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00:00:00 ♪ I'm gonna be a paragon ♪
00:00:02 - And good morning Trinidad and Tobago
00:00:04 and the rest of the world.
00:00:04 I'm Marlon Hopkins and welcome to "The Morning Edition."
00:00:07 It's Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023.
00:00:09 And thank you very much for joining us.
00:00:11 I hope that you had a good night
00:00:12 and that you're safe and sound with us this morning.
00:00:14 You know, I was just listening to that song
00:00:16 and I'm wondering, do parang bands still visit
00:00:19 people's homes during the Christmas, on Christmas day?
00:00:23 I know that in the past that would be done.
00:00:25 Places like Paramin and Lopino and small villages
00:00:29 all across the country, but I'm not sure that it happens
00:00:32 in the city areas of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:00:35 But I remember my relatives speaking about that
00:00:39 in areas such as St. Joseph and what it was like.
00:00:42 But I'm just wondering if it's still happening, yeah?
00:00:45 Because you have to be very careful these days
00:00:47 as to who you are allowing into your home, right?
00:00:49 Not so?
00:00:50 Yeah, that's a sad state of affairs
00:00:52 that we're living in in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:00:53 Anyway, let's check out the Daily Express.
00:00:56 On the front page, father recalls
00:00:59 shot daughter's trauma at hands of husband,
00:01:02 abused for years.
00:01:04 Kamala willing to talk to prime minister on crime.
00:01:07 Bandit soldier held at station
00:01:10 and a picture there, mass characters.
00:01:13 And they were performing at We to the World
00:01:17 at the National Academy for the Performing Arts
00:01:21 in Port of Spain.
00:01:23 The event was part of the Caribbean Tourism Month
00:01:26 celebrations hosted by the Ministry of Tourism,
00:01:29 Culture and the Arts together with Visit Trinidad
00:01:32 and the Port of Spain City Corporation.
00:01:36 Yeah, let's check out some sport now.
00:01:38 Some good news, right?
00:01:39 Not so?
00:01:40 Yeah, massive win.
00:01:41 Eve thrilled with 2-1 victory over USA.
00:01:44 Trinidad and Tobago head coach, Angus Eve,
00:01:46 is thrilled with his team's 2-1 win
00:01:48 over defending champions USA
00:01:50 and the second leg of their 2023-2024
00:01:54 Concacaf Nations League A quarterfinal on Monday night
00:01:57 at the Hazley Crawford Stadium.
00:02:00 He said, "This is a massive win for us.
00:02:03 "I thought we played some really, really good football,"
00:02:05 Eve said afterwards.
00:02:07 "We moved the ball around, we've created a lot of chances.
00:02:10 "And on another day, we probably might have scored
00:02:13 "the four goals that we needed to have an opportunity
00:02:16 "to take the game a little bit longer, extra time."
00:02:20 All right, so good news for the squad there.
00:02:24 Yeah, it's always good when they're doing well.
00:02:27 So let's remind you of our Trinbago, your nice feature.
00:02:30 Remember to participate, WhatsApp your videos
00:02:31 or images to 737-3778.
00:02:36 Yeah?
00:02:37 All right.
00:02:40 All right, okay.
00:02:41 So, all right.
00:02:43 So we do have a great program for you for today.
00:02:48 Of course, one of the major issues still on the front burner
00:02:53 and I suspect rightly so is the issue of crime.
00:02:57 We are going to be discussing that.
00:02:58 And also we are, you remember a few weeks ago,
00:03:01 there were massive water problems, if I can say that,
00:03:05 affecting people all across the country,
00:03:07 but I know that Central and also South, they were hard hit.
00:03:12 Well, we are going to be discussing that
00:03:15 a little later on, all right?
00:03:17 So look forward to that interview.
00:03:20 So we are going to a very short break.
00:03:21 We are coming back.
00:03:22 (upbeat music)
00:03:25 - Have a Merry Christmas from SFCCU
00:03:38 with an incredible seven load.
00:03:40 Available from November 1st to December 31st.
00:03:42 Apply now for up to seven times your shares at SFCCU.
00:03:47 Call us today at 657-5669 or visit us online at sfccu.com
00:03:52 for more information on the incredible seven load
00:03:55 only from SFCCU.
00:03:57 Normal lending criteria applies.
00:03:59 - 'Twas the month before Christmas, the season of chaos.
00:04:04 Donna was worried she wasn't ready for Christmas,
00:04:07 but the everything planned she signed up for one day
00:04:11 marked the beginning of gig speeds
00:04:13 and the season of giveaways.
00:04:15 Home makeovers, groceries, tech and cash galore
00:04:18 for paying her bill and switching to more.
00:04:20 What were the chances?
00:04:22 Donna thought with a blush.
00:04:23 Flo truly meant it when they'd said, "Christmas is on us."
00:04:28 (upbeat music)
00:04:34 ♪ Don't call it a comeback ♪
00:04:36 ♪ I'm in it for damn ♪
00:04:37 ♪ 12th man, 12th man, 12th man ♪
00:04:40 ♪ Oh, gives you all, saves you all the time ♪
00:04:44 ♪ Gives you the best football in the world ♪
00:04:48 Passionate, impulsive, dedicated, decisive, loyal, sincere
00:04:53 are the 12th man attributes.
00:04:56 Join Andre Errol Batiste on TV6
00:05:01 for the 12th man season four.
00:05:03 - Brought to you by Tiger Tanks and Coca-Cola.
00:05:10 (upbeat music)
00:05:13 (upbeat music)
00:05:15 - We're here at the Vikas Country Club in Barakpur
00:05:17 for TV6 and Taj 92.3 FM's newest, most vibrant,
00:05:22 most energetic singing competition
00:05:24 to hit Trinidad and Tobago, Dhamal.
00:05:26 (singing in foreign language)
00:05:41 (upbeat music)
00:05:43 (upbeat music)
00:05:57 (singing in foreign language)
00:06:03 (upbeat music)
00:06:05 - All right, so welcome back everyone
00:06:28 and a very special good morning to all of you.
00:06:32 You know, as I look through the newspaper this morning,
00:06:36 a lot of issues here, but a lot of crime.
00:06:38 And one story that has hit me
00:06:41 is the story on the third page of the Daily Express today.
00:06:46 Dad, shot woman faced years of abuse.
00:06:51 Now the woman who was shot in the chest
00:06:53 by her estranged husband on Monday,
00:06:55 as she sat inside a San Fernando insurance company
00:06:58 had been physically abused by the man for years.
00:07:01 Her father said yesterday,
00:07:02 Basde Rajgobin said his daughter, Anisa Agimola,
00:07:07 had also faced harassment on a continual basis.
00:07:11 And let me tell you,
00:07:12 I think that yes, there are mechanisms in place
00:07:15 to help women who are being abused,
00:07:18 but something more still has to be done.
00:07:21 I know that safe spaces have been created
00:07:24 all over the country and organizations
00:07:26 continue to do this work.
00:07:28 But you know, sometimes as in every country,
00:07:32 some are falling through the cracks
00:07:34 and we need to do a little more
00:07:36 to protect not only our women,
00:07:39 but also for them to understand
00:07:42 that they don't have to stay in situations such as these,
00:07:47 and that there is help available,
00:07:49 there's assistance available,
00:07:51 and there are safe places, right?
00:07:54 But much more has to be done,
00:07:56 because to me, this is a very sad state of affairs.
00:08:00 All right, can we move on, studio?
00:08:02 All right, so as I told you earlier,
00:08:05 we are discussing the issue of crime.
00:08:07 It remains on the front burner, as it rightly should.
00:08:12 Over the weekend, there were a number of murders,
00:08:16 especially in Port of Spain and it's in Varens.
00:08:19 Also, there seems to be an uptick in gang,
00:08:23 in criminal gang activity in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:08:26 Well, we are speaking this morning
00:08:28 with Professor Renée Cummings,
00:08:30 Artificial Intelligence Ethicist,
00:08:32 and the first data activist in residence
00:08:34 of the School of Data Science at the University of Virginia,
00:08:37 where she was named Professor of Practice in Data Science.
00:08:40 She's also a non-resident senior fellow
00:08:42 at the Brookings Institution,
00:08:44 and a distinguished member
00:08:45 of the World Economic Forum's Data Equity Council.
00:08:48 She's also a criminologist and criminal psychologist.
00:08:51 Professor, good morning.
00:08:53 Good morning, and of course, good morning, Trinidad
00:08:56 and Tobago.
00:08:57 Yeah, Professor, it's always good to speak with you,
00:08:59 and we do appreciate you spending some time
00:09:02 with us this morning.
00:09:03 Professor, as we look at the crime situation
00:09:06 in Trinidad and Tobago, what's your perspective?
00:09:10 What's your analysis of this?
00:09:12 Because I think that the police will tell you,
00:09:13 well, they are trying.
00:09:15 I think that the government will tell you,
00:09:17 they are also trying,
00:09:18 but we have not gotten the desired results.
00:09:21 I would say there are many ways
00:09:25 to look at the challenges that we're facing,
00:09:28 but I think if we really want to get strategic
00:09:31 and scientific, and really look at the ways
00:09:35 in which we can address crime and criminality,
00:09:38 and of course, increase public safety,
00:09:40 and really enhance quality of life
00:09:43 in our beautiful Trinidad and Tobago,
00:09:45 we've got to think about the data.
00:09:47 I think one of the things that I've realized
00:09:48 is that we have collected an extraordinary amount of data
00:09:52 as it pertains to crime and criminality and violence,
00:09:55 and homicide, but I think the challenge
00:09:57 from a policing perspective
00:09:59 is how do we really analyze that data?
00:10:02 What's the real narrative?
00:10:04 How do we create solutions?
00:10:05 I think on the government level,
00:10:07 we are yet to see really a spark of brilliance
00:10:10 when it comes to creative problem solving.
00:10:12 I think what we really need to do,
00:10:15 we really need to understand,
00:10:17 and I've said this for the last decade plus,
00:10:19 that knowledge plus innovation plus imagination
00:10:24 can create some really spectacular solutions,
00:10:26 and one of the things that we have not used yet
00:10:29 when it comes to the fight against crime,
00:10:32 which is reducing criminality and violence
00:10:34 and making this country safer,
00:10:36 is imagination combined with data,
00:10:39 combined with innovation, and combined with experts.
00:10:43 We have experts in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:10:45 We have criminologists, we have criminal psychologists,
00:10:48 we have data scientists, we have forensic psychologists,
00:10:51 we have police officers, we have police experts,
00:10:55 we have people who are skilled in law and public policy.
00:10:58 What is stopping us, Marlon?
00:11:00 Sometimes I think maybe it could be
00:11:02 a collective kind of low self-esteem
00:11:05 where we don't believe that we can really come up
00:11:08 with the solutions to our own challenges.
00:11:10 - Yeah, Professor, I think that there's a perception
00:11:13 that we're really stuck
00:11:16 and we're really going around in circles
00:11:19 because I think that sometimes when we hear
00:11:21 about the anti-crime measures,
00:11:23 to me, and I'm sure to other people out there,
00:11:27 it just seems like it's the same things
00:11:29 we are trying to do over and over and over and over,
00:11:33 and there has to be this sort of out-of-the-box thinking.
00:11:37 - Definitely.
00:11:40 One of the things that we don't do
00:11:41 is evaluate the programs that we deploy,
00:11:43 and many of the programs that we try to deploy
00:11:46 are cut-and-paste programs,
00:11:48 either from the US or Canada or the UK.
00:11:51 Many of these programs don't have a cultural fit,
00:11:53 they're not culturally appropriate,
00:11:55 and they don't come with the requisite level
00:11:57 of cultural intelligence
00:11:59 that is required for Trinidad and Tobago.
00:12:01 The other thing is when you look at the age
00:12:03 of the individuals who are perpetrating crime
00:12:05 and you look at the age of the individuals
00:12:07 who are coming up with the policies,
00:12:09 you see an extraordinary amount of disconnect.
00:12:11 You have a lot of young people
00:12:13 who are now perpetrating crime
00:12:15 and using the internet and social media
00:12:17 and Instagram as places where they speak about the violence
00:12:21 before the violence trickles down to the streets.
00:12:23 Whether or not the technology that we have
00:12:25 or the individuals who are deploying the technology
00:12:28 from the law enforcement and national security side
00:12:31 really or truly understand how to gauge
00:12:34 these different avenues are very, very critical,
00:12:39 and you're quite correct.
00:12:40 For the last two decades,
00:12:41 we have been doing the same thing.
00:12:43 For the last two decades,
00:12:44 our detection and clearance rate for homicide
00:12:47 has been under 20%.
00:12:49 That is abysmal.
00:12:50 That is failure.
00:12:52 But we continue to do the same things over and over.
00:12:55 No evaluation of the program,
00:12:57 no kind of evaluation of the data.
00:13:00 We are doing things in a very uninformed way.
00:13:03 We are not bringing an evidence-based,
00:13:06 data-driven, intelligence-led approach
00:13:09 to the ways in which we are thinking,
00:13:11 and it comes back to that question of knowledge,
00:13:14 imagination, innovation,
00:13:17 and if we truly understand
00:13:19 that these lives that are being lost
00:13:21 are not criminal lives, they are human lives,
00:13:25 lives that, given an intervention,
00:13:27 have the opportunity to do something extraordinary
00:13:30 for this country.
00:13:32 - And you know, interestingly enough, Professor,
00:13:34 I had a conversation earlier this week,
00:13:37 and the conversation was about the lack of evidence
00:13:43 that the police or police officers are claiming,
00:13:46 that they just don't have evidence.
00:13:49 And my position was, and as you intimated,
00:13:53 you have persons who are on social media,
00:13:56 and they're telling you,
00:13:57 they're literally telling you that I am this and I am that,
00:14:00 and this is what I'm going to do,
00:14:02 and they're throwing up the gang signs,
00:14:04 and they're even making threats.
00:14:06 And to me, that is an indication
00:14:10 that there is evidence to do this.
00:14:12 And I think that the legislators will also tell you,
00:14:16 and the police will also tell you,
00:14:17 that we do have mechanisms in place
00:14:20 to adequately and effectively deal with criminal gangs
00:14:24 in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:14:25 So if you have most of what is needed,
00:14:29 and you have an admission of guilt by people,
00:14:33 then to me, what is the problem?
00:14:36 Is it that you have to enforce?
00:14:39 Is it a lack of action on the part of the police service?
00:14:42 What is it?
00:14:43 - Well, when it comes to turning information into evidence,
00:14:48 that requires a requisite level of skill
00:14:51 and a requisite level of training.
00:14:53 And I think we have seen at the level,
00:14:56 when you look at something like homicide,
00:14:58 when you look at the detection rate,
00:15:00 and when you look at the clearance rate,
00:15:02 you realize that if you are operating
00:15:04 at 20% detection and clearance for the last,
00:15:08 and I'm being generous when I say 20%,
00:15:11 because some years it has been 9% and 10% and 15%.
00:15:15 When you look at that,
00:15:16 you realize that evidence gathering is a challenge.
00:15:19 You realize that building a case is a challenge.
00:15:23 You realize that prosecuting a case is a challenge.
00:15:27 So oftentimes when you hear the police are saying
00:15:29 that we are training our officers,
00:15:31 you've got to ask yourself, what are you training them in?
00:15:35 And who is conducting that level of training?
00:15:37 A training is something, as we all know,
00:15:40 I mean, think about academic or educational training.
00:15:43 You can get all qualities of training.
00:15:45 So I think we really have got to rethink.
00:15:48 And I think also the police executive,
00:15:52 have got to look within their ranks
00:15:54 and really try to pull out the individuals in there
00:15:58 who have the requisite skill sets,
00:16:00 who have the kind of motivation and inspiration
00:16:04 that is needed at this moment,
00:16:05 because you have so many police officers
00:16:08 who are well-trained,
00:16:09 but it comes to the question of,
00:16:10 are they getting the opportunity?
00:16:12 We know that in our police service,
00:16:13 seniority often leads before talent.
00:16:17 Often seniority could lead before intelligence at times.
00:16:20 But what we really want to do is really come up
00:16:22 with more innovative and imaginative strategies.
00:16:25 And it's something that we have not seen.
00:16:27 And I continue to say,
00:16:28 we have all the talent that is required
00:16:31 in Trinidad and Tobago
00:16:32 to treat the crime and criminology.
00:16:34 Just the approach has been really, really archaic.
00:16:38 The individuals who are trying to deploy these approaches,
00:16:41 I think they need to upskill
00:16:43 when it comes to the knowledge that's required.
00:16:45 And when it comes to this kind of new understanding
00:16:48 we have when it comes to crime and criminality
00:16:50 and evidence gathering,
00:16:52 and how do we deploy science?
00:16:54 How do we deploy science instead of serendipity?
00:16:57 And really the many unfortunate approaches
00:16:59 that we have seen deployed
00:17:01 on the streets of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:17:03 - Yeah, I think professor,
00:17:04 you would agree that there has to be
00:17:06 a more holistic approach.
00:17:08 When trying to deal with crime in Trinidad and Tobago,
00:17:11 I think that there is the perception
00:17:13 in Trinidad and Tobago
00:17:14 that the police service is being seen
00:17:18 as the panacea when dealing with crime.
00:17:23 So if you have a flare up of violence at schools,
00:17:26 you put the police.
00:17:28 If you have shootings on the streets,
00:17:29 you put the police.
00:17:30 And everything else,
00:17:31 if you have to deliver a baby,
00:17:33 you call the police.
00:17:34 And that is how I think that we are
00:17:36 in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:17:37 But as I said,
00:17:38 I think you would agree that
00:17:39 a more holistic approach needs to be adopted
00:17:43 to deal with it.
00:17:44 But professor, if I could,
00:17:47 there's also an argument
00:17:48 that the judiciary needs to do more.
00:17:52 And there's a feeling that there is a disconnect
00:17:55 between the judiciary
00:17:57 and what is happening in society at large,
00:18:01 re the crime situation.
00:18:03 But I think there's a level of hesitation
00:18:06 with how do we bridge that gap?
00:18:09 Because of course, you know, professor,
00:18:11 there's an issue of separation of powers
00:18:13 and you don't want people to feel
00:18:15 that you're stepping on their toes.
00:18:18 So how do you navigate that?
00:18:20 - Well, there's a triad
00:18:23 when it comes to reducing crime and criminality,
00:18:25 and it's the police, the courts, and the prison.
00:18:28 So you hope that your police
00:18:29 is going to apprehend and build a case
00:18:32 that they take to the court.
00:18:33 The court is going to sentence.
00:18:35 And of course your prison is going to do the rehabilitation,
00:18:38 the re-socialization,
00:18:40 and really deal with re-entry issues
00:18:42 and reduce recidivism.
00:18:44 In Trinidad and Tobago,
00:18:45 I think each arm of the triad does its own thing
00:18:50 because we don't see it as that kind of holistic approach,
00:18:54 but they've got to work together.
00:18:56 The judiciary has got to respond.
00:18:58 I think what we're seeing a lot of in Trinidad and Tobago
00:19:01 is a concept called legal cynicism.
00:19:04 And legal cynicism says when the citizen
00:19:07 does not believe that justice is being served in real time,
00:19:12 the citizen takes it upon his or her or their selves
00:19:15 to serve justice.
00:19:16 And I think that's what we're seeing
00:19:18 when we think about revenge and retaliation
00:19:21 and the ways in which people are operating
00:19:22 as a law unto themselves.
00:19:24 Because somehow they believe that the judiciary's response
00:19:28 is not going to be real time.
00:19:29 And somehow they believe that the kind of response
00:19:33 they're gonna get from the police
00:19:34 may not be real time as well.
00:19:36 So we have got to think about that
00:19:38 because when you have the kind of crime
00:19:41 that's being perpetrated with such impunity,
00:19:44 and this is what is shocking about Trinidad and Tobago,
00:19:47 it's broad daylight crime.
00:19:49 Broad daylight crime means that
00:19:51 there is no fear of apprehension.
00:19:54 There is no fear of prosecution.
00:19:56 There is no fear of incarceration.
00:19:59 There is no fear that the law is ever going to respond.
00:20:02 And that is the most troubling thing
00:20:04 about the ways in which crime is being perpetrated.
00:20:08 It's being perpetrated in a most brazen way.
00:20:11 And when that is happening,
00:20:13 I think it needs more than our politicians saying,
00:20:16 let's have a talk.
00:20:17 What you've got to bring in now are really the experts
00:20:21 who are going to come up with multi-level strategies
00:20:24 to treat with the challenges that we're seeing.
00:20:27 - Yeah.
00:20:28 And professor, let's speak a little bit about those talks.
00:20:31 I know that you would have been monitoring, I suspect,
00:20:35 this proposal to have talks.
00:20:40 We're seeing that it looks very iffy at this time
00:20:44 because the government has laid down certain conditions.
00:20:48 The opposition has laid down certain conditions.
00:20:51 All in the face of, yes, rising crime
00:20:55 and a high level of fear in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:21:01 How do you see what has happened
00:21:03 with these proposed talks, professor?
00:21:06 - I think it's very unfortunate
00:21:08 because it really speaks to the fact
00:21:11 that there is a critical dysfunction that exists.
00:21:15 You do not play politics with people's lives.
00:21:18 People are dying in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:21:21 Young people are amusing themselves to death.
00:21:24 Homicide is extremely high.
00:21:26 Our country is being sold
00:21:27 as one of the most violent places in the world.
00:21:31 This is not about talk.
00:21:33 This is not about showboating.
00:21:35 This is not about posturing.
00:21:37 This is about human lives.
00:21:39 And human lives require a real-time response
00:21:43 to treat with these challenges.
00:21:45 I continue to say, if you want to solve a problem,
00:21:49 who are you going to go to?
00:21:51 If you have a problem at home
00:21:53 where your plumbing is not working,
00:21:55 are you going to call me?
00:21:56 No, you're not going to call me.
00:21:57 You are going to call someone with that level of expertise,
00:22:00 which is going to be a plumber.
00:22:02 So when we are dealing with crime,
00:22:04 why are we calling politicians?
00:22:06 Politicians are struggling with the legislation.
00:22:09 They definitely don't have the expertise that is required.
00:22:13 You have universities in Trinidad and Tobago,
00:22:15 UTT, UWI, there's another one, I'm sorry.
00:22:20 I can't remember all at the moment.
00:22:22 Up in the, I can't remember what it is,
00:22:25 but there's so many of them, right?
00:22:27 And you have so many experts who are coming out,
00:22:29 being trained in criminology, national security,
00:22:33 justice issues.
00:22:35 How many lawyers do we have in Trinidad and Tobago?
00:22:37 I mean, we have a lawyer at every street corner, right?
00:22:41 What are we doing?
00:22:41 We've got the expertise.
00:22:43 What is stopping us?
00:22:44 I ask myself over and over, do we have an identity crisis?
00:22:48 Is it that as a collective, we have low self-esteem?
00:22:50 Is it that we don't believe in ourselves?
00:22:52 Is it that we don't see our human lives
00:22:55 in Trinidad and Tobago as worth anything?
00:22:58 We need to be fighting for young people.
00:23:01 We need to be fighting for their existence.
00:23:04 We need to be ensuring that we are making our communities
00:23:07 thrive and uplifting our communities.
00:23:09 We need to be demanding of our communities
00:23:12 that they come up with a solution
00:23:14 because crime is not happening in the stratosphere.
00:23:17 It's happening in a community.
00:23:18 And in all of those communities, you have police officers,
00:23:22 you have lawyers, you have sociologists,
00:23:24 you have educators, you have mentors,
00:23:28 you have leaders in those communities.
00:23:31 So we have got to also ensure that the communities
00:23:34 have a voice in what those solutions are,
00:23:37 not these one-off town halls that police officers go
00:23:41 and oftentimes talk down to community members
00:23:44 or talk down to people.
00:23:45 We've got to bring a new strategy
00:23:47 and that new strategy may require new people.
00:23:50 - Yeah. Is there a role for the citizen in all of this?
00:23:53 Because from time immemorial,
00:23:56 the police have been calling on citizens.
00:23:58 If you see something, say something.
00:24:02 But again, there's a level of fear.
00:24:04 The police will tell you, well, here's what.
00:24:06 We have put mechanisms in place for people
00:24:11 to feel a level of comfort, confidentiality,
00:24:17 that your information is going to be treated in that way.
00:24:21 But on a daily basis, they continue to call on the citizens
00:24:26 for help, for assistance.
00:24:27 What is the role of the citizen in all of this?
00:24:30 - Well, the role of the citizen is really to partner
00:24:33 with the police to reduce crime and criminality.
00:24:36 The public and the police are co-producers
00:24:39 in reducing a crime rate.
00:24:40 But it comes back to public trust, public confidence,
00:24:44 and whether or not you believe the strategies
00:24:46 being deployed by the police are legitimate.
00:24:49 But in Trinidad and Tobago at the moment,
00:24:51 citizens are not comfortable and confident
00:24:54 with sharing information with the police.
00:24:57 Because oftentimes we read reports which allege
00:25:01 that police officers are often perpetrators
00:25:04 of many of the crimes that we are seeing.
00:25:07 So I think when it comes to the confidence level,
00:25:10 you cannot expect a citizen or anyone living
00:25:13 in this country at the moment to feel comfortable.
00:25:15 There was a case not too long ago with a teenage girl
00:25:19 somewhere in the deep South who took it upon herself
00:25:23 to do the right thing.
00:25:25 She was a victim of sexual assault.
00:25:27 The report said that she loved crime TV.
00:25:30 She wanted to be a police officer.
00:25:32 She went to the police station and she made a report
00:25:35 and she was dead.
00:25:36 And I think her dad was dead and her uncle was dead.
00:25:39 And I mean, are you kidding me?
00:25:41 And you are going to say to people,
00:25:43 go to the police and make a report?
00:25:46 It's absurd.
00:25:47 If you want that kind of confidence from the citizenry
00:25:52 or anyone who lives in the country,
00:25:54 then you have got to show us that we can count on you.
00:25:59 And at this moment in time,
00:26:00 the police is not showing us that, nor the government,
00:26:03 nor the Ministry of National Security, nor the courts.
00:26:06 - Yeah, I think law enforcement will tell you, Professor,
00:26:10 that they have not lost control of the situation,
00:26:13 re-crime, but I think, again,
00:26:16 I think that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago
00:26:18 are very concerned about it.
00:26:21 Let's deal with that.
00:26:24 Have they lost control of the crime situation
00:26:28 in Trinidad and Tobago?
00:26:30 - Well, Marlon, I think we've got to throw the question
00:26:32 back to the police and ask them to define control
00:26:34 and ask them to tell us
00:26:35 when they ever thought they had control
00:26:37 and ask us to tell us what were the strategies they used
00:26:40 to keep control.
00:26:41 And I think if they were to answer any of those questions,
00:26:44 then we would get a better sense
00:26:45 of what control means to the police.
00:26:47 But from a public perspective, right,
00:26:50 from a criminological perspective,
00:26:51 from a police science perspective,
00:26:53 from a law and professional policing perspective,
00:26:56 I think it looks kind of sketchy, right?
00:26:58 I think what we're seeing with a high homicide rate,
00:27:01 it's unfortunate that homicide remains to be the barometer
00:27:05 for measuring police performance.
00:27:08 There are other things as well,
00:27:09 police use of force, accountability and transparency,
00:27:12 whether or not they're gathering evidence,
00:27:14 whether or not they're winning their cases in the court,
00:27:16 whether or not they're prosecuting individuals
00:27:18 or helping or, you know, aiding the prosecution.
00:27:21 So I think the police need to define control for us.
00:27:25 And when they define that, then we may have a better idea.
00:27:27 Maybe they think the situation right now is under control,
00:27:31 but I think they really need to go back to their data.
00:27:34 And I think they really need to bring more creative eyes
00:27:36 to the ways in which they analyze that data.
00:27:39 - Yeah.
00:27:40 Let me ask this question that I asked someone some time ago.
00:27:44 Is this the calm before the storm
00:27:47 or is this the storm before the calm?
00:27:50 And also, do we see a turnaround
00:27:55 in this situation anytime soon?
00:27:57 - I think it's more like shipwreck, okay?
00:28:02 I think it's more like shipwreck.
00:28:03 And I think this is the point
00:28:05 where we've just got to rescue the one
00:28:07 who can help us in this fight against crime.
00:28:10 And those minds that are archaic
00:28:12 and really not functioning,
00:28:14 they've just got to sink and go out to retirement.
00:28:16 You know, we've got to come up with a better strategy.
00:28:18 Now, Marlon, I love this conversation,
00:28:20 but we need to discuss the other conversation
00:28:22 that I'm here to discuss
00:28:23 and why I'm actually in Trinidad and Tobago, right?
00:28:26 - Okay, all right, yeah.
00:28:27 Yeah, of course, of course, of course.
00:28:29 Well, Professor, I wasn't aware that you were back home,
00:28:31 so it's good to have you back home.
00:28:33 - Well, thank you.
00:28:34 And I'm here for the Big Data Forum
00:28:36 happening at the Hyatt.
00:28:38 Started yesterday.
00:28:39 I am speaking today at 1230,
00:28:42 and my conversation looks at the ways
00:28:44 in which we can use artificial intelligence,
00:28:47 data, and robotics to enhance citizen security.
00:28:50 I'm going to explore all the many ways
00:28:52 that we can deploy AI in policing,
00:28:54 crime fighting, of course, in the courts,
00:28:57 and look at the kinds of rewards and the kinds of risks
00:28:59 and ways in which we can upskill in real time
00:29:02 to deal with many of these challenges
00:29:04 using innovation and imagination,
00:29:06 and of course, analyzing big data
00:29:08 and really harnessing the power
00:29:10 of this extraordinary technology
00:29:12 to advance many of the things that we want to do
00:29:14 from a citizen security and public safety perspective.
00:29:18 So I'm inviting Trinidad and Tobago
00:29:20 to come down to the Hyatt.
00:29:21 It's free to the public.
00:29:23 You can get there at 12 o'clock.
00:29:24 I speak at 1230,
00:29:25 and it's going to be a very engaging conversation.
00:29:28 There's oftentimes this big fear around technology
00:29:31 and data and AI. - Of course.
00:29:32 - Part of my work that I do internationally speaking
00:29:35 is really democratizing and decolonizing the technology
00:29:38 and really bringing public engagement
00:29:40 around the ways in which every citizen needs to understand
00:29:43 the power of their data
00:29:45 and what that data can do to really enhance
00:29:48 the quality of governance,
00:29:49 the quality of service delivery,
00:29:51 and of course, the quality we get
00:29:53 when it comes to crime prevention
00:29:55 and of course, crime control.
00:29:56 - Yeah.
00:29:57 Professor, you think that more and more people
00:29:59 are coming on board, reAI.
00:30:01 I know that there have been many concerns,
00:30:04 both here and internationally, concerning AI.
00:30:08 As I, of course, you know, we were at the data,
00:30:11 we were at the forum yesterday,
00:30:14 and I suspect, Professor, you know that AI
00:30:19 has been around for some time now,
00:30:22 but I think a few months ago,
00:30:24 there was this level of fear that AI will soon replace us.
00:30:29 You think that people have a more understanding
00:30:33 and they are more educated about it
00:30:34 and they are more embracing of it?
00:30:37 - Well, I think people have been using AI
00:30:40 for quite some time.
00:30:41 It's not a new concept.
00:30:42 It was deployed about 56 years ago,
00:30:45 several US professors at Dartmouth University.
00:30:49 I think people have been using AI forever,
00:30:51 many of them not understanding the power of the algorithms.
00:30:54 If you're using social media, if you're using Netflix,
00:30:56 if you're shopping on the internet,
00:30:58 you're using an algorithm.
00:30:59 The challenge is that many individuals don't understand
00:31:03 the power of an algorithm to do great things
00:31:05 and the power of an algorithm to do very dangerous things.
00:31:08 I think on the international level,
00:31:10 there's been much conversation
00:31:12 because of the extraordinary investment.
00:31:14 We see all the G7 countries,
00:31:16 we see the President of the United States most recently
00:31:19 deploying an executive order,
00:31:20 ways in which we need to bring more responsible governance
00:31:24 to the technology.
00:31:25 I think in the Caribbean, the conversation
00:31:28 has not really gotten the kind of traction that's required.
00:31:32 And I think what we're seeing now
00:31:34 is more and more conversations
00:31:36 as more and more investment continues
00:31:39 to be poured into this technology.
00:31:40 We know at some of the highest levels,
00:31:42 we're seeing the kind of conflict
00:31:44 between innovation and ethics.
00:31:46 And one of the things that I bring to the space
00:31:48 is an ethical approach to understanding
00:31:50 how we maximize this technology.
00:31:53 And I think what I want to focus on in my conversation
00:31:57 at noon today, which is afternoon,
00:31:59 would be the ways in which we can truly harness the potential
00:32:03 to reduce crime and criminality and enhance public safety
00:32:07 and ways in which our technical mind.
00:32:10 So I'm encouraging police officers and technocrats
00:32:13 at the different ministries and any individual
00:32:15 who's leading really at this moment in time
00:32:19 has got to have emotional intelligence.
00:32:21 They have got to have digital intelligence
00:32:24 and they've just got to have some intelligence.
00:32:26 And if you combine all three intelligences,
00:32:29 then we're going to probably get some really
00:32:31 creative solutions to the ways in which we approach crime,
00:32:34 reducing crime and criminality
00:32:36 in our beautiful Trinidad and Tobago.
00:32:39 - Professor, it's always a pleasure speaking with you.
00:32:41 Again, welcome back home.
00:32:43 And we wait with bated breath
00:32:46 for your presentation later at the Hyatt.
00:32:49 Bye for now, Professor.
00:32:50 - Thank you so very much.
00:32:51 Goodbye Trinidad and Tobago.
00:32:52 See you at 1230.
00:32:53 Bye bye.
00:32:54 - Okay.
00:32:55 All right, so we are going to a very short break.
00:32:57 We are coming back.
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00:35:42 (upbeat music)
00:35:45 - I think that this song says it all.
00:35:57 To introduce our next segment,
00:35:59 and we do have the chief executive officer
00:36:01 of the Water and Sewage Authority, Mr. Kelvin Romaine.
00:36:04 Mr. Romaine, it's always good to see you.
00:36:06 - Likewise, good morning to you
00:36:07 and good morning to your viewers.
00:36:08 - Good morning, good morning.
00:36:09 And we appreciate the fact that you have come
00:36:11 to studio to speak to our viewers this morning.
00:36:14 Of course, Mr. Romaine, over the past few months,
00:36:18 it would seem that the water problems affecting communities
00:36:23 have become worse.
00:36:26 We have heard situations about communities
00:36:29 not having water for two or three months.
00:36:32 And that is being told to us by residents
00:36:35 of certain communities, let's say in Central
00:36:38 and South and so on.
00:36:39 Has there been any improvement since?
00:36:43 - I would say so.
00:36:44 But just to put it in perspective, Marlon,
00:36:46 and for the listening public,
00:36:49 for the past couple of months,
00:36:51 there would have been some unforeseen circumstances
00:36:56 as well as planned.
00:36:58 When I say planned, I mean, we have had the DeSalle shutdown
00:37:03 and that was planned.
00:37:06 We would have had an unforeseen circumstance
00:37:09 where we had an issue at one of our major plants,
00:37:12 Azekarani Water Treatment Plant,
00:37:13 which obviously would have since been resolved.
00:37:16 But because of the fact that we have those two major plants
00:37:21 being out, we have a time-based system.
00:37:24 Water takes time to reach from one location to the next.
00:37:28 So once the plant goes back into production,
00:37:31 it takes time to build and that volume of water
00:37:34 need to take time, sorry, to fill those taps.
00:37:39 Fill those pipes.
00:37:41 Because of that and those time differences
00:37:45 between our shutdowns,
00:37:47 we have issues in terms of reaching the customer.
00:37:50 The water, to reach the customer, there's an issue there.
00:37:53 - Of course.
00:37:55 - So that's just to put it in perspective.
00:37:59 That would have exacerbated the issues,
00:38:01 particularly in the far areas,
00:38:05 the extreme points, we would call it,
00:38:07 and higher elevation areas.
00:38:08 Those are under the system.
00:38:11 Also, you have to take into consideration
00:38:12 we have a Karani plant that is located in the Piakwa area
00:38:17 and services areas in central and south Trinidad.
00:38:21 Those areas go as far as Pinal, Separia, Labre.
00:38:26 We have the DeSalle plant that is located in central
00:38:29 that services basically the same areas in central and south.
00:38:33 So what we are seeing,
00:38:37 once we have that disruption, any disruption,
00:38:40 it affects a major part of the country.
00:38:44 What we are doing about it,
00:38:46 the question is what we are doing about it.
00:38:48 Quite recently, we would have seen
00:38:51 that we would have drilled some wells in the Freeport area,
00:38:55 increased the production at our Freeport water treatment plant.
00:38:59 The Freeport water treatment plant
00:39:01 would have been designed to do about 3.5.
00:39:04 However, it was doing about 2.4, 2.5 thereabout.
00:39:08 That additional well supply would have increased
00:39:11 that plant production to about 3.5 million gallons,
00:39:15 which now obviously would increase the supply
00:39:18 to the surrounding areas.
00:39:19 We did experience some increase in the levels of service,
00:39:24 and that is the kind of moves or practices that we are doing.
00:39:30 We are localizing the supply
00:39:32 because we have issues with those supplies
00:39:35 that are far or distant away from the communities.
00:39:40 Quite recently, you may have seen as well
00:39:44 an expression of interest by NIPTEC
00:39:46 for us to augment some of our supplies
00:39:48 in some of the communities,
00:39:50 namely Ikakos, Mayaru, Moruga, Santa Cruz, to name a few.
00:39:57 So our solution is to localize that supply.
00:40:02 Now, the question is, I mean,
00:40:04 arguably we produce 240, 245 million gallons of water per day,
00:40:11 and arguably that is sufficient to supply the country,
00:40:17 that's Trinidad and Tobago.
00:40:18 Yes.
00:40:19 However, because of our capacity infrastructure constraints,
00:40:25 meaning that distance, that distance for that water to move,
00:40:30 we need to have that localized supply.
00:40:35 In addition, what we expect is with more water,
00:40:40 you expect more leakage,
00:40:42 and we are working as well to mitigate that.
00:40:46 With an aging infrastructure also.
00:40:48 Yes, certainly, certainly.
00:40:50 So we are working on network optimization
00:40:54 and efficiency through our NRW program.
00:40:57 So we are attacking it on all fronts.
00:41:01 Yeah.
00:41:02 So it is safe to say that people can expect an improved water supply,
00:41:08 I suspect, in the next few months into next year?
00:41:11 Certainly. As I said, it started already with Freeport.
00:41:17 We have some exercises in terms of well drilling exercises
00:41:20 currently being undertaken in the Granville, Chatham area as well.
00:41:25 We are about to start, we started our repo wells.
00:41:27 Those are three wells that would service the northeastern area of the country.
00:41:32 We are also about to initiate or commence some well drilling exercises in the Mayara area,
00:41:38 where we are looking to drill three additional wells.
00:41:40 So we are augmenting our water supply to ensure that we have that increased and stable water supply.
00:41:50 What is the state of our reservoirs at this time?
00:41:54 I know that there was a concern.
00:41:56 And also I want to put it in the context that the dry season is coming.
00:42:01 Certainly. And obviously that is a concern for Wausau.
00:42:06 Quite recently we would have seen some rainfall.
00:42:09 We did benefit from that, particularly in the Hollis Reservoir.
00:42:13 I had personal concerns with the Hollis Reservoir,
00:42:17 and I did indicate to the public that we are managing that reservoir
00:42:23 so that we could try to build it before dry season.
00:42:26 In fact, on the last occasion, I believe I would have spoken to the public and the media,
00:42:32 it would have been around 50 to 55 percent.
00:42:35 I'm happy to report that it's 77 percent as of this morning.
00:42:41 All of the other reservoirs are above long-term average.
00:42:45 Most of them are at 100 percent, actually.
00:42:48 We have Hillsborough spilling. We have our Arena Dam spilling.
00:42:52 Now it is about 90 percent. So that would be considered acceptable.
00:42:56 My eyes are still on our Hollis Reservoir.
00:43:00 And I mean, I would have brought it in the context of our concerns, obviously, with climate change.
00:43:07 Yes. And that is a direct effect of climate change.
00:43:11 We are seeing a difference in our weather patterns.
00:43:16 Sometimes even in dry season, we have some extreme weather patterns
00:43:21 where we see heavy rainfall. So we are preparing for that.
00:43:26 In fact, I am happy to state or say that we are establishing a climate control department in Wausau
00:43:34 as one of the initiatives where we would actually measure our carbon footprint
00:43:40 and assess our carbon footprint and look at ways to reduce it.
00:43:47 So that I would believe it would redound to only the benefit.
00:43:51 I know that there has also been a concern, re-leaks, because again of your aging infrastructure.
00:44:01 How has that process gone in trying to rectify that situation?
00:44:06 Okay. So we would have embarked on a series of projects
00:44:11 which would have seen the replacement of some of the age infrastructure,
00:44:17 some of the high leakage means, high boost frequency means in various communities.
00:44:22 That will be stepped up. But more so, we want to do it in a strategic way.
00:44:27 While we have the issue of age infrastructure,
00:44:30 we also have to look at the quality of materials that we use.
00:44:33 We have to look at the quality of repair.
00:44:36 We have to look at how we operate our system and the pressures that exist.
00:44:42 And we have to look at the loading on the roadways.
00:44:45 So if it is that we have a particular roadway and we expect some heavy loading,
00:44:50 we may have to go deeper. I would also like to state that we are partnering
00:44:57 with the University of the West Indies to do some studies, some soil studies for us,
00:45:02 particularly in the southern area where the soil conditions are a bit different.
00:45:07 So that would feed into our decision with regards to the type of pipes
00:45:14 that we use while installing pipelines.
00:45:18 Have we been wasting too much water in Trinidad and Tobago, you think?
00:45:22 Well, we have a culture of wastage and why I can safely say that
00:45:27 because I would have seen some figures myself.
00:45:31 The mere fact that we are unmetered removes that cap.
00:45:36 You know, we pay one set ETV rate per quarter and per quarter
00:45:41 and you could use as much water as you want.
00:45:45 You know, so there needs to be some demand management
00:45:50 and we are about to implement some of those things.
00:45:54 Yeah. Do you think that because there is also the argument
00:46:00 and we're seeing it happening at TNTec where there have been
00:46:06 proposed rate increases for electricity,
00:46:13 as you look at WASA and its rates on the surface,
00:46:20 is there need for an increase in rates, you think?
00:46:23 Certainly, and from a financial aspect,
00:46:28 our revenues are not sufficient enough to finance our operating costs
00:46:35 and therein lies the problem.
00:46:37 So it means that in itself, you would want to review your rates.
00:46:42 But obviously, that's left to the RIC.
00:46:46 What I could say, however, while a rate increase is required,
00:46:52 there are certain guidelines by, you know, the UN and stuff
00:46:56 in terms of availability of water to all.
00:47:01 But we definitely require some level of increase
00:47:05 in terms of to ensure that the organization remains financially viable.
00:47:10 Yeah. How is WASA doing financially?
00:47:14 Because I know that there was also some talk that customers,
00:47:23 some customers, many customers are not paying their rates.
00:47:29 And I know that it was said that the WASA would be on an exercise,
00:47:35 embark on an exercise to get these funds from its customers.
00:47:40 How has that gone? And as I said, how is WASA doing financially?
00:47:44 Right. So, I mean, I would have just mentioned that we are subsidized
00:47:50 by our sole shareholder, the government.
00:47:53 We receive some subventions.
00:47:57 Our subventions amount to about 70 percent of our operating costs,
00:48:02 which is not good, you know, in terms of the organization being sustainable.
00:48:08 With regards to our customer initiative in terms of soliciting payments,
00:48:14 and payments, owed payments, we have our due diligence.
00:48:20 We send out our letters. We have credit checks in some instances.
00:48:24 And the last resort, which we do not want to do at all, is to disconnect.
00:48:29 So I always encourage our customers to be in good standing with the authority.
00:48:34 It also provides for, you know, requests for truck-borne water,
00:48:38 because if you're not in good standing, we don't usually provide that truck-borne service.
00:48:44 Are you in a healthy state financially, or are you in the red?
00:48:50 Well, because we are subsidized, I would say we are in the red, you know, truthfully.
00:48:58 So we usually, at times, literally have to go cap in hand to the government.
00:49:04 But we are on route.
00:49:07 And I believe all the initiatives that we are about to take
00:49:11 would put us in the trajectory of being a financially viable organization.
00:49:16 I'm confident of that.
00:49:18 Let's speak a little bit about the restructuring of WASO.
00:49:21 I know that was a hot topic some months ago.
00:49:25 How is that exercise going?
00:49:27 What I could see from my end is that WASO has been engaging with its employees.
00:49:36 Actually, we initiated a roundtable exercise where we listened to employees
00:49:41 and listened to what they would think WASO should look like
00:49:47 and what ideas they would have in terms of going forward.
00:49:50 And that exercise would have started, and it is going to continue.
00:49:55 As it stands, WASO is primarily manually run,
00:50:01 which means that it is labor-intensive.
00:50:06 So at this point in time, the labor is required.
00:50:10 What we are sorting to do is through that transformation,
00:50:16 use technology in most instances, and in particular in terms of data acquisition,
00:50:23 so that we would be informed and we can plan better
00:50:29 and optimize our labor force.
00:50:32 Yeah.
00:50:35 You have a situation sometimes, Mr. CEO,
00:50:39 where people who are experiencing water problems in communities--
00:50:46 and I think that the argument sometimes is that WASO takes so long to respond.
00:50:54 Sometimes they would call here and they would say,
00:50:56 "Well, I've been trying to call WASO's trouble line,
00:51:00 and we are being given assurances, and the WASO crews are not coming,
00:51:04 and they're not responding," and so on.
00:51:07 Is there a need for an improvement there?
00:51:11 Certainly, and I would admit that at times we have some issues with regards to response.
00:51:19 It's no secret that WASO is generally in a kind of crisis mode.
00:51:23 We always respond in crisis throughout the network.
00:51:30 With regards to our call center, there is currently some improvements happening as we speak.
00:51:40 We expect some new software to be added to the call center,
00:51:44 but more so there was--with some assessment there was some--
00:51:50 there was a shortcoming with regards to information reaching the call center as well.
00:51:54 So you know that we have to go full circle.
00:51:57 We have to have the information coming into the call center,
00:51:59 the call center being able to communicate properly with our customers
00:52:04 and providing the correct information and also taking the information from the customer
00:52:08 and disseminating that information to our officers on the field.
00:52:14 So yes, there is an exercise at present which should see the improvement of our call center
00:52:21 and our response time to our customers.
00:52:24 Yeah. We do have just one minute again.
00:52:26 Anything else you'd like to add, Mr. Romain?
00:52:29 I would just like to add that I always encourage our customers to pee,
00:52:35 but besides peeing and being in good standing with the authority,
00:52:38 I would like to encourage customers to conserve.
00:52:41 Oftentimes we hear of non-revenue water, and non-revenue water is also on the customer's side,
00:52:47 particularly when you're on meter.
00:52:49 So it's by extension, it's WASA's system is into your house once there's no meter there.
00:52:56 So I would like to encourage customers to conserve,
00:52:59 particularly coming up to the dry season and in the dry season
00:53:02 and being in good standing with the authority.
00:53:04 Yeah. One last question. Sure.
00:53:06 As we look at outstanding monies to WASA, are we talking millions,
00:53:10 hundreds of millions, how much money are we talking?
00:53:12 We're talking hundreds of millions of dollars, hundreds of millions,
00:53:15 in the vicinity of $600 million on the domestic side particularly.
00:53:20 Yeah. All right. Mr. CEO, it's always a pleasure.
00:53:23 Likewise.
00:53:24 Thank you very much for coming this morning.
00:53:26 Thank you for having me.
00:53:27 And thank you for the assurances for communities that have been affected by water problems.
00:53:32 We do appreciate you here this morning.
00:53:34 Thank you. Thank you, Marlon.
00:53:35 So we are going to another break. We do have this video for you.
00:53:38 It was taken at the Hyatt by our crew yesterday.
00:53:41 What?
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00:55:33 [Music]
00:55:38 Good morning, I am Ansel Gibbs with a news update.
00:55:42 Police are investigating a deadly shooting in St. Augustine.
00:55:47 Reports say Keston Reed, the owner of Service Terminal Car Service, was shot dead on Tuesday afternoon.
00:55:54 Investigators told TV6 News Reed was standing outside his business place when a gunman approached him
00:56:00 and shot him several times before running off.
00:56:04 Police are still trying to determine a motive for the killing.
00:56:08 [Music]
00:56:10 Trade unions have not been doing enough to educate people about their rights.
00:56:15 This from new Communication Workers Union Secretary General Joanne O'Geer.
00:56:21 Hence the grappling challenges that we all face today in the movement.
00:56:26 There must be programs to encourage and gain confidence of those out there
00:56:31 who are still of the belief that it is not important to join a trade union.
00:56:36 We must change the look and perspective on us as trade unionists of only being rabble-rousers,
00:56:43 pounding the pavement for money, money, money.
00:56:46 I want to dispel that.
00:56:48 [Music]
00:56:49 And in the weather forecast, partly cloudy intervals with occasional showers
00:56:54 may interrupt sunny skies with low chances of showers becoming heavy at times.
00:57:00 Meanwhile, marine interests should monitor sea conditions and exercise caution,
00:57:05 especially in northern exposed coastal areas of Trinidad and Tobago,
00:57:11 as lingering swells continue to affect coastal and marine areas.
00:57:16 [Music]
00:57:24 On the outside, many of us look healthy, but there could be trouble brewing inside.
00:57:32 High levels of bad cholesterol can lead to heart disease,
00:57:36 a leading cause of death in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:57:40 Reduce your risk with a balanced diet, regular exercise, and Jameson's Omega-369
00:57:46 so you can be in good shape inside and out.
00:57:49 Jameson Omega-369, clinically proven to reduce cholesterol.
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00:57:57 Things don't always go as expected.
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00:59:09 The Trinidad Express e-paper is rated AAA, adaptable, accessible, and available.
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00:59:51 This segment is brought to you by Trinidad and Tobago IVF and Fertility Center.
00:59:57 World class specialists, capabilities, and care.
01:00:00 Fertility, step by step, your journey to parenthood.
01:00:03 Alright, so welcome back everyone.
01:00:06 We are going to begin our segment very shortly as we work out a few things.
01:00:13 But in the Daily Express today, Ivor responds today to happy people backlash.
01:00:19 Now according to a report, veteran soca star Neil Ivor George will make an official statement
01:00:24 on his controversial Carnival 2024 release, Happy People Today.
01:00:30 He says, "I am in the process of writing a response because it's plenty I have to say."
01:00:38 George said during a WhatsApp call yesterday.
01:00:40 He says, "I have to go into it a little bit more this evening and dot the i's.
01:00:45 And at the end of it, I will tell everyone and what we're going to do."
01:00:49 It's a nice response, I have.
01:00:52 "I tell them the thought process and everything behind the song.
01:00:56 I will post it and I will send it out to the media."
01:01:01 Right?
01:01:02 So that's the quote of Neil Ivor George concerning this controversy,
01:01:09 his use of the national anthem in his latest soca.
01:01:18 Okay, so it's going to be interesting to see what he says over the next few hours, right?
01:01:26 So there's another story, Griffith to PM, say it in public.
01:01:30 Former Police Commissioner Gary Griffith has dared Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley
01:01:34 to say what he has to say about him in public.
01:01:38 Commenting on the Prime Minister's statement earlier this week,
01:01:44 he said, "Nothing is stopping Rowley from saying what he has to say in the public domain
01:01:50 and not using the cloak of parliamentary privilege."
01:01:53 So this is according to Gary, this is not according to me, I'm just reading it.
01:01:58 So Keith Rowley, you have this, has nothing to do with the court preventing you from speaking.
01:02:05 We'll get back to this.
01:02:06 We'll get back to this a little later, right?
01:02:11 But we do have a very interesting segment right now.
01:02:16 Of course, we are continuing our series on fertility.
01:02:21 We do have with us this morning Dr. Catherine Minto-Bain,
01:02:25 Medical Director and Fertility Doctor of the Trinidad and Tobago IVF and Fertility Center.
01:02:32 Dr. Bain, or Dr. Catherine, thank you very much for joining us this morning.
01:02:37 Marlon, good morning everybody. It's really a joy to have you here today.
01:02:42 And we're thinking we might do something a little bit different today.
01:02:46 We thought we might cover a subject we've never talked about.
01:02:50 It's a little bit stigmatized.
01:02:53 I thought we might talk about donor sperm this morning.
01:02:55 Yes, yes. I know that is very important, Doctor.
01:03:00 Well, Doctor, let's get into it.
01:03:03 What do you have for us?
01:03:05 Absolutely. So we've talked before about some of the questions we got at our Conceiving Hope event
01:03:10 when we did this public event for fertility in July.
01:03:13 And what we found was a lot of people were asking us about donor sperm.
01:03:17 And, you know, Marlon, we discovered there's all this interest out there about whether donor sperm is available to patients in Trinidad and Tobago,
01:03:25 whether we do fertility treatments actually using donor sperm.
01:03:29 And, you know, the answer is yes. Yes, we do.
01:03:32 So I thought maybe we could talk about it today because it's obviously something people really don't know a great deal about
01:03:38 and certainly don't know how to access treatment.
01:03:41 So let's start by explaining, well, what is donor sperm?
01:03:46 Donor sperm is donor sperm that's it's sperm that's been screened.
01:03:52 It's been frozen and it's provided to a sperm bank by a man,
01:03:57 a man who's happy to give the gift of life to someone else who wants children.
01:04:02 So this is the donor sperm and it can be used to help a woman who is not his sexual partner to have her baby.
01:04:09 And it's to help a woman or a couple.
01:04:11 So the sperm donor technically is the biological father of every child produced as a result of his sperm donations because it's his genetics.
01:04:21 But by law, it's interesting. He has no parental rights.
01:04:25 He's not the legal father of the child.
01:04:27 He's giving a gift to another person and giving away any responsibility as a parent.
01:04:33 And there are two good options for donor sperm when you come to TTIVF.
01:04:38 You can choose anonymous sperm from our sperm bank or you can ask someone that you know to be a known sperm donor for you.
01:04:47 Yeah. Dr. Katherine, this is absolutely a popular topic.
01:04:52 Can you share from your experience what type of fertility patient looks for donor sperm?
01:05:00 Yeah, and you'd be surprised, actually, it's quite a few different people.
01:05:03 We see many different cases and actually, Marlon, many different reasons.
01:05:08 So obviously, people will think, OK, well, sperm donation is obviously going to use for couples where the man is unable to make sperm or has stopped making sperm.
01:05:19 Sometimes it's for couples where the man would require a surgery to go and get sperm from his testicles.
01:05:25 And he's choosing not to do that because he doesn't want to.
01:05:28 But there's other couples, there's some couples where there is severe sperm problems.
01:05:32 So the guy has sperm, but it's an extremely low numbers or the quality is very low.
01:05:39 And sometimes the quality of the sperm is so bad that it just makes miscarriages for his partner again and again.
01:05:45 And those couples will often choose donor sperm.
01:05:48 Then we've also seen couples where the man carries a genetic problem.
01:05:53 So, alpha thalassemia, other genetic issues.
01:05:57 And he really doesn't want to pass that on to his child or he has HIV.
01:06:01 He's HIV positive and he doesn't want to infect his baby.
01:06:05 And then single, single sex couples.
01:06:08 So women in a same sex relationship will choose donor sperm to have their baby.
01:06:13 And then obviously single women, lots of single women now, not found Mr. Right.
01:06:18 And they would very much like a child and they're looking at using donor sperm as well.
01:06:22 Yeah. And I think that the question, Dr. Catherine, is how does a woman get pregnant with donor sperm?
01:06:28 And what treatments do you use?
01:06:31 Yes. So, although we've got the word IVF in our clinic name, you actually don't need IVF to get pregnant with donor sperm.
01:06:39 The common route is to use something much more simple, artificial insemination, IUI.
01:06:44 But also you can use donor sperm with IVF as well.
01:06:47 So it's these two options. And with the simple treatment, the insemination, the IUI,
01:06:52 what we do is we warm up sperm and thaw it out.
01:06:56 And then we just gently release it at the top of the womb at the right time as an egg or eggs are releasing.
01:07:03 When you're doing IVF, you're thawing the sperm in the lab and bringing it into a little dish with the woman's eggs in the IVF laboratory.
01:07:11 And choosing which treatment really depends on the couple or the person you have in front of you.
01:07:16 Yeah. And Dr. Catherine, this may be a strange question for many, but I'm going to ask.
01:07:23 So is a sperm bank the only place to get donor sperm?
01:07:29 You know, Marlon, I'm really glad you asked this because you're raising a really important issue.
01:07:34 So the options I'm talking about are the ones that are ethical, the ones that are good.
01:07:39 I'm telling you about frozen sperm from a sperm bank or frozen sperm from a known donor. Frozen.
01:07:47 And what can happen is that some people in countries where there's no law controlling things can offer fresh sperm.
01:07:56 It's not allowed in most countries. It's illegal. You'd lose your medical license.
01:08:00 It's considered completely unethical for fertility clinics to do it because it puts the mother and the baby at a risk of many, many problems, including fatal diseases from infections.
01:08:13 So you need it. But you also need the sperm donor to have some thoughts and choice.
01:08:18 He needs to be screened properly. He needs to have genetic screening.
01:08:22 He needs to go through psychology just to make sure that he's doing the right thing.
01:08:26 So, you know, we only use frozen, screened, properly collected donor sperm, even when the patient's using a known sperm donor, because you're creating a baby.
01:08:37 You're creating the most important thing in the world and you have to do it properly and not have legal problems and health problems for that baby in the future.
01:08:45 So it's got to be done properly. It's not just a quick thing. It's really got to be done well.
01:08:50 So frozen sperm from a proper sperm bank is the only type of donor sperm you should be using.
01:08:55 Everything else is considered appalling to be treated with.
01:08:59 Yeah. And I'm sure as an aside, Dr. Catherine, I'm sure that there are certain risks associated with this.
01:09:09 Yeah, absolutely. So sperm carries many infections. Sperm donors can have all sorts of problems.
01:09:16 You can actually infect a pregnancy. You can infect the mother.
01:09:20 And you can with hepatitis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C. You're thinking about cytomegalovirus and you're obviously thinking about HIV.
01:09:28 We're also thinking of other viruses. When Zika hit, we were thinking about Zika and all sorts of things.
01:09:33 So it's a it's a really important thing to do properly. And if you don't do it properly, you can really damage a baby or leave a woman, a couple with a baby that with handicap difficulties.
01:09:44 You know, there's all sorts of bad things that can happen. So people need to understand for your protection and to have the healthy baby.
01:09:51 Yes. Sperm donation has to be done properly. It has to be done correctly and it has to be frozen sperm.
01:09:56 All right, Dr. Catherine, let's move on to the real people, real questions part of the show now.
01:10:02 Yeah, the exciting part. So, Valim, the first question we had is from a patient who wants to know that this guy came to us and said,
01:10:10 well, you know, how large is your sperm bank in Trinidad and how many other banks, sperm banks are you partnered with?
01:10:19 All that what I would say to him is he was looking for sperm. He's got no sperm. He and his partner wanted to consider sperm donation.
01:10:26 So what we're saying to him is, OK, so all the donor sperm at the TTIVF sperm bank at the moment is brought in from sperm banks overseas.
01:10:35 We partnered with five highly respected and accredited sperm banks, four in the USA, one in Europe.
01:10:42 We've worked with them for two decades now, most of them.
01:10:45 And we buy donor sperm from our overseas sperm bank partners and bring it into Trinidad several times a year.
01:10:51 And we have a huge, a large cryo storage unit in the IVF clinic. Cryo, actually, sorry, Marlon, cryo means frozen.
01:10:59 So cryo storage is where we have all of our tanks, our alarms, our special equipment for looking after frozen sperm, eggs and embryos.
01:11:07 So our sperm bank includes donor sperm that people in TNT would want.
01:11:11 It's mainly Eastern Indian, Afro-Caribbean, mixed donors, a bit of Chinese, a little bit of we sometimes get in people from the Middle East.
01:11:22 And we get in a little bit of Caucasian and its ethnicities that are going to suit our local population.
01:11:28 At any given time, we generally have between about three to 15 donor sperm samples available for patients.
01:11:35 And sometimes now it's getting very difficult to find nice quality mixed ethnicity.
01:11:42 So actually, at the moment, we're quite low in our sperm bank. A lot of people are coming to us and wanting it.
01:11:47 So what does it mean for you as a patient if you're looking for donor sperm?
01:11:51 It means you have three options. You can choose and purchase your sperm sample from the sperm samples we already have in our sperm bank.
01:11:58 It's all anonymous at the moment and imported in from our nice partner sperm banks.
01:12:03 You can use a sperm donor who is known to you or you can go to the sperm banks and look at what they have in stock.
01:12:09 And we will you can have the sperm imported to us. It needs to be imported to a fertility clinic.
01:12:16 Yeah. And one another major question, Dr. Catherine, let's look now at the sperm donors profile, which I suspect would be very, very important.
01:12:30 Yeah, absolutely. And it's kind of like going shopping when you're looking for sperm.
01:12:34 And it's a weird thing to be doing because, you know, you're choosing the kind of baby that you want to have.
01:12:40 And, you know, patients want to know as much quite a bit of information about sperm donors.
01:12:45 Typically, a patient is going to be looking at characteristics like the physical donor, how he looks, his educational background, his medical history is important.
01:12:56 And we provide quite detailed profiles for our sperm donors. So you can choose the donor who works for you.
01:13:02 And sometimes people want to know a bit more. Obviously, ethnicity.
01:13:06 So it's broken down by what his mother's mother was ethnically, mother's father, father's mother, father's father.
01:13:12 Sperm donors have to not be adopted so that they can give their history on their family.
01:13:18 People sometimes want a bit about what's this person like? What does this what are his values?
01:13:22 What are his, you know, is he sporty? Is he arty? Is he spiritual? Is he musical?
01:13:28 And like our egg donors, we do our egg donors in-house that are from Trinidad.
01:13:32 We get a lot of information often, you know, why did they donate? What are they thinking about?
01:13:37 So there's a lot that you would see on a profile. What you won't see is adult pictures because at the moment it's anonymous.
01:13:46 And what you won't see is lots of blood results and numbers and data.
01:13:54 You know, you're not going to get all of that. You get more of a feel for who they are and what their ethnicity is.
01:13:59 So that's the kind of profile that you get. Yeah. Dr. Catherine, we just have one more.
01:14:04 We just have time for one more question. Yeah.
01:14:08 And the questions that we get asked a lot. And the third question that really came top of the list when we did our fertility conference in July was people want to know the average cost of donor sperm.
01:14:19 And, you know, that one is a little bit complex. So when we're talking about cost,
01:14:24 it really depends so much on that patient and their particular fertility issues and your particular issues determines how we're going to get you pregnant.
01:14:33 What's the right treatment for you? And that determines cost.
01:14:37 So keeping in mind that every fertility treatment is really very specific to the treat to the person being treated.
01:14:43 I'm going to just try and break it down a little bit. The first thing to look at is the cost of the sperm and donor sperm comes in a straw,
01:14:50 a bit like a drinking straw, but a little bit narrower. And the sperm is stored down the inside of it.
01:14:56 And most people are going to buy between one to three straws of sperm from our sperm bank and they're going to that's becomes theirs.
01:15:04 And they're thinking really how many treatment cycles are they going to go through and they've got a budget for there may be one might buy one might buy two might buy three.
01:15:13 One straw of donor sperm is going to cost you around about in TT dollars, nine thousand TT.
01:15:20 It's a lot more than it used to be. And, you know, the people who came to our clinic 10 years ago, I bumped into one recently and she heard me talking at the fertility event.
01:15:29 And she said, you know, but Dr. Bain, when we had our baby, that donor sperm was more like 3000 TT.
01:15:35 And, yeah, it's a lot higher than it used to be. And that's because the sperm banks now around the world, particularly in the US,
01:15:42 they have to do a massive number of tests when screening potential donors. And the genetic testing now is very intense and it's much more expensive.
01:15:51 It's also higher now because a lot of donors, a lot of potential sperm donors, they end up getting rejected for so many reasons these days.
01:15:59 For example, when we look at people wanting to be egg donors who come to our clinic out of every hundred people, we now take seven.
01:16:08 And you're losing up on all. I mean, there's 93 people there that I started screening and that costs us money.
01:16:14 But you can't use them because somebody wouldn't choose them and they're not really ideal to be an egg donor. Same for sperm donors.
01:16:20 So on average, a patient is going to spend about nine thousand TT buying one straw of sperm.
01:16:27 You know, you only need one straw for each IVF or each insemination cycle.
01:16:32 But then you also have to think about the cost of the treatment. So when you're doing insemination,
01:16:38 that might cost you somewhere between five to eight thousand TT for one cycle when you've put together the scans,
01:16:44 the medication to grow your eggs, the scans to look at the eggs, a couple of blood tests to check you're really growing eggs and the actual insemination procedure itself.
01:16:53 If you're thinking about IVF, you're going to have a lot more costs.
01:16:57 IVF is everything in a laboratory. It's expensive equipment, expensive stuff.
01:17:03 So you're probably going to spend somewhere between 45 to 65 thousand TT for an IVF cycle.
01:17:09 Once you add your donor sperm onto that, you can see it adds up.
01:17:13 And for women who are near 40 or older in age, you can add another 10,000 TT on that because you're going to need a lot more medication to grow your eggs.
01:17:22 So younger women spend less, older women spend more.
01:17:26 Where else can you end up spending less? Well, actually, IVF can come up less for young women because some women don't choose standard IVF.
01:17:35 They go for minimal stimulation, just tablets and a little bit of injections to grow your eggs.
01:17:41 And then we do egg share IVF, where you can get a big amount off your IVF, but you're giving away half your eggs.
01:17:47 You're becoming an egg donor. As I said, the people that spend more generally are the older women.
01:17:53 They need more medication. But then some young women just turn up with problems you wouldn't expect.
01:17:59 So some young women can have really low egg levels and they're going to need a lot more medication to grow their eggs.
01:18:05 And we predict all of that for you from beforehand.
01:18:08 So some young women in their 20s come along and they're quite surprised to find out, yep, my IVF is going to cost more.
01:18:14 Some people do double stimulation IVF. Other people need an egg donor that costs a bit more.
01:18:20 So that gives you a bit of a flavor for cost because we want to be very transparent. We're a very honest clinic.
01:18:25 We want to be very open with people. And actually, what I would say, Marlon, is people are very worried about cost.
01:18:32 But the starting point in the clinic is actually a free nurse appointment because we don't expect you to pay anything to begin with.
01:18:40 And everyone can come in and chat with the nurses and get a feel for what their costs might be.
01:18:45 You don't want to have to pay to see a doctor straight off. It's much nicer to meet the staff, talk about what's available,
01:18:50 what might suit you and get a feel for what kind of costs you might be getting into.
01:18:54 So, you know, is this for me? Is this not for me? And that's a service that we provide for everyone in TNT.
01:18:59 Overseas clinics generally don't do that. And it's one of the joys of working here in TNT that we provide that service.
01:19:05 Yeah. And Dr. Catherine, just just an aside question again.
01:19:10 Is there anything that men can do to increase the quality of sperm?
01:19:18 Yeah, and actually everybody asks that. That's probably the question I get asked in clinic.
01:19:23 What can I do to boost my sperm? And the answer is the best sperm that you can make is when you're putting the healthiest things into your body.
01:19:34 There is no magic tablet that will suddenly turn on sperm production.
01:19:38 So men buy all sorts of supplements. But actually, the reality is you want to eat good fruit, good vegetables and have an excellent diet.
01:19:46 Absolutely. Take a multivitamin from an international brand that's well-made.
01:19:51 But if you start adding in lots of other supplements, none of them are really tested.
01:19:55 When they are tested, none of them improves sperm. But they've got plastics and fillers and high lead concentrations in them.
01:20:03 So a lot of these supplement tablets, if you went to the factory where they were made, you would never put it in your mouth.
01:20:09 And then you look at it, you realize the manufacturers really don't know much about what they're putting into this this tablet or capsule.
01:20:16 And it's not medicine, so it's not been tested. So supplements are probably bad for sperm.
01:20:21 So really keep your life as healthy as you can. And for anything extra, you come to a fertility clinic and we're going to look at you and really advise you on the best ways to really maximize
01:20:32 your sperm quality production.
01:20:35 All right. Doctor, we just have maybe about 30 seconds again. Anything else you'd like to add?
01:20:41 Yeah. What else can we add? We do sperm donation. We do egg donation. We even have embryos available.
01:20:50 Whilst we are currently using overseas sperm banks, we would like to get back to what we were doing in 2015,
01:20:56 which was actually screening our own donors here in Trinidad and Tobago. So watch this space.
01:21:02 Please don't all ring up the clinic this morning and offer your services as a sperm donor.
01:21:07 But if you watch this space, I think early in the new year, maybe we'll be opening up our lines to start screening local sperm donors again,
01:21:15 which will be fabulous, because what we would really like to do is have really high quality donor sperm for people in TNT,
01:21:21 but at lower cost if we can manage it. So we may well be opening up our own screening sperm bank back in Trinidad and Tobago in the future.
01:21:31 And if anybody's interested in fertility treatment, you can get us on phone, website, social media, phone 222-8341 or 622-8869.
01:21:44 We've got a website, TrinidadIVF.com, and you can find us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Trinidad Fertility.
01:21:52 Just come and search us, Trinidad IVF, Trinidad Fertility. You'll find us there.
01:21:56 Yeah. Dr. Catherine, it's always a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you very much for the information this morning.
01:22:01 Wonderful. I look forward to next week. Thanks, Marlon.
01:22:04 All right. Bye for now. So it's time for another quick break. We are coming back.
01:22:08 This segment was brought to you by Trinidad and Tobago IVF and Fertility Center, world class specialists, capabilities and care.
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01:23:13 We're here at the Vikas Country Club in Barakpur for TV6 and Taj 92.3 FM's newest, most vibrant, most energetic singing competition to hit Trinidad and Tobago.
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01:23:52 Hello, I'm Peter, an Englishman living in Trinidad for many, many years.
01:23:57 I've come to love this country because of the warm-hearted people, the diverse culture, the fantastic food and of course the great weather.
01:24:05 A few years ago I came across Habitat and boy oh boy, this is what the country needs.
01:24:09 At Habitat they work alongside families to give them a better life, providing more opportunities for families, especially the children.
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01:24:21 I work with Habitat for Humanity to make small but significant actions which contribute to the life I have come to love in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:24:28 Help build a home and a home means an awful lot.
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01:24:35 So come with me and let's make it happen.
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01:25:30 All right, a nice introduction there for the King of Soka and the author is here, Elizabeth Montano.
01:25:37 Lady, good morning and thank you very much for coming.
01:25:40 Thank you for inviting me.
01:25:42 Of course, and let me tell you, I've been telling Lady, I said, Lady, we've seen you all over the world, you know, promoting the King of Soka.
01:25:52 How has the exercise been going?
01:25:54 Very exciting and I should say very revealing.
01:26:00 I know that sometimes I influence people, I motivate people, I inspire people, but I think that going around and speaking to people,
01:26:11 I realize how the young people are really wanting to know what they should do.
01:26:18 And I think that when I speak, they listen, they ask questions and they leave saying they feel motivated and that is very satisfying.
01:26:30 Yeah, and how have sales been going, which is very important.
01:26:33 Well, it is moving because we sell it here, we sell it in the States, we sell it abroad and it keeps moving.
01:26:40 It's not like a hundred thousand yet, but I don't mind. I feel a good book never dies and never gets old.
01:26:47 You know, just like Basidi, Basidi is still on the move.
01:26:51 Somebody met me last week and said, every week I watch Basidi and that was done in 2015.
01:26:58 You know, so I'm going to continue this year, this year, a year since I have published the book and released it and we're still going strong.
01:27:09 Next year I'm going to speak at Berkeley's University in San Francisco and Miami and stuff.
01:27:15 And for people who would have read the book, purchased the book, when they speak to you, what are the biggest takeaways from the book?
01:27:27 The biggest takeaway, for example, they didn't know that Marshall was so involved and there was so much more to him than entertainment or performing on the stage.
01:27:40 And they have realized also, many of them very young, they're hearing things that they have never seen.
01:27:47 And this book has afforded them, going back in the past, some history because everything was recorded, collected and is archived.
01:27:56 Yeah. And I suspect the book not only gives a history of the King of Soka and the experiences,
01:28:09 but it could also be used as a tool to inspire young people who want to get into the industry or even inspire them on the whole.
01:28:24 Any path you take in life, I think that you can learn something from this because I tend to stress all the time on core values
01:28:35 and show the reading public or the people who will share in the book that once these values are inculcated,
01:28:44 you will find that eventually it is going to show up. And I always say this is one of my greatest takeaways from being a parent,
01:28:54 is that as our boys grow into men, we see those values manifest in them.
01:29:00 So that right through the book, I try to tell them you don't have to be like Marshall or do exactly like Marshall.
01:29:07 But here is a story of a young country boy who has made it through hard work and that input equals output.
01:29:16 And life is not a bed of roses. So people on the outside might look and say, "Good, Marshall. Rich, Marshall. Good, Marshall."
01:29:24 No, there has been a struggle. There are times when we failed, but resilience is what was important there.
01:29:33 And we always get up and go again. Then another thing I want them to take from it is that a support system,
01:29:41 a good support system is important. Marshall can't be his manager, the artist, his PR, or no.
01:29:47 So we have a very strong, strong support team.
01:29:51 Yeah. I know that you have some events coming up, Reading King of Soka.
01:29:55 Yes. On Saturday, I'm having a reading at East Gates. That will start from 1 to 5, but the reading will be from 3 to 5.
01:30:05 You can ask questions. We can discuss. You can talk to me after.
01:30:10 You can buy your books and come and get them signed and enjoy a two-hour with the ultimate insider.
01:30:17 And then next week, I'm going to Tobago. I didn't launch in Tobago, so we are launching in Tobago next week, Tuesday.
01:30:24 At the library, the Ann Mitchell Gift Auditorium.
01:30:29 Have you had an opportunity yet to, let's say, visit schools and speak to them about this experience, this story?
01:30:39 Well, I do schools or small groups. Or I do groups where you have young children coming.
01:30:48 And Saturday gone, I was in St. Augustine, Birdsong, where Birdsong, the old pan yard, is now ARC Co-Create space.
01:30:57 And what I found is there were a lot of people, young people, who came out, and they were inspired and motivated by what I said.
01:31:06 So I want to go into communities, not necessarily schools, but communities.
01:31:12 And I want to start with those where Marshall lived or live.
01:31:17 So, Siparia, Caranage, I went already, St. Augustine and Toco.
01:31:23 And we have a residence in Tobago, too.
01:31:27 I want to spread the message, especially to the youth, those who, you know, their minds are impressive.
01:31:33 Yeah. I suspect the journey does not stop.
01:31:38 No stop.
01:31:39 The journey no stop. Toco Tamu.
01:31:43 Right. As I said, we monitor the social media and we see you all over the world promoting the book.
01:31:54 So, again, the journey does not stop in the promotion of the book.
01:32:00 No, because the story continues. Plus, remember, Marshall now has been in the business for 42 years.
01:32:09 So it will take a time to tell that story.
01:32:13 Coming Friday, he's 49.
01:32:15 So I think that we have a long time to carry this on and also to show where he's going, because right now he's taking another thing.
01:32:26 He's going academic. He's also more spiritual.
01:32:31 He does his yoga and meditation and he's attending UTT. He's doing his master's in Carnival Studies.
01:32:39 Yeah. And I'm sure that his story, that people that you have come in touch with, but they can identify with his story, not so?
01:32:51 Yes. A lot, especially the older ones.
01:32:54 If you are 100 years old, you can identify.
01:32:57 If you are as young as two, you can identify too, maybe not with the past, but what you're seeing and maybe the examples that are being set.
01:33:05 So everybody can look in and maybe find something similar to Marshall's experience.
01:33:11 And to note that, for example, if you fail, you don't give up. You get up and you go again.
01:33:17 And that, as I said before, you have to work hard.
01:33:21 If you want to succeed, you can't have people doing the work for you. You have to put in those hours, that dedication, that passion, and mainly that work ethic.
01:33:33 So in looking at Marshall's story and even watching him, it tells the story in the book. You see him live it.
01:33:40 Yeah.
01:33:41 So I think that is important.
01:33:43 All right. Lady, just repeat for us again where we can see you and speak to you and look at the book again.
01:33:51 Okay. So this Saturday from 1 to 5, we'll be at Eastgate Plaza.
01:33:57 I'll be there reading from 3 to 5, but we will have a pop-up shop where you can get the books, where you can get our chocolates.
01:34:05 You know, we are also into chocolate making and maybe some other memorabilia.
01:34:09 And that goes, as I said, from 1 to 5, and the reading is 3 to 5.
01:34:13 We talk, ask questions, I read some parts of the book.
01:34:17 And then next week, Thursday, that's the 30th of November, I am appearing at the library in Tobago, Scarborough, the Anne Mitchell Gift Auditorium.
01:34:29 Yeah.
01:34:30 And that's from 6 to 7.
01:34:31 How long have you been around the soca industry?
01:34:35 Well, I started in Calypso, but altogether 42 years.
01:34:39 Yeah.
01:34:40 1982, when Marshall was seven, we started in Calypso.
01:34:44 And we're still going. Although I'm retired, I just like the drone.
01:34:49 So Lady, the question really is, when are we getting this song?
01:34:53 This song from who?
01:34:54 From you!
01:34:55 Now, now, that is another thing. You have to know your strengths and your weaknesses, and you have to know where to focus.
01:35:05 I can't focus on the singing.
01:35:07 Lady, there's AI now, you know, that can help you, right?
01:35:09 I'm not into that, but pure natural.
01:35:12 No Milli Vanilli here. Lady, it's always a pleasure speaking with you, and wish you all the best for your events.
01:35:19 Thank you very much, Martin.
01:35:21 So we are going to have a very short break. We are coming back.
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01:40:44 Alright, so welcome back everyone.
01:40:47 So we are talking about the upcoming livestock exhibition.
01:40:51 We do have in studio Dr. Anil Prasad, member of the Livestock and Livestock Products Board.
01:40:57 And we also do have Tricia Williams, chairman of the Livestock and Livestock Products Board.
01:41:03 Doctor, Ms. Williams, thank you very much for coming this morning.
01:41:07 Doctor, let's begin with you. Let's talk a little bit about the livestock exhibition.
01:41:14 Why are you all having this? What's the purpose of it?
01:41:18 Okay, so good morning again.
01:41:20 So the livestock exhibition is taking place on Saturday, November 25th.
01:41:26 We plan to start early in the morning at 7am.
01:41:28 And the primary purpose of this exhibition is that we want to encourage our livestock producers, right?
01:41:36 We want to boost livestock production in the country.
01:41:38 So our plan through this exhibition is that we'd like to have a track on new farmers.
01:41:45 So that's why we have a general public being invited.
01:41:48 And we also want to have our farmers, existing farmers coming out.
01:41:52 And at the exhibition, you'll have different areas within the ministry, all the stakeholders in one area.
01:42:01 So that's where our farmers can benefit.
01:42:03 So that they'll be able to interact, identify all the resources that are available to them.
01:42:08 And hopefully, you know, we can improve our livestock production.
01:42:11 Yeah, I understand that there are going to be four main areas of the exhibition.
01:42:15 Yes, yes. We have divided the exhibition into four thematic areas.
01:42:20 The first area we're going to be having is an educational awareness area.
01:42:24 And that's very important.
01:42:25 So again, that's for the new general public.
01:42:28 They can learn about what animals we use for livestock production.
01:42:32 They can learn something about the biology of the animals.
01:42:35 For our existing farmers, they can learn about all the resources available.
01:42:39 So we'll have stakeholders from the Ministry of Agriculture.
01:42:42 We'll have the Animal Health and Production Unit, the Poultry Surveillance Unit,
01:42:46 Predeolarsenia Unit, ADB, UTT, UWI, everyone who contributes to improving the sector will be there.
01:42:53 So that's our educational awareness.
01:42:55 From there, we move on to the live animal area.
01:42:58 So that's very important, especially for our young persons who we're trying to encourage.
01:43:02 They're going to have livestock production.
01:43:04 They can get to see what a sheep looks like, what a goat looks like.
01:43:07 They can interact with them.
01:43:08 We're going to have some calves also, pigs, poultry, rabbits, so all the different species.
01:43:14 And, of course, after you have the animals, you must have a culinary section.
01:43:19 So we're going to have local chefs producing, sort of making a variety of dishes using locally produced animals, of course.
01:43:27 They're going to have barbecue lamb, rabbit, chicken, all of these things available.
01:43:32 And also, if you don't fancy our cooking, we'll also have meat for sale.
01:43:38 So you can buy, again, lamb, sheep, all these things, chicken, eggs, so that you can prepare on your own.
01:43:45 It sounds like a one-stop shop, eh?
01:43:47 Yes, yes, totally immersive experience.
01:43:50 We try to, as our motto goes, "From protein to plate," we try to cover the whole spectrum to try and get everyone involved in livestock production.
01:43:59 Yeah. So good morning, Tricia.
01:44:01 Morning.
01:44:03 Let's talk a little bit about what the attendees can expect at the exhibition.
01:44:08 So the attendees are going to have a lot of fun and also going to be educated.
01:44:14 So what we are trying to do is to have the farmers come free of charge, of course.
01:44:19 It's no cost.
01:44:21 And we want them to be educated.
01:44:24 We want them to know that the government has different grants and incentives.
01:44:30 So we will have information booths that all these questions can be answered.
01:44:35 And, you know, we also have a lot of pre-dialyzing.
01:44:38 So we will have pre-dialyzing on site where they can have the various contact numbers and information.
01:44:44 We are also going to have national flour mills there with the variety of feeds so that the nutrition is important for animal rearing.
01:44:53 And we will have places like that.
01:44:56 We will have a bit of entertainment. That will be a surprise.
01:45:01 We will also have, most importantly, our minister there to let the farmers know, be in contact with them so that they can interact with them
01:45:11 and let them know that we as a board are there to support them as well.
01:45:15 Yeah. And I think that's very important that it is also an opportunity for the stakeholders to discuss the industry.
01:45:27 Of course.
01:45:28 To understand the help that is there and is being offered to them.
01:45:32 Because I think that sometimes they feel that sometimes they are alone and they do not know what are the options available.
01:45:43 So, again, this could be used as a great opportunity for, here's what, let's all gather in one place, let's all discuss the issues, and let's look at a way forward.
01:45:56 Yeah. So that's one of the things of the Livestock Board, Livestock and Livestock Products Board is trying to do is to bridge the gap between the farmers and the ministry and all the agencies involved.
01:46:06 Again, this is a nice forum. We have had a couple of other forums in the past, but I think this is a nice, large one for all the farmers present to attend and we can be exposed to all the activities and resources available to them.
01:46:20 Yeah. And members of the public are invited?
01:46:22 Of course. And like I said, it's free of charge.
01:46:25 Yeah.
01:46:26 And we will also have vets on site as well to give them whatever information they require.
01:46:33 Yeah. And I suspect it can also be used as an opportunity for persons who want to enter the industry to gather all the information that is needed.
01:46:44 And that is, again, one of the things that we are looking at is to attract new farmers to the industry.
01:46:48 Because, you know, in Trinidad we are trying to attain food security.
01:46:52 And the only way we can do that is to increase local production.
01:46:57 And we have our existing farmers, but we know their aging population, so we need to attract new farmers.
01:47:02 So this is why it's important to get members of the public.
01:47:05 And as Ms. Williams mentioned, it's free.
01:47:08 And we have some surprise entertainment also, so we hope persons can come out and take full advantage of this opportunity.
01:47:15 Yeah. And it's a surprise. It's surprise entertainment.
01:47:18 They have said that twice, eh? They're not telling us who.
01:47:20 So you have to go down to see.
01:47:22 But let's speak a little bit about the mission of the Livestock and Livestock Products Board.
01:47:28 So the mission of the Livestock and Livestock Products Board, we as a government board mandated to promote livestock production.
01:47:37 So that's our goal, and we've been trying to provide forums about what are some of the issues affecting farmers.
01:47:43 And then we will try to develop programs to try and address some of those problems that are occurring.
01:47:50 So our net aim is to improve livestock production in Trinidad.
01:47:54 Yeah. Is it a vibrant industry?
01:47:57 Do we have a lot of people in the industry, or is it by exhibition such as these, it is also an attempt to bring more people into the industry?
01:48:09 It is a vibrant industry.
01:48:15 And what we want to do is educate the farmers so that it's more beneficial to them.
01:48:21 Because farming is a very, very difficult job.
01:48:24 It's 365 days a week, 24 hours a day.
01:48:28 And our ministry, and it was just so amazing as how we were having this show, and everybody was enthusiastic to help the farmers.
01:48:36 And we want them to know we are here to support them.
01:48:40 Let's talk a little bit about the other functions or the objectives of the board in a more wider way, if we can speak about that.
01:48:58 So our board, we have to disseminate information, retain information, collect data.
01:49:08 So, for example, our poultry industry, our poultry sector, sorry, they are able to supply 90% of the chicken in this country.
01:49:20 Yes.
01:49:21 And thereby lowering our GDP.
01:49:24 So we want to get the other sectors up to that level with the help of the government of Trinidad and Tobago, of course.
01:49:31 And we also, 20 years ago farming and 20 years now is different.
01:49:37 You have every disease at every corner.
01:49:39 So we have to be sure that these farmers are aware of how they have their hygiene, their inbreeding, their genetics is important,
01:49:50 so that they lower their cost and able to continue farming so that they don't feel stressed out.
01:49:57 And so the different grants that we have, that the government has and the incentive that they have, they have to be able to, what do I say?
01:50:09 Access.
01:50:10 Access, correct.
01:50:11 And we know some of the farmers might have a literacy problem.
01:50:15 So we want to be able with our staff to assist them filling out the forms and engage them so that they access these grants and lower their farming costs.
01:50:24 Yeah.
01:50:25 Who comprises the Livestock and Livestock Products Board?
01:50:29 Livestock and Livestock Products Board is comprised of representatives from the various production sectors.
01:50:37 So we have representatives from the pork industry, poultry industry, small remnant industry, dairy industry.
01:50:44 We also have Tobago House of Assembly representatives.
01:50:48 So we ensure that Tobago is represented and we also have someone from the livestock processing industry.
01:50:55 So we try to ensure that all areas are covered.
01:50:58 Yeah.
01:50:59 I get the impression that, or does your board help the farmer from the beginning stages of, let's say, a project to the end of the project?
01:51:15 Because when I think about product, I'm thinking about getting it on the market also.
01:51:21 And maybe the board provides information about avenues by which the livestock farmer can use to get their products out there and in a safe way too.
01:51:31 Yes.
01:51:32 So as I mentioned, earlier this year we had three educational seminars or outreach seminars to farmers.
01:51:40 And we focused on the production aspect as well as also on the marketing aspect.
01:51:44 So earlier this year, for example, we had a seminar at Nallis.
01:51:50 We had over 100 farmers attending.
01:51:52 And in addition to the production issues, we also talked about value, what we call value-added products.
01:51:58 We talked about making, like dairy farmers, making yogurt, pasteurized milk, all different things, and avenues for marketing also.
01:52:06 Yeah.
01:52:07 And again, the exhibition is on what day, what time?
01:52:10 25th of November.
01:52:12 Yes.
01:52:13 It's from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
01:52:15 The venue?
01:52:17 Ministry of Agriculture's head office.
01:52:19 That's in Chagones.
01:52:20 Yes.
01:52:21 So just off the highway, you'll see the building just south of Heartland Plaza, right in that area there.
01:52:27 Yeah.
01:52:28 And I'm sure people can get further information via the website and so on.
01:52:31 Yes, via the website and all.
01:52:33 And on social media.
01:52:35 It's on the Ministry of Agriculture's social media pages.
01:52:38 All right.
01:52:39 Thank you very much, Dr. and Tricia.
01:52:41 Thanks.
01:52:42 All right.
01:52:43 So we are going to have a very short break.
01:52:44 We are coming back.
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01:54:04 All right. Welcome back, everyone.
01:54:20 So it's just time to say hi and goodbye.
01:54:23 Thank you to all of the persons who would have appeared on the program this morning.
01:54:28 I'm sure that they would have given you much food for thought.
01:54:33 So we do appreciate that.
01:54:35 Emmy Prime comes up this evening. Remember that.
01:54:38 We will see you tomorrow. Have a good day. Bye for now.
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