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00:00:00 Good morning. I am Anselm Gibbs with a news update. Port of Spain is safe. That's the
00:00:11 message from police as there have been voice notes circulating claiming otherwise.
00:00:17 The public can rest assured that the national police is doing everything in its remit to
00:00:25 secure the city and the environment to ensure that citizens have a safe experience, whether
00:00:33 it's shopping, whether the tourists are sightseeing, whatever the nature of the business in the
00:00:39 city, we the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service will resolutely provide the level of attention
00:00:46 that is required to secure the city.
00:00:52 The opposition UNC is expressing concern about the crime situation following Wednesday's
00:00:58 highway shooting in Valcín which left four people dead.
00:01:01 If we don't take our country back from the brink, it does not matter if we get drug and
00:01:06 gas or not. It doesn't matter how many children get scholarships, if we pay up roads or not,
00:01:10 if the food card is working or not. In any case, we are just living and eating to die.
00:01:15 It doesn't matter. Lana Sahadia was murdered yesterday in her house. In her house, standing
00:01:21 behind her curtain, most likely hearing in her last moments, hearing a commotion in the
00:01:27 road and just peeping behind her blind to see what the hell is going on out there. And
00:01:32 that was her last thought.
00:01:36 And in the weather forecast, today we'll see a few isolated showers, particularly during
00:01:40 the early morning and mid-afternoon, interrupting hot and sunny conditions. These conditions
00:01:47 will be accompanied by a mild concentration of Saharan dust haze in the atmosphere with
00:01:54 temperatures approaching 32 degrees Celsius across both islands. If you are heading offshore,
00:02:00 remember spring tide is in effect and caution is advised when venturing out, especially
00:02:06 during high tide.
00:02:07 [Music]
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00:03:04 >> Get ready for Bishop's School Effect 2024. Come out and enjoy the pumping DJs, exciting
00:03:09 guest artists, fantastic food and much more. Tickets cost $4.75 and are available on islandetickets.com.
00:03:16 From the school's office Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm and from committee members. Check
00:03:21 out Bishop's School Effect on Facebook and Instagram for more info. It's effect that
00:03:26 gives you great value and even greater vibes. Bishop's School Effect 2024, Saturday, January
00:03:32 6th from 5pm to 12 midnight at the school's compound, Keith Street, Port of Spain. Don't
00:03:37 miss it.
00:03:38 >> Universal Church presents Programs of Faith, 5.30am, the hour of miracles. 5pm, it's possible.
00:03:56 Now on TV6.
00:03:58 >> Online here with this weirdo named Larry. I'm getting rid of him now.
00:04:05 >> Let's take a selfie.
00:04:12 >> It looking good, boy. I'm putting it online.
00:04:22 >> Hey, I thought you said you went to the beach with your parents.
00:04:29 >> Who's you?
00:04:30 >> It's me, Larry, from online.
00:04:31 [ Music ]
00:04:32 >> I'm going to the beach with my parents.
00:04:33 >> Who's you?
00:04:34 >> It's me, Larry, from online.
00:04:35 [ Music ]
00:04:36 >> I'm going to the beach with my parents.
00:04:37 >> Who's you?
00:04:38 >> It's me, Larry, from online.
00:04:39 [ Music ]
00:04:40 >> I'm going to the beach with my parents.
00:04:41 >> Who's you?
00:04:42 >> It's me, Larry, from online.
00:04:43 [ Music ]
00:04:44 [ Music ]
00:05:10 >> All right, we're in the Christmas season, right?
00:05:13 Good morning, Trinidad and Tobago.
00:05:14 I'm Marlon Hopkins, and welcome to "The Morning Edition."
00:05:16 It's December 29th, 2023.
00:05:18 Just incidentally, this is our last program for the year, yeah?
00:05:23 So Monday, Tuesday, Tuesday we resume.
00:05:26 So Tuesday is the new year, yeah?
00:05:28 Well, it's our first program for the new year on Tuesday, so that's the day that we resume.
00:05:34 Let me say now, because I don't know, I'll get the chance later, but we thank you for your viewership this year.
00:05:40 It has been a challenging year, an interesting year, an exciting year, and we were glad that we could have shared it with you and that you joined us every morning.
00:05:53 So we do appreciate that, all right?
00:05:55 Let's check out to see what's happening in the newspaper today.
00:05:57 On the front page, "Corp recalls how wife died instantly while looking through window during highway shooting.
00:06:05 Lana's last moments.
00:06:07 The bullet came through the glass.
00:06:09 I saw her face, and I knew blood was flowing from her head."
00:06:14 Yeah, and that's a picture there.
00:06:16 "Tragic end.
00:06:17 Lana, Sahadew and her common-law husband, Antonio Pereira, a police constable.
00:06:22 Tobago, mystery deaths of two women and cops kill couple in bed."
00:06:28 So women found dead in Moriah House.
00:06:31 Siobhan Moffat and Gemma Alexis were found dead in a house in Moriah, Tobago on Wednesday, shortly before 6 p.m.
00:06:40 Yeah?
00:06:41 Have you all been noticing certain developments concerning Guyana and Venezuela?
00:06:49 Yeah? Prime Minister of St. Vincent of the Grenadines, Ralph Gonzales, yesterday emphasized that both Venezuela and Guyana are engaged in non-threatening activities
00:06:58 and that both countries continue to be interested in dialogue and the maintenance of peace.
00:07:03 Yesterday, the president of Venezuela, he had a meeting with the military yesterday.
00:07:12 It was an address to the nation.
00:07:14 He would have said a number of things yesterday.
00:07:17 Yeah? And that gave rise yesterday to concerns that the peace that continues between Guyana and Venezuela, that that peace is now being threatened
00:07:30 and it all deals with the introduction, the presence of a vessel belonging to the British government that has arrived in regional waters.
00:07:41 So that is a concern to Venezuela.
00:07:44 Yesterday, I don't know if you all also saw a video, but Venezuela was showing its military might yesterday.
00:07:51 So a lot of things bubbling or are bubbling concerning that matter between Guyana and Venezuela.
00:07:58 Let's take in some sport now.
00:08:01 Team on the rebound, Trinidad and Tobago, Soca Warriors ahead of their 3-2 win over El Salvador in El Salvador.
00:08:10 And better TTFA. Ex-players have high expectations for Soca Warriors and local football.
00:08:17 Two former national players hope that with better governance, everything else will fall into place for local football in 2024.
00:08:26 All right. So that's what's happening in the Express. Some of the stories in the Express today.
00:08:31 And look, I have this for you. Yeah. Can we show this?
00:08:39 Ah, you see this? Someone is going to walk away with this today.
00:08:46 Yeah, it's the TV6 Sports Personality of the Year for two for 2023.
00:08:54 Yeah. So this is the award. Someone will walk away with that today.
00:09:00 Yeah. Let me put it down. Right. So stay tuned.
00:09:03 This is going to be presented at the end of our program.
00:09:07 All right. Put it down carefully. All right.
00:09:12 It's time to remind you of a Trinbago Unites feature. Remember to participate.
00:09:16 What's up your videos or images to 777-3778.
00:09:22 We do have this lovely. That's not it. So then what is it?
00:09:31 Yeah. All right. We have this for you. It looks lovely.
00:09:40 Yeah. It looks like it's a good place to be. Of course, we'll head out there after the program today.
00:09:47 All right. So, again, we do have a packed program for you today.
00:09:52 You have your coffee. You have your tea. A lot of interesting things happening.
00:09:55 You know, we're going to give you some interesting information to make you think you're going to give you a level of educational stories this morning.
00:10:04 We're going to make you dance this morning. I can't tell you who we have here yet, but yeah.
00:10:09 And then we are going to present the TV6 Sports Personality of the Year Award.
00:10:15 All right. We're coming back. Everybody stay right there.
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00:10:57 The Trinidad Express e-paper is rated triple A, adaptable, accessible and available.
00:11:04 Download it for all your Android or iOS devices and enjoy bonus pictures and video with select stories.
00:11:11 Get news, sports, weather, lifestyle articles and more translated into 11 languages with a convenient voice reader function for when you're on the go.
00:11:21 Set up customized alerts for the content you want and never miss a story with access to past editions at any time.
00:11:28 Plus, it's affordable and easy to use.
00:11:31 So what are you waiting for? Subscribe through the Android or iOS app store or visit digital.trinidadexpress.com today.
00:11:39 Catholic Charismatic Renewal presents its 25th Caribbean Conference from Friday, January 5th to Sunday, January 7th, 2024.
00:11:47 The theme of the conference is evangelize, spread the good news.
00:11:51 The main celebrant and homilist will be his excellency Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon.
00:11:56 Other speakers are Father Maurice Nutt from the USA, Father Kingsley Asphal from Jamaica,
00:12:01 Father Peter Wamutitu from Dominica and from Trinidad and Tobago, Father Ian Taylor and Sister Deborah DeRosier.
00:12:08 Come join us at the Center of Excellence in McCoyer to be part of this spirit filled weekend.
00:12:13 Cost $300. For information, call 645-0525 or 645-2902.
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00:15:45 All right, welcome back everyone and thank you very much for joining us this morning.
00:15:50 Of course, this is our last program for the year and again, we do appreciate your viewership.
00:15:57 All right. All right. So let's get right into the meat of the matter for this morning.
00:16:02 We are again discussing the crime situation.
00:16:04 We do have on the line this morning, Dr. David Muhammad, a lecturer, sociologist and author of Black Studies and director.
00:16:14 Studio. Yeah. And director. Black Agenda Project to discuss the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:16:24 Dr. Muhammad, good morning. And good morning, Mark.
00:16:28 All the viewers and listeners. Yeah. Pleasure to be part of the program.
00:16:32 Doctor, well, I think that it is safe to say that Trinidad and Tobago is still reeling from some of the developments of a few days ago.
00:16:43 Of course, we're speaking about the shooting on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway in which four persons were killed.
00:16:53 Dr. Muhammad, is this is this the how do I say this?
00:16:59 Is this the Trinidad and Tobago we have to become accustomed to as it relates to crime and the way that we live?
00:17:12 It is fast becoming that, but it does not necessarily mean that it has to remain that way.
00:17:20 And one of the reasons that it would have gotten this bad under our watch is because we would have repeatedly ignored the signs.
00:17:28 About four years ago, there was a similar event that took place on the highway with an open shootout.
00:17:36 But this was closer to Port of Spain itself, where a number of people were shot.
00:17:42 Cars were shot at. And once again, we would have went into our collective shock over the shooting and collective grief over the deaths.
00:17:53 There are enough warning signs all around us, but those warning signs tend not to be sensationalized or even they tend not to provoke public interest.
00:18:05 And the warning signs that I'm speaking about are the inequality, the social exclusion, the lack of opportunity and the over amplification of the already rich and the magnification of the resources that they already have.
00:18:22 We live under a system where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer as a method of standard daily operational business.
00:18:32 And if we continue to fail to see the consequences of that kind of institutionalized inequality, it would just continue to get worse until another similar type of situation takes place.
00:18:46 And then another one. And then it becomes even more normal than we would want to admit that it is now.
00:18:53 And Dr. Mohamed, let's speak a little bit about that argument of a lack of opportunities, because, as you know, Dr. Mohamed, there have been people or there are people in Trinidad and Tobago who would have experienced similar type conditions.
00:19:11 Their family was very, very poor. They would have come from hot spots and they are very some of them are very prominent people in Trinidad and Tobago, successful people in Trinidad and Tobago and people that all of us should be very proud of.
00:19:33 So when we speak about the lack of opportunities, whether it's education and so on, there's also the argument, well, there's free education for all.
00:19:43 And sometimes it's it's really up to the individual to inspire themselves in order to to rise above as to what is happening.
00:19:56 You're 100 percent correct. And of course, I myself am an advocate for the accessing of education on all levels by all citizens.
00:20:07 It would be completely ignorant for us to suggest that anyone who lives in a so-called hot spot area or anyone who is economically disenfranchised or under the status of poverty, that they are destined to end up in criminal behavior.
00:20:27 It will just be totally gross to suggest that. But it would be equally ignorant to suggest and imply that there are no risk factors at all by existing in such communities and hotspots, because you have a multitude and a combination of different negative forces and factors that all function together to create these kinds of frustrations.
00:20:55 And when it comes to our young men in the communities in particular, our one position would be that because of their failure or lack of ability or inability to meet ends and means and to survive under basic standards, it creates what one sociologist refers to as a status frustration.
00:21:21 And so subcultures are formed where persons create bonds with others in similar situations as they are in that status frustration, and then they create a subculture.
00:21:35 The subculture normally comprises of abnormal or socially unacceptable behaviors, which include criminal attitudes. It starts off with dropping out to school or not attending classes, truancy, smoking and drinking, taking drugs at a very young age, promiscuity.
00:21:58 And you have the basic realm of juvenile delinquency acts that if someone under the age of 18 commits would be criminal offenses. But if they're above the age of 18, they would not. But a foundation is laid there.
00:22:11 And then by the time they cross 18, where those behaviors are no longer illegal, the criminal subculture thinking is still a factor. And so one would morph into further types of criminal behaviors such as gang membership, possession of firearms and illegal narcotics.
00:22:31 So it's a pattern of behavior that's unfolding and within our society and just about any society in the Western Hemisphere.
00:22:42 But Dr. Muhammad, how do we break that pattern that you're speaking about? Because too many, and this is my personal view, too many of our young people are falling through the cracks. And again, there's going to be the argument by government, government agencies, NGOs, you name it, that a lot of resources,
00:23:06 sometimes financial resources are being pumped into communities, millions and millions of dollars. And the monies are being pumped into programs, yeah, in order to help our young people. And they're still falling through the cracks.
00:23:27 Well, this is where my concern with Trinidad and Tobago comes in as a unique case. Because over the last few months, I've been contracted to teach criminology and sociology in the United Kingdom.
00:23:43 Yes. And many of the sociological studies place very heavy emphasis on inequality of opportunity in society based on race and ethnicity, gender and social class.
00:24:00 The classic model for this, and I would have spoken about this on this program with Fazer probably about four or five years ago. Yes. The Glasgow model. Now, I have been showing students videos on documentaries of the Glasgow model of Scotland.
00:24:18 Scotland had the biggest gang problem in Western Europe. But instead of illegal firearms, it was stabbings, knife crimes. It was huge. Scotland, Glasgow was the murder capital of Western Europe.
00:24:34 They completely solved the problem in a way that we are seeing the problem recycled, refueled and regenerated. And the way that they solved the problem was by taking a multi-pronged frontal approach, using multiple different avenues and aspects of society to intervene with their own individual area of expertise and professionalism.
00:25:01 So we tend to, in my opinion, Trinidad and Tobago as a society, see it as a single problem. So there will be those who say this is a national security problem and nothing else. It is not.
00:25:16 Other people will say it's an economic problem and nothing else. Neither. Others will say, well, too many young people are dropping out of school. It's an educational issue. Others will say, well, it's a problem with spirituality. People don't pray anymore, attend religious institutions.
00:25:32 And then, of course, we have a significant amount of our population that will blame the government or blame the opposition for the current situation. But if all different agencies, all different areas of professions and occupations and levels of expertise combine their strengths, the business community took in apprenticeships.
00:25:57 The religious community had outreach programs. The school system had after-school programs and plannings for teachers. The police had mentorship programs. The sports teams, the football clubs all took on young juniors on different levels.
00:26:15 And before you knew it, the entire society, regardless of what area of human endeavor they were involved in, participated in providing a solution that they were not exclusively responsible for, but that they did have a hand in as contributing what they were capable of doing.
00:26:35 But won't you say that some of the same suggestions and recommendations that you have just made, we do have that in Trinidad and Tobago?
00:26:44 Really?
00:26:45 Yeah, we do.
00:26:47 No, no, no, no, we don't. Our society, you talk to almost anyone in any of those departments that I would have mentioned. You have a conversation with the average Trinidadian on the street. We blame so much.
00:27:02 I've been listening to talk radio over the last few days, and it is nothing but blame in many aspects of it. We blame the government, blame the opposition.
00:27:15 That brother in Tobago, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Carlos Hazel, I've heard people complain about him, and I really had to put my hand on my chin for that one, because Carlos Hazel, to me, is one of the individuals within the police service who sees the full picture, because a lot of people are learning about who he is for the first time.
00:27:39 But I have been working with him for about the last two or three years with young people. He's already reached out to youth clubs, created youth forums, mentorship programs, reaching the 9, the 10, the 11, the 12-year-olds, the 13, the 14-year-olds.
00:27:58 But again, our culture tends to be so much complaining, so much pointing fingers, and when it comes to the politics of it, one of the reasons that there's so much blame being laid there is as a shield to hide the inactivity or lack of ability or incompetence in some areas of the efforts that they're making.
00:28:20 Even with the work that we are doing at the Kwame Ture Center, we have forums for youth. We have a boys' academy, a girls' academy. We have educational training, agriculture programs, free lessons, and all of that, people would even complain about that.
00:28:37 There has been absolutely no government support whatsoever. There has been exclusion, and people will find reasons not to support or not to stand with a perspective that might be different to theirs or an approach that might be an alternative to ones that they believe in.
00:28:58 And as a result of that, we end up going around in circles, while also, I believe, that the criminals are observing that lack of unity and cohesion among the general population and are taking advantage of it.
00:29:12 Hence this, and we haven't even spoken about the home invasions, but the home invasions are becoming much more bolder. In a place very close to where I am right now, there were two home invasions on the same street on the same night.
00:29:32 They tried to get into one house. Instead of running away, fleeing the scene and being thankful that they didn't get caught, they just moved a couple houses down because they're so confident that they can get away with what they're doing.
00:29:47 And probably they'll come back a couple nights later because they see themselves as facing absolutely no consequences whatsoever. So that state of disorganization and disorientation on the part of those who are supposed to have solutions is creating a fertile ground for the confidence of criminals to be boosted and reinforced
00:30:11 so that now they're not even thinking twice about the consequences of their actions and they're being emboldened and empowered to be even more criminal than they already were.
00:30:22 Let's speak a little bit about culture. And I ask you this because I know that you and your team over the years, you have been on the ground really visiting communities and speaking with people.
00:30:36 And you have an understanding as to the temperature in communities. But why is it that more and more, well, I don't want to put it that way because I just don't have the data.
00:30:50 But what I will say, it appears that some young people are gravitating towards the gang culture.
00:31:03 And I'm just trying to find out why that's number one. And why are they so why do they also love this this culture of violence and perpetuating violence in in in the worst way in that some persons, some persons are killed and then people are boasting about it.
00:31:26 What is all of that about? Yeah. Now, it's not so much the culture of violence itself that is the biggest challenge, but it is the environment within which that culture is being expressed.
00:31:41 Let me explain what I mean by that. As a child, I would get toy guns from my parents for my birthday. And I would look at television shows such as Gunsmoke, Westerns, Terminator, so much programs and movies on TV that were displaying high levels of violence.
00:32:04 But I came from a stable family where there was no possibility of those violent representations in theater or film influencing my behavior to start to replicate those attitudes.
00:32:25 But now we have same kind of violence, same music, same subcultures, but inside an environment where there's high unemployment, low minimum wage, widespread poverty, social exclusion and inequality of opportunity.
00:32:44 So a toy gun in one situation means something completely different to a toy gun in another situation. So now, even though there have always been songs about violence as well, under this kind of environment, they represent a social profile that I might be a part of.
00:33:07 When gangster rap first came out in the mid 1980s, people like Ice-T and Ice Cube and WA and the Ghetto Boys, etc. One of the startling phenomenons about gangster rap was that there were two main groups of people that were listening to it.
00:33:29 You had young black urban youth in the so-called ghetto who were actually involved in gangs and were actually getting involved in crime.
00:33:40 But you also had young white kids from suburban communities who were listening to the same music, but they were going to university, coming back, being picked up by the chauffeur on the evening, going on long vacations with their family.
00:33:57 So again, it didn't represent a threat to them. To them, it represented entertainment. But you're singing a song about conflict in a community where there's a borderline and there's scarcity of resources, a lack of food, no food security in the community in general, a political system that has historically neglected you.
00:34:21 And then you are actually submerged in the reality of that. It's not just a song anymore. It becomes autobiographical and it becomes almost instructive and suggestive.
00:34:37 So you find subcultures begin to form around those cultures and that those behaviors and new cultures emerge and evolve out of those old cultures in a way that it would not happen in, say, a middle class home.
00:34:52 So with what is happening at this point, and I want us to also be mindful of something here with the condemnation and criticism of Trini Badd. The young man, and I'm not going to go into detail specifics, but the young man who started that brand was actually a student of mine in the primary school in the 1990s.
00:35:19 And I remember when the so-called Rasta City versus Muslim war had more or less concluded, I sat with him and he explained to me, in fact, I still have a lengthy voice note that he would have sent a few years ago, about six, seven, eight and nine.
00:35:45 And at the time, these were identities in song. They were like foundation environments for an entertainment culture that was emerging in a similar way to how the new dancehall culture in Jamaica was emerging.
00:36:01 It was absolutely no violence. It was talk. It was rivalry. It was conflict in song, in words. It was like lyrical battles, but no violence at all.
00:36:14 And then now, this is what I want our state to pay close attention to. The fact that the gang violence, Rasta versus Muslim was largely solved because it got to the point where no one who was a Rasta was targeting anyone who was a Muslim, and no one who was a Muslim was targeting anyone who was a so-called Rasta.
00:36:38 Yes.
00:36:39 It had conflict, but outside of that realm. How did we allow it to get to the point where a feud that was so bitter, Rasta versus Muslim, was dissipated, all the borderlines broken down, people free to go wherever in the community.
00:37:00 But the same poverty remained. The same hardship remained. The same lack of equality of opportunity remained. One of the most ignorant things that you'll ever hear a politician say is that we're not going to allow the gang leaders to get some of these contracts.
00:37:18 They don't know the consequences of that because I could tell you for a fact that there are certain parts of East Border State that if someone who is considered a gang leader does not have a contract for one of those programs, then the young people under their charge go out and rob.
00:37:38 Yeah. Dr. Muhammad, before we run out of time and we just only have about one minute, how do we fix this in one minute?
00:37:46 Combine our strengths. We are doing our part at the Kwame Ture Center. And we're doing our part by pooling resources, uniting, settling our differences, coming together, looking out for the youth.
00:38:01 We target those between the ages of 11 and 17, the boys, the girls. We have our activities rolling, but we're not supported. Fine. But we have to be able to network with other agencies and organizations to combine our strengths.
00:38:18 The politicians have to stop being so petty and refusing to work with people that they don't like or don't agree with simply because it may not reflect as complimentary on them.
00:38:31 We have to stop the petty bickering, arguing, squabbling and quarreling and complaining. And I wish, my wish for Trinidad and Tobago, and I'm not talking about the layman in society, my wish for the professional environment of Trinidad and Tobago for 2024 is that we can complain less and work more.
00:38:58 That we can apply ourselves diligently and practically towards solutions rather than recycling conversations about the problems.
00:39:08 And with many people who come to me at the Kwame Ture Center, I say to them, I'm only going to talk to you about your problem one time only. One time.
00:39:17 Because the next time we have a conversation, we're going to talk about the solution to it.
00:39:22 I would. Yeah, I'll go with to end our conversation, Dr. David Muhammad, as always. We always appreciate your perspective.
00:39:29 Thank you very much for your contribution this year to this program and and the years before. We do appreciate it. And we will speak to you again in the new year. Bye for now.
00:39:40 Thank you so much, Marlon. And best wishes to all the viewers and listeners. All right. Bye for now. So it's time for another break. Yeah.
00:39:50 We need to give this image a name. Yeah. Christmas tires, I guess. All right. It's from Anjali Paris Ram. Good morning, Anjali. We're coming back.
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00:41:04 The world is in crisis. Distressing news are flowing from every quarter in the society and the hearts of many are failing them for fear.
00:41:16 However, in the midst of these alarming conditions come good news. Jesus Christ saves, keeps and satisfies.
00:41:27 This is the message of Daybreak.
00:41:41 Is about to break for you. I was in Gethsemane. He dragged that I call salvation for my eyes and to the only one place to go for help.
00:41:57 Hallelujah. So I celebrate in Jesus. Walking to your new season.
00:42:16 I came because I knew. I came because I knew how to be a friend in Cantera, the people of Santa Lucia.
00:42:29 All right. Welcome back, everyone. So as we approach the end of the year, we're looking at the business sector again.
00:42:34 And we do have on the line this morning, the chief executive officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Mr. Stephen Degans.
00:42:41 Mr. Degans, thank you very much for joining us. And I hope that you had a good Christmas.
00:42:46 Good morning. Yes, it was a good Christmas morning to make the same.
00:42:50 You and your families out there. Yes. Thank you very much, Mr. Degans. Well, Mr. Degans, as we come to the end of the year,
00:42:58 what's your analysis as to things that would have occurred this year?
00:43:02 Is the business sector in a better position now than when we started at the beginning of 2023?
00:43:09 Well, I would like to think that we're all moving forward and we are doing things better and better.
00:43:14 I do think the the experience over the year has been good.
00:43:19 We have seen areas where we can do better. We in the chamber have already tried to contribute a little bit more to society in terms of our committees,
00:43:28 the things that we're getting more and more involved in. We're asking for members to become far more involved and get, you know, just get connected to society.
00:43:37 We're not just about making money. You are about making the country a better place.
00:43:41 So working together with the government has been one of our strengths this year.
00:43:46 We think we've made quite a few inroads with working with some of the industries, the ministries like Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Tourism.
00:43:54 We're trying to get into moving together with the, of course, the chief of police.
00:43:59 But we're all very concerned with crime. And so we're getting together with them.
00:44:03 We've been getting more and more movement from our digital transformation group.
00:44:08 You know, we've also formed some new econ, some new committees as well. We've formed one that's going to look at food security.
00:44:13 We formed the one that is going to be looking at digital business and transformation in Trinidad.
00:44:18 And these are all very progressive steps. So we think that we, as a result, think that the country is moving a lot further ahead because we have been seeing more collaboration from these ministries,
00:44:29 as well as from other sectors that we're not traditionally involved in.
00:44:33 Yeah. So you believe there is greater ease, if I can put it that way, greater ease in doing business in Trinidad and Tobago?
00:44:40 Well, you know, that's a phrase that we have been, we started using maybe a year or two years ago.
00:44:47 And there is still a need for doing business a lot smoother in Trinidad.
00:44:52 We have taken some good steps. We've seen where the Ministry of Trade has really tried to facilitate that for businesses.
00:44:59 We know that there are areas that have been affected by cyber crimes that have affected that going forward.
00:45:07 You know, different ministries and most recently NIB being affected. So, of course, that's going to throw things back a bit.
00:45:13 But we know that if we continue to work towards these things collaboratively, we will see some direction.
00:45:21 Some move in a positive direction. So we continue to chip away at it.
00:45:26 We've been getting very good responses from the Ministry of Trade, like I said, even the Ministry of Finance, which has been quite a,
00:45:34 I wouldn't say a difficult ministry, but definitely a very important ministry to get connected to.
00:45:39 And of course, being connected to the right people there is very important. Customs as well as finance in terms of foreign exchange and policies.
00:45:47 So we have been seeing some changes in those directions. And it augurs well for the whole movement of the country in a very progressive step.
00:45:56 Yeah. So I think it is safe to say it's a work in progress. But if if we can just return a little bit to the cyber attacks,
00:46:05 what impact, if any, has this these cyber attacks had on on your members, if I can put it that way?
00:46:16 Well, we have seen some of our members have have experience, have been targeted.
00:46:21 We have seen that. What we have seen also is that to our understanding, of course, these things are being investigated.
00:46:28 The attacks have slowed business quite a lot. They have affected business.
00:46:33 In one case, one of our major stores in the country had to close for a couple of days while they redid their IT systems because they had been so viciously attacked.
00:46:43 But generally what we're seeing is that they are not willing to to to accede to the ransomware attacks and they're not willing to pay these ransoms,
00:46:53 which shows that they are trying to be resilient. They do have sufficient backups in most cases that allow them to restore their IT and infrastructure fairly quickly.
00:47:03 So they're able to get back running. And that speaks to a good backup system, a good plan system, a good in case of emergency.
00:47:14 There's a particular team I'm trying to bring up here that I just it's gone. My mind has gone blank.
00:47:18 It really speaks to being able to pull back your business right back to state to state of operation in a very short time frame.
00:47:26 And it speaks to their being more prepared for attacks like these.
00:47:32 Lots of these companies all have efficient firewalls and they all have updated defense systems.
00:47:40 But you'll find that there are a lot of people working out there who discover something, get in there,
00:47:46 and then you have to find a way of closing that door to prevent them from staying inside of it.
00:47:50 So it's a continuous effort, but we're very proud to see that a lot of the companies that have been attacked are being able to come back up into business in a very short space of time.
00:48:03 What's really alarming and maybe speaks to our industrial commerce progress is that we do seem to be under attack in Trinidad.
00:48:12 And I wonder why Trinidad is being so attacked in that way. Maybe they think that we are a very good country and we are a target as a result.
00:48:20 But as I said, it seems that the companies have been engaging with good IT systems that will help them get back up to stage of it, back up to operation in a short space of time.
00:48:31 Because you know when you do have the attacks, I think that the concern is from members of the public is that they do not want their very confidential information to be put into the public domain.
00:48:46 So in that context, you're confident that companies or some companies in Trinidad and Tobago, they are putting the right mechanisms in place in order to protect that sort of confidential information?
00:49:00 I do think that most companies are very responsible in that regard. Even some of the larger ones where we are giving credit card information or debit card information to.
00:49:11 Yes, I know that is going to be a concern because of course you would do not want transactions all of a sudden draining your account or suddenly being charged a credit card that you don't want, that you have no knowledge of.
00:49:22 What we have seen is we have seen information being leaked. That's of course some form of alarm.
00:49:29 But you know, you put your information quite, anybody who is on one of these platforms, social media, Instagram, Facebook, you put your information out there quite readily.
00:49:39 And the only thing perhaps you don't put out there is your financial information. And having that kept private is also good.
00:49:48 But again, with the banking industry that we have in Trinidad and the financial institutions, we have seen where they protect their clients very strongly as well.
00:49:59 And we've seen where banks, they call you, did you do this transaction? We're not aware of you being in this particular place. Is this you or not?
00:50:07 And they shut down your card because of course at the end of the day with a credit card, they are the ones that are going to face the risk, not you. So, they don't want to be taking large debts unnecessarily.
00:50:19 So, I think that by and large people have been very responsible with their information protection as well as with their cyber protection.
00:50:29 Yeah. Now, over the past few months, over the past few weeks, of course at around the, when we were speaking about the budget, there was the recommendation and implementation of the increased minimum wage.
00:50:49 Then we also hearing about and we expect, I mean, government has not taken any decision yet, but it is believed that there's going to be an increase in electricity rates.
00:51:03 So, we do expect some. Yeah. The property tax. We do expect some increases in 2024, Mr. De Gans. How have your members been bracing for all of this?
00:51:17 Well, Marlon, increases in prices of anything that we have to pay is never welcomed. We have seen where we've had some lean years, especially in people do not get the types of increases in salaries that they used to get previously.
00:51:33 Most of the time, you just basically get a small cost of living allowance unless you're going to be doing something appreciably different in your task.
00:51:41 So, the increases have not been there to necessarily keep up with the expenses that we are incurring now. As you mentioned, some of the rates that we're looking at for increases would be electricity rates, which could go between 30 to 50 or maybe 80 percent, depending on the sector you're in.
00:51:57 If you're talking about a high usage sector or if you're using a lower usage sector. Myself, which I think is, I'm a fairly conservative residential household. I think my rates will go up about 50 percent, which is not small.
00:52:12 It's something that you really have to consider in your monthly budget. So, that's an increase. And then, of course, we have property taxes.
00:52:18 And that's a bit of a debate at the moment because there have been some hiccups in that in the deployment of the property tax as well. So, whether it will actually happen at the beginning of the year or middle, we'll see when that happens.
00:52:30 But yes, there are some increases coming our way. We need to figure out and we need to work with ourselves, our families.
00:52:40 So, there are, OK, let's pick them bit by bit. Property tax is something that we need to do in the country. We have to put apart some form of property tax. We've done without it for a while.
00:52:52 It probably was not the best way done in that we're suddenly getting a large figure compared to what we've used to pay before. It would have been nice if it was gradual over a period.
00:53:02 But it does need to be paid. What we really would like to see is that it is equitable. It is something that is, you know, at a standard that we can say, well, my property tax is something that I can, you know, expect that I'm getting value for in my community.
00:53:19 So, we want to make sure that we're providing roads, pavements, garbage collection, truck removal, all these other different services that are provided. We want to make sure they're as efficient as possible. I don't mind paying property tax if I get the services. That's one.
00:53:34 So, we've had any stable electricity supply for the last 15 years or so. Yes, we do have blackouts every once in a while. And there was that very large island wide one in 2022. But by and large, the electricity services are pretty reliable.
00:53:51 A 50% jump, however, is not something we can welcome. It would have been nicer. And we don't know what's coming. That's just what the largest would be. We have had meetings with the RIC where we suggest that over the five year period, that be done in a staggered basis.
00:54:07 So, you have a smaller increase at the start and give people time to adjust their usage of electricity so they can maybe look, see how they can save a little bit better. They did give out LED bulbs, but that's one very small part of the electricity cost.
00:54:23 And, you know, how you maybe you don't, if you have air conditioning, you don't make it as cold. If you have a refrigerator that's really old, maybe you might want to upgrade to a new one that is a little bit more energy saving.
00:54:37 Perhaps when you're using a dryer, if you have one, you don't do it for one or two items. You do a full load. So that's the same cost of electricity. Things like that, that you can save your electricity on.
00:54:50 But you get a chance to move in that direction, which is really the intent of this. They don't want to just charge you more for the sake of charging you more. Part of it is that you want to use less.
00:55:02 So, let's conserve our electricity, which is also going into the area of the global warming. Let's not waste our resources so that we don't end up with less and less resources heating up the world unnecessarily and then having flooding and very large climate changes and changes in the atmosphere and violent storms, etc.
00:55:24 All these things that come out of global warming because of the importance of electricity, etc. They're all tied.
00:55:30 Yeah, we have to buy some bands for our bellies, Mr. DeGanz. Yeah, I think that's what you're suggesting.
00:55:38 I also think we have to start going back to the market and start looking at our food production. Food production in Trinidad really does. We need to look at how we can stop importing quite so many things.
00:55:49 Yes, it is very key to our future. And if we can spend less on importation and we can grow what we have possibly, whether it be in Trinidad or in the region, that would also be a good start.
00:56:02 So it would be a good start for us going forward. Yeah, it has become too sophisticated sometimes. But Mr. DeGanz, let's deal with a front burner issue.
00:56:11 It has been a front burner issue for a number of years now. We began discussing it at the beginning of the year. We are discussing it at the end of the year. And that's the issue of crime.
00:56:23 Yeah, crime is really an area that we should not be quite so under the gun for in Trinidad, considering our size, considering the friendliness and the knowledge of all.
00:56:37 Trinidad is known for a very friendly population, people are very welcoming, people are very social. So us having the levels of crime that we have is nothing short of, it's just too much. It's alarming.
00:56:56 It really should not be this way. And when you combine that with the fact that everyone knows so many of other people's businesses, business, you know, personal business, why is it that these criminals can't be caught, apprehended and made to pay the toll?
00:57:13 Unfortunately, we don't see enough in that direction. What we would like to see is more and more businesses and people working with the police to help them to find these particular perpetrators.
00:57:28 We as a business community have had a couple of meetings with the commissioner and we continue to press to have additional meetings with him because we would like to find out what we can do to help them solve these crimes.
00:57:41 Whether they get information from our sources, whether they get to use our loose looking television systems, whether they get to use whatever resources we have available. We're also keen on helping the youth.
00:57:56 I mean, this starts in the youth sector. While a lot of these criminals are very young, under the age of 20 and 25, we want to be able to help them be distracted either by giving them jobs or by being able to provide them with other services.
00:58:10 I know the police have been doing this as well, to help them come off the streets so they can do something more useful so they can have a future.
00:58:18 A lot of these people don't even think they're going to live past 25, so they live fast and then they unfortunately die young. That's a lot of our youth that's being wasted on the wrong things.
00:58:28 If we can get that child in the right direction, it would really be of much greater benefit for Toronto and Tobago. That's where the business community can help.
00:58:36 Let's see how we can keep the youth occupied, keep the idle hands away and let's get them moving in the right direction for building the country instead of breaking it down.
00:58:45 Mr. De Gans, it's always a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you very much for your contributions to our program over the year. We will be in contact with you in the new year. In the meantime, take care and bye for now.
00:58:59 Thanks a lot, Barney. Have a good year.
00:59:01 All right. Bye-bye. Okay, so it's time for a quick break, everybody. We're coming back.
00:59:05 [Music]
00:59:15 It was the week before Christmas and inside his house was a grumpy old man and his usual grouse.
00:59:23 I cannot stand this disgusting animal.
00:59:25 He had errands to run, but he could not bear this crazy new world and the nonsense out there.
00:59:33 On his first stop, it was such a bummer. All of the spots hogged by a hummer.
00:59:38 What is really wrong with you? You couldn't park up on track?
00:59:43 To the grocery he went to pick up some bread.
00:59:54 But landed on TikTok and knocked in the head.
01:00:07 His glasses were broken into two or three. Luckily, right around the corner was a brand new OT.
01:00:14 Welcome to Optometrist today, sir. How may I assist you?
01:00:17 What he experienced inside is these days too rare. He was treated with warmth and genuine care.
01:00:25 From that day on, he was a new Trevor. Looking, feeling, seeing, much better than ever.
01:00:35 At OT, we believe kindness can change your point of view.
01:00:40 We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, too.
01:00:46 The TV6 Viewer's Choice Sporting Personality of the Year, where you, the viewer, determines the winner.
01:00:51 Here are the nominees for 2023.
01:00:53 Levi Garcia, Nicholas Paul, Nikolai Blackman, Darren Bravo, and Nicholas Puran.
01:01:00 To vote for the sporting personality you believe has made the biggest impact in 2023,
01:01:05 visit tv6tnt.com/sportingpersonality to cast your vote.
01:01:09 And watch the morning edition on December 29th to see who is the 2023 TV6 Viewer's Choice Sporting Personality.
01:01:17 Who cares?
01:01:18 Who cares?
01:01:19 Who really cares?
01:01:20 Who cares? I care. Because I know that tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
01:01:28 Smoking cigarettes has been found to harm almost every organ and organ system in your body.
01:01:33 You can do something about that. Don't smoke.
01:01:36 If you do, stop. I care because cancer does not.
01:01:41 Good morning. I am Anselm Gibbs with a news update.
01:01:58 The Port of Spain is safe. That's the message from police as there have been voice notes circulating claiming otherwise.
01:02:06 The public can rest assured that the national police is doing everything in its remit to secure the city and the environment
01:02:18 to ensure that citizens have a safe experience, whether it's shopping, whether the tourists are sightseeing,
01:02:26 whatever the nature of the business in the city, we the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service will resolutely provide the level of attention that is required to secure the city.
01:02:38 The opposition UNC is expressing concern about the crime situation following Wednesday's highway shooting in Valcén which left four people dead.
01:02:51 If we don't take our country back from the brink, it does not matter if we get drug and gas or not.
01:02:57 It doesn't matter how many children get scholarships, if we put up roads or not, if the food card is working or not.
01:03:02 In any case, we are just living and eating to die. It doesn't matter.
01:03:06 Lana Sahadiya was murdered yesterday in her house.
01:03:09 In her house, standing behind her curtain, most likely hearing in her last moments, hearing a commotion in the road
01:03:18 and just peeping behind her blind to see what is going on out there.
01:03:22 And that was her last thought.
01:03:24 And in the weather forecast, today we'll see a few isolated showers, particularly during the early morning and mid-afternoon, interrupting hot and sunny conditions.
01:03:36 These conditions will be accompanied by a mild concentration of Saharan dust haze in the atmosphere with temperatures approaching 32 degrees Celsius across both islands.
01:03:48 If you are heading offshore, remember spring tide is in effect and caution is advised when venturing out, especially during high tide.
01:03:58 [Music]
01:04:01 Plumbing problems? Don't guess. Call Plumbing Solutions at 628-4646.
01:04:13 Proud to be serving Trinidad and Tobago for over 20 years. We do it all.
01:04:19 Maintenance and repairs, new construction, sewer lines, inspection, drain cleaning, leak detection.
01:04:29 We are licensed and insured. So call Plumbing Solutions at 628-4646.
01:04:36 It's the season to be jolly. Make your guy merry by giving him a gift from Bradford.
01:04:43 Men's dress and casual shirts, polo jerseys and casual pants, the renowned Bradford brand dress pants, a wide range of sleek and comfortable footwear,
01:04:53 and an incredible variety of men's accessories and gift sets.
01:04:57 And of course, the latest styles in the exquisitely tailored suit by Bradford.
01:05:02 This Christmas, Bradford suits your budget best.
01:05:07 [Music]
01:05:13 [Music]
01:05:42 Slavery. A terrible time in our history.
01:05:46 The kidnapping, buying and selling of people for profit, the exploitation of another human being.
01:05:52 It still exists today. It has a new name. Human trafficking.
01:05:58 Anyone can be a victim. There is forced labor, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude.
01:06:09 Human trafficking is a worldwide problem and an emerging concern for us here in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:06:15 If you know of or suspect human trafficking activity, call the Counter-Trafficking Hotline at 800-4CTU or 800-4288.
01:06:26 Human trafficking is a crime. Identify it. Report it. Stop it.
01:06:32 A message from the Counter-Trafficking Unit of the Ministry of National Security.
01:06:38 What you can see from this image is a man lying in a pool of blood in his living room.
01:06:42 He was shot dead a short while ago as two bandits tried to rob him and his family.
01:06:48 What you can't hear is his wife crying inconsolably.
01:06:52 What you don't know is that his four-year-old daughter is standing looking at her father, confused, begging him to wake up.
01:07:00 Can you imagine what this wife and child are going through and what they will have to go through?
01:07:05 They try to process what has happened. How can we begin to help?
01:07:09 We can start right here at the Victim and Witness Support Unit.
01:07:13 From investigation to counseling, to helping families find justice, to helping families find peace, this unit gives victims and witnesses hope to cope.
01:07:26 We are the Victim and Witness Support Unit, bridging the service gap between the victims, witnesses, and the police.
01:07:33 [Music]
01:07:56 All right, so welcome back everyone. So the carnival season is upon us and we do have on the line at this time,
01:08:02 we do have the chairman of the National Carnival Commission, Winston "Gypsy" Peters.
01:08:07 Gypsy, good morning.
01:08:08 Hi, Malone. Good morning to you. Good morning to all the listeners and viewers wherever in the world they may be.
01:08:13 Yes, and season's greetings to you, Mr. Peters.
01:08:17 And to you and Trinidad and Tobago and your family.
01:08:20 Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Peters.
01:08:22 Well, Mr. Peters, let's get right into it. How are the preparations going for Carnival 2024?
01:08:29 Fantastic, fantastic. We are on schedule. Everything is taking place.
01:08:33 We are in the construction phase basically, you know, a lot of construction has to be taking place all over the country.
01:08:39 And that's what we're doing. We are making sure that Kenna Park is all right and the savannah is okay everywhere else.
01:08:46 And we have the regional carnivals, all 52 of them.
01:08:50 Yeah. Mr. Peters, I know there must be a deadline date for, by which you would like all of this construction to be completed.
01:08:58 And for the crowds to flock to the savannah and also to Skinner Park. What's the deadline you're working with?
01:09:05 Well, we are working on a deadline. The first event is going to be on the 6th, actually.
01:09:10 The first event takes place on the 6th and that's going to be on the avenue.
01:09:14 It's going to be on the avenue. The first one is going to be at...
01:09:19 The first event is going to be on... not the avenue.
01:09:27 And that part there... I'm in the house, you can hear some noise because I'm now getting some breakfast in a place here.
01:09:33 All right. Okay.
01:09:34 So just in case you hear some noise and some distraction, maybe I should move in a little corner.
01:09:40 Sorry about that. Sorry about that.
01:09:42 So the first one is going to be down on R.P.T. Avenue, yes.
01:09:46 Right.
01:09:47 Where we have a band, we're going to start off a folk band, you know, the national instruments.
01:09:51 So on the 6th we're going to be having that there. And then we're going to keep on going.
01:09:56 As you very well know, all the events are taking place in the Savannah.
01:10:00 I don't have the dates with me, unfortunately, though.
01:10:02 Yes.
01:10:03 I can't have all the dates. I'm still in the... I'm now heading down to the office.
01:10:06 Yeah. But I know that every year, Mr. Peters, there is a theme that the NCC always has.
01:10:14 Is there a particular theme this year for Carnival?
01:10:17 Well, it's Carnival Come Back Home.
01:10:19 Yes.
01:10:20 This year is Carnival Come Back Home. That was the launch. That was our launch.
01:10:24 Carnival Come Back Home and Carnival Come Back Home.
01:10:28 Right. So, Mr. Peters, is there anything new in store for us for Carnival 2024?
01:10:35 You know, the truth be told is that we don't have anything new per se.
01:10:41 Because what is new under the sun? Nothing, to be honest.
01:10:43 Yes.
01:10:44 But the thing about it, there's always improvement in everything that we do.
01:10:47 You know, we are making sure that some of the glitches that we have, we are trying our best.
01:10:52 But, you know, regardless of how well you try--I'm a pragmatist, so I want to be totally honest.
01:10:57 No matter how hard you try to make sure that everything works well, there will always be glitches.
01:11:02 Always, always. And that's the way it is.
01:11:05 So we are having--you know, we are having our challenges as everything else that you do in this country or other countries anywhere.
01:11:14 The thing about it is that there's nothing surmountable and we are making sure that it works and it works well.
01:11:19 Yeah. So let's speak about one of the biggest shows for the Carnival and that is the Dimash Grah.
01:11:29 One of the biggest shows is Dimash Grah. Well, we have two massive shows.
01:11:33 Dimash Grah and we do El Panorama as well.
01:11:35 Yes.
01:11:37 And yes, all of those things, we have our artistic director, God bless him.
01:11:44 You know, Mr. Davlin Thomas is there to make sure that those things are taken care of.
01:11:49 You know, every commissioner has their own designation.
01:11:52 Yes.
01:11:53 And his designation is to make sure that he produces the Dimash Grah show and he's been doing it effectively and efficiently for the last couple of years.
01:12:03 We have been saving a lot of money because before that we'd be having to pay people all kinds of money to do it.
01:12:09 And he's using artistic talent because he's on the board and he's doing it.
01:12:12 He's doing it for us for free.
01:12:14 And that eases us up and you know that he has a very artistic mind.
01:12:21 Mr. Peters, you know, over the years, I think that one of the major criticisms of the Dimash Grah is that the show is just too long.
01:12:30 Is it that we are going to see a tighter, tightly packed program this year, a shorter Dimash Grah?
01:12:36 What are we going to see?
01:12:37 I think that we have taken care of that a long time ago.
01:12:41 I don't think that the last two Dimash Grah shows were long.
01:12:44 The last two Dimash Grah shows were fantastic shows that went on for two and a half hours, three hours, and stopped.
01:12:51 I don't believe with the amount of culture and talent that we have to showcase in Trinidad and Tobago, you would have a show any shorter than that.
01:13:01 I mean, it's an amalgam of all the things that we do basically in Carnival that comes to the fore on Dimash Grah.
01:13:08 We bring it to you in different forms, but the fact remains that that's what we are really showcasing and highlighting to the world.
01:13:16 I don't think that a show that is three hours long can be deemed to be too long.
01:13:22 Before that, we used to go on from 6 in the evening until 12, 1 o'clock in the morning.
01:13:28 So we have taken care of that a long time ago.
01:13:31 Let me tell you, I say to you again, and let me tell you, I'm a pragmatist and that's what I am.
01:13:38 No matter what you do and how you do it, somebody, some people, persons, wherever, are going to find that what you're doing is either too long, too short, it should be longer, it should be bigger, it should be taller.
01:13:53 That is life. That's how it's made up.
01:13:55 But the fact remains is that we are doing the best that we can.
01:13:58 The show is about three hours long, and we do not believe in our own mind that that is a show that is too long.
01:14:04 All right. So let's speak a little bit about the about our Calypso-nians now, who are an integral part of the Dimash Grah show.
01:14:13 So let me get to the show.
01:14:15 I said most definitely show.
01:14:18 So let's let's speak a little bit about are we going to see an increase at all in what the in what the big prize is for Dimash Grah?
01:14:29 Well, are we going to see an increase at all in the subvention that the government gives to us to do these things?
01:14:35 The short answer is no, because this year, will the government give us less money than we have last year?
01:14:42 The year before, we get less money than the year before.
01:14:45 But this is the way it is, the economy. That's what the economy can withstand.
01:14:48 Yes.
01:14:49 So that is what we are doing and we are working on what we have.
01:14:52 So are we going to see an increase?
01:14:54 I am not quite sure that we will. But let me just say to you that there are very few people in the world, right?
01:15:00 Very few people in the entire world that could work for eight hundred thousand dollars for three minutes or four minutes or five minutes.
01:15:06 Right. So.
01:15:08 So what is the price? Gypsy, how much is it?
01:15:13 I think it's about eight hundred thousand dollars or seven hundred thousand dollars.
01:15:17 Yeah.
01:15:18 Somewhere in those vicinity.
01:15:20 I think that that's not too bad to work for, for, for, for, you know, five minutes, ten minutes or whatever.
01:15:27 I've worked for it before, by the way, just to let you know.
01:15:30 I know. I know, Gypsy, I know. We know.
01:15:36 Let's speak a little bit about the financial stability, if I can put it that way, of Carnival.
01:15:43 Because, you know, every year, Mr. Peters, there is this concern about millions being being expended for Carnival,
01:15:54 millions being given to the special interest groups.
01:15:58 And there's a concern that we are not seeing a profit.
01:16:02 I'm not sure that we heard anything about profits for twenty, twenty three.
01:16:07 What is the situation concerning the financial stability and how much profits we are making for Carnival?
01:16:14 Marlon, the people who do these things are the CSO.
01:16:18 And there is our report that while we spend one hundred and fifty million dollars in Trinidad and Tobago to put on Carnival,
01:16:27 Carnival brings in in excess of a billion and a half dollars in the few weeks that it takes for Carnival to be put on in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:16:36 So the investment that the government put into Carnival, the returns are ten times as much.
01:16:42 And this is why I always say we should try to put more money into Carnival, because there are more things that can be done.
01:16:47 We promote Carnival outside of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:16:50 That same hundred and fifty million dollars helps to do all of that.
01:16:54 And it is insufficient when you look at the little places like Barbados and Jamaica,
01:16:59 whose economy are worse than us, a million times worse than us, and what they do to promote their thing.
01:17:05 You understand what I'm trying to say?
01:17:07 The money that we spend is negligible, basically.
01:17:10 We are supposed to be spending more money.
01:17:12 I do not believe, the truth be told, I do not believe that the government or the people of Trinidad and Tobago, a lot of them, take Carnival seriously.
01:17:21 We are still looking at Carnival in 1940 or 50 or whatever the case might be.
01:17:25 Carnival is a gross foreign exchange earner for Trinidad and Tobago, and do not allow anybody to fool you about that.
01:17:33 If we get all the people who come to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival coming in from Grenada,
01:17:38 we are ahead of the game because their money is ten times more than we are.
01:17:43 Anyway, and the money that they bring in here and leave in this country, our money can't go anywhere, you know.
01:17:51 Tobago people are ugly ones who spend we money.
01:17:55 So what I'm trying to say to you is that our money is a serious business.
01:18:00 Carnival is a serious business. Carnival is why we play mass and we enjoy ourselves.
01:18:06 Carnival is a serious business that brings serious money into this country.
01:18:12 Marlon, why do you believe so many countries in the world want Trinidad and Tobago type Carnival?
01:18:17 Do you believe it's just because they want to have a good time?
01:18:21 Yes, they want to do that too.
01:18:23 But the economic benefit of Carnival is not immeasurable, it's measurable, but it is significant.
01:18:32 And Mr. Peters, I do agree with you. You get no argument from me when it comes to Carnival.
01:18:39 But, you know, we always say, Mr. Peters, that Trinidad and Tobago has the greatest Carnival in the world.
01:18:49 But, you know, Mr. Peters, when you hear and you know, you know, Mr. Peters, I love Carnival.
01:18:55 In fact, I tell people I'm in love with Carnival.
01:18:58 But I know you are a singer too.
01:19:01 I will tell you about that at the end of our interview.
01:19:04 But when we speak about when I hear Mr. Peters about certain countries getting 1 million visitors.
01:19:15 And when I look at the injection of funds into their Carnivals and the profits.
01:19:21 Sometimes I wonder if at all, if we are really the greatest or we have the greatest Carnival on Earth.
01:19:29 We have the greatest Carnival on Earth.
01:19:32 But we also have the greatest second Carnival on Earth.
01:19:37 Because everybody are trying to surpass Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival in whatever they are doing.
01:19:44 They are looking at what we are doing and trying to do more with their Carnival.
01:19:48 And you know what?
01:19:49 Because in a lot of the countries that have adopted our type Carnival, their economy in a large way depends on their Carnival.
01:19:58 Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival, people in Trinidad and Tobago still believe that Carnival is insignificant because we were wired to think that way.
01:20:07 We were wired to hate everything that we do, you know.
01:20:11 That is what Trinidad and Tobago is about.
01:20:13 We were wired to hate Carnival, hate Pan, hate Calypso, hate Mass, hate whining.
01:20:20 Anything that we create in this country, we were wired the antecedents of our Carnival.
01:20:25 It is a struggle.
01:20:27 So those people's Carnival, it was never a struggle.
01:20:32 They take their Carnival and introduced it as an economic tool.
01:20:39 We didn't do that.
01:20:40 We are now realizing what it could do and what it should be doing.
01:20:45 But a lot of people here are still in that wired mode that Carnival is no good.
01:20:52 And some of them, unfortunately, reside in the government.
01:20:55 And the problem is exactly that.
01:20:58 So we have an uphill battle to ensure that our Carnival stays on top.
01:21:04 It is not easy, Marlon.
01:21:05 It is not easy.
01:21:06 I go all the time and we promote Carnival, especially since I'm the chairman.
01:21:11 We go out because I understand what it is.
01:21:14 I have been involved in Carnival around the world for a long time.
01:21:17 And we know exactly what Carnival should be doing.
01:21:21 But a lot of people cannot understand that.
01:21:24 So when you hear $150 million, $150 million could have been a hospital.
01:21:29 It could have been a school.
01:21:31 It could have been that.
01:21:32 But what they're not understanding is that $150 million can be multiplied into billions of dollars.
01:21:39 And it does multiply itself into that.
01:21:42 So that's what the other countries understand.
01:21:44 And we are not quite there with that understanding as yet.
01:21:48 So we have to be careful.
01:21:49 Yeah.
01:21:50 But, Mr. Peters, but we may have the impression this morning,
01:21:55 because of what you would have said a short while ago, that you're not getting the support from the government that you want re-Carnival.
01:22:04 I missed what you said there, Marlon.
01:22:09 I said because of what you would have said a short time ago, Mr. Peters,
01:22:13 that there may be some persons within the government who just don't understand that Carnival could be or is a billion-dollar industry.
01:22:23 So is it then, is it that you're getting the support that you require or not?
01:22:28 We are getting the support that we require from the government up to the $150 million that we are getting to put on Carnival.
01:22:36 But at the end of the day, what I am saying to you is that that money really and truly is insufficient.
01:22:42 But because it's done so much to the people and they're not understanding, and I don't think that anybody's educating people,
01:22:50 Carnival education is not yet in the atmosphere in terms of, yes, the Carnival is there.
01:22:56 People understand we have Carnival to jump and to wave and to whine.
01:22:59 But the education of the economics of Carnival needs to be, it should be on the curricula rally.
01:23:05 We should be teaching them people this in school, because this is the home of Carnival.
01:23:10 This is the land of Carnival.
01:23:12 This is where people take their, this is the blueprint to the type of Carnival that people are now doing around the world.
01:23:18 And we are not paying attention to it because, like I said, it's how we are wired.
01:23:23 We are wired to hate ourselves and to hate our team.
01:23:27 So Carnival to some people is still not worth putting money into.
01:23:31 Because, you know, Trinidad and Tobago, the largest tourism product we have in Trinidad and Tobago is Carnival.
01:23:38 Let's not face it.
01:23:39 No, this is the most people coming at any one time.
01:23:42 A cruise ship or two might come, and the truth be told, it's a cruise ship.
01:23:45 People don't spend a lot of money in your country, eh?
01:23:47 Don't let nobody fool you.
01:23:49 Cruise ship people get everything they want on the cruise ship, and when they come out to your country,
01:23:54 maybe that's sightseeing, you get a truck, a car, or something to take them wherever it is.
01:23:58 When people come to Trinidad and Tobago, the least they come in here for is five or six days.
01:24:03 And the kind of money that they would spend here at that time in every aspect of their spending,
01:24:08 whether it's the hotel, the food, the water, the taxi, the whatever it is,
01:24:14 this is what it is. Carnival is the largest and the greatest tourism product that we have in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:24:22 But again, Marlon, it comes back to the antecedents of Carnival.
01:24:27 People believe, and yet still they are not decommissioned, their mind is not decommissioned,
01:24:33 to be able to know that Carnival is not what they think it was 50 or 60 or 70 years ago.
01:24:38 It is an economic stimulus, it helps to pay people for, build schools, it helps to build hospitals,
01:24:46 it does everything for us, but they are not taught that.
01:24:50 So they still believe that the spend is a waste of time.
01:24:53 That is what we have to decommission people's mind from.
01:24:56 And the fact remain is that we get $150 million, we have to make it work,
01:25:01 but at the end of the day, Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival need an injection of much more money than that
01:25:08 in order to promote it the way that we are supposed to promote it.
01:25:11 Let me tell you something, Marlon.
01:25:13 Trinidad, because we are so southerly, Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival is the hardest place to reach
01:25:20 in all the carnivals in the world, you know.
01:25:23 In North America, you could use a skateboard and go to any one of the carnivals that they have.
01:25:28 In Europe, it's the same thing. A skateboard, a bicycle, anything you feel to use.
01:25:32 In Trinidad and Tobago, we have two modes of getting here, plane and boat.
01:25:37 And I want to be perfectly honest with you that both of them are inefficient and ineffective
01:25:43 when it's time to come here. So come and leave.
01:25:45 When people are trying to get into Trinidad and Tobago, they don't have enough transportation,
01:25:49 they don't have enough airlift.
01:25:51 When they're trying to get out, there's a lot of congestion for them to get out.
01:25:55 And yet still, our carnival is that effective.
01:25:58 So that could show you that even though we're behind the eight ball in terms of getting in and out
01:26:03 and the ease of getting here, we are still ahead of the game.
01:26:08 So it means that there is something in what we are doing that is much better than what they are doing.
01:26:15 And that is why they are looking and looking at it now.
01:26:17 I am in talks with the Jamaican people right this minute.
01:26:20 They're here talking to us. Some of them are going to be my guests for Carnival coming
01:26:24 because they want to see exactly what we do.
01:26:27 But I guess we must have some trade secrets somewhere, Marlon.
01:26:31 Winston "Gypsy" Peters, NCC Chairman, it's always a pleasure speaking with you.
01:26:37 And we will speak again, hopefully, Mr. Chairman, as the carnival really gets underway.
01:26:45 I would appreciate that.
01:26:46 And let me just tell you what Mr. Peters was referring to earlier.
01:26:50 Back in the day when I was at I-95 and we did have the stand-up tent, and they still do,
01:26:55 Gypsy was in the audience and I said to Gypsy in these words,
01:26:58 I said, "Gypsy, mash up the place for me."
01:27:01 And he took the mic and he destroyed the place.
01:27:04 And I won the road match that year.
01:27:06 So, Mr. Peters, if I didn't, thank you for that.
01:27:10 Thank you very much, Gypsy.
01:27:11 You're welcome. I want to see you come back and sing, man. Enjoy yourself.
01:27:15 I'll have to give a guest appearance.
01:27:18 When you're the star, you can do that, man.
01:27:21 Thank you very much, Gypsy. Always good to speak with you.
01:27:24 Bye-bye for now.
01:27:25 And all the best. Okay, God's blessing.
01:27:27 Okay. So we are going to a very short break. We're coming back, everybody.
01:27:30 [Music]
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01:28:35 [Music]
01:29:00 All right, so we are more into the--we're going to be touching a little more on the carnival season, right?
01:29:09 We do have two guests in studio this morning, and we do have Yankee Boy, and we have Sidonia, all right?
01:29:17 So, gentlemen, good morning. I understand that you all just touched down.
01:29:22 Yeah, yeah. Right now the ice is still melting.
01:29:24 Right now the ice is still melting?
01:29:26 Right now I think ice on me too.
01:29:29 Yeah? All right, so Yankee Boy, let's--we do apologize for that, all right?
01:29:34 Yes, yes.
01:29:35 There are some--a few versions of the song that you have.
01:29:38 There's two versions of that song, and I think the public in Sunnyrun wants a management.
01:29:43 Yeah.
01:29:44 So, mistake.
01:29:46 All right. Okay, so what's the name of the song, Yankee Boy?
01:29:49 Well, the name of the song is "I Get Big."
01:29:51 Yes.
01:29:52 You know, people who know me for the carnival, you know, I deal with songs like "Motion Reality."
01:29:55 Yeah.
01:29:56 And when I come out with songs like "Rumors," they say, "If I drink white rum, I go dead."
01:30:01 Yeah.
01:30:02 But look, I still here based on reality.
01:30:04 Right.
01:30:05 A man drink water, cash, and he dead.
01:30:07 Okay, cool. So now I, in New York, representing SoCal Music,
01:30:10 Yeah.
01:30:11 full hundred, I got a little pepper sauce business outside, as an entrepreneur, called Uncle Yankees.
01:30:16 Right.
01:30:17 And I think people started to feel that I got a little extra money, but they don't realize as soon as a small business,
01:30:23 you know, you have to put some money, the money have to go back in the business, because you have to believe in it.
01:30:27 Yes.
01:30:28 You know, as it come in, you have to turn it.
01:30:29 Yeah.
01:30:30 And a lot of people, "I get in big."
01:30:32 "Hey Yankee, you know you could sell me some for this, you could sell me this for that, you could sell me that for that."
01:30:37 Oh God.
01:30:38 So, I'm like, you know what? Off our reality, the "I" just getting big.
01:30:41 Right.
01:30:42 And the same thing goes as a female.
01:30:43 You might be a female and a man see you have a nice job, people might see you coming to work, and the "I" getting big.
01:30:49 Yeah.
01:30:50 So, it's ask the man who you're living with.
01:30:51 Yeah.
01:30:52 Ask the man who you're sleeping with.
01:30:53 But you know, Yankee boy, there has been, I don't know if other people realize this, but your type of soaker.
01:31:04 Right.
01:31:05 It's a kind of, it has a difference to it.
01:31:08 And you're right.
01:31:09 Yeah.
01:31:10 It's a difference, it's a difference.
01:31:11 There's a level of comedy in it too.
01:31:12 Yes.
01:31:13 Comedy, it have humor.
01:31:14 You know, this is what I try to bring, not too much of the friction or bigger, you know, it have a jump and wave crowd, it have a whining crowd, have a drinking section.
01:31:24 Yeah.
01:31:25 I try to bring that humor, but a little bit of reality in it.
01:31:28 Like one of the first songs I come up with was, "I am a drinker, but off our reality."
01:31:33 So, you know, I drink in black and I drink in white.
01:31:36 And when I drink, I don't look for fight.
01:31:37 Right.
01:31:38 I just come here to have some fun, come by TV6 for a bottle of, you know, it's just a humor and something that person can really, you know,
01:31:43 person can really relate to or somebody at least been went through at that point, at that moment.
01:31:48 All right.
01:31:49 Yeah.
01:31:50 So, studio, do we have Yankee Boy's song?
01:31:52 The clean version, the nice one.
01:31:53 The clean version.
01:31:54 Yeah.
01:31:55 Oh.
01:31:56 They're coming, they're coming.
01:31:57 We're trying to get that.
01:31:58 All right.
01:31:59 So, let's speak to Sidonia a little bit here.
01:32:04 Sidonia.
01:32:05 Yes, my brother.
01:32:06 Yeah.
01:32:07 Tell us about your contribution for Carnival this year.
01:32:10 Well, my contribution is Up In That.
01:32:13 Up In That is really based on like from last year now, I was here.
01:32:18 Yes.
01:32:19 Right?
01:32:20 And I was moving with y'all and I was all over the place.
01:32:24 You was in everything.
01:32:25 Everything, everything, everything.
01:32:26 Yes.
01:32:27 You understand?
01:32:28 More or less, you understand?
01:32:29 So, when I say Up In That, that means we up in everything.
01:32:31 We up in all fests.
01:32:32 Yeah.
01:32:33 You understand?
01:32:34 Fests here, fests here, big fests, small fests, grown fests, court fests, we up in that.
01:32:38 We up in that.
01:32:39 We all, we having a ball and we having fun.
01:32:40 You understand?
01:32:41 And enjoying yourself.
01:32:42 We up in everything.
01:32:43 Yeah.
01:32:44 And that is just the whole base on it now.
01:32:45 And that is good because sometimes in life you gotta manifest it.
01:32:47 So, just like how we singing song, you know, and he don't have the vision from last year
01:32:51 where he was moving with a certain team and he up in everything.
01:32:54 So, now he up in that and in life, whatever you manifest or you believe in, it's actually
01:32:58 come into reality.
01:32:59 Yes, of course, come to into reality.
01:33:01 But, is this your first foray into soca?
01:33:06 No.
01:33:07 I been around.
01:33:08 You been knocking the doors.
01:33:09 I been knocking the doors, I been knocking the doors.
01:33:10 I take a little rest off because I reside in New York.
01:33:13 Yeah.
01:33:14 I went and I start to live in New York.
01:33:17 You know, I start to, you know what I mean, drill, you know, you have to build yourself.
01:33:20 New York is a, I'm telling people, New York is a easy place, New York is a hard place
01:33:24 and you have to know and you have to know that when you go there, it's a working process
01:33:29 to building yourself onto a stable condition.
01:33:32 You understand what I'm saying?
01:33:34 When I get myself a stable, I talk back the music and from, and I have to get back.
01:33:40 Corona end up coming into place.
01:33:42 Right.
01:33:43 You know, it end up still coming looking like if I resting, but I was not resting, I was
01:33:45 working.
01:33:46 Yes.
01:33:47 You understand what I'm saying?
01:33:48 But, as Corona done, I was here.
01:33:50 What's the cultural scene like, it's in New York, right?
01:33:55 Yeah.
01:33:56 New York where you all reside.
01:33:57 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:33:58 What's the cultural scene and more so the soca scene like in New York?
01:34:04 Well, I, from my point of view, you know, so the cultural scene to me is the, in Barisoka,
01:34:12 full on to me, I can't say the whole of New York.
01:34:16 Of course.
01:34:17 But I could tell you from which part I reside, which is Brooklyn.
01:34:20 Yeah.
01:34:21 When you talk about Brooklyn people, Brooklyn people in Barisoka, to me, more than different
01:34:26 genres.
01:34:27 Well, at least you could say, we is Trinidad and Tobago and we is the Mecca, but in Brooklyn,
01:34:34 they appreciate soca music more than we own thing here.
01:34:37 I'm telling you.
01:34:38 Real talk.
01:34:39 Because when we in Trinidad, nothing wrong, we know we just play, we just play with the
01:34:42 dancehall, we just play this, we play that.
01:34:44 But when you come in Brooklyn, New York or Queens, full hundred, because it's not just
01:34:49 Trinidadians, you have the Guyanese, you have the Bajans, you have Grenadians.
01:34:53 Everybody in one, mix up in a culture, and it's soca, full hundred.
01:34:58 So in Trinidad, feel like we done in Nashville, when it's done, it start over again, all the
01:35:04 way, all the way, all the way, all the way.
01:35:06 So keep it real, people like me, like myself, lyrical, it's a new trend, it's a motto, it's
01:35:12 a cidonia, it's a myself, all that we bring out of Brooklyn.
01:35:15 And that is 24/7.
01:35:17 That is 24/7.
01:35:18 So there's a demand for the culture?
01:35:20 It is a demand for the culture.
01:35:22 Of course, of course.
01:35:23 You know, and I can tell people who don't really go out too much, we don't even understand
01:35:27 how people really embrace us.
01:35:29 We own things, I just, I was just listening to the program before with Gypsy, saying there
01:35:33 are only two ways to come into the carnival.
01:35:35 It's really serious, big outside.
01:35:37 It's big outside.
01:35:38 For real.
01:35:39 But it had to start from within, inside our here, because imagine tourists coming home
01:35:44 in the regular part of the year, and then they hear a different genre, I come to this
01:35:48 country, it's like you're going to America, and you're not hearing hip-hop, you're hearing
01:35:51 something else.
01:35:52 You're like, the other day before I come down here.
01:35:53 You come to the island, you want to hear this culture and music.
01:35:56 We're not selling, we own brand.
01:35:58 Yeah.
01:35:59 And I, Antigone, surprisingly, I have to say this.
01:36:03 Antigones, right, them listen to Soka all year long, more than we.
01:36:09 Play it, literally, I'm telling you.
01:36:11 More than us, so we have to step up on that.
01:36:15 Because when I put on our radio station here, and them tell me take it off, because them
01:36:21 want to put on them radio station, because them radio station playing Soka alone.
01:36:25 And they only hear the difference of our music, and we own them, them give ex.
01:36:30 Them tell me take it off.
01:36:31 But, gentlemen, I think that there has been some improvement.
01:36:35 You know, the Soka throughout the year, I think it has become a part of the diet now.
01:36:40 True.
01:36:41 Yes, yes, yes.
01:36:42 We got a little bit of it.
01:36:43 About 10, 20 years ago.
01:36:44 I can't dispute the fact.
01:36:45 I can't dispute the fact.
01:36:46 So there has been improvement.
01:36:49 I think that a lot of young people have gravitated towards the Soka, and have embraced it.
01:36:55 And people like you and other people have been very successful with it.
01:37:00 And the Soka industry has become a viable industry in which you can make a living.
01:37:06 Yes, yes, yes.
01:37:07 So there have been a lot of improvements.
01:37:09 Just incidentally, how has your new song been going down?
01:37:12 Have you been getting the response that you want in Trinidad and Tobago?
01:37:16 Well, I just reached fresh off the plane.
01:37:18 I'm going to make it here.
01:37:19 Thanks for life.
01:37:20 Thanks for good energy.
01:37:21 The song came out around September time.
01:37:24 It was released outside from Miami.
01:37:26 Right.
01:37:27 And it was up and running and doing real good numbers.
01:37:30 You know, from when I watched the YouTube views, when I watched the Instagram views, it was doing good.
01:37:35 Now we're just putting the face towards the song.
01:37:37 Because, you know, sometimes with the artists, you have songs playing and people really don't know the face.
01:37:41 Same thing with Sidon here.
01:37:43 Because, you know, it happens, I just go, I sing, I'm a drinker, and people don't even know I sing that.
01:37:46 They don't even know I sing "Rumors."
01:37:48 So now we're getting videos together.
01:37:50 We're now hitting the ground, trying to be on time.
01:37:53 So it's plenty.
01:37:55 At the end of the day, it's all about marketing.
01:37:57 Yes.
01:37:58 You know, because marketing is the number one thing.
01:38:00 You can have the song, and if you don't have the marketing behind it, it's nothing.
01:38:03 You know, that's why Coca-Cola and all these big brands, they spend money and come to marketing.
01:38:07 It's number one.
01:38:08 Thank you to TV6 for helping the artists and them, and keeping the platform going and having me here.
01:38:13 Yes, yes, and having the culture.
01:38:14 So, gentlemen, you all are here for the Carnival season.
01:38:16 Until, we're here until.
01:38:17 Here until Ash Wednesday?
01:38:18 Yes, yes.
01:38:19 Well, I guess, much time left.
01:38:20 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:38:21 Ride on till we ride on.
01:38:22 It's a sacrifice, it's a sacrifice.
01:38:24 Right now, my suitcase is still in the parking lot.
01:38:26 Right now, everything is still in the parking lot.
01:38:27 Where can people get in contact with you all?
01:38:30 Well, you can find me on all social media platforms.
01:38:32 I'm Yankee Boy.
01:38:33 Y-A-N-K-E-Y-B-O-Y.
01:38:35 You know, it's love, good energy.
01:38:37 You can find me on all social platforms, which is C-D-O-N-I-A, music.
01:38:44 Yes.
01:38:45 You understand?
01:38:46 So, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok.
01:38:54 Cedonia, you have so many platforms.
01:38:55 TikTok.
01:38:56 TikTok.
01:38:57 No, I'm just trying to make sure that's the same thing everywhere.
01:39:01 Yeah.
01:39:02 So, you know what I mean?
01:39:03 Just type in C-D-O-N-I-A, music, and any platform, and you get me.
01:39:06 Yeah.
01:39:07 Gentlemen, it was a pleasure speaking with you all this morning.
01:39:10 You know, things just go sometimes, but we do apologize to our viewers this morning.
01:39:16 No problem.
01:39:17 But it was good to speak with you all, and we wish you all the best for the carnival season.
01:39:22 Yeah?
01:39:23 Well, thank you.
01:39:24 Thank you, TV6, for having Yankee Boy Cedonia.
01:39:26 Big up all the new upcoming artists.
01:39:27 All I see TV6, we support the culture.
01:39:29 Friends of Tobago, Run Nitro, M-Hollies.
01:39:32 TV6, number one.
01:39:33 TV6.
01:39:34 We're coming back, everybody.
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01:41:40 All right, so welcome back, everyone.
01:41:41 So you know when it gets to this time of the year, every year we're speaking about fireworks and its use
01:41:47 and the impact that it continues to have on Trinidad and Tobago.
01:41:51 Well, we do have this morning Stephen Cady, former minister and member of the Fireworks Use Sufferers organization,
01:42:00 and we also have Nalini Diyal, president of the organization.
01:42:05 Lady, gentleman, thank you very much for coming this morning.
01:42:08 Thank you for having us.
01:42:09 Well, Ms. Diyal, let me just say it would seem that, as I said, every year we discuss this situation.
01:42:17 Has there been any new development? Has there been any relief?
01:42:22 Okay, well, let me say that it's more than 10 years that our group has been protesting the illegal use of fireworks by members of the public, right?
01:42:32 And the last consultation we had, Mr. Cady was there too, was last November with members from the AG's office,
01:42:41 where they are promising to bring new legislation to deal with it.
01:42:46 And all the stakeholders who were there, almost 10 persons, the shelters, the zoo, wildlife, everybody,
01:42:54 was against the use of fireworks, the sale to the public and so on, because certainly it cannot be controlled.
01:43:03 The people who buy the fireworks are not following the rules and regulations that exist right now.
01:43:08 And we wanted to have a compromise, so we said maybe put on a show out by the waterfront on a barge out there,
01:43:17 and people who love to see fireworks and so on could come down there and, you know, socialize and enjoy themselves,
01:43:23 because it is being set off in residential areas and so on, which is illegal, right?
01:43:29 That is more than a year now, and not a word has come from the AG's office to us what they plan to do.
01:43:38 We are hearing that they are going to be discussing it in the new year in Parliament.
01:43:42 So we are eagerly waiting. But again, all the answers come upon us, and we are left, you know, with the same problems facing us.
01:43:51 Mr. Cadiz, I would have had, like a number of other people, a look at the proposed legislation, re-fireworks,
01:44:05 and what I noted was that there is still the thrust to support the use of fireworks for Diwali, for old years,
01:44:21 and for a few hours into New Year's, on certain holidays, and so on.
01:44:28 And I'm just saying to myself, that piece of proposed legislation, is it doing what it is meant to do?
01:44:40 Because, as you all know, the use of fireworks, it usually happens on Diwali and public holidays, and Christmas, and old years, and into New Year's.
01:44:50 So, to me, Mr. Cadiz, are we still spinning top in mud?
01:44:57 Well, it's spinning top in mud, because for the simple reason that you can't control it.
01:45:02 Yes.
01:45:03 It is impossible for you to control the use of fireworks by the general public.
01:45:09 I mean, we had fireworks for independence, for instance.
01:45:12 That was a very, very, very controlled deal there, with the fire services, and the police, and what have you.
01:45:20 But when you have general public, I mean, I live up in the north, right up in the back of the valley of Maribal.
01:45:27 Yesterday afternoon, at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, this is not fireworks, because there's a difference between fireworks and scratch bombs,
01:45:34 and all the other explosive devices, and I have these things going off at 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
01:45:40 So, when the police say, well, you know, there's a regulation, of course there's a regulation,
01:45:46 talking about 60 foot from a main road, and 2 miles from the city limits, and all this sort of business.
01:45:53 What is that? Who's measuring that?
01:45:57 You are selling people free sheet fireworks, for instance, from pop-up tents, or you can go to the fireworks warehouses,
01:46:04 and you can buy van loads of fireworks.
01:46:08 Boxing Day sale, they have.
01:46:09 Okay, Boxing Day sale.
01:46:11 Who is controlling that, how people deal with that?
01:46:15 You can't control it, and if you cannot control it, and I mean, I use reference to the scrap iron dealers.
01:46:21 They couldn't stop people from stealing TSTT cables, because why?
01:46:26 There's a hundred miles of cables strung across this island, okay?
01:46:29 You couldn't stop them from doing that.
01:46:31 So, what did the government do?
01:46:33 The government didn't have any discussion with anybody.
01:46:36 Bam! One morning you wake up, no more scrap iron.
01:46:39 Shut down every single scrap iron yard.
01:46:41 Put a thousand people out of work, okay?
01:46:44 What is it with these fireworks that we can't understand, that unless you can control it, you're going to run into problems?
01:46:53 In 2021, in Israel River, when they had that horrible accident, where 29 people were made homeless because of fireworks, fire caused by fireworks.
01:47:04 You know, one day, and I hate to say it, one day there is going to be a God-awful accident with fireworks,
01:47:12 and it is only then the authorities are going to say, "Enough is enough."
01:47:16 But until that time, we're not seeing any solution to it.
01:47:20 Ms. Dial, are you calling for a total ban?
01:47:22 Because I know there has been a suggestion, well, allow people to use the fireworks, the ones that you don't have these explosives.
01:47:30 Well, I don't know which ones they're speaking about, because there are some very loud ones.
01:47:34 Yes.
01:47:35 Even though they banned the scratch bombs, there are still some that are very terrible.
01:47:40 I mean, they really traumatize animals and people too.
01:47:43 We were willing to compromise, as I said, over the years.
01:47:47 If the police, as Mr. KD said, could have enforced the law and controlled it, they can't.
01:47:53 The people themselves too are unruly.
01:47:56 They do not care about their neighbor.
01:47:58 They do not care about the animals.
01:48:00 They don't care.
01:48:01 They want to have their fun.
01:48:02 And they go on and on with it.
01:48:04 It's not like, okay, we will say Olya's Night, maybe from 11 to maybe 1, let's say.
01:48:12 But they go on, as Mr. KD said, and then they do it all after Olya's.
01:48:17 They buy, they have at their homes, which is unsafe too, to store fireworks at their home.
01:48:22 So, there's no telling when it's going to be.
01:48:24 So, in such a case, since the people are not following rules and regulations, we have no other choice but to call for the ban.
01:48:31 What's the next option, Mr. KD?
01:48:34 Well, I mean, again, if you can't control it, you cannot regulate it, then you need to stop it.
01:48:40 It's as simple as that.
01:48:42 Let people go back to bussing bamboo if they want.
01:48:45 There are communities that grow up bussing bamboo.
01:48:47 Go back to bussing bamboo.
01:48:49 Is this an issue you think that should be settled in the courts?
01:48:53 I think the government should be, the government needs to understand what their responsibility is.
01:48:59 And it's not responsibility to the fireworks dealers.
01:49:02 It is not responsibility to only the people who detonate these fireworks, but general public.
01:49:08 And you have to accept that as part of your responsibility in a civil society.
01:49:16 And you cannot just allow these things to go on.
01:49:19 Look, I see the residents of St. Clair took a FED promoter to court and shut it down.
01:49:26 Because why? Everywhere now is a FED venue.
01:49:29 And again, if you allow things like that to continue, fireworks are going to be with us forever.
01:49:36 Day, night, whatever type of explosion, because every year I'm pretty sure new fireworks come onto the market that are louder,
01:49:45 they have more impact and what have you.
01:49:47 And that is what is going to happen. It's just going to continue.
01:49:50 So for me personally, until you find a way to control it, shut it down completely. Stop it.
01:49:58 Okay?
01:49:59 Mr. Yale, Mr. Cadies, thank you very much for coming out this morning.
01:50:04 Unfortunately, we have run out of time, but we will continue our discussion at a later date concerning this matter.
01:50:11 And we do appreciate you coming here this morning.
01:50:14 I hope you all had a good Christmas.
01:50:16 And we wish you a happy and prosperous new year.
01:50:19 Thank you.
01:50:20 We are coming back, everybody.
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01:52:24 Alright, so welcome back everyone. Well, it's time for the people to decide who is the TV6 Sports Personality of the Year for 2023.
01:52:32 But before we get to that, let's roll out the candidates one last time.
01:52:36 Nikolai Blackman has been getting faster in the pool and the world saw what he's capable of this year.
01:52:48 Blackman won Trinidad and Tobago's first ever gold medal at the Men's 50-meter Freestyle event at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Israel.
01:52:57 The 18-year-old stopped the clock in 32.35 seconds to win ahead of the best of Australia, Italy, and the rest of the world.
01:53:05 He also broke the national 15-17 record on route to winning his 50-meter freestyle World Junior Swimming Championship final.
01:53:13 He is something of an inspiration to his peers. His confidence and composure have been proven to be a deadly combination.
01:53:22 At the Commonwealth Youth Games, he made it extra special for the hosts Trinidad and Tobago.
01:53:29 Blackman won three gold medals at the tournament and won his semifinal heat in 22.33 seconds in a world junior record time.
01:53:38 For 2023, the former Marlin swimmer continued to map out his pathway to success.
01:53:44 A previous pupil of Fatima College in Porto, Spain, Blackman is now continuing his studying and training at the University of Tennessee.
01:53:52 Blackman's journey has been nothing short of outstanding and it's the main reason he's a nominee for the TV6 Sport Personality of the Year.
01:54:06 Alright, so well, after the voting, the winner of the TV6 Sports Personality Award for 2023 is swimmer Nikolai Blackman.
01:54:16 Now he shocked and outpointed the likes of cyclist Nicholas Paul, cricketer Nicholas Puran, cricketer Darren Bravo, and footballer Levi Garcia.
01:54:26 He gathered over 75% of the votes. The next best was Nicholas Paul with 19% of the votes who also had a phenomenal year.
01:54:35 Now Nikolai Blackman has had an impressive year. Some of the achievements for 2023 include becoming the first ever Trinidad and Tobago athlete to win gold
01:54:44 in the men's 50 meter freestyle event at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Israel.
01:54:50 The 18 year old broke the national 15 to 17 record en route to winning his 50 meter freestyle World Junior Swimming Championship final.
01:54:59 At the Commonwealth Youth Games in TNT, he won three gold medals and won his semifinal heat in 22.33 seconds in a world junior record time.
01:55:09 And he's a previous pupil of the Fatima College that is now, and he's now studying at the University of Tennessee.
01:55:17 His father, Mr. Bertrand Blackman is here to collect the award on his behalf as Nikolai is off to school abroad.
01:55:26 Mr. Blackman, good morning and thank you very much for coming this morning.
01:55:30 Morning, Martin.
01:55:31 Yeah, well I have this for you, Mr. Blackman. Congratulations to your son.
01:55:36 Okay, thank you very much.
01:55:38 Yes. So let's get some applause, yeah?
01:55:42 [Applause]
01:55:45 Thank you.
01:55:46 Mr. Blackman, what does this mean for you and your son?
01:55:51 Okay, so good morning to Toronto Baygo and praise God.
01:55:56 It's just when the call came through and you know, this is one way the people vote.
01:56:04 Yes.
01:56:05 And I think that, you know, having this opportunity, Toronto Baygo saying, you know, congratulations to Nikolai, it meant something.
01:56:14 And from the heart, I mean, we say thank you very much, you know, for taking him to your homes.
01:56:19 The people who decided to vote and took the opportunity to vote, we thank you for that.
01:56:24 We thank all the well-wishers, all the persons along the road.
01:56:28 The road has been long.
01:56:29 Yes.
01:56:30 But, you know, I just bringing everything into one oneness here that it has been a hell of a journey.
01:56:36 And 2023 was the best year for Nikolai Blackman.
01:56:40 Yeah. And what are his feelings?
01:56:43 I'm sure that you would have contacted Nikolai and said, hey, Nikolai, you know, the TV6 Sports personality of the year, you know.
01:56:51 He jumped all over the place.
01:56:54 I called him last night and, you know, he was elated and as well he sends his regards to Toronto Baygo.
01:57:02 You know, his mom, we all grateful.
01:57:04 We all truly, truly, truly grateful, you know, to take time off your schedule to go and, you know, do that.
01:57:11 I spoke with Brian Lewis, who called me this morning.
01:57:15 We were talking probably at three or four o'clock in the morning, he said he would be at the camp.
01:57:18 And, you know, he was kind of giving me a little backdrop where he indicated a couple of years ago, I think it was probably 2018,
01:57:24 where, you know, he was then pushing to ensure that we would have had the Commonwealth Games here in Toronto and Tobago.
01:57:30 And that decision back then, bringing the Commonwealth Games to Trinidad,
01:57:36 giving the platform to all these children, all these youth athletes to showcase their wares, you know, all of this, back to this.
01:57:46 Yeah. Let's speak a little bit about where this journey began.
01:57:50 How did it begin?
01:57:54 A kid who just likes swimming.
01:57:56 It started off, I think, six months old and we went down the islands and there was Nikolai,
01:58:03 you know, enjoying his sea bath, you know, to Scotland Bay.
01:58:07 And we realized back then, you know, that he liked the water.
01:58:11 Then we went to Bishop's Armstead Junior School, which is a tremendous school, you know,
01:58:17 and one of the things, extracurricular, that the school had was swimming.
01:58:21 And if you know Bishop's Armstead, they like winning a lot, especially in sports.
01:58:27 And from there, Mrs. Van Juten and Kelly, they were the ones who generated that feeling to, you know, want to win, to inspire him.
01:58:38 And the environment there for the swimming, it just blossomed from that.
01:58:43 And Nikolai just went on, you know, digesting that, so to speak.
01:58:48 And he moved on and he went up to Marlin Swim Club.
01:58:51 And Marlin Swim Club, to this day, he's still a member.
01:58:54 That's where he found his home. That's where the craft got more refined, you know,
01:58:59 and, you know, the building blocks started from that point in time.
01:59:03 His coach, Maurice Farrier, head coach, Mr. McLeod, they took him under his wing, as the entire club did.
01:59:11 And Nikolai is a product of that environment, the environment that he comes out of,
01:59:16 the swimming environment of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:59:18 They all, you know, came together and all the different competitions that he would have gone on to.
01:59:25 His first one being in 2014, going on to the first Goodwill Games in Suriname and all these things.
01:59:33 They were all part of the process that took him all the way to worlds.
01:59:38 And I know, Mr. Blackman, as I listen to you, it would seem that it was an entire village of people that contributed to his success.
01:59:49 And well said, Marlin. I mean, we are the parents of Nikolai Blackman.
01:59:53 I think everybody can attest Nikolai is not owned by us.
01:59:56 Nikolai is a product of that environment that he came out of.
01:59:59 This swimming environment, grandparents, schools, they all pitched in.
02:00:05 They all did their part. And Nikolai is one of those persons that, you know, that, I mean, if you know the boy, he embraces everything.
02:00:14 Nothing fazes him. He's never fickled about anything.
02:00:18 And for the swimming, you know that he was never the best in the beginning.
02:00:23 So Nikolai's story could be a story of just about anybody's story.
02:00:27 He was not the best, Marlin. He was probably the eighth person.
02:00:31 And he moved from eight all the way up over the years.
02:00:35 And because he was one who would have started in the negative, he accepted defeat in a, in a, in a, in a, what is the word I'm looking for?
02:00:45 Where it is that he was more humble.
02:00:47 So now that he's on the other side, he could identify how he felt when he was not the best that he could.
02:00:54 But he knew that more work, more work was required. And that's one of the things that, that, that we take away.
02:01:01 He became resilient over the years.
02:01:03 Yeah. And I think that is it, sir. To remain resilient and to stick to it.
02:01:09 And I think that's why we are seeing the benefits of it now.
02:01:13 So, Mr. Bertrand, again, congratulations to you.
02:01:16 Congratulations to the entire team that would, that would have contributed to Nikolai's successes.
02:01:24 Please relay our congratulations to Nikolai. Thank you very much for coming this morning and congratulations again.
02:01:32 Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity.
02:01:35 Yeah. So I hope that you had a good Christmas and we wish you and Nikolai all the best in the new year.
02:01:41 Thanks a lot.
02:01:42 OK, so that's going to do it, everybody, for our program for today.
02:01:46 Have a good day. This is the last program for Morning Edition for today.
02:01:51 See you all next week in the new year.
02:01:54 Should auld acquaintance be forgot? I never brought it back.
02:02:04 Should auld acquaintance be forgot? In days of auld lang syne.
02:02:14 In days of auld lang syne, my love, in days of auld lang syne.
02:02:24 Should auld acquaintance be forgot? In days of auld lang syne.
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