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00:00:00 ♪ It's the only time of the year ♪
00:00:01 ♪ Oh, it's Christmas again ♪
00:00:04 ♪ We wish that surely for the day again ♪
00:00:06 ♪ Oh, it's Christmas again ♪
00:00:08 ♪ We pray that they happy ♪
00:00:10 ♪ Teaching things they never see ♪
00:00:12 - And a very special good morning, Trinidad and Tobago
00:00:14 and the rest of the world.
00:00:15 I'm Marlon Hopkins, and as always,
00:00:16 welcome to the Morning Edition.
00:00:18 It's December 15th.
00:00:20 Yeah, the sprint has begun.
00:00:21 Only one more week again, you know,
00:00:23 and some days before the big day, all right?
00:00:25 So I hope that everything is going well with you
00:00:28 and your preparations are going well.
00:00:31 Today, we are going to be focusing
00:00:33 at the beginning of the program,
00:00:35 heavily on yesterday's talks with CARICOM leaders
00:00:40 and the president of Venezuela.
00:00:44 Now, I know up to late last evening,
00:00:47 discussions were still going on.
00:00:49 There was a news conference,
00:00:50 and what we will do is that we will try to,
00:00:55 well, we're trying to get as much information
00:00:59 from that news conference for you,
00:01:00 but I see that it's being published,
00:01:03 some of the details in the Express today.
00:01:06 So let's get there so I can tell you a little bit more
00:01:08 about what happened yesterday, all right?
00:01:10 Let's get to the front page.
00:01:12 So presidents of Guyana, Venezuela shake hands
00:01:15 in St. Vincent, but Ali stands firm on Esequibo,
00:01:18 peace promise, Maduro on talks will make the most of it
00:01:22 so that our Latin America and the Caribbean
00:01:24 remains a zone of peace.
00:01:27 Let me tell you some of the suggestions, recommendations.
00:01:32 So it's the latest declaration of no force.
00:01:36 The joint declaration of Argyle for dialogue
00:01:39 and peace between Guyana and Venezuela.
00:01:41 So one, agreed that Guyana and Venezuela directly
00:01:44 or indirectly will not threaten or use force
00:01:46 against one another in any circumstances,
00:01:48 including those consequential to any existing controversies
00:01:51 between the two states.
00:01:53 Two, agreed that any controversies between the two
00:01:55 states will be resolved in accordance
00:01:57 with international law, including the Geneva agreement.
00:02:01 Three, committed to the pursuance
00:02:03 of good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence
00:02:07 of a unity of Latin America and the Caribbean.
00:02:10 And four, noted Guyana's assertion
00:02:12 that it is committed to the process and procedures
00:02:15 of the International Court of Justice
00:02:16 for the resolution of the border controversy.
00:02:19 Noted Venezuela's assertion of its lack of consent
00:02:22 and lack of recognition of the International Court of Justice
00:02:25 and its jurisdiction in the border controversy.
00:02:28 And five, agreed to continue dialogue
00:02:30 on any other pending matters of mutual importance to the two
00:02:33 countries.
00:02:34 So some of the recommendations following yesterday's talks.
00:02:40 We are going to, as I said, focus heavily
00:02:43 on this at the beginning of the program today.
00:02:44 So I'll try to--
00:02:46 there are one, two, three, four, four other recommendations,
00:02:49 and I will touch on it.
00:02:51 All right.
00:02:51 Let's see what's happening in sport.
00:02:53 Impressive Windies, Powell's men,
00:02:55 turned back England in second T20I.
00:02:59 Brandon King and Rolfman Powell powered the West Indies
00:03:02 to a 10-run victory over England at the National Cricket
00:03:05 Stadium in Grenada yesterday, as the hosts took a 2-0 lead
00:03:10 in the five-match T20 international series.
00:03:13 So that's what is happening in sport.
00:03:16 All right?
00:03:18 Yeah?
00:03:18 OK, so to remind you of our TrinBagel, your nice feature,
00:03:23 remember to participate.
00:03:24 WhatsApp your videos or images to 737-3778.
00:03:29 Yeah?
00:03:30 We do have this for you.
00:03:32 Chip-Chip in Myarrow.
00:03:34 Have you ever-- have you all ever done this?
00:03:37 As a child, I would go to Myarrow every year,
00:03:41 and we would--
00:03:42 what they would call pick Chip-Chip.
00:03:44 Right?
00:03:45 I don't know if the younger people today
00:03:48 know about that, but people in Myarrow would know about that.
00:03:51 So sometimes it is not laid out this way.
00:03:55 And what you have to do is that you have to dig holes.
00:03:58 And when you dig the holes, you will find the Chip-Chip.
00:04:03 Yeah?
00:04:03 And then you carry it home.
00:04:06 You put it in a pot.
00:04:08 Well, you wash it because of the sea sand.
00:04:10 You wash it thoroughly.
00:04:12 You put it in a pot, not boil, but you steam it.
00:04:16 And the liquid that comes out of it, you season it, right?
00:04:22 Quite heavily.
00:04:24 And then you take a drink of it.
00:04:26 Yeah?
00:04:27 You don't know about that?
00:04:28 Someone in the studio is going, what, what?
00:04:30 It is a beautiful tasting thing.
00:04:33 I could do with some Chip-Chip water right now.
00:04:37 Right?
00:04:39 Yeah?
00:04:40 Of course, you-- and then after, what you do,
00:04:42 you take the flesh out of them.
00:04:44 But there's a sand sack, right?
00:04:48 And then you have to carefully take out the sand sack out
00:04:51 of each Chip-Chip.
00:04:54 And then you can use that in things such as Acra,
00:04:57 or if you want to curry it and eat it with some rice.
00:05:01 And yeah, that's what you do.
00:05:03 So it's a lovely dish.
00:05:04 Yeah?
00:05:05 Some of them are shocked.
00:05:09 They're saying, what?
00:05:11 Yeah, but it's a lovely drink.
00:05:13 A lovely beverage.
00:05:15 And you know, people will tell you it's for other things.
00:05:18 You know how men are.
00:05:20 You know how men are.
00:05:21 Right?
00:05:22 So yeah.
00:05:25 So but it's a tedious process.
00:05:28 Because remember that every shell, you need to take it out.
00:05:32 And you need to take out that sack.
00:05:34 And sometimes the piece of meat in it, it's very, very small.
00:05:39 Yeah?
00:05:40 So some history there for the young people.
00:05:43 All right, so we do have a very packed program for you today.
00:05:48 We are going to a very short break.
00:05:50 We'll be coming back.
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00:08:51 All right.
00:08:52 So good morning and welcome back.
00:08:53 So we are continuing the discussion this morning
00:08:56 concerning the border controversy
00:08:58 between Guyana and Venezuela.
00:09:00 I told you a little earlier about the joint declaration
00:09:03 of Argyle for dialogue and peace between Guyana and Venezuela.
00:09:08 So from what I'm seeing here in the joint declaration,
00:09:12 there are about seven points.
00:09:16 Yeah.
00:09:18 So my guest this morning, and we did send the joint declaration
00:09:22 to him so that he is au courant as to what transpired yesterday.
00:09:26 We do have editorial consultant at the newsroom in Guyana,
00:09:30 Neil Marks.
00:09:31 Mr. Marks, good morning.
00:09:33 Hi, good morning.
00:09:34 Yes.
00:09:35 Mr. Marks, let me just say thank you very much for speaking to us
00:09:38 again.
00:09:39 You have been updating us over the past few weeks,
00:09:42 and we do appreciate it.
00:09:44 Of course, there is this new joint declaration
00:09:48 of Argyle for dialogue and peace between Guyana and Venezuela.
00:09:52 It would have been released late last evening.
00:09:55 Also, the prime minister of St. Vincent of Magrenadines
00:09:59 Ralph Gonzales would have had a news conference,
00:10:01 and the joint declaration is being circulated
00:10:05 on social media and so on.
00:10:06 But for some, I think that they may have not seen it.
00:10:11 As yet, you have seen it.
00:10:13 What are your initial thoughts?
00:10:14 I think for many people in Guyana, it's a relief.
00:10:22 But I think a lot of the language in this declaration
00:10:25 still has to be defined and fleshed out by those involved.
00:10:32 And President Ali, as far as I know,
00:10:36 he flew back to Guyana last evening.
00:10:39 He did not speak with reporters after Prime Minister Gonzales
00:10:44 read out the declaration after the meeting ended.
00:10:49 We haven't heard from Maduro as well.
00:10:51 So both sides, we know, according to the declaration,
00:10:56 agreed that they should not threaten or use force
00:11:00 against each other.
00:11:01 I think that was one of the significant things
00:11:04 that not only Guyana, but the Caribbean and Latin America
00:11:08 was looking for.
00:11:10 There was always this emphasis that this region should
00:11:13 remain one of peace.
00:11:15 And I think that's something that they were really
00:11:18 gunning for, and I think they were able to achieve that.
00:11:21 But like I said, a lot of the language that is used
00:11:25 will still have to be fleshed out.
00:11:27 And how this will all be applied is still up in the air.
00:11:31 Yeah.
00:11:32 Well, I'm seeing that the Express is reporting this morning
00:11:34 no retreat.
00:11:36 That was the declaration by Guyana's President Irfan Ali
00:11:39 as he emerged from three rounds of talks in which there was
00:11:42 the first face-to-face exchange between the two sides.
00:11:45 In which there was the first face-to-face exchange
00:11:48 between himself and Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro.
00:11:52 I'm also seeing where Maduro on talks,
00:11:54 we will make the most of it so that Latin America
00:11:57 and the Caribbean remains a zone of peace.
00:12:01 And you would remember, Mr. Marks,
00:12:03 that a few days before the President of Guyana
00:12:09 engaged in these talks, he described it as a conversation.
00:12:14 And he said that there is going to be no negotiation concerning
00:12:20 ECEQUIBO.
00:12:22 And I think that over the past few days
00:12:25 also that people felt people in authority,
00:12:30 including our own Foreign Affairs Minister here
00:12:33 in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:12:34 And he was saying that the talks were aimed,
00:12:38 or yesterday's talks were aimed at really trying
00:12:41 to dissipate the tensions.
00:12:43 And if that happened, well, then you
00:12:46 could deem the talks successful.
00:12:49 Right, I think like you read out,
00:12:54 President Ali has always said that the border controversy was
00:12:58 not a matter of discussion.
00:13:00 He relied, of course, on the history of this controversy
00:13:04 and the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice.
00:13:08 The ICJ had said that Guyana has governed the ECEQUIBO region
00:13:12 and has held sovereignty over it since 1899.
00:13:16 That's 124 years ago.
00:13:18 And that matter is currently with the ICJ.
00:13:22 So President Ali was clear that in going into the discussions
00:13:25 that this matter was not up for discussion.
00:13:28 But he was going to the meeting because he
00:13:30 was interested in peace and de-escalating the tension
00:13:35 after the December 3 referendum in Venezuela.
00:13:39 And of course, from that declaration,
00:13:43 there was this agreement that the controversies
00:13:46 between the two states will be resolved in accordance
00:13:49 with international law, including the Geneva agreement
00:13:53 dated February 17, 1966.
00:13:56 This one-- this is why I said that this declaration needs
00:13:59 to be properly defined.
00:14:02 Because international law, you might
00:14:04 think that you'll go resolve it in the court.
00:14:06 International law also means adherence
00:14:10 to this Geneva agreement.
00:14:12 Venezuela has been using this Geneva agreement
00:14:14 to say that these two parties should sit and talk
00:14:18 this matter out.
00:14:20 As far as Guyana has been concerned,
00:14:22 these talks have been ongoing forever.
00:14:24 Like, when is it going to stop?
00:14:26 So let's deal with it in the court
00:14:28 according to international law.
00:14:30 So this bit about adherence to the Geneva agreement
00:14:34 really needs a little bit more meat on it.
00:14:38 And I suppose we'll hear from President Ali sometime
00:14:42 during the day in Guyana.
00:14:43 There are four funerals today for the soldiers who perished
00:14:47 in that recent accident.
00:14:49 So we're not sure exactly when he's
00:14:50 going to speak to this declaration made
00:14:53 in St. Vincent.
00:14:54 But he definitely will, I'm sure of it.
00:14:58 Yeah.
00:14:59 Let's speak a little bit about the seventh point--
00:15:02 agreed to establish immediately a joint commission
00:15:05 of the foreign ministers and technical persons
00:15:07 from the two states to address matters as mutually agreed.
00:15:11 An update from this joint commission
00:15:13 will be submitted to the presidents of Guyana
00:15:15 and Venezuela within three months.
00:15:20 So I suspect this is also a sign that the talks are
00:15:27 going to continue, or talks concerning the matter
00:15:32 are going to continue.
00:15:35 And hopefully there is a resolution to this matter
00:15:42 very, very soon that I suspect Guyana
00:15:45 could be very happy about.
00:15:47 So these talks that will continue--
00:15:54 again, like I said, Guyana is not
00:15:55 talking about this border controversy.
00:15:57 It's in the court.
00:15:58 And that's where Guyana has left it.
00:15:59 So any dialogue that Guyana has ever been interested in
00:16:02 would be on areas of mutual cooperation.
00:16:06 And the president and the government of Guyana
00:16:08 has always held that position that talks
00:16:11 can go on on any range of issues,
00:16:13 just not this border controversy.
00:16:16 And as you know, that there have been, for example,
00:16:21 I think over 20,000 Venezuelan migrants now in Guyana.
00:16:25 When they come into Guyana, our borders are poorer,
00:16:28 so they come and go.
00:16:29 But when they do get here, they have access to free education
00:16:34 and health care, no questions asked.
00:16:36 And that has been a policy of the government.
00:16:39 So I suppose they could talk about matters like that.
00:16:44 I don't know what else they could discuss.
00:16:47 But Guyana has said that they're interested in development
00:16:49 cooperation with any state.
00:16:53 Yeah.
00:16:55 Point number nine, both states agreed
00:16:57 to meet again in Brazil within the next three months
00:17:00 or at another agreed time to consider
00:17:02 any matter with implications for the territory in dispute,
00:17:07 including the above-mentioned update of the joint commission.
00:17:13 Mr. Marks, I think, is it safe to say then that--
00:17:18 and we did touch on it a little earlier.
00:17:20 But is it safe to say then that there may--
00:17:25 the Guyanese people may feel some sign of relief
00:17:33 at this time?
00:17:36 I think that's safe to say because, I mean,
00:17:39 nobody's interested in any sort of tension,
00:17:44 any sort of threat that somehow Maduro could put boots
00:17:47 on the ground here in Guyana.
00:17:49 He could send boats off the Cuyuna River
00:17:51 like he's done before.
00:17:53 He has used the Venezuelan Navy to push out
00:17:58 companies exploring off the coast of Guyana.
00:18:02 So those things have happened.
00:18:04 So nobody's-- this has been, I think,
00:18:06 the worst escalation of this controversy
00:18:11 since it began in the early 1960s,
00:18:14 despite those incidents in the past.
00:18:17 So I don't think anyone in Guyana
00:18:19 is interested in this escalating further
00:18:22 and resulting in some sort of invasion of Guyanese territory
00:18:29 by Venezuela.
00:18:30 So I think, yeah, this declaration that
00:18:33 has come out of St. Vincent, it does feel a bit of--
00:18:37 you know, you do feel relief, but then still wondering,
00:18:40 you know, what is that one going to say about this agreement?
00:18:43 And what's Guyana going to say about the agreement?
00:18:46 And will this be another tug of war over language?
00:18:49 And how this agreement would be implemented?
00:18:53 Remember that Nicolas Maduro went to his parliament
00:18:57 to set up this law to govern the Azucuebo region, to develop it.
00:19:03 We haven't heard whether in his talks with President Ali,
00:19:07 whether he's willing to, if not walk back that, put it on hold
00:19:13 while these whatever talks are ongoing.
00:19:15 There's still a lot of questions to be answered.
00:19:21 But yes, to your question, I think we in Guyana
00:19:24 do feel a bit of relief.
00:19:26 And President Ali has taken some criticism
00:19:30 for accepting this invitation to meet, because like I said,
00:19:34 it has been always the government's position
00:19:36 that the border controversy is off the table.
00:19:38 So what are you going to go meet with Maduro about?
00:19:41 What possibly can you get out of him?
00:19:44 So he's faced a lot of flak in Guyana.
00:19:49 But he accepted this agreement.
00:19:51 I think Mia Motley, Rowley, and whoever else, Lula have
00:19:56 urged him to go to the table.
00:19:57 Let's see how we can de-escalate this.
00:19:59 And that's why he went to this meeting in St. Vincent.
00:20:03 So it'd be pretty interesting to hear from him today
00:20:07 about what exactly happened, and if he
00:20:09 can provide some more light on the areas of agreement
00:20:13 that they have come to.
00:20:14 Yeah, interesting times, Mr. Marks.
00:20:17 And I do agree with you that there's a lot more meat
00:20:24 that I think that people across the region and even in Guyana
00:20:30 would want to find out about these talks.
00:20:34 As tensions escalated over the past few weeks, Mr. Marks,
00:20:38 what has the relationship been between locals in Guyana,
00:20:45 the Guyanese people, and also people from Venezuela
00:20:50 who have been living in Guyana?
00:20:53 What has that relationship been like?
00:20:56 I think it has been the way it has been since the migrants
00:21:03 have been coming.
00:21:04 We will have a few people who will criticize Venezuelans
00:21:08 or talk down to them, but that hasn't been in the majority.
00:21:12 There was one case, I think violence against one
00:21:16 Venezuelan migrant, and that was quickly
00:21:19 picked up by the government.
00:21:21 There were statements from the vice president,
00:21:23 I believe the president as well, saying that Guyana is not
00:21:26 this sort of society.
00:21:28 We have always been accommodating to migrants,
00:21:31 given the situation in Venezuela.
00:21:34 The fact is a lot of the people who
00:21:36 have been coming back to Guyana from Venezuela are Guyanese.
00:21:41 So you might have a Guyanese who had been to Venezuela
00:21:44 in the '70s or the '80s when there were harsh economic times
00:21:48 here in Guyana.
00:21:49 They fled for a better life.
00:21:50 Things got bad in Venezuela.
00:21:52 Now they're returning.
00:21:54 But they might be coming back with their Venezuelan husband
00:21:56 or wife or their Venezuelan children.
00:21:59 But there's still some blood connection
00:22:02 to Guyana and Guyanese.
00:22:04 And so I think people in Guyana have been largely
00:22:08 very accommodating.
00:22:10 That hasn't dramatically changed because of the threats
00:22:14 from Venezuela, I must say.
00:22:16 We haven't heard reports of Venezuelan migrants being
00:22:21 attacked, or there haven't been any--
00:22:24 yeah, there haven't been any reports like that.
00:22:26 So I would say that things have been pretty calm where
00:22:31 those relations are concerned.
00:22:33 Yeah, and you know that over the past few weeks
00:22:34 also, CARICOM and various CARICOM leaders
00:22:40 have come in for criticism and condemnation
00:22:43 also because there was a view that--
00:22:46 the view was expressed that CARICOM and certain Caribbean
00:22:51 leaders should have interviewed--
00:22:53 not interviewed, intervened in this matter a long time ago.
00:22:59 Of course, our very own prime minister
00:23:01 has said that he has been in talks
00:23:04 with the president of Guyana.
00:23:06 And there was no--
00:23:08 Guyana didn't express the view of having any sort of mediation
00:23:14 at that time.
00:23:15 But do you think now, with the intervention of CARICOM,
00:23:19 it was the correct thing to do at this time?
00:23:23 Yes, I believe so.
00:23:29 Like I said, everyone has been interested in de-escalating
00:23:33 the tensions, ensuring that there isn't any sort of use
00:23:36 of force by Venezuela.
00:23:39 Certainly, I mean, it would be foolhardy for anybody
00:23:42 to think that Guyana could even try
00:23:44 to attempt any sort of attack or invasion
00:23:47 or threat against Venezuela.
00:23:48 Our military is simply a dwarf compared to Venezuela.
00:23:54 And so I think it was in that spirit of wanting there
00:23:58 to be no sort of war, invasion, or anything like that,
00:24:04 that the president agreed to these pleadings of CARICOM
00:24:08 and CILAC as a whole to be able to calm things down a bit.
00:24:15 Yeah.
00:24:16 So Mr. Marx, I guess the situation right now
00:24:20 is really a wait-and-see approach of the proof--
00:24:27 Yes, I think many people would be hoping from this declaration--
00:24:32 yes, I think people would be hoping that from this
00:24:35 declaration that we could really see
00:24:38 a reduction in that tension.
00:24:39 We'll have to see what Maduro says on this side,
00:24:42 as you and I perhaps know.
00:24:44 He's very flamboyant.
00:24:45 And he's taken this giant step to escalate
00:24:49 this controversy in this great manner,
00:24:53 going to a referendum, going to parliament,
00:24:56 appointing a governor.
00:24:58 So we don't know what will come next,
00:25:00 if he will really step back from all of what he has done.
00:25:06 I suppose with elections coming up,
00:25:08 there will still be some sort of rhetoric from him.
00:25:13 Many people have seen this as a political ploy by Maduro
00:25:17 to somehow stay in power.
00:25:20 So yeah, we will really have to wait and see
00:25:23 how this declaration is put into action.
00:25:28 But talking about politics, how is this going down in Guyana?
00:25:34 Earlier this week, I did have an interview
00:25:38 with the opposition leader.
00:25:41 He did have some concerns.
00:25:44 But on the whole, politically, how
00:25:47 is it being viewed in Guyana by the politicians?
00:25:52 Well, I think on the part of the PPP government,
00:26:00 it has-- these part of matters have always
00:26:03 had bipartisan support.
00:26:05 And that continues.
00:26:06 There's strong opposition support
00:26:09 for the government's approach.
00:26:13 I think President Ali's decision to attend these talks
00:26:16 with Maduro was viewed with a bit of skepticism.
00:26:21 But in the end, he was supported in his efforts to make peace--
00:26:27 not to make peace, but to de-escalate this conflict
00:26:30 and to get Maduro to step back from what he's doing,
00:26:33 or at least step back from the threats
00:26:36 he has made against Guyana.
00:26:38 And so I think in the end, President Ali
00:26:41 received that widespread support to go to the table,
00:26:44 let's see what comes out of it, and in order
00:26:47 to de-escalate the conflict.
00:26:50 So yeah, the opposition has been very strong in their support
00:26:53 for the government.
00:26:54 They have been doing their own public education work
00:26:57 as well, going to various communities, schools,
00:27:00 and so on to really educate Guyanese
00:27:02 about this controversy and everything that is involved.
00:27:07 Yeah.
00:27:08 Neil Marks, it's always a pleasure speaking with you.
00:27:10 Thank you again for giving us an update
00:27:13 on this situation in Guyana, which we are very interested in.
00:27:18 As we both agreed this morning, the proof is in the pudding.
00:27:21 We'll see how things develop over the next few days
00:27:23 and weeks.
00:27:24 And we hope to speak with you again very soon.
00:27:27 Bye for now, and thank you very much.
00:27:31 Thank you.
00:27:32 All right.
00:27:33 OK, so it's time for another break.
00:27:34 We are coming back.
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00:28:36 This year, we are taking over Christmas decorating duties.
00:28:40 Yes, Mom, Dad, your mission is to retrieve these colors
00:28:44 from the nearest Kaleidoscope Color Shop or hardware store.
00:28:48 What's that?
00:28:49 Don't worry, Dad.
00:28:50 Kaleidoscope can match any color.
00:28:52 And Mom, it's environmentally friendly, has low odor,
00:28:56 and lasts the longest.
00:28:58 At our home, Christmas always begins
00:29:00 with colors from Kaleidoscope.
00:29:02 Merry Christmas from all of us at the Kaleidoscope.
00:29:06 [LAUGHTER]
00:29:08 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:29:09 I'm moving, moving forward every day.
00:29:12 Jesus.
00:29:14 I just let him lead the way every second, every minute,
00:29:19 every hour of the day.
00:29:23 With Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:25 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:26 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:28 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:29 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:30 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:33 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:34 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:35 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:37 I'm moving.
00:29:38 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:39 Jesus, I'm moving.
00:29:42 So you have big plans for the year, eh?
00:29:45 A trip in July, birthday in November,
00:29:48 and fete after fete this carnival.
00:29:51 But you know what a stop plans?
00:29:54 A $22,500 fine.
00:29:58 You know what else could really stop your plans?
00:30:02 Five years imprisonment and suspension
00:30:04 on your license for three years.
00:30:07 Don't drink and drive.
00:30:10 [GLASS BREAKING]
00:30:11 [MUSIC - "WE GO GET CONVASCED"]
00:30:19 All right.
00:30:28 So welcome back, everyone.
00:30:29 So we are focusing now on the death of soca star Ricardo
00:30:33 Drew.
00:30:34 We do have on the line this morning another soca star,
00:30:37 Ola Tunji Ola Yearwood.
00:30:39 Ola Tunji, good morning.
00:30:40 Good morning.
00:30:41 Good morning.
00:30:42 Good morning, sir.
00:30:43 Good morning to you, our listeners and your viewers.
00:30:45 Yeah.
00:30:45 Ola Tunji, well, I know that the death of Ricardo Drew
00:30:49 would have come as a shock to many of you in the industry.
00:30:55 What are you all feeling?
00:30:56 Because I think that we have been hearing
00:31:00 from many soca artists.
00:31:03 But I think that the shock, the blow of the death
00:31:08 was really hard for some of you to accept.
00:31:10 And some of you just decided, look,
00:31:14 we need to take some time to ourselves.
00:31:17 So what are you all feeling?
00:31:21 I think you hit the nail on the head.
00:31:23 It was a shocker to many, many of us
00:31:27 in the community in the Calypso and Soca fraternity.
00:31:31 And it was really a shocker being how young Ricardo Drew is
00:31:36 and how vibrant and healthy.
00:31:39 As looking at him, you know what I'm saying,
00:31:41 in terms of the exercises and all these things,
00:31:44 it was just--
00:31:45 hearing that news was just weird and spooky.
00:31:50 And then had you in your own zone
00:31:53 and thinking about yourself, thinking about your future,
00:31:56 thinking about your own health.
00:31:59 It was just-- it still is weird.
00:32:02 And then he has kids and so on.
00:32:04 And it was just--
00:32:08 it's just still terrifyingly good to see how shocking it is.
00:32:12 Yeah.
00:32:14 It's like a state of confusion that people are in.
00:32:18 Because as you're saying, you're trying hard to understand
00:32:21 what has happened here.
00:32:22 It's a young man.
00:32:23 He looked to be healthy.
00:32:25 He looked to be like-- he likes to work out in the gym.
00:32:28 He looks vibrant, a lot of energy.
00:32:31 And now you're hearing that he's dead.
00:32:32 Of course, he has children.
00:32:34 He was on the verge of getting married, I believe, next year.
00:32:38 So everything was going well for Ricardo Drew.
00:32:43 But Ola, let's speak a little bit about the relationships.
00:32:47 We can speak about the relationship
00:32:49 that you had with him and speak about the relationship
00:32:52 he also had with young-- with the young soca artists.
00:32:55 Because for those of us who look at the social media,
00:33:00 on Instagram and so on, we always
00:33:02 see this sort of close relationship
00:33:05 with the young artists.
00:33:07 Yes.
00:33:08 Definitely.
00:33:09 And Ricardo Drew was one for that.
00:33:11 I mean, he was very, very humble.
00:33:14 And more than humble, he was the kixie guy.
00:33:16 He was very comedic, animated.
00:33:19 You know what I'm saying?
00:33:21 He and my brother, Emunction, has a close relationship
00:33:23 as well as he and everybody in the industry.
00:33:25 And I played this way as well.
00:33:27 I mean, me and him was like close, close, like close,
00:33:29 close buddies.
00:33:30 But I see it this way.
00:33:32 I haven't seen family members, cousins for like years.
00:33:35 But I know when I see them, we take over the world.
00:33:38 I've been seeing Ricardo Drew for the past 10 years,
00:33:41 every year.
00:33:42 You know what I'm saying?
00:33:43 If it's a studio, if it's an event,
00:33:45 if it's just around somebody who you chill with,
00:33:48 who you're good with.
00:33:49 So it is really painful.
00:33:52 It's really a mess.
00:33:53 You know what I'm saying?
00:33:55 Yeah.
00:33:56 Let's talk a little bit--
00:33:57 And pulling up to the next question,
00:34:00 and then for Patrice Roberts and for people
00:34:04 that are really close to him, plenty of so-called artists
00:34:07 I could imagine.
00:34:08 I can't even imagine how they feel.
00:34:10 It must be just crazy for them.
00:34:12 Yeah.
00:34:13 Let's look at the talent of Ricardo Drew.
00:34:17 Because yes, we have been looking at him
00:34:21 for a number of years now.
00:34:23 In fact, I was telling someone I remember him
00:34:25 when he first came to Trinidad, and he would have
00:34:28 visited the radio station.
00:34:31 But he was involved in R&B and so on at that time.
00:34:35 Dancing like Usher.
00:34:38 Yeah, he used to be dancing.
00:34:39 But he was real skillful, like a skill.
00:34:41 Like an artist with skills, man.
00:34:43 Like real skills, full-fucking skills.
00:34:46 So I remember that.
00:34:50 So I remember that.
00:34:50 And then he branched out into soca.
00:34:54 I mean, in Antigua Barbuda.
00:34:58 He was massive in Antigua Barbuda.
00:35:02 But let's look at him, at the talent
00:35:06 that the soca industry has lost.
00:35:08 Ola, are you hearing me?
00:35:14 Yeah, I'm hearing you.
00:35:15 I thought this was going to take a look at a video.
00:35:17 No, no.
00:35:19 I want you to tell us about the talent
00:35:21 that we have lost in the soca industry due
00:35:25 to the death of Ricardo Trujillo.
00:35:27 A huge talent, and not just talent, sorry.
00:35:33 He was a hard worker.
00:35:35 He was a hard worker.
00:35:36 He used to work hard, dedicated, passionate.
00:35:41 You could just see how he carried himself.
00:35:44 Going to the gym every day, making sure he writes songs,
00:35:47 always working in a band.
00:35:49 He's a hard worker, and he was animated.
00:35:51 He was funny.
00:35:53 You know what I'm saying?
00:35:54 He was an all-rounded artist to me.
00:35:56 You know what I mean?
00:35:57 He understood how to communicate to crowds.
00:36:01 He could sing a power.
00:36:02 He could sing a groove.
00:36:03 He could go on an R&B vibe.
00:36:06 We lose a real, real, real good, good, good, good, good,
00:36:10 great artist.
00:36:11 And a disciplined one, we lose to that soca.
00:36:14 We lose somebody that's working, working hard, hard, hard.
00:36:17 You know what I'm saying?
00:36:18 Yeah.
00:36:19 Wow.
00:36:20 Yeah.
00:36:21 And you know, Ola, he was 38 years,
00:36:24 but he had a lot of experience.
00:36:26 I remember--
00:36:27 Yeah.
00:36:28 I remember him performing with many bands.
00:36:32 Yeah?
00:36:33 And being in the front line.
00:36:35 Front line, yeah.
00:36:36 And he was in front line with the Roy Cape All-Stars,
00:36:39 if you remember.
00:36:40 That's afterwards.
00:36:41 When I left the Roy Cape All-Stars,
00:36:44 Ricardo Drew joined in.
00:36:46 And it fit well, you know what I'm saying?
00:36:48 And how he carried the crowd was amazing.
00:36:50 I mean, that chemistry with him and Blacks
00:36:53 was amazing on stage.
00:36:54 Yeah.
00:36:56 If I remember well, as you said earlier,
00:36:58 you were also in the band at that time.
00:37:01 Yeah, I was in the band before he came in.
00:37:04 Yeah, before he came in.
00:37:06 Yeah?
00:37:08 So let's-- and you spoke about this earlier,
00:37:13 that because of what transpired, it also
00:37:18 has impacted people in Soka in such a way
00:37:22 that they're even reflecting on their own lives.
00:37:27 Yeah.
00:37:30 I mean, when the news broke out, I was really--
00:37:34 to be honest, my personal vibe, I was really--
00:37:38 to be honest, I was thinking--
00:37:40 I was just thinking about, I wonder
00:37:41 what I'm doing here right now in terms
00:37:43 of the career and the Soka music and being about the world.
00:37:46 I'm just going to be as deep as I can and being about the world.
00:37:49 And I wonder if it's time to turn to Christ.
00:37:51 And I'm going to buy it because, you know,
00:37:53 I've just been rewriting.
00:37:54 Right.
00:37:55 That's how that news was.
00:37:56 That news was that shocking.
00:37:57 Like, I think I need to get closer to Christ and things
00:38:00 like that because you just never know.
00:38:02 And I just-- you know what I'm saying?
00:38:03 I just want to be closer to the Almighty.
00:38:07 And when you hear news like that now,
00:38:08 because you just never know when it's your time.
00:38:11 So I could talk on my personal behalf.
00:38:16 But then as a good-spirited man, say, you know what?
00:38:18 Because I know about death.
00:38:19 I know about losing my mom and my dad.
00:38:22 And they wouldn't want me to stop singing and do the things
00:38:25 that I love doing and making people smile
00:38:28 and putting a light in people's aura and that kind of vibe.
00:38:32 So I can't stop.
00:38:35 Yeah, because I'm sure--
00:38:37 and we have discussed this.
00:38:39 This must be very depressing.
00:38:42 It has really come as a kick in the stomach,
00:38:46 if I can say that, for a number of artists
00:38:49 as to how do we continue throughout this season here.
00:38:53 And it's a very important season for soca artists.
00:38:55 Yeah, from--
00:38:58 Yeah, it's going to be--
00:39:00 --Christmas to the carnival.
00:39:01 As I said, yeah, Christmas and the carnival.
00:39:04 So it's going to be a tough one.
00:39:05 So I would just tell all soca artists,
00:39:07 because I've been through that, as I said, losing loved ones.
00:39:11 I lose my mom.
00:39:12 I lose my dad.
00:39:13 But the thing about my thing was that they were both entertainers
00:39:16 as well.
00:39:17 And they would not want me to stop singing and perform
00:39:21 and make people laugh and entertain people,
00:39:26 you know what I'm saying, and serve people.
00:39:28 So I would tell the soca artists and the community,
00:39:31 keep on doing it and doing it for Ricardo,
00:39:33 because he wouldn't want us to stop as well.
00:39:37 He was passionate.
00:39:38 He was a hard worker.
00:39:38 He was a lover for the soca and our culture,
00:39:43 you know what I'm saying?
00:39:44 So keep on doing it.
00:39:45 And condolences again to Patrice Roberts and the whole family.
00:39:49 And keep really strong and just keep doing it.
00:39:53 Have you been in contact at all with his immediate family?
00:39:58 Yeah.
00:39:59 His immediate family as well, yeah.
00:40:00 Yeah, have you been in contact with them?
00:40:02 [INAUDIBLE]
00:40:05 Because of my experience with deaths and so on,
00:40:10 I tend to give family some time.
00:40:13 Some space.
00:40:14 A little time, a little space, because I
00:40:18 know it could be overwhelming getting all these--
00:40:21 it's a kind of 50/50.
00:40:22 Yes, you're kind of glad everybody reaching out.
00:40:24 But at the same time, you're reminded it's like a bad movie.
00:40:27 It's like a nightmare you want to wake up from.
00:40:29 So I tend not to--
00:40:32 because I'm sure they're getting a lot of messages
00:40:34 and things like that now.
00:40:36 They might need a little rest.
00:40:38 Yeah.
00:40:39 Ola, you spoke about the right thing
00:40:43 to do is for Soka artists to continue with the work
00:40:48 that they're doing.
00:40:49 And I suspect in a way to celebrate Ricardo Drew.
00:40:54 Let's speak a little bit more about that.
00:40:56 How do you celebrate such a talented individual
00:41:03 for this period here, going into the carnival,
00:41:05 who is no longer here?
00:41:06 How do you do that?
00:41:07 How do you celebrate him?
00:41:08 Good question.
00:41:14 I think we are already doing it in terms of the media.
00:41:21 The airwaves are already playing Ricardo Drew's music in a way
00:41:27 I've never heard before.
00:41:31 And then also when I look to perform in live events
00:41:34 and so on, I will always remember him.
00:41:39 I have conversation when I talk to the audience
00:41:43 or even bringing a part of his set or his songs
00:41:47 in a part of my set.
00:41:49 I think I could do that.
00:41:51 Yeah.
00:41:52 Yeah.
00:41:53 Ola Tunji, well, thank you very much for this perspective
00:41:57 on Ricardo Drew this morning.
00:41:59 But I think it would be remiss if I didn't ask you,
00:42:01 how have things been going with your season?
00:42:04 I give thanks for my season.
00:42:10 My season, I mean, my season has been going really, really well.
00:42:15 And I give real, real thanks to the Almighty
00:42:18 and to everybody who is supporting Ola Tunji.
00:42:20 Music right now from the engine room into the inventor.
00:42:24 Some call it inventor.
00:42:25 So my season is going really, really well right now.
00:42:28 And we're just humble and thankful for that.
00:42:30 Yeah.
00:42:31 Ola, I know that over the years that you have been a solo act.
00:42:35 You think you're ever going to go back into the band scene?
00:42:39 Well, as you mentioned that, you know what I'm saying?
00:42:46 I was surprised coming out.
00:42:47 I was surprised.
00:42:48 That's a very, very good question right there.
00:42:50 I mean, because me coming out, me coming out of the band,
00:42:54 I just want to live in there.
00:42:57 Soon, like very soon, I just want to live in there.
00:43:00 I just want to live in there.
00:43:02 I'm just going to live in there.
00:43:05 Ola Tunji, it was a pleasure speaking with you.
00:43:09 I don't know if you know, but I worked with your mother
00:43:14 for a number of years, quite closely, for a number of years.
00:43:19 And I never told you this, but she was the most optimistic
00:43:27 and nicest person that I ever came across.
00:43:31 So every day I would be reading the news,
00:43:33 and my rune alley would be at the side of me,
00:43:36 sitting down there.
00:43:37 I remember seeing you coming into the radio station
00:43:39 sometimes, but we worked together for a number of years.
00:43:43 And one day, one day, when we meet face to face,
00:43:47 I will share with you the last conversation
00:43:51 that I had with your mother.
00:43:53 Yeah?
00:43:54 It is going to-- it is an interesting conversation,
00:43:59 but I would want to make it public
00:44:01 before I speak to you about it.
00:44:04 But it's a conversation I've been
00:44:05 wanting to have with you for a number of years,
00:44:08 that last conversation we had.
00:44:11 It was a conversation for about half an hour.
00:44:14 Yeah?
00:44:14 So we will have--
00:44:15 I promise you we'll have that conversation one day when
00:44:18 we meet face to face.
00:44:19 I know it's very, very truthful, because just yesterday I
00:44:22 was talking about how positive she is with you,
00:44:25 how positive she was.
00:44:27 Yeah.
00:44:27 She landed 11.
00:44:28 Yeah.
00:44:29 And let me tell you something.
00:44:30 Every time I see you perform, I say to myself,
00:44:33 my rune alley would have been at the front of the stage,
00:44:36 waving and singing the most.
00:44:38 And you may have had to say--
00:44:40 you may have had to say to my rune, mommy, mommy,
00:44:44 if people need to hear me, right?
00:44:45 Yeah, oh, God, take it--
00:44:47 oh, God, take it down now, mommy.
00:44:48 Take it down now.
00:44:50 Yeah.
00:44:50 Take it up, bye.
00:44:51 Yeah.
00:44:52 So Ola Tunji, thank you very much for speaking with us
00:44:55 this morning.
00:44:56 We do appreciate it.
00:44:58 It is a pleasure.
00:44:59 It was all mine, man.
00:45:00 Yeah.
00:45:01 All right, bye for now.
00:45:03 OK, so we do have a quick break for you.
00:45:07 We do have this image.
00:45:08 It's captioned "Footprints in the Sands of Time"
00:45:11 at Manzanilla.
00:45:12 We're coming back, everybody.
00:45:13 [MUSIC - OLA TUNJI, "FOOTPRINTS IN THE SANDS OF TIME"]
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00:46:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:46:51 [MUSIC - OLA TUNJI, "MORE THE MERRIER"]
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00:47:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:47:40 [MUSIC - OLA TUNJI, "MORE THE MERRIER"]
00:47:43 And welcome back, everyone.
00:47:57 So let's take some of your calls now.
00:47:59 You're calling us on 623-1711.
00:48:00 The extension is 1995.
00:48:03 We do have a lot to discuss.
00:48:04 Yeah?
00:48:06 Let me see if I can just give you
00:48:09 a few more points concerning the joint declaration of yesterday.
00:48:14 In the meantime, you can call us 623-1711.
00:48:18 The extension is 1995.
00:48:20 So the fourth point-- or should I go to the fifth point?
00:48:24 Agree to continue dialogue on any other pending
00:48:27 matters of mutual importance to the two countries.
00:48:30 Agree that both states will refrain,
00:48:32 whether by words or deeds, from escalating
00:48:35 any conflict or disagreement arising from any controversy
00:48:38 between them.
00:48:39 The two states will cooperate to avoid incidents
00:48:42 on the ground conducive to tension between them.
00:48:46 In the event of such an incident,
00:48:48 the two states will immediately communicate with one another,
00:48:51 the Caribbean community, CARICOM,
00:48:53 the community of Latin America, and the Caribbean,
00:48:55 CILAC, and the president of Brazil,
00:48:57 to continue reverse and prevent its recurrence.
00:49:00 All right, let's take a call.
00:49:01 Good morning, caller.
00:49:03 Well, compliments of the season, and good morning to you,
00:49:06 Marlon Hopkinson, Mr. Tabakit.
00:49:10 Tabakit?
00:49:11 Yes, sir.
00:49:12 Go ahead.
00:49:12 We're listening.
00:49:14 Right.
00:49:15 On the backdrop of that summit in Grenada--
00:49:21 In St. Vincent.
00:49:22 Sorry, sorry, in St. Vincent.
00:49:24 Yeah.
00:49:24 Thanks.
00:49:25 Sorry about that.
00:49:25 Could you please give me some audio?
00:49:28 Go ahead, Tabakit.
00:49:30 Right.
00:49:30 So we had Venezuela and--
00:49:35 Guyana.
00:49:36 Right.
00:49:37 Our prime minister, the Honorable Dr. Christopher
00:49:40 Rousey.
00:49:42 How what?
00:49:42 I have been speaking a clarion call to Dr. Rousey.
00:49:46 You with me, Mr. Hopkinson?
00:49:50 No, Tabakit.
00:49:51 You're breaking up badly.
00:49:53 All right, tell me if you're getting me now.
00:49:55 Go ahead.
00:49:56 You getting me properly?
00:49:57 Go ahead.
00:49:58 Yes, yes.
00:49:59 Mm-hmm.
00:49:59 [INAUDIBLE]
00:50:01 I just a clarion call to the Honorable Prime Minister,
00:50:04 Dr. Christopher Rousey.
00:50:07 If you could mediate between Venezuela and Guyana,
00:50:12 forthwith, immediately, [INAUDIBLE]
00:50:19 Tabakit, Tabakit, you need to change your position.
00:50:22 We're not hearing you.
00:50:23 And it would be a disservice to you
00:50:24 if people are not hearing you.
00:50:26 So Tabakit, if you can, please call us back.
00:50:28 All right?
00:50:29 You're calling us on 623-1711.
00:50:31 The extension is 1995.
00:50:34 You can please call us now.
00:50:35 We just have a few minutes again.
00:50:37 The major issue over the past few days,
00:50:40 the situation in Guyana.
00:50:44 Oh, we do have another call.
00:50:45 Good morning, caller.
00:50:46 Good morning.
00:50:47 I'm calling from San Juan.
00:50:48 Yes, San Juan.
00:50:49 Go ahead.
00:50:51 [INAUDIBLE]
00:50:52 This morning, I'm listening to you talking about
00:50:54 chip-chipping Tobago.
00:50:57 Mayaro?
00:50:58 Yes, bring back my fondest memories, boy.
00:51:01 My father--
00:51:01 [LAUGHTER]
00:51:02 --chip-chip is one of the sweetest things--
00:51:04 You're telling me.
00:51:05 --you could ever avoid.
00:51:06 And what you're telling me is serious for clean, eh?
00:51:08 Yes.
00:51:09 It's a little serious for clean, but it bring back memories.
00:51:12 Thanks for doubling my memory this morning.
00:51:14 All right.
00:51:14 Thank you very much.
00:51:15 I think maybe it tastes so good because of the amount of work
00:51:18 that goes into it.
00:51:20 As I said, first, you need to take it out of the sand.
00:51:23 You need to wash it.
00:51:24 And it's a lot of work.
00:51:26 But I can tell you it's worth it.
00:51:28 All right?
00:51:29 So maybe this is a good weekend to go to Mayaro
00:51:32 and dig some chip-chip, as we would say.
00:51:35 Right?
00:51:38 Which road are you using, the bumpy road?
00:51:41 Kola, good morning.
00:51:42 We have another call.
00:51:43 Good morning, Marlon.
00:51:44 Yes.
00:51:45 Yes, [INAUDIBLE]
00:51:51 Kola, you need to speak up a little bit so I can hear you.
00:51:54 You hear me now?
00:51:55 Yes.
00:51:55 Beautiful.
00:51:56 Go ahead.
00:51:56 Right.
00:51:57 Right.
00:51:59 Nice program as normal.
00:52:02 I love you.
00:52:02 I wish you all the best for the Christmas, you, your family,
00:52:07 and everybody in your sibling and management and staff
00:52:11 on your program.
00:52:12 Thank you.
00:52:13 I'll come into my point.
00:52:14 All right.
00:52:16 Yesterday, I listened to the meeting with CARICOM leaders
00:52:21 and the Venezuelan president.
00:52:23 Right.
00:52:23 But when I watched and see what was agreed on,
00:52:27 I didn't hear in the agreement that Venezuela will pull away
00:52:32 the troops from the border.
00:52:34 I didn't hear in the agreement that Venezuela will hold back
00:52:39 on the governor that they appoint.
00:52:41 I didn't hear in the agreement that the license that Mudo
00:52:44 was given for people to go and conduct business in Venezuela.
00:52:52 I didn't hear all that it will be removed.
00:52:54 But nevertheless, I pray for peace to work out.
00:52:58 And according to what Abiquit said,
00:53:00 he's making a carry-on call.
00:53:02 He can't make no carry-on call for Kikwaule to intervene when
00:53:06 they already say the--
00:53:07 when he said Venezuelan Prime Minister will
00:53:11 continue as the mediator.
00:53:13 Even though his chairmanship is opposite up, right?
00:53:17 He will continue to be the main man with Venezuela and Guyana,
00:53:23 along with the president of--
00:53:25 along with the prime minister of Dominica,
00:53:28 who is the chairman, and the United Nations
00:53:32 General Secretary Agon.
00:53:33 All right.
00:53:34 A few things.
00:53:36 I think that the leaders have been very, very careful
00:53:41 when using words such as mediator, mediation.
00:53:46 And I think that they have tried to remove
00:53:50 that sort of vocabulary, or remove that word
00:53:55 from their vocabulary.
00:53:56 So I continue to focus on what the president of Guyana
00:54:00 said over the past few days.
00:54:02 And he said it was a conversation.
00:54:05 And that's what they had.
00:54:07 So I prefer to describe it as that way.
00:54:09 It was a conversation.
00:54:11 It was not anything to deal with any negotiation, right?
00:54:16 It matters before the ICJ.
00:54:18 Guyana has taken a particular position.
00:54:21 Venezuela has taken a particular position.
00:54:23 And it would be ventilated, discussed at the ICJ.
00:54:28 And a ruling will happen.
00:54:29 Let's take a call.
00:54:30 Good morning, caller.
00:54:32 Well, Mr. Hopkinson, Tabarkeet is back.
00:54:34 Yes, Tabarkeet.
00:54:34 Go ahead, Tabarkeet.
00:54:36 Nice to back.
00:54:37 No, Mr. Evertly didn't hear where I was going.
00:54:41 Go ahead.
00:54:41 He was speaking.
00:54:44 You hear me properly now?
00:54:45 Go ahead, Tabarkeet.
00:54:47 Thank you.
00:54:48 I am saying Dr. Raul is going to mediate
00:54:52 between Venezuela and Guyana.
00:54:57 I am now asking him to do the same in Trinidad
00:55:01 with Ms. Posad, the teacher, and God Griffin.
00:55:05 Charity begins at home.
00:55:07 And I'm saying Kamala is Trinidadian.
00:55:10 God Griffin is Trinidadian.
00:55:13 And if you could go to mediate between--
00:55:16 Tabarkeet, Tabarkeet, I hear what you're saying.
00:55:19 But as I said, I want you to remove
00:55:22 that word of mediator and mediation from your vocabulary.
00:55:26 Because I think the leaders have made it clear
00:55:31 that the talks that they had wasn't to mediate.
00:55:34 And I know that the prime minister said
00:55:37 the government of Guyana didn't want
00:55:42 to have any mediation at this time,
00:55:45 because there is no need for mediation.
00:55:48 So can I move the word mediation?
00:55:50 You have to move it.
00:55:51 Move the word mediation.
00:55:52 It was a conversation that the leaders would have had.
00:55:56 So the conversation Dr. Raul went to have,
00:56:01 and now saying, I made a clear proposal to Dr. Griffin
00:56:06 to have a discussion with Guy Griffin and Ms. Posad
00:56:12 there at Trinidad.
00:56:14 And if you could go up there, have discussion,
00:56:17 and if you could stand, you bring that front door back
00:56:20 on the front table in Trinidad.
00:56:22 I thank you.
00:56:23 All right, Tabarkeet.
00:56:25 Thank you very much.
00:56:25 All right, we have time for a few-- oh, we're taking news.
00:56:29 Thank you for all of your views this morning.
00:56:31 Let's take some news.
00:56:32 We're coming back.
00:56:32 [VIDEO PLAYBACK]
00:56:34 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:56:37 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:56:42 - Good morning.
00:56:43 I am Ansel Gibbs with a news update.
00:56:46 An unauthorized guard booth in Bamboo Settlement Number Two
00:56:51 has been demolished by the Tunapuna-Piyako Regional
00:56:55 Corporation.
00:56:56 - This process is by no way political.
00:56:59 This was actually something that was raised
00:57:04 by the council for the area.
00:57:06 And we acted as a council, as a corporation,
00:57:11 together with PNM and UNC.
00:57:14 I believe that the Bamboo Number Two Community Council
00:57:18 will return and do the right thing the right way.
00:57:23 - If you plan to do your Christmas shopping
00:57:25 in Port of Spain, police say they
00:57:27 are working to keep you safe.
00:57:29 - We have called officers off of their leave, vacation leave,
00:57:34 and otherwise, to join, to boost the manpower pool
00:57:39 that we have available to operationalize the strategies
00:57:43 that we have put in place.
00:57:45 Now, we know that with the increase in activity, business
00:57:48 activity and whatnot, extended working hours
00:57:52 will be at the fore.
00:57:53 And so we have employed upon our officers
00:57:58 the need to extend their working hours.
00:58:01 - And in the weather forecast, a partly cloudy to cloudy morning
00:58:05 can be expected, with occasional showers likely in some areas.
00:58:10 There's a low chance of one or two heavy showers
00:58:13 and/or isolated thunderstorms across the islands.
00:58:17 It's likely that winds may gust at times, especially
00:58:21 near heavy showers.
00:58:23 Meanwhile, seas remain locally rough at times,
00:58:26 occasionally becoming choppy due to the combined effect
00:58:30 of sea swells and spring tides.
00:58:32 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:58:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:58:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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00:58:47 You can treat yourself or someone you love
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00:58:51 Chimair.
00:58:52 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:58:56 - Give the gift of immunity and fitness this Christmas.
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00:59:15 - Shop now at Modern Caribbean Enterprises Limited
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00:59:24 Call 610-9011.
00:59:27 - This Christmas, get ready for the most enchanting holiday
00:59:30 experience of the year.
00:59:32 Journey into the heart of the season
00:59:34 with Believe, Christmas Around the World,
00:59:36 a mesmerizing Christmas concert spectacular.
00:59:40 Immerse yourself in the spirit of Christmas
00:59:42 like never before as melodies from every corner of the globe
00:59:46 fill the air with joy and wonder.
00:59:50 Experience the magic of two iconic venues.
00:59:52 Catch the spellbinding performances
00:59:54 at Naperi Mabowl on the 15th and 17th.
00:59:57 And feel the holiday chill light up Queens Hall
01:00:00 on the 22nd and 23rd.
01:00:03 Tickets are available now at islandetickets.com
01:00:07 or at Queens Hall box office.
01:00:08 Don't miss this unforgettable celebration of unity, love,
01:00:12 and the true meaning of Christmas.
01:00:14 Believe in the magic of the season
01:00:16 and let the world's harmonies inspire you.
01:00:18 John Thomas' Believe.
01:00:20 See online platforms for details.
01:00:23 (upbeat music)
01:00:27 ♪ Sweet music in the air ♪
01:00:29 ♪ Carol and gingerbread ♪
01:00:31 ♪ The best party of the year ♪
01:00:34 ♪ The sweetest Christmas light ♪
01:00:36 ♪ For the Father ♪
01:00:38 ♪ The sweetest Christmas light ♪
01:00:40 - And welcome back everyone.
01:00:41 So this Sunday, the 17th of December,
01:00:45 the Single Fathers Association of Trinidad and Tobago
01:00:47 in collaboration with the TTPS will be putting on
01:00:50 its 13th installment of its
01:00:53 I Love My Community Christmas Extravaganza.
01:00:57 To tell us more is President Rondell Fields.
01:00:59 Mr. Fields, as always, good morning.
01:01:01 And thank you for joining us. - Good morning, John.
01:01:03 - Yeah, well, let's speak about it.
01:01:05 I Love My Community Christmas Extravaganza.
01:01:08 What's in store?
01:01:09 - Well, I mean, as usual,
01:01:12 I mean, we're excited about this year as well.
01:01:14 13 years, as I said, we've been in collaboration
01:01:16 possibly about eight years of those 13 years with TTPS
01:01:20 putting this on for the children.
01:01:22 It starts at 1 p.m. at the Stalag Night Grounds,
01:01:27 Southern Main Road, Kanupia.
01:01:29 You know, we normally start in the vicinity
01:01:31 of the local supermarket with a street band parade
01:01:35 with the cartoon characters, the street bands,
01:01:37 the NGOs, the TTPS.
01:01:39 We proceed down the Southern Main Road for the parade,
01:01:42 and then we are masked on the Stalag Night Grounds
01:01:46 to commence the procession for that day.
01:01:49 We have, as you know, from 2020 started awards ceremony,
01:01:54 a ceremony that, I mean, it's very (indistinct)
01:01:57 One of the awards being awarded on that day
01:02:01 is a newly minted award,
01:02:03 award that we now call the Father of the Year Award.
01:02:06 We will also have the customary Faisal Mohammed Award,
01:02:11 Youth Achievement Award.
01:02:12 We know that we started that Faisal Mohammed
01:02:14 Youth Achievement Award
01:02:15 in collaboration of Mr. Faisal Mohammed,
01:02:19 who was one of the guys who started with me
01:02:22 when we were picking up Bouncy Castle's building,
01:02:24 Bokat's, in the beginning.
01:02:25 From the first, for the first eight or nine,
01:02:28 he passed away due to cancer.
01:02:30 So every year, we always,
01:02:34 through the commemoration of his life,
01:02:36 select one young male and one young female,
01:02:39 one from Trinidad and one from Tobago,
01:02:42 who's been exceptionally good,
01:02:44 but who's shown some true level of reformation in their life.
01:02:48 And I wanna put a big gun on these two young people
01:02:51 right now before I get into the Father's Award.
01:02:53 We have, as the male representative this year,
01:02:57 we have selected cadet Christian Chandri
01:03:02 from the MILAT program.
01:03:03 He had come highly recommended by the TTPS.
01:03:07 We heard he's excelled so much at the MILAT Academy.
01:03:11 He's the team, he's been selected team lead.
01:03:14 He has stood out amongst his peers,
01:03:16 and he's been a good example to the others
01:03:17 around in the MILAT Academy.
01:03:19 So we must commend cadet Christian Chandri
01:03:23 for being our Trinidad male selected awardee
01:03:27 for the Faisal Mohammed Youth Achievement Award.
01:03:30 From Tobago, we have Miss Janee Campbell.
01:03:33 She also came highly recommended.
01:03:36 We heard she was the head
01:03:37 of the Tobago Youth Council at the time.
01:03:38 She's involved in the media there.
01:03:40 She has been the youth host
01:03:41 on a number of Tobago television stations as well.
01:03:45 We must commend Miss Janee Campbell
01:03:47 for being our Tobago selected awardee
01:03:49 for the Youth Achievement Award as well.
01:03:53 I mean, we try to, in this event also,
01:03:56 promote these young people who've been doing good
01:04:00 in the community and the nation by far,
01:04:02 particularly in the times that we're seeing today.
01:04:04 - Let's speak a little bit
01:04:06 about the Father of the Year awardee.
01:04:09 - Well, that is Mr. Vahid Kwau.
01:04:13 And Marlon, I coined that one personally for myself
01:04:18 because of Mr. Kwau.
01:04:21 We've always given the award you have seen
01:04:23 through the years gone by,
01:04:24 and we never had a Father of the Year award,
01:04:26 but it is for years I looked at Mr. Vahid Kwau
01:04:29 in the morning, four, five o'clock,
01:04:31 getting his daughters to school,
01:04:33 and then moving from getting them to school.
01:04:35 He has a barber shop on the junction.
01:04:37 He's an artist.
01:04:38 When he gets them to school, six o'clock in the morning,
01:04:40 going, opening the shop, staying there 12 hours,
01:04:43 plowing, plying his trade there,
01:04:45 then taking care of his daughters in the evening,
01:04:47 again, going back, providing his family,
01:04:50 his wife and his children.
01:04:51 And we decided, I decided, I would say personally,
01:04:55 to have an award because of the way I saw he fathered
01:04:58 those daughters of his for Father of the Year.
01:05:01 So from this year forward,
01:05:02 we will have our annual Father of the Year award,
01:05:05 and we are proud to select Mr. Vahid Kwau
01:05:09 for the first ever Father of the Year award
01:05:12 being granted by the Single Fathers Association
01:05:14 at Trinidad and Tobago.
01:05:16 - Yeah, Mr. Fields, I wanna speak a little bit
01:05:18 about the importance of this event,
01:05:22 these awards and so on,
01:05:24 because I think that it is safe to say
01:05:27 that over the years,
01:05:30 you have been one of the persons there,
01:05:33 along with a whole team of other persons,
01:05:37 really walking the talk, if I can put it that way,
01:05:41 because we do have a Pasha in Trinidad and Tobago,
01:05:44 we like to talk, talk, talk, talk,
01:05:46 but when it comes to action,
01:05:48 that rarely happens,
01:05:51 but you have been doing a lot of work in the community.
01:05:56 I want you to speak a little bit about going out there
01:06:01 and how important it is to touch people
01:06:05 in these communities.
01:06:07 - Man, I mean, it's hard not to do
01:06:13 when you're genuine about it.
01:06:15 When you go on the ground
01:06:17 and you see the way that people sometimes are really hurting,
01:06:20 whether they're in a financial difficulty or not,
01:06:22 an emotional difficulty or not,
01:06:24 and when you also see when you assist them
01:06:26 and the level of appreciation that people have,
01:06:30 just to see that somebody cared,
01:06:31 just to see somebody put on a Christmas event
01:06:35 for the stranger,
01:06:36 or just to see somebody treated with an issue
01:06:38 they had that they couldn't address,
01:06:40 it, no matter how you try,
01:06:42 if you want to stop, you cannot stop.
01:06:44 And it only encourages you to encourage others
01:06:48 by what you do to have them do it also.
01:06:51 And the thing is,
01:06:52 I think that's one of the main reasons
01:06:54 that I will always continue to do it,
01:06:56 because I see it encourages other people
01:06:58 to follow suit as well.
01:07:00 I have an amazing team of people around me
01:07:03 who are inspired also by the things they see I do,
01:07:07 and who are inspiring others also
01:07:10 by the things that they are doing.
01:07:11 And I think that is what we need to do,
01:07:14 that connectivity of inspiration
01:07:16 so that we could actually make some positive change
01:07:19 in our society.
01:07:20 I must thank the sponsors as well,
01:07:23 who themselves continue yearly
01:07:26 to support this initiative for these children
01:07:28 in this community.
01:07:29 Kunupe is now the host to the entire country
01:07:31 for this event.
01:07:32 The Daring Car Sales,
01:07:34 the Harmon Motor Dealers,
01:07:35 Firepower Fireworks,
01:07:36 K's Gift Store,
01:07:37 who wrap every single gift they sell,
01:07:40 get the paper, wrap it themselves,
01:07:43 and give back to the country in this type of way.
01:07:45 We're talking all the way from Japan,
01:07:47 Kobe Motor Company,
01:07:49 Kyo-Ki Company,
01:07:50 who don't even in Trinidad,
01:07:51 but see the initiative
01:07:53 and see that it's about giving
01:07:54 and spreading our love
01:07:56 and building camaraderie amongst the races.
01:07:59 That is how we have to do it,
01:08:00 whether it's East Indian,
01:08:01 whether it's African,
01:08:02 whether it's a Chinese,
01:08:03 whether it's a Venezuelan.
01:08:05 You have a place there.
01:08:06 Come out on Sunday,
01:08:08 the bouncy castles,
01:08:09 the zip lines,
01:08:10 the mechanical bulls,
01:08:11 the chair planes.
01:08:12 And this is the way we build camaraderie
01:08:15 amongst the races,
01:08:16 amongst the creeds,
01:08:17 amongst men and women,
01:08:19 by doing these kind of initiatives.
01:08:21 And I think that is what people are empowered by.
01:08:24 That is what people love to come and see,
01:08:26 the races together,
01:08:27 the men and women together,
01:08:29 the youth together,
01:08:30 the older ones together,
01:08:31 the police, the people,
01:08:33 the camaraderie is what builds up
01:08:35 that love and fosters that good vibe in the community.
01:08:40 - I also want you to speak about the impact
01:08:45 that initiatives such as these,
01:08:50 because again, you and other people,
01:08:53 including the police,
01:08:55 have done a lot of work
01:08:57 in areas such as enterprise.
01:08:59 I remember a few years ago,
01:09:01 there was a time you couldn't even walk in enterprise
01:09:05 and people would be locked up in their homes.
01:09:09 And I want you to speak about you
01:09:12 and persons like Mr. Small
01:09:14 have done in that community.
01:09:19 So let's speak about the impact
01:09:21 and the transformation that you have seen
01:09:24 because of the steps that people have made
01:09:27 in the community to contribute to the community.
01:09:30 - I mean, definitely.
01:09:34 It's about electrifying others,
01:09:36 it's about empowering others,
01:09:38 as I said, to keep this thing going
01:09:40 and that's exactly what it is
01:09:41 because there are people waiting to be charged.
01:09:45 There are people waiting to be unleashed.
01:09:48 And I could tell you that's why,
01:09:50 that's what we saw in enterprise.
01:09:52 We didn't go in enterprise
01:09:53 and perform some kind of magistry by ourselves,
01:09:57 Rundle Fields the great or Sgt. Small the great.
01:09:59 There were young people there waiting to be empowered.
01:10:02 The Justin Lewis, the Adrian Silly,
01:10:05 Sensei Mava Logan,
01:10:06 these people who are already on fire
01:10:08 and just were blazing,
01:10:10 Sensei Mava and Adrian or someone were blazing already.
01:10:13 But to get the support
01:10:15 or just to see people come from the outside
01:10:18 and come on the inside,
01:10:19 we had the support of the Emancipation Support Committee,
01:10:22 those within the community.
01:10:23 I always say people have the solutions in the community.
01:10:26 There are more good people in the community
01:10:27 than the bad elements.
01:10:29 Once they get the backing,
01:10:30 once they get the support,
01:10:31 once they get the resource,
01:10:33 both financially and the human resource behind them,
01:10:38 they will change their communities.
01:10:40 They will change the narrative.
01:10:41 They will educate the ones that need to be educated.
01:10:44 But some must be empowered to set the community on fire.
01:10:48 And the thing is,
01:10:49 unless those people,
01:10:50 unless there are those that go in and do this,
01:10:53 then it will never happen.
01:10:55 And those that go in to do it
01:10:56 must do it with a genuine heart,
01:10:58 must do it with a sincere heart,
01:10:59 not for self-gratification,
01:11:01 but to actually see change in the community.
01:11:05 - Yeah.
01:11:05 I have one more question
01:11:06 before we return to your event on the weekend,
01:11:10 because again, you have been really fighting
01:11:13 for fathers in this country over the years.
01:11:18 How has the fight been going thus far?
01:11:21 Have you seen new developments?
01:11:25 Have things improved for the fathers
01:11:28 that you have been fighting for?
01:11:30 - I mean, I would say definitely.
01:11:36 From a social standpoint, it has.
01:11:38 You would hear at least in Trinidad and Tobago,
01:11:42 people speak more about the term single father
01:11:45 than you would hear them even say deadbeat father.
01:11:47 And I prefer that.
01:11:49 Even though at the end of the day,
01:11:50 we promote fatherhood, not just single fatherhood.
01:11:53 But I prefer to hear single father
01:11:55 opposed to deadbeat father.
01:11:57 And I've seen socially,
01:11:58 and that is the main transition we wanted,
01:12:01 because we realized if we change the social view
01:12:04 on fatherhood, everything else will change.
01:12:07 The way the court looks at us will change.
01:12:10 The way that women look at us will change.
01:12:12 The way that fathers look at theirself will change.
01:12:14 The way that children look at their fathers will change.
01:12:16 The way that fathers look at their children will change.
01:12:18 Once we empower the perception of fatherhood
01:12:22 and its value, father must be the greatest subset
01:12:24 of manhood.
01:12:25 So if you want to talk about any real beneficial part
01:12:28 of manhood, it most times starts with being a good father.
01:12:32 So we must do things that are empowering the fatherhood,
01:12:35 and that is why we also believe that this award
01:12:38 of Father of the Year going forward will provoke young boys
01:12:43 and young men growing into fathers
01:12:45 to be even better fathers going forward.
01:12:47 - All right, Mr. Fields, let's return to
01:12:49 "I Love My Community Christmas Extravaganza."
01:12:51 Anything else you'd like to tell us about it?
01:12:54 - Yes, man, for sure.
01:12:56 As I said, we go down there,
01:12:57 it's going to have all the entertainment
01:12:59 after the award ceremony.
01:13:01 We're going to have the mechanical bull,
01:13:04 we're going to have the bouncy castles,
01:13:05 we're going to have the slides,
01:13:07 we're going to have the chair planes,
01:13:08 we're going to have musical renditions
01:13:10 of a number of genres.
01:13:12 We've got DTPS, we must always say thanks to them
01:13:15 for the support.
01:13:16 We're going to have the mounted branch there.
01:13:18 They often bring their canine branch out as well.
01:13:21 DTPS was always there for security,
01:13:23 management of the traffic,
01:13:25 something getting the letters out.
01:13:26 We must say thanks to TNTEC also,
01:13:28 they come out and they stand post for the entire day
01:13:31 to make sure we have no difficulties as well.
01:13:35 So, I mean, it's a number, it's a collaborative effort
01:13:39 and everybody chips in,
01:13:41 everybody puts their best foot forward,
01:13:43 nobody asking for a dime.
01:13:45 Make sure we must say thanks to Ram Song System as well
01:13:48 for 13 years supporting this initiative.
01:13:50 As I said, Firepower, Fireworks,
01:13:52 for 13 years supporting this initiative.
01:13:54 This initiative has become my own
01:13:58 as much as their one as mine.
01:14:01 If I take long to call them,
01:14:02 they will call me,
01:14:03 Kote, Sylvester and Sons, Tropical Slides,
01:14:07 all these guys,
01:14:08 they're not in this just for the business,
01:14:10 they're in this because they see the kind of love
01:14:12 that comes out there on that I Love My Community Day
01:14:15 and we're excited about Sunday.
01:14:17 We're asking everybody, come down, it's all free.
01:14:20 It's never, no money to pay for anything,
01:14:23 just get transport and reach.
01:14:24 Sometimes they don't have transport
01:14:25 and the police will send a bus fare.
01:14:27 Do there any groups that may need assistance to get there?
01:14:30 We had seen Paul Street last time,
01:14:31 if you all need it, reach out to us,
01:14:33 354-6991.
01:14:36 We can see if we get a TTPS bus to collect any of you
01:14:40 that may want to come down to the event.
01:14:42 - Yeah, Rondell Fields, thank you very much
01:14:45 and thank you for your continued contribution.
01:14:47 Have a good Christmas
01:14:48 and I'm sure we will speak next year.
01:14:50 - You too.
01:14:51 - Bye for now.
01:14:52 All right, so it's time for a quick break.
01:14:55 We do have a sunset for you from Mousica.
01:14:58 We're coming back, everybody.
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01:17:16 ♪ All the makeup on her face ♪
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01:17:21 ♪ Some bruises and blood removed with wipes ♪
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01:17:47 (upbeat music)
01:17:52 - And welcome back everyone.
01:18:10 So we continue with part two of our discussion
01:18:12 with the winners of the IDB Praise Awards.
01:18:14 With us this morning are Daniel Jelizo,
01:18:18 Manager Assessment Unit,
01:18:20 and we do have Mr. Charles Bob Semple, Deputy CEO.
01:18:24 Yes, so we do have two of them.
01:18:27 Let's begin with Ms. Jelizo.
01:18:32 Ms. Jelizo, thank you very much for joining us this morning.
01:18:35 - Thank you for having me.
01:18:37 - Yeah, well, let's talk a little bit
01:18:39 about the award that you were successful at
01:18:44 and how has that experience been for you?
01:18:49 - It's been a very, very positive experience for us.
01:18:53 We are very proud at the authority
01:18:55 to see our multifaceted work being showcased
01:18:58 in such a forum.
01:19:00 We were able to highlight specifically
01:19:02 our forensic interview function,
01:19:05 which engages child victims and witnesses.
01:19:07 And so it's been a huge honor
01:19:09 to be selected as a finalist.
01:19:11 - Yeah, I wanna speak a little bit,
01:19:14 and this is for our viewers.
01:19:17 If we can speak a little bit more about the kind of work
01:19:21 that your unit does and how has your participation
01:19:26 in this exercise help your unit
01:19:34 and would in the long run help other people?
01:19:38 - Well, our organization offers many services.
01:19:43 - Yes.
01:19:44 - Opticare, adoption,
01:19:46 we look at the licensing of community residences,
01:19:49 but most specifically, we submitted an application
01:19:52 on our forensic interview function,
01:19:54 which is a collaborative effort between ourselves
01:19:57 and the police to bring in children who are victims
01:20:00 or witnesses of a crime.
01:20:02 They are brought in with our assistance
01:20:05 and their statement is taken.
01:20:07 We use technology to be able to capture their statement
01:20:11 in real time and the police are given a DVD
01:20:14 that they are then able to use
01:20:16 as they pursue their criminal investigation process.
01:20:20 So this forum has highlighted very on a larger scale
01:20:25 what we do and how what we do is really able
01:20:28 to help child victims to return
01:20:31 to a more positive life trajectory
01:20:33 because they are given a safe space to tell their story
01:20:38 and they interact with persons who are specially trained
01:20:42 and it's a very sensitive,
01:20:43 developmentally appropriate process.
01:20:46 So this forum has just highlighted the great work
01:20:50 that we are doing with children.
01:20:52 - Yeah.
01:20:53 Mr. Charles, Bob Semple, good morning.
01:20:57 - Morning, morning.
01:20:58 - Yeah, thank you very much for joining us.
01:21:00 Well, let's also look at your experience
01:21:05 concerning the praise awards.
01:21:07 - We, well, first of all,
01:21:11 we were just honored to be nominated for the praise awards
01:21:15 and then we really, really found the community,
01:21:19 community meaning the Ministry of Social Development
01:21:21 and Family Services, Her Excellency, IDB,
01:21:25 the team at IGov TT and TT Connect,
01:21:28 all of the senior citizens of Toronto,
01:21:31 we go children, everyone for really voting for us,
01:21:34 for appreciating our role within this ecosystem
01:21:39 together with the Ministry of Social Development
01:21:42 and Family Services and for among the plethora
01:21:46 of awesome initiatives for giving us the tip of the hat
01:21:51 for the People's Choice Award.
01:21:53 And so we are totally honored.
01:21:55 - Yeah, and I wanna speak again about the impact
01:22:00 that this award would have on your organization
01:22:07 and how does it help your organization
01:22:10 to effectively and adequately serve people?
01:22:15 - Yeah, so our organization,
01:22:19 we are responsible for the implementation
01:22:23 of several ICT projects and initiatives
01:22:26 across Trinidad and Tobago,
01:22:29 reporting directly to the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
01:22:32 We are involved in items from business requirements,
01:22:37 procurement and the implementation.
01:22:40 Now, in this instance, we had the opportunity
01:22:42 to collaborate with the Ministry of Social Development
01:22:45 and Family Services to focus on a sector of society
01:22:49 that is sometimes forgotten
01:22:52 and accounts for about 11% of our population.
01:22:57 And we had to create a hybrid environment
01:23:01 where we could utilize technology
01:23:03 and improve our customer service to our senior citizens
01:23:08 for their life certificate exercise
01:23:11 that has to be done on an annual basis.
01:23:14 For us, it assisted us in persons being appreciative
01:23:22 of our commitment, our continuous commitment to innovation,
01:23:27 excellence in the public service
01:23:29 directly through the arm of TT Connect.
01:23:33 They interface directly with the public
01:23:35 through several arms,
01:23:37 whether service centers or online in terms of solution.
01:23:42 For us, it gave us the appreciation.
01:23:47 And what our hope is,
01:23:49 is that it will have the ripple effect
01:23:52 throughout the service sector
01:23:54 so that I have experienced a lot of great customer service
01:23:58 in the public sector,
01:23:59 and in other instances, not so great.
01:24:02 And I think what it will allow
01:24:04 is for us in public service to keep at it,
01:24:07 to keep improving our service
01:24:11 to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:24:14 And it will, I think, make more organization be inspired
01:24:20 to adopt our model and raise the bar
01:24:22 for service delivery across the public sector.
01:24:25 - Yeah.
01:24:26 And if you would allow me,
01:24:29 People's Choice Innovation winner, Children's Authority,
01:24:31 when investigating a crime committed against a child
01:24:34 or witnessed by a child,
01:24:35 the police may require the assistance
01:24:37 of the Children's Authority of Trinidad and Tobago,
01:24:40 CATS, to do a forensic interview,
01:24:42 which is a semi-structured, a non-suggestive,
01:24:47 legally defensive and developmentally appropriate process
01:24:52 of gathering a child's accounts of events in question
01:24:55 using child-friendly methodologies,
01:24:58 which consider the child's emotional,
01:25:00 intellectual, and developmental needs.
01:25:03 All right?
01:25:04 So that concerns Ms. Daniel Jelizo,
01:25:07 and also the People's Choice Service Excellence winner,
01:25:11 iGovTT, to ensure an inclusive
01:25:13 and exceptional customer experience
01:25:15 focusing on ease of access and targeted services,
01:25:19 such as the life certificate exercise
01:25:22 and life and residential declaration services,
01:25:25 iGovTT's TT Connect services remain efficient,
01:25:30 accessible, and uninterrupted,
01:25:32 even in turbulent times to the elderly.
01:25:36 All right?
01:25:37 And that concerns Mr. Charles Bob Semple.
01:25:41 Ms. Jelizo, is it that members of the public
01:25:46 or people who need help from the Children's Authority,
01:25:50 is it that they are already benefiting from this exercise?
01:25:55 - This is a special pool of children
01:26:00 that would benefit from this exercise.
01:26:02 So anybody can walk into any one of our locations
01:26:05 to access the services of the Children's Authority,
01:26:08 but this forensic interview process in particular
01:26:11 is made via a request from the police.
01:26:14 So it is not a walk-in service
01:26:16 like the rest of our services could be.
01:26:19 - Yeah.
01:26:20 So contact has to be made with the police first,
01:26:22 and then the police would hand over the information
01:26:25 to the Children's Authority.
01:26:27 - So the police would initiate,
01:26:29 and if they, in the course of conducting their own,
01:26:32 'cause they can conduct a forensic interview on their own.
01:26:35 So if they are encountering challenges of some nature
01:26:38 with a child that limits them from getting the statement,
01:26:41 they will then reach out to us at the authority
01:26:44 and request our assistance.
01:26:46 We will schedule same,
01:26:47 and then all parties will come in on a particular day
01:26:51 and the forensic interview will occur.
01:26:53 - Yeah.
01:26:54 And Mr. Bob Semple, I want to pose the same question to you.
01:26:57 Is it that members of the public
01:26:59 are already benefiting from this exercise?
01:27:04 - Yes, it is applicable to just over 111,000 of our citizens.
01:27:09 Those are persons over 65 and above.
01:27:16 And essentially they call 800-TTCN,
01:27:21 they make an appointment
01:27:22 for their life certificate exercise at their convenience.
01:27:26 So they make a call and they make an appointment
01:27:29 at their convenience.
01:27:31 The customer service representative will book it for them,
01:27:35 call them one business day prior to remind them.
01:27:38 And when they arrive,
01:27:41 the exercise in and of itself takes no more than 20 minutes.
01:27:45 But you know what, if they get there
01:27:48 and they, for some reason,
01:27:49 they are unable to get out of their vehicle,
01:27:53 to get into the building,
01:27:54 which is a wheelchair accessible, right?
01:27:57 But if for some reason they are having some difficulties,
01:28:00 our CSR will meet them at their vehicle
01:28:02 and conduct the transaction at that point itself.
01:28:05 So overall reduced from a couple of hours
01:28:08 to less than 20 minutes.
01:28:12 In some cases it's five minutes.
01:28:14 So it is applicable to all and currently being utilized.
01:28:18 - Yeah, and I think, you know, Ms. Jalizo,
01:28:21 for some viewers who may be looking at us this morning,
01:28:23 they would want to find out,
01:28:25 but how exactly did the Children's Authority
01:28:29 get involved in this?
01:28:30 - Well, when our legislature was proclaimed,
01:28:36 we are a child protection agency.
01:28:38 So we are looking at ways and means
01:28:41 that we ensure that children are really benefiting
01:28:44 from the best kind of services.
01:28:46 So though the forensic interview function predated us,
01:28:50 we saw it as a key area of collaboration
01:28:52 between ourselves and the police service
01:28:55 to ensure that children really are given
01:28:58 a high quality service when they have to interact
01:29:02 with other stakeholders.
01:29:04 - Yeah, and is it that the IDB chooses organizations
01:29:09 or is it that it is something
01:29:14 that organizations have to apply for?
01:29:17 How does it work?
01:29:19 - Yes, it's open.
01:29:20 We are allowed to submit.
01:29:21 We are made aware of the praise awards
01:29:26 and anybody in the public sector is eligible
01:29:29 to submit a proposal about a particular function
01:29:32 or service that you offer.
01:29:34 And in our case, our proposal was selected
01:29:38 and we became a finalist in the praise awards this year.
01:29:41 - Yeah, and what has that done to the morale
01:29:45 of your team, the people working with you?
01:29:49 - Significant boost.
01:29:51 It's been very exciting being able to work on this.
01:29:56 There's been a lot of excitement,
01:29:59 major buzz across the team to be able to contribute
01:30:02 to what's this and participate in it.
01:30:05 So I would say a very large jump in morale.
01:30:08 - Yeah, and Mr. Bob, a sample, a similar question.
01:30:13 What has it done to the morale of your team at this time?
01:30:21 I suspect it's a boost also.
01:30:23 - I mean, I would say a boost plus.
01:30:28 We are thoroughly excited, thoroughly happy.
01:30:32 We continue to speak about it,
01:30:34 continue to have content in social media.
01:30:39 We continue to get calls of congratulations
01:30:43 from the upper echelon to everyone.
01:30:46 The senior citizens continue to thank us.
01:30:49 And I think as well, the senior citizens themselves
01:30:53 feel as if they won, right?
01:30:55 Because this is a service to them
01:30:57 and they understood the benefits that redounded to them.
01:31:01 So a win for us redounded to a win for them as well.
01:31:04 And by extension, Ministry of Social Development
01:31:07 and Family Services.
01:31:08 So I think it is a total win all around.
01:31:12 And we couldn't go into the season
01:31:15 on a better high than this.
01:31:17 And really, really appreciative of the excellency
01:31:20 and IDB for the initiatives.
01:31:21 Really, really appreciative.
01:31:23 - Yeah.
01:31:24 Ms. Jalizo, why should other organizations, as it were,
01:31:29 be interested in such awards?
01:31:32 What are the real benefits, you think?
01:31:35 - Well, I would say having had about 15 years experience
01:31:42 in the public sector,
01:31:44 there is a tendency, unfortunately,
01:31:46 for there to be a negative opinion
01:31:49 about government agencies and the work that we do.
01:31:52 But I would say having this forum
01:31:57 to be able to showcase the great work
01:32:00 that is indeed being done by us
01:32:02 and all other public entities,
01:32:05 this really is an opportunity to showcase your work
01:32:09 to a much larger audience
01:32:12 and let people know that despite the challenges,
01:32:15 despite resource constraints,
01:32:17 despite the fact that change can be slow,
01:32:20 there is great work being done
01:32:23 and we should most definitely highlight what we are doing
01:32:27 and get others to know what we are doing.
01:32:30 - Yeah.
01:32:31 So Bob Semple, how long does this process take
01:32:33 from the beginning of your participation to the end
01:32:38 when the awards are given out?
01:32:42 What's the period like?
01:32:43 - So the submission was made,
01:32:47 I did miss a little bit of the question,
01:32:49 so I hope I'm answering it correctly.
01:32:51 The submission was made in August.
01:32:54 Then in September, we found out that we were shortlisted
01:32:58 and then we had a presentation
01:33:02 to do before a panel of esteemed judges
01:33:05 and that took place in November.
01:33:07 And then the award ceremony itself occurred this week
01:33:10 on the 12th of December
01:33:12 and that's when all the winners were announced.
01:33:14 - Yeah.
01:33:15 And Mr. Bob Semple,
01:33:17 what that period of time from the day of,
01:33:22 let's say you participating to the end
01:33:27 when the awards are held during that period there,
01:33:32 what was it like for your organization?
01:33:34 - Was that to me?
01:33:37 - No, to Mr. Bob Semple.
01:33:38 - I wasn't sure I understood it again.
01:33:39 - Mr. Bob Semple.
01:33:41 Yeah.
01:33:41 - Sorry.
01:33:42 - Oh, sorry.
01:33:43 The first part just broke up.
01:33:44 Can you just repeat that please?
01:33:45 - I'm just saying from the time that you all decided,
01:33:49 look, we want to do this, we want to be a part of it.
01:33:53 So from the beginning of that period to the end
01:33:56 when the awards were held,
01:33:58 what was that period like for your organization?
01:34:02 - Right.
01:34:04 Well, the thing is you enter into the competition
01:34:08 with something that is already in train.
01:34:10 - Yes.
01:34:11 - So essentially it was us maintaining
01:34:13 what the status quo of what we do.
01:34:18 But when it comes to the people's award,
01:34:20 it is important for people to vote
01:34:25 that they want your organization as a people's choice.
01:34:29 So what we would have done in understanding
01:34:33 that we are finalists now,
01:34:34 we would have reached out to our communities,
01:34:37 we would have reached out to include any senior citizens
01:34:40 who visit our centers and so on and indicate to them,
01:34:43 listen guys, this is a great opportunity.
01:34:45 There are several awesome solutions.
01:34:48 We would appreciate if you all look at them
01:34:49 and give us the nod
01:34:52 that we have performed a great service to you all.
01:34:55 And by the way, in our service delivery to the citizens,
01:35:00 we get feedback from them, right?
01:35:02 And we scored 4.9 out of five as an average.
01:35:06 And that is super awesome.
01:35:08 So we were saying, reflect this in the votes
01:35:12 and give us the nod.
01:35:14 So we would have reached out to social media,
01:35:16 reached out to our colleagues
01:35:18 and indicate to them at the service centers
01:35:22 or persons who would have conducted business with us
01:35:25 in the past as senior citizens
01:35:27 and ask them for their nod of acceptance.
01:35:29 And thankfully they did recognize
01:35:33 our 4.9 out of five service delivery to them
01:35:36 and indicated same in their voting.
01:35:39 And so appreciate them.
01:35:41 - Ms. Jalizo, oh, Mrs. Jalizo,
01:35:43 let's deal with a term that Mr. Bomsample used,
01:35:48 service delivery.
01:35:50 And I'm just trying to find out what was it like before
01:35:55 and now with your participation
01:36:01 and I suspect the implementation of new initiatives,
01:36:06 technology, et cetera,
01:36:08 how has your organization changed re-service delivery?
01:36:14 - We have always prided ourselves
01:36:19 on a high standard of service delivery.
01:36:23 So from our inception to date,
01:36:26 that has always been at the forefront of our mind.
01:36:30 So I would say there's not been significant change
01:36:33 with regards to that.
01:36:34 We are still very much doing that line of service excellence
01:36:38 and finding ways to ensure that clients
01:36:41 that interact with us really have a positive experience.
01:36:45 - Yeah.
01:36:46 And Mr. Bomsample, we just have about 30 seconds again.
01:36:50 Anything else you'd like to add, tell us this morning?
01:36:53 - Sure, sure.
01:36:55 I want to thank again, Her Excellency.
01:36:59 I want to thank IDB.
01:37:00 I want to thank TV6 for the opportunity.
01:37:03 I want to thank the Ministry of Social Development
01:37:05 and Family Service, our ministry,
01:37:07 Ministry of Digital Transmission,
01:37:09 all of Toronto and Tobago and the fellow participants.
01:37:14 I think for any, there's a saying that for any movement
01:37:20 to gain momentum, one must start with a small action.
01:37:23 And I am hopeful that the small action
01:37:26 by the Children's Authority, small action by us,
01:37:29 which will be big actions for us, right?
01:37:30 But in the scheme of things, they are small actions.
01:37:34 I am hopeful that they will generate some forward motion
01:37:39 because momentum solves about 80% of our problems.
01:37:45 And if we are able to build some momentum
01:37:48 on these small actions, I think it will augur well
01:37:51 for our country in terms of the two ethos
01:37:54 of the praise awards, which will be service,
01:37:57 excellence and innovation.
01:37:59 So thanks very much again to everyone for this opportunity.
01:38:03 - Yeah, Daniel Jelizo and Charles Bob Semple,
01:38:07 thank you very much for speaking with us this morning
01:38:09 and congratulations again.
01:38:11 Okay, bye for now.
01:38:15 So we do have this image for you.
01:38:17 It's from the Bamboo Cathedral Satellite
01:38:21 from Shanice Charles in St. Joseph.
01:38:24 Shanice, thank you very much for your beautiful photograph.
01:38:28 We're coming back.
01:38:29 (upbeat music)
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01:39:08 - 'Twas the week before Christmas
01:39:10 and inside his house was a grumpy old man
01:39:13 and his usual grouse.
01:39:15 - (indistinct)
01:39:18 - He had errands to run,
01:39:19 but he could not bear this crazy new world
01:39:22 and the nonsense out there.
01:39:24 On his first stop, it was such a bummer.
01:39:28 All of the spots hogged by a hummer.
01:39:31 - What is really wrong with you?
01:39:32 You couldn't park up on the street?
01:39:36 - To the grocery he went to pick up some bread.
01:39:38 (upbeat music)
01:39:47 But landed on TikTok
01:39:49 (upbeat music)
01:39:52 and knocked in the head.
01:39:54 (upbeat music)
01:39:57 His glasses were broken into two or three.
01:40:03 Luckily right around the corner was a brand new OT.
01:40:07 - Welcome to optometrist today, sir.
01:40:09 How may I assist you?
01:40:10 - What he experienced inside is these days too rare.
01:40:13 He was treated with warmth and genuine care.
01:40:17 From that day on, he was a new Trevor.
01:40:20 Looking, feeling, seeing, much better than ever.
01:40:25 At OT, we believe kindness can change your point of view.
01:40:32 We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year too.
01:40:37 - Save big this Christmas
01:40:40 when you advertise with the Express Classifieds.
01:40:43 Whatever it is you're selling,
01:40:44 there's no need to check it twice.
01:40:46 Our holiday rates and coupons will make the season nice.
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01:40:57 Place your booking with the Express Classifieds.
01:41:00 Consider it sold.
01:41:02 - Inspiration through song makes our souls rejoice.
01:41:05 (upbeat music)
01:41:06 ♪ Wow and tell the world of Jesus ♪
01:41:10 ♪ Love the wondrous things he does ♪
01:41:13 - Inspirations you dance is fueled by inspiration.
01:41:16 ♪ When God's bell be told ♪
01:41:18 - Inspiration is found in the diversity of nature.
01:41:22 ♪ Go to heaven ♪
01:41:23 - Inspired word of God directs our path.
01:41:27 - Join us every Monday morning at 8.30 a.m.
01:41:30 right here on TV6 for our many moments of inspiration.
01:41:34 - Hello, I'm Peter.
01:41:37 An Englishman living in Trinidad for many, many years.
01:41:41 I've come to love this country
01:41:42 because of the warm-hearted people,
01:41:44 a diverse culture, the fantastic food,
01:41:46 and of course, the great weather.
01:41:48 A few years ago, I came across Habitat,
01:41:50 and boy, oh boy, this is what the country needs.
01:41:53 At Habitat, they work alongside families
01:41:55 to give them a better life,
01:41:56 providing more opportunities for families,
01:41:58 especially the children.
01:41:59 If each one of us does the same,
01:42:01 then all our actions will add up to create major changes.
01:42:04 I work with Habitat for Humanity
01:42:06 to make small but significant actions
01:42:08 which contribute to the life I have come to love
01:42:09 in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:42:11 Help build a home, and a home means an awful lot.
01:42:15 A house is not a home.
01:42:16 A home is a home.
01:42:17 It's where the heart is.
01:42:18 So come with me, and let's make it happen.
01:42:20 (gentle music)
01:42:36 ♪ This week is Christmas like ♪
01:42:37 ♪ What a fun day ♪
01:42:39 ♪ This week is Christmas like ♪
01:42:41 ♪ Everybody's happy ♪
01:42:42 ♪ So buy me cocaine ♪
01:42:43 ♪ Hey, it's time to unite the team ♪
01:42:45 - Welcome back, everyone.
01:42:46 So a true Trini success story,
01:42:48 Dr. Jamel Dakin is an assistant professor
01:42:52 in the Department of Computer Science
01:42:54 at Morgan State University as of September 2023,
01:42:58 and the principal investigator of the Mines Lab.
01:43:01 He is also a collaborator and affiliate faculty member
01:43:04 of both the Center for Equitable Artificial Intelligence
01:43:09 and Machine Learning Systems,
01:43:11 and the Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law and Society.
01:43:15 He joins us now to tell us about his journey.
01:43:18 Doctor, good morning.
01:43:21 - Morning, hi, how are you?
01:43:22 - I'm good, and congratulations, yeah?
01:43:25 - Thank you so much.
01:43:26 - Yeah.
01:43:27 Doctor, how did this journey begin?
01:43:30 Please tell us.
01:43:32 - It all started when I was in Asha Boys College.
01:43:36 So I went to school in Trinidad,
01:43:38 and while I was in Form 4, I made the Carifta team,
01:43:42 and I had the experience of representing Trinidad
01:43:45 on a regional level,
01:43:46 meeting people from all around the Caribbean,
01:43:49 and everyone's dream was to live that,
01:43:52 quote-unquote, "American college dream."
01:43:55 And when I was in Form 5, I asked around
01:43:59 about doing the SAT exams and going to America
01:44:02 to pursue this dream.
01:44:04 Lo and behold, I graduated with a math
01:44:09 and computer science degree,
01:44:10 and I got an offer to do my master's and PhD
01:44:13 in computer science, and now here I am.
01:44:15 - Yeah, but Doctor, I want to even speak a little,
01:44:19 even before that, because who inspired you?
01:44:23 Where did this inspiration come from?
01:44:26 Did it come from your community?
01:44:27 Did it come from your parents?
01:44:29 Did it come from your siblings?
01:44:31 Where did it come from?
01:44:32 I see you're looking to the skies.
01:44:34 (laughing)
01:44:36 - Because it was just, it wasn't actually
01:44:41 a person to inspire me.
01:44:43 - Right.
01:44:44 - I always had this inkling inside of me to just do more,
01:44:49 like what else can I do?
01:44:51 You know, it wasn't in sports.
01:44:54 My grandmother always used to tell me
01:44:56 where your feet can't take you,
01:44:58 like in track and field,
01:45:00 let your mind take you, and so said to it.
01:45:03 - Yeah.
01:45:04 So, all right, so of course you had an interest in sport,
01:45:09 but what led you, what would have led you
01:45:12 into the field that you're now currently in?
01:45:15 - Ah, yeah, that's a great question.
01:45:19 So when I moved to the States at that time,
01:45:23 having Siri was something that was just growing,
01:45:28 just popular, and my Trinidadian or Trinidagonian accent
01:45:33 would always make Siri falter,
01:45:36 like it would send me to the internet.
01:45:38 It wouldn't give me exactly what I needed.
01:45:41 So what I wanted to do is I wanted to study this topic
01:45:45 called natural language processing,
01:45:47 which is like a subfield of AI,
01:45:49 so where your phones or Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant
01:45:53 can understand my accent even better.
01:45:56 And that's how I started, and then it took me
01:45:58 on this journey where I started to travel on projects
01:46:02 and articles that I've released.
01:46:04 - Yeah.
01:46:05 So judging from, well, let me put it this way,
01:46:11 you being from such a small country in the Caribbean,
01:46:17 what has the response been to all of your success out there?
01:46:25 - It's been really impactful in a way
01:46:28 where now I can be an example for others to follow as well.
01:46:33 While being here, because it's such a small country,
01:46:36 a lot of people are often asking how did I get here?
01:46:40 You know, what are the paths that I've taken
01:46:44 to reach where I got to?
01:46:47 But, you know, every time I go back home or come to visit,
01:46:52 everyone is like, "Hey, Doc, how are you going?"
01:46:54 Or, you know, "Can you teach us about this?
01:46:56 "Can you teach us about that?"
01:46:57 I'm always happy to share.
01:46:59 I recently had a Zoom call with Guwai Guwai secondary school
01:47:04 so I was meeting with some form fives,
01:47:06 really open to talking to secondary schools and so on.
01:47:09 - Yeah.
01:47:10 So I think it is safe to say, Dr. Dakin,
01:47:13 that people in Trinidad and Tobago
01:47:15 have been tapping into your expertise.
01:47:21 - Yeah, definitely.
01:47:23 (laughing)
01:47:24 - I see you're smiling.
01:47:26 I guess you feel that sense of being proud
01:47:31 and accomplishment.
01:47:33 - Yeah, definitely feel a sense of relaxation,
01:47:40 but also a sense of belonging, being recognized,
01:47:44 not only at my university,
01:47:46 but at a national level and an international level.
01:47:49 To be here, it is such an honor for me
01:47:52 to be on the news like this in real time.
01:47:54 As a kid, I've always wanted to be on TV.
01:47:57 Here, now I am.
01:47:59 - Well, you are this morning.
01:48:00 - As an adult, being an adult and being here,
01:48:04 still like a dream come true.
01:48:06 - Yeah.
01:48:07 So let's speak about where you are at this time.
01:48:12 Are you comfortable at this stage
01:48:17 or you feel that you need to do something more?
01:48:19 What more do you want to do?
01:48:21 - Oh, I definitely feel comfortable at this stage.
01:48:25 I've accomplished several goals and objectives
01:48:28 that I set out for myself.
01:48:30 While I was a student, one of the pinnacles for me
01:48:33 were working at Google, one of the largest companies,
01:48:37 tech companies.
01:48:38 And I've done that and I feel like I've achieved everything
01:48:42 that I wanted to do.
01:48:43 Right now, for me, the goal is to be a CEO.
01:48:46 The goal is to give back as much as possible
01:48:49 where I can diversify the work field
01:48:52 so I can see people in the same positions that I was in.
01:48:55 People who look like me, people who sound like me,
01:48:58 people with the same ethnic or cultural background
01:49:00 in those same spaces.
01:49:02 So that's what I think my goal is to do.
01:49:05 - Yeah.
01:49:06 So we said earlier that you are a professor
01:49:10 in the Department of Computer Science
01:49:12 at Morgan State University
01:49:15 and a principal investigator of the Mines Lab.
01:49:20 So is it then that you are prepared, at least for now,
01:49:24 to stay in these positions?
01:49:27 You're not thinking about, let's say,
01:49:29 branching off on your own, having your own company,
01:49:32 having staff, resources, et cetera?
01:49:34 - Yeah, that's a great question.
01:49:38 So right now, just want to start to probably train the staff,
01:49:43 and so they can actually have staff.
01:49:45 (laughing)
01:49:46 So right now, I think that's more long-term.
01:49:50 Right now, what I want to be a part of something larger.
01:49:53 So instead of just creating my own company for profit,
01:49:57 why not be at an institution like an HBCU,
01:49:59 which is the fully black college and universities
01:50:04 where I, again, could branch out to people
01:50:06 who look like me, sound like me,
01:50:09 and have the same cultural or ethnic background.
01:50:12 Because this is a predominantly white country,
01:50:16 so there's a lot of spaces that are not as welcoming.
01:50:21 So why not be in a space that you also have
01:50:24 a sense of belonging, that you could help students,
01:50:26 as well, gravitate to those spaces?
01:50:28 - Yeah.
01:50:29 Doctor, if it is that people want to get in contact with you
01:50:34 for your expertise, how do they do that?
01:50:36 - Via email.
01:50:39 - Yeah?
01:50:40 - That's the fastest way to get a hold of me.
01:50:45 - Yeah?
01:50:45 - We can set up a Zoom call, just like how we are right now.
01:50:48 - Yeah, can we have your email address?
01:50:51 - Right now?
01:50:53 - Yeah, for members of the public who may want to email you.
01:50:57 - Oh yeah, definitely.
01:50:59 So it's my name, J-A-M-E-L-L dot D-A-C-O-N
01:51:04 at Morgan, M-O-R-G-A-N dot E-D-U.
01:51:10 - Yeah.
01:51:11 Doctor Dakin, what's your age, Doctor Dakin?
01:51:14 - Currently 27.
01:51:17 - 27?
01:51:19 - 27.
01:51:20 - Wow.
01:51:21 Doctor Dakin, as we say here in Trinidad and Tobago,
01:51:24 you're a boss, you know?
01:51:26 (laughing)
01:51:28 And I note your accent, your heavy Trinidadian accent.
01:51:36 So I know that.
01:51:37 Congratulations to you for that too, yeah?
01:51:40 - Thank you.
01:51:41 I mean, it's not going anywhere.
01:51:43 Just, you know, we are in the news,
01:51:44 so kind of like toned down a little bit.
01:51:47 (laughing)
01:51:48 - I like it, I like it.
01:51:50 Doctor Dakin, it was a pleasure speaking with you.
01:51:52 And congratulations, yeah?
01:51:55 - Thank you so much for having me, I appreciate it.
01:51:58 - Bye for now.
01:51:59 Okay, so we are going to another break, we're coming back.
01:52:05 (upbeat music)
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01:52:33 Payments can be made via cash, debit, or credit card.
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01:53:38 I paint stories, and each one is a masterpiece.
01:53:43 Kaleidoscope paints, my first choice every time.
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01:53:50 - This season, the best gifts are quality, value,
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01:54:31 'Tis the season for quality, value, and performance,
01:54:34 so gift yourself the best range of appliances
01:54:37 available nationwide.
01:54:39 (upbeat music)
01:54:41 - Welcome back, everyone.
01:54:42 So that's gonna do it for our program for today.
01:54:44 Remember that Emmy Prime comes up this evening.
01:54:46 In the meantime, we leave you with this image
01:54:49 of Las Cuevas sunset.
01:54:51 Have a safe weekend, everybody.
01:54:52 See you on Monday, bye for now.
01:54:54 (upbeat music)
01:54:57 (upbeat music)
01:55:00 (upbeat music)
01:55:03 (upbeat music)
01:55:06 (upbeat music)
01:55:09 (upbeat music)
01:55:12 (upbeat music)
01:55:15 (laughing)
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