences, Additional

Christine Jagroop, Natural Sciences, Additional

Cherisse Persad, Natural Sciences, Additional

Aliea Ramjag, Natural Sciences, Additional

Tattyana Samlal, Natural Sciences, Additional

Johleen Seedansingh, Natural Sciences, Additional

Trishana Seemungal, Natural Sciences, Additional

St George's College

Megan Lawrence, Business, Additional

Azanna Mohammed, Business, Additional

Adam Ali, Natural Sciences, Additional

Rehanah Ali, Natural Sciences, Additional

Shania Chadee, Natural Sciences, Additional

Jewel Mulrain, Natural Sciences, Additional

Abigail Ramlal, Natural Sciences, Additional

St Joseph's Convent, Port-of-Spain

Corrise Belasco, Business, Open

Matthew Chong Sing, Business, Open

Gia Borley, Environmental, Open

Akilah Wade, Environmental, Open

Ananda Whittier, Environmental, Open

Jewel Lee Foon, General Studies, Open

Nishanna Ramberran, General Studies, Open

Shiyan Cato, Mathematics, Open

Maia Nieves, Mathematics, Open

Celeste Sambrano, Mathematics, Open

Fayola Thompson, Mathematics, Open

Laurelle Lee Young, Natural Sciences, Open

Pooja-Devi Maharaj, Natural Sciences, Open

Chelsea Rodriguez, Natural Sciences, Open

Jihanne Shepherd, Natural Sciences, Open

Brittney Alvarez, Business, Additional

Leigha Clarke, Business, Additional

J'vana Peters, Business, Additional

Gabrielle Alleyne, Creative Arts, Additional

Arianne Buckradee, Environmental, Additional

Serah-Marie Maharaj, Environmental, Additional

Jordan Taylor, Environmental, Additional

Kerese Smith, ICT, Additional

Sabrina Lingo, Languages, Additional

Abigail Affoo, Natural Sciences, Additional

Danae Byer, Natural Sciences, Additional

Kimlin Chin, Natural Sciences, Additional

Arianne Chung, Natural Sciences, Additional

Shelleen Gowrie, Natural Sciences, Additional

Gyshan Latchman, Natural Sciences, Additional

Kaitlyn Mitchell, Natural Sciences, Additional

Sabrina Mitchell, Natural Sciences, Additional

Mariah Nakhid, Natural Sciences, Additional

Shivani Ramsaroop, Natural Sciences, Additional

Khadija Smith, Natural Sciences, Additional

St Joseph's Convent, San Fernando

Malika Cooper, Languages, Open

Amanda Chatoor, Mathematics, Open

Saeeda Doolan, Mathematics, Open

Keereyea Phagoo, Mathematics, Open

Tiffany Rampersad, Mathematics, Open

Alexia Suite, Mathematics, Open

Brittany Thackorie, Mathematics, Open

Chelsea John-Williams, Natural Sciences, Open

Shania Robinson, Natural Sciences, Open

Caitlyn Hassanali, Business, Additional

Kimberlee Ramsundar, Business, Additional

Sarah Maharaj, Environmental, Additional

Vishalla Maharaj, Environmental, Additional

Alyssa Kangoo, Languages, Additional

Caron David, Natural Sciences, Additional

Vanah Mohan, Natural Scienes, Additional

Tanya Rampersad, Natural Sciences, Additional

St Joseph's Convent, St Joseph

Celine Da Silva, Business, Open

Mary-Rebekah Reyes, Creative Arts, Open

Naiomi Rambarack, ICT, Open

Laquesha Bailey, Languages, Open

Keira Hackett, Languages, Open

Jayda Maingot, Natural Sciences, Open

Britney Campo, Business, Additional

Ana Lisa Jack, Business, Additional

Leshawn La Borde, Business, Additional

Valini Marcial, Business, Additional

Praveen Rajcoomar, Business, Additional

Thalia Vidale, Languages, Additional

Soraya Alfred, Natural Sciences, Additional

Christin-Marie Baksh, Natural Sciences, Additional

Aliyah Hazel, Natural Sciences, Additional

Alexandrea Jones, Natural Sciences, Additional

Jahlisa May, Natural Sciences, Additional

Nelisia Noel, Natural Sciences, Additional

Amanda Perryman, Natural Sciences, Additional

Marie-Danielle Regis, Natural Sciences, Additional

St Mary's College

Tryreke Cooper, ICT, Open

Angelo Morales, Languages, Open

Alister Matthew, Mathematics, Open

Omari Newton, Mathematics, Open

Caleb Vidal, Mathematics, Open

Luke Walker, Mathematics, Open

Richard Lim, Environmental, Additional

Sachin Ramesar, Mathematics, Additional

Sebastian Hadeed, Natural Sciences, Additional

St Stephen's College

Joshua Parris, Natural Sciences, Open

Rehsma Ramsoondar, Natural Sciences, Open

Kayle Diljohn, Environmental, Additional

Rhevelle Newton, Environmental, Additional

David Deonarine, Natural Sciences, Additional

Folasade Hinds, Natural Sciences, Additional

Rinaldo Ramkissoon, Natural Sciences, Additional

Vishnu Boys' Hindu College

Avinash Mohammed, Business, Additional

The Prison Officers Association (POA) was yesterday tracking down all their members living in west Trinidad following the murder of one of their colleagues and attempted murder of another who recently retired.

According to the POA, Gideon Granger was with a friend heading out of Cocorite yesterday when the friend’s car was shot at twice. The shooting took place one day after an inmate at the Port-of-Spain Remand Yard warned that officers living in the west would be killed after a cell search at the facility.

Hours after the search, officer Glenford Gardner, 44, was ambushed around 7.30 pm and murdered while outside a house he owned at Sea Trace, Savannah Road, Diego Martin. When the T&T Guardian visited the area yesterday, residents said Gardner did not live in the area and only came to collect rent. One resident said Gardner, the captain who transported prisoners to Carrera Island Prison, had a land dispute at one of the three homes he owned in the Bagatelle area, but did not believe his killing was linked to that.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Granger, who resigned from the service last December, said there is nowhere prison officers can hide if they are wanted by criminals. Granger said he was a friend heading out of Waterhole, Cocorite, where he lives, when he heard the gunshots and the vehicle being hit around 10.15 am. He said the incident solidified his resolve to leave the service. Asked if he was now considering leaving the West he said yes, adding he has a pending Housing Development Corporation (HDC) application awaiting relocation.

“It have nowhere safe you know, because it is a network, they could get you wherever you go,” Granger said.

The officer, who spent 19 years in the service, said the death of Gardner, who joined the service with him, will be treated as the other murdered prison officers, with temporary anger then it would be back to normal.

POA secretary Gerard Gordon, who trained with both Gardner and Granger, said the officers are tired of their colleagues being murdered and the deafening silence of those in authority. The association has threatened a mass exodus of officers if their safety concerns are not adequately addressed.

Gordon said on average 300 inmates are relinquished into the custody of police officers to be taken to court and some inmates have returned with fast food and other things they could not get on their own. He said some contraband will be missed in the “never ending game of cat and mouse,” but it was not only rogue prison officers who facilitate the influx of contraband, which is a flourishing business in the prison.

“This thing bigger than the jail. We do not have society’s help. So today is us and who is next? Who will the criminal be offended by, so they will come to kill? I am fed up! It is too much too soon,” Gordon said.

Both Gordon and Granger described Gardner as a “cool one” who was not into social media and posing for photographs. The father of one, they said, loved his job and lived alone. Gardner’s killing comes 19 days after fellow prison officer Richard Sandy was killed by an ex-convict at a bar in South Trinidad one day before his birthday on October 8.

National Security Minister Edmund Dillon yesterday condemned the killing and assured all resources are being used to “treat with this heinous act.” In a release, Dillon said attacks on service members will not be tolerated since they work tirelessly in maintaining peace and security in the country.

“No stone will be left unturned in bringing all perpetrators of attacks against national security officers to swift justice. These criminals will feel the full brunt of the law. Members of the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service and all arms of law enforcement are assured that the Government will be giving priority attention to strengthening the safety and security of officers,” Dillon said. (See editorial on Page A16).

Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams also condemned the killing, adding he had committed all the required resources needed in pursuing Gardner’s killer/s, “to bring them to justice within the shortest possible time.”

Suspended without being given a chance to be heard, Harry Ragoonanan opted not to attend this week’s interview with the Investigations Committee of the ruling People’s National Movement.

Ragoonanan was due to appear before the committee yesterday but told the T&T Guardian he did not go.

The T&T Guardian understands Ragoonanan had requested his attorney also attend the committee hearing, but committee refused the request. Former Port-of-Spain mayor Murchison Brown, the committee’s chairman, yesterday told the T&T Guardian, “This is an internal party matter. It is between the party and the aggrieved person and we don’t have third parties at these sessions.”

Brown spoke just before 6 pm yesterday, when the committee was still awaiting Ragoonanan’s arrival.

Asked what would happen if Ragoonanan failed to attend the committee hearing, Brown said, “We are the Investigating Committee, we will submit a report to the general secretary and he takes it from there.”

Ragoonanan, a long-serving member of the PNM, was suspended from the party on October 14 following a meeting of the PNM general council. The announcement to the media was made before Ragoonanan was informed. Ragoonanan, who is a sitting member of the general council, did not attend the meeting on the day he was suspended. Also absent on that day was political leader, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

The official letter informing Ragoonanan of his suspension, dated Monday October 16, accused him of attempting to solicit business from a Chinese businessman on the basis of his position in the PNM and his relationship with the then PTSC chairman Terrence Beepath.

A comprehensive report on issues on the Cabo Star cargo ferry has been sent to the Brazil and London offices of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF—the global organisation which represents transport workers around the world.)

Local ITF officials Michael Annisette, president of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers’ Trade Union, and maritime attorney Nyree Alfonso surveyed the vessel following receipt of a report from Estonian engineer Edurak Lasuk about safety issues on the Cabo Star.

Among other things, Lusak complained of leaks of a combination of hazardous oils and fuels on the vessel and and said he did not “feel safe” working in the “environment.” Another engineer who has since left the vessel expressed similar concerns.

Within recent weeks, truckers have reported that the vessel has “slowed down considerably” and on Thursday it was travelling at nine knots an hour. Truckers aboard the vessel on Thursday said while on route to

Scarborough work was being done on it and it eventually docked just before midnight. It made the return trip from Scarborough at 1.45 am and was due to sail again at 2 pm yesterday.

Port officials confirmed repair work on the vessel will be undertaken today and tomorrow. A plan for a late sailing of the vessel tomorrow was cancelled after consultation with the Tobago Chamber, which wanted to ensure the maintenance work to be done was completed before the vessel set sail again on Monday.

In a statement yesterday, the public relations manager of the Inter-Island Transport Company, Vilma Lewis-Cockburn, confirmed the vessel will return to service on Monday.

Luke Walker warmed up for the Judo National Championships with an easy victory at the Queen’s Park Judo Challenge this week. This tournament is one of the final dress rehearsals ahead of local judo’s biggest tournament of the year.

In the Senior Male Open category, Walker scored a total of 30 points, which included three ippons and three waza-aris. His best match was against rival Xavier Jones, who finished in second place with ten points.

Christian Victor also had ten points with Jelanie Boyce finishing below the pack.

Walker told Guardian Media Sports, “Any opportunity to compete is very valuable because in judo, competition is very different to training, so it’s a certain mindset you have to have in competition. It’s a switch and you have to practice turning it on and off.”The senior females comprised of just Christie Modeste and Nikita Chinapoo. Modeste scored a total of 20 points to top her opponent. In the Girls Under 16 >57kg, Tiffany Revere scored three waza-aris and three ippons as she topped the division with 30 points. Coming in second was Giselle Choon with six waza-aris and an ippon, totalling 15 points. Khya Headley, who dominated the first Schools Judo League matchday of the new school term, also finished with 15 points, but in third.

Among the Boys Under 16, Samuel Roberts beat out Giovanni Lopez and Courteney Rooks, but this was a low scoring category. Roberts had a waza-ari and an ippon to total 15 points. Lopez had a single ippon to finish in second.

Among the juniors, Aidan Greaves scored 15 points to edge out Nicholas Siu Butt in the Boys Under 12. In the girls’ category, Abigail Chin Lee dominated her sister Inara, scoring two ippons. Her score of 20 was good enough to finish at the top.

According to Queen’s Park Judo Club’s chief instructor, Mark Littrean, this tournament gives a good indicator of who will be on the podium come national champs. He said, “What we try to do is keep the interest in the National Championships alive. This tournament gives a good idea of who might come out as the national champion, and that’s why we hold this tournament very dear to our hearts.”

Eastern Boys Government School yesterday made history when it won both the Under-12 Boys and U-15 Boys titles at the Atlantic Port-of-Spain and Environs Sports Council football competition at the Hasely Crawford training field in Mucurapo.

Both finals were quite competitive with Eastern Boys defeating Dunross Preparatory, 2-0 in the U-12 division in the opening match and then its team in the U-15 category edged Diego Martin Boys RC, 2-1.

In the opening affair, Eastern Boys and Dunross battled hard and despite a number of close chances on either end, the scoreline remained goalless at the half-time interval.

However, on the resumption the Nelson Street-based unit was first to go on the scoresheet through a brilliant strike by Andel Fraser in the 24th minute. Moments later, Zachary Joseph sent the large group of Eastern Boys supporters jumping for joy when he struck home for the winner.

Dunross mounted a number of runs throughout the second half in search of a reply but it never materialised as it was unable to find the back of the net.

The win sees the Eastern Boys team advance to the quarter-final of the Atlantic National Primary School Football League (NPSFL) on November 7, to meet the winner of the North Eastern Education District in the quarter-final of the Boys’ U-12 competition.

In the second match, the Eastern Boys senior team was given a flyer when a Diego Martin Boys RC defender deflecting a ball into his own goal.

However, the Diego Martin Boys squad did not stay down for long and responded thanks to a goal from Hashim Portillo, levelling the scores 1-1.

Ryan Radellant, who was later named the “Most Valuable Player” (MVP), remained his consistent scoring self and netted the winner for Eastern to help them progress to the quarter-final of the Boys U-15 competition of the Atlantic National League and will play the winner of the Caroni District on November 9.

School Supervisor II and Port of Spain and Environs Sports Council vice chairman Simonetta Williams and School Supervisor I, Carl Thomas were on hand with along with chairperson of the sports council Abeyola Akowe to present trophies and awards following the matches.

Fraser was named the MVP of the U-12 boy’s competition

St Agnes, the Girls’ U-15 winner, will play the champion of St Patrick on November 8.

All NPSFL matches will be played at at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

RESULTS

U-12 Boys
Eastern Boys Government 2 (Andell Fraser, Zachary Joseph) vs Dunross Prep 0
U-15 Boys
Eastern Boys Government 2 (Ryan Radellant, own goal) vs Diego Martin Boys RC 1 (Hashim Portillo)

Once again the girls outshone the boys at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) examinations, as the schools securing the most scholarships were St Joseph’s Convent (Port-of-Spain) and Naparima Girls’ High School, who were awarded 38 scholarships each from the 382 overall awarded by the Government.

“I must say that the boys need to step up to the plate. However, it is not as daunting as it would seem because in the case of boys we have had very good performances by some of our schools where we have our male students, like Hillview College who achieved 29 scholarships...14 open and 15 additional,” Education Minister Anthony Garcia said yesterday.

He said Naparima Boys’ College got 21 with 12 open and nine additional, Presentation College (Chaguanas) 29 with 15 open and 14 additional and Presentation College (San Fernando) secured 15 scholarships with five open and ten additional. (See pages A17, A18 & A19)

“They (boys) are not too far behind, but we would like to see that day that they are also among those who will be awarded the President’s Medal. In the past we had the boys coping that distinction, but for the past few years we have had girls coping those awards. We would like to see both boys and girls doing exceptionally well,” Garcia said.

He said he was pleased government schools also received several schols, including El Dorado East Secondary School, which was plagued by violence in the past, Couva East Secondary, Rio Claro West Secondary, San Fernando Central Secondary School and Signal Hill Secondary.

He said out of the 382 scholarships, 153 were open and 229 were additional, adding there was also a “much wider spread” of scholarships than in previous years.

On complaints of a delay in scholarship payments, Garcia assured this would be done in a timely manner. He described the overall performance of the students as “excellent,” saying it was difficult to maintain the cap on the 400 scholarships usually awarded.

He said while it was necessary to celebrate the students who excelled, the ministry was implementing measures to ensure those who were not up to par also received the necessary assistance, including adjusting the curriculum to cater to special needs students.

Faith in God, dedication to studies and a supportive family have resulted in Veshala Goon scoring a hat-trick for her alma mater, Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College, after she was announced as one of the two President’s Medal winners yesterday.

In an interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Goon said when she received the news around 1 pm she immediately burst into tears.

“I was in a store at the time and I start to cry. People were looking at me. I am so overjoyed. I did not expect to win. I didn’t think I could have won a President’s Medal...I still can’t believe it actually. I need a while for it to sink in,” Goon said.

She said she wrote the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) exams in Accounting, Management of Business, Economics, Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies. Saying her goal is to become a chartered accountant, Goon said she wants to further her studies at the University of Toronto.

“That’s my passion. I enjoy studying this. I don’t get bored and I find it really exciting. My dream school is the University of Toronto and I want to do finance there,” Goon said.

She said she also signed up for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) programme and was expected to begin in January next year.

On her formula for success, she said prayer and continuous studies, adding that everyday she would commit an additional four consecutive hours to her school work.

The Tunapuna resident also hailed her mother Parbatee and father Naarad as her pillars of strength, saying their support was unwavering.

“They supported me everyday. My mom would cook for me to fuel my brain. My parents are very hard working. They never made me feel that I was lacking in any way,” Goon said.

On advice to students who found it difficult to cope with studies, she reiterated the key was prayer and having a strong support group such as parents.

“I would tell the parents to talk to their children and encourage them,” Goon said.

St Augustine Girls’ High School Saanjali Maharaj, who was also awarded a President’s Medal, echoed similar sentiments, saying her main focus was putting God first. Already a first-year engineering student at the University of Toronto, Maharaj said she was pleasantly surprised during her school’s graduation yesterday when Education Minister Anthony Garcia announced her achievement.

“I was really stunned and excited,” Maharaj said.

She said she has not yet chosen a particular field to specialise in as currently she is enjoying all aspects of engineering. But Maharaj said her focus was not only on academics, as she urged other students have a balance.

“The key is time management. I play the piano and guitar and also do classical Indian dance. That was really a great balance for me,” Maharaj said.

Her mother Sandra said she was humbled by her daughter’s achievement, as apart from the teachers at SAGHS she also thanked her pre-school and lessons teachers who laid a solid foundation for her daughter.

Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College principal Sonia Mahase-Persad says the school’s success includes a high degree of pastoral care.

“We are not just driven by scholarships. We are driven to getting to know our children. Our teachers go out of their way to provide additional support...be it academic, social...any type of support our children need in order to help them reach their fullest potential. We genuinely care about our children. We do have a very close knit family-type atmosphere in this college and we are investing in the success of the children,” Mahase-Persad said.

She added there was also a strong link with the parents of the school.

A man who killed his brother during an argument over eight years ago has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 11 years in prison with hard labour for the crime.

Joel Demas, of Upper Bournes Road, St James, admitted to beating his brother Yohan to death in 2009 when he went on trial before Justice Hayden St Clair-Douglas in the Port-of-Spain High Court on Wednesday.
Demas is expected to be released in two years and four months as the time he spent in prison awaiting trial for murder was deducted from his sentence.

In deciding on the sentence St Clair-Douglas applied a mandatory one-third discount given to prisoners, who plead guilty and avoid a trial. St Clair-Douglas also took into consideration the prisoner’s remorse and the circumstances of the incident.

According to the evidence in the case, on February 27, 2009, Demas and his brother got into an argument which turned violent.

Demas’ brother sustained serious injuries and died at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital the following day.

Demas had initially been charged with his brother’s murder but the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had agreed to accept his guilty plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter.

Independent Senator Ian Roach has challenged Sport Minister Darryl Smith to deal with the “disaster” that is the Hasely Crawford Stadium and Jean Pierre Complex.

“It’s woefully dilapidated and an unkempt disaster—shameful to see!” Roach added in Thursday’s debate of the 2018 budget in the Senate.

Roach said many youths use the facilities, but the locations are lacking, “One cannot talk about laying down infrastructure in T&T and have this situation.”

He said the elite athletes’ gym particularly is in bad shape. “Full of mould, exposing children and coaches to illness. People might come from the US and see these facilities like this,” he added.

Roach said he tried to speak to the Sport Minister several times and although he sees him “posing” for pictures in the media, he wasn’t able to reach Smith.

“I’d like him to present himself at the stadium and take some cement and fix it in the way you like to pose (for pictures). I hope in the next budget debate I’ll be able to praise the minister for getting it done.”

Calling on the Government to ensure funds are allocated to rectify the issues, Roach said T&T’s sports men and women were the people whom many overseas knew more about than the Prime Minister or Government Ministers of T&T.

“I get away from a ticket in the US after a policeman who stopped me was happy to know that the country I came from was the same country as (Brian) Lara’s and Dwight Yorke’s—these are the personalities whom people overseas know T&T for,” he related.

Roach, who said his daughter used the stadium facilities, added that he didn’t want to embarrass the minister, but budding sports talent was being disadvantaged by the situation.

Wheelchair-bound Roach added that proper facilities for the disabled like himself were also absent at the stadium. He said he couldn’t access the stadium for the President’s appointment four years ago as the elevator wasn’t working. He said it still hasn’t been repaired.

“We need to take this seriously in raising policies and making legislation and deal with it to ensure a more inclusive landscape for the differently-abled.”

Roach also called for improved rapport between utility and road repair crews, “I counted 21 potholes between the stadium and my (Maraval) home.”

As truckloads of relief items rolled into Moruga following last week’s floods, it was clear that more than mattresses and food items would be needed to get some families back to living in humane conditions.

As the floods as high were six-feet high subsided, Rural Development and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein and Moruga/Tableland MP Dr Lovell Francis distributed hampers, cleaning supplies, books and other items.

The watermarks on homes in Basseterre and Bois Jean Jean served as evidence of the distress residents suffered for days when the heavy showers began on Divali.

But for some of the impoverished people of La Ruffin and L’Anse Mitan, the floods only made their lives worse.

As the relief team passed through La Ruffin Road, Hosein spotted Devika Lochan and her son sleeping on the porch of her sister’s leaning plywood house. Lochan, 24 and her three children, ages six, five and four, have been forced to cram into the house along with her sister and her three children.

She had to jump out of the porch, as their concrete step leading to the gallery, was broken in half. Even as the relief team tried to give the family as much as possible, the floorboards could be seen sinking.

After breaking up with the children’s father three months ago, Lochan and her family have been sleeping in a one-room shack behind the house, surrounded by bush. She was alone on Divali night when the flood reached into her home, soaking mattresses, clothes and the books.

“I got frightened so I got up and left. The way the water was coming up so fast, I thought the whole house would wash away. I went out the road by my mom. The water was so high and it stayed for a while so I came back home last Friday.

“My sister’s house is still building and how the rain came, it damaged her wardrobe, washing machine and stove that she bought with money she saved,” Lochan said.

Along L’Anse Mitan Road waterlogged foundations caused some homes to lean.

Francis said this was the reality in Moruga which he is trying to address. He said it was the second time in months that they suffered floods, following the damage left by Tropical Storm Bret in June. Given that floods occurred in usual areas, he said more work is being done to increase the flow in watercourses.

In many of the areas that flooded over the past week, affected residents were found living on river banks, near lagoons and ponds. Hosein said many of those people lived there for years and it would be difficult to move them.

“What we are advising the corporations in particular to do is to go out there and if anyone is building on river banks now, talk to them and let them know it is not the right thing to do...The corporations have their engineering and building departments and they will have to get out there on the field;” Hosein said.

Members Clubs and Lottery Workers Union spokesperson Maxine Gonzales who disrupted Minister in the Ministry of Finance Allyson West’s presentation in the Senate has washed her hands from the People’s National Movement (PNM) who she voted for in 2015.

Gonzales said she became enraged when she heard West saying that she had no idea why casino workers were up in arms against the tax imposed which casino owners would have to pay.

Gonzales, who was in the public gallery with other casino workers and fishermen, said she became furious and began shouting across the floor telling the Government senators that they were not hearing their plight.

As she was forcibly removed from the chamber by a police officer, Gonzales said she grabbed a flower from her hair, threw it on the ground and screamed “Rest in peace PNM. You would never prevail.”

Yesterday, former UNC minister Devant Maharaj denied he orchestrated the casino workers plan to disrupt West’s winding up of the Budget.

Maharaj who marched with the casino workers from the Ministry of Works to outside Parliament two weeks ago also dismissed talk that he alerted the media earlier in the day to expect something to happen when West was on her feet.

“That is ole talk. I was at home when I saw the disruption on television. The PNM trying to undermine the credibility of these people. Let them go ahead,” Maharaj said.

Many who viewed the video footage of Gonzales’s reaction on Facebook described her behaviour as “wajang,” while others felt her voice needed to be heard.

Gonzales, 42, said she was not thinking when she flared up.

“People like me doh think...they does just act. I would do it again. And this time my boss would have to look for bail money for me.”

Gonzales admitted she campaigned with the PNM in the last general election and voted in Diego Martin West for Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

“I have regrets campaigning and voting for them. That is it for me with the PNM. The majority of casino workers voted for the PNM. At least now they seeing they cannot vote for them again because they not doing anything for poor people.”

Gonzales said she has been a PNM supporter all her life and never thought it would have come to this.

“This Government has just been playing games with us.”

Asked if she would now pledge her allegiance with the UNC, Gonzales said she would rally behind anyone who will help them.

Working in the gaming industry for the past 11 years, Gonzales, a mother of four, said she found it strange that Finance Minister Colm Imbert has agreed to meet with casino owners.

West in a telephone interview described the incident as “unfortunate,”

Asked if she became scared of the uproar, West said, “I was concerned.”

If the police officers had not responded swiftly, West said things might have tuned out differently.

She said while she understood the workers’ concerns “I think they are being misdirected in terms of who they think is causing the problem for various reasons. I don’t think the person who reacted understands what I was trying to explain.”

West said she tried to explain to the workers that all employers in T&T have tax obligations.

“The casino owners have fewer tax obligations than most employers...and so that their position that they can’t pay their workers because they have a tax obligation, to me, does not ring true because from all indication is that they are earning income.”

While the Government has imposed additional taxes on banks and oil companies, West said, “we don’t see their employees being threatened with termination. We don’t see their employees protesting.”

A group of businessmen, former government ministers and officials facing corruption charges over the construction of the $1.6 billion Piarco International Airport will begin presenting their defences to the allegations, next Friday.

Senior Magistrate Ejenny Espinet set the date after deciding on a new timetable for evidential hearings when the case came up for hearing in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

She decided the preliminary inquiry, which has been before her for over a decade, should be held on Wednesdays and Fridays to ensure that it is completed before she retires in May, next year. However, the move for additional hearings had been strongly opposed by the accused men.

At the next hearing, the accused men are expected to begin calling their witnesses or take the witness stand themselves.

After the defence presents its case, Espinet is expected to rule whether they should be committed to stand trial in the High Court.

The accused men currently have a judicial review lawsuit before Justice Jacqueline Wilson challenging Espinet’s ruling on their no-case submission, made after the State closed its case earlier this year.

The men claim that Espinet was only empowered to determine whether there was a prima facie case made out against them in the inquiry, she made numerous statements on their alleged guilt in her ruling.

Last week, Wilson refused an application for a stay of the inquiry pending her decision.

About the case

The men were implicated between 2004 and 2005 for alleged corruption and bid-rigging in the airport project between 1995 and 2001.

The members of the group are businessmen Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson, former government ministers Sadiq Baksh and Brian Kuei Tung, former Airport Authority chairman Tyrone Gopee, Galbarasingh’s former employee Amrith Maharaj.

Galbarasingh and Ferguson’s companies Northern Construction Limited and Maritime General Insurance are also implicated as parties in the inquiry.

In 2011, High Court Judge Ronnie Boodoosingh quashed proposed extradition of Galbaransingh and Ferguson to the United States to face similar charges.

Boodoosingh ruled that the inquiry before Espinet was the best forum for the prosecution as the substantive crimes were alleged to have occurred in this country.

The following year, the men charged with corruption in the project applied under the controversial Section 34 of the Administration of Justice (Indictable Offences) Act.

The legislation gave people charged with specific offences who had waited over ten years to be tried to apply for their matters to be dismissed.

The group challenged the State after the legislation was repealed with their applications still pending.

However, their claim was rejected by the High Court, Court of Appeal and eventually the Privy Council in January, last year.

It’s “Fatca Round Two.”

Government is seeking Opposition and Independent senators’ support for tax information exchange legislation — similar to the controversial Fatca legislation — concerning the Global Forum (GF) of 141 countries.

“The Global Forum matter is Fatca on steroids,” Al-Rawi told reporters at his Government Campus office yesterday.

“That’s because the Global Forum issue covers 141 other countries and Fatca only involved the United States,” he added.

The Forum has cited T&T as the only country out of its 142 member entity which has not enacted laws for tax information exchange with its other - mainly European- member states.

He said if the legislation - which requires three-fifth majority votes for passage - isn’t obtained, T&T could suffer sanctions similar to those in the Fatca issue.

This includes severing of banking relationships and withholding taxes.

“I hope it’ll be treated in a better way than the Opposition did with Fatca as it poses risks,” Al-Rawi added.

Al-Rawi spoke after local bankers expressed concern about T&T’s status concerning the GF issue.

He said the past PP administration placed Government in the predicament.

“They knew of the issue since 2010, the GF also warned them of T&T’s commitment and in 2014, PP Finance Minister Larry Howai orally assured GF members that T&T would have things in place by September 2017.”

He said Government, working on the issue at “breakneck speed” has requested and received deferral for implementation of its GF obligations to September 2018.

Al-Rawi said Government put the Opposition on notice during the Fatca debate that the GF issue was ahead.

The necessary legislation is expected to be brought to Parliament soon.

He added the situation has been expedited with T&T’s agreement to the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Assistance on Tax Matters committing T&T to fighting international offshore tax avoidance.

The proposed legislation for Parliament will amend the Income Tax Act prohibiting the Board of Inland Revenue - on receipt of information under a declared agreement — from sharing the

information with certain agencies for non-tax purposes.

Further legislation for Double Taxation Agreements — addressing T&T’s seventeen Double Taxation treaties and allowing for exchange of information — will also be presented.

Government projects enacting the legislation in early 2018, bringing T&T into technical compliance in deficient areas identified by the GF.

However Al-Rawi admitted rapport with the Opposition has been “hot and cold.”
“So we’ll go to Parliament,” he said, adding Government was open to Joint Select Committee scrutiny.

Down Syndrome Family Network founder Glen Niles said he wished there had been easily accessible information on Down Syndrome when his son Tyrese was born 19 years ago. It was the knowledge that this lack of information and education persists and continues to affect families in T&T that led him to found the Network in 2011.

“I wish someone had told me that Down Syndrome is just a slight cognitive delay in learning and once you have the patience to teach him, he could do almost anything he wants. Nobody told me that, otherwise I would have started earlier in teaching him, as early intervention is the most important part. All we got was the bad things, so in learning for myself I found out late that people with Down’s Syndrome could actually go to school and get a job, and that is what changed everything.”

Niles said despite the work of the Network in promoting Down Syndrome awareness, including conferences, quarterly workshops, radio, television and newspaper interviews, “there are people, including parents with children with Down Syndrome, who don’t know about the Network and what we do. Our whole mandate is to empower the parents to empower the kids, because we cannot fight for the rights of their kids if they are not fighting for the rights of their own kids. If only one group of people is talking, you’re not getting enough impact to create change and that is one of the major hurdles to increasing awareness.”

Niles said he is happy to see that many parents are now bringing their children into public, giving them a bigger social media presence and sharing news about their development, as this helps to raise awareness of the Syndrome. In his own life, he said a major achievement is that his son has been working with the same company for two years. “He’s paving the way for others and giving hope to other parents who might feel their children will never amount to anything. Every child with Down Syndrome is different and they have to be given every opportunity to be the best that they can be, without us setting our preconceived limits and society’s preconceived limits on them.”

Niles said Tyrese is a typical teenager who wants to wear saggy pants and grumbles when asked to stop playing video games and do his chores. “I like it when he’s giving me attitude, because it means he has his own will and knows what he wants. He’s taught me love, patience, caring, acceptance and accepting him for who he is. I’m enjoying seeing him become the young man he says he is, and going out with him and having a beer, because these are things I never thought I’d be able to do. We’re also working towards him learning to drive, as there’s no specific law that says he can’t, once he can pass the regulations and the driving test. He keeps surprising me every time when we let him do stuff and he just keeps accomplishing more.”

Niles said there have been some major successes for the Network since its inception. One was the successful lobby for the ratification by T&T’s government of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, although many of the Articles are yet to be implemented. Another huge victory is that some of the parents have been able to get their children registered in regular schools, although Niles said many schools are still giving the same excuses for not taking in students, such as lack of trained teachers and facilities. “There are teachers graduating from UTT with a Special Education Degree every year who are still placed in regular schools, so there needs to be a better management of human resources. There also needs to be the political will to have a pilot project in a school or more voices coming together to make the Education Ministry actually want to develop an inclusive education system.”

Niles said in the future, “I would like to see an inclusive society, one in which the human rights of people with Down Syndrome and other disabilities are valued and defended and protected by legislation and policies. It’s easy once there’s political will. Once they put that in the mandate and they set it down, it will happen. We’d end up with a more inclusive society, where people can meet and engage with people with disabilities, and realise they have the same wants, needs and emotions, and stop being afraid of what they don’t know.”

To commemorate Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Niles and the Down Syndrome Family Network will be holding the annual Buddy Walk tomorrow, October 29. This is the sixth year that the walk is taking place and it continues to grow every year with activities and opportunities to learn more about Down Syndrome.

The Buddy Walk takes place at the Nelson Mandela Park (formerly King George V Park) from 2pm.

For more information on the Buddy Walk and the Network, find them on Facebook at facebook.com/dsfamilynetwork and go to www.dsfamilynetwork.org.

In Trinidad for just over a year, DJ Mika Raguaa (Dominika Tux) has been making quite a name for herself, especially for her mixtape productions and recent weekend gigs at the popular Club 63 on Ariapita Avenue. Though born in Poland, Raguaa has familiarised with not just the music but the vibe and lifestyle of T&T and Caribbean people.

Having mastered reggae, dancehall, calypso and soca genres, Raguaa has launched “a new music concept” which she has branded as The Bride, customised music for weddings, music she has defined as “passionate music selections.”

“The Bride is my second DJ project,” said Raguaa. “It was very popular in Germany and I believe it can catch on here. This past year I have been doing more with in clubs and fetes, the urban stuff. But, The Bride is more classy and creates your individual, personalised sound tracks. When a couple is getting married, I interview them to get their history, learn their tastes and what kind of special music they would like played at their wedding. Beside being customised music The Bride comprises exclusive selections that are designed in a unique way.”

Having recently cut ties with the Woodbrook club, Raguaa has her sights set on getting into radio and is in the process of recruiting with a popular urban station to do a show which she has christened Caribbean Music World Wide. “What I will be presenting is the development of Caribbean music globally,” said the female disc jockey. “It would involve everything, including what’s going on with Trinidad and Caribbean music in Africa, Europe, North America etc. I have to do a test show and they will eventually tell me if I am successful.”

Raguaa believes that local and Caribbean music can have a bigger profile on the European and global front. She said: “When you look on how big the European continent is and how big its international and historical influences are, you can understand a little better why the soca or the general reggae dancehall music could spread its wings all over the continent.

“In the 80s, DJs and tourists brought the music of this region, including Trinidad’s calypso, to the continent. Through international travels and export strategies the music genres of the region could find even more millions of followers. Of course also DJs could get influenced by the records of their parents. Compared to the Caribbean, Europe today is highly connected online, which makes the distribution and the promotion of the music easier.

“When I started to DJ, Facebook was not even yet invented and MySpace was the way of promotion for events, as well as new mixtape productions. The European market is mainly influenced by different types of music genres, yet soca, reggae and dancehall are still just known as underground music.

“In Germany you nearly can’t hear the music of the Caribbean on radio stations and often, through television, pictures of the Caribbean are spread in a more touristic aspect, not as a music destination. The Caribbean is marketed and branded as a paradise—a huge hotel resort—or an area where most people cannot afford to go to.”

Raguaa contends it takes time and money for a “foreign” DJ to get to the Caribbean, far less make an impact once here. She said: “Not every DJ who plays Caribbean music, can afford it. Take a look on how the reality is; it took me seven years to hit the Caribbean for the first time. But of course it is possible to find plenty information and also music online.

“In one of my projects—Blaze a Trail Across Countries—I started to research on what happened after soca music left the Caribbean and reached the European continent. I did a three-month research project through all my contacts and professionals that I know and documented it in the article titled The European Soca Movement (www.mikaraguaa.com/articles). I presented the results, also with a related large scale mixtape production with soca music from 11 different countries in seven different languages. The result showed exactly what is going on.

“Europe is a multilingual area of this world—I was born in Poland; grew up in Germany; and, up to today, I believe that the cultural and language borders between Poland and Germany make it hard to understand each other. Polish and German and two different languages that have nearly nothing in common but music can unite in the same way as it can separate.

“There is a soca movement in Europe and it is growing and growing, though maybe not so quickly as reggae and dancehall. Soca music has its fans and they have realised for themselves, that the T&T music is nicer to bring those fans officially together.

“You see soca music fans all over waving their national flags at soca events under the names of the ‘Dutch Soca Lovers’, ‘German Soca Junkies’ or the ‘Swedish Soca Vikings.’ To team up and fete together is a great idea to entice the fans to be active in the distribution of the soca music. Even finally, France understood the attraction of the music, enough to translate information about soca into French to grow the understanding. Out of this drive has emerged the ‘French Soca Lovers’ and ‘French Kiss and Wine,’ two of the more vibrant French soca fan groups.”

Continuing Raguaa revealed: “The events around Carnival time are rising in Germany to more than a hundred hours of feting and even in Switzerland, the first three-day soca festival was held in June / July this year. For 50 years the United Kingdom has celebrated its Notting Hill Carnival. This is a carnival organised by people from the Caribbean for people from the Caribbean. The Netherlands has its ‘Zomer Carnival’ which is celebrated in Rotterdam and Berlin’s Carnival is more a multicultural happening focusing on all cultural diversity of the German capital city. However, for the past ten years you can find at least two soca trucks are on the road in Berlin. Reggae and dancehall are also represented on other trucks.

“Beside the Carnival happening there are many soca events out there in Europe. Most often you can party in London nearly every weekend with soca music being played and even soca artistes getting invited regularly to perform. In Germany, the festivities go on for two weeks in Berlin and sometimes events are also going on in South Germany or Switzerland. In Arnhem and Amsterdam you have several clubs pushing soca music. I give a shout to all DJs, promoters and of course soca fans out there that help to uplift the culture of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Raguaa said that beside the distribution of soca music in Europe over online radio stations and the internet, artistes and producers are also working from Europe on music productions and riddims. “I know remixers and producers in Norway, Sweden and Finland,” said Raguaa, “and, the highest amount of soca artistes could be found in London (UK). There are also many reggae and dancehall artistes that would love to do more on soca beats too. In my opinion those artistes deserve a little more respect for what they do, especially being so far away from the Caribbean. Those artistes still decide to represent their origin culture, no matter if they were born in the Caribbean or in Europe.

“There are plenty productions that never make their way back to the Caribbean and those I would like to present, based right here in the Caribbean. When I play the productions here people recognise the artistes, but often they are overwhelmed that they didn’t hear the songs before. Of course I would love all of Trinidad and Tobago to be encouraged to listen and enjoy my mixtape productions—all of them are online available on my website (www.mikaraguaa.com).

DJ Mika Raguaa is booked right into Carnival 2018 and some of her coming gigs are Neon-Time to Shine (December 2), Jumanji Safari Fete (January 1) and, Love in the House (February 2). She also plans to have a big celebration for her tenth anniversary as a disc jockey with a charity event for the children of Belmont on Carnival Sunday.

Students are being urged to make full use of technology in the education process. This advice came from Chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation, Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh, when he delivered the featureShastri address at the Siparia Road KPA (Kabir Panth Association) Primary School on Friday night.

The school held a special celebration to honour Dhana Soodoosingh who placed 26th in the 2017 SEA exams. This was a hallmark achievement for the KPA since the association has only two schools in T&T. Ramadharsingh said students should use technology to empower themselves rather than play games. He urged them to use YouTube to learn about history and culture. "Use the books that you can read on the Internet to educate and empower yourself.”

Ramdharsingh spoke about his own experience of earning his Law degree online. He urged young people to ensure they have a holistic education. "The education is not a true education if its not a holistic education, you are educating yourself to empower yourself.” He said if a person was not well rounded and in good health they would not enjoy the benefits of their schooling. He said the human body was designed to work. He urged students to network and get involved in community groups and projects. He said social interaction was also necessary for happiness and strongly advised youths against following a reclusive lifestyle.

Prof Ramesh Deosaran, former chairman of the Police Service Commission and a member of the Teaching Service Commission, says given public fears and police management challenges now facing T&T, if the right person is not selected for the job of commissioner of police, the country will likely be back to square one.

Deosaran, who is now in San Francisco, USA and agreed to do be interviewed on the priority qualities required of a commissioner and deputy commissioner of police, said the selection for such high-level posts was quite challenging.

Deosaran is the author of several books and articles on crime and police governance.

Prof, from your experience, what are the major qualities a commissioner and even a deputy commissioner should have at this time?

You used the magic word, “at this time”. A candidate's knowledge and experience are basic requirements, depending of course on the depth and relevance of each. But given the country's experience with police leadership and public safety, a candidate for commissioner will do well to bring some added value to the basic requirements, and even beyond that, appear as a visionary to help mobilize and inspire his officers from top to bottom. He or she cannot operate as an office CEO, but at this time, as a field marshal visibly out in the field, at least until public safety and public confidence are better assured. We know about such added value and visionaries—a few are the late permanent secretary and economic adviser William Demas, former UWI vice chancellor Sir Alistair McIntyre, and the late Ansa McAL chairman, Anthony Sabga. These people brought not only added value to basic skills, but passion to the job, a quality that is obviously missing in many important places in this country now.

Don't you think, based on the interviews, that the current crop of candidates can provide such qualities?

I really cannot comment, one way or another, on the current candidates. That is the job for the firm, the PSC and Parliament—the constitutional three-step procedures for hiring the commissioner and deputy. I know the PSC is well-suited to the task, especially with attorney Mr Martin George and his two-term PSC experience and the other attorney who was also a senior police officer. PSC chairman, Ms Maria Gomes, also has an appropriate human resource background to handle what comes to the PSC from the private firm. It will take some skill to separate the tangible from the intangible qualities since both are necessary for these positions.

But again, wouldn't the interview and psychometric tests bring out these qualities?

Look, all human resource consultants, even professors know the value as well as the limitations of such instruments. For example, experience sounds good, but sometimes past experience gives a person some bad habits and attitudes which become difficult to change. Many an interview expert has been fooled. Asking the candidates to respond to “real-life” scenarios may also help, but in the end, the question is really this: Will the hired person really end up doing the job in the way and at the level expected? That is why, if circumstances were different, a probation period of one year with a five-year tenure would be of great help in finding or keeping the right person for this very critical position.

Any other special quality you think a police leader like a commissioner should have?

Well, I again refer to your initial words, "at this time". Given the brazen, violent manner in which criminals are attacking citizens, business owners, old, young, rich or poor and with such impunity today, the country needs a commissioner who is courageous, fearless but not reckless, and one who shows his officers how not to be afraid of criminals but how to take them on by sharpened detection and prosecution.

What about the Police Manpower Audit that you and your committee recently handed to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley? How can that help the process?

As I said previously, I cannot really at this time comment on anything specific in that report. However, I am almost sure that given what the PM publicly pledged and what is in the report, the PM, Cabinet and National Security minister will insist that the new commissioner and deputy not only read but study the report.

The applicants

The T&T Guardian understands that acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams and several serving senior officers have applied for the top post, as well as former national security minister Gary Griffith.

The short-listed candidates have already undergone psychometric tests, which include tests of cognitive ability and personality tests. They will now be interviewed by a panel and undergo other evaluations before a merit list is compiled. The commission is hoping to complete the process by the end of the year.

The last time the commission appointed a police commissioner was in 2010 when Canadians Dwayne Gibbs and Jack Ewatski were given the posts. They resigned in July 2012 with one year left on their contracts. Gibbs was replaced by Williams, who has since received seven six-month extensions.

Consumers are raising concerns about a new trend by retailers and restaurants to round off prices to the nearest dollar, overcharging them for goods.

The trend has been reported to the Consumer Affairs Division and the division said it was not aware of any legal guidelines allowing businesses to charge consumers more than the stated cost of items.

Last week, Guardian reader Samantha* sent in a copy of her receipt for a $111.25 purchase she made at a popular food store.

Choosing to pay with her credit card, Samantha noticed that the outlet had charged her $112. When she queried the charge, she was told that the establishment was following the rules set out by the Central Bank, following the announcement of the discontinuation of one-cent pieces.

To Samantha, it did not't make sense. She felt that if she was paying with a card, it should not apply, and even if it did, why not round it off to the nearest five-cent piece as opposed to the next dollar.

Communications Manager at the Ministry of Trade Cassie Ann James looked at Samantha's receipt and in an emailed response to questions from the Guardian said the receipt submitted reflects that payment was made by VISA card.

"Paragraph 7(b) of the Central Bank Rounding Guidelines states that “Rounding will not apply…to payments made using non-cash methods such as cheques or electronic payments including, but not limited to, debit, credit or prepaid cards. Therefore it appears that rounding was not required for the particular transaction," James said.

James said the division had received a few complaints regarding the issue and those consumers were advised of the “Rounding Guidelines.”

"The concerns were raised primarily due to the absence of awareness that the procedure had been affected. The division subsequently sensitized those consumers and also made the information available on its Facebook page. This information is also included in its public lectures where possible," James said.

She said knowledge was power and consumers can protect themselves through education or seeking guidance from the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago or the Consumer Affairs Division at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Central Bank guidelines

Since July 1, the Central Bank ceased issuance of one-cent coins and announced that it intended to withdraw the one-cent coin from circulation and, in due course, the one-cent coin will no longer be legal tender.

Nicole Crooks, communications manager at Central Bank, responding to questions from the Guardian, said as a consequence of the Central Bank's decision, over time, there will be fewer coins in the system and price rounding on cash transactions would be required.

"When the one-cent coin is demonetized, regulations will be introduced to mandate and enforce rules on rounding. Until such time, these voluntary guidelines are intended to assist the public with the transition.

According to the Central Bank — "A vendor/consumer who wishes to round must obtain the agreement of the consumer/vendor before proceeding with the transaction or before applying the rounding guidelines.' This is to be adhered to during what the Central Bank states as the transition period defined as “…the period prior to the introduction of Regulations on rounding".

The rounding guideline provided by the Central Bank also advocates a system of rounding which makes the necessary adjustment on total cash payments both upwards and downwards in the absence of the one-cent coins.

In such circumstances, payments ending in 1 and 2 cents are to be rounded down to 0 cents; 3 and 4 cents rounded up to 5 cents; 6 and 7 cents down to 5 cents, and 8 and 9 cents rounded up to 10 cents.

The Central Bank has encouraged vendors and consumers to accept the rounding of the final amount of any cash payment or change owed in a consistent and transparent manner.

The Central Bank circular said the vendor must come to an agreement with the consumer prior to proceeding with any transaction.

In situations where a vendor wishes to round but the consumer does not agree, the vendor should provide exact change to the consumer.

The Central Bank also said that rounding should only apply to cash payments and to the total amount of the bill.

SITUATIONS WHERE ROUNDING WILL NOT APPLY

According to the Central Bank circular, rounding will not apply where a consumer has one-cent coins available and can tender the exact amount payable to the vendor in cash as the one-cent coin remains legal tender.

- To payments made using non-cash methods such as cheques or electronic payments including, but not limited to, debit, credit or prepaid cards.

-To individual prices of a good or service and, as such, prices on individual items need not to be changed; and

-To duties, taxes or charges, which are to be calculated in their exact amount prior to rounding.

Development Economist and activist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh says there is no doubt in his mind that flooding in south Trinidad will worsen.

Following massive flooding in areas of south and east Trinidad last week and questions raised on digital media regarding the effect of construction projects in those areas, the Guardian met up with Dr Kublalsingh, who spent years of his life warning about the dire consequences of constructing the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension project without a hydrology report.

Hydrology is the science that encompasses the occurrence, distribution, movement and properties of the waters of the earth and their relationship with the environment within each phase of the hydrologic cycle. It is all about water.

Kublalsingh, who along with the Highway Re-route Movement (HRM) group is still part of a court matter regarding a specific section of the highway, said it was obvious that this level of flooding would have happened.

He met recently with Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan and got from him a commitment to facilitate consultation with the HRM in moving forward on the Debe to Mon Desir section of the highway.

"There is no doubt in my mind that it will get worse, I wouldn't have gone on a hunger strike or taken those extreme measures unless I understood the magnitude. The people on the ground were telling me about it.

"I knew for a fact it would get to this point and it is worse because the people have been left stranded because the government agencies and local government are not working properly. They don't have the technology or capacity to deal with this, that is very clear. So the community is left on its own and they have to help each other," Kublalsingh said.

Kublalsingh's protests for more than five years focused on lobbying the then People's Partnership government to re-route the highway extension to Point Fortin, avoiding the route from Debe to Mon Desir.

'They did not do a hydrology report, flooding will get worst'

That highway route passes through the Oropouche Lagoon, also called the South Oropouche Basin.

This basin extends from the Gulf of Paria for nine miles and stretches in all directions but it extends more towards the east, from the Gulf of Paria to Barrackpore, going all the way to Mohase Road, Rochard Road, Moruga, and coming back to the east going to Barrackpore Number Two.

Rivers come through Fyzabad, Siparia and Penal, areas which have rivers that flow and come towards the heart of the Oropouche Lagoon and find its way to the sea.

He started the interview last week by pointing out that part of increased flooding had to do with changing weather patterns but said another serious part of it was the contentious highway.

"It is different, extreme weather and a lot of the glacier ice in the Andes have melted. There is a lot of water in the system and it has to go somewhere so it is causing extreme flooding.

"From now you will find more flooding, more landslides, more inundation of coastal areas and that is something we will have to brace for, scientifically."

His concern though is the highway extension.

"They were relying on the contractors to do a hydraulics without the benefit of a hydrology report so basically they were putting the cart before the horse."

He said while the previous government had facilitated the Armstrong report they had not done a hydrology report. "We asked the Government to discontinue work until that is done but they went ahead despite that. To me, it meant a small group of technocrats, key ministers they all acted negligently and mislead the people.

"That is what has been happening to the people of Barrackpore, Woodland, Penal, Debe, and Siparia."

He said it was now evident that the flow of water in the basin had altered.

"When the tide is high the water has nowhere to go. The tide is pushing up the rivers, the water has nowhere to go so it spreads laterally bursting its banks. If they had looked at the science, things could have been done to avoid some of this.

"I'm not saying not to build, but you have to mitigate it by proper hydraulics. We have been sacrificed to the ambitions of a few politicians and a few contractors and the people were left to suffer."

Our aim is to take precautions to mitigate flooding—Sinanan

In an interview last week, Works Minister Rohan Sinanan said he would not doubt Kublalsingh's observation that work on the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension could have been a contributing factor to excessive flooding.

Noting that if nothing was done, the flooding could worsen in time, Sinanan said it was a "serious change in weather patterns" and a lot of infrastructural work that would have gone on by developers, whether residential or otherwise, which would have resulted in the worsened floods.

He said the ministry was looking at all factors with an aim to take precautions to mitigate flooding.

The review of studies, which is being conducted by Nidco and consultant engineers, would look at whether the highway is passing through any water channels and look at ways to decrease or remove adverse effects.

He also said in the last few years at Mosquito Creek, there was a breach and a lot of water came in from the mangrove.

"You had a significant amount of water coming in from the mangrove and at high tide. The pumps in the area were not able to pump that volume of water."

He said the reason the water was able to decrease at that location was that Nidco repaired the breach and brought in more pumps to get the water out.

"Yes there is a problem on the creek, and once that section of the highway is completed we believe there will be fewer problems."