Morning Edition: 30th October 2023

CCNTV6

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Transcript

00:00:00 ♪ To have the ability to dare and then decide ♪

00:00:03 ♪ The minor should dominate ♪

00:00:06 ♪ If not entirely ♪

00:00:08 ♪ For most of the melody ♪

00:00:10 ♪ You notice the chorus carries a simple hook ♪

00:00:13 - And a very special good morning Trinidad and Tobago

00:00:15 I'm Marlon Hopkinson and welcome to The Morning Edition.

00:00:18 It's Monday, October 30th, 2023.

00:00:21 Thank you very much for joining us this morning.

00:00:23 I hope that you had a good weekend.

00:00:25 Did you participate in the Tobago Carnival

00:00:28 or did you go over to Tobago just to watch it,

00:00:32 just to be a spectator?

00:00:34 If you did, well I understand

00:00:35 that the carnival went event free.

00:00:38 And of course we are going to be discussing that

00:00:40 a little later on the program.

00:00:42 But I understand it was a very successful event.

00:00:45 This is the second time they're hosting

00:00:47 the carnival around October.

00:00:49 So that's good news and we look forward

00:00:51 to greater and better things in the future.

00:00:54 All right, so let's take it back to Trinidad.

00:00:57 Let's see what's happening in the Daily Express.

00:00:59 Yeah, fire truck fiasco,

00:01:01 20 wooden unusable ladders discarded.

00:01:04 Heinz calls for probe.

00:01:06 It had absolutely nothing to do

00:01:08 with any minister of government per se.

00:01:11 Remember we would have spoken about that

00:01:13 with the president of the Fire Officers Association

00:01:16 a few weeks ago.

00:01:17 So it is coming to the fore again,

00:01:19 this situation with the purchase of wooden ladders

00:01:24 for the fire service.

00:01:26 And as I said to you, we will be discussing

00:01:29 the Tobago Carnival on the front page today.

00:01:31 A masquerader from Zane Carnival's presentation,

00:01:34 Blossom, the secret garden,

00:01:36 dances as she parades in Scarborough

00:01:38 during Tobago Carnival parade of the bands yesterday.

00:01:42 In a fetting mood, says the caption there.

00:01:45 Grandpa saves grandson from fiery death.

00:01:48 Let's look to see what's happening in sport.

00:01:51 Hot pursuit team, TTO Shaquille Daniels

00:01:54 center is pressured by Canada's Keegan Pereira

00:01:57 at the Pan Am Games.

00:02:00 The TNT stick men lost 4-0, their third straight defeat

00:02:05 at the ongoing 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.

00:02:10 And a team delivers, Joseph's unbeaten half century

00:02:14 helps clinch ODI series 2-1 for West Indies women.

00:02:19 Yeah?

00:02:20 So some of the stories we're looking at

00:02:22 in the Daily Express today.

00:02:23 It's time to remind you of our Trinbago

00:02:25 your nice feature to participate.

00:02:26 WhatsApp your videos or images to 737-3778.

00:02:31 We do have this image for you.

00:02:32 It's of a sunset on the seas.

00:02:35 Another beautiful picture there.

00:02:37 Now that is what you call a picture.

00:02:39 Huh?

00:02:40 Studio, you're up.

00:02:41 You're here with us.

00:02:43 What you say?

00:02:43 (laughs)

00:02:47 Yeah, studio, yeah, good, good, good.

00:02:49 Yeah, beautiful picture.

00:02:50 Thank you to the person who would have sent that in.

00:02:51 And remember to put your name

00:02:53 so I can say a very special good morning to you.

00:02:55 And thank you very much for your contribution.

00:02:57 All right, so we do have a packed program for you today.

00:03:00 Get your coffee, get your tea, get something to eat.

00:03:02 We are coming back.

00:03:04 (upbeat music)

00:03:19 (upbeat music)

00:03:22 the world.

00:03:23 (upbeat music)

00:03:26 (upbeat music)

00:03:28 - Cars, sports, careers, food.

00:03:53 We men always talk about these things,

00:03:55 but not about our health.

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00:04:43 And when you're craving pure joy, reach for Chub Chub.

00:04:46 Diana Candy, the sweet genius.

00:04:49 (upbeat music)

00:04:52 (speaking in foreign language)

00:04:55 - Beyond the Tape, weekdays at 5.30 p.m.

00:05:19 (gentle music)

00:05:22 - Domestic violence does not discriminate.

00:05:26 Domestic violence can happen to anyone.

00:05:28 No one should live in fear with the one that they love.

00:05:32 As a member of Parliament of Puerto Rico,

00:05:34 and a member of the legislature,

00:05:36 I will ensure that we create the kind of legislation

00:05:39 that is required to keep our women safe in our country.

00:05:43 And all women should be safe at all times.

00:05:47 (upbeat music)

00:05:50 (singing in foreign language)

00:05:54 (upbeat music)

00:05:57 (singing in foreign language)

00:06:00 (upbeat music)

00:06:03 (singing in foreign language)

00:06:07 (upbeat music)

00:06:35 - And a very special good morning to you,

00:06:37 a good Monday morning to you, and welcome back.

00:06:40 Listen up, I have some news for you all.

00:06:43 It's not very good news, but it is my responsibility

00:06:46 to share it with you this morning.

00:06:48 So there's a report of a quadruple homicide in Belmont.

00:06:53 These are the details.

00:06:54 Around 10.10 last night, a group of men were liming

00:06:59 at the corner of Smart Place and Belmont Circular Road,

00:07:02 Belmont, when a dark colored SUV made their way

00:07:07 or approached them, and five men alighted the vehicle

00:07:12 and began shooting in the direction of the deceased.

00:07:15 The assailants then re-entered the said SUV

00:07:18 and drove off south along Belmont Circular Road.

00:07:21 At around 10.20 p.m., the police responded

00:07:29 and observed all the deceased lying motionless

00:07:34 along the roadway.

00:07:35 So four persons would have been shot and killed

00:07:39 at around just after 10 o'clock last night in Belmont.

00:07:43 All of them are residents of Belmont, all right?

00:07:46 So we'll be following up on that story

00:07:49 for you throughout the day, okay?

00:07:51 So we're moving on.

00:07:54 So serious questions are now being raised

00:07:57 about the safety of pharmaceuticals in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:08:01 As the police service now says,

00:08:03 it has received several reports of the sale

00:08:05 of unregistered and expired drugs being sold

00:08:08 at the, or to the public, at several pharmacies

00:08:11 throughout the country.

00:08:12 This has resulted in the seizure of $1.5 million

00:08:15 in pharmaceuticals and the quarantine

00:08:17 of $10 million in pharmaceuticals.

00:08:20 On the line now is former president of the pharmacy board,

00:08:23 Mr. Andrew Rahaman.

00:08:25 Mr. Rahaman, good morning.

00:08:27 - Good morning.

00:08:28 - Yes, Mr. Rahaman, thank you very much

00:08:31 for joining us this morning.

00:08:32 We know that you're out of the country,

00:08:33 so you're taking some time to be with us this morning,

00:08:36 and we do appreciate that.

00:08:38 But Mr. Rahaman, how concerned should the consumer

00:08:42 be about this development?

00:08:44 - Well, if I tackle the second one first,

00:08:49 which is expired drug.

00:08:50 - Yes.

00:08:51 - I want the public to say as to be allayed.

00:08:56 There are three legitimate reasons for us

00:08:59 to have expired pharmaceuticals in a pharmacy.

00:09:03 One, we cannot destroy as pharmacists,

00:09:07 antibiotics, narcotics, and controlled drugs.

00:09:10 We have to keep the expired drugs in the pharmacy

00:09:14 until inspectors from the ministry come and take it.

00:09:17 That is one.

00:09:19 Two, we get credit from the wholesalers

00:09:23 for having full boxes, if we have full boxes of expired drugs

00:09:28 and we can't throw it away and tell them it's expired

00:09:31 and we throw it away with money credit.

00:09:32 We have to return it to them.

00:09:34 So it's kept in the pharmacy.

00:09:36 And the antibiotic act, the law contemplates

00:09:40 the use of expired antibiotics

00:09:43 because we have to write the doctor,

00:09:47 it must be in writing, informing the doctor

00:09:50 of the expired drugs for him to give authority to use it.

00:09:55 So, which means the public must realize

00:09:58 when a drug is expired,

00:10:00 let us use an example of Panadol, 500 milligrams.

00:10:05 If it expires today, it doesn't go from 500 milligrams

00:10:09 to zero milligrams, you know.

00:10:10 Stays at 500 milligrams for sometimes one month,

00:10:15 two months, three months, and more.

00:10:18 And if it deteriorates,

00:10:21 it does deteriorate to 450 milligrams.

00:10:25 It will go down to 499 milligrams, 498 milligrams.

00:10:30 So when there are no, a particular pharmaceutical

00:10:34 is unavailable in Trinidad,

00:10:37 is it that the public should take zero milligrams

00:10:41 and not take the tablet?

00:10:42 Because sometimes you take tablets six months after,

00:10:46 eight months after, and you get 470 milligrams

00:10:50 instead of 500 milligrams.

00:10:53 So you have to take the expired drugs issue in context.

00:10:57 That said, every organization will have

00:11:01 an errant person or two.

00:11:03 So it is possible that some people are overdoing

00:11:09 the issue of expired drugs.

00:11:12 But expired drugs, from our viewpoint,

00:11:17 or at least my viewpoint, and a lot of my members,

00:11:21 they recognize that it doesn't go from 500 milligrams

00:11:26 to zero milligrams on the day of expiry.

00:11:30 - But Mr. Rahman, I think that you do understand

00:11:32 the concern of consumers out there

00:11:35 if they hear that expired goods

00:11:38 or expired pharmaceuticals are being sold.

00:11:41 So I think the question they would want to ask,

00:11:44 is this a widespread thing?

00:11:46 Is it that, is this that is something that is common?

00:11:51 - No, not to my knowledge at all.

00:11:54 I am saying that, you see, when inspectors group the places,

00:11:59 they might see these things and just take it to be

00:12:03 that it is for sale.

00:12:05 And I am preferring three reasons

00:12:09 why we do have a free pharmacy.

00:12:11 And I was also saying, 450 milligrams of Panadol,

00:12:17 even 400 milligrams of Panadol,

00:12:22 because it expired six months ago,

00:12:26 is better than zero milligrams.

00:12:28 - But Mr. Rahman, surely there has to be a period of time

00:12:32 where the medication is fully expired.

00:12:38 - It is fully expired at the date of expiry.

00:12:43 But I think you are talking about

00:12:45 full loss of strength of the drug.

00:12:47 - Yeah, when you just can't sell it anymore,

00:12:51 or you should not sell it anymore.

00:12:53 - So I am saying that in those instances,

00:12:56 we have a facility, the right of authority.

00:12:59 And I am not aware that it is being sold.

00:13:03 They would have met it at the pharmacy.

00:13:05 It is not that they met it being sold.

00:13:08 It will be in the possession of the pharmacy,

00:13:15 at the premises, for three reasons.

00:13:18 - Of course.

00:13:19 - The problem we are having is that,

00:13:23 you have it correct that I am in court now

00:13:26 fighting an issue over illegal removal

00:13:31 of from being the president.

00:13:35 And a lot of media houses are calling me,

00:13:40 continue to call me,

00:13:42 because they cannot get access to the present president,

00:13:47 purported president in my representation before the court.

00:13:52 And that is because they are represent,

00:13:55 they are appointees of the Minister of Health.

00:13:58 And they are not commenting

00:14:02 and laying the fears of the public

00:14:05 as their duty requires them to do,

00:14:08 because they cannot say anything against the ministry

00:14:13 that they appoint us, that they appoint to run.

00:14:19 - But Mr. Rahman, shouldn't drug stores

00:14:23 have some section put aside

00:14:27 where they can put the expired drugs?

00:14:31 So, because I think that following yesterday's release

00:14:35 by the TTPS, it gives the impression

00:14:39 that these or this medication was on the shelf

00:14:42 and was about to be sold.

00:14:44 - No, well, I have not gotten that information.

00:14:49 It was in the, and you're right, it may be an impression,

00:14:53 but I am still saying that a president of the pharmacy

00:14:59 or responsibility is to raise that issue,

00:15:03 because there are many people

00:15:04 who might need their medication, they can die.

00:15:08 I gave a simple example of panadol,

00:15:10 but we're talking about high blood pressure medication,

00:15:13 diabetic medication, and they don't take it

00:15:16 because of that erroneous fear or erroneous impression

00:15:21 that they have expired drugs in their possession.

00:15:25 And I am saying that that is in a minority,

00:15:28 if any of cases, and we have,

00:15:32 I am thinking the president of the pharmacy board

00:15:34 should clear up for the public's consumption

00:15:39 where these items were found,

00:15:42 because many times they are found

00:15:45 in a secluded place in the pharmacy

00:15:48 or in a special place in the pharmacy

00:15:51 for either destruction, for taken back by the agents

00:15:57 or for the inspectors to destroy,

00:15:59 or be written on wood from the doctor

00:16:02 as to whether it can be used.

00:16:05 So I am, it is not clear,

00:16:07 or it is not expressed that it was found in places to be sold

00:16:12 and I think it is incumbent upon the people

00:16:16 that are saying that they are president and the registrar

00:16:19 to raise those issues so that the public

00:16:22 will take their life-saving medication

00:16:25 without reservation.

00:16:27 - But you know, Mr. Rahman,

00:16:28 since the announcement by the police yesterday,

00:16:32 there have also been calls for,

00:16:35 as you alluded to the fact that the pharmacy board

00:16:40 needs to say something about this,

00:16:42 but the members of the public have also been calling

00:16:46 for the names of these establishments

00:16:50 where the expired drugs, the unregistered drugs were found.

00:16:55 - Yes, and you see, they are absolving the pharmacy board.

00:17:01 It is not constituted,

00:17:04 (speaking in foreign language)

00:17:06 In a way, the parliament did not constitute it in a manner

00:17:10 for appointees of the minister

00:17:12 to be the executive, meaning the president,

00:17:19 and the registrar secretary,

00:17:21 but because they are, they can say precious little,

00:17:26 actually, they can say nothing

00:17:29 about the action of the ministry

00:17:31 because there are only two persons,

00:17:35 the appointees of the minister are two persons out of 10.

00:17:39 So it wasn't constructed in a way for a ministry official,

00:17:44 ministry appointed official,

00:17:46 minister appointed official to be the head

00:17:49 because there will be certain things

00:17:50 that they have to address,

00:17:52 that the head would have said,

00:17:55 that the ministry would have said

00:17:58 that they would not be able to address

00:18:00 and they have proven now that they do not

00:18:03 and have not been addressing it.

00:18:04 - Mr. Rahman, could you shed some light

00:18:06 on the unregistered drugs?

00:18:08 How does this happen?

00:18:11 - I am on public record as saying

00:18:15 that again, the pharmacy president,

00:18:19 board president is not carrying out his responsibilities.

00:18:24 I am on public record as saying

00:18:27 that unregistered drugs does not equate to fung topid.

00:18:32 It does not equate to unsafe drugs.

00:18:38 If in first world countries or in other countries

00:18:43 that the registration process of pharmacy

00:18:47 because it's seamless and efficient

00:18:50 and you find unregistered drugs in those countries,

00:18:54 then you have to say, well, there's another reason.

00:18:57 Maybe fung topid, maybe not safe.

00:19:01 But in Trinidad, the registration process

00:19:05 can take four to five years.

00:19:12 So the unregistered nature of the drugs

00:19:16 might well have to do with the time that it takes

00:19:20 that the Ministry of Health Drug Advisory Committee

00:19:24 takes to register a drug.

00:19:26 So if you are taking five years to get something registered

00:19:31 and the things we are talking about

00:19:33 are things that you get in first world countries,

00:19:36 in the US, you walk into Walmart,

00:19:39 you walk into Target and they are unadulterated,

00:19:44 good, safe items that I think that the ministry

00:19:49 would better spend its time trying

00:19:52 to efficiently register drugs.

00:19:55 Rather than, I think I want to use it

00:19:57 with harass pharmacies for selling things

00:20:00 that they could jump on a plane

00:20:03 and get in a country that they don't even live in.

00:20:08 - Yeah, but Mr. Rahman, you're speaking about,

00:20:10 in some cases, five years to register a drug.

00:20:14 That seems to be a very, very long time.

00:20:16 - Yes, sir, you cut off a little bit, say again.

00:20:20 - I'm just saying, you mentioned the fact that in some cases,

00:20:23 some pharmacies are waiting for their medication

00:20:27 to be registered, five years, that's a very long time.

00:20:30 - Well, when I was on that committee,

00:20:34 we tried to get it done.

00:20:38 But with a lot of bureaucracy,

00:20:41 and you see there's a problem where the ministry

00:20:45 does not accept the application except you supply samples.

00:20:50 And in the case of some drugs,

00:20:54 the samples could cost the applicants $100,000,

00:20:59 to supply the sample.

00:21:04 And the ministry knows that the item will expire

00:21:08 by the time that they have to reach

00:21:10 to consider the application.

00:21:12 You will know the applicant have to find another $100,000

00:21:16 to supply three more samples,

00:21:18 rather than say, bring all the documentation

00:21:22 because of how long it takes to reach to your application.

00:21:26 And when we reach there, we'll ask you for samples.

00:21:29 So there is a plethora of problems

00:21:33 with the registration process.

00:21:35 And when you have these problems,

00:21:39 you have to look at that problem,

00:21:42 rather than looking at the unregistered needs of it.

00:21:45 So we do have a significant problem with registration.

00:21:51 And I want to flag the issue of lab.

00:21:53 I don't, I am aware that we did not have the equipment,

00:21:59 nor the expertise, nor the qualified people

00:22:02 to test and the capability to test these items.

00:22:07 And the unregistered drugs that they are talking about

00:22:10 are unregistered drugs that are tested

00:22:14 in first world countries.

00:22:17 Until they supply the, yes.

00:22:21 - Yeah, Mr. Rahman, we have run out of time,

00:22:23 but thank you very much for attempting to answer

00:22:26 all of our questions this morning.

00:22:27 We do appreciate it.

00:22:29 Thank you very much.

00:22:31 - Thank you for having me.

00:22:32 And it helped me to lay the fears of the public

00:22:36 to some extent, rather than excite them.

00:22:38 - Yes, thank you very much again, sir.

00:22:40 All right, so it's time for a very quick break,

00:22:42 but we do have this image for you.

00:22:44 Sunday evening sky from Shanice Charles in St. Joseph.

00:22:48 We're coming back.

00:22:49 (upbeat music)

00:22:51 (upbeat music)

00:22:54 - Commemorate Pinktober, Cancer Awareness Month

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00:23:12 Paint your nails pink.

00:23:14 Have a pink facial.

00:23:15 Purchase online using the code pink.

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00:23:20 Calling steel pan enthusiasts from around the globe.

00:23:23 The Patrons of the Arts Foundation

00:23:26 in collaboration with the University of Trinidad and Tobago

00:23:29 presents the 13th edition of its artistic bursary 2023.

00:23:34 This is your opportunity to pursue tertiary level study

00:23:38 in the steel pan at the world's premier steel pan academy,

00:23:41 the University of Trinidad and Tobago.

00:23:45 The top three finalists will share the US $10,000

00:23:48 in prize money that will go towards accommodation,

00:23:51 course materials, travel, and other related expenses

00:23:55 of the pan fellowship diploma or bachelor of fine arts degree

00:24:00 be fully immersed in the culture, geography,

00:24:03 and history of the birthplace of the steel pan.

00:24:06 The final round will be a globally televised

00:24:09 live audience event.

00:24:11 For more information, visit patronstt.com/bursary.

00:24:17 Applications close on 31st, October, 2023.

00:24:20 ♪ Don't call it a comeback ♪

00:24:28 ♪ 12th Man, 12th Man, 12th Man ♪

00:24:31 ♪ Oh, gives you all ♪

00:24:33 ♪ Saves you all the time ♪

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00:24:38 ♪ Passionate, impulsive, dedicated, decisive, loyal, sincere ♪

00:24:44 ♪ All the 12th Man attributes ♪

00:24:48 Join Andre Errol Batiste on TV6

00:24:51 for the 12th Man season four.

00:24:54 - Brought to you by Tiger Tanks and Coca-Cola.

00:25:00 - Universal Church presents Programs of Faith,

00:25:04 5.30 a.m., the hour of miracles.

00:25:11 - 5 p.m., it's possible.

00:25:14 Now on TV6.

00:25:21 (upbeat music)

00:25:25 (upbeat music)

00:25:27 (upbeat music)

00:25:30 (upbeat music)

00:25:33 (upbeat music)

00:25:36 (upbeat music)

00:25:38 (upbeat music)

00:25:41 - And welcome back, everyone.

00:26:07 I was just listening to that song there from Shadow,

00:26:10 and I was just saying what Shadow said,

00:26:12 I don't know that I can say it,

00:26:14 you know, on television, right?

00:26:16 So we'll leave that to Shadow.

00:26:18 All right, so recently, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley

00:26:22 announced some major developments in the energy sector.

00:26:27 Also, you would remember recently,

00:26:29 the Energy Minister also announced

00:26:31 a number of major developments.

00:26:33 We do have on the line this morning,

00:26:35 Energy Expert, Javed Razak.

00:26:38 Mr. Razak, good morning.

00:26:40 - Hi, good morning, how are you?

00:26:41 - I'm good, I'm good.

00:26:43 Well, let's get right into the meat of the matter.

00:26:45 Recently, there was a major development

00:26:48 concerning the Dragon gas arrangement with Venezuela.

00:26:52 There is some talk about the development

00:26:54 of the Loran Manatee Field.

00:26:56 There was also the recent signing

00:26:58 of three deep water wells with multinationals,

00:27:02 with BP and Shell.

00:27:04 The Energy Minister also spoke of a successful

00:27:06 onshore, near offshore or near shore bid round

00:27:10 with 16 bids received for eight blocks, all awarded.

00:27:14 He also revealed that EOG also brought in

00:27:18 a rig for 12 months to have a drilling program

00:27:22 of over nine wells.

00:27:24 So some of the developments in the energy sector,

00:27:28 oil and gas sector.

00:27:30 Javed, how do you see things?

00:27:33 - So definitely, there's been some great progress

00:27:36 on the Venezuelan front.

00:27:37 I mean, we've been hearing and talking about Dragon

00:27:41 and Loran Manatee for many years.

00:27:43 And we understand that there's so many different factors

00:27:47 involved in the relationship and negotiations

00:27:50 with Venezuela, right?

00:27:51 Things are both within and outside our control.

00:27:54 So it's very encouraging to see the great strides

00:27:57 that the government has made in terms of getting

00:28:00 license from Venezuela, lifting up some of the restrictions

00:28:05 from the US and so on to get the Dragon field going.

00:28:09 Really, we have a limited amount of gas in the country

00:28:12 and the closest source of gas that has not been exploited

00:28:15 is in Venezuela.

00:28:17 It's within distance that we could technically exploit it.

00:28:20 And it is really one of the biggest developments

00:28:24 in the energy sector so far.

00:28:25 So I think definitely great progress with Dragon

00:28:29 and we look forward to seeing how that works out

00:28:31 even though there's quite a lot of things

00:28:34 still to be done.

00:28:36 On the Loran Manatee side, Shell and the government

00:28:39 is going ahead with the one, just less than 30%

00:28:43 that's on the Trinidad and Tobago side.

00:28:46 And hopefully, the Dragon deal can pave the way

00:28:49 for the use of the Manatee part of it,

00:28:52 which is on, sorry, the Loran part of it,

00:28:54 which is on the Venezuela side.

00:28:56 And you also mentioned the other developments

00:28:58 with EOG and so on.

00:28:59 Yes, there are two rigs working now in Trinidad

00:29:02 on the East Coast, one for BP, one for EOG, so that is good.

00:29:05 Finally, we have bid rounds that have materialized on shore.

00:29:09 There are some blocks on shore that have been awarded,

00:29:11 couple blocks signed in deep water, as you mentioned,

00:29:14 and there's a bid round ongoing for shallow water.

00:29:16 So yes, definitely encouraging news.

00:29:19 Some of us think, you know,

00:29:21 we've been waiting for these bid rounds for a while.

00:29:23 It's better late than never, but still good nonetheless.

00:29:27 But Javed, are we going to see the benefits

00:29:29 of all of these deals anytime soon?

00:29:32 So that's the thing, right?

00:29:34 When people hear these developments,

00:29:36 they expect to see increases or improvements tomorrow.

00:29:40 Now, the deep water block from signing,

00:29:45 if you actually explore and find something

00:29:47 and it materializes, you're looking at 10 to 15 years,

00:29:51 yeah, for a deep water block, right?

00:29:54 For a shallow water block, probably 10 years or less.

00:29:58 And on shore, we've seen the recent fields

00:30:01 that came online with Touchstone,

00:30:03 they came online last year and this year,

00:30:05 the gas fields on shore, that took place just under 10 years

00:30:09 after signing of these blocks.

00:30:10 So it gives you an idea of how long it takes

00:30:12 from signing to actually have production.

00:30:16 That's if they even find anything at all, right?

00:30:18 So that part of it is still a longer term item.

00:30:23 The short term developments that are good

00:30:25 is drilling that's going on with BP and EOG,

00:30:29 which is to bring on new gas

00:30:30 and that's continuously happening.

00:30:32 And then I suppose maybe medium term

00:30:34 is what you'd call Venezuela, Dragon.

00:30:37 I mean, my thing is that it probably is going to take

00:30:41 between the regulatory parts of the discussion

00:30:44 and then actually doing the technical work.

00:30:46 I would expect Dragon to be online

00:30:49 probably within four to five years.

00:30:52 In my opinion, as a best case scenario,

00:30:54 and we've heard from Shell that Manatee

00:30:57 is expected in 2028.

00:30:59 - Yeah.

00:31:01 Over the years, we have been speaking about royalties

00:31:05 and what we have been getting

00:31:07 from all of these arrangements in the oil and gas sector.

00:31:10 I think that last week also,

00:31:12 the prime minister would have been speaking

00:31:15 about negotiations and was giving the impression

00:31:18 that we have been getting, how do I say,

00:31:23 we have been getting the maximum benefit

00:31:27 from these arrangements.

00:31:30 Have you seen any real development

00:31:35 in that area over the years?

00:31:38 - So one of the criticisms of the regulatory system

00:31:43 in Trinidad and Tobago has always been,

00:31:46 or for a long time has been that we are not getting

00:31:49 as much value as we should out of the energy sector,

00:31:53 whether it's directly from taxation

00:31:55 or what they call transfer pricing

00:31:58 and money loss through LNG and things like that.

00:32:02 I think there's been some improvements.

00:32:03 I think royalty was levied for the first time on gas

00:32:08 in the last few years,

00:32:09 which is one of the things you're referring to.

00:32:12 I think the prime minister was also referring

00:32:14 to a restructuring of Atlantic LNG,

00:32:17 which is either close to complete or still ongoing,

00:32:21 where they are putting all the trains basically

00:32:24 in a crane in one company so that the government

00:32:26 will have a stake in the other trains as well.

00:32:28 So that is part of the solution

00:32:31 in terms of getting better value out of the sector.

00:32:33 I don't think that we're there at maximum yet.

00:32:36 I think there are lots of gaps still

00:32:38 that has to be looked at,

00:32:39 but definitely some of these gaps are being closed.

00:32:41 Again, better late than never,

00:32:43 but there's been so much value lost over the years

00:32:46 in some areas that it's hard to look at now

00:32:50 and see what we could have had,

00:32:51 but still encouraging and I'm glad that it's not missed

00:32:56 completely.

00:32:57 - Yeah.

00:32:58 And what about the management of the sector

00:33:00 by the government in general?

00:33:03 What about the management of the sector in general

00:33:06 by the government?

00:33:09 - So that's always a touchy area as well, right?

00:33:13 Because so we see the government leading definitely

00:33:17 in the negotiations with Venezuela.

00:33:18 Like the Minister of Energy has been there

00:33:21 for quite some time.

00:33:22 He has taken front on that and that's certainly,

00:33:25 you know, as on the ground as it could possibly be, right?

00:33:29 There are lots of areas in the sector

00:33:31 that we think still requires better management,

00:33:34 whether it's from the, you know,

00:33:36 I work in the services company sector

00:33:39 and we still struggle to have local content

00:33:44 as a priority in Trinidad and Tobago for services here.

00:33:49 And when we look at what's happening next door

00:33:51 in Guyana and Suriname,

00:33:52 we see those countries taking a very strong stance

00:33:55 on local content.

00:33:56 And, you know, it's kind of regretful

00:33:59 that we haven't done the same over the years.

00:34:01 So I think there are some areas

00:34:02 that definitely could still be better managed.

00:34:05 I know the Ministry of Energy,

00:34:07 they try as much as they can

00:34:08 and they complain about being under-resourced all the time.

00:34:12 Right?

00:34:13 And you really just can't have a strong sector

00:34:15 in any industry without a strong regulator.

00:34:17 - Yeah.

00:34:19 As we move, we're really in the final months of this year.

00:34:23 And right now there are two wars raging in the world.

00:34:27 Of course, we know what is happening

00:34:29 between Israel and Palestine.

00:34:31 And also that situation with Ukraine and Russia,

00:34:36 there is a level of upheaval in the Middle East right now.

00:34:42 As we look at those situations and the oil and gas sector,

00:34:49 how do you see things playing out,

00:34:51 let's say for the rest of the year, early into next year?

00:34:54 - So, yeah, it was, I mean, it's sad to say, right?

00:34:59 But when the war in Ukraine started,

00:35:01 there was some benefit in terms of commodity pricing,

00:35:04 LNG, ammonia, methanol, and so gas price and oil prices,

00:35:08 and so on increasing due to the uncertainty.

00:35:10 The geopolitics of it seems to indicate

00:35:16 that the US has become more friendly towards Venezuela

00:35:21 because of the uncertainty of gas supply in Europe,

00:35:26 and as well as all the other, you know,

00:35:28 war and uncertainty in the Middle East as well.

00:35:32 So I think the biggest impact to us

00:35:34 has been the warming up towards Venezuela,

00:35:38 which we hope to see continue,

00:35:39 even though we know that there are both US elections

00:35:41 and Venezuela elections in the next year.

00:35:43 And those two will definitely determine a lot

00:35:46 about how that goes forward for us.

00:35:48 But certainly because of all the conflict,

00:35:50 I don't think oil and gas prices

00:35:52 are going to go too low anytime soon.

00:35:54 It'll probably maintain its, you know,

00:35:56 a wrong way of start right now.

00:35:58 - Yeah.

00:35:59 Does it put us in a better position

00:36:03 when it comes to earning from the oil and gas sector?

00:36:05 - Sorry, you're getting broke up first.

00:36:08 - I'm just asking because of what is happening,

00:36:11 re-Ukraine, Russia,

00:36:12 and also what is happening in the Middle East,

00:36:15 does it put countries such as Trinidad and Tobago

00:36:19 in a better position, re-the oil and gas sector,

00:36:22 even concerning our negotiations?

00:36:26 - Yes, I think so, definitely.

00:36:27 I think definitely you have to diversify risk

00:36:31 and US and Europe are looking to diversify that risk

00:36:35 with doing more business with Venezuela.

00:36:37 So definitely I think we are in a position

00:36:39 to benefit from that.

00:36:41 - Yeah.

00:36:41 Javed, it was a pleasure speaking with you.

00:36:43 Thank you very much.

00:36:44 - Thank you very much, Marlon.

00:36:45 Take care.

00:36:46 - All right, bye-bye.

00:36:47 Okay, so it's time for another break.

00:36:48 We are coming back.

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00:38:57 - The world is in crisis.

00:39:02 Distressing news are flowing from every quarter

00:39:06 in the society and the hearts of many

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00:39:52 ♪ Watch out, my children ♪

00:39:55 - All right, so welcome back, everyone.

00:39:56 So recently, the education minister confirmed

00:39:59 the presence of drug addicts and gang members

00:40:01 of a nation's schools.

00:40:03 Joining us now this morning is clinical psychologist

00:40:06 Victoria Sivnerine Jilousing,

00:40:08 who is also the newly elected secretary

00:40:10 of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Psychologists.

00:40:14 Mrs. Jilousing, good morning.

00:40:17 - Good morning, how are you?

00:40:18 - I'm good, and thank you very much

00:40:19 for joining us this morning.

00:40:22 Let's get really into the meat of the matter.

00:40:24 So recently, as we said, the education minister

00:40:28 would have made a number of statements

00:40:30 speaking about drug addicts in the school,

00:40:32 speaking about gang members in the school.

00:40:35 So some may have had an inkling of drugs and violence

00:40:38 in the schools, but to hear the statement of the minister

00:40:41 may have come as a surprise to many.

00:40:45 - Yes, I think one of the things that happens

00:40:48 is that we take these sorts of incidences in isolation,

00:40:51 and we don't look at the bigger picture.

00:40:54 That while this is the Ministry of Education,

00:40:56 we're talking about these types of things

00:40:59 that overarch everything in our country.

00:41:01 And the deeper thing that we need to be talking about

00:41:05 is how safe these children feel,

00:41:06 and it all goes back to parenting.

00:41:10 - What do you think is pushing our young people

00:41:15 into this direction of violence and drugs?

00:41:19 Is it the music?

00:41:20 Is it the media?

00:41:22 Is it their community?

00:41:26 What are the contributing factors?

00:41:28 - It's a desire for connection.

00:41:31 So yeah, we could talk about the music,

00:41:33 we can talk about all of those things,

00:41:34 but those are secondary things.

00:41:36 When you're growing up, when child's very young age,

00:41:39 they require certain amounts of attachment at home.

00:41:43 And when they don't find that attachment,

00:41:45 or when rather they're not securely attached

00:41:47 to their family caregivers,

00:41:49 then what we find is that these children go seeking.

00:41:52 Remember, as human beings, we are social beings.

00:41:55 So we are meant to have that love and that belongingness

00:41:58 in our home environment.

00:41:59 When we don't have that, then we look for it outside.

00:42:02 So we look for it in the gardens,

00:42:04 we look for it in other clinics.

00:42:07 And as we develop, we follow and we sacrifice

00:42:11 parts of ourselves that we know may not necessarily

00:42:14 subscribe to a certain type of behavior.

00:42:16 But if it means that we're going to be accepted,

00:42:18 we're going to be revered,

00:42:19 we're going to be valued in a certain circle,

00:42:22 then certainly many people,

00:42:24 they are willing to do these types of behavior,

00:42:27 even though it might be considered negative behavior,

00:42:30 they're willing to accept it

00:42:31 because of the love and belongingness,

00:42:34 the connection and the security that it offers them

00:42:37 in those spaces.

00:42:38 - Yeah, but you know, some of these influences

00:42:41 that you have spoken about,

00:42:43 they are not new influences in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:42:47 Some people may say, well, I came from a poor environment,

00:42:52 I came from an environment with drugs

00:42:54 and gang culture and so on.

00:42:57 So there is the argument,

00:43:01 why are the young people,

00:43:06 so easily influenced today,

00:43:10 when compared to let's say young people

00:43:12 of 10, 15, 20 years ago?

00:43:16 - That's a whole thing, we can do an entire segment on it.

00:43:21 But I can break it down into two things.

00:43:23 One, yes, the connectivity with parents,

00:43:26 social status, financial status

00:43:28 doesn't have an impact on that.

00:43:29 It's basically the amount of quality time

00:43:31 that a parent spends with their child.

00:43:33 And what we see in society today

00:43:35 is that parents themselves are quite busy.

00:43:37 So it's difficult to balance

00:43:40 having to spend that time with your child.

00:43:42 So that's the first factor.

00:43:44 The second factor, of course,

00:43:45 is that availability and exposure is so much greater now

00:43:49 than it would have been back then.

00:43:51 I remember being probably a teenager, a late teenager,

00:43:55 and not hearing foul language in my home.

00:43:59 Whereas nowadays, it's a regular adjective.

00:44:03 And it is a form of expression,

00:44:05 but at the same time,

00:44:07 the exposure for what we give children,

00:44:09 we don't have in our society anymore,

00:44:12 things that we say,

00:44:14 "Oh, that's not appropriate for my child,

00:44:16 "I'm going to shield them from it."

00:44:17 Now it's open and it's exposure.

00:44:19 And of course, availability, social media,

00:44:22 everything is there.

00:44:23 So now we don't have to wait until a child is 16, 17, 18

00:44:28 to talk to them or introduce them to certain things,

00:44:30 because they're introduced to it by the time they're three.

00:44:33 - But do you think also,

00:44:35 I think that, and this is a whole other debate too,

00:44:40 but many years ago,

00:44:44 corporal punishment was banished in the school system.

00:44:48 I know that parents today are also being told,

00:44:53 "Look, you can't whip your child

00:44:56 "as used to happen so many years ago,

00:45:00 "or even discipline that child

00:45:02 "as parents would have done so many years ago."

00:45:06 So is it that young people feel

00:45:08 that there are no repercussions now?

00:45:11 - I think the big thing is that we're missing

00:45:15 that element of being able to converse

00:45:19 and be the ones to teach our children.

00:45:22 Discipline and punishment

00:45:23 are two completely different things.

00:45:26 So what I would say is when you hit a child,

00:45:30 when you physically cause hurt to this child's body,

00:45:35 and then you tell this child,

00:45:37 "I'm hitting you because you did something wrong,"

00:45:41 then what you're in fact teaching is that behavior.

00:45:44 You are teaching this child to be violent.

00:45:47 And I know, yes, it is a system

00:45:50 that worked so many years ago.

00:45:52 I would have, when I was a child,

00:45:54 I would have been disciplined that way, you know?

00:45:56 And then many of us say,

00:45:57 "Yeah, but look how good I turned out."

00:45:59 But the thing is, we all had to face

00:46:02 the certain psychological traumas from that

00:46:05 that we maybe are not aware of.

00:46:07 Children nowadays, they are a lot more aware of it.

00:46:10 And what I would strongly suggest to parents

00:46:14 is don't go the route of physically hitting your child,

00:46:17 but instead sit down and have conversations.

00:46:19 Now, the thing about it is children are very perceptive

00:46:22 and they know who they can respect and who they cannot.

00:46:25 So if a parent is advising them to do a certain thing,

00:46:28 but then that parent themselves are not doing it,

00:46:31 then the child is less likely to follow.

00:46:34 Because why do I want to do something that you're not doing?

00:46:37 In my time, it would have been,

00:46:39 "Do what I say, not what I do."

00:46:41 But that doesn't stand anymore in this generation.

00:46:44 So we have to be examples.

00:46:46 And when I say we, I don't only mean parents.

00:46:48 I mean every single adult in this country

00:46:53 has to be an example to every single child in this country.

00:46:58 We have to model the behavior that we want to see.

00:47:01 And we have to be committed to spending that time

00:47:05 to really finding out what our children's insecurities are

00:47:09 and helping to meet them in those places

00:47:12 and to fulfill or to compensate for those insecurities.

00:47:15 Because our inability to do that,

00:47:18 and our meaning the adults,

00:47:20 our inability to do that is going to produce behaviors

00:47:24 like substance use, sexual violence,

00:47:28 or even sexually inappropriate behavior.

00:47:32 Things like conduct disorders,

00:47:34 all of those things,

00:47:35 theft, inappropriate behaviors.

00:47:38 We are the ones causing it and we don't see.

00:47:40 It's easy to blame.

00:47:41 It's easy to look at the consequence of our actions

00:47:45 or of our negligence and say,

00:47:48 "Children are doing this, social media,

00:47:50 this, that, and the other."

00:47:51 But it all boils down to this.

00:47:53 You can expose a child to as much social media as possible

00:47:56 if the parenting relationship is stronger than the child,

00:47:59 while they may experiment,

00:48:01 will not necessarily stray.

00:48:03 So we are the ones who have the responsibility

00:48:07 to take care of our children.

00:48:08 And instead of being punitive when they mess up,

00:48:13 we should instead meet those cases with compassion

00:48:17 and say, "Okay, you did this.

00:48:19 I must have fallen short.

00:48:21 Let's figure it all together."

00:48:23 - Yeah.

00:48:24 Because of your work in your industry,

00:48:30 have you all seen an increase in children needing help,

00:48:36 needing to be counseled,

00:48:42 needing to be spoken to?

00:48:47 And what are some of the problems

00:48:51 that children are coming to you all to deal with?

00:48:54 - Yes.

00:48:56 So definitely, definitely there is a need.

00:49:00 I think maybe half of my clients are minors,

00:49:04 and that's saying a lot.

00:49:05 And I commend the parents

00:49:07 for being willing to bring their children

00:49:08 because there are parts of seeking mental health

00:49:11 that are still taboo in our society.

00:49:13 So I commend those parents that do so.

00:49:16 A lot of children do need support.

00:49:18 And it goes back again to them

00:49:20 not being able to express themselves.

00:49:23 Because if you think about it,

00:49:25 and this is a perspective for you to have,

00:49:27 for everyone who's looking at this show to have,

00:49:30 if you feel vulnerable about a situation

00:49:33 but you don't trust the people that you are around,

00:49:35 then chance is that you're not going

00:49:37 to allow that vulnerability to show.

00:49:39 You're going to instead be defensive about it.

00:49:41 And that's what we see with our children.

00:49:43 When they're in homes and we ask them,

00:49:45 "What's wrong?"

00:49:46 And they just shrug at us,

00:49:48 or they give an answer that we perceive as them being rude.

00:49:51 It's really them expressing,

00:49:53 or really harboring a vulnerability

00:49:56 that they do not feel safe expressing.

00:49:58 So when you bring those children into therapy,

00:50:01 what they have is a safe space

00:50:03 where they can say anything without repercussions.

00:50:06 And then there's that ability

00:50:08 to express their emotions freely

00:50:11 and to figure out what's happening.

00:50:12 You remember for, when you look at brain development,

00:50:15 brain development isn't really completed

00:50:19 until around 25 years old,

00:50:21 which means that these children,

00:50:22 especially when they're younger children,

00:50:24 early teens, middle, late childhood,

00:50:27 they can't quite articulate for themselves

00:50:31 what they're feeling.

00:50:32 They're unable to identify the individual emotions

00:50:35 that they are feeling.

00:50:36 And if you don't know what you feel,

00:50:38 how can you feel it?

00:50:39 How can you process it?

00:50:41 So therapy really helps them to do that.

00:50:45 There are a lot of things that hinder it.

00:50:48 Physically beating a child,

00:50:51 this corporal punishment that we got rid of,

00:50:53 that is akin to trauma.

00:50:56 So children who experience that,

00:50:58 they're experiencing a trauma,

00:51:00 and trauma at that young age

00:51:01 actually obstructs brain development.

00:51:04 So there's so many folds in this.

00:51:07 But to answer your question,

00:51:08 yes, children do need support.

00:51:11 Yes, thankfully there are parents

00:51:13 willing to give them support.

00:51:15 And yes, there are things we can do about it.

00:51:18 We can try to understand.

00:51:20 I think one of the things that

00:51:21 the Ministry of Education

00:51:22 or even Ministry of Health can consider

00:51:25 are parenting training programs,

00:51:28 where parents get to learn

00:51:31 what is happening with their children now

00:51:34 and learn some skills to how to deal with it.

00:51:37 Long ago, we had rules,

00:51:40 we had things that worked,

00:51:42 and we continue doing that.

00:51:43 Our society nowadays, it's ever-developing.

00:51:46 We need to change what we do every day

00:51:48 to match the expectations of our society

00:51:50 and our children.

00:51:51 And if we want to be better,

00:51:53 then we need to let go of our rigidity.

00:51:56 We need to become more flexible

00:51:57 and we need to adapt.

00:51:59 - Yeah, and haven't we over the years,

00:52:01 and you hear it even up to today,

00:52:04 when a child at a very young age is crying,

00:52:07 we're asking them, "What you're crying for?

00:52:09 That is what you're crying for?"

00:52:11 So you also do have a situation

00:52:14 where you have a lot of pent-up pressure

00:52:19 in the individual, yeah?

00:52:21 And sometimes when it comes out,

00:52:23 it comes out violently.

00:52:25 - Of course, yes.

00:52:27 And that's why we need to learn

00:52:28 how to deal with our emotions.

00:52:31 - Yeah, and I just want to say,

00:52:32 would you support that being done

00:52:34 at a very early age,

00:52:36 even at the primary school level?

00:52:38 - Of course, sir, of course.

00:52:41 And there are different models to do it.

00:52:43 So for example, obviously you're not going to take

00:52:45 a two-year-old or three-year-old child in preschool

00:52:47 and ask them to say what their emotions are,

00:52:50 but there are dolls and pictures,

00:52:51 drawings, certain elements of art and play therapy

00:52:54 that you incorporate.

00:52:56 And then as they move up,

00:52:58 you engage in different types of therapy,

00:53:03 education, psychoeducation for them.

00:53:06 And there are organizations,

00:53:08 TTAP is an organization that is always willing

00:53:11 to work with schools and with the ministries

00:53:13 in bringing forward these things.

00:53:15 Seminars and training programs

00:53:17 are definitely, definitely important

00:53:19 for teachers, for parents.

00:53:21 Teachers really are parents

00:53:23 for the part of the day that they have the children, right?

00:53:25 Not parents in terms of having to teach them morality

00:53:29 the way a parent, a mother or a father would at home,

00:53:32 but still they're in their care.

00:53:33 So they also have to learn how to treat a child

00:53:37 and how to manage emotions

00:53:39 because children learn emotional regulation first

00:53:43 by looking at what we do.

00:53:45 So if we're angry and upset and we explode,

00:53:48 guess what?

00:53:49 When our children are angry and upset,

00:53:50 they're going to explode.

00:53:51 - Yeah, and how can people access the services of TTAP?

00:53:56 How do they get in touch with you all?

00:53:58 - So we have a website and they can just simply,

00:54:02 you can type in Trinidad and Tobago Association

00:54:04 of Psychologists online.

00:54:06 We will pop up, we are on Facebook, we are on Instagram

00:54:09 and you can contact us that way.

00:54:11 We have a phone number, 794-TTAP,

00:54:16 but you can send WhatsApp messages to that number.

00:54:19 We're not available to pause on that number at the moment.

00:54:22 - Yeah, Mrs. Sivana Rai and G. Liao Singh,

00:54:24 it was a pleasure speaking with you this morning.

00:54:25 Thank you very much.

00:54:27 - You're very welcome.

00:54:28 Have a great day.

00:54:29 - All right, bye for now.

00:54:30 So it's time for another break

00:54:31 and we also have the seven o'clock news headlines for you.

00:54:34 We'll be coming back.

00:54:35 (upbeat music)

00:54:38 Good morning.

00:54:45 With your TV6 News update to the hour,

00:54:47 I am Raneesa Cutting.

00:54:50 Following the vicious but futile attack

00:54:52 on one of their own two weeks ago,

00:54:54 Acting Commissioner of Prisons, Deoposad Ramutha says,

00:54:58 the prison service remains resilient.

00:55:00 Speaking at the 14th annual Diwali celebrations,

00:55:04 Ramutha sought to encourage officers

00:55:06 to be the light that overcomes darkness.

00:55:09 - We in the prison service remain strong

00:55:13 and the light that shines within.

00:55:15 So that evil act that was done

00:55:18 to the prison service just recently

00:55:20 will not see us stop doing the good things that we do.

00:55:23 It's gonna cause us to continue loving our job,

00:55:30 loving our charges and loving our colleagues.

00:55:34 - Meantime, the pharmacy board is speaking out

00:55:40 following a raid resulting in the seizure

00:55:42 of millions of dollars in pharmaceuticals.

00:55:45 Board member, Andrew Rahman told TV6,

00:55:48 it is not that the drugs are unsafe for use,

00:55:51 but rather it is a case of pharmacies

00:55:54 encountering challenges to have drugs registered.

00:55:57 - The registration process takes three

00:56:01 and four and five years to be registered.

00:56:06 And in a very unfair manner,

00:56:09 because you have to submit samples with your application.

00:56:14 And if they know that is a chemistry food

00:56:18 and drug division, you say we're gonna seize it.

00:56:21 If they know that by the time they get around

00:56:23 to consider the drug, the sample would be expired.

00:56:28 They should take all the documents for the application,

00:56:34 allow the application to be submitted without the sample.

00:56:38 - And now for a look at the weather forecast.

00:56:46 Partly cloudy conditions will develop

00:56:48 into occasional showers and the chance

00:56:51 of a daytime thunderstorm in some areas.

00:56:54 The forecast maximum temperature

00:56:56 is 33 degrees Celsius for both islands.

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01:00:35 (upbeat music)

01:00:39 (upbeat music)

01:00:42 - All right, so welcome back everyone.

01:00:52 So we do have a very important segment for you now.

01:00:54 We do have live in studio is Aaron Hassett

01:00:57 of Body Image Consultants Limited.

01:00:59 The company is launching a fantastic four month program

01:01:03 that focuses on three main topics,

01:01:06 such as health, relationships and finances.

01:01:09 Mr. Hassett, good morning.

01:01:10 - Good morning, good morning, how are you doing?

01:01:13 - Well, Mr. Hassett, this seems to be

01:01:14 a life changing segment here we're dealing with.

01:01:17 - Yes, yes, I mean, firstly, it's a pleasure to meet you

01:01:20 and thank you for having me here this morning.

01:01:23 - Thank you very much for coming.

01:01:24 - Yes.

01:01:25 - Let's hear about the program.

01:01:26 - Well, the program is an amazing four month,

01:01:28 well, it's different cycles.

01:01:29 We're gonna have about two or three cycles for the year,

01:01:31 but it's a four month program.

01:01:33 It's an initiative that will focus on the three major areas

01:01:37 that anyone have.

01:01:38 We have a health problem, we have a financial problem

01:01:42 or a relationship problem.

01:01:44 And those are the three problems that most people have

01:01:46 apart from spiritual.

01:01:48 So those are the three problems,

01:01:49 they fix either two or three of them

01:01:51 or one of them and all sorts of the other.

01:01:54 So we're gonna be focusing on that.

01:01:55 What we do, we have professionals.

01:01:57 So what I've done is I have associates

01:02:00 that I affiliate myself with.

01:02:01 We have professionals that will come.

01:02:03 It's a four month session, everything online via Zoom,

01:02:06 one hour from Saturday from seven to 8 p.m.

01:02:09 and they're gonna come on to give lectures,

01:02:11 give information and so forth.

01:02:13 It's real businesses.

01:02:14 So for example, people will be able to go by Dr. Batson.

01:02:19 Well, they have to pay for the program, of course.

01:02:20 - Yes.

01:02:21 - But they go by Dr. Batson, they get free services.

01:02:23 Well, services, not, well, it's free by me,

01:02:26 but fee free for them.

01:02:28 You go to instance, Ponce Saloon,

01:02:31 you get some, you have skincare checkup, consultation.

01:02:35 We have fitness professionals like Jessica James

01:02:40 who is from First Lady Fitness.

01:02:42 We will, she will take people,

01:02:43 we will take discounts on the weight loss training

01:02:46 'cause she has helped a lot of persons, right?

01:02:48 We have Dr. Lamaral from Iconic Dentistry.

01:02:53 So we, where people will be able to go

01:02:54 and get a nice oral hygiene checkup

01:02:56 because we're talking about health, oral health as well.

01:02:58 We have Mr. Mara Phillips who is a psychologist

01:03:02 and lady with mental health and all these different,

01:03:07 so that's very important, especially coming on from COVID.

01:03:10 We have a variety.

01:03:13 We have Sean Alford out of Los Angeles.

01:03:16 We have some international affiliates as well.

01:03:19 We have Razi Sudir who is a social worker.

01:03:23 Again, we have, at the end of the program,

01:03:27 which is on the 10th of February,

01:03:29 we'll be having a live charity event.

01:03:33 It's a fitness masterclass

01:03:36 where we will have a variety of fitness instructors

01:03:39 like for example, Zumba, 'cause I used to teach Zumba as well,

01:03:42 aerobics, people like Jessica James as well

01:03:46 who will come on showcase.

01:03:48 We have different booths that will be set up.

01:03:50 People will be able to display their products and services.

01:03:54 And 100% of the proceeds from that event

01:03:59 will go to charity.

01:04:00 I'm looking at either cradle center

01:04:01 or one of the children's home.

01:04:02 I also wanna sponsor a young athlete, primarily boxing

01:04:07 'cause I was a national boxer as well.

01:04:09 I came from an orphanage as well from age of 19, 18.

01:04:12 So that's my, for me, it's important for me to give back.

01:04:15 So that's what our charity event is about.

01:04:17 But the program itself has a lot of value in it.

01:04:21 And we see, we talk about health.

01:04:23 We talk about relationships

01:04:24 because this right here is a relationship for me.

01:04:26 Right?

01:04:27 Proper communication, problem solving and so forth.

01:04:32 Also, we wanna talk about finances.

01:04:35 We have like a charter accountant.

01:04:38 We have financial advisors.

01:04:42 So these guys will come and they will speak.

01:04:44 They will teach you about budgeting,

01:04:46 how you can use the insurance, not only after death,

01:04:49 but how it can benefit you while you're alive.

01:04:51 We're talking about opportunities

01:04:53 for people to be able to earn additional income.

01:04:56 All these different stuff that we'll be dealing with

01:04:58 on that particular program.

01:04:59 - But why these topics at this time?

01:05:01 Because you could have chosen a number of other topics

01:05:05 or another issues to deal with.

01:05:08 Why these three main issues at this time?

01:05:11 Health, financial and relationships.

01:05:14 Why?

01:05:15 - Well, and especially the time that we are in right now,

01:05:19 people, recession coming, also on the financial aspect of it

01:05:24 we are moving into a digital era.

01:05:26 We are moving from analog to fintech,

01:05:30 financial and technology, cryptocurrencies.

01:05:33 Pretty soon we're gonna have cashless payment

01:05:36 and we all know that, right?

01:05:37 - Yes.

01:05:38 - On the 5th of September, Central Bank had a symposium

01:05:40 where they talk about regulating Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies

01:05:44 in Trinidad and Tobago.

01:05:46 The problem is a lot of people don't know,

01:05:49 they're unaware of what is going on.

01:05:50 They don't even know how to send, how to receive,

01:05:54 what is a wallet, what is an exchange.

01:05:56 Part of the program as well,

01:05:58 it's going to be teaching the basics of cryptocurrency.

01:06:02 So by the time you finish this program,

01:06:04 you have the basic skills or the basic knowledge

01:06:07 to navigate this space properly.

01:06:09 So you know, what is a wallet?

01:06:11 How to set up a wallet, what's an exchange?

01:06:13 What is the difference between an exchange?

01:06:14 What is a different chain?

01:06:16 So for example, if I was sending something to you,

01:06:18 sending Bitcoin to you or USD to you,

01:06:22 I can send it to you on a couple of different chains, right?

01:06:25 You throw on the BNB chain, it will be cheaper at one

01:06:30 and it will be faster.

01:06:31 It's like you going from Portsmouth to Interima.

01:06:33 You get to Interima, it's which route you take.

01:06:35 - Yeah, which vehicle you want to use.

01:06:37 - As well, the bus route, vehicle, all these,

01:06:40 a car, all these different options.

01:06:43 So it's about preparing people for what is coming.

01:06:47 We are moving into a whole different era.

01:06:50 What we would have experienced 15, 20 years ago,

01:06:53 it's all different now.

01:06:54 It's everything is online.

01:06:56 For example, most of your interviews,

01:06:57 before we had to come into the studio,

01:06:59 someone could just stay home and have an interview with you.

01:07:03 - Let's talk about the Zoom meetings

01:07:06 that you intend to carry out.

01:07:08 How is that going to play out on that day?

01:07:10 Is it that, and you say this is going on for four months.

01:07:14 So is it that every Saturday you are going to be dealing

01:07:18 with health, relationships and financial issues?

01:07:22 That is the way how it is going to format,

01:07:24 how it is going to work out?

01:07:25 - We have different topics on every Saturday.

01:07:29 Every Saturday, all the Saturdays,

01:07:31 16 sessions are already booked out.

01:07:34 So we have, for example, the first session will be tomorrow.

01:07:36 I didn't, we didn't do last Saturday

01:07:37 because I was coming here as well.

01:07:39 Wanted to get it without some more.

01:07:41 Dr. Batson will be on from Batson Associates.

01:07:44 He's very, he's a health and wellness,

01:07:45 holistic health doctor and integrative medicine, well known.

01:07:50 So he'll be coming on, he'll be giving his lecture.

01:07:53 That's him alone.

01:07:56 At the end of the session, it's about 45 minutes, not long,

01:07:58 45 minutes, then I will come on,

01:08:00 or I may have someone come on

01:08:01 and give some basic information,

01:08:03 knowledge about cryptocurrency, what is Bitcoin,

01:08:05 all this different stuff.

01:08:06 And then the next week we have our next session,

01:08:09 we have probably shown our photo of Los Angeles,

01:08:12 who is a financial advisor as well.

01:08:15 We have a local financial advisor as well.

01:08:17 So everyone would have their session.

01:08:20 It's a packed, a packed 60-hour four-month program.

01:08:24 - Yeah, how can people register for it?

01:08:26 - So what they can do, they can contact me

01:08:28 via my phone number, which is 322-6371.

01:08:31 That's 322-6371.

01:08:37 They can also find me on social media,

01:08:40 @iranhaset, @iranhaset.

01:08:43 So I'm on TikTok, mostly on TikTok.

01:08:45 I'm on Facebook, I'm on Instagram as well.

01:08:49 They can send me an email at bodyimage.co.ltd@gmail.com.

01:08:54 They can also send me an email at ehaset@gmail.com as well.

01:09:01 So we have the phone number, we have our next number,

01:09:05 and the list and the flyer as well.

01:09:07 - Yeah, it's up to you.

01:09:07 - Yeah, yeah.

01:09:08 And I don't remember the number of phone,

01:09:11 but that's another number they can contact us by.

01:09:13 - Yeah.

01:09:14 What do you hope that the participants,

01:09:18 the knowledge that the participants will gain

01:09:22 from this four-month program?

01:09:25 - Well, one of the things is apart from just better,

01:09:28 a better understanding, a better value for your health,

01:09:33 because the health is equal to your wealth, right?

01:09:36 Apart also better relationships

01:09:39 and better financial decision,

01:09:41 better financial decision making.

01:09:43 How can you, instead of, we understand,

01:09:46 we went to school to learn to work for money.

01:09:49 We go get up, go to the gym every day.

01:09:51 How now can you put money to work for you?

01:09:54 All these different stuff.

01:09:55 So we wanna be able to holistically have people benefit

01:09:59 holistically from the program.

01:10:01 So not only health, because, let me give you an example.

01:10:05 All the professionals that we are partnering with,

01:10:07 and we are open to more,

01:10:09 more professionals as well we are partnering with.

01:10:11 Now, by being part of the program,

01:10:13 now you can go to those professionals

01:10:15 because you come from true,

01:10:16 he has a certain body image,

01:10:18 he has a certain associates, this program,

01:10:20 you can go to them and get discounted services.

01:10:22 So the, perfect example, by Baxter & Associates,

01:10:26 if you were to go and do,

01:10:27 now you'd be a part of the program,

01:10:28 so you already have a free MRI scan

01:10:32 and a consultation by him.

01:10:34 If you were to walk in by yourself and do that,

01:10:37 you would pay upwards of $1,000 just to do that.

01:10:41 And he would tell you, that's what,

01:10:43 in the sense, Barnstall, you go by them,

01:10:44 you get a free skin care protocol checkup

01:10:47 and a consultation, they do them PRP,

01:10:50 that's a plasma platelet rejuvenation

01:10:56 of his cells and skins and so forth.

01:10:59 You go by them, that's a consultation and so forth,

01:11:01 it costs you upwards of $500 to $800.

01:11:04 You're gonna be able, once you're part of the program,

01:11:06 you can go to them and get access to that services,

01:11:10 consultation and so forth.

01:11:12 And not only that, you get,

01:11:13 and the program starts at $840 TTD, right?

01:11:18 But, come on, the value you're gonna be getting from it,

01:11:21 over $51,000 TTD in value,

01:11:26 just from being part of the program.

01:11:28 You wanna go get a dental checkup,

01:11:30 you go to Iconic Dentistry, you get a checkup,

01:11:32 but guess what, you know something,

01:11:33 what you know, now you have to take care of yourself.

01:11:36 - Is there still room for people to register?

01:11:38 - Yes, you can register today, you can call me today,

01:11:41 you can send an email today.

01:11:43 Our first session is tomorrow, even if you miss it,

01:11:45 we're gonna facilitate, we have other cycles as well,

01:11:49 but you definitely wanna take advantage of it.

01:11:51 All our sessions are packed with professionals.

01:11:56 You guys, we just need the people

01:11:58 to come and take advantage of it.

01:12:00 Now we already have people registering.

01:12:02 I have emails coming in, I have phone calls, WhatsApp,

01:12:06 you can, oh, my number, the 322 number,

01:12:08 that's my WhatsApp number as well,

01:12:10 so you can send me a WhatsApp message as well.

01:12:12 - Yeah, Mr. Asset, anything else you'd like to tell us

01:12:14 before you leave us this morning?

01:12:15 - Well, one again, I would like to thank you again

01:12:17 for having me here. - Of course.

01:12:19 - At the end of the day, there's a saying,

01:12:22 your health equals your wealth.

01:12:24 And I love to say, you know people say,

01:12:28 information is knowledge.

01:12:30 I believe that if applied knowledge,

01:12:35 it's supposed to, information is knowledge,

01:12:37 but applied knowledge is power.

01:12:38 Because people say knowledge is power,

01:12:40 but only when you apply it is power.

01:12:42 So you come to us now, you're gonna get the information,

01:12:45 you're gonna get the knowledge on how you apply it

01:12:48 for your life, how you exercise, what you do,

01:12:50 what you eat, how you sleep, how you take your finances,

01:12:53 what you do with your money,

01:12:55 how you're able to generate additional income.

01:12:57 That is the power, and that is what I wanna achieve

01:12:59 at the end of this program.

01:13:00 - Mr. Asset, it was a pleasure speaking with you this morning

01:13:02 and I wish you all the best for your event.

01:13:04 - Thank you, thank you, man, and thank you for having me.

01:13:06 - So we are going to a very short break, we coming back.

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01:17:04 - I know the Tabanka is real for some of you

01:17:07 who would have attended the Tobago Carnival.

01:17:09 So the mass festivities and revelry have come to an end.

01:17:13 But joining us now to give an overview

01:17:15 on the weekend's events is President

01:17:18 Tobago October Carnival Association, Mr. Dexter Sandy.

01:17:22 Mr. Sandy, good morning.

01:17:23 - Good morning, Marlon, and good morning to your viewers.

01:17:27 - Yeah, well let's look at how the Tobago Carnival went.

01:17:32 - Well Marlon, so far all the reviews have been good,

01:17:35 have been positive.

01:17:36 I can safely say all the band leaders this morning

01:17:41 are really happy, they're really smiling.

01:17:43 I can also probably speak to the Punch and Bagel team

01:17:48 for that Redmond Steel on Friday.

01:17:50 You know, everybody's calling it a success.

01:17:52 So I would say the entire weekend has been a success.

01:17:56 - Yeah, what has been the improvement?

01:17:59 Because I'm sure there must have been some improvements

01:18:02 when compared to last year.

01:18:04 - Well, definitely with the formation of TOKOR,

01:18:09 in terms of improvements, you see that all the band leaders

01:18:11 came together to brainstorm as one,

01:18:15 and come up with concepts.

01:18:17 Two, the change in the route.

01:18:18 Having that change this year, it really showed

01:18:23 that Scarborough has the adequate space,

01:18:26 and that the spectators were able to get the advantage

01:18:29 of a few points, and taking the parade

01:18:33 from Juvie on the waterfront,

01:18:35 to Parade of the Bands yesterday on the waterfront.

01:18:37 Those two significant things, I would say really helped

01:18:42 to give us this good product this year.

01:18:44 - Yeah, let's talk about the management of the parade.

01:18:48 We're talking from Juvie coming up, how was that?

01:18:53 - So that was fine.

01:18:55 A difference from last year,

01:18:57 there was a road management team specific,

01:19:02 and they were liaising with the bands.

01:19:03 If there's one thing I would say,

01:19:05 there was communication between the band leaders

01:19:09 and the road management team.

01:19:10 So it really allowed for ease of flow,

01:19:14 no issues in terms of parking

01:19:16 or getting in and out of Scarborough.

01:19:18 And the bands, we as masqueraders had a lot of space

01:19:21 on the road to free up and enjoy the carnival.

01:19:23 - Yeah.

01:19:25 Try to give us an image of the parade from Juvie morning.

01:19:30 So we all know what transpires in Trinidad and Tobago,

01:19:37 bands on the streets of Port-de-Spain,

01:19:39 they make their way to the Queen's Park Savannah,

01:19:42 and then they head maybe down into Port-de-Spain,

01:19:45 not Port-de-Spain, St. James, Woodbrooke and so on.

01:19:50 So there's this route.

01:19:52 What is the route like in Tobago for the parade?

01:19:57 - So literally we would have been on the Todd Noel Highway,

01:20:02 and I would call that a road march, as it would be.

01:20:06 And we came into Scarborough,

01:20:08 into lower Scarborough on the waterfront.

01:20:11 So everybody knows that I love Tobago sign.

01:20:13 Once you hit that location on the Esplanade,

01:20:15 you're now parading along the waterfront.

01:20:19 That is not something any other country

01:20:21 can really boast about when it comes to a carnival route.

01:20:25 So, I mean, we're gonna see the footage emerging today

01:20:28 and tomorrow, a lot of drone shots I know will taken.

01:20:31 Scarborough really lends to a lot of ambience.

01:20:35 I mean, the Tobago House of Assembly

01:20:36 would have put a lot of effort into some signage

01:20:38 and branding in this space,

01:20:40 but the natural beauty of Scarborough

01:20:43 really helped to create that image

01:20:47 that we were looking for.

01:20:48 A lot of people yesterday were talking about the waterfront

01:20:52 and how calm the water was, you know?

01:20:54 So it's something that is unique to Tobago, Marlon,

01:20:57 and we're really glad that everything really flowed

01:21:00 for the weekend and everybody came out as a success.

01:21:04 - All right, so we all know about the events

01:21:07 that would have preceded the carnival,

01:21:10 but let's speak about from Saturday morning.

01:21:14 Is it Saturday morning when you have the J'ouvert?

01:21:17 - Yes, so J'ouvert is Saturday morning.

01:21:19 - So walk us through Saturday and then walk us through Sunday.

01:21:23 - So on Saturday, the bands,

01:21:26 we all gathered down at Shore Park Complex.

01:21:29 Just about four to five o'clock,

01:21:31 most of us were serving breakfast,

01:21:33 and then we hit the road just after five.

01:21:35 And I must say the bands, we stuck to the time.

01:21:39 There was a time limit of four to 10 a.m.

01:21:41 So by 10 a.m., all the bands would have been off the road.

01:21:45 But during that road march period,

01:21:48 we had, I'm certain, the officials report

01:21:53 over 10,000 persons participating in J'ouvert.

01:21:58 And it says that J'ouvert in Tobago is very strong.

01:22:03 Tobago Indians love J'ouvert.

01:22:04 I know we had a lot of visitors on the island,

01:22:06 so let me say it here now publicly.

01:22:08 Thank you to the Port Authority

01:22:11 and the Inter-Island Ferry System

01:22:13 for putting on those additional ceilings

01:22:16 to bring across the masses.

01:22:19 Caribbean Airlines, you would have stepped up.

01:22:21 You would have put on those additional seats.

01:22:23 And I know right now I'm right outside the airport, right?

01:22:26 And I know a lot of people

01:22:27 are trying to get back down the road,

01:22:29 so I must say thank you to both entities

01:22:31 for really helping to move the people to Tobago

01:22:34 and to get them back down the road.

01:22:37 But more than from the J'ouvert,

01:22:38 we went into the night march.

01:22:40 I think night march, we need to do a little more work

01:22:42 in terms of participation.

01:22:44 So that one we will definitely look at,

01:22:46 do some introspection on.

01:22:48 And then the road march, the route march, sorry,

01:22:51 on Sunday, the parade of the bands,

01:22:53 that was a sight to behold, I must say.

01:22:57 - Yeah, as many people would say, it was a movie.

01:23:00 - It was, it was, it was.

01:23:03 - So the parade begins at what time on Sunday morning

01:23:06 and goes until what time in the evening?

01:23:10 - Right, so the road was actually opened to us from 11 a.m.

01:23:15 Most of the bands would have used between nine to 11

01:23:17 to get the masqueraders formed up.

01:23:19 And we had this highway,

01:23:21 the same route that we would have used for J'ouvert.

01:23:23 - Yes.

01:23:24 - We would have used on the Sunday from 11.

01:23:27 And we wrapped up basically

01:23:30 probably just about eight o'clock last night,

01:23:32 yeah, on the road.

01:23:33 And then we went into the Sunfest after party.

01:23:36 I mean, the Sunfest team is a new initiative.

01:23:38 It's free to all masqueraders.

01:23:40 So really and truly all the masqueraders

01:23:42 were able to go down to Shaw Park Complex

01:23:44 at the Sunfest after party and just kinda relax.

01:23:47 You know, that last lap, jump,

01:23:49 we still had the music shop there,

01:23:50 we still had the drink shops serving drinks.

01:23:53 So it was really a nice atmosphere

01:23:56 and an addition to end off the carnival.

01:23:58 - Yeah, I know we were having,

01:24:01 I was having a discussion a few weeks ago.

01:24:04 And at that time, as part of the Tobago Carnival,

01:24:07 we were speaking about Calypso Monarch,

01:24:10 Soca Monarch, things like that.

01:24:12 Is it that this year in Tobago,

01:24:16 or is it that you all are considering,

01:24:18 let's say how you have the parade of the bands,

01:24:21 a parade of the bands, competition,

01:24:23 a king and queen of the band competition,

01:24:26 things like that?

01:24:27 - Yeah, so definitely a competition aspect will be welcomed

01:24:33 because yes, the bands,

01:24:34 we do put a lot of energy and efforts and resources

01:24:38 and into production and coming up with concepts.

01:24:41 So having some sort of competition,

01:24:45 I think it will really add to us,

01:24:47 but I don't want us to get lost in fighting for a title.

01:24:52 You know, Tobago Carnival is one where we get the people

01:24:56 across to the island, experience Tobago itself,

01:24:59 first and foremost,

01:25:00 and really come on the streets

01:25:02 and participate in mass

01:25:04 and really enjoy Tobago for what it is.

01:25:09 But the competition,

01:25:10 we had a People's Choice competition yesterday.

01:25:13 I know it was sponsored by B-Mobile.

01:25:15 So people have to text in

01:25:17 and we're waiting to get those results.

01:25:18 So there will be a band

01:25:19 that will win the People's Choice Award.

01:25:21 And I think there's a cash prize assigned to it.

01:25:25 But I guess, yes, competition would be welcome.

01:25:31 We just need to kind of fine tune the structure

01:25:33 of what the competition will look like.

01:25:34 - Yeah.

01:25:35 Let's, and you did speak on it,

01:25:37 but I wanna dig a little deeper

01:25:40 concerning the air and sea route,

01:25:45 because in the past,

01:25:47 and there continues to be criticisms and condemnation

01:25:51 concerning the air and sea routes to Tobago,

01:25:55 you said that there was an improvement,

01:25:58 but were there any logistical issues at all?

01:26:02 - Well, whilst the improvement was there for the weekend,

01:26:07 I think the notification of the increases,

01:26:12 it came too late, Marlon.

01:26:13 We're really glad that we got the additional seat capacity,

01:26:19 but for persons to have been able

01:26:22 to make up their mind in advance,

01:26:25 apply for days off,

01:26:27 plan properly so that they could get their accommodation set,

01:26:31 their car rental set,

01:26:33 it's all hinged on being able to first arrive on the island,

01:26:37 whether it be by ferry or by the air.

01:26:40 And whilst the air bridge would have answered the call

01:26:46 during the week, or probably from last weekend,

01:26:49 to say that, "Hey, we have this increased capacity."

01:26:52 This is something that our people needed to know

01:26:54 two months ago.

01:26:57 - Yeah. - Three months ago.

01:26:58 I think the mass mass,

01:27:01 we did send in a proposal to Caribbean Airlines,

01:27:05 outlining how we could have the welcome home campaign

01:27:09 and how we could have done it.

01:27:11 I think, but we didn't have a conversation really with them.

01:27:14 So they did it how they wanted to do it,

01:27:15 I mean, it's their campaign.

01:27:16 So they rule it out how they saw fit.

01:27:18 - And the carnival was incident free.

01:27:25 Mr. Sandy, all right.

01:27:28 I hope we have not lost him.

01:27:30 Tell me when we get back, Mr. Sandy.

01:27:32 Of course, we're speaking with the president

01:27:34 of the Tobago October Carnival Association,

01:27:36 Mr. Dexter Sandy, speaking about the Tobago Carnival,

01:27:41 from what we're seeing and from what we are showing you,

01:27:43 it would seem that the thing,

01:27:46 as we would say in Trinidad and Tobago, is growing.

01:27:49 From what we're also seeing is that the quality

01:27:53 of the costumes and also the participation,

01:27:57 all of that is growing.

01:27:58 So that's very good for the Tobago Carnival.

01:28:01 - I think if we have Donald Park.

01:28:02 - Yeah, Mr. Sandy.

01:28:05 All right.

01:28:08 All right, I think that we have lost him.

01:28:11 All right, so shots there of the Tobago Carnival.

01:28:15 He's back with us?

01:28:16 - Yes, yes, yes.

01:28:17 - Yes. - I can send this up there.

01:28:19 - Yeah.

01:28:20 So Mr. Sandy, what's the next step?

01:28:22 I suspect the next step is to plan

01:28:24 Tobago Carnival for next year now?

01:28:28 - Definitely 2024 is on.

01:28:32 Save the date, it is the last weekend in October.

01:28:36 It will always be the last weekend in any October

01:28:39 of any calendar year.

01:28:41 So I can say to you, that's the date set already.

01:28:45 I know as TOCA, we are really gonna have a post-mortem

01:28:48 later this week, and then we're gonna have some conversations

01:28:50 with the Tobago House of Assembly.

01:28:53 I saw Dr. Charles St. Thomas last night,

01:28:56 and he said, "Dexter, we need to set chart,

01:28:58 "we need to map out for 2024,

01:29:00 "because the success of 2023, we really need to build on it."

01:29:04 Yeah, so that's the plan for us going forward.

01:29:07 - But you feel that this is now going to be

01:29:11 a permanent addition to the calendar of events in Tobago?

01:29:18 Because I know that following the first carnival

01:29:21 being staged in October last year, there were some concerns,

01:29:25 and I'm sure that you all would have expected

01:29:27 some teething problems, but with the development

01:29:31 and improvements that you're seeing this year,

01:29:34 you feel that this is going to be a permanent addition?

01:29:37 - Definitely, definitely.

01:29:40 For me personally, I want Toronto to be able to boast

01:29:43 of having the first carnival in any calendar year,

01:29:46 and the last.

01:29:48 Modern, we are one country,

01:29:50 and we really need to make sure

01:29:52 that there's no divisional separation

01:29:55 in terms of what's happening.

01:29:57 The Tobago October Carnival is a product.

01:30:01 It's here to stay.

01:30:02 It's going to be the last weekend in October,

01:30:04 the last official carnival for any calendar year.

01:30:07 And the national carnival, which really is true

01:30:11 in Adelaide and Tobago as well,

01:30:12 it's just a little different element for us here in February,

01:30:15 kicks off carnivals for any calendar year.

01:30:20 So we can boast that we're going to have those two products.

01:30:25 I heard a statement on the news report

01:30:27 that Gypsy NCC wants to play some sort of integral role

01:30:32 in terms of brainstorming and coming up with assistance

01:30:36 for the Tobago product.

01:30:38 And that is something that TOCA is welcome to be a part of.

01:30:42 The Tobago House of Assembly,

01:30:43 they have been working with us.

01:30:45 So I mean, NCC now coming on board

01:30:47 with their special skills and know-how,

01:30:51 sure, it's something that we're willing

01:30:52 to sit at the table with them as well and have a discussion.

01:30:55 - Yeah, Mr. Sandy, it was a pleasure speaking with you.

01:30:57 Thank you very much for the update.

01:30:59 - Excellent, Marlon, same to you.

01:31:02 - All right, bye for now.

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01:34:16 - All right, so welcome back, everyone.

01:34:18 So it's another time to laugh, eh?

01:34:21 So we do have the humorous Calypso show that is coming,

01:34:26 and we do have event organizer Hamidullah Wahid.

01:34:29 Hamidullah, thank you very much for coming this morning.

01:34:31 - Thank you very much, Marlon.

01:34:33 Thank you, TV6.

01:34:34 Thank you for all who have ears and listening and paying attention.

01:34:36 - Ah, boy.

01:34:38 Hamidullah had lyrics, boy.

01:34:40 So tell us about this Calypso show.

01:34:42 - Well, actually, you know, first of all, it's Kaiser History Month.

01:34:45 - Yes.

01:34:46 - And so we want to give respect to all the media houses

01:34:48 who have been so far giving us nice vibes,

01:34:51 and that has come on tremendously.

01:34:53 And our contribution, that is, we've been the Capstone Promotion

01:34:56 and Calypso Unit is our contribution in the Calypso History Month.

01:35:01 Humor and more, because we recognize that the humor in the Calypso

01:35:05 take in a kind of beating and that kind of thing,

01:35:07 so we want to bring back to the funeral.

01:35:09 And of course, we understand some of the stress and tension.

01:35:12 We want you to come and laugh again.

01:35:14 - Yeah.

01:35:15 - Kick up your shoes and, you know what I mean,

01:35:17 come on, free up yourself and get a good laugh

01:35:19 and look at the attitude of the artists that we have here

01:35:22 in terms of how we could interfere in a nice way in this environment.

01:35:25 - Yeah.

01:35:26 And let me tell you, it's good to see this happening

01:35:29 because the humorous Calypso has been an integral part of Calypso

01:35:35 and Carnival over the years, so it's good to see that you're having this show.

01:35:38 When is this show?

01:35:39 - The 9th of the 11th.

01:35:41 - Yeah.

01:35:42 - That is two days before Memorial Day, two days before the Uttamasutra.

01:35:47 You could imagine that.

01:35:48 - Uh-huh.

01:35:49 [laughter]

01:35:51 - So two days after your birthday.

01:35:54 - Two days before my birthday.

01:35:56 - Before your birthday.

01:35:57 - Yeah.

01:35:58 - All right, all right.

01:35:59 - Memorial Day is the 9th of the 11th, 1952.

01:36:01 That was the day the earth stood still.

01:36:03 - Okay, all right.

01:36:04 - And we say, "No, we want to commemorate and put everything inside it."

01:36:07 So the show is on the 9th of the 11th.

01:36:09 - All right, Abedullah, you're good in your clothes, boy.

01:36:11 So who are some of the people performing at this event?

01:36:14 - There's a lot of nice people, man.

01:36:21 Errol Fabian, Alicia Richards, Joel Parsons, Rask Amanda, Maria Bola, Eunice Peters.

01:36:29 We have an addition, a brother called Juba, Errol Fabian, did I call you that?

01:36:33 - Yeah, yeah.

01:36:34 - Yeah.

01:36:35 - And Hamidullah.

01:36:36 We're like Errol Fabian performing twice.

01:36:38 - Oh, you mean that?

01:36:39 - That's right, that's right.

01:36:40 - So you got a big one, you know?

01:36:41 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:36:42 - Mm-hmm.

01:36:43 - Yeah, and you're performing too, as you said.

01:36:45 - Oh, yes, yes, certainly, yeah, yeah.

01:36:46 - Mm-hmm.

01:36:47 Is this a calypso show for everyone?

01:36:54 When I mean, you know, how you all could become a little spicy?

01:36:57 - No, well, I'm not sure I understand your connotation because I know spice and the same variety is spice of life.

01:37:04 So I don't know if that's what you're referring to.

01:37:06 - I don't want to come with, I don't want to bring my children and then a little spicy thing, you know?

01:37:10 - No, no, no, you could work with your children because we're very, very conscious as to how we handle ourselves.

01:37:15 - Yeah.

01:37:16 - We come from a period of language and things, you know, we know language.

01:37:18 - True.

01:37:19 - We didn't come just the other day on, you know what I'm saying?

01:37:21 - Yes, there's an art to the thing.

01:37:22 - There's an art to how you present the thing, you know what I mean?

01:37:24 So that you could work with your children.

01:37:26 You could work with the priest and all if you want to.

01:37:28 - Mm-hmm.

01:37:29 - You know what they say, every priest could play mass, right?

01:37:32 - That's right.

01:37:33 - Yeah?

01:37:34 So did we speak about where the venue is?

01:37:39 - The venue is Cafe Blues and Rising Road.

01:37:42 That's right in the back of St. Manon Waterfront Trade Union.

01:37:44 And we must also, we're glad to see this part too because in this time when you have a little merchandise, you want to make sure it's safe.

01:37:51 - Yeah.

01:37:52 - Like talking about your vehicle.

01:37:53 - Right.

01:37:54 - So your parking is very safe, we have people taking care of you.

01:37:56 And of course the bar where we get you all the nice drinks and refreshments, well taken care of.

01:38:01 - Yeah.

01:38:02 - Yeah, yeah.

01:38:03 - And it's from what time?

01:38:04 - From half past seven.

01:38:05 And we sat in on time, eh?

01:38:07 We ain't joking that, we say half past seven, we mean that.

01:38:10 If there's one answer down there, we go on.

01:38:12 - Yeah.

01:38:13 - We talk about half past ten.

01:38:14 - So is it that the performances are going to be, let's say, calypsos from the past?

01:38:23 And are you all also going to have new calypsos, humorous calypsos?

01:38:27 - Well, the entire show is about calypso, humorous calypso more or less.

01:38:30 - Yes.

01:38:31 - But when we say and more, in the event that the customer is always right,

01:38:35 they might make a demand of certain people to, you know what I'm saying?

01:38:38 But generally, it's a humorous calypso show.

01:38:40 - Yeah.

01:38:41 - So you're laughing from the first note.

01:38:42 - Yeah.

01:38:43 - Yeah.

01:38:44 - And I'm sure that because it's a few days before your birthday,

01:38:49 that you have something special for people.

01:38:52 - Well, obviously, well, I intend for starters, I wanted to do some new work.

01:38:55 - Right.

01:38:56 - So I presented some new songs in this whole play.

01:38:58 And that in itself is a gift for me and them to share.

01:39:01 - Yeah.

01:39:02 - How long have you been singing humorous calypsos, Amidula?

01:39:05 - Well, calypso in general, I've been singing for about almost 40 years now.

01:39:08 - Yeah.

01:39:09 - You know what I mean?

01:39:10 I'm proud to say that because, you know, it's always nice or easy to start,

01:39:15 but to maintain, to be consistent, to be inside still,

01:39:19 I think I would like to pat myself on my shoulder.

01:39:21 I think that's a tremendous contribution.

01:39:23 I thank myself and the people who have been supporting me over the years

01:39:26 to ensure that I stay on course.

01:39:28 - Of course.

01:39:29 - Yeah.

01:39:30 - Do you know that during the carnival season,

01:39:33 there are humorous calypso competitions and so on?

01:39:39 - Well, that's what we're hoping to do.

01:39:41 That's part of the reason of the show is to bring back,

01:39:44 to redirect the organizers and the people who in the art form

01:39:48 who have put on shows to remind them that, hey,

01:39:51 the humorous element is an integral part of the business.

01:39:53 So you want to see getting back that kind of attention, you know?

01:39:56 - Yeah.

01:39:57 - How do we get more and more people?

01:40:00 Of course, we are seeing an influx of young people into the calypso genre.

01:40:06 So I suspect we can't say calypso on the whole is in good hands.

01:40:12 But when we're speaking about this, speaking about the art of humorous calypso,

01:40:18 that is an art, you know, Hamidou.

01:40:20 - It's a challenge.

01:40:21 It is a serious challenge to--

01:40:23 At first, I want to say I don't know language.

01:40:28 You have to learn the story.

01:40:30 If you do not social commentary, I'm talking about a straight social commentary,

01:40:34 and you slip up in a line of here, you could still survive, you know?

01:40:37 But in a humor, when you take off, you better make sure you ascend all the time.

01:40:42 - Yeah.

01:40:43 - You understand?

01:40:44 So it is more challenging to my mind to do what we consider to be a good humor,

01:40:50 humor as a whole, but you think that calypso-nians such as you and let's say Tuco,

01:40:58 you think that you all are doing enough, or is there a need to do more

01:41:03 to teach the younger calypso-nian when it comes to humorous calypso?

01:41:08 - Well, you could always do more, but I think part of the problem is that, you know,

01:41:13 when you come to the tent and you see a man and a woman in general,

01:41:17 and they laugh so readily and so easy, they take it for granted that that song there,

01:41:22 I could go to the savannah or even vie for the monarchy because it didn't see us enough.

01:41:27 You don't have the big language, the heavy-laden language and philosophy.

01:41:30 But if you were to examine some of the humorous songs, like for instance,

01:41:33 that song we are now playing, you realize that the underbelly in the song

01:41:37 is a serious statement he's making, but the laugh is so easy that you take it for granted,

01:41:43 so you find that these songs have been treated with that kind of respect.

01:41:46 What you have is that songs that are laden with a lot of, well, we call it big lyrics,

01:41:51 and people say, "Kaiso, bwana, dakinete," and, you know, so that, you know,

01:41:55 and that's how we are. - But I suspect it's more challenging

01:41:58 to write a humorous calypso. - It is more challenging.

01:42:00 All the time. My mind is more challenging, you understand, to write a humorous calypso.

01:42:05 Very, very challenging, yeah. - All right.

01:42:07 Hamidullah, just remind us again, when is the event and where people can get tickets and so on?

01:42:14 - Yeah, well, the 9th of the 11th, Cafe Blues, we're boasting, we've inspected the car park,

01:42:19 we're concerned about safety these days. Yeah, tickets could be at, well, 760-2882,

01:42:28 750-850, and also at all Tuku offices. Yeah? - Yeah.

01:42:36 - And madam, we're inviting you to try that, I mean, come on.

01:42:40 - If I run in down there, are you doing a rendition for me?

01:42:43 - Why listen to you? You have a sense of humor that we could use.

01:42:47 Hamidullah, it's a pleasure speaking with you, you know.

01:42:49 - None of that. - Thank you for your contribution to calypso over the years.

01:42:53 - Thank you. - And we wish you all the best for your event.

01:42:57 - Thank you, my brother. Honestly, I appreciate it.

01:42:59 - All right. So we are going to a very short break. We're coming back.

01:43:02 - Yeah.

01:43:03 [Music]

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01:43:31 [Music]

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01:44:07 - The 2023 Jazz Concert Series for the Holy Trinity Cathedral Restoration Project

01:44:12 is going down south.

01:44:14 Saturday, October 21st, 7pm at Sapper.

01:44:17 South's first lady of jazz, Fonette Bigford,

01:44:20 welcomes steel-pan virtuoso Dr. Ray Holman,

01:44:23 ace musician, Leston Paul,

01:44:25 and the legendary Brother Valentino.

01:44:27 Tickets go on sale at the Sapper box office Thursday, September 28th,

01:44:31 online at suntix.com/events or call 288-TIXX

01:44:37 or Sapper box office 219-7272, extension 6015.

01:44:43 General seating 200, VIP 300.

01:44:46 A night of great music for a great cause.

01:44:49 See you at Sapper.

01:44:53 - Inspiration through song makes our souls rejoice.

01:44:57 ♪ Wow, tell the world of Jesus ♪

01:45:02 ♪ Tell of the wondrous things he has done ♪

01:45:05 - Inspirational dance is fueled by this person.

01:45:07 ♪ Wow, spread the gospel people ♪

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01:45:18 - Join us every Monday morning at 8.30am

01:45:22 right here on TV6 for our many moments of inspiration.

01:45:26 ♪ Not to shout, Dr. Gage is terrible ♪

01:45:31 ♪ I can't stand the size of your needle ♪

01:45:34 - All right, everybody, so it's time to open up our lines.

01:45:44 We just have below, maybe about nine minutes again.

01:45:48 So you're calling us on 299-0047, and the extension is 1995.

01:45:53 Let me do that again very, very slowly.

01:45:57 The new numbers today,

01:45:59 I suspect we'll get the old ones tomorrow, all right?

01:46:03 We'll return to the old ones.

01:46:04 So the new numbers today, you're calling us on 299-0047.

01:46:09 The extension remains the same, 1995.

01:46:16 So 299-0047, the extension remains the same, 1995.

01:46:21 Late start for parade, tired, tardy masqueraders,

01:46:27 exhausted after an action-packed weekend of a sister isle

01:46:31 were the cause for the late start of the parade of the bands

01:46:34 at Tobago Carnival yesterday.

01:46:37 So said Tobago House of Assembly Secretary

01:46:39 of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities, and Transportation,

01:46:43 Tasha Burris, called it to begin at 9 a.m.

01:46:47 The first band did not appear along the Milford Roads

01:46:50 Cabra Parade route until 3 p.m.,

01:46:53 much to the frustration of hundreds

01:46:55 of eagerly waiting spectators.

01:46:57 We do have a first call.

01:46:58 Good morning, caller.

01:47:00 - Good morning, Captain Marlon.

01:47:03 - Yes.

01:47:04 - I'm reviewing public.

01:47:05 - Yes.

01:47:06 - Now, can I call Jackie today?

01:47:07 Because I'm ready next.

01:47:09 - Yes.

01:47:10 - What's up?

01:47:11 I'm Richiella.

01:47:12 Marlon, I spoke to you recently.

01:47:14 I wanted to--

01:47:15 - Studio, could we raise the audio a little bit

01:47:18 so I can hear the caller?

01:47:20 Yeah.

01:47:21 Go ahead, caller.

01:47:22 - You hear me now?

01:47:23 - Yes, loud and clear.

01:47:24 You go ahead.

01:47:25 - Yes.

01:47:26 So, Marlon, I have a little problem, right?

01:47:29 And I'm looking for a little assistance

01:47:32 because, you know, I had a submission done

01:47:36 by a master in court on the 27th of July, okay?

01:47:42 - Mm-hmm.

01:47:43 - They asked me to make submission,

01:47:46 and it was accepted because they didn't appeal.

01:47:50 They didn't appeal, right?

01:47:51 And up to now, three months now,

01:47:54 I can't get my--the award that was given to me, Marlon,

01:48:00 and I'm suffering because I was in the crazy lockdown,

01:48:04 and they--they--I was ordered to get punishment,

01:48:08 but I got the wrong punishment.

01:48:10 The flogging was the wrong flogging, I guess,

01:48:13 and all now, Marlon, my spine, my shoulders,

01:48:16 and all different parts of my body is red,

01:48:19 you know, and pressure, Marlon.

01:48:20 - All right, here's what.

01:48:21 I think that we will have to go a little more in-depth

01:48:24 into your matter so that we can assist you.

01:48:27 Madam producer, if you could take his phone number,

01:48:30 so I'll try to give him a call a little later

01:48:33 so that we can find out exactly what has happened

01:48:36 and if some level of assistance could be given to you.

01:48:39 All right?

01:48:40 You're calling us on 299-0047.

01:48:43 The extension is 1995.

01:48:46 Again, 299-0047.

01:48:49 The extension is 1995.

01:48:51 NCC wants a bigger role.

01:48:53 National Carnival Commission Chairman

01:48:55 Winston "Gypsy" Peters said he is hopeful

01:48:58 that in going forward with Tobago's October Carnival,

01:49:02 there is more involvement

01:49:03 of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival governing body.

01:49:06 Now, the Express spoke with Peters

01:49:08 in Scarborough, Tobago yesterday

01:49:09 during the parade of the bands.

01:49:11 Peters said, "I want to see Tobago have a better cohesion

01:49:15 "with the National Carnival Commission

01:49:17 "where we can sit down and plan.

01:49:19 "I've just spoken with the Tobago House

01:49:21 "of Assembly Secretary for Tourism.

01:49:24 "We had a wayside meeting, really,

01:49:26 "and we are going to have meetings as early as November

01:49:30 "so we can put our carnival things in place for next year

01:49:33 "so you would see a much improved carnival next year

01:49:38 "because we will be a bigger part of it."

01:49:41 We do have another call.

01:49:42 Good morning.

01:49:44 - Hey, morning, man.

01:49:45 Morning, how are you doing? - Morning.

01:49:46 Yes, I'm good.

01:49:47 - Hey, man, hey, hear this now.

01:49:49 Local government reform.

01:49:51 And it's called alien thing, that's all.

01:49:53 That was a bunch of fake news.

01:49:55 That's all.

01:49:56 They're using local government reform

01:49:58 to advertise a local government election.

01:50:00 And as soon as local government election,

01:50:02 they are saying nothing about local government reform.

01:50:05 They want you to let that thing

01:50:07 just occupy the media space

01:50:09 because they have no set up of official.

01:50:12 Local government reform, you're not saying anything about it.

01:50:15 And they say, "Oh, it's not about local government election."

01:50:19 Everyone, you just do your thing here.

01:50:22 - All right.

01:50:23 You know, I think that--

01:50:24 (clears throat)

01:50:25 Excuse me.

01:50:26 I think that so many things would have happened

01:50:29 following that election.

01:50:30 And you know how we are in Trinidad and Tobago.

01:50:32 We just move from one thing to the other,

01:50:34 to the other, to the other.

01:50:35 So it was good that you revisited

01:50:38 the issue of local government reform.

01:50:40 And I think that it would be good for us in the media

01:50:43 to look to see how the process has been going towards that.

01:50:48 Because I think in the run-up to the election,

01:50:51 much was said about local government reform

01:50:54 and spoke about efficiency and adequacy

01:50:57 at regional corporations and so on.

01:50:59 So it would be good to analyze to see how it is working out.

01:51:03 We do have another call.

01:51:04 Good morning, caller.

01:51:06 - Good morning, Marlon.

01:51:07 - Morning.

01:51:08 - Good morning to the treasure.

01:51:10 (laughs)

01:51:12 Please forgive me this morning.

01:51:15 I heard your first interview,

01:51:17 and I had just to go--

01:51:18 A person of my age, I had to go and take a little exercise

01:51:22 and come back.

01:51:23 And I was hoping to come back in time to give you my response.

01:51:27 - Yes.

01:51:28 - I am sure you realize after interviewing the person

01:51:32 that we as citizens are helpless in the whole scenario

01:51:37 because every time you call somebody to ask them

01:51:40 to explain a situation that is going on in this country,

01:51:44 you get a feeling everybody kicking the can down somewhere,

01:51:47 and there's sort of bureaucratic nonsense.

01:51:50 This one can't hear this.

01:51:52 This one can't see this.

01:51:53 This one--

01:51:54 And it's a whole set of rigmarole.

01:51:56 Nobody can sit down with you

01:51:57 and give you a straight answer, yes or no,

01:52:00 how this is a problem and how we could resolve it.

01:52:03 And I think this is something that you will have to spread

01:52:06 like a butterfly over all the ministers who appear before you

01:52:09 to deal with various issues

01:52:11 because we are fed up of being this scapegoat

01:52:15 for all the people who are not accountable

01:52:19 and they can get away with murder.

01:52:22 Thank you.

01:52:23 - All right, thank you very much.

01:52:24 And, you know, I do agree with you.

01:52:25 I think that the pharmacy board is going to have to say something.

01:52:28 I know that TV6 would have done an interview

01:52:31 with the health minister yesterday,

01:52:33 and he tried to give some assurances

01:52:35 in connection with this matter,

01:52:36 but I think it would be prudent for the pharmacy board

01:52:39 of Trinidad and Tobago to say something

01:52:41 because when you're speaking about expired goods

01:52:45 and you're speaking about unregistered goods,

01:52:48 well, then that creates a sort of narrative in people's minds.

01:52:55 And, you know, I'm sure that this could have an impact

01:52:59 on pharmacies in Trinidad and Tobago.

01:53:01 So I suspect it would be good to say something.

01:53:04 Mova is on the line.

01:53:05 Mova, good morning.

01:53:07 - Good morning, Dr. Cunzin.

01:53:08 How are you?

01:53:09 - I'm good.

01:53:10 - Good.

01:53:11 Would you be able to do something via your medium

01:53:14 to inform the HBC personnel

01:53:16 that the Ramdell-Mohabir apartments in Pelican Extension

01:53:20 have a continuous problem with the lack of water --

01:53:23 not lack of water, no water at all in their taps.

01:53:26 - Give us the address again very, very slowly

01:53:29 because I think we're having some interference.

01:53:31 Could you give us the address where there's no water?

01:53:34 - Ramdell-Mohabir lands in Pelican Extension in Mova,

01:53:37 and this is a continuous dilemma for us.

01:53:42 - Yeah. All right.

01:53:43 Well, sir, I know that personnel from WASA,

01:53:46 they view the program, so hopefully they have heard you,

01:53:50 and something is going to be done about that situation in Mova

01:53:54 where you have no water.

01:53:56 All right?

01:53:57 So that's going to be it for our program for today.

01:53:59 Thank you to all of you.

01:54:00 Join us right back here tomorrow morning

01:54:03 for another edition of "The Morning Edition."

01:54:06 Bye-bye, everybody.

01:54:08 - ♪ Me and me melder lying low ♪

01:54:10 ♪ When I heard her talk on a creeping walk ♪

01:54:15 ♪ As I look around frightfully ♪

01:54:17 ♪ With a lightening descent of a cemetery ♪

01:54:20 ♪ You talk about rap and nearly break me head ♪

01:54:23 ♪ Me living, running from the dead ♪

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