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Colin Lucas

Page 2 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 3
It’s MADNESS; It’s VUL-
GAR; it’s OBSCENE; it’s
ABSURD............and to
think that even if the Senate
does vote against it
they cannot stop the Bill
from being implemented
since the Senate has no
power to stop any Finance
Bill.
This is not a “fete”..........
this is madness ! ! ! !
Everyone will agree that
an individual should be reasonably
and adequately
compensated for the work
that he or she does, but the
kind of increases passed in
the Lower House for judges
and members of Parliament
are obscene, vulgar,
mad and absurd. It simply
boggles the mind to say the
least.
How did the COP, the selfdeclared
moral compass of
society, get itself embroiled
in this Why did the PNM
allow themselves to be entangled
into this trap of legal
dishonesty
One can easily argue that
the cost of living and the
economic conditions make
what is currently payable as
a pension to judges and legislators
too low and therefore
a pension should consider
economic factors such as
inflation.
But, notwithstanding that,
these absurd increases cannot
be justified. For example
it is unacceptable that five
years of service should justify
a Parliamentarian for a
pension and to now take this
down to let alone four years
- less than a normal term - is
ridiculous to say the least.
Some six months ago
judges had requested an increase
in salary but the Government
has decided now
to slip more pay and pension
benefits for themselves
in the Judges Salaries and
Pension Bill and the Retiring
Allowances (Legislative)
bill.
The proposed increase for
salaries and pension benefits
was described as absurd
then.
Sources are blaming the
Salary Review Commission
for the controversial salaries
bill, since it appears the
Commission had abdicated
its responsibility and was
tardy in doing its job.
All over the country the
public is complaining about
the poor representation of
their MPs who they hardly
ever see.
In one case constituents
complained that they do not
even know if Paula Gopee-
Scoon is their MP and yet,
based on this Bill she is
set to receive a pension of
$30,000 per month for life
with such increases as may
become necessary, based
on the indexing of salaries
and pensions.
The plain and simple fact
is that in our country too
many members do not perform.
Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj,
one of the best performing
AGs this country has
ever had has already publicly
said that whatever pension
he gets he will give it all
back to the government.
Jack Warner, the hardest
working Member of Parliament
in post independent
Trinidad & Tobago expressed
horror at the increases and
has promised to donate all to
Chaguanas West as he has
been doing these past four
years and more. Who then
will guard the guards
This same PP government
in its dealings with the
trade unions recently raised
all kinds of spurious arguments
against paying public
servants a respectable increase
saying that it could
not because it had to consider
the state of the nation’s
finances. But when it comes
to their own increases it is no
longer a concern of the government.
At present, citizens are
asking for roads, drains,
wage increases and benefits
of their own, and the government’s
response is that there
is not enough money for
these things.
Yet there is money to pay
hefty pensions and allowances.
Can anyone really justify
any government anywhere
in the world, except this PP
administration, paying Chandresh
Sharma, a lazy MP,
a pension of $60,000 per
month
And when you consider
that there are persons in this
country who are over age 65
and who are disabled and
unable to work, and those
persons cannot access the
welfare assistance because
the PP government does not
care and looks the other way
one is tempted to ask, how
cruel can life be ! ! !
This government has told
the elderly that they have to
live on $3,000 per month,
and that that is sufficient.
But the same government
says they cannot live
on $17,000 salaries plus
$10,000 to $12,000 in allowances.
And that they would not be
able to live on $8,000 pensions.
It cannot be right for
this government to double
and triple its benefits while,
at the same time tell the rest
of the country to band their
bellies
The National Insurance
Board (NIB) benefits that
some citizens receive are
coming to a point where the
NIB is saying it would be difficult
if not impossible to increase
their benefits.
The NIB is saying that at
the current rates the fund
may be exhausted by 2060;
and that projection would
be shortened if the benefits
payable are increased.
But who is concerned
about that Not this government.
To whom can this
people turn
When persons decided
to enter into public life and
to give up their private vocations
they knew what the
conditions of service were.
It was then as it is now
all about sacrifice so why
should service be now made
into money making venture
That is not about sacrifice at
all.
In fact this is no longer
about sacrifice it’s MADness.

Page 4 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
While Prime Minister Kamla
Persad-Bissessar is
considering opening up the
doors to Chinese visitors
by removing visa requirements,
she should have
also extended that courtesy
to African nationals.
This is the view of some
African nationals who are
living here.
The PP Government has
also lifted visa requirement
for nationals of India.
The Prime Minister was
at the time speaking at a
celebratory dinner held for
40 years of diplomatic relations,
between Trinidad and
Tobago and China. And also
toasting the visit to this country
by Chinese Deputy Minister,
for Overseas Chinese
Affairs Office of the State
Council, He Yafei at the
Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s
Port of Spain last week.
Persad-Bissessar said
Chinese nationals who want
to visit Trinidad and Tobago
will soon be able to enter the
country visa-free.
She said following concerns
raised by the Chinese
government about the difficulty
its nationals were having
to acquire a T&T visa,
the option to allow Chinese
travelers who have already
qualified for United States
visas or otherwise, would
now be able to enter the
country visa-free.
The Prime Minister noted
that on her official visit to
China in February this year,
visa restrictions were a main
concern for Chinese nationals.
This move, some businessmen
say, could see
more and more Chinese
setting up businesses in the
country, because they will
finally end up getting their
status regularized.
There are hundreds of
Chinese who cannot speak
a word of English or understand
English who are now
running fast food restaurants,
groceries and even
casinos across the country.
Those who could speak
little English even have T&T
driver’s permits and firearm
users’ licence.
An immigration source
said a number of Chinese
who are here legally, are
given more and more extensions
to remain in the country.
For years, there have
been an ongoing immigration
racket involving Chinese
nationals, who overstayed
their time and who had to
pay between $10,000 and
$30,000 to rogue immigration
officers to remain legal
in the country.
There are no Chinese nationals
at the Immigration
Detention Centre, Eastern
Main Road, Aripo in Wallerfield,
but there are scores of
African nationals, especially
Nigerians who have to languish
in jail for years before
they are deported.
A former immigration officer
said the Detention Centre
is for African nationals,
Guyanese and Jamaicans
who the immigration hunts
down from time to time, but
they do not ever touch the
Chinese at all.
A number of Nigerians
who are living here in T&T
say the Prime Minister
should also consider lifting
the visa requirement for
their families to come here
as well.
They also have similar
problems like the Chinese
to obtain visas to visit
T&T.
A number of nationals
from African countries, who
were unable to get a visa
to travel to Trinidad, have
found themselves here
through the back door via
the Venezuelan mainland.
Trinidad and Tobago
Prime Minister Kamla
Persad-Bissessar
needs to take note
of what is happening
around her, if she hopes
to regain power in the
2015 election.
And today, Equality
News is in a position to
advise her, having been
on the ground in Trinidad
and Tobago and the Caribbean
in the last year.
Our findings show that
KPB could be in trouble of
losing the election, not because
of the PNM strength,
or perceived strength, but
because of what is going
on right around her in her
own party.
In recent months, the
Prime Minister has been
put in a position where
she has been forced to
fire some of her most
popular Ministers, among
them Jack Warner, Chandresh
Sharma and Glenn
Ramadharsingh. In each
instance, supposed scandals
involving the ministers
were used as the reason by
the media to force her hand
in these decisions.
But let’s look at the facts:
Take Jack Warner. The
popular Minister of National
Security, a key player in the
Prime Minister’s coalition,
was accused of impropriety
with his involvement
in FIFA. There was a FIFA
inquiry, and Warner was
found wanting there.But the
truth is, as a government
minister, what did Warner
do wrong Did he rob the
people of T&T No. Did he
steal from taxpayers No.
So why was he fired And
there was no proof of any
wrongdoing on his part, as
a Minister of Government.
What happened in his private
life is his private life.
His involvement with FIFA,
one of the most corrupt organizations
in the world,
had nothing to do with his
role as a Minister. Yet somehow,
the Prime Minister was
encouraged to fire him
Why Clearly, the oneman
Cabal had its say, because
when it came to leadership
of the country, the
one-man Cabal has his own
ambitions to be Prime Minister.
Then let’s tale Chandresh
Sharma. The former
Tourism Minister was fired
because of his involvement
with a female who accused
him of abuse.
Clearly, the woman in
question has her rights, and
one of her rights is to ensure
she is not abused by
any man. That’s good.
But, might we ask, how
did this end up in the public
domain How is it that
Sharma’s personal life, like
that of Jack Warner, suddenly
become important to
his role as a senior government
minister
Once again, the spectre
of the one-man Cabal
looms.This is how the media
got to find out about
Sharma’s indiscretions. And
for some reason, his personal
indiscretions became
the reason why he, as one
of the best performing ministers
of government, lost
his job.
Again, why
Then there’s Dr Glenn
Ramardharsingh, the very
popular Minister of the People.
Readers will remember
that there was a campaign
against Dr Glenn in the
months before his dismissal.
He was accused of all
sorts of wrongdoing, from
corruption to owning homes
he didn’t, before he was
fired by the Prime Minister. It
was almost as though there
was a campaign to get rid
of him, Kamla’s most popular
minister, long before he
was actually fired. And what
was he fired for Misbehaving
on a plane, supposedly
touching the breast of a
flight attendant when in fact,
all he did was reach for her
name tag to get her name to
file a complaint.
In reaching for the name
tag, pinned on her chest,
he might have touched her
breast by mistake. Is that a
reason to fire him
Yes, it was again reported
in the media that Dr Glenn,
a respected vet and a very
popular minister, had “molested”
a woman on a flight.
He was fired. But again,
why
Clearly, to us at Equality, it
appears that there is a concerted
campaign to rid the
Kamla Persad-Bissessar
government of its most popular
ministers. So, why
Because there’s somebody
in the wings who
knows they are threats to
his own campaign to take
over the party from her. If
Warner, Sharma or Ramadharsingh
– and others in
the government, like Roodal
Moonilal, who will surely
find himself a victim soon
– remained in government,
this one-man Cabal would
not stand a chance of
replacing KPB as Prime
Minister.
But his ambitions remain.
And as long as she
listens to him, she will see
her government dissolve
around her, just to further
the ambitions of one man.
Equality has taken this
to many intellectuals in
the Trinidad community,
and they all agree with us.
We hope the Prime
Minister listens to us, and
realizes that we’re on her
side, but she needs to understand
what’s happening
around her.
Don’t operate in a
vacuum, PM. You are too
close to the action. Step
back and observe. We are
watching from afar, but
that doesn’t mean we’re
not close. What we’re reporting
here is not just our
thoughts, but that of many
in the distinguished community
who were recently
our guests.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 5
claim no foreknowledge
f the political ambitions
f either Basdeo Panday
r Jack Warner save what
as reported by the meia.
The following is, thereore,
my analysis of and
ersonal opinion on the
olutions to the problems
urrently battering the ship
f State.
Respect them or revile
hem, but Basdeo Panay
can, like Jack Warner,
ho delivered him from the
rustrations of opposition
re-2010, justifiably claim
any distinctions.
Panday is the first Prime
inister to date who exhibted
in his leadership imunity
to infection by the
orrosive legacy of the late
ric Williams.
For this unique good forune
he has been and reains
the most maligned
nd persecuted ex-Prime
inister to date. By any
tandard of comparison
e led from 1995 to his obcene
Presidential removal
n 24/12/01 the most proressive,
equitable and efective
ruling political disensation
to date.
How else did his UNC
arn the increased majority
ith which they returned to
ower in 2000 His adminstration
was the first since
956 under which neither
ndo nor Afro were uncomortable
with each other,
nd the minority from which
am descended were
iewed as the natural enmy
of neither. Panday’s
ast and least flattering disinction,
however, was his
erformance in opposition
fter the above obscenity.
e was the most ineffective
pposition Leader to date.
Understandably given
he betrayal within his own
abinet, which delivered
im and his government
nto the hands of a racist
NR. Consequently, the
ational interest necessiated
his removal.
Jack Warner is to be aplauded
for the efficiency
nd dignity with which he
fulfilled that necessary but
distasteful mandate.
That was not to be the
only demonstration of Warner’s
ability to move political
mountains.
Reflect upon his contribution
to the establishment
of the PP, its defeat of the
PNM in 2010 and his defeat
of that same PP in the
2013 By Election for Chaguanas
West.
Both Panday and Warner
have been criticised as
craving political power and,
if not, why not Since when
is it an offence to crave
the mandate for improving
upon the performance of a
flawed ruling dispensation
Are they thus addicts to
power - or patriots
Fortunately, despite their
ages, neither is physically
nor as mentally challenged
as the utterances of
younger Parliamentarians
suggest. Hopefully for a
troubled nation neither of
those two stalwarts will be
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the public stage as was
Dana Seetahal.
Panday’s frank and honest
reaction to the demise
of his nemesis ANR, in light
of recent politically “correct”
hypocrisy, and Warner’s
pregnant silence on that issue
are refreshing breaths
of fresh air.
Their refusal to join with
press and politicians in a
carnival of hypocrisy over
Robinson’s demise or their
silence at Sat Maharaj’s
recent charge of public
service mischief reflects a
level of sincerity significant
by its absence from the political
stage.
Warner’s “requested”
resignation from the PP, a
process by which the Cabal
shot both PM and Govt.
in the foot, was a classic
example of insincerity. Its
result was not, of course,
obvious until after the fact
when “unforced” errors,
crime and embarrassing
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exposures of corruption
multiplied exponentially.
Neither the PP nor its
most ardent supporters,
therefore, can now dispute
that without Warner to secure
them a second term in
2015, as he did their first in
2010, they are doomed.
A now desperate cabal
jostle in haste for larger
shares of the patrimony,
despite fear and popular
disgust as the ship of
State flounders rudderless,
battered by waves of “unforced
errors” and blatant
corruption upon a sea of
criminal anarchy.
It drifts helplessly toward
equally corrupt shoals of
a waiting PNM and an inevitable
slide into total and
bloody anarchy.
How many of their critics
recognise that only Panday
and Warner can yet save
us from ourselves
With looming violence
twixt the two major races,
which Warner or Panday
“basher” can credit Kamla,
Keith, or any other frontline
incompetent in either the
PNM or the PP with the political
credibility to avert that
disaster
Wishful thinking aside,
there are but two politicians
with demonstrated
unrivalled political support
and respect, from Caroni
to Laventille, from Afro to
Indo, as demonstrated in
2013 by Warner in Chaguanas
West and Basdeo Panday
in the General Election
of 2000 when his increased
support was possible only
at the expense of an Afrocentric
PNM.
Love them or hate them,
therefore, but any Tom,
Dick or Harrylal concerned
about their lifestyle can relax
only when and if they
have persuaded those
two, whom they so love
to hate, to make common
ground in a commitment
to taking over the empty
bridge of the S S Trinidad &
Tobago.
The answers to both
failure and success are to
be found in the past. Only
in such hands of proven
ability therefore, can the
imperiled ship of State be
once more returned on a
safe course toward, equity,
prosperity and progress for
its entire complement, from
“captain to cook, Afro, Indo
or other”.
Only thus will Trinidad &
Tobago ever be the place
where “every creed and
race find an equal place”.

Page 6 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
“The ship of State that
began its developmental
journey successfully
in the 60’s under the Doc
has now turned its rudder
around 180 degrees.”
Citizens of this country
are now giddy from going
around in circles and are living
in fear now, for the future
of their children because
both PNM and UNC have
seemed unable to provide
the goods since the Doc departed
from this world.
For whatever criticisms
you may wish to direct at
him, you have to give Jack
his jacket and this refers to
the former Prime Minister
and accepted Father of the
Nation, Dr. Eric Williams,
that he pursued Independence
and self-sufficiency
with vigor as he courageously
fought against the
colonials for the dignity and
the prosperity of this small
nation.
In the Doc’s time, he
worked aggressively for
the localization of both the
insurance Companies and
foreign banks and as a result
many foreign outfits
including insurance Companies
had to quit and run
away, while some graciously
handed over their portfolios
to local businessmen without
a fuss.
The Doc also pursued the
noble objective of attempting
to bring the commanding
heights of the economy
under the control of Government,
since foreigners were
gorging on the country’s
natural resources and the
people were just taken for a
ride.
As far as the banks were
concerned, many, if not all
of them therefore offered the
citizens of this country participation
in ownership which
the Doc had pursued relentlessly
and which of course
would have strengthened
the islands’ economy.
The Doc also focused his
career on making sure that
the commanding heights of
the economy were localized
as much as possible while
many accused him of pursuing
Marxist/Lennist philosophies
to take this country on
the path of communism one
day.
However, this luckily never
happened.
Barclays Bank DCO is
now Republic Bank Limited.
Royal Bank of Canada
then became a totally local
owned Royal Bank of Trinidad
and Tobago Limited (it
is back to square one now,
thanks to Patrick Manning).
In Williams’ time, we also
saw an influx of other renowned
American and Canadian
banks trade between
the two countries and T&T
had increased significantly
after independence.
There was the Bank of
London and Montreal installed
in 1960; Chase Manhattan
Bank in 1963 and
First National City Bank in
1965 just to name a few.
Many of these banks are
no longer existent here in
their original format and
many have been absorbed
by some of the existing larger
banks.
Notwithstanding the
above, the indigenous banks
were the original Penny
Bank (Trinidad Co-operative
Bank Limited) Workers Bank
Limited and the National
Commercial Bank of Trinidad
and Tobago Limited.
All of the local banks
failed for various reasons,
one or the other and as if
locals cannot run big business
and their depositors
were subsequently rescued
by the Central Bank, which
extracted the good and best
parts of their businesses
and customers and rolled
them into First Citizens Bank
Limited which became a totally
owned State bank until
recently where minorities
were invited.
There was no local ownership
of foreign banks in
those days and the foreign
banks hired whites and Chinese
persons mainly.
The banks hierarchy was
mainly foreigners and local
caucasians and if you found
an afro working in a bank in
those days, this would have
been an unusual finding.
The Black Power Movement
of the 70’s caused
an end to the evil practice
of employment discrimination
by the banks and Williams
had taken the cue that
something had to be done to
correct this worrisome situation.
The oilfield Companies
did not escape Eric’s
wrath either. There was
Texaco, Shell, British
Petroleum,West indian Oil
Company, Trinidad Petroleum
Company Limited,
Trinidad Oilfields, Brighton,
Tesoro, Trintoc, etc.
All of these big name
Companies have long disappeared
and have become localized
into Petrotrin with its
sister oil Company, the National
Petroleum Company
Limited (NP).
NP replaced the focal
marketing business of Esso
Standard Oil SA Limited,
New Jersey, a local subsidiary
of the largest oil Company
in the United States
of America which sold fuels
from the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery
and found this country
a sitting duck for its vast array
of unique special lubricants
and greases.
Together with the development
of Pt. Lisas as the
site for the monetization
of natural gas Dr. Williams
pursued localization as best
as he could and in 1959 Pt.
Lisas established the first
fertilizer complex in the Caribbean
using natural gas as
feedstock.
In 1973. a very large
stand-alone ammonia plant,
Tringen #1 became a novel
Trinidad Government /WR
Grace ownership under
Williams with the Trinidad
Government having majority
control (51 percent) and
WR Grace (49 percent), the
latter having the management
contract. Williams was
on fire in those heady days,
when as he proudly boasted,
that money was not a
problem in this country.
There were failures along
the way too.
The most notable failure
was the Iron and Steel Company
of Trinidad and Tobago
(ISCOTT) which experienced
huge losses for several
years for a multiplicity of
reasons and was eventually
sold to the steel giant, Mittal,
the largest steel manufacturing
Company in the world at
that time (probably is still so
today).
In those days, there
was national pride and the
thoughts were pointed towards
production, independence
and self reliance,
although after the Black
Power movement in 1970,
there suddenly appeared
the Drag brothers taking
over Independence Square
with their ugly shacks in
making a living.
Nevertheless, in spite of
these hiccups and some
other deficiencies, the nation
with a new Mt. Hope
hospital and some flyovers
and new roads was a proud
one with almost no murders
- that was in the seventies
and early eighties.
Trinidad and Tobago was
still going somewhere then
and forging an identity on
this planet when natural
gas took over the economy
by storm in the late seventies.
The nation’s real father
had worked feverishly then
to forge a destiny for his
children with their futures in
their school bags as he said
one day.
Today, the country is now
witnessing something totally
different and opposite. And
it seems that the political
directorates, both past and
present after Williams, are
lost lambs not knowing how
to take the country forward -
especially in productivity in
the non-energy sector.
Many citizens now believe
that the country has
gone backward in the
last few years, especially
with only PR and rubber
talk to placate angry and
dissatisfied citizens.
It may be truthful to say
that the politicians, all of
them in the PP and the PNM
have lost their moorings and
managerial purpose and the
country now lives on a gift
from Mother Nature which is
oil and gas..
The mindset is now focused
on the bamboozle
and maintaining power at all
costs from the public purse
and winning elections by unacceptable
behavioral fundamentals.
The opportunistic foreigners
with their technological
expertise and huge
capital assets continue to
exploit and plunder the gas
reserves primarily for their
own benefit.
On the other hand, there
is little evidence to show that
the locals are rising elsewhere
in non-oil productivity
except some special favored
contractors and smart Chinamen
who lend the country
and then take back the
same money for their own
labor supply.
The limitations of present
governance is apparent
as the country is fed more
roads and bridges to portray
blind evidence of prosperity
and development and huge
future costs and that the
country is rising. Mamaguy
is the name of the game..
These extravagant adventures
of huge capital spending
on asphalt, gravel and
steel have been proffered as
representative of business
stimulation and increasing
the GDP.
The simplistic and foolish
justification is that more
shops, car parts places and
bars will now situate on the
sides of the highways to
reflect progress. This is the
idea of national advancement
- highway jobs for all.!
It is expected that Clico
will soon be bought over by
a foreigner so as to obtain a
huge US dollar multi-billion
loan pay back to spend lavishly
for the next election.
This is going backwards to
the old days of the colonials.
Just as a colonial RBC
has resumed local ownership
the foreigners will
gorge on the foreign exchange
that will eventually
disappear when the children
have no school bags. The
money laundering casinos
will continue to be in vogue
as time passes and they will
continue even without bank
accounts.
The ship now heads back
to its original mooring from
where it began to sail. There
are more multi nationals in
the country now than ever
before, as well as many
questionable ones from
the Far East who enjoy the
wheel and deal.
The clock has turned backwards
and the nation’s real
father now turns in his grave.
NEWSPAPER

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 7
Welcome to “the New
Politics”.
No one really understood
what this meant
when the Honourable
Winston Dookeran,
the then Political
Leader and founder of
the Congress of the
People (COP) made
the statement, but it
sounded good and for
many it offered hope.
Some chose to append
their interpretation
to the concept of
the “New Politics” suggesting
a meaning that
includes openness,
transparency, fairplay
and justice in governance.
While others believed
that Dookeran’s
“New Politics” would
have ushered in a
stricter adherence to
decency and truth
across the political
landscape of Trinidad
and Tobago, the ‘political
coin’ spun differently.
After all, the truth is
that no one was really
able to offer with any
clarity what the “New
Politics” meant, not
even its purveyor, because
in a world where
power is acquired
through manipulation,
craftiness and shrewdness,
the antipode to
such behaviour is nothing
more than sheer
rhetoric and a con job
to win one’s vote.
Today, on reflection,
that is what the
“New Politics” is, a well
thought out con job…
a mind-bender on the
population, calibrated
to mislead and deceive
voters in a most insidious
manner.
There is no other explanation.
None at all!!
Now that we have
had the opportunity
to observe from a distance
and very close
up, the way this “New
Politics” works; we can
now boldly reject it.
The Room 201 video
is just one reason why
we know the “New Politics”
does not work.
It brings to the fore
two major deficiencies
within the Congress of
the People.
Firstly, is the naïveté
of the Party into
believing that all of its
members would be of
impeccable integrity
and as such, the Party
did not envision the
need to include in its
Constitution the right
of the Party to expel
dissident members.
Secondly, the COP,
having recognized the
weakness of its Constitution,
did absolutely
nothing to revise it and
make it relevant for the
current political climate
after four years as part
of the PP Government
and its many instances
of decadent behaviour.
It is because of the
way the COP conducts
its affairs that today
we are at this juncture,
where Anil Roberts
remains a Member
of Cabinet in spite of
a video, which in the
court of public opinion
clearly compromises
him and makes a
mockery of the Party.
The suspension of
Anil Roberts as a COP
member is not good
enough.
The national community
is angered both
at the Prime Minister’s
refusal to fire him as
Minister and the COP’s
apparent inability to get
rid of him as its Party’s
Member of Parliament.
If the COP’s house
were in order, then
Roberts could have
been fired as its Member
of Parliament for
D’abadie/O’Meara and
just as in the case of
Herbert Volney, he too
could have been removed
from his seat
since he no longer
represented the same
Party under whose
membership he had
fought the elections.
Today, the Honourable
Anil Roberts
should be Citizen Anil
Roberts but alas!
The COP is the
only political Party
that lacks the power
to expel its membership
and one must
conclude that this has
to be the design of the
“New Politics” framed
by its founding father,
Winston Dookeran.
Clearly, and shockingly,
the COP has
comprehensively
copped out in demonstrating
stern leadership
when it matters
most.
The fact that the
framework of this “New
Politics” cannot offer a
decisive response to
wrongdoing, demonstrates
to all of us as
such that it has to be the
greatest con job of the
twenty-first century.
It is for this reason,
more than any of the
countless others, that
the COP has lost its
integrity and it is also
for this reason, more
than any other, why
the COP is no longer
considered the paragon
of virtue within the
Government and the
country.
The first Minister to
be expelled from the
People’s Partnership
Government was a
member of the Congress
of the People.
In spite of his religious
moorings as a
pastor, the Honourable
Roger Samuel, a member
of the Congress of
the People, chose to
offer prayers for a man
who came to him to report
wrongdoing rather
than direct the victim
to the law enforcement
agencies as is required
by his oath of office.
But this is the “New
Politics” of the COP
It is the “New Politics”
which allows the
COP Members of Parliament
to hold hands
and smile with their
peers in the People’s
Partnership while evidence
of corruption
services, offensive
behaviour perpetuates
and the rights of the
people are trampled
upon over and over.
Not a COP Member
of Parliament offered
his or her resignation
as a mark of protest
after the failed State
of Emergency carted
off to our prisons thousands
of young men
along the East West
Corridor, the stronghold
of the COP in
2010.
This was the worst
form of abuse to have
been leveled against
the constituents of the
COP.And not even a
boo was heard from
any of them. Today the
East West corridor has
been deliberately discriminated
against in
terms of CEPEP and
URP projects, roads,
building and other
contracts, utilities and
infrastructure - from
Toco/Sangre Grande
to Laventille - and not
even a whisper has
been heard from Rodger
Samuel to Prakash
Ramadhar and those
in between but then
again this is what “New
Politics” is all about.
Not a single resignation
was offered
by a COP Member of
Parliament after Section
34 became an
embarrassment to the
Cabinet of the day of
which they are an integral
part.
Not a word of protest
from COP Members
of Parliament in spite
of the election abuses
which took place during
the bye-elections
in Chaguanas West
and in St. Joseph.
This is the COP’s
“New Politics” it is just
that we did not know
about it then.
The leader of the
Congress of the People,
still genuflecting
under the wings of the
UNC-led Government,
has missed a golden
opportunity once again
to forge the Party’s
political independence
and demonstrate
once and for all, that
the COP is not a well
thought-out con job to
deceive the people of
Trinidad and Tobago.
But, as is now the
norm, he missed it ! ! !
In spite of audits done
by the Ministry of Finance
and wrongdoing
identified in the Auditor
General’s report, the
People’s Partnership
has failed to take action
against a COP Member
of Parliament for alleged
wrongdoing.
Allegations of ghost
gangs, criminal interference,
assassinations
and death threats
are leveled both at a
COP Minister and the
Ministry over which he
administers and yet
there is no strong word
of censure or protest to
guide the Government
towards doing the right
thing.
It must be of concern
to the Government
when 34 million dollars
can be paid in full for
a service that was not
even rendered and it
is passing strange that
the Minister, a COP
Member of Parliament,
has not expressed
sheer horror over such
a payment.
The Minister, in a
public display of feigned
horror, terminated a
CEO for the leasing
of a BMW which over
the five years would
not even come close
to $34m, yet he does
not express any kind
of horror when it is revealed
that a $34m
wrongdoing has taken
place
Where is the outcry
from the COP on the
LifeSport Programme
Where is it
The truth is that
Dookeran wanted to
be a leader of something,
anything, and so
the COP was formed.
Today, in retrospect,
the idea of the COP
being different is a con
job to corrupt our political
environment and
obtain via false pretence
votes from the
national community.
The inanities of the
COP Leader, Prakash
Ramadhar to Kamla
Persad-Bissessar’s
monstrous embarrassment
of an explanation
for keeping Anil in her
Cabinet proves beyond
the shadow of a doubt
that the COP leadership
is a fraud. And
cannot be taken seriously.
His spinelessness
and inconsistencies
have, once again,
been exposed.
But then again, Anil
Roberts is a representation
of the COP’s
“New Politics.” And so
too is Prakash Ramadhar
! ! !
This is not the type
of politics that the people
of this country want
where the beholder
and the thief cannot be
distinguished and the
lines are perpetually
blurred.
This country is dying
for real change and the
COP is certainly not
the answer.
Their “New Politics”
is a bad representation
of the “Old Politics” and
a kind to which all of us
must respond with a
resounding “No.”
Let the burial of COP’s
“New Politics” begin and
with no tears for its failed
leader Prakash Ramadhar.
RIP!

Page 8 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
ST JOHN’S, Antigua –
The Antigua Christian
Council (ACC) is seeking
to further establish the
church’s role in the governance
of the country.
President of the Christian
Council, Major Byron
Maxam, said the organisation
would shortly seek
an audience with the new
government to discuss its
recommendations aimed
at improving the country’s
electoral system.
Major Maxam told OB-
SERVER media that one of
the body’s suggestions is a
fixed election date.
“When I say fixed date,
June 12 election was held
and the next five years
would be June 12, 2019,”
he said.
Major Maxam said the
council is also proposing
a review to recent amendments
to the Representation
of the People’s Act.
“I am speaking in terms
of the Commonwealth
citizens and those of Caricom
citizens also, a law
was passed recently for
from three you must reside
seven years before you
can vote. We want some
amendment to that where
we would return to the
original which was three
years,” the president said.
The cleric said the standard
for Commonwealth
countries is to allow immigrants
the chance to vote in
just one year of residency.
He said while three years
can still be considered a
long period, seven years is
not acceptable.
According to Major
Maxam, the new Antigua
and Barbuda Labour Party
(ABLP) regime must also
move to reorganise the
Electoral Commission so it
becomes a truly independent
body.
“As I have said before,
we will still remain with
the seven members but
one from each of the political
parties; one from the
church; one from the legal
fraternity; one from the
Chamber of Commerce
and one from civil society,”
he said. “Among themselves,
they will choose the
chair and vice-chair of the
commission.
“All of these must be
tackled within the 12 to 24
months in office to avoid
being accused of electioneering
or election campaigning,”
he advised.
Meantime, the president
of the Christian Council is
congratulating Prime Minister
Gaston Browne on
his appointment. He said
the council expects the
new ABLP government to
be fair, transparent, allinclusive
and to share information
on prospective
projects.
The Christian Council
is the umbrella body embracing
five established
churches.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 9

Page 10 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
People are talking about a photograph in
a daily newspaper with Attorney General
Anand Ramlogan saying something to DPP
Roger Gaspard, who kept a straight face
without a smile.
Town is saying a picture means a thousand
words and it appears whatever the AG is saying
to the DPP is passing through one ear and
coming out the other.
People are saying that the DPP must have
been saying in his mind he does not want any
friendship with Anand.
Town is saying that the DPP should stay far
away from Anand.
People in Town are saying the DPP is an
independent official and he does not mix with
politicians, who would like to have him to do
their bidding.
Gaspard had slammed the AG for recommending
plea bargaining legislation as it is
done in the USA saying it was not smart (foolish
idea) or feasible to transplant foreign legislation
into the existing system.
People are saying Anand must have felt like
a goat after the DPP bashing of his proposed
plea bargaining legislation.
People are talking about how
CNC3 Morning Brew Talk Show
host Hema Ramkissoon appears
to be on the UNC propaganda
team, backing Prakash
Ramadhar to return as political
leader of the COP in the June 29
internal election.
Town is saying Ramadhar has
been a regular face on her programme
defending his “weak”
leadership in the coalition government.
People are suggesting to Hema
that instead of bringing him every
week on her programme,
she should just play a tape of her
first interview with him because
Prakash keeps repeating the same
thing over and over, to prove that
he was a strong leader and did not
want to “mash up” the coalition.
Town is saying that Hema has
been accusing Seepersad-Bachan
as not being a team player and if
she is elected leader of the COP,
the Party will break away from the
coalition with the UNC.
People in Town are saying that
during her interview with COP official
Kirt Sinnette last Tuesday,
Hema kept painting Seepersad-
Bachan as not being a team player
and wanted the former boxer to explain
why he is supporting Seepersad-Bachan.
On the same morning on TV6
Morning Edition another candidate
for the post of political leader, former
army sergeant Rufus Foster
was highly critical of Ramadhar’s
leadership saying that the COP
leader has brought shame and disgrace
to the Party more than COP
member Anil Roberts.
Town is saying that Hema is
reportedly among the journalists
and Talk Show hosts who were recruited
by the UNC to promote the
party for the next general election.
People in Town are talking about
a revelation made by a member
of the Police Service Commission
(PSC) Martin George that
police statistics may have been
manipulated to make the police
look good during a recent television
interview.
He said that was the case with
British cops in London.
Last December, a Chief Police
Inspector with the Metropolitan
Police told a Home Affairs Committee
in London that crime figures
are being manipulated
He said some manipulation is
going on regarding crime figures.
Town is saying that when National
Security Minister Gary
Griffith revealed recently that the
crime figures in the country was
the lowest in 29 years, the police
may have been “setting him up”
for them to show how the police
have crime under control.
People say the minister has been
bragging about those crime statistics,
which in future, he should take
with a “pinch of salt” since the true
figures may be hidden.
NEWSPAPER
This is the question some
doctors in the Medical Council
are asking.
Did the AG office leak the report
to two journalists who are
allegedly part of the PP propaganda
team for this coming general
election
People are saying AG Anand
Ramlogan wants the DPP and
the Police to investigate the circumstances
surrounding the
baby’s death to see if there is
evidence to send the doctor who
performed the operation to jail.
Town is asking the AG what
has become of all the other cases
of children and mothers who
died under questionable circumstances
at the Women Hospital
at Mt Hope.
People already know the UNC
has already started its campaign
for next year’s general election
and that may be the reason
why the AG called in the media
to hug up baby Simeon mother
and give her a copy of the report
to play he is showing sympathy
with her. Shame AG!!
Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan
and the Medical Council are of
the opinion that the doctor who
was blamed for baby Simeon’s
death should be disciplined.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 11
Having suffered at the
hands of the PNM for some
eight years, the citizens of
Trinidad and Tobago voted
for the People’s Partnership
(PP) Government with
the hope and belief that the
failures of Patrick Manning
and his motley crew would
have been put to rest.
After four years under the
Kamla Persad Bissessar led
PP, the national community
is now regretting its decision
to vote for a change that was
promised which they never
received.
The general consensus
of the citizens of this beautiful
country is that we have a
Government in power, which
lacks the capacity to govern.
It is almost a cliché to say
nothing works well.
The latest burden we have
to bear is the frustration to
get services out of the Immigration
Department.
Scores of persons inundate
my constituency office
in Chaguanas West seeking
assistance to have their
passports renewed, to obtain
machine-readable passports
or replace lost or mutilated
passports.
In some cases,a lot of
people have returned from
abroad to renew their passports.
They have taken time
away from school, in some
cases from their jobs just to
ensure that their passport is
valid and because of the ineptitude
of the PP Government,
many have to return
with their old passports to
avoid being kicked out of
school or be terminated from
their jobs.
Initially, I lay the blame
squarely at the feet of the
Public Services Association
and its President Watson
Duke.
It was clear to me at first
that his actions were unreasonable,
that his behaviour
was irrational and his approach
to leadership made
him unfit for office.
I wondered why he never
adopted this approach when
the PNM was in power and
even though I am now neither
a supporter of this Government
nor the Opposition,
I initially felt that his actions
were not just and fair to the
People’s Partnership Coalition
Government.
But then I thought again.
This Government in 2010
rode the backs of our workers
into power.
It aligned itself with
a strong labour agenda
pushed by the Movement for
Social Justice and even gave
to a former prominent labour
leader a safe seat to fight
and a ministerial portfolio.
This Government promised
to do things better, but
instead of taking an austere
look at the conditions under
which their employees were
forced to work under the
PNM, they launched an allout
war against workers placing
a salary cap of 5 percent
on all negotiations.
This Government could
have demonstrated its interest
in its employees’ welfare.
This Government could
have modeled best practice
by enhancing the environment
in which its employees
were being forced to work.
But rather than address
these simple issues which
affected the health of the employees
of this country, they
continued along the same
arrogant and disrespectful
tangent like the PNM, abusing
our workers, forcing
them to work in a workplace
that placed their lives under
threat.
One would never have believed
that when the PP Government
came into power
that the Occupational Health
and Safety Act was in force.
Since 2004 this Act has
been in force and not a single
Government since then
has moved to improve the
environment for employees
in this country.
Ten years after its passage
and the Public Services Association
is reporting that the
air condition units are black
with dust.
Visits to buildings have
revealed rat droppings,
sewer water leaking from
the roof, pipe borne water
that is brown coming from
tanks that seemed not to
have been cleaned for a long
while.
Carpets are dirty and the
quality of air that workers
have to breathe is compromised.
In some cases, filing cabinets
and boxes obscure
emergency exits; in other
cases there are no signs to
tell you where they exist.
There are instances where
workers are forced to work in
areas under construction and
no one cares, not even the
PNM who boasted that “We
Care” or the PP Government
who promised that “We Will
Rise.”
Somehow it seems as
though Members of Parliament
have forgotten their
oath of office, which clearly
states that they are to uphold
the law of the land.
Abnegating their responsibility
to ensure that the environment
in which workers
are employed in their Ministry
is in keeping with OSHA
standards is a clear dereliction
of duty and if that is not
misbehaviour in public office,
I will never know what is.
And this misbehaviour will
never change until we demand
higher standards and
increased levels of integrity
from those we vote into office
every five years.
There must be an autonomous
agency geared to look
after the welfare of the Government’s
employees.
People cannot be falling
sick on the job, working in
an environment while being
unsure that they can be
possible victims of cancer
because of carcinogens in
the air, suffering from skin
diseases and respiratory ailments
and the Government
seems unfazed by this calamity.
There are about 5,000
employees at various departments,
who are being
affected because of health
and safety issues at their
respective workplaces and
more than 2,500 have come
forward with serious health
complaints.
They have been idle for
the past two months, going
to work on mornings, sign
the work register and return
home.
It is against this background
that reason demands
that the blame should shift
from the PSA and its President
to the PP Government
that ought to do better.
Tempted as I am to enjoin
the PNM with the PP in
this one, I must admit that I
cannot, because after four
years in office the PP Government
ought to have fixed
this wrong, which the PNM
perpetuated over the years.
Yes I am concerned about
the wrong messages our
Prime Minister has sent as
it relates to the Room 201
video and the fact that the
Minister of Sport can still hold
on to office.
Yes I am confused about
how a service provider could
receive 34 million dollars of
taxpayers’ money for services
he has never provided
and the Permanent Secretary
is not yet suspended neither
has the government request
of the police to launch an investigation
into this fraud.
Many things leave me stymied:
Section 34, Emailgate
and Prisongate just to name
three.
What is clear to me though
is the reason why this Government
will never solve
crime.
Because they do not even
know how to address wrong
when they themselves are
the perpetrators of such
wrongdoing.
The People’s Partnership
Government lacks the capacity
to govern because it
is lacking in its ability to do
right.

Page 12 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 13
WAYNE WILLIAMS
Arouca - It’s Anil, because
he was dismissed
by the COP pending further
investigations. The
Prime Minister should
also have taken this initiative
and do the same
and revoke Anil’s appointment
immediately.
LILLYETH CHARLES
Digeo Martin - Of course,
it’s Anil. A blind man as calypsonian
Lingo could see
that it is Anil.
The picture and voice is
his, it is totally unfair why
the PM did not act in the
same haste with Anil as she
did with the other Ministers
whose appointment she revoked.
I pray for the Prime
Minister, the hand of God
grinds slowly but surely.
SHERRY ANN
WATSON
Dabadie - Anil is trying
a long shot, to prolong
the issue so it might be
forgotten. Clearly anyone
could have seen
or heard his tone of
voice. If it was not him,
he should have come
forward and cleared his
name. Since he has
not done so, this clearly
shows it was him.
A 23 year-old woman of
Toco, who was seeking
a job as a clerk with the
National Infrastructure Development
Company (NID-
CO) Limited found out that
she had to show her boss
how she looked naked and
she had to take days off
the job to spend time with
him.
These are the allegations
she has made against a
top official of NIDCO, who
had promised the young
woman an $8,000 a month
salary as a clerk/secretary
with the company.
According to the woman,
a friend of the official, who
is a contractor took her to
meet the official for the job.
The woman alleged
that among the conditions
for the job, were that she
would be required to take
days off to spend time with
the official.
She further alleged that
the official asked her to
show him how she looked
without her underwear.
Desperate for the job,
the woman said she complied
with the request and
took off her underwear for
him to see her semi-nude.
The next day the official
allegedly began texting her
to send him nude photos
of herself but when she
turned down a request to
go out with him, she started
getting a runaround for
the job.
The photos of herself,
which were sent to the official,
were shown to Sunshine
newspaper.
She claimed that the official
was very aggressive
in his approach to her. But
to date she has not gotten
the job.
The contractor, who sent
the woman for the interview
said the official whom he
has known for years promised
him some time ago a
contract for $2million.
He said the official said
one of the conditions to
get the contract was to get
a red-skinned woman for
him.
The contractor said he
sent three female friends
to the official but he turned
them down, because he
felt that they were not responding
to his “sex for
job” strategy.
CARLTON MOREAU
Arouca : No! Anil is
trying tricks to get out of
a situation, he must be
suffering with 1/2 zheimers.
Maybe that is why
Prakash suspended him,
I hope that by the time
Election comes around
he would not be suffering
with Alzheimer’s, then
that might be a different
situation.
CANDICE GASKIN
Williamsville - Yes it
was Anil, the look and
EARL MARTIN
Tunapuna - Sure it’s
Anil, in another Country his
appointment would have
been removed. These
things do not happen in
Trinidad.
Anil appears to have
some ‘hold’ on the Prime
Minister that is probably
why she has not revoked
his Ministerial appointment
as she did with other Ministers.
voice is him. Since the
COP suspended him, the
Prime Minister should
have taken similar action.
She is not doing the
right thing and holding her
hand as she did with the
other Ministers, so why
not Anil
SYDNEY GIBBONS
Barataria - Sure that
is Anil, it seems all the
other Newspapers are
afraid to say it was Anil.
The only paper that did
so was the Sunshine
Newspaper on the front
page, challenging Anil to
sue the newspaper if it
was not him. Since there
was no response from
loud-mouth Anil, he has
suddenly gone silent.
Then clearly it was him,
he could have come with
his famous line WHA!!
that is not me, but has
not done so.
The Prime Minister
should have fired Anil,
but she has taken a defensive
approach on this
shocking issue.
URP Region 8 in San
Fernando is building
a box drain with
government materials
and labour in the private
compound of the
Bachan’s estate in Cedar
Hill, Claxton Bay.
Residents of the estate
are also giving instructions
to the workers on
how the box drain should
be built.
The URP workers are
angry and Sunshine has
learnt that when they
complain to their Regional
Manager of the
illegal work he says that
his hands are tied since
“orders have come from
above” and that he’s
helpless.
NEWSPAPER

Page 14 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
12th May, 2014.
Office of the Prime
Minister
13-15 St. Clair Avenue,
St. Clair,
Port-of-Spain
Honourable Prime
Minister,
Whilst we know that you
have a special love for the
SIS group of companies,
we the villagers of Perseverance
Village, Couva,
predominantly populated
by the descendants of indentured
immigrants, and
former workers of defunct
Caroni limited, are appalled
by the callous, blatant grab
for another 75 acres of land,
despite already being the
beneficiaries of a previous
75 acres given by government
to your alleged favorite
contractor some years ago.
The villagers were looking
at this parcel of land for recreational
purposes, as the
community has grown tenfold
with the relatively new
Couva Roystonia development
bounding our community,
for which no provisions
were made for recreational
development.
Your favorite contractor,
has surreptitiously in broad
daylight, begun to fence this
75 acres disregarding the
farmers who were temporarily
occupying portions of
said lands giving the bold
impression that they are
the legitimate owners or
occupiers of same, and the
poor farmers knowing that
the power of this business
magnate and the connection
to you, have simply put
their tails between their legs
in submission and have allowed
this land grabber to
have his way.
Councillor Allan Taxi
Seepersad has also informed
his good friends
who were planting the same
lands, and concerned villagers
that he cannot do anything,
because the colossal
giant SIS has already begun
to fence the property and
there is nothing that he can
do, I suppose, because everyone
including the councilor,
knows of the SIS connection
to you Madam Prime
Minister.
Before this matter adversely
affects you in the
upcoming general elections,
please do something. In
fact, please put an advertisement
in the newspaper
denying this property has
been ceded to the SIS group
of companies, and make the
same lands available for future
recreational purposes,
in an area where housing
development never took
into consideration spaces
for recreation purposes.
Do not for one moment
think that Couva North and
South are safe seats and ignore
the wishes of your loyal
supporters.
Be aware Madam Prime
Minister,we have been loyal
for too long, we expect a favorable
response within a
month, please act decisively
in favor of the majority and
not the minority. You may
see this plea for help in one
of the weekly newspapers.
The Village Voice
Sunshine newspaper
has foiled an alleged
$375,000 kickback which
was supposed to be given
to a top Government
official in the Ministry of
Works and Infrastructure.
The money was supposed
to be paid by a
Freeport contractor and
the pickup was supposed
to take place in Freeport
via the transport vehicle
(PCZ 62….) belonging to a
senior URP official for the
Central Region.
The large sum of money
was supposed to be
handed over at 3 pm that
day and the URP official
had another occupant in
the car at the time. On
seeing the Sunshine photographer,
the car sped
away.
However, Sunshine has
since learnt that the kickback
was delivered the following
day to someone in
a house in Lendore Village
Enterprise, which is owned
by a Chaguanas Borough
Corporation official.
Sunshine was told that
on Monday last burglars
broke into the home of the
bagman and stole over
$150,000 in cash.
The theft was not reported
to the police because
the bagman would not
have been able to account
where he had gotten the
money. Reports are that
the cash was destined for
the same top Government
minister.
Reports are that a similar
scheme was conducted
the week before when another
kickback of $1 million
was paid by a Cunupia
auto garage owner who is
also an official of a State
agency.
Sunshine has also learnt
that CISL, at its last Board
meeting, allegedly awarded
a contract to Rishi
Kanick of Universal Developers
Ltd to renovate the
President’s House.
It is further alleged that
the contract was awarded
to Kanick with the understanding
that the contract
has to be increased by one
third of its value and that
increase has to be passed
on to the Minister.
Universal Developers
Ltd has reportedly been
awarded an upgrade
contract by the Sports
Company to refurbish the
Conquerors playing field
in Caroni more than two
years ago and to date the
job is incomplete.
Moreover the architecture
in President’s House
is of an extremely delicate
and historical nature for
which Kanick has no experience
of any kind.
The Chairman of CISL
is the very young and inexperienced
Raees Patel
consequently, and according
to reports in the public
domain, bid rigging allegedly
takes place right under
his very nose.
Last Tuesday night,
representatives from
the Voiceless Weakly
were at the Guardian
building in Chaguanas
(where they do their
printing of the newspaper)
and were overheard
speaking to the
distributors enquiring
about the sales of the
Voiceless Weakly.
Everyone there told
them “no one buying the
Voiceless, everybody
want Sunshine” and “no
body know who is Voice”.
The two representatives
then advised their
listeners that the Voiceless
is a government
newspaper, paid for by
government’s southern
and central contractors and
that their main goal is to
“bring down Sunshine” but
that they are failing to do
so, so their next step is to
make the Voiceless a free
newspaper and to spread it
throughout the country and,
by doing so, people will become
more aware of it.
The representatives further
stated that within the
next month the Voiceless
will be distributed freely, for
no charge, since they will
be getting more ads from
the Government Ministries
and State agencies and
will not have to depend on
the sales of the paper but
solely from the ads. A handsome
profit is also being
envisaged.
The country will await to
see whether or not PM Kamla
Persad Bissessar will
resort to using taxpayers
money to fund The Voice
election campaign.
That would be the
day…
A number of Congress
of the People (COP) supporters
are saying that
for a long while now they
have suspected that
their leader Prakash Ramadhar
“sold out” to the
Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led
UNC.
Their fears have now
been confirmed after hearing
the party’s founder
and former political leader,
Winston Dookeran saying
that Carolyn Seepersad-
Bachan, (who is challenging
Ramdahar for leadership)
“can’t be bought.”
Was Dookeran, (who
has thrown his support behind
Seepersad-Bachan)
saying that Ramadhar, is
hungry for power, when
he told a press conference
on Monday; “You are not
looking at someone who is
self-serving or hungry for
power but someone who
has demonstrated that her
purpose in politics is higher.
She has demonstrated
that she is fit to hold political
office”.
Some COP activists
have accused Ramadhar
of holding on to the prime
minister’s dress tail, describing
him as a “soft”
leader and not standing
up for the principles of the
COP.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 15
The Government is running
scared.
Something is terribly amiss.
What it is this People’s Partnership
Government has to hide we
will only know when they are voted
out of office.
But clearly all is not well.
The Cyber Crime Bill is not about
national security or protecting the
nation from computer hackers.
This Cyber Crime Bill is about
suppressing information...........
nothing more; nothing less.
The truth is that I will not even
place a quality on the kind of information
it wishes to suppress but
what is clear is that there is a deliberate
intent to muzzle the media
and the consequences for those
who still dare to publish are grave.
Within the recent past, there
have been leakages alleging
wrongdoing among top holders of
office in our land.
Emailgate, which to date has not
been resolved, implicates the Attorney
General, the Prime Minister,
and the current Minister of Works
and Infrastructure for alleged conspiracy
against journalists and other
private citizens in Trinidad and
Tobago.
This information was obtained
through “Mailbox Politics” an avenue
regularly used by the UNC
while in opposition but which all of
a sudden the UNC finds obnoxious
now that it is in Government.
What hypocrisy!
Prisongate, under investigation,
includes email correspondence
between State lawyers and attorneys
at law who defended prisoners
which resulted into the alleged
wrongful payout of State funds
through an alleged faulty process.
Some of this information was
also gained through “Mailbox
Politics” and is it that the Government
wants to tell me that while
this method was successfully used
to inform the national community
about corruption against Calder
Hart, Uthara Rao and others, it
cannot be used to expose their corruption
now
That’s blasphemy!
The People’s Partnership Government
is the most corrupt Government
this country has ever had
in both pre and post colonial politics.
The Government is becoming
unpopular by the day.
I have in my possession information
about the Life Sport Programme,
obtained by persons who
worked in the programme implicating
senior officers of the Ministry
of Sport of allegedly paying bribes
and being blackmailed and that
cannot be published
There are other stories about
persons being paid salaries of Nine
thousand dollars and more for the
past two or more years, who have
not paid taxes, who have not had
national insurance contributions
paid on their behalf and as a media
house I cannot publish
I have documents with regard to
the payment of 34 million dollars
to a service provider who failed to
provide the service for which he
was paid and the public must not
know about that
These are not the worrisome
acts of alleged corruption that the
Cyber Crime Bill is seeking to suppress
but just a tip of the iceberg.
There is alleged land grabbing
by those who hold office.
The purchase of property by
holders of office and their link to alleged
money laundering is of concern
to all.
Offshore banking and improper
procurement procedures where a
Minister rules against the procurement
committee and offers the tender
to a company which was not
even invited to bid must now be
suppressed because of the Cyber
Crime Bill
This has nothing to do with hacking.
This is all about suppressing
news to ensure that this government’s
corrupt acts are not exposed
so that, if contrary to all logic
they are re-elected, they can continue
to rape the treasury for another
five years.
If the People’s Partnership Government
was serious about interrupting
the work of hackers but
wanted to ensure that the media
had access to wrongdoing then
somewhere in that legislation, a
clause to protect a whistle-blower
would have been crafted.
But alas!
Too many office holders would
be at risk so rather than do the right
thing and show this country that for
once the Government moves with
integrity, they choose the antithesis
and bring to Parliament a Bill that
will protect wrongdoers.
In a word, therefore, the Cyber
Crime Bill is nothing more than an
attempt to protect this Government.
If the People’s Partnership Government
is so desperate to have
the constitution altered without
proper consultation and rush this
Bill through then the only reasonable
conclusion, which we as a
people can come to is that they
have plenty to hide.
The Cyber Crime Bill is a People’s
Partnership muzzle placed on
the Fourth Estate, the media, the
watchdogs of our nation.
Sad Madam Prime Minister, real
sad!
The purpose of this Bill is to
amend the Retiring Allowances
(Legislative Service)
Act, Chap. 2:03 (hereinafter
referred to as ‘the Act”) to
provide for an increase in the
retiring allowances payable to
persons who have served as
legislators for various periods,
with effect from 1st August,
1976, to provide for the retiring
allowances of legislators to be
increased simultaneously with
increases in the pensionable
emoluments of legislators, to
provide that the pensionable
emoluments of a legislator
shall include his housing and
transport allowances and to
extend the application of the
Act to Senators.
Mr Speaker, I believe there
is hardly anyone who would say
that an individual should not be
reasonably and adequately compensated
for the work that they
do.
I believe it is also reasonable
that anyone who devotes a career
to a particular job or field of
service should also be afforded
some reasonable pension. And
of course, a pension that is based
on one’s occupation would have
to reflect the stature of that occupation
and would be linked to the
emoluments.
Senators and Members of the
House of Representatives are
legislators and it is only fair that
what applies to one should apply to
the other.
I think, Mr Speaker, that considering
the cost of living and the economic
conditions, what is currently
payable as a pension to legislators
is too low. And a pension should
consider economic factors such as
inflation.
Mr Speaker, all that is being proposed
by this Bill could be justified
– well, almost all that is being proposed.
In other words, parity between
the pensions to Senators and Members
of this House, is justified.
An increase in the pensions
is justified because the current
rates and methods of calculation
give some legislators a pension of
$3,000 per month, and for a person
who served as a legislator, that is
too low.
But the question is, how high do
you go
An MP who does all of this is deserving
of a raise in pay and pension,
but not one who is not functioning.
Performing and non-performing
MPs
Mr Speaker, too frequently we
see members of the public complaining
about poor performance by
their Members of Parliament.
Now, in some cases, expectations
may be too high and therefore
the perception of non-performance
is just that – a perception.
In some cases, it may be the result
of a lack of understanding of
the roles, functions, responsibilities
and actual work done by an MP.
And this is a matter for public education
and public relations. People
need to better understand what the
duties of an MP really are and what
powers an MP has and does not
have. And if an MP is working he
has to find ways to let the people
know what he has done. So it’s a
communications issue.
And, Mr Speaker, if we are to be
fair, there are some MPs who work
and some who don’t. There are
some MPs who are accessible and
some who are not. There are some
who are serious about their responsibility
and some who are not. And
to be fair, there are some MPs who
are the victims of the public’s lack
of understanding about what an MP
is there for and what is not his job.
So, we need to be dispassionate,
objective and fair when we see reports
about MPs performance. And
I will refer to a few that have made it
into the newspapers.
http://www.newsday.co.tt/letters/0,160863.html
Bon Air not happy with
Dr Douglas
Monday, May 28 2012
Newsday
THE EDITOR: In light of eight
executive members of the Lopinot/
Bon Air West constituency executive
of the Congress of the People
(COP) resigning, I wish to also
voice my discontent about the lack
of representation by Dr Lincoln
Douglas.
The streets of Bon Air West are
in the worst state and they continue
to deteriorate on a daily basis.
Two streets in particular, Abalone
and Zircon Circular are major links
to Five Rivers and Lopinot respectively,
yet they are of the poorest
state in the area forcing residents
so seek alternative routes.
In addition, the park directly opposite
Abalone needs additional
lights since at night there are parts
of the park that are fairly dark. The
fact is, this park is frequented by
both adults and children, but despite
this, it pales in comparison
to other parks such as the Eddie
Hart Ground which is well lit and
even paved. As voters of the Bon
Air West constituency, why are
we being denied such basic amenities
in our neighbourhood
In 2010, Dr Douglas for many
of us was a symbol of hope, he
appeared to be a man who as an
MP would have made our lives
better. Instead, what we got can
only be described as an “absentee
MP.” Mr Douglas proudly
speaks about new politics yet he
seems to exhibit the qualities of
certain MPs of the past who neglected
their constituents only to
resurface around election time.
Furthermore, Dr Douglas as
the MP for the area must accept
the responsibility for this neglect
and not blame others such as
Rawle Raphael for his lack of representation.
What Raphael does
is of no concern to us because he
is not our MP, you are Dr Douglas
and you have thus far, failed us.
It would be wise for Dr Douglas
to understand that Bon Air West
remains a marginal seat and
therefore, he should pay close attention
to what happened to his
predecessor and not make the
voters reconsider in three years
as they did in 2010.
SHIVAN MAHARAJ –
via e-mail
TO BE CONTINUED

Page 16 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 17

Page 18 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Hundreds of devout Catholics
walked through the streets of
Arima in a solemn procession
as part of the Corpus Christi
celebrations throughout the
country last Thursday.
Corpus Christi is the Latin
word for the body of Christ.
The procession was
caught by Sunshine newspaper
walking along Subero
Street, Malabar.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 19
What did Angostura head
honcho Gerald Yetming
mean when he stated, according
to an article in
Newsday on May 20, 2014,
at the Annual General
Meeting of the Company
that, Angostura’s Corporate
Secretary would have
to give advice in the matter
of CL Financial’s huge
unsettled debt of $984
million plus interest owing
to Angostura.
This is an unbelievable
statement, coming at this
time from head honcho Yetming,
who must be one of
the key players in resolving
this outstanding matter.
At this stage of the unsettled
Angostura loan fiasco,
Yetming seems to be waving
a worrying flag to minority
shareholders that send a
silent warning to them, that
he has no idea what has to
be done after more than half
a decade of hush-hush from
him, on this very serious
matter.
Musical chairs are now
seemingly playing on the
settlement of this loan.
And this is long after CFL
acknowledged its debt of
$984M to Angostura, but
then what came of it –
Nothing.
Are we all fools The minorities
now want Yetming
to talk settlement – because
the time is now.
Make no mistake, this is
a very very serious matter
and the silence of Yetming
over the past two years on
this affair after CLF’s financial
condition has vastly improved
by several billions.
And after the debt has been
acknowledged, must suggest
that there is more in the
mortar than the pestle and
that something unknown
may be taking place behind
the scenes.
However, minorities know
that eventually the silent pigeons
are going to have to
come home to roost. Then
the cat will come out of the
bag.
Yetming is no incompetent
person at all and must be
quietly suggesting by this utterance
that he is either confused
or that he has no idea
what has to be done, that
is, although someone easily
grabbed and walked away
with a cool $984 million from
a public Company, whose
shareholders’ interests he
now supposedly seeks.
Just like that, not a man
on the Board squawked
when the $984M owing to
Angostura disappeared in
Miami and where the owners
of 23 percent of that
magnificent sum just lose,
lose and more lose without
an Angostura dividend for
years that was eventually
pocketed for private use.
And so, he now leans on a
simple Corporate Secretary
to ask the good lady to give
him advice.
Well the first advice that
the Corporate secretary
should follow is to inform all
the Angostura shareholders
of the material facts on the
loan as would be required
by the Company’s Act, that
the debt has been acknowledged
by CFL.
Based on what limited
information the minorities
have so far, there has been
no legal action taken against
the person who engineered
this $984M borrowing,
no lawyer letter, no Court
house action and no nothing
from the Board, to Yetming
and other persons in
the Ministry of Finance.
And now it seems that if
the Corporate Secretary say
so, is so - is she the new
boss on this issue who will
determine the outcome -
thus meaning that she is
suddenly a new overriding
CLF boss that can overturn
the decisions of the Minister
of Finance, Larry Howai etc.
who publicly stated that all
CLF liabilities to outsiders
will be paid.
Come on Yetming, we are
all over 21, you know. Many
changes have taken place in
the minds and consciences
of decent citizens in the last
few years and you must be
day dreaming in the historic
past to assume that an astute
public is unwary and
taking nonsense from the
country’s political lords who
feel that they could mamaguy
just like that and get
away.
As mentioned in a previous
article, this is an outstanding
amount owed to
Angostura when the majority
shareholder Clico Financial
Limited (CFL) decided not
to pay a damn cent in dividends
to its shareholders for
several years after acquiring
majority ownership of Angostura.
When this huge sum in
cash became available, the
majority shareholder then
borrowed all of Angostura’s
profits and unpaid dividends
which had accumulated for
years for its own use by an
unsecured loan.
Is this so because a big
boy who was a big party financier
of both the PNM and
the UNC so much so that he
became untouchable.
And that he could do
whatever he wanted, no
questions asked, anytime
and anywhere until the Government
suddenly woke up
one sad day with a financial
mess on its hands. And had
to plunge over $20 billion of
taxpayers funds to combat a
financial crisis in the country
that was so huge and crippling
that the economy was
threatened and almost on
the verge of a significant collapse.
Worse of all, the loan was
an unsecured loan according
to the financial reports of
Angostura while it seemed
that not a man in the Angostura
directorship at the time
resigned when the money
was borrowed unsecured
and the knowledge of this
substantial withdrawal was
available.
The directors of Angostura
seemed to have all failed
to rein in Lawrence Duprey
the main man and substantial
owner of Clico Financial
and majority owner of Angostura
and inform him that
he just cannot do things like
that because it is wrong and
very unfair to minority shareholders
entitlements to use
their 23 percent dividend
entitlements for his own
personal use and the expansion
of his personal empire
in such an unconcerned
manner and that such an
un-secured withdrawal was
very improper, no matter
what the circumstances or
potential benefits to CFL
was offered.
Is Yetming expecting advice
from the Corporate
Secretary who will tell him
that it is now too late for the
cry for the protection of the
minorities rights and that the
debt is overdue some four
years and so Angostura has
lost $984 million plus interest
that would bring the debt
up to $1.6 million. Just like
that - $984 M gone just so,
like a ghost in Lapeyrouse.
Yetming by now, must
know everything and all the
issues about that unpaid refund
to Angostura taken by
CFL but nothing is said and
has been as quiet as a lamb.
What is on the cards for
Angostura now Yetming
The minorities want to know.
Please tell the minorities
now what their situation is
and let’s move on.

Page 20 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
In the United States, soccer has
never become quite as popular
as football, baseball, basketball,
or even hockey. Even with the
US Women’s Team winning the
World Cup, and the arrival of
David Beckham, American soccer
has still taken a backseat to
other sports in the popular conscious.
However, elsewhere in
the world, soccer, or as the rest
of the planet calls it - football, is
basically a religion.
The sports gods of every other
country are football (soccer) gods
and the best players have the record
breaking contracts to show for
it. If you’ve ever watched a show
like “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”
or “Cribs”, and shaken your
head at the palatial spreads of
basketball and American football
stars, you’ll be blown away by the
bling on display in the homes of the
world’s elite soccer stars. You want
to make it big in sports Put down
the pigskin and your bat, buy a
plane ticket to any other country in
the world, and start using your feet.
Here’s a glimpse of what could be
yours in terms of numbers.
LIONEL MESSI
Net Worth: $180 million
House: $5 million
It stands to reason that Lionel
Messi, arguably the sport’s most
consistently excellent player, would
have a ridiculous home. By age 21,
he’d already been nominated for
a Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World
Player of the Year Award. Over
the years, he has won just about
every soccer award possible, and
he’s got more endorsement deals
than any one person should ever
have. He’s currently worth around
$180 million and has a Barcelona
FC salary of a happy $21.2 million.
His $5 million home has a spa,
a private screening room, and an
indoor football pitch. He’s quite
private, however, so don’t expect
there to be any “Cribs”-style documentaries
made about his space
anytime soon.
WAYNE ROONEY
Net Worth: $120 million
House: $17 million
Called the “best footballer in
England” by a host of sports related
publications, Wayne Rooney,
holds the record for being the
youngest English player to ever
score a goal in an international
match. He’s won the Premier
League Player of the Year Award
five times, among other honors,
and he’s the fifth highest British
goalscorer in history. Interestingly,
he also ties with David Beckham
for most red-carded player in England.
He’s got a net worth of $125
million and a massive, custom built
$17 million mansion in Prestbury,
Cheshire, England. It cost almost
$2 million just to clear the land for
the multi-building compound to sit
on. It also comes complete with
Manchester United personal security
to keep out unwanted fans.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
Net Worth: $250 million
House: $7 million
The highest ranked player when
it comes to just about, well, everything,
Cristiano Ronaldo currently
holds the second place spot as top
goalscorer of all time in UEFA competition.
He’s been named FIFA
Player of Year and World Soccer
Player of the Year. He’s won the
Ballon d’Or a couple of times and
the Onze d’Or. He’s the most expensive
player in soccer history,
and the highest paid soccer player
on the planet. Basically, he’s a
soccer god. His net worth is $250
million, and he makes $28 million a
year with Real Madrid. He recently
put his home in England on sale.
He had it built while he was playing
for Manchester United. The $7
million home features multiple skylights,
big, open, modern spaces,
and lots of gleaming chrome. It’s
got two pools, seven bedrooms,
and a game room with a large
screen TV and disco lights. At 3000
square meters, there’s also space
to kick his ball around in the house.
DIDIER DROGBA
Net Worth: $90 million
House: $14.5 million
The player that put the Ivory
Coast on the International football
map, Didier Drogba is the Ivory
Coast’s top goal scorer ever, and
is the current captain of their national
team. He became a fan
favorite while playing for Chelsea
from 2004 to 2012, and is the first
African player to win the Golden
Foot. He’s also the only player to
have ever scored in four separate
appearances in the FA Cup Finals.
He currently plays for Galatasaray.
He has a net worth of $90 million
and a $14.5 million 8600 square
foot home that features eight bathrooms,
seven bedrooms, rooms
for children, and a trophy room, of
course. Drogba is heavily involved
in charity work, and regularly donates
a portion of his salary to efforts
to rebuild struggling areas in
and around the Ivory Coast.
STEPHEN IRELAND
Net Worth: $20 million
House: $2.5 million
Stephen Ireland is actually more
well-known for his house than for his
football skill. One of Ireland’s best
players, he began his professional
career on a promising note in 2005,
playing for Manchester City. He
played well and quickly established
himself as a young player to watch.
However, after a nasty falling out
with the Republic of Ireland team,
his international football career was
no more, putting a decided dent in
his potential for mass popularity. He
was subsequently swapped twice, finally
ending up with Newcastle United,
where his level of play improved
noticeably, earning him the Fans
Player of the Season Award. Unfortunately,
that was short-lived, and
he now plays for Stoke City. He’s
reportedly spent all of his money on
his lavish home and multiple cars.
His house in Prestbury, Cheshire,
England, is a long, low, brick structure,
with modern touches. It sports
six bedrooms, a private movie theater,
an indoor pool, a billiards room
with a black pool table with his name
on it, and a bright Pepto-Bismol pink
bedroom for his daughter, one of his
three children.
DAVID BECKHAM
Net Worth: $350 million
House: $70 million
Between his pyrotechnic playing
ability, his endorsement and
modeling deals, his marriage to the
woman formerly known as “Posh
Spice”, and his legendary temper,
David Beckham basically became a
football institution all his own. He is
ranked as one of FIFA’s 100 Greatest
Living Players, and he is the first
English player to win titles in four
countries. Prior to his retirement in
2013, he was the highest paid player
ever. He is considered by many
clubs to be a consummate professional
and hard worker, and has the
endorsement deals and worldwide
fame to show for it. He purchased
a home with his wife in England
which was nicknamed “Beckingham
Palace” by the British press. The
massive Georgian-style mansion,
has seven bedrooms, a recording
studio, a gym, and a games room,
among other amenities. They sold it
in 2012 for around $20 million and
purchased a home in Los Angeles.
They are now reportedly eyeing a
$70 million townhouse in London.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 21
aries
During this week you may get a
flash of inspiration about your life
role, or encounter someone quite
powerful in your life like never before.
But within yourself, this meeting
can help to unlock a lot of hidden magic, helping
you to look at life and yourself differently. Something
new is in store for you this week, Aries.
libra
Communication in your life would
be wonderful this week like never
before. Long foregone friends shall
come in touch with you. This has
been helpful insofar as giving you
lots of information. The trick now is to sift through this
to see what’s what and who is worth sticking to. Any
decisions you make can be a lot to do with work.
1. Sheds
6. Black, in poetry
10. Barely
14. A low-mass chargeless
particle
15. Connecting point
16. A single time
17. Style
18. Fortitude
19. Atop
20. Element
22. Fully developed
23. South African
monetary unit
24. Small Old World finch
1. Wise men
2. Beasts of burden
3. Water chestnut
4. Unit of pressure
5. Contemptuous look
6. Train operators
7. Tedium
8. Norse god
9. Urticate
10. Reporter
11. Remove the pins from
12. Range
13. Basic belief
21. Russian country
house
25. Bit of gossip
26. “Oh my!”
27. Fluff
28. Heredity unit
29. Mixed with impurities
34. Storylines
36. Salt Lake state
37. Expunge
38. Biblical garden
40. A field of grass
42. Arm of the sea
45. On leave (military)
48. Not these or those
26. Aquatic plant
30. Chief Executive
Officer
31. Estimated time of
arrival
32. Misled
33. Rope fiber
35. Avoid
39. Shaped like a ring
41. Not excessive
43. Grave marker
44. Any day now
46. An exchange
involving money
47. Pair
51. 3-banded armadillo
52. Submarine detector
53. Cages
55. Narrow-waisted
stingers
49. Faster than light
50. Not now
51. A movement upward
54. Took flight
56. Impoverished
57. Dwelling
63. Dwarf buffalo
64. Distinctive flair
65. Push
66. Awestruck
67. Thorny flower
68. Anagram of “Paste”
69. Backside
70. Views
71. Begin
58. Found in some lotions
59. Not this
60. Greek letter
61. Not under
62. Where a bird lives
taurus
This week’s period puts the emphasis
on managing your resources
astutely, but nothing in the heavens
standstill and hence frequent
changes are forecast for this week.
Now you may encounter a tricky
individual, or need to make a stand. Be bold in announcing
your stand to the outside world.
gemini
Your mind turns to converting the
fab ideas you have been generating
recently, into something more
tangible and lasting. It is possible
that you have been so full of creativity,
that you might not have
known which to have really gone with. Now you can
start to pick things over with feasibility in mind, and
really start to firm things up as the week moves on.
cancer
During this week, you may feel a little
bit on edge, or anxious. However,
from now on you can feel more in
control of your thoughts, but you may
still find yourself in an intense discussion
with people around you. If you
feel that they have lacked understanding, you may let
them know just how unimpressed you’ve been with them.
leo
The present planetary position is
food for your thought. You have
been on such a roll recently, that it
may have been a bit of a surprise if
you found that there have been any
issues lurking in the background. If
not, despite this you might find yourself analyzing one
situation more carefully now. It may be helpful to draw
back a little inspiration from those around you, particularly
your peers in workplace.
virgo
If you have found yourself juggling
with both work and personal demands,
you could do worse than
give yourself permission to head off
out with your friends. A complete
change of scene can take your
mind off things and remind you that life shouldn’t just
be about fulfilling responsibilities, it can be fun too.
You can return refreshed if you take a break this week.
scorpio
If things have got a bit intense, then
this is a week of introspection for
you. There would be total absorption
with a stunning new lover, or
sorting out financial affairs, which
shift your focus in life. This can
be by checking out vacation opportunities, finding
ways to expand your imagination or perhaps further
education.
sagittarius
If you’ve decided to call it quits on
a partnership that’s broken down,
you now have the thorny issue of
deciding on how best to carve up
any mutual assets. Conversely, if a
tie is going from strength to strength, you may decide
to pool your resources. There is no set rule, it really
does depend on your exact circumstances Sagittarius.
Major decisions are in for this week’s period.
capricorn
Someone’s words may have
seemed rather shrill this week for
you. Perhaps they’ve been really
critical or it’s you who has been
picking up on all that’s imperfect in
your life. As the week gets moving
it gets easier to be more objective, to take things less
personally. Bright exchanges can follow.
aquarius
Is there something that you have
been putting off recently in your
life. An important task, which once
done will give you plenty of peace
of mind, but may not excite you
much. This week gives you an opportunity to sharpen
your focus on such practicalities, and if you’ve been
spending more time having fun than getting on with
these, it is time for action.
pisces
If you’ve been bound up with some
intensely personal or home, family
or domestic themes, the planets
shall give you the nudge to remind
you that there is nothing like having
a giggle to put life’s trials and tribulations into perspective.
And if you have felt the more fun side of you has
been muted, well, it’s back to normal service for this
week, Pisces.

Page 22 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
The recent inaugural launch of Caribbean
Seafood Festival, at Tantra
Terraces in Sangre Grande was
seriously affected by unanticipated
events.
Organizer Anthony Callender of
World Music Festival Limited, said “
This Festival which was planned two
years ago, was earmarked to be a wild
meat and seafood festival. First came
Ganga Singh Minister of Environment
and Water Resources, placing a two
year ban on hunting. Then adding fuel
to the fire, came the oil spill and the
story, about dead fish floating in the
sea”.
Attendees at the festival were treated
to shrimp doubles, fish in mango
sauce, also crab and dumpling with
rice and provision. Many local persons
who never had shrimp doubles,
and foreigners Keith Thompson and
Thelma Newton, from New York said it
tasted delicious.
Vishal Persaud , DJ Turbulence Hi
Power and Selector Kern, who provided
music, was also from Queens in
New York.
The Caribbean Seafood Festival
was hosted in collaboration with the
Ministry of Tourism, National Lotteries
Board, First Citizens Bank Limited and
Carib Brewery.
Despite the poor turnout, Callender
stated that plans are already ongoing
to host the SeaFood Festival next year,
at the same venue. And hopes are that
the ban on hunting would be lifted, to include
wild meat on the menu.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 23
The Government is rushing
legislation after legislation
with just a year
to go before the General
Election is called.
The Procurement legislation,
which was promised
by Prime Minister Kamla
Persad-Bissessar during the
2010 general election, has
now been passed in The
Senate – a year before the
next general election.
Some observers say this
Procurement legislation is
like “closing the door after
the horse has bolted” since
the PP favoured contractors
have already raked in billions
of dollars over the past
four years under questionable
Tendering procedures.
The Prime Minister will
beat her chest during the
next general election campaign
saying, “we are fulfilling
the promises we made in
our 2010 manifesto”.
The House also passed
legislation in the dead of the
night on Black Friday (June
13, 2014) to give judges and
parliamentarians more money
and increased retirement
benefits.
Attorney General Anand
Ramlogan knows why he
wants to make judges happy.
Minister of National Security
Gary Griffith is moving to
clamp down on what he described
as “mailbox politics”.
Ministers are running
scared that their computers
are being “hacked” to
obtain confidential information,
which can be exposed
in the next general election
campaign.
The legislation is also targeting
the media who like to
“buss mark” on the Government.
The “hackers” are trying to
get confidential e-mail messages
between government
ministers who are planning
election strategy and how
to attack their political opponents.
So the Government wants
to jail “hackers”, saying the
information collected can
affect national or economic
security, banking and financial
services.
But some are saying that
this PP administration is
guilty of “mailbox politics”
because ministers like to
“buss mark” to score cheap
political points on their opponents.
Planning Minister Dr Bhoe
Tewarie sent shockwaves
when he said there are “big
thieves and small thieves” in
this country –in government,
private sector and citizens.
His comment brought
back memories of when
a former PNM minister Dr
Desmond Cartey said, “all
ah we tief”.
Hawk and Spit bar was
buzzing with talk about who
‘tiefing in the government
after Dr Tewarie’s comment.
So when Gunpat,
Mukesh, Baboolal, Spanner,
and Piper went for their usual
“lime” they were talking
about certain ministers who
amassed huge wealth since
they came into government.
Spanner: “Dis weather
calling for a good drink of
puncheon. The rain now
starting to fall and ah seeing
flood by meh house already.
Barman we go take a half ah
puncheon and a half a White
Oak”.
Barman: “Ah half ain’t go
be enough for allyuh. Take
ah bottle instead, nah, because
ah half go only make
just one round”.
Gunpat: “When we finish
d half and we want more
we go call for it. Doh try and
tell we how much we should
drink. Yuh farse or what”.
Barman: “Yuh getting on
like one ah dem war dog Kamla
sending for dem black
bad boys”.
Spanner: “When she
say to let go the ‘dogs of
war’, yuh think is d police
she calling dogs, because
is dem who running after
dem criminals and shooting
them”.
Gunpat: “Dey say it is not
really dem police dogs she
mean is resources to fight
criminals”.
Spanner: “People feel
is real dogs she sending to
attack all ah dem people in
black communities because
dey feel is only Africans is
criminals”.
Baboolal: “Yuh know long
time dey use to say how police
are dogs”.
Piper: “She should send
dem war dogs for some ah
dem smart politicians who
raping d Treasury and banking
dey money abroad”.
Baboolal: “Yuh ain’t hear
d Planning Minister Tewarie
say it have plenty big ‘tief
and small ‘tief in d country.
He now know it have plenty
thief in d government so he
talking out”.
Spanner: “Ain’t ah minister
say how Kamla have
‘rats’ around her”.
Piper: “It is only d small
‘tief dey does hold, when
last yuh see d police hold ah
big tief. Dem big tief wearing
jacket and tie”.
Mukesh: “When dey hold
a big tief he case does take
donkey years for the trial
to start, because he have
money to take big time lawyers
and try to find all kinds
ah ways for dey cases not to
start”.
Gunpat: “D prime minister
say it had plenty crime
when d PNM government
was in office. But is she who
tell d people to vote the PP
and when dey come into office
dey go fix crime in 90
days. Every day is ah killing
and it reach past 200 now in
six months”.
Piper: “Ah tired say dat
when is election time doh
take on what dem politicians
say because dey make all
kinds ah promises and when
dey get in office dey does
forget what dey say.
Spanner: “Yuh ain’t hear
Anil say he can’t remember
anything about Room 201
and she swallow dat and
say boy doh worry yuh party
doh want yuh, ah go still
keep yuh in d cabinet . Ah go
make yuh ah UNC because
the COP dead. And in d next
election ah go give you and
Prak ah safe seat to fight”.
Baboolal: “Anil right.
When ah drink rum sometimes
ah does even forget
which bar ah was in. People
who does drink rum does
forget even what dey say
and when yuh tell dem the
next day what dey say. Dey
does say dey can’t remember”.
Spanner: “Ah sure Kamla
does not remember ah lot
of things. Ah sure she does
tell some ah dem ministers
she go to do this or dat and
d next day she forget”.
Gunpat: “All who does
drink ‘alco’ have poor memory.
Yuh remember when
d lady lost d last local government
election, she say d
party still win”.
Piper: “Yuh remember
Spanner say he went in ah
whore house and he make ah
packotee and he forgot how
much money he give d ‘owman.
He say when he get up
d next morning he only had
two dollars in he pocket. Look
him right dey, ask him!’’
Spanner: “Yes he right.
Do ‘owman ask meh if ah
have wife and children and
ah say ah can’t remember
because meh head was real
bad dat is why she rob me”.
Gunpat: “Prak singing a
different tune now, he say
he supporting d prime minister
decision not to fire Anil.
He say she is ah lawyer and
since there is d presumption
of innocence, she give him d
benefit of d doubt”
Piper: “Gunpat, how Kamla
and Anand get silk (SC),
boy. Ah feel dey shoulda get
satin instead”.
Baboolal: “Yuh know long
time meh mudder used to
wear ah lot of satin clothes
and meh father use to wear
silk shirt.
Mukesh: “Boy, It didn’t
have silk shirt in those days.
Ah know, dey used to wear
satin which used to look like
silk”.
Gunpat: “Ah see dey
passing a lot of laws over
the past weeks. D Parliament
sitting until after midnight
now”.
Spanner: “Well dis is ah
lawless society. All ah dem
laws dey want to put in place
to gallery in d next election
campaign but ah not seeing
nothing changing. Police
can’t hold dem killers, it still
have racket in d government
and police still keep shooting
black people”.
Gunpat: “Ah read whey d
Food Minister Devant say he
want to control the giant African
snail. But ah really feel
he want to control d African
population and increase the
Indian one. He, Suruj and
Anand doh like black people
at all”.
Piper: “Yuh remember
Gypsy sang ah calypso asking
dem black boys to look in
d maxi and see who is d tout
and look in d jail and see
who are d criminals”.
Gunpat: “It have plenty
Indians in d jail too. But ah
never see ah Syrian or a
Chinese get jailed in dis
country because dey doh
tief at all. Dey does wuk hard
for dey money”.
Piper: “Dem probably doh
get ketch because dey have
big connections”.
Gunpat: “Piper, ah know
you is ah responsible man.
Ah could depend on yuh to
do me ah favour. Ah want
yuh to pass and check when
dey giving out land again because
plenty people getting
lands to build houses. Dey
say now is d time to get land
from the government”.
Piper: “Sure pardner. Meh
wife does say I really is ah
responsible man, because
anything happen it is I who
does be responsible for it. If
the fowl lay in the duck nest
is I who responsible for dat’.
Gunpat: “So whey allyuh
do for father’s day”.
Spanner: “Dem children
meh wife have she say dey
not mine, but she does boast
how ah does mind dem. So I
is a good stepfather”.
Baboolal: “It have all
kind ah days now, Muma
Day, Puppa Day, ah feel it
should have Stepfather Day
and Stepmother Day now
because it have plenty ah
dem who better than real fathers
and mothers”.
Mukesh: “Well we go lime
for Stepfather Day. Until next
week.”
NEWSPAPER

Page 24
ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Here are some of the
best foods that can
bring down your blood
pressure. The best part
is that they’re nutritious
as well as delicious!
Let’s face it – it’s all in
the diet. If you want to
bring down your blood
pressure or keep it under
control, you should
make healthy food
choices.
Bananas
– Whenever you crave
for a snack, bananas
might be a good choice.
This filling fruit is loaded
with the mineral potassium
that lowers
blood pressure.
In fact a research has
shown that eating two bananas
a day regularly can
bring down blood pressure
by nearly 10 percent!
Eggs
– Do you like scrambled
eggs or omelet for breakfast
Eggs are known to
contain a peptide compound
that lowers blood
pressure. It is supposed to
be about as effective as a
low dose of a prescription
drug. And just to be clear;
the cholesterol danger of
eggs is nothing but a
myth.
Tomato
– Try swapping your
beverage for tomato juice
if high blood pressure is
your ailment (no I did not
say Bloody Mary). The
chemical compound in tomatoes
called ‘lycopene’
is known to lower blood
pressure. 25 milligrams
of lycopene (the amount
found in a cup of tomato
juice) is perfect for lowering
LDL (bad) cholesterol
by up to 10 percent.
Dark chocolate
– Eat dark chocolate to
your heart’s content – it
has been shown to have
a good effect at controlling
blood pressure. Patients
with hypertension and
pre-hypertension who ate
small quantities of dark
chocolate for 18 weeks
showed about 20 percent
decrease in blood pressure.
Watermelon
– With the summer
round the corner, watermelon
is a good choice of
fruit to consume regularly.
It is a rich source of the
amino acid L-citrulline that
regulates blood pressure.
Raisins
– These sweet little
treats are perfect for cutting
down blood pressure.
A research study
has shown that patients
who snacked on raisins
three times a day for 12
weeks showed a considerable
decrease in systolic
and diastolic blood
pressure.
Okra is also known as ochro
in Trinidad and Tobago. And
various other names in other
parts of the world. The
plant is cultivated in tropical,
subtropical and warm
temperate regions around
the world.
Okra is an edible pea pod
and although can be eaten
raw, I’ve never acquired the
raw taste. You can lightly
blanch, steam or give it a
quick stir-fry to reduce the
“green” taste.
Use when it’s tender, as
it gets very fibrous when it’s
older. In the okra pods, the
white soft seeds (edible) are
arranged in 5 to 10 vertical
columns, giving it the angled
appearance on the outside.
Okra is very low in calories
and dense with nutrients. It
is high in fiber, vitamin A, C,
and folate content.
It is also a good source
of the B vitamins, vitamin
K, calcium, potassium, iron,
zinc, and traces of magnesium
and manganese.
Okra is one of those few
vegetables which have the
highest content of phytonutrients
and antioxidants such
as beta-carotene, xanthin
and lutein.
Health Benefits
Okra is one of the best
medicinal vegetable although
it is not everyone’s
favorite. You may like to try
it if you knew about its immense
health benefits:
•Anemia: Helps red
blood cells production and
prevent anemia.
•Anti-Cancer: The high
antioxidants in okra helps
protect the immune system
against harmful free radicals
and prevent mutation of
cells.
•Asthma: The high antioxidants
and vitamin C content
make okra useful for
reducing asthmatic attacks.
•Bone Strength: Folate
in okra builds strong bones
and density, preventing osteoporosis.
•Cholesterol: The soluble
fiber helps to lower serum
cholesterol, thus also reducing
atherosclerosis and the
risk of heart diseases.
•Constipation: The rich fiber
and mucilaginous (slimy)
content in okra pods help
increase bulk, bind to toxins
and ensure easy bowel
movements with its natural
laxative properties. Regularly
eating okra also reduces the
risk of colon cancer.
•Diabetes: It has insulinlike
properties that help to
reduce blood sugar level.
•Gut flora: The fiber
helps improve the population
of beneficial bacteria in
the gut.
•Immune Booster: The
high antioxidants and vitamin
C content make okra a
good immune booster food
that reduce your catching
the cough and cold.
•Peptic Ulcers: The mucilaginous
content provides a
temporary coating to the digestive
tract and stomach lining
while healing the ulcers.
•Pregnancy: The rich folate
content in okra can help
decrease the incidence of
neural tube defects in babies.
•Skin Health: With good
bowel movements, skin
health will improve. Helps
reduce acne, psoriasis and
other skin conditions.
•Vision Health: Okra contains
beta-carotenes (precursor
of vitamin A), xanthin
and lutein, all antioxidant
properties that are helpful
for vision health, preventing
eye problems like cataract
and glaucoma.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 25
A soca classic never dies.
And within the passage
of transitional time, there is
always something there to
remind us of that first moment
we first heard and
lovingly embraced and enjoyed
a particular hit song.
Follow me then as I press
the re-set button to a golden
year in soca musical history,
1991.
That was the timeframe,
when Dollar Wine
– a dance tutorial – rocked
Trinidad and Tobago, creating
frissons of excitement
all around, with a nagging,
pulsating hookline: “cent, 5
cent, 10 cent. Dollar”
“Put a cent piece in yuh
left pocket, five cent in
yuh right, 10 cent in yuh
back pocket….. under
yuh belt stick a dollar”
Twenty three years ago,
Colin Lucas broke the glass
ceiling in the Soca arena
with this seminal anthem.
Back then, we all loved
Colin performing excitedly
on stage in his trademark
locomotive style – swinging
his waistline to the left, right
and centre with rhythmic
speed and prowess.
Remember well, “Dollar
Wine” had every manjack
wining like there was some
sort of unannounced competition
going on. And Colin,
the self-anointed high priest,
was the instructor who projected
a look of robust, sexual
machismo, especially for
VERSE 1
She love how I moving
mih body when I sing
You gotta teach me, Mr.
Trini, how to get that
swing
Put a cent piece in your
left pocket, five cent in
your right
Ten cent in your back pocket, safely out of sight
In front, under your belt, stick a dollar
Now count, if you want to learn, I explain to her
CHORUS
CENT, 5 CENT, 10 CENT, DOLLAR
CENT, 5 CENT, 10 CENT, DOLLAR
CENT, 5 CENT, 10 CENT, DOLLAR
CENT, 5 CENT, 10 CENT, DOLLAR
She say she ain’t like the pace, we going to slow
She want me wuk up mih waist and raise the tempo
CENT, 5 CENT, 10 CENT, DOLLAR
CENT, 5 CENT, 10 CENT, DOLLAR
CENT, 5 CENT, 10 CENT, DOLLAR
CENT, 5 CENT, 10 CENT, DOLLAR
When I thought I showing off and she can’t take the
grind . . She bawl
Forget the small change, gimme …. Big money wine!!
{DOLLAR, DOLLAR, DOLLAR, DOLLAR} X 4
a wide spectrum of female
fans that was drawn to him
like a magnet.
Party animals all rallied
to his riveting clarion call
to wine, in body language,
to the left, right and centre,
where you always end up
doing the big money Dollar
Wine over and over again.
A completely new version
of Dollar Wine was recorded;
It is now garbed in new
musical clothes for the Now
Generation in mind.
And the global market,
also targeted for further
projection of this evergreen
soca ditty.
Colin’s biggest career
hit “Dollar Wine just had
to be revisited with a new,
classy production sheen
added on. Not to mention of
course, a track with perfect
– pitch harmonies.
“I’m really thinking global
with the new version of
“Dollar Wine” but of course,
I have to give my country a
taste of it. That’s for sure.”
Colin gushed, noting that
“a great song, and ‘Dollar
Wine’ is more than ready
for a new generation of music
lovers”.
Colin who represents the
totality of an artiste, in the
sense that he encompasses
the very important components
of being a star:
Songwriter, performer, musician
and record producer,
said, he is about doing only
“quality music with a storyline
for the world”.
And on his yet-to-be released
CD, an eclectic mix
of his multiple talents is
evidently represented, on
a cushion bed of earthy, radio-friendly
suite of songs.
Themed, Colin “Dollar
Wine” Lucas my “Magical
Mystical Music Mirrors”
come with 14 tracks that
was produced in Trinidad
and Tobago.
The Honour roll of producers/programmers,
engineers,
include Martin’Mice’
Raymond, Graham Wilson,
Andrew ‘Drew’ Phillip,
Daniel ‘Shac De Burg’
Burgress, Eric “Mice” Raymond,
Junior ‘IBO’ Joseph,
Palham, ‘PG’ Goddard,
Neil Bernard and of course
Colin Lucas.
In the main, it would appear
that Colin, wise man
that he is, went for musicians
whose musicianship
over the years are beyond
question, beyond rebuke.
And that fully explains
why he didn’t settle for the
current fashionable trend of
using software technology
like Logic Pro and Reason,
in the production process of
producing a new cd after all
these years.
In the pantheon of great,
soca songs, incontestably,
‘Dollar Wine’ will forever be
bouncing among the very
best.
BUNJI
GARLIN
DESTRA
MACHEL
MONTANO

Page 26 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
The Caribbean Islands
are small, but there are
many celebrities raking in
big bucks.
The list for the richest celebrities’
is based on upfront
pay, profit participation, residuals,
endorsements and
advertising work.
Here is the list of
the top 10:
Number 10
Selita Ebanks – Net
worth US$8 Million
Profession: Model/
Actress
Country: Cayman Island
Selita Ebanks has earned
her net worth as a fashion
model for Victoria’s Secretand
her appearances on
various television series, as
well as a music video. She
has appeared in magazines
such as the Sports Illustrated
Swimsuit Issue,Vogue,
and Glamour.
Number 9
Jimmy Cliff – Net worth
US$10 Million
Profession: Musician
Country: Jamaica
With a long spanning career,
Jimmy has earned his
net worth through his many
hit singles such as “Wonderful
World, Beautiful People,”
“Wild World,” “Reggae
Night” and more.
Number 9
Ziggy Marley – Net
worth US$10 Million
Profession: Musician
and Singer
Country: Jamaica
Ziggy Marley gained his
net worth by being the leader
of the band called Ziggy
Marley and the Melody
Makers. In 2003 his debut
his solo album and have
since then release four albums.
He also owns the independent
record company
Tuff Gong Worldwide.
Number 8
Sean Paul – Net Worth
US$11 Million
Profession: Singer
Country: Jamaica
This Grammy award winner
has received a bunch of
number #1 albums over the
years.His most recent album
Tomahawk Technique
(2012) and Full Frequency
(2013) was a success.
Sean Paul has a huge fan
base mostly in Europe and
his concerts are always
“sold out”
Number 7
Rohan Marley – Net
worth US$20 Million
Profession: Former
Athlete / Entrepreneur
Country: Jamaica
Marley the son of Bob
Marley surprising did not
earn his riches from singing,
but from being a linebacker
for the University
of Miami. He also played
professional football in the
Canadian Football League
with the now defunctOttawa
Rough Riders.
As an Entrepreneur he
co-founded Marley Coffee,
an organic coffee plantation,
which went public in
2011. In January 2012,
Marley advertised a new
‘House of Marley’ range of
eco-friendly headphones at
the Consumer Electronics
Show in Las Vegas.
Number 7
Damian Marley – Net
worth US$20 Million
Profession: Musician
Country: Jamaica
A certified gold record
holder in album sale, Damian
has acquired most of
his wealth through music
and song writing. Damian
Marley comes from a musical
family and started building
his net worth at the age
of 13.
Number 6
Shaggy – Net worth
US$22 Million
Profession: Singer
Country: Jamaica
Over the years Shaggy
has released eight albums,
three of which went certified
Platinum and one was
certified Gold.
Number 5
Usain Bolt– Net worth
US$30 Million
Profession: Athlete
Country: Jamaica
After winning gold medals
and setting records,
Bolt is currently ranked top
40 of the highest paid Athlete
in the world. He makes
most of his money through
endorsements, appearance
fees and sponsor bonuses
for record race times. His
biggest endorsement deal
with Puma pays about $9
million annually. He added
multimillion deals with Samsung
and Comcast since
the London Games.He
charges $250-300,000 for
track meet appearances.
Number 4
Nicki Minaj – Net worth
US$45 Million
Profession: Rapper
Country: Trinidad &
Tobago
Minaj is topping the list
thanks to income from touring,
steady music sales, a
lucrative American Idol gig
and endorsements with
Pepsi and others. She currently
has a new clothing
line with Kmart.
Number 3
Rita Marley – Net worth
US$50 Million
Profession: Musician
Country: Jamaica/
Ghana
Rita Marley, the window
of the Bob Marley earned
her net worth as a singer.
She is also the Founder and
Chairperson of the Robert
Marley Foundation,Bob
Marley Trust, and the Bob
Marley Group of Companies.
In 2000, she founded
the Rita Marley Foundation.
In 2004, her autobiography
“No Woman No Cry:
My Life with Bob Marley”
was released
Number 2
Rihanna – Net worth
US$90 Million
Profession: Singer
Country: Barbados
The singer continues to
rake in the dough, playing
over 40 shows during our
scoring period and releasing
new album Unapologetic,
her seventh in seven
years.
Number 1
Michael Lee-Chin – Net
worth US$1 Billion
Profession:
Businessman/ Investor
Country: Jamaica/
Canada
Michael Lee-Chin has an
estimated net worth of $1
billion dollars. He founded
the private investment company,
Portland Holdings,
Inc., and currently serves
as the Executive Chairman
of AIC Limited in Canada.
He is also the Chairman of
the National Commercial
Bank of Jamaica.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 27
New York is back in the
high life — with a new
generation of towers
more than 800 feet tall
expected to crowd the
skyline in the next few
years.
Why so many new skyscrapers
Demand, for one
— foreign buyers in particular
are eager to snap up
a spot in Manhattan. And
modern businesses are
looking to new office towers
for the latest in energy
efficiency, Internet access
and style.
But one of the biggest
changes is technological.
Structural advances
mean ulta-thin towers higher
than the Empire State
Building (1,250 feet at roof,
1,454 feet at spire) can be
built on spaces one-half
acre or even smaller.
New Beijing
Where do you live after
your father has been sentenced
to life imprisonment
for corruption and bribery,
and your mother received
a suspended death sentence
for poisoning a British
businessman
If you’re China’s most famous
playboy, Bo Guagua,
Manhattan, of course. He
enrolled in Columbia Law
School and was soon photographed
out partying.
Not all Chinese escapes
are as dramatic, of course,
but Guagua is far from
alone. Chinese elite are
buying up New York real
estate in droves, as a place
to invest, flee or even hide
their money.
If you think the market
for high-end apartments
can’t be sustained, you’re
underestimating Chinese
demand.
By 2020, there will be 47
million super-rich people in
the world, and newly minted
millionaires and billionaires
are springing up in
China every day. And they
fear their government could
seize their assets one day,
or they want greener pastures
for themselves and
their kids.
That makes this Chinese
real-estate invasion
a unique combination of
prosperity and not wanting
to buy local.
In 2013, one Chinese
woman bought four $20
million units at Manhattan’s
One57 for family members.
Another, from Hong Kong,
paid $6.5 million in 2013
for a two-bedroom in that
building for her daughter
so she’ll have somewhere
to live when she gets into
Columbia, Harvard or
NYU. Oh, the daughter is
two years old.
The frenzy has driven
prices up so high in certain
cities in Thailand,
Australia and Canada that
government restrictions
have been imposed to
dampen real-estate prices
— such as one purchase
per person. But the US is
still open.
Real-estate professionals,
mostly in New York
and California, are gearing
up for a deluge after a Beijing
real-estate partner will
translate all Zillow listings
in America into Chinese.
The outflow of cash from
China, like other developing
countries, has already
been dramatic. Global Financial
Integrity, a Washington-based
nonprofit,
keeps track of illicit flows
of capital around the world
and estimated that China
led the world between 2002
and 2011 as $1.08 trillion
was smuggled or laundered
out of the country.
Any removal of capital
without a government
license is illicit in China
even if the funds were obtained
legally.
The 2013 annual survey
by the US National Real
Estate Association found
the Chinese are now in
second place as foreign
buyers, just behind Canadians,
who mostly buy
in the Sun Belt. In 2014,
Reuters reported that Chinese
buyers had overtaken
Russians as the largest US
condo buyers for the first
time.
Compared to other prime
destinations, New York
City’s prices are reasonable.
In London, Russian
oligarchs, along with taxaverse
Greeks, Cypriots,
French and Italians, have
been snapping up its prime
properties for a few years.
Between 2012 and the
third quarter of 2013, London’s
prices increased
from an average of $1,914
per square foot to $2,053,
while New York’s went from
$1,087 to $1,203.
Believe it or not, New
York remains a bargain,
and a safe investment, to
the global rich. They are
packing their Vuitton cases
with Hermes and Jimmy
Choo and moving into a
condo near you.
Our self-serving Minister of
Works and Infrastructure stores
materials for his Tabaquite Constituency
only. Is this legal
Can the Minister of Education
build schools only in Caroni East
And what of the other Ministers
Can they store the country’s
resources in their respective constituencies

Page 28 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
In addition to his six NBA
championship rings, five
MVP awards and two gold
medals, Michael Jordan
has a new accolade to
put in his trophy case. Michael
Jordan is now also
officially a billionaire.
A key piece of information
has recently been discovered
that sheds some
new light on the full extent
of Michael’s total net worth
and growing business empire.
With this jump, Michael
not only becomes the richest
athlete in the world, he
also becomes the very first
billionaire athlete in history.
Michael leapfrogs past Arnold
Palmer ($675 million),
Vince McMahon ($750 million)
and Michael Schumacher
($800 million… Praying
for you Michael!).
I will layout the exact details
of how Michael’s bank
account just hit 10 digits
below.
A few months back we
pegged Michael Jordan’s
net worth at $700 million.
Michael was the first athlete
in any sport to earn over
$30 million in salary alone.
As you probably known,
Michael is also one of the
most famous and highest
paid product endorsers
ever.
Even though Michael has
not played a sport professionally
in over a decade,
he still earns an estimated
$80-100 million per year
from endorsements to this
day. Michael earns $60 million
every year from Nike/
Jordan brand royalties
alone. He owns a $50 million
customized Gulfstream
IV private jet, and a real
estate portfolio that would
make Donald Trump blush.
He bought his first minority
stake in the NBA’s Charlotte
Bobcats in 2006. He
became a controlling owner
when he bought out BET
founder Robert Johnson’s
stake in 2010 for $175 million.
The new piece of information
that Mike Ozanian
at Forbes uncovered is the
fact that Michael’s Bobcats
ownership stake is much
larger than had been previously
reported.
It turns out, Jordan now
owns 89.5 percent of the
Bobcats. Previously The
Bobcats are worth a minimum
$600 million.
They could actually be
worth even more considering
the fact that The Clippers
just sold for $2 billion
when just six months before
the sale, their estimated value
was $500 million.
But to be conservative,
let’s assume the Bobcats
are worth $600 million.
The team has $135 million
worth of debt. That
means Michael’s ownership
stake after debts are
removed is worth $416 million.
His net worth outside
of the Bobcats is $600 million,
which when combined
with the $416 million we just
calculated is $1.016 billion
dollars!
And to clear up some
possible confusion, the
Charlotte Bobcats will be
renamed the Charlotte Hornets
starting in the 2014-
2015 season.
Golfer Tiger Woods is
reportedly on course to become
a billionaire shorlty.
The World Cup is underway
and the host country,
Brazil, has notched
their first win, beating
Croatia on the opening
day of the 2014 FIFA
World Cup. We’ve covered
the drama over the
stadiums, budgets, and
protests. We’ve taken
a look at the highest
paid soccer players. But
what about their coaches
How well (or not)
paid are the World Cup
Coaches this year
Not surprisingly, when
it comes to the range of
salaries of the coaches at
the World Cup, there is a
huge difference between
those coaches near the
top of the salary range and
those at the bottom. The
U.S. coach, Jurgen Klinsmann
is bringing home
$2.6 million for his efforts
in coaching the American
team, making him the 10th
highest paid coach in the
tournament. The highest
paid coach, Fabio Capello,
is making $11.2 million
to coach the Russian team.
The lowest paid coaches—
those for Ghana and Mexico—are
making $251K and
$209K.
Seven World Cup coaches
are making more than $2
million dollars a year as they
go after the biggest prize in
the world’s biggest sport.
Interestingly, the coaches
largely do not hail from the
countries they are coaching.
Eighteen of the 32 teams
have coaches from their own
country. Fourteen teams are
in the hands of foreigners.
The most common nationality
of the World Cup coaches
is German with natives of
Deutschland coaching the
U.S., Switzerland, Germany,
and Cameroon. There are
three Italian coaches overseeing
Russia, Japan, and,
of course, Italy. There are
three Argentineans at the
helm of Chile, Colombia,
and Argentina; three Portuguese
coaches for Iran,
Greece, and Portugal; and
finally three Colombians in
charge of Costa Rica, Ecuador,
and Honduras.
The lowest paid coaches
are all coaching the teams
from their own countries.
Those teams are Mexico,
Ghana, Croatia, Bosnia, and
Nigeria.
The ratio of the coaches’
salaries to the countries they
are coaching is pretty staggering.
Croatia’s coach’s
salary is the closest to the
average wages in that country.
It is only 19 times more
than the average Croatian
earns. The coach of the
team from the Ivory Coach
is paid 795 times as much
as the annual pay of $1,391.
That’s just $25.37 per week.
The total amount of wages
paid to the World Cup
Coaches is $66.3 million.
Of course, salaries mean
different things in different
countries. Here is a look
at how much each coach
makes compared to the average
salary in that country
via SportingIntelligence.
com.
While Russia’s Fabio
Capello is still near the
top, making 763 times as
much as the average Russian,
that is actually second
to Sabri Lamouchi, who
makes 795 times as much
as the average person in the
Ivory Coast.

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 29
When will Trade and Industry
Minister Vasant
Bharath appoint members
of the Betting Levy
Board
Currently the BLB is being
run by its CEO Richard
Jackson.
Some racing officials are
saying the Minister has not
given any indication whether
the previous board members
will be re-appointed or
will there be new members.
The BLB comprises 11
members, made up of four
(4) representatives of the
Government, Arima Race
Club (3), Stud Farm Association
(SFA), Racehorse
Owners Association, Bookmakers
Association and
the defunct Tobago Race
Club one (1) each.
The Board was headed
by Kama Maharaj, who was
the Government representative.
The members were
appointed for two years but
over the past year at least
five members had been inactive,
leaving six members
to run the affairs of the BLB.
Since the members term
of office came to an end recently
there are whispers in
racing circles that Maharaj
and a few others would not
be re-appointed, because
the former BLB Chairman
has been arguing that the
board can rake in over a
$100 million a year in taxes
if the betting shops are
computerized, which the
“bookies’” have strongly opposed.
As a matter of fact,
Bharath was not in favour of
computerization of the betting
shops until Finance Minister
Larry Howai stepped in
and “overrule” the Minister’s
objection” and gave the
BLB the green light to go
ahead with its new plan to
improve the collection of the
l0 percent betting tax, which
is paid by punters.
Sources say that Bharath’s
racing consultant, a former
Trinidad and Tobago Racing
Authority (TTRA) official is allegedly
advising the Minister
against re-appointing Maharaj
as Chairman of the BLB.
Talk in political circles is
that certain “bookies” are
promising to fund Bharath’s
campaign if he is selected
as a candidate to fight the
Chaguans West seat now
held by ILP leader Jack
Warner in next year’s general
election.
This promise is said to be
based on who the “bookies”
want to be the new Chairman.
Maharaj, who was a top
official with the Congress
of the People (COP) in the
2010 general election, was
a strong supporter of Prime
Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
However, when he was
appointed Chairman of the
BLB he was not active in the
COP politics.
When Maharaj’s name
was proposed for Chairman
of the BLB there was
strong opposition from the
same top TTRA official who
was against the Minister (at
the time Stephen Cadiz) appointing
him as Chairman.
It took seven months before
Cadiz appointed Maharaj
as Chairman.
This led to a wrangling
among certain government
ministers who were in support
of Maharaj and Cadiz
bowed under pressure and
appointed him as Chairman.
Some of Maharaj’s colleagues
on the Board told
Sunshine that the former
Chairman never collected
a stipend and his aim has
always been to collect more
taxes from the “bookies” to
turn around the flagging fortunes
of the racing industry.
Now all eyes are on who
Bharath will appoint as new
members of the BLB.

Page 30 ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Meet Barbie Thomas the
incredible armless female
body builder who is inspiring
America.
The 37-year-old lost both
her arms during a horrific
electrical accident as a toddler
- but that hasn’t stopped
her from pursuing her bodybuilding
dream.
Barbie says she can do
anything an average person
can do - except she uses
her feet.
That includes brushing
her teeth, making dinner,
taking milk out of the fridge,
texting, shopping, putting on
makeup and even driving.
The competitive motherof-two
was given an emotional
standing ovation by
competitors and spectators
at the NPC Junior USA
Bodybuilding Championship,
South Carolina.
She said: “I’d say to anyone,
you can do whatever
you put your mind to.
“The only limitations are
the ones you put on yourself.
Everyone has limitations
and handicaps in
some way or another - mine
are more visible than yours
maybe.”
Thomas lost her arms
when she was two years old.
She climbed onto an electrical
transformer and grabbed
the wires. The electricity entered
her hands and surged
through her body - scorching
her arms down to the
bone and turning them into
something ‘like charcoal’
“The doctor said I wouldn’t
live - and if I did live, I’d
probably be a vegetable,”
she said.
“But God had a different
plan for me; I’m still here,
healthy, and alive and well.”
Bodybuilding gives Thomas
a goal to work towards
and makes her feel good
track work.
When not competing,
her two sons.
are the challenges and tri-
through it.”
anything is possible.”
A baby born with four
arms and four legs had
his extra limbs surgically
removed last Friday in
China.
The boy, born April 2 in
China’s Guangdong Province,
is in stable condition
after the surgery, the Global
Times reports.
Yu Jiakang, chief surgeon
at Guangzhou Women
and Children’s Medical
Center, told the Yangcheng
Evening News that the baby
was born joined at the torso
to a headless parasitic twin.
According to the Evening
News, the mother underwent
five examinations at
various local clinics and hospitals,
and doctors found no
abnormalities with the fetus.
However, the boy’s father,
identified only as “Mr.
Chen,” told ImagineChina
that he felt guilty about
his son’s birth defects because
he did not arrange
for his wife to receive good
enough care.
“I only cared about my
work,” he said. “I just thought
of making money instead of
taking [my wife] to hospital
for a medical checkup.”

ISSUE 58 Friday 27th JUNE, 2014
Page 31
ST JOHN’S, Antigua
– Strong criticism
has been levelled at
Prime Minister Gaston
Browne over his choice
of Attorney General,
given that the man appointed,
MP Steadroy
“Cutie” Benjamin, has
criminal matters pending
in the magistrate’s
court.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados
- Six murders
involving the use of
firearms this year
have Attorney General,
Adriel Brathwaite,
vowing to crackdown
on people trying to
smuggle guns into
the country.
On Monday, Brathwaite
said as of the
end of May, there were
six murders committed
with the use of guns,
compared to two for
the same period last
year.
“If firearms are coming
into the country
illegally, it is not just
a police matter. It is a
Customs matter, it is a
Coast Guard matter,”
he said.
“I need to speak to
Benjamin took the
oath of office just recently,
a day after his
party – the Antigua &
Barbuda Labour Party
(ABLP) – took over the
reins of government
from United Progressive
Party (UPP).
Condemnation of his
appointment came from
opposition UPP MP
the Commissioner [of
police] to determine if
this is a sign of things
to come, because it
could be that guys now
feel that they need to
resort to firearms, or
it could be that there
is an increase in the
availability of firearms.
Whatever the cause it
is clear to me that all
agencies need to get
on board,” he added.
“We need to sit down
at a national security
level and make a determination
in terms of
what interventions are
required.”
He also proposed a
combination of police
and community intervention
to deal with
gun violence in the
communities.
Joanne Massiah, who
addressed the issue at
a press conference yesterday.
“Our alarm stems
from the fact that we are
all aware that the Honourable
Attorney General
Steadroy Benajmin
has, for the better part of
three years or so, used
every opportunity to
The Attorney General’s
count of gunrelated
murders did
not include that of a
21-year-old man who
died last Wednesday
from gunshot wounds.
Brathwaite said although
statistics reflect
an overall decline
in crime, gun-related
murders is still cause
for concern.
avoid facing the courts
in respect of an issue involving
a passport fraud
in which he was critically
involved. We are concerned
that in the face
of what we consider to
be a pending matter the
Honourable Prime Minister
went ahead with
this decision. I think it
show absolute lack of
consideration for the
people of Antigua & Barbuda,”
Massiah said.
She said she views
PM Browne’s actions
as an exercise of “poor
judgment.”
In addition to the Attorney
General portfolio,
Benjamin is also minister
of Public Safety, Labour
and Immigration.
For that reason, Massiah
added, “Our concern
is further rooted in
the fact as to whether
or not there would be a
fair and just resolution of
this matter given that the
new attorney general
has portfolio responsibility
for the courts, the police,
immigration, passport
and other agencies
which are critical to the
resolution of this matter.”
She cautioned PM
Browne to “be sensitive”
and “thoughtful” in
respect of his decisions
regarding “governance
issues” in Antigua & Barbuda.
Meanwhile PM Browne
who has defended his
decision in an interview
on yesterday’s OBSERV-
ER AM, further said he
was unconcerned about
the criticisms regarding
Benjamin’s appointment.
“If there are any issues
before the DPP
and the police, they are
independent,” he said.
“It’s not within my scope
of authority to speak to
that issue other than to
tell you that the appointment
that I made is in
keeping with the Constitution.”
Both Browne and Benjamin
were sworn in to
their respective positions
on Friday. Benjamin was
charged with fraud in
2008 after allegedly signing
a photograph and
passport application form
porting to be deceased
Antiguan Tyrell Brann.
ried a penalty of up to
ment, was overturned
by the Court of Appeal in
Over the weekend,
Vere Browne declined
for Jamaican Shane Anthony
Allen who was pur-
The charge, which car-
two years’ imprison-
2011.
police commissioner
comment on the matter.
Foreign Affairs Minister
Fred Mitchell said
that the Bahamian
government will ensure
that its relationship
with the United
States remains intact,
even if it discovers
the controversial allegation
that its National
Security Agency
(NSA) is recording
and storing audio
from every cell phone
conversation in The
Bahamas is true.
The government is
expected to receive a report
from the US Department
of State next week
addressing the claim,
said Mitchell during debate
on the budget in the
House of Assembly.
He said he received
a report from the Bahamas
Embassy in Washington
on Tuesday last,
advising that the US
Department of State is
working on an official
response to the government’s
inquiries.
“The particular issue
is the following allegation
has not been controverted
by the United
States government,” he
pointed out.
“…As of this moment,
we are none the wiser
as to the truth or otherwise
of the allegations.”
In the past several
weeks, Mitchell has
raised the matter with
CARICOM and with the
Organization of American
States (OAS).
“We have determined
that the appropriate
forum on a
multi-lateral basis is the
Organization of American
States,” he said. “At
the moment, the issue
is being discussed bilaterally.
“There have been
many views espoused
but almost universally
there is the view that
we must know the truth
of these allegations and
that if this is indeed the
fact then it must cease.”
Mitchell noted that
some people do not
care whether they are
being monitored, as
they have nothing to
hide.

More than 300 police recruits
who are undergoing training
at the Chaguaramas Convention
Centre are being treated
worse than police dogs, under
the most barbaric and primitive
conditions.
These are the same police officers
who Prime Minister Kamla
Persad-Bissessar would want to
unleash on criminals and on innocent
people before the General
Election.
The rush to train the recruits is to
satisfy the Government’s demand
to have an additional 500 police
officers on the streets before the
2015 general election.
A source said the Trinidad and
Tobago Police Service is renting
the Convention Centre from
the Chaguaramas Development
Authority (CDA) for $1 million a
month to house over 300 trainees
(167 women and 150 men) all of
whom are placed into 10 squads
from A-J.
Reports reaching Sunshine
say the trainees are being forced
to sleep in dormitories with 8, 10
and 22 persons at one time and in
many cases some of them, based
on their height, have to be helped
to get to their bunks which are at
varying heights from the floor.
Four days after trainees were at
the Convention Centre last month,
acting Police Commissioner Stephen
Williams, based on several
complaints from the training staff
about the poor conditions that exist
there sent home the trainees
until the problems were resolved.
Training has since resumed.
Among the complaints are;
i. Impure water - The trainees
could not even brush their teeth
with the irregular water supply.
Though the water cannot be used
for drinking the trainees are only
allowed three small bottles of water,
Sunshine was told.
ii. Insufficient beds- There are
more trainees than beds. On the
opening day, trainees received
beds as late as 10 pm.
iii. Total Violation of the OSHA
Act- Steps to doorways and stairways
are deliberately kept locked
at all times which can pose a problem
for an emergency escape in
the case of a fire.
iv. Laundry Horrors – Eight washing
machines and dryers are provided
for the trainees to do their laundry
but there is an electrical problembreakers
constantly trip because of
the heavy usage since the building
is not wired for such demand. There
are no lines for the trainees to hang
their clothes to dry.
v. No Visitors- Trainees are not
allowed visitors but prisoners at
the Maximum Security Prison in
Arouca are allowed. Moreover,
any items brought for the trainees
by their family members must be
left with security.
vi. No leave allowed- The Trainees
are not allowed leave until after
the expiration of five weeks.
vii. Food- The meals provided
by the caterers are too small in
quantity and there is little or no
variety. The trainees complain that
they can predict what meal they
will get on any given day.
viii. General- The trainees are
getting ill regularly because of
the poor training conditions. The
grounds for physical training are
strewn with stones and broken
pieces of bottle. The grassed area
of the ground is seriously undulating
and not fit for physical exercise.
On any given day at least five
to eight trainees are taken to the
doctor with different kinds of ailments-
stomach pains, diarrhoea,
liver problems, vomiting, fractured
shoulders and bladder infections,
to name a few of the ailments. As
a result a number of trainees are
on sick leave and exemption from
physical training.
There are reports of trainees
complaining of lack of lecturers
from the University of the West Indies
(UWI). Eleven of the UWI lecturers
failed to show up since they
did not get their contracts renewed
by the university. This has resulted
in a tremendous void in the Behavioral
Science Department.
Senior Superintendent Sterling
Hackshaw, who after having spent
several years at the Miami Consulate
returned to Trinidad to join the Ministry
of the People under then Minister
Glen Ramadharsingh is now in
charge of training the recruits.
Hackshaw was involved in the
programme with Corporal Andrew
Boodhoo in allegedly “recycling” vagrants.
Boodhoo was recently fired by
Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar.
Some senior police officers are
asking where are the plans left by
former National Security Minister,
Jack Warner who had suggested
that the facilities at the University
of the West Indies (UWI) can
be used to for training over 5000
SRPs during the summer months
and for which Cabinet approval
has been obtained more than a
year ago.
Warner had noted that next
month the University will be closed
for another four months, which
period could have been used by
a caring establishment to train the
police recruits.
Where is the syllabus which
was approved by then Minister of
Science and Tertiary Education,
Fazal Karim he is asking.
When contacted on the deplorable
conditions under which the
recruits are training, Acting Commissioner
Stephen Williams portrayed
a different picture saying
that the building was refurbished
and there was a water problem
which was addressed by WASA.
The Ag Commissioner described
the living conditions at
the Convention Centre as first
class noting there was even aircondition
in the building (though
the trainees pointed out that the
only air condition which they get at
nights is from the opened windows
which are unable to be closed.).
Williams further pointed out that
the training of police recruits and
soldiers are done in a barracks
setting, as in the days gone by,
adding that different rooms cannot
be provided for the trainees.
“They cannot expect privacy because
it is not their homes”, he said
adding that the recruits stay away
from their families for about a month
while undergoing training.
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