Morning Edition: 11th January 2024

Name: Morning Edition: 11th January 2024
Uploaded: 2024-01-11T13:30:00+00:00
Duration: 1 h 54 min 34 s
Channel: CCNTV6
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00:00:00 (upbeat music)

00:00:02 - And a very special good morning Trinidad

00:00:16 and to be with the rest of the world,

00:00:17 I'm Marlon Hopkinson and welcome to the Morning Edition.

00:00:20 It's January 11th, 2024.

00:00:22 The month has picked up some speed

00:00:25 heading into Carnival, right?

00:00:29 Yesterday, well, it was announced

00:00:30 that the dry season has begun.

00:00:33 So I suspect it's a good time to start conserving water

00:00:37 and not washing your car as much as you do.

00:00:40 You know, I think it was last year or the year before,

00:00:43 it was months before I washed my car, right?

00:00:46 After a while I started to not recognize the vehicle.

00:00:51 But you know, we need to do all of these sorts of things

00:00:54 to conserve water because last year,

00:00:57 even the rainy season was very dry, okay?

00:01:01 So I suspect in the coming days and the coming weeks,

00:01:04 we are going to be speaking a little more

00:01:07 about this dry season, what it means,

00:01:11 maybe speak to the Met Office

00:01:12 and also get some sort of statement from WASA, right?

00:01:16 So a very special good morning to you.

00:01:18 I hope that your night was a good night

00:01:20 and that you're safe and sound with us here this morning.

00:01:23 Let's check out to see what's happening

00:01:24 in the Daily Express on the front page today.

00:01:27 Thousands of drivers stuck for hours

00:01:29 as repairs continue on highway to south.

00:01:32 Traffic, hell.

00:01:33 Long lines, the stabilization work being undertaken

00:01:36 along the southbound lane of the Solomon Ho Choi Highway.

00:01:40 The Ever Claxon Bay overpass

00:01:41 is causing a massive traffic jam,

00:01:43 which for the past two days has extended

00:01:45 all the way to North Trinidad, all right?

00:01:48 So pictured above is bumper to bumper traffic

00:01:51 at the Freeport section of the highway on Tuesday

00:01:54 and at left is McAuley yesterday, all right?

00:01:58 Moving on to some sport now.

00:02:00 Doubts over Bravo, pulls out of North-South Classic.

00:02:04 Participation in four-day championship uncertain.

00:02:07 Darren Bravo's participation

00:02:09 in this year's cricket West Indies four-day championship

00:02:12 was thrown into serious doubt yesterday

00:02:15 after he pulled out of the North-South Classic,

00:02:17 which starts today at the National Cricket Center.

00:02:20 Last week, Bravo was announced as captain of the North team

00:02:23 that will defend their title against the South side

00:02:26 led by Imran Khan.

00:02:28 So some of what is happening in sport today, all right?

00:02:32 It's time to remind you about Trinbago, your nice feature.

00:02:35 And a very special good morning to all of you

00:02:37 who have been sending in your photographs,

00:02:40 your videos and so on, we appreciate it, all right?

00:02:43 So you can WhatsApp your videos or images to 737-3778.

00:02:48 Water Lily with a B from Anjali Parasramsingh.

00:02:53 Anjali, thank you very much

00:02:55 for that photograph this morning.

00:02:56 And thank you very much for the caption.

00:02:58 Yeah, Water Lily with a B, you know?

00:03:01 (laughs)

00:03:03 So yeah, thank you so very much to Anjali

00:03:07 and all of you who continue to contribute to our program.

00:03:10 So we have a packed show for you today,

00:03:12 a very interesting show as always, all right?

00:03:15 So you have your coffee, you have your tea,

00:03:16 get something to eat and come back.

00:03:19 (upbeat music)

00:03:21 (singing in foreign language)

00:03:25 - With alive multivitamins by nature's way,

00:03:49 you won't be defined by time.

00:03:51 You own every minute of it.

00:03:55 Discover how you can age vibrantly with alive.

00:04:00 (singing in foreign language)

00:04:04 - You ever tried talking to your child

00:04:17 and there's a total and complete misunderstanding

00:04:19 and it turns out into a shouting match?

00:04:22 Be mindful of what you say and more importantly,

00:04:25 how you say what you say.

00:04:27 Today I want to share with you

00:04:31 just a few thoughts on communication.

00:04:33 To build healthy parent-child relations,

00:04:36 communication is not an option.

00:04:38 Effective communication is the lifeblood

00:04:41 of good relationship between parents and children.

00:04:44 Please listen attentively to your child.

00:04:47 Everyone hears but not everybody listens.

00:04:50 Listen actively.

00:04:51 Use language they can understand.

00:04:54 Use language that is appropriate for their age

00:04:57 and make sure that when you're speaking,

00:04:59 be very clear and be very, very specific.

00:05:03 So what does behave good means?

00:05:05 What does stop behaving badly means?

00:05:07 Be very clear and be very specific.

00:05:10 Please do not use any derogatory words

00:05:12 to them at all, at all, at all.

00:05:14 Use kind language because that helps

00:05:17 to set a positive tone in the house.

00:05:19 Express your feelings and your satisfaction

00:05:22 to the situation and of course,

00:05:24 please encourage your children to do so as well.

00:05:28 Remember, the conversation should be,

00:05:30 children, we love you.

00:05:33 We love you and we respect you.

00:05:35 Do the best you can.

00:05:36 It's all that you can do.

00:05:37 Be mindful of what you say and how you say it.

00:05:41 If you found this useful,

00:05:42 please share and like and follow our profile

00:05:45 for more parenting tips.

00:05:47 The letter for today is C for communication.

00:05:50 ♪ I tell you, come discover one of us ♪

00:05:54 ♪ Come discover both of us ♪

00:05:56 ♪ And why not come and discover all of us ♪

00:06:01 ♪ For together we aspire ♪

00:06:04 ♪ And together we achieve ♪

00:06:06 ♪ The way we live is hard for them to believe ♪

00:06:10 ♪ I tell you ♪

00:06:15 ♪ Believe it or not ♪

00:06:21 ♪ Believe it or not ♪

00:06:29 ♪ Yes ♪

00:06:32 ♪ Well friends maybe you're forgetting ♪

00:06:34 ♪ The different thoughts that are left behind ♪

00:06:35 - So welcome back everyone.

00:06:37 Thank you very much for your viewership

00:06:39 considering the morning edition.

00:06:40 We do appreciate it.

00:06:41 All right, so we do have a lot for you on the program today,

00:06:44 but let's look at some of the stories

00:06:46 making the Daily Express for you today.

00:06:51 Bus shortage cripples PTSD routes.

00:06:54 So more than half of the 163 established bus routes

00:06:59 across the country are currently without service

00:07:02 as the Public Transport Service Corporation

00:07:04 continues to grapple with a shortage in its fleet.

00:07:07 Now the corporation said yesterday

00:07:09 that it hopes to increase its fleet in phases

00:07:11 over the next three years, starting with 300 new buses,

00:07:15 which will allow it to increase the number of working routes.

00:07:18 And you know, I have a question.

00:07:20 How do we get to this point?

00:07:22 You know, to me, we should not have a bus shortage

00:07:26 and there should have been constant monitoring

00:07:29 as to what is happening.

00:07:31 Now I know that there is a lot of wear and tear

00:07:35 on these vehicles because it's around the clock.

00:07:38 They're working around the clock, all right?

00:07:40 But again, for people who need these buses

00:07:45 to go to school and to go to work on a daily basis,

00:07:50 I don't know that this is acceptable to them.

00:07:53 So, you know, I'm a bit concerned

00:07:55 that there's a bus shortage now, yeah?

00:07:59 It's not going to affect people with who,

00:08:01 in their families, they have three and four vehicles

00:08:06 and so on, it's not going to affect them.

00:08:07 But I'm talking about the poor people,

00:08:10 if you want to put it that way, yeah?

00:08:13 Who are living in the faraway villages and so on.

00:08:16 This is very, very important to them, yeah?

00:08:20 All right, another story.

00:08:21 Cal gets $205 million debt write-off.

00:08:25 So cabinet approved a $205 million debt write-off

00:08:29 by Caribbean Airlines, which represented money owed

00:08:31 to the airport's authority of Trinidad and Tobago, yeah.

00:08:36 So Cal has had, even when it was BWIA,

00:08:40 a lot of financial problems, yeah?

00:08:43 And I remember a former chief executive officer of BWI,

00:08:48 and I remember he was at a news conference one day

00:08:52 and he said, "How do you turn an individual

00:08:57 "into a millionaire?"

00:08:59 And everyone was looking at him

00:09:01 because they want to know what he's speaking about.

00:09:03 And he said, "Give that individual a billion dollars

00:09:07 "and have him open up an airline."

00:09:11 And I think what he was saying,

00:09:12 and everybody was laughing and so on,

00:09:13 but I guess what he was saying is that it costs so much

00:09:17 to run an airline and things can go wrong so quickly

00:09:22 and it could cost millions of dollars, all right?

00:09:25 So again, debt write-off concerning Cal, just incidentally.

00:09:31 The soldier has been charged with the murders

00:09:34 of his ex-wife and mother-in-law.

00:09:36 The soldier who was detained following the killings

00:09:40 of Khalida Shamba, 43, and her 66-year-old mother,

00:09:44 Camelita De Leon, has been charged with their murders, yeah?

00:09:49 And there has been, over the past few days

00:09:51 since this incident, an increased debate

00:09:56 concerning domestic violence in Trinidad and Tobago

00:09:58 and the mechanisms that are in place

00:10:01 to protect survivors of domestic violence

00:10:04 if they are working or not, yeah?

00:10:07 Let's hope this new debate concerning domestic violence,

00:10:11 that something rigid and stable comes out of it

00:10:16 to protect all women, folk, and even men

00:10:20 who are victims of domestic violence.

00:10:25 Cop facing probe over leaked video,

00:10:28 another officer from the St. Joseph Police Station

00:10:30 is facing disciplinary action based on content

00:10:34 that was leaked online.

00:10:35 This time a video was released on social media yesterday

00:10:38 in which a police constable is seen slapping away

00:10:41 a phone from a civilian's hand.

00:10:45 And you know the concern from police officers,

00:10:48 one of the concern has been that members of the public,

00:10:52 while they are free to film, to videotape police officers,

00:10:56 but some of them are getting too, too close.

00:10:59 So they're upping the police officer's face

00:11:02 and in some cases hampering the work of the police officer.

00:11:06 And yesterday we had a discussion on that

00:11:08 and of course there are repercussions

00:11:10 if it is seen that you're attempting to interfere

00:11:15 with the work of police.

00:11:18 Stakeholders meet on carnival security,

00:11:20 high safety a priority for state,

00:11:23 the safety and security of patrons, stakeholders,

00:11:26 and the general public at carnival 2024 events

00:11:30 is of priority concern for the state,

00:11:32 says the minister, well the minister of national security.

00:11:36 All right, here's what,

00:11:37 we are going to a very short break, we're coming back.

00:11:39 ♪ And the wine had to come and discover all of us ♪

00:11:44 ♪ For together we aspire and together we achieve ♪

00:11:50 ♪ The way we live is hard for them to believe ♪

00:11:53 ♪ But we're here to help them ♪

00:11:58 ♪ We're here to help them ♪

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00:12:33 - The Cure Up in the Coastal Empowerment Ministries

00:12:37 International of 27 McDonald Street,

00:12:39 Cure Up Trinidad, West Philly

00:12:41 presents Empowerment Through the World.

00:12:45 Come with us as we affect humanity

00:12:47 with the life transforming power

00:12:49 of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

00:12:52 We invite you to stay tuned and be glad.

00:12:55 - Thank you members of the media.

00:13:03 This concludes our weekly press briefing.

00:13:05 As the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service

00:13:10 continues to protect.

00:13:11 - And serve with pride,

00:13:13 we are calling on all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

00:13:17 - To get on board with us,

00:13:18 to ensure that everyone is able to live.

00:13:22 - In a crime free society.

00:13:25 Are you on board?

00:13:27 - This is my country and I am on board.

00:13:31 - I am on board with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

00:13:36 Let us save the youth of the nation.

00:13:38 Get on board.

00:13:39 - Crime affects all of us,

00:13:41 children, communities, and the country as a whole.

00:13:45 Supporting crime victims

00:13:47 and working with the police service,

00:13:49 I am on board.

00:13:50 - This is my country and I'm on board.

00:13:53 - My name is Nikolai Blackmon

00:13:56 and I'm on board with the TTPS.

00:13:59 - Vision on Mission is proud to partner with the TTPS

00:14:03 because crime prevention is everybody's business.

00:14:07 - We are the National Congress

00:14:08 of Incorporated Spiritual Baptist Organizations

00:14:11 of Trinidad and Tobago.

00:14:12 And we are on board with the TTPS

00:14:14 in its fight against crime.

00:14:15 - I'm a farmer.

00:14:18 This is my country and I'm on board.

00:14:21 - I am Charles Jason Gordon,

00:14:22 the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Port of Spain.

00:14:25 I am on board in the TTPS fight against crime.

00:14:29 - We are all on board.

00:14:31 (upbeat music)

00:14:33 (upbeat music)

00:14:36 (upbeat music)

00:14:39 (upbeat music)

00:14:42 (upbeat music)

00:14:44 (upbeat music)

00:14:47 - All right, so welcome back everyone.

00:15:14 So we are taking some of your calls right now.

00:15:18 If you wish to call us, you can please do so.

00:15:20 There are a lot of things to speak about

00:15:22 in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:15:23 You're calling us on 623-1711.

00:15:25 The extension is 1995.

00:15:28 We just have a few minutes to take some of our calls

00:15:31 while we wait on our first interview.

00:15:33 So again, you're calling us on 623-1711.

00:15:37 The extension is 1995.

00:15:39 Just getting back to one of the top stories

00:15:41 in the Daily Express today.

00:15:43 For our highway horror,

00:15:45 drivers stuck in gridlock as ministry fails

00:15:48 to fix collapsed roadway.

00:15:50 The Ministry of Works and Transport is being asked

00:15:52 by citizens why it issued no warning to drivers

00:15:56 who ended up caught in a traffic jam nightmare

00:16:00 on the Solomon Hojoy Highway because of a failed attempt

00:16:03 to fix a depression along one of the lanes

00:16:07 near the Makolay Overpass.

00:16:09 Now the traffic has been so bad over the past week

00:16:12 that vehicles are routinely backed up to North Trinidad.

00:16:17 With suffering, drivers caught up in the gridlock

00:16:20 for more than four hours.

00:16:23 Yeah, you could imagine being stuck in this traffic

00:16:26 for four hours if you're, excuse me,

00:16:29 going to work or heading back home after work.

00:16:33 So the ministry is being asked to account for this situation.

00:16:38 You're calling us on 623-1711.

00:16:40 The extension is 1995.

00:16:42 Just touching back on that story.

00:16:45 So call for extra lane.

00:16:46 Taxi drivers suffering mental and financial tolls.

00:16:50 The president of the Trinidad and Tobago Taxi Drivers Network,

00:16:53 Adrian Acosta says taxi drivers are suffering

00:16:56 because of the repair works being done

00:16:58 on one of the southbound lanes

00:16:59 of the Solomon Hojoy Highway near Makolay.

00:17:03 Good morning, caller.

00:17:04 - Hi, good morning, Marlon.

00:17:06 - Morning.

00:17:07 - How are you going?

00:17:09 - I'm doing well, Marlon.

00:17:10 Let me first start off by saying

00:17:12 what a wonderful program you have been doing.

00:17:15 - Thank you, sir.

00:17:15 - And also to just touch a little bit

00:17:18 on an interview you did yesterday morning

00:17:21 with a past minister in this whole,

00:17:24 if I could call it a fiasco,

00:17:26 with this jump in defense issue.

00:17:29 - Yes.

00:17:30 - And you know, I listened to that interview yesterday,

00:17:33 Marlon, and it's sending a message to me

00:17:37 that regardless of what the individual

00:17:41 is trying to say to clarify the case

00:17:44 of her son and her president's case,

00:17:48 as to the reason why they would have done what they did,

00:17:50 it says to me, as a parent,

00:17:53 if you say to your child, "Don't do something,"

00:17:57 and they go ahead and do it with a justifiable reason,

00:18:01 then it's okay.

00:18:02 And I don't find that acceptable at all.

00:18:05 I find that as an adult, that was very much poor.

00:18:10 And if you would have gone ahead

00:18:12 and said that you are trying to get in

00:18:14 and you would have tried all different avenues

00:18:16 and to no end, I don't think that is the outcome

00:18:19 that you want to portray for those who are looking,

00:18:23 the younger ones who come in and then justify it

00:18:25 by saying what you said, you know what I mean?

00:18:27 So I leave with that, and I just think that as adults,

00:18:29 we should be mindful of the way we do things

00:18:32 and the things that we see in the public space.

00:18:35 Have a good one, Marlon.

00:18:36 - You too, sir.

00:18:37 Thank you very much for your call this morning.

00:18:39 You're calling us on 623-1711.

00:18:41 The extension is $19.95.

00:18:42 We just have a few more minutes

00:18:44 before our first interview begins.

00:18:46 So please call now.

00:18:48 There are a number of issues, as I said,

00:18:50 that we can speak about, and we'd love to hear your views.

00:18:53 All right, one of the, yeah, we have another call.

00:18:55 Good morning, caller.

00:18:57 - Good morning, Mr. Marlon Hopkinson.

00:18:59 I want to tell you a happy new year.

00:19:00 - To you too, sir.

00:19:01 - I want to call to your television station,

00:19:04 and I wish you all continue being informative

00:19:07 and interactive for 2024.

00:19:09 - Thank you, sir.

00:19:10 - Very, very good to you.

00:19:11 Mr. Marlon, I want to congratulate the government.

00:19:14 I've seen this publicly this morning.

00:19:17 It kind of send off the fifth prime minister

00:19:21 of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Basile Pandey.

00:19:25 I want to congratulate the foreign affairs minister,

00:19:28 Mr. Amy Brown, and all who played a part, right?

00:19:33 And by the other hand, I want to say condolences

00:19:35 still to the family.

00:19:37 So I just want to put that on the table

00:19:40 that that was a very fitting.

00:19:43 Thank you very much, Mr. Marlon.

00:19:45 - Thank you very much, sir.

00:19:46 All right, that's going to do it for our calls for today.

00:19:49 Yeah, all right.

00:19:50 So we can move on to our first interview

00:19:54 on the program this morning.

00:19:56 And you know that since the death

00:19:58 of the former prime minister, Basile Pandey,

00:20:01 there have been renewed calls for constitutional reform.

00:20:06 As you all know, that throughout his political career,

00:20:10 and even when he was no longer an active politician,

00:20:14 Mr. Pandey, every time you would try to do an interview

00:20:16 or you did an interview with Mr. Pandey,

00:20:18 he would always speak about constitutional reform

00:20:22 and it was very, very close to his heart.

00:20:24 So we do have on the line this morning, Dr. Bishnu Raghunath.

00:20:29 Dr. Raghunath, good morning.

00:20:31 - Morning.

00:20:33 Morning to you all, the viewers.

00:20:35 Happy New Year.

00:20:36 - And happy New Year to you too, Dr. Raghunath.

00:20:39 Well, doctor, let's get right into this discussion

00:20:43 on constitutional reform.

00:20:44 As I said, Mr. Pandey has been speaking about this

00:20:47 for so many years,

00:20:49 and there have been renewed calls

00:20:52 for constitutional reform.

00:20:55 When we speak about constitutional reform,

00:20:58 just for everyone to understand, Dr. Raghunath,

00:21:02 what are we speaking about?

00:21:03 - Basically, what we are speaking about

00:21:06 is simply the constitution as it is right now

00:21:10 and whether or not that constitution needs to be revised

00:21:14 to take in a lot of the issues and concerns

00:21:18 that people may have, as well as some of the institutions,

00:21:22 which are necessary in the government of our country

00:21:26 and how they are to operate.

00:21:28 Take, for instance, the issue of the presidency.

00:21:32 The presidency is a critical chapter in our constitution,

00:21:36 and the question is, and we remember at the funeral service

00:21:41 for Mr. Pandey, the president said that Mr. Pandey

00:21:44 reminded her that she will get nothing done

00:21:47 unless there's constitutional reform.

00:21:50 And in that context, the question is,

00:21:53 what is the role of the president?

00:21:55 What type of president do we want?

00:21:58 Do we want a ceremonial president?

00:21:59 Do we want a more executive president?

00:22:04 And those are some of the concerns.

00:22:07 It's not only about the presidency,

00:22:09 it's also about the people and the governance of the people

00:22:12 and how the systems operate.

00:22:15 So, for instance, one of the things

00:22:18 that we don't have in our constitution at all

00:22:21 and within our laws is the issue of referendum.

00:22:25 We cannot have any referendum in Trinidad.

00:22:29 So the people, for instance, in Trinidad and Tobago

00:22:31 may say that we need to have certain types of changes,

00:22:38 but they don't have a way to voice that opinion

00:22:43 to the government as it is,

00:22:45 because the government has no provision

00:22:48 in our constitution for referendum.

00:22:50 So any big decision that we may have, it's up to the government.

00:22:55 They can do it as they please.

00:22:57 We look at, for instance, even in the case of St. Vincent,

00:23:02 just up the road,

00:23:03 when they wanted to have constitutional reform

00:23:07 and decide whether or not they wanted to move away

00:23:10 from the monarchical system to the republican system,

00:23:14 they put it to a referendum to the people,

00:23:16 and the people said no.

00:23:18 In Jamaica, we always remember, if we go back in our history,

00:23:22 when the Jamaican people said in a referendum

00:23:27 they didn't want to be part and parcel of the Federation.

00:23:30 And that is where the people have been able

00:23:33 to tell the government what they want.

00:23:37 In Trinidad, our government tells the people

00:23:40 what the government wants

00:23:42 as opposed to listening to other people.

00:23:44 And that, I think, is one of the concerns of Mr. Pandeva.

00:23:47 In fact, I know for a fact, because in 2009,

00:23:50 just before he demoted office as leader of the opposition,

00:23:54 he came to my office at the university

00:23:57 for us to have a discussion on constitutional reform

00:24:00 and the way forward.

00:24:01 And that is one of the concerns that he would have.

00:24:04 How do we have an incorporated, more participatory democracy,

00:24:10 more allowing the people greater power

00:24:13 and greater say in the governance of the country

00:24:17 rather than leaving it in the hands of the very few

00:24:21 who will literally control and who controls the government?

00:24:24 - Yeah. Dr. Raghunath, do you have the impression,

00:24:29 because there is a perception and impression in society

00:24:34 that a constitution is losing its relevance

00:24:38 because at the time that it was prepared,

00:24:41 it was a different Trinidad and Tobago,

00:24:44 a different environment.

00:24:46 And to suit, and there has been a view

00:24:51 that the constitution needs to be reviewed

00:24:54 in order to fit today's environment,

00:24:59 if I can put it that way.

00:25:00 - Definitely.

00:25:03 I mean, the world is not, and Trinidad and Tobago

00:25:05 is not static.

00:25:06 We are a very dynamic country.

00:25:08 And things change.

00:25:10 And whereas, for instance, some of the framers

00:25:13 of our initial Republican constitution

00:25:16 would have had certain perspectives

00:25:18 that this is how they expected people to behave.

00:25:21 This is how they expected certain leaders to act.

00:25:25 What we have seen come into the fore

00:25:27 is simply that they don't necessarily have the same

00:25:30 philosophy of life and of living

00:25:34 that the framers of the constitution would have had.

00:25:38 And that is why we need now to put into writing

00:25:42 and new guidelines that would amend.

00:25:46 Now, be in mind that I'm not saying

00:25:48 that the entire constitution is not good at all.

00:25:52 There are many good parts of our constitution,

00:25:55 many good parts that need to be preserved.

00:25:58 But there are other issues that need to be considered

00:26:03 as to how we go forward in advancing the development

00:26:08 of Trinidad and Tobago.

00:26:09 - Yeah.

00:26:10 So is it then, Dr. Raghunath,

00:26:14 that if you have constitutional reform,

00:26:17 it is to achieve a greater level of efficiency,

00:26:22 if I can put it that way?

00:26:25 - Well, it's not necessarily efficiency.

00:26:29 It's ensuring that the philosophy

00:26:31 by which we will govern ourselves

00:26:33 is one that is more acceptable and amenable

00:26:37 to the needs of the society.

00:26:39 So for instance, when we use the word efficiency,

00:26:44 we may want to consider that to be,

00:26:46 let's do things in a better way.

00:26:51 And yes, that is to some extent what we need to do.

00:26:54 But there's also that need for us to understand

00:26:58 where we want to go.

00:27:01 And in that regard, what do we do?

00:27:03 The constitution doesn't tell us everything.

00:27:05 It cannot tell us everything.

00:27:07 It's only a limited number of things,

00:27:09 but it gives us the broad guidelines

00:27:11 within which we can operate.

00:27:13 So for instance, in the issue of how we deal

00:27:16 with the judiciary, how we deal with transparency

00:27:19 in the society, how we deal with the service commissions,

00:27:23 and do we still need them?

00:27:25 Those are some of the concerns,

00:27:27 because remember, some of those institutions,

00:27:29 once they are entrenched in the constitution,

00:27:32 you say you can't touch them.

00:27:33 And because you can't touch them, for instance,

00:27:36 all the issues with the Judicial

00:27:38 and Legal Services Commission,

00:27:39 I'm just using that as an example.

00:27:42 When we had the promotion of the former chief magistrate,

00:27:45 and now we have another promotion

00:27:46 of another chief magistrate,

00:27:48 and the question is, all of that is happening

00:27:51 under the Judicial and Legal Services Commission.

00:27:54 Now, that may be a very good thing to do,

00:27:57 but again, we also need to make sure

00:27:59 that there are checks and balances

00:28:02 within the system to make sure that when we go forward,

00:28:05 we are going forward with unity of purpose,

00:28:08 rather than allowing someone or some institution

00:28:13 to be a runaway horse and doing whatever they want.

00:28:21 - But Doctor, you know, I get the impression

00:28:23 that it is not going to be an easy task,

00:28:27 because you know how we are in Trinidad and Tobago,

00:28:29 and how organizations are in Trinidad and Tobago,

00:28:33 and sometimes when we try to change things,

00:28:36 people are so comfortable in the way

00:28:38 that they are doing things from time immemorial.

00:28:41 So sometimes there is a pushback,

00:28:44 and as you know, Doctor Raghunath,

00:28:46 a back and out, we love a back and out.

00:28:48 So what I'm saying is that if we push forward

00:28:52 with constitutional reform, to me personally,

00:28:57 and you can tell me if I'm wrong or right,

00:29:00 but it seems not to be a very easy process.

00:29:04 It seems to be a very lengthy one.

00:29:06 - Definitely, constitutional reform

00:29:09 is not an easy process at all,

00:29:11 and particularly so for a society like ours,

00:29:15 particularly so for a society like ours,

00:29:17 which is polarized and divided

00:29:20 according to party politics, first of all,

00:29:23 and then according to race, if we want to use race.

00:29:27 Therein, but basically it's party politics.

00:29:30 Why I say that?

00:29:31 Because the framers of our constitution

00:29:34 said that because the constitution

00:29:37 is such a critical document

00:29:39 for the governance of our country,

00:29:42 there needed to be certain majorities

00:29:45 in order that we change certain things.

00:29:48 So for instance, in some instances of the constitution,

00:29:51 we need to have Trip Porter of the lower house

00:29:57 in other words, bear in mind

00:30:00 that we have a 41 seat parliament.

00:30:03 We need to have more than 51 members of parliament

00:30:05 voted for that constitutional reform.

00:30:10 Now there are other aspects of the constitution

00:30:12 which will demand a smaller majority.

00:30:17 So for instance, there are some instances

00:30:19 when we could work with a three-fifths majority,

00:30:22 which is what, for instance, the Kamala Prasad regime

00:30:25 had when they were in government

00:30:27 in the People's Partnership.

00:30:29 They commanded at more than three-fifths

00:30:32 because they had 21 out of the,

00:30:34 sorry, 29 out of the 41,

00:30:37 but they did not have the Trip Porter.

00:30:40 And that is one of the biggest challenges that we will have

00:30:45 because what the government has to do

00:30:47 is the government have to get the opposition.

00:30:49 Sorry, I shouldn't say the government.

00:30:51 I should say both government and opposition

00:30:54 have to come together with a one mindset

00:30:57 where they are going to say, this is what we want

00:31:00 because there's no way because of the polarization

00:31:03 and the way we vote, there's no way

00:31:07 we had probably since the 1980s,

00:31:11 since the NAR government was in power,

00:31:13 there's no way that a government has been able to amass

00:31:17 that level of majority, that Trip Porter majority.

00:31:21 So, all right, so we cannot get a Trip Porter majority.

00:31:25 Now we have to get to that extent

00:31:26 where we have to get government

00:31:28 and opposition members of parliament to agree.

00:31:32 How do we do that?

00:31:33 And that is part of the challenge we have.

00:31:36 So for instance, and that's why

00:31:37 when I started this conversation,

00:31:39 I started talking about the referendum

00:31:42 because if we had a referendum, for instance,

00:31:45 that directs that the government

00:31:47 embark upon constitutional reform,

00:31:50 then they would have no other choice.

00:31:52 But now, based on what we have as a constitution now,

00:31:57 no government is willing to go there

00:32:02 and put their necks on the block and say,

00:32:04 let's have constitutional reform

00:32:06 when they cannot guarantee

00:32:08 the opposition will support them.

00:32:10 And they don't want to go in there and say,

00:32:14 we lost, I mean, we were defeated at the parliamentary level

00:32:19 so they don't want to claim a defeat.

00:32:22 So in order to claim a defeat,

00:32:25 they don't want to move ahead.

00:32:27 That is why since the days of Patrick Manning,

00:32:30 whenever we talk about constitutional reform,

00:32:33 and I'm talking here because after the NAR came into power,

00:32:37 there was a constitutional review commission

00:32:39 headed by Sir Isaac Haytali,

00:32:41 but we didn't get the constitutional reform that we needed.

00:32:45 Why?

00:32:46 Because the government changed after that

00:32:47 and the PNM did not command a significant majority.

00:32:52 Hence, what was promoted and what was produced

00:32:57 by the Haytali commission was never taken forward.

00:33:01 What we need now to get is simply to get some forces

00:33:06 to direct and force the government and the opposition

00:33:10 to consider the needs of the people.

00:33:12 Now, we went around the country during the NAR days,

00:33:16 sorry, the People's Partnership days,

00:33:19 and talked about constitutional reform.

00:33:21 And yes, we got some other directives from the people.

00:33:25 But the question is, how do we balance

00:33:27 what the people are saying on the ground?

00:33:30 And how do you balance with what the politicians want?

00:33:35 Because clearly, let me tell you,

00:33:36 it benefits the politicians

00:33:38 to keep the constitution the way it is.

00:33:41 Because when they are in power,

00:33:43 they can do what they want.

00:33:44 When we get in power, we don't want to change things.

00:33:47 We want to ensure that the constitution

00:33:51 facilitates us to do what we want.

00:33:54 Take for instance, and I use another for instance,

00:33:58 where it is the same issue with procurement legislation.

00:34:02 When we talk about procurement legislation,

00:34:05 and that is not enacted in any way in the constitution,

00:34:08 when we talk about procurement, for instance,

00:34:11 we may very well recall a few years ago,

00:34:15 the prime minister traveled to Australia.

00:34:18 And I think he went to China first and then to Australia.

00:34:22 And he came up with the big news.

00:34:24 We have negotiated that we're gonna get two new ferries

00:34:27 and two vessels for the Coast Guard.

00:34:31 Is that the prime minister's job?

00:34:33 Did one negotiate contracts?

00:34:35 And that is where the constitutional reform will now guide us.

00:34:41 Prime minister say, "You can't go and do that.

00:34:43 "You have to use your technocrats

00:34:46 "to go and do those negotiations."

00:34:48 You can't go somewhere and do something like that.

00:34:51 No, those are the kinds of things

00:34:53 that we have to understand that.

00:34:57 Now, Prime Minister Rowley was in that position.

00:35:01 Do you think another prime minister coming into the office

00:35:04 would want his or her hands tied and can do similar things?

00:35:09 No, but the constitutional reform will allow that.

00:35:12 And that is why they don't want it in the way that it is.

00:35:17 - But Dr. Raghunath, it seems another situation

00:35:20 where we're spinning top in mud.

00:35:23 So then how do we begin this process

00:35:26 in a free and fair way?

00:35:28 Is it that we have to implement

00:35:32 another constitutional review commission?

00:35:34 How do we do this?

00:35:36 - Well, that would be one of the easier ways

00:35:40 for the government and the opposition to come together.

00:35:44 Now that we have had the push from Pandey,

00:35:47 and I'm hoping that his death would have given us

00:35:51 that push forward,

00:35:53 and having made sure that everybody knows

00:35:57 that constitutional reform is what he wanted.

00:35:59 And since we loved him so much,

00:36:01 I mean, we saw the outpouring.

00:36:03 Since we loved him so much,

00:36:04 let's try and see whether we could give him his,

00:36:07 allow his dream to come true.

00:36:10 So now that we have gotten this far,

00:36:12 can we now set up another constitutional reform commission

00:36:16 to start the process by reviewing what has been done

00:36:20 in the previous constitutional reform exercises

00:36:25 from 1986 to 1991,

00:36:28 and then between 2010 to 2013, 2014,

00:36:33 and then take from there,

00:36:35 and now let some institution or grouping of people,

00:36:40 some committee come together and probably draft

00:36:46 or some constitution for discussion amongst the population

00:36:51 and let the population,

00:36:53 because you see, it makes no sense

00:36:56 that we go around and we ask people,

00:36:58 "What do you want?"

00:36:59 And they tell us,

00:37:01 and this is what has happened on both occasions.

00:37:05 They tell us, but then you leave it up to another team

00:37:08 who has to draft this thing,

00:37:10 and they decide to draft whatever they think is necessary.

00:37:15 Let us start with a draft document,

00:37:19 go out there, distribute it,

00:37:22 let's have real consultation on it.

00:37:24 And real consultation,

00:37:26 and this is part of the challenge

00:37:29 when I talk about participatory democracy recently,

00:37:32 or a few minutes ago,

00:37:34 when we talk about participatory democracy

00:37:36 and we talk about consultation,

00:37:38 we have heard, for instance, the government

00:37:40 and all governments have this,

00:37:43 come out and said, "We have had consultation."

00:37:45 So for instance, on local government reform,

00:37:48 and we talk about, we've had consultations,

00:37:53 and I remember particularly going to a particular

00:37:56 consultation on local government reform.

00:38:00 And literally, when I started posing some questions,

00:38:03 it was because I'm a local government specialist,

00:38:06 when I started posing some questions,

00:38:08 I could see the unease in the minister

00:38:11 in responding to my questions.

00:38:14 And I was shut down, literally.

00:38:17 The moderator was told, cut him off,

00:38:22 tell him he doesn't have enough,

00:38:24 we're not here to discuss and continue the discussion.

00:38:28 And so I was cut off.

00:38:30 Now, I'm not against that.

00:38:33 And we also saw it most recently,

00:38:35 when we saw the Minister of Education went to some meeting,

00:38:39 and people started questioning,

00:38:41 and the minister said, "No, no, no,

00:38:42 "we've already made a policy decision.

00:38:44 "This is just for us to educate."

00:38:47 So, where does the people matter in this?

00:38:51 And that's where we now have to ask,

00:38:53 do we have real consultation,

00:38:56 or do we have consultation in name?

00:39:00 And those are the kinds of things

00:39:02 that Mr. Panley was seriously concerned about

00:39:04 when he spoke to me in 2009.

00:39:07 - And Dr. Raghunath, I'd ask you to stay with us

00:39:10 for a little while longer, for a few minutes longer.

00:39:13 We must go to a very short break.

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00:40:35 (upbeat music)

00:40:40 - You want me to send you a picture of what?

00:40:43 You really like that kind of rude stuff, huh?

00:40:46 Well, okay, but you're sure no one else

00:40:50 is gonna see these, right?

00:40:51 Of course I trust you, babe, and I know you love me.

00:40:56 I love you too.

00:40:59 I can't believe he posted those photos.

00:41:02 I trusted him so much,

00:41:05 and now it's all over the internet.

00:41:07 It feels like the whole world has seen it.

00:41:11 Even my friends are sharing it.

00:41:14 They call me all these names that I'm not.

00:41:17 I didn't even want to do it, but I trusted him.

00:41:20 And now I feel like my life is over.

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00:42:18 - All right, so welcome back, everyone.

00:42:20 So we are continuing our discussion

00:42:22 on constitutional reform with Dr. Vishnu Raghunath.

00:42:25 Dr. Raghunath, welcome.

00:42:27 - Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here.

00:42:30 - Yeah, Dr. Raghunath, and let's continue our discussion

00:42:34 concerning the consultation process

00:42:36 because again, my personal view,

00:42:38 when we talk about consultation,

00:42:41 it always looks to be done in a sort of ad hoc way.

00:42:46 It's always at some secondary school

00:42:49 or some community center with about 10 people.

00:42:53 And sometimes I get the impression, Dr. Raghunath,

00:42:56 that even some of the people there,

00:42:59 they are not too au courant as to what the real issues are

00:43:04 because sometimes they're listening

00:43:07 to other influential people in society

00:43:11 who have really painted the issue in a particular way.

00:43:16 So even concerning the issue of constitutional reform,

00:43:20 would you suggest that there has to be, let's say,

00:43:23 a sort of educational campaign

00:43:26 to educate the population about constitutional reform

00:43:31 before we really get into the consultation process?

00:43:35 - Definitely, and in fact, I mean,

00:43:38 we, in a way, we started that process

00:43:41 and we start that process and we ask the question,

00:43:45 how do we start the process and how do we get that process?

00:43:49 The president basically told us

00:43:52 that the former prime minister suggested to her

00:43:58 that we needed constitutional reform

00:44:00 and literally insisted that we need it.

00:44:03 But bear in mind that a lot of people

00:44:06 don't know our constitution.

00:44:08 A lot of our citizens don't even know our constitution.

00:44:11 The one man who I would always give credit to

00:44:15 who forced many of us to read our constitution

00:44:18 and to look at our constitution was A.N.R. Robinson.

00:44:21 When he was president of the Republic of Toronto,

00:44:25 and when he had, for instance,

00:44:27 refused to appoint certain senators

00:44:30 who were nominated by Mr. Pandey

00:44:34 because they had lost their deposits

00:44:36 and the constitution did not deny them that right,

00:44:40 and Mr. Robinson had suggested

00:44:42 that he was not going to appoint them,

00:44:44 and he then had to sit back and say,

00:44:46 "No, okay, the constitution doesn't allow me that power,

00:44:49 so I will go out there and do it."

00:44:51 And Mr. Robinson started that process.

00:44:53 And when, for instance, we had the 1818 tie again,

00:44:56 we remember his speeches,

00:44:59 and he forced a lot of us to go read our constitutions.

00:45:05 So Mr. Robinson started--

00:45:08 President Robinson started that process.

00:45:11 And this is where I think one of the roads

00:45:13 that our current president would undertake

00:45:16 is simply start that real education process.

00:45:20 Let's bring the presidency down to the people's level,

00:45:24 and let the president be the one who is initiating the talk

00:45:28 as to where we need to go and where we want to go.

00:45:32 Now, the president has already said certain things

00:45:35 that probably run in the face of probably governmental policy.

00:45:39 So we may recall, for instance,

00:45:41 when she went to Tobago and she said Tobago needs autonomy.

00:45:45 We may recall when she went to the parliament and says

00:45:48 the opposition and the government should sit down

00:45:50 and chat and talk about crime.

00:45:53 Now, in a way, she's already saying those things.

00:45:55 She went to the funeral and said,

00:45:57 "Let us give respect to each politician on both sides," and so on.

00:46:02 Now, a lot of those things that she is saying,

00:46:04 the subtle messages that the president is saying,

00:46:07 are messages that we need to push,

00:46:10 and she needs to push them further and further

00:46:14 into the public domain and thereupon get the grung swell,

00:46:19 literally, from amongst the population as to where we want to go.

00:46:23 So in a way, that is a way we could start.

00:46:26 Whether that's where we're going to start or restart this process,

00:46:30 I don't know. It's up to the president.

00:46:32 But what I'm suggesting is that that is one way.

00:46:35 But here comes the real challenge.

00:46:38 The real challenge is that many of us are comfortable.

00:46:42 We go to our places of comfort and say,

00:46:45 "Well, this don't bother me. This has nothing to do with me."

00:46:49 For instance, how the Elections and Boundaries Commission work,

00:46:52 another facet of the Constitution, how that works.

00:46:55 If that don't bother me, or Trinidadians may say,

00:46:58 "Well, you see what's going on in Tobago? That don't bother us."

00:47:01 I mean, Tobago, the THA's entrenched in our Constitution,

00:47:05 and we have to deal with it.

00:47:07 And those are some of the concerns now.

00:47:10 One, we're dealing with how we're going to deal with this process.

00:47:15 Again, it's left to be seen.

00:47:17 But probably we need now to start chapter by chapter of the Constitution

00:47:22 and see how we need to do it.

00:47:24 But we need to end it.

00:47:26 The citizenry at large needs to understand

00:47:29 what is the focus of the chapter,

00:47:31 and thereupon how we want to change,

00:47:34 and whether what is in there could stay,

00:47:38 or what amendments we need.

00:47:41 So, yes, you are right in saying we need education,

00:47:45 a mass education base on our Constitution.

00:47:49 It is something we've been saying a long time ago,

00:47:52 not only about the Constitution,

00:47:54 but about various institutions in our society.

00:47:57 So, for instance, how is local government supposed to work?

00:48:01 Should local government be entrenched in a Constitution?

00:48:05 And, I mean, in other countries of the world,

00:48:09 you must have a local government system.

00:48:11 In our country, do you know that tomorrow morning or this afternoon,

00:48:15 the Prime Minister could go to the Parliament,

00:48:18 and with a simple majority say,

00:48:20 "We no longer have local government entrenched at all."

00:48:23 Everything is going to be run by the central government.

00:48:26 And that's what the Constitution means.

00:48:28 The Constitution means that whoever is sitting in office

00:48:32 cannot just simply arbitrarily decide to do what they want to do.

00:48:37 And that is where we have to educate our citizens

00:48:41 as to the importance--

00:48:43 first of all, about the importance of the Constitution,

00:48:46 and then going to the various chapters of the Constitution.

00:48:50 What's the role of the President?

00:48:51 What's the role of the Prime Minister?

00:48:53 What's the role of the Executive?

00:48:54 What's the Parliament about?

00:48:55 How the Parliament should operate?

00:48:57 How the accountability and transparency

00:48:59 is supposed to operate within the society?

00:49:02 What are the roles of the civil service, the judiciary,

00:49:05 the various service commissions, the ombudsman?

00:49:09 All of those things are in our Constitution.

00:49:12 How many people know that? I don't know.

00:49:15 But that is where we need to start,

00:49:17 and we need to start with that education process

00:49:20 for the citizenry at large.

00:49:22 And Dr. Raghunath, judging from what I'm hearing you saying this morning,

00:49:28 in that there are some people who are benefiting

00:49:32 from the way that the Constitution is configured right now,

00:49:36 but you have a situation, Dr. Raghunath,

00:49:39 where various arms of state are really--

00:49:42 and organizations are really hamstrung

00:49:45 because of what is before them.

00:49:49 And again, for them to work well,

00:49:54 I think that's where the argument for Constitution reform can come from.

00:50:02 Definitely.

00:50:03 Some of those institutions that are in the Constitution

00:50:07 need to be revised and reformed.

00:50:11 Five years ago, ten years ago,

00:50:14 and nearly every institution that we talk about,

00:50:19 there have been recommendations for reform.

00:50:23 Way back in 2011, 2012,

00:50:29 the then chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission

00:50:33 put forward recommendations as to how we need to amend elections and boundaries

00:50:39 because when, in fact, when the Council for Responsible Political Behavior

00:50:48 was created by the civil society,

00:50:51 the Elections and Boundaries Commission said,

00:50:53 "You know, this is rightfully our job,

00:50:55 but unfortunately, because of the way the Constitution

00:50:59 and the legislation is framed, we can't do it.

00:51:03 So we are glad that you all are doing it,

00:51:05 but we are recommending that amendments be made

00:51:08 so that this comes under our portfolio."

00:51:11 Unfortunately, no government has seen it fit

00:51:15 to amend the Elections and Boundaries Commission legislation

00:51:19 and how it operates.

00:51:23 And now that is part and parcel of our Constitution.

00:51:26 Mind you, the EBC has done several things,

00:51:29 and they've gone to the courts,

00:51:31 and they've gotten judgments from the courts.

00:51:33 I mean, until yesterday, they got a judgment from the court

00:51:35 which was in their favor.

00:51:37 But the point about it here is simply one which says

00:51:41 twiddling with this and twiddling with that

00:51:43 does not make the institution stronger.

00:51:46 It merely allows them to interpret as it is where we are.

00:51:51 But what we need now is to understand the whole function

00:51:55 of some of these institutions within our society

00:51:59 to make sure it goes forward,

00:52:01 and we go forward in the direction in which we need to go.

00:52:05 And that, I think, is the bottom line.

00:52:07 But it is going to also require, Dr. Raghunath,

00:52:10 a lot of maturity from some of our politicians, right,

00:52:14 to push this process forward.

00:52:17 Definitely, and this is why I said earlier

00:52:20 that some of our politicians do not want it to change

00:52:24 because it suits them, and it suits them.

00:52:26 Even those in opposition may say,

00:52:29 "While they are in opposition, we need change.

00:52:32 "But once they come into government, we don't need change

00:52:35 "because we like it so and it works for us."

00:52:38 And that's the context in which we want.

00:52:40 And so, for instance, many people, for instance,

00:52:43 if I go back to the elections, for instance,

00:52:46 do we need a first-past-the-post system

00:52:48 or do we need proportional representation?

00:52:51 That discussion has been going on for years.

00:52:54 And ever since 1974, there was that discussion

00:52:59 on whether PRA would work or first-past-the-post.

00:53:02 And that was before we got the Republican constitution that we have.

00:53:06 And in that context, so after 1974,

00:53:09 we are 50 years down the road,

00:53:12 and here in comes the really big question.

00:53:15 Where are we in terms of how do... what do we really want?

00:53:20 And do politicians really want to change the system?

00:53:24 I mean, Kamala Pesabi herself has been given credit.

00:53:27 She was the one and only prime minister

00:53:29 who shifted somewhat our election system

00:53:34 when in terms of local government,

00:53:36 we got an aspect of proportional representation

00:53:39 in the choice of our older men.

00:53:42 But beyond that, we've had little or nothing more.

00:53:46 We took out the Tobago House of Assembly.

00:53:48 We did have a little shift when we got the THA and Trench,

00:53:52 but the Trench and the Tobago House of Assembly was one thing.

00:53:56 Now the question is, are we going to give the THA more autonomy?

00:54:00 And if so, how are we going to entrench that in our constitution?

00:54:04 So, yes, maturity becomes a critical element

00:54:08 for both the government, for all politicians,

00:54:11 whether they be government or opposition

00:54:14 or waiting on the sidelines.

00:54:16 They are the ones who will now have to operate

00:54:19 maturely in saying to the people,

00:54:21 "This is where we need to go home,"

00:54:23 and more importantly, in the interests of Trinidad and Tobago,

00:54:28 this is where we are willing to show our support.

00:54:32 Yeah. Dr. Raghunath, it's always a pleasure speaking with you.

00:54:35 Thank you very much for the time that you spent with us this morning

00:54:38 and thank you very much for the education

00:54:40 and we hope to speak with you sometime again this year.

00:54:44 In the meantime, happy New Year, Dr. Raghunath, and until then.

00:54:49 It's been my pleasure and when I say happy New Year,

00:54:52 maybe I should also say have a happy, safe New Year.

00:54:56 We are in a crime crisis.

00:54:58 Bye for now, Dr. Raghunath.

00:55:01 Okay, it's time for a break

00:55:03 and we also have some 7 o'clock news headlines for you.

00:55:06 Good morning, I'm Sharon Hamilton-Cajou

00:55:17 with the TV6 Morning News.

00:55:19 The suspect in the double homicide in Glencoe

00:55:22 is scheduled to appear in the Port of Spain Magistrates' Court today

00:55:25 for the crime.

00:55:27 On Wednesday, the Director of Public Prosecutions

00:55:29 gave police the go-ahead to charge the 48-year-old man, a soldier,

00:55:33 with the killings of a mother and daughter,

00:55:36 Carmelita de Leon and Khalida Shamba.

00:55:40 Samsonite luggage is now being made right here in TNT.

00:55:47 This is the boast of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley

00:55:50 to an audience at the official opening

00:55:53 of the Phoenix Park Industrial Estate.

00:55:56 I am pleased to report that high quality,

00:55:59 famously branded luggage

00:56:02 is now being made right here in Trinidad and Tobago,

00:56:05 right here at Phoenix Park Industrial Estate

00:56:08 for the markets of North America and other parts of the Americas

00:56:12 and I dare say the rest of the world.

00:56:16 With crime of paramount concern to citizens

00:56:19 and the recent murder of a seasonal NCC worker

00:56:22 in the Queen's Park savannah,

00:56:24 the Minister of National Security, Fitzgerald Hines,

00:56:27 met on Wednesday with several stakeholders

00:56:30 and gave an assurance that all the proper safety and security measures

00:56:34 had been put in place for Carnival.

00:56:37 Among the stakeholders were the NCC, the TTPS,

00:56:40 the Mayor of Port of Spain

00:56:42 and the Trinidad and Tobago Promoters Association.

00:56:46 Taking a look at the weather forecast,

00:56:53 seas may occasionally become choppy

00:56:56 due to the combined effect of wind waves and spring tides.

00:57:00 As such, all marine interests are asked to exercise caution,

00:57:04 especially during high tides.

00:57:07 Overall, we maintain hot and sunny conditions

00:57:10 across most areas,

00:57:12 with one or two isolated showers likely in a few areas.

00:57:17 [Music]

00:57:22 [Music]

00:57:29 Twelfth Man, Twelfth Man, Twelfth Man

00:57:32 Oh, gives you all, saves you all the time,

00:57:36 gives you the best football in the world.

00:57:39 Passionate, impulsive, dedicated,

00:57:43 decisive, loyal, sincere are the Twelfth Man attributes.

00:57:48 Join Andre-Ero Batiste on TV6 for The Twelfth Man Season 4.

00:57:56 Brought to you by Tiger Tanks and Coca-Cola.

00:58:02 I'm moving, moving forward every day.

00:58:07 Jesus.

00:58:09 I just let him lead the way every second day.

00:58:12 Every hour of the day.

00:58:15 I'm moving forward with Jesus every day.

00:58:20 24/7 with Jesus every day.

00:58:24 24/7

00:58:27 I'm moving forward with Jesus every day.

00:58:31 24/7

00:58:34 I'm moving forward with Jesus every day.

00:58:37 So you have big plans for the year,

00:58:39 a trip in July, birthday in November,

00:58:42 and fet after fet this carnival.

00:58:45 But you know what is stop plans?

00:58:48 A $22,500 fine.

00:58:52 You know what else could really stop your plans?

00:58:56 Five years imprisonment and suspension on your license for three years.

00:59:01 Don't drink and drive.

00:59:05 [Glass shatters]

00:59:07 Did you know that vaping with nicotine can permanently affect brain development in people under the age of 25?

00:59:17 Did you know that e-cigarettes are associated with increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease?

00:59:32 Did you know that for some people, vaping with or without nicotine disrupts the normal lung function in otherwise healthy people?

00:59:40 Consider the consequences and don't drink.

01:00:00 This segment is brought to you by Panadol Cold and Flu.

01:00:04 And welcome back.

01:00:09 So we do have a very important segment for you now.

01:00:12 And we're speaking about influenza immunization.

01:00:16 And we do have on the line this morning Dr. Adesh Sirijusing,

01:00:19 Director of the Directorate of Women's Health,

01:00:22 and Nurse Shoma Alexander-Campbell of the National Nursing,

01:00:26 or she's the National Nursing Administrator, Ministry of Health.

01:00:30 Doctor, nurse, good morning.

01:00:33 Thank you very much for joining us today.

01:00:35 Good morning, good morning.

01:00:37 Doctor, let's begin with you.

01:00:39 And let's speak a little bit about influenza.

01:00:41 Before we get and speak about the immunization and so on.

01:00:45 But let's speak a little bit about influenza so that people can understand what we're speaking about.

01:00:52 And if so, can we also speak about some of the symptoms of influenza?

01:00:57 Okay, sure.

01:00:58 Thank you again for having the Ministry of Health here again.

01:01:01 Of course, this is not new to the population.

01:01:04 We are here every year, many times a year, speaking about the flu season,

01:01:10 which generally starts in October of every year and goes into May, June, into the following year.

01:01:16 So we are doing a sort of relaunch now as carnival is approaching.

01:01:20 We have four and a half weeks of carnival.

01:01:22 There are numerous threats, you know, the culminating parade of bands, people are associating close together.

01:01:29 And we need to ramp up the vaccine immunization program because every year our statistics show that there's always a spike around this time leading into carnival and afterwards.

01:01:41 So that's the reason why we are here.

01:01:43 So with respect to flu, the flu, of course, is not the common cold.

01:01:48 Flu is a more serious disease which could lead to hospitalization and unfortunately may cause death.

01:01:56 And anyone, all of us can get the flu at any time, young, old.

01:02:01 You think you're strong like Marlon is.

01:02:03 Yes, we could all be exposed and we could get it as well.

01:02:08 Worldwide, we estimate over half a million persons die every year from flu.

01:02:16 We just don't know the exact statistics in the population.

01:02:20 For this year, our preliminary statistics say probably at least six persons may have died from the flu this season so far.

01:02:29 We have to put aside the COVID years because it was a little different with different, you know, statistics and data and so.

01:02:36 But now that we are out of that, we're back to the way we saw flu in the past.

01:02:42 So the symptoms really, it's not really the common cold type of symptoms which tend to be mild and you get over it very quickly.

01:02:50 The flu is that one that knocks you down, mashes you up.

01:02:54 You can't do your work.

01:02:55 Fever, high fever especially.

01:02:58 You may end up with a cough, sore throat, body aches especially, muscle pain, joint pain, severe headaches, chills, fatigue.

01:03:08 And the younger persons may get vomiting and diarrhea.

01:03:11 So these are some of the symptoms with the flu.

01:03:14 And of course with the common cold, it tends to be a little milder and you get over it very quickly.

01:03:20 Yeah.

01:03:21 Nurse Campbell, good morning.

01:03:23 Good morning.

01:03:24 Good morning to your viewers as well.

01:03:26 Thank you again for having us.

01:03:27 Of course, Nurse Campbell.

01:03:28 Nurse Campbell, what have we been seeing?

01:03:30 Repatients and influenza.

01:03:33 Have we seen an uptick at all?

01:03:37 Well, as Dr. Sirjusing was saying, this is our peak season where we are seeing individuals traditionally coming into our institutions with severe symptoms.

01:03:54 And it's really, as Dr. Sirjusing quite rightly said, differentiating that influenza and the common cold.

01:04:02 So what we're seeing in our population as people congregate more, as we get closer together, especially coming up to the carnival season, post-Christmas, the fests have started.

01:04:14 And we will be seeing more and more individuals coming down with influenza.

01:04:19 And we really want to, again, reach out to the population, advising them that the important thing to do is to be vaccinated.

01:04:29 Yeah. And nurse, before I move on from you, you know, there has always been a concern and also in recent times, you know, with the social media and influences and from all sorts of places and from all sorts of countries and so on.

01:04:45 But the vaccine or vaccination, it's really being given a bad name, a bad rap, if it were.

01:04:56 How do you get to the people who have serious concerns about vaccination?

01:05:04 Because sometimes a lot of inaccurate information is being given to them.

01:05:09 So how do you make them feel comfortable to come and accept these vaccines?

01:05:15 And, you know, we really, we really value opportunities like these to really be reaching out to the population of Trinidad and Tobago, advising them of the safety of the vaccinations.

01:05:29 We use, through our traditional health centres where our doctors and nurses make every opportunity to inform our population, especially the vulnerable.

01:05:42 So we're looking at those, the pregnant women, the children, six months and over, and those that are suffering with non-communicable diseases.

01:05:52 Those are the population that's more at risk.

01:05:56 So whenever we have contact with those individuals, it's really about informing them about the choice. But the best choice is to actually be vaccinated so that you can increase your risk of surviving, especially for those vulnerable populations.

01:06:16 Yeah. And, Doctor, I want you to touch on this, too, because I get from what you're saying, Doctor, this is not something to be taken lightly and to sit down on if you believe that you have the flu, because it can have a really, really bad effect on you.

01:06:35 So I want you to speak to that, Doctor, and also speak again to the issue of this inaccurate information sometimes being told about vaccines.

01:06:47 Yeah. So, of course, this is a very difficult issue now, especially with social media and the ease of sending fake messages and all of these issues we deal with in society.

01:06:58 It's not an easy one to deal with.

01:07:01 In terms of -- I just want to go back a little bit.

01:07:05 For most people, actually, I just want to say that most people probably will not get very, very ill from influenza.

01:07:14 We'll get sick, yes, and the average person will be able to fight it off.

01:07:20 The problem is, like always, we're preparing for the worst and hope for the best sort of things. We want as many people vaccinated because we don't want, especially those high-risk groups, as nurse would have touched on, our children between the ages of six months to five years, our adults over 65 years, especially, younger ones, of course, our NCDs, our pregnant women, those with a compromised immune system, those who have asthma,

01:07:49 we want people who are frontline workers, the healthcare workers or medical students, national security, immigration, all these.

01:07:57 These people are more at risk, and they may get sick, and then some of the healthier ones take it home to their loved ones who are in the high-risk category.

01:08:07 That's where the trouble starts.

01:08:09 And in terms of fighting the misinformation, go to reliable sources.

01:08:17 Sometimes there's a lot of misinformation out there, you're getting it.

01:08:20 Just check it. Don't share it. Wait a little bit. Is it correct?

01:08:25 These things are very easy to spread, and then it sounds like it's real.

01:08:31 For myself, personally, I am a healthcare worker. I've been in the system for 33-plus years now, and I have seen it, and that's the issue.

01:08:41 I've been on the ground, especially when it comes to pregnancy, and here's where I make the plug for pregnant women.

01:08:48 So pregnant women are more at risk, as we said, especially in the last three months of pregnancy.

01:08:55 If you get sick, you are the ones who more likely will end up in hospital, and the evidence shows, the scientific evidence shows,

01:09:03 that if you get vaccinated, and this is worldwide, from billions of doses, not millions, billions of people have been vaccinated with this flu vaccine.

01:09:14 We have a lot of data. This vaccine can reduce your risk by, it's not 100% successful, by 40% at least, your chance of dying or getting into an ICU bed.

01:09:29 If you get the flu in pregnancy as well, you're more likely, as I said, to get very ill in the last three months of pregnancy, but you can affect your baby.

01:09:38 The baby could be born before time, premature, smaller, more challenges, and even cause stillbirths. That is what this flu could do.

01:09:49 When you take the vaccine, what happens is the mother produces antibodies, and they can cross the placenta, and those antibodies go to the baby.

01:10:00 When that baby is born, now these babies are very vulnerable. Babies, the immune system, they can't make antibodies in the first six months of life.

01:10:08 In that first time, they're now starting to make, the systems are making. You're protecting your unborn baby, and also if you breastfeed and you're vaccinated,

01:10:17 in the breast milk, you're also giving vaccination antibodies to the baby passively. So you're protecting your baby.

01:10:24 So I just want to make that special plug for pregnancy.

01:10:28 Yeah. Nurse, where can people get the vaccine?

01:10:32 The vaccines are actually available at all health centers across Trinidad and Tobago.

01:10:39 So go ahead to your health center, and we're actually starting two vaccination sites on Monday.

01:10:47 TrinCity Mall will be starting on Monday to Saturday, 10 till 5, and on Sunday, 1 till 5. And also at the Diwali Nagar, Monday to Sunday, 9 till 3.

01:11:01 So there are more than enough opportunities. Your health center, your local health center, is local to you. Go and get your vaccinated.

01:11:10 During normal working hours at the health center, the vaccines are available there.

01:11:16 Yeah. Nurse, did I hear you all say that these vaccines are for everyone, children included?

01:11:23 Yes, from six months.

01:11:26 From six months.

01:11:27 From six months and over.

01:11:29 Yeah. Doctor, you spoke about earlier, about how do we fight this off.

01:11:37 Can you give us some tips and advice as to how to fight it off before it really runs through our body?

01:11:47 What should we do? Should we take vitamin C? What should we do? Should we continue wearing our masks, sanitizing?

01:11:56 Yeah, so that's a good question. But as always, prevention is best first.

01:12:01 Yes.

01:12:02 As we said, we're promoting immunization, so you boost your immune system that way. That's the biggest boost.

01:12:07 And it takes about two weeks for those antibodies to build up. So you have a two-week lead time.

01:12:13 Now is the best time to get vaccinated if you're preparing to go out for those carnival fests.

01:12:18 In terms of prevention, of course, you do your basic hygiene. So you know, for the morning, I've been up since about half past three.

01:12:25 We touch our faces, nose and mouth and all these things so many times. So we try to avoid those things as best as possible.

01:12:32 You keep places clean. If you're sick, don't go to work. You know, make sure you call in sick.

01:12:38 Officially, not every day, but you know how it works. You don't infect other people.

01:12:45 If you're visiting people, limit visitors and so on. So that's the prevention side.

01:12:50 If you're sneezing, cover your sneezes, use a tissue. That's the first thing.

01:12:55 Be healthy, especially if you have non-communicable diseases. Make sure your diabetes is well controlled, your pressure is good and so on.

01:13:03 Take your medication. So your system is building up all the time. Exercise, stop smoking, limit alcohol consumption.

01:13:11 That's the health boost, really. In terms of the other things, if you start getting ill,

01:13:18 you start with your basics such as paracetamol. You can do most of this at home. You don't rush to a hospital.

01:13:24 But certainly, if you're in the high-risk groups and you start, if you're a child and you're seeing they're having diarrhea and vomiting,

01:13:31 they're getting dehydrated, get a health care practitioner. If you're in the older set and you're starting to see they're coughing and they're short of breath,

01:13:40 start and get to an institution. Now, these are rare events, hopefully, but most of the people, you can manage it at home.

01:13:49 You hydrate yourself, you know, make sure you try your best to get some fluids in and so on.

01:13:54 That's basic care is the first thing you need. That's how you fight this off.

01:13:59 Yeah. And nurse, the vaccines are free.

01:14:03 Absolutely. They are free. Yes. At the point of delivery, go ahead and your nurses will definitely be able to vaccinate you.

01:14:12 Should people be walking with any type of documentation? Should they be walking with their immunization cards?

01:14:20 It's good practice to do that. But even if you don't have it, you can still be vaccinated without your immunization card.

01:14:29 Yeah. Doctor, anything else you'd like to add before you leave us this morning?

01:14:34 I know I just said appeal to the population again to avail themselves of these mass vaccination sites that have just been started up from Monday morning.

01:14:44 If you're in the area, if you're in the malls, get to your health centers when they're open as well and speak for those who are listening and speak to your other relatives.

01:14:53 Spread the good messages we've been saying in terms of the vaccination.

01:14:57 Yeah. Nurse Campbell, I give you the final word.

01:15:00 Yes. I just again want to thank you for the opportunity to speak to the nation.

01:15:05 And we really want to encourage people to not only have healthy practices, but to prevent as much as possible getting the flu.

01:15:15 Yeah. Nurse. So come out and get your vaccines.

01:15:18 Thank you very much, nurse. Thank you very much, doctor. It's always a pleasure speaking with you all.

01:15:23 Thank you very much for the information this morning. Bye for now.

01:15:29 All right. So it's time for another break. We are coming back.

01:15:34 Brought to you by Panadol. Golden flu.

01:15:41 Continues to deliver Internet connectivity to a wide range of communities in Trinidad with our combination fiber and wireless network.

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01:16:06 Green Dot. Improving and simplifying lives.

01:16:09 Greetings, Saints. We are from Pillars of Truth Evangelistic Outreach Ministries and we warmly welcome you to our television program, Turning Point.

01:16:18 We are a church in the heart of the community with a heart for the community.

01:16:22 Our host pastors, Apostle Dr. Reverend Dale DeVeans and his wife, Reverend Dawn DeVeans, warmly welcome you to join us every second and fourth Sunday, 6 a.m. right here on TV6.

01:16:37 You ever try talking to your child and there's a total and complete misunderstanding and it turns out to be a shouting match?

01:16:44 Be mindful of what you say and more importantly, how you say what you say.

01:16:52 Today, I want to share with you just a few thoughts on communication.

01:16:55 To build healthy parent-child relations, communication is not an option.

01:17:00 Effective communication is the lifeblood of good relationship between parents and children.

01:17:07 Please listen attentively to your child. Everyone hears, but not everybody listens.

01:17:12 Listen actively. Use language they can understand. Use language that is appropriate for their age.

01:17:19 And make sure that when you're speaking, be very clear and be very, very specific.

01:17:25 So what does behave good mean? What does stop behaving badly mean? Be very clear and be very specific.

01:17:32 Please do not use any derogatory words to them at all, at all, at all.

01:17:36 Use kind language because that helps to set a positive tone in the house.

01:17:41 Express your feelings and your satisfaction to the situation.

01:17:45 And of course, please encourage your children to do so as well.

01:17:50 Remember, the conversation should be, "Children, we love you. We love you and we respect you.

01:17:58 Do the best you can. It's all that you can do. Be mindful of what you say and how you say it."

01:18:03 If you found this useful, please share and like and follow our profile for more parenting tips.

01:18:09 The letter for today is C for communication.

01:18:13 [Music]

01:18:31 All right, everyone. So we do have for you some information about a fundraiser, Vintage Kaiso meets David Rudder.

01:18:40 And we do have in studio this morning Mr. Atiba King of St. Vincent de Paul and Mr. Rudolf Borneo of St. Vincent de Paul.

01:18:48 Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming this morning.

01:18:50 Thank you for having us.

01:18:52 Mr. Borneo, well, you are the opening batsman. So please tell us about the event.

01:18:57 Well, this is what we consider to be one of the major events that we hope could be annually done.

01:19:02 And the purpose of the event is really to raise much-needed funds for two of the society's homes,

01:19:07 which is the Fimberrand geriatric home located in Dago-Martin and the Rigsby-Pius-Charles home located in Arima.

01:19:14 Funds realized would be used to, besides for the general day-to-day administration and running of the facilities,

01:19:21 we also want to do some repairs.

01:19:24 COVID has left us somewhat a bit battered like everybody else in terms of private sector hasn't really come up to the level

01:19:30 where we would get the kind of support that we normally get.

01:19:33 So we very, very much will appreciate the general public support in terms of what can be done to help us.

01:19:40 The public has always been generous in the past and we are counting on them to continue to be so.

01:19:45 All right. Mr. King, let's speak a little bit about the event now.

01:19:49 Vintage Kaiso meets David Rudder.

01:19:52 Well, Vintage Kaiso meets David Rudder.

01:19:55 Of course, the great David Rudder, he'll be there.

01:19:58 The Vintage Kaiso Brigade, which was founded by the late Lord Superior,

01:20:05 they will be one of the acts along with David Rudder.

01:20:08 And as Mr. Borneo said, you know, it's carnival time and a lot of people, there's the FETs here, the all-inclusives.

01:20:16 But this event is more tailored to the more elderly persons within the communities, you know.

01:20:22 It'll be a fun time. It begins at 8 p.m. at the St. Dominic's Hall, which is on the compound with the huge Pemba Ryan.

01:20:33 You'll have secured parking. It begins at 8 p.m.

01:20:37 We also have some stuff on sale, cutters, corn soup, wings, churro pork, bacon, sharks.

01:20:43 So there's a wide array.

01:20:44 There'll also be a cash bar where you can purchase your drinks.

01:20:47 Just have a fun time.

01:20:48 You know, it's more for the elderly, but if it is you want to contribute,

01:20:54 if you want to contribute, and you know, as I said, it's carnival and the Kaiso thing, that's what people feel free.

01:21:00 Buy two tickets for your grandparents, your parents, you know, and let them come out and have a time.

01:21:04 You'll have a fun time.

01:21:05 And as Mr. Borneo said, it's all for a good cause, you know.

01:21:10 It's for the homes. We want to assist them as best as we can.

01:21:14 And as we know, during COVID, the homes really got hit hard, you know, and the funds will be catered towards assisting the day to day run ins.

01:21:24 Yeah. Yeah. And Mr. Borneo, I want to get back to these homes.

01:21:29 And I want to if you could be as clear as possible as we dig deeper into the types of assistance that these homes need in order to provide services.

01:21:42 Yeah. So I want you to to to explain to us quite clearly the assistance that you need in order so that you can provide a service to the community.

01:21:54 Well, first of all, I mean, I need to say that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul really is a non-profit.

01:22:00 So that's therefore the economic, full economic cost of staying in our homes is not actually obtained from persons.

01:22:07 In fact, we have persons in our homes who do not pay because they they were destitute for different reasons.

01:22:12 And that is why we have them. So you find that as a result of that, you know, we always have this need to realize one.

01:22:20 So that, for example, you have new minimum wages is going to increase from as we speak from this one.

01:22:27 So that's so that's another added factor that goes into the mix for us.

01:22:32 Then we have like, you know, you have the plumbing that goes to go age people sometimes how they handle stuff.

01:22:38 You know, you have issues with that. Then you have special diets that people have to have.

01:22:42 So therefore, you know, in terms of how you manage your food, quite a bit of the stuff that people need in terms of health care is obtained by the state.

01:22:51 But sometimes you don't get medicine in a timely manner. So you may have prescriptions on hold.

01:22:56 So therefore, you have to you have to provide in the meanwhile, you know.

01:23:00 And then also we also have to look after the recreation of these people so that you just don't have them there all year like that.

01:23:06 So we try to arrange from time to time that we could take them, for example, get a sea bath and that sort of thing.

01:23:11 So that means you hire a maxi and whatever. And you can because there are people. Yes.

01:23:15 And they need to be treated as such. You see, we are, you know, we have a responsibility as as as humans, not only as Christians,

01:23:23 but as humans to look after those that are less fortunate. So that is what basically we want to do this month.

01:23:28 And we have been doing that, like, for example, in Narima since 1953 and Femba Ran, '87.

01:23:33 So we have been around a long time providing this continuum of care. In fact, the society has been around since 1854.

01:23:40 You know, there are several other homes that we have, but these are the two that we are focusing on right now.

01:23:45 Yeah. Is there or are there opportunities? And I'm speaking now about the wider work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

01:23:56 Are there opportunities for the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to donate to the society?

01:24:04 Yes, as a matter of fact, in terms of that, we I have I have a number here that that we can use for those who because some people who may want to who may want to attend,

01:24:15 but for different reasons cannot. We want to give them an opportunity so that they can donate.

01:24:20 The account is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Home for the Aged, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Home for the Aged,

01:24:27 and it's Republic Bank Limited Arima. And the account number is 460-463-933-001.

01:24:39 So people can donate there. We have an open door policy also that if people wish to come in and sometimes you want to.

01:24:47 But people do that. They come and they look at the place and they say, yes, we can help you with this.

01:24:51 We can help you with that. And, you know, people are welcome to also do that, you know.

01:24:57 And besides the homes that we look after, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we are broader than that.

01:25:02 Yes. And we have something called conferences. So I am from Santa Rosa Conference.

01:25:06 My brother here is from Assumption Conference. And what we do, we also go out into the community and we look after the poor in the community.

01:25:13 So the Society of St. Vincent de Paul doesn't only help people who we have in our institutions, but we help people in the community.

01:25:20 Christmas has gone. My conference, we did 108 hampers that we distributed.

01:25:26 Then you have when the children are ready, children for school, you know, we also assist parents with all of those things, you see.

01:25:33 So it's a continuum of care because the founders of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Frederick Osunam, and these people, they say no work of charity is foreign.

01:25:41 So whatever there is a need that we can deal with, we attempt to.

01:25:45 Yeah. Mr. Bonio, thank you for that holistic view of St. Vincent de Paul because I know that you all have been around for a while now and have been doing a lot of good work in the community

01:25:55 and more so helping the poor, the destitute in Trinidad and Tobago. Mr. King, where can we get tickets?

01:26:01 We could get, people could get tickets at the Fimber Ryan office and also you could contact two numbers, 689-8407 or 463-5059.

01:26:21 Tickets are available, as we just mentioned, at the St. Dominic's Hall office and you could get them at the two numbers you contact, we could meet you or head to the office.

01:26:32 What's the cost of the tickets? $250.

01:26:35 Yeah. Marlon, we could also get tickets from the bookshop at the Santa Rosa Church in Arima.

01:26:42 Yeah. So if they go Martin, we're targeting everybody. So if you go to Fimber Ryan, you get tickets, you come to Santa Rosa in Arima, you get tickets and as you said, you can get those numbers.

01:26:53 There are a couple of other numbers too but we're not going to lay too much on the line right now.

01:26:58 Do you all have a social media presence?

01:27:01 Currently, no. But I know at Parasol for Assumption we have a Facebook page.

01:27:06 We try to have it updated as regularly as possible but those are things that we want to do so we could not just, when you hear about St. Vincent de Paul society, you see mostly elderly people, you want to see a lot of people who look young like myself as well.

01:27:19 Is it one year that man single you out?

01:27:24 No, no, no. It's very young.

01:27:27 It doesn't matter. There's a relevance to being an H&M. You said I'm an opening batsman. So that essentially, what does happen is that sometimes you see a man make 90 and they say, "Oh, you only make 90?" But that 90 maker is the man who's coming after you.

01:27:44 You're right. You're right. You're right. So how long is Mr. Rudder going to be performing for? How long is the performance?

01:27:52 He's doing half the show already.

01:27:55 Oh, okay.

01:27:56 He's doing half the show.

01:27:57 He's doing the latter half of the show.

01:27:58 The latter half of the show.

01:27:59 So the show will be opened by the, supposed to have, Alparnis when you come in and you're playing a little music.

01:28:05 After that, the show started. The show's also hosted by the wonderful Cecilia Salazar. I neglected to say that.

01:28:12 After that, it will be the Kaiso Brigade or the Kaiso House.

01:28:17 We won't let too much out of the bag in terms of the artists, but I could just mention two artists. It'll be Rio and Conqueror.

01:28:26 Mr. Bonu, them know these guys like the back of his hand.

01:28:29 You know, opening batsman.

01:28:31 And they have a wide repertoire.

01:28:33 It's going to be a journey into Kaiso.

01:28:37 Exactly. Good lyrics. Strong lyrics. I'll call another name, Valentino.

01:28:41 Right.

01:28:42 Life is a stage. There's no stopping that kind of music.

01:28:47 And I think that's why we're putting it on because we feel there's an audience.

01:28:50 There are people who really want that kind of thing.

01:28:54 They're not too active for the carnival season, but they don't mind coming out at least once and hearing things that take them back down memory lane.

01:29:01 Yeah.

01:29:02 And if you look sharp.

01:29:03 Mr. Bonu.

01:29:04 He now busts two lines.

01:29:06 He might be on stage as well.

01:29:08 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:29:09 What time does it begin again?

01:29:10 8 p.m.

01:29:11 And it goes until it's finished.

01:29:13 Right on.

01:29:14 Secure parking. You don't need to worry about your parking and cars.

01:29:16 And you should treat yourself.

01:29:17 Big compound. Come enjoy yourselves. Have a time.

01:29:20 Yeah.

01:29:21 Yeah, well, essentially, he covered all of that part very well.

01:29:24 As you said, we're looking forward to the attendance of everyone.

01:29:30 We hope that this could be an annual event because, essentially, repairs and administration is an ongoing activity.

01:29:38 And, essentially, we would like the public to continue to support us.

01:29:42 In fact, Ellis Clark had made a call when we were building Fimber and for the public to assist in that building.

01:29:49 Similarly, in Arima, we used to go around and ask the public to donate $5 for a brick.

01:29:54 And that's how we build our buildings.

01:29:55 So we always feel that the public knows what we're doing and the public will be willing to assist us.

01:29:59 And we think that this show will be a success based upon that.

01:30:02 All right.

01:30:03 Vintage Kaiso meets David Rudder.

01:30:04 Give me the date, time, venue again.

01:30:07 Saturday the 8th.

01:30:08 Saturday the 20th of January.

01:30:11 Sorry.

01:30:12 Begins at 8 p.m.

01:30:13 Right?

01:30:14 Cost of tickets is $250.

01:30:17 Tickets are available at the parish office.

01:30:19 Also, you can contact the two numbers, 689-8407 and 463-5059.

01:30:27 And the Santa Rosa Bookshop.

01:30:29 And the Santa Rosa Bookshop.

01:30:30 And people, what we're encouraging people to do is make a line of it.

01:30:33 If you don't want to leave your car at home and probably people can depend on the distance.

01:30:37 You see, your car pull a higher maxi that takes you to the event and then essentially comes and picks you back up so that if you decide to imbibe in anything, you don't have to worry about any breathalyzer.

01:30:48 As the audience says, imbibe we.

01:30:51 All the imbibers.

01:30:53 Yes.

01:30:54 Gentlemen, it was a pleasure speaking with you all this morning.

01:30:57 We wish you all the best for your event.

01:30:59 And also, thank you for the work that the society has done and continues to do.

01:31:06 Thank you very much.

01:31:08 And it was actually quite gracious of you to have us and we appreciate it.

01:31:11 And God willing, you will enjoy success and we will enjoy success as the year progresses.

01:31:16 Thank you very much.

01:31:17 We're taking that blessings, Mr. Borneo and King.

01:31:19 We're going to have a break, everybody.

01:31:21 We're coming back.

01:31:22 [Music]

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01:32:23 The world is in crisis.

01:32:27 Distressing news are flowing from every quarter in the society.

01:32:32 And the hearts of many are failing them for fear.

01:32:36 However, in the midst of these alarming conditions come good news.

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01:32:47 This is the message of Daybreak.

01:32:50 [Music]

01:32:57 [Music]

01:33:03 How am I? I'm cool. I'm real good.

01:33:06 I try to be invisible when they reach home, but they see me. They always see me.

01:33:12 Oh, how about my parents? They're doing great. Everybody's well.

01:33:16 I have bruises and marks that I have to make up stories about when people ask.

01:33:21 What'd they say? I fall off my bike. You know how it is.

01:33:25 They beat me up and I'm tired of lying.

01:33:28 Once, just once, I want to say no, I'm not fine.

01:33:33 Please someone, just help me.

01:33:35 [Music]

01:33:48 Children have rights.

01:33:50 [Music]

01:34:11 [Music]

01:34:25 All right, everybody. So we're talking sport now.

01:34:27 And more so the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League.

01:34:30 With us this morning is marketing consultant, Shea Leewing.

01:34:34 Shea, good morning and thank you very much for coming.

01:34:36 Morning, Marlon. Thanks for having me.

01:34:38 Of course. All right, so let's get right into it.

01:34:41 I know that it is not the launch of the Football League, but you're here to discuss the new fixtures.

01:34:47 Yes. So the second season of the league would have launched at the end of November 2023.

01:34:53 So we are just off of the Christmas break and getting back into the action.

01:34:58 So this weekend we have actually some headline fixtures where five of the top four,

01:35:03 sorry, four of the top five teams will be competing against each other on Friday night

01:35:08 at a double header at the Police Barracks.

01:35:10 That would be Defence Force FC taking on Terminex La Jolla Rangers.

01:35:15 Those two teams are by no means strangers to the public.

01:35:18 And we also have newcomers and active competitors,

01:35:24 AC Port of Spain, who are in second place right now on the table, taking on Police FC in first place.

01:35:31 Yeah. How did the, because as you said, we are discussing the new fixtures, but how has the season gone so far?

01:35:41 Good, actually. So during season one, which was a short season in 2023, we picked up some good momentum.

01:35:47 We got the we engaged the public. We got some very good attendance.

01:35:51 And coming into season two, we're just really capitalizing on that momentum and building the interest in the league moving forward.

01:35:59 So it's been going well so far. Yeah. And talking about building the interest,

01:36:03 the response has been good and you're seeing more and more people becoming involved and supporting these teams.

01:36:12 Yeah, absolutely. The response has actually surpassed what we expected in the first couple of seasons of the league.

01:36:21 And obviously taking into consideration that professional football had a three year hiatus

01:36:26 between the Pro League and the Premier League, and part of that, of course, was due to Covid.

01:36:32 So seeing the public really interested in professional football coming back and coming out to support the teams is really,

01:36:40 is really a good look for the sport. And Shea, I want you to talk about that support,

01:36:45 because I'm sure it's very, very important not only to the Premier Football League, but to football on the whole in Trinidad and Tobago.

01:36:56 Absolutely. Now, football is our number one sport alongside cricket.

01:37:01 So when you look at outlets for the youths, apart from academics, you look at sports and you look at football and cricket.

01:37:09 So we need to really show the youth that, OK, there is a viable option to play professional football, get paid to play professional football.

01:37:18 And those are the youths who have the interest from secondary school to show them that there is somewhere to advance to.

01:37:25 And then to try to get to the national team, because at the end of the day, the national team really uses the Premier League as the resource pool.

01:37:33 So you could come, you can see the professional players in action often every weekend and be able to see the coach of the senior men's team.

01:37:41 He would have a good pool of players to choose from.

01:37:45 All right. So we mentioned the some of the fixtures. How long is this season, if I can put it that way?

01:37:52 How is this how long is this season going to last for?

01:37:55 So this season runs until the end of May, mid June, around the beginning of June.

01:38:01 And it is officially until the end of May. But due to not all of the teams have their own home venues, et cetera, we have some moving around to do.

01:38:10 So just to give it some wiggle room, we give it until like the beginning of June.

01:38:15 Yeah. So during that period, are we expected to see how is it going to roll out?

01:38:22 How often are we going to see teams battling?

01:38:25 Right. So every weekend. So we have matches on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays.

01:38:31 And this is split between tier one and tier two. So tier one would be the the top level of the league.

01:38:38 And then tier two, we have some other teams who came in to to play professional football, of course, but to keep active and then aspire to be promoted into tier one.

01:38:48 Right. And we also have the knockout cup, which runs at the later part of the season.

01:38:56 But that is where you would actually see tier one teams competing against tier two teams as well for a trophy at the end of the season.

01:39:03 So we have the league winners and then we have the knockout cup winners.

01:39:06 Yeah. So can I say it's two competitions taking place simultaneously?

01:39:15 Well, you could call it three. So tier one would have a winner, tier two would have a winner,

01:39:19 and then the knockout cup would comprise of tier one competing against tier two for an eventual winner as well.

01:39:25 When we speak about the Premier Football League, is it and I'm speaking about the ages of the players,

01:39:36 because if we're speaking about three competitions taking place at the same time, is there is there different ages, if I can put it that way?

01:39:51 Yeah, absolutely. The competition. Yeah. So we have some of the veterans who would have been playing from.

01:39:56 Yeah. Sorry. From the Pro League. And we also have some youngsters who would have come fresh from the SSFL who would have showed some promise and the teams would have recruited them early on.

01:40:05 So I would say we have from age 17 up to mid 30s.

01:40:12 Right. So it's really a mixture of experience and inexperience too, right?

01:40:19 Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Because you have the youth vibrance coming in as well, those showing promise.

01:40:26 But then, of course, you need to have those players with the experience and the know-how to kind of lead the team as well.

01:40:31 To mentor the young ones. And I didn't mean inexperience in a bad way, but to mentor these young players.

01:40:41 And I suspect it's all a part, too, of of succession planning and preparing for the future.

01:40:48 Absolutely. Because the younger players, we would want them to get as much exposure as possible as well, because as I'm sure you would know,

01:40:55 the teams on the outside that are looking at scouting players, they would look at the younger side of the players rather than the older players.

01:41:03 So during season one, actually, the top goal scorer and one of the top performers, Nathaniel James, he would have been picked up by a Jamaican club.

01:41:12 Right. So he's now applying his trade in the Jamaica Premier League this season.

01:41:16 Yeah. But that's a good point, Shea, in that the Premier League, it is it is an avenue by which players can get lucrative contracts.

01:41:38 Absolutely. And to make some money on which they can they can live and provide for their family.

01:41:43 Yeah. And the youths now have the benefit of seeing some of our players like Kenwin Jones, Kevin Molyneux, this guy, Levi Garcia, who's now playing out in Greece.

01:41:57 So these guys are outside. They are being paid in foreign currency. They are making a good living for themselves.

01:42:03 So we want them to understand that this is actually possible. This is attainable.

01:42:07 And we will give you that exposure on the national and international stage because these games are also broadcast on Sportsmax and FIFA Plus.

01:42:18 So there is international exposure as well. So scouts and anyone interested have the ability to view them.

01:42:24 Yeah. Let's get back to to the fixtures. I'm seeing that they're going to be played at a few locations here.

01:42:33 Yes, a few locations. So we also have Club Sando playing against Point Fort in Civic.

01:42:40 That would be at the Larry Gomes Stadium on Friday as well.

01:42:43 We have representation from Tobago as well with 1976 FC Phoenix taking on Central FC at the Dwight York Stadium across in Tobago.

01:42:53 Then we have the doubleheader, as I mentioned, with Defence Force versus Rangers and AC Portis Payne versus Police FC at the Police Barracks tomorrow.

01:43:03 Tomorrow is Friday. Yes. So tomorrow evening and then wrapping up the weekend on Sunday,

01:43:08 we would have Prison FC, who finished bottom of the table last season, but are actually putting up a very good fight for this season, playing against Caledonia FC.

01:43:19 You know, the league also has 11 teams, which is an odd number.

01:43:23 So on every match week, we end up with one team having a bye, which is just sitting out the week, basically.

01:43:29 And that would be Eagles FC, who were previously Canupia FC last season. Yeah.

01:43:35 What's the cost to attend these matches? So very reasonable.

01:43:39 The single matches are $25 per person and groups of five are $100 and doubleheaders are $40 per person and groups of five are $180.

01:43:51 We also have season passes available for $300 and those are available via the links in our bio on social media.

01:43:59 You can pay for it online and we send the season passes with a name on it via PDF to the purchasers.

01:44:06 Yeah, Shea, all they need is support, but $25, $40, these are cheap prices.

01:44:11 We keep trying to bring people out and trying to make sure. And kids under 12 are also free.

01:44:15 Yeah, kids under 12 free too? Free. So in the development stages of the league,

01:44:19 we're trying to get people to come out rather than turn it into a money-making venture at this point.

01:44:25 It's really about building the interest, building the attendance. And then, of course, from there, the money will come.

01:44:30 Yeah. And Shea, I want to jump off a point that you made earlier because you expressed the view that some teams are still having challenges.

01:44:45 Yeah. So I think that the point that you're making is that some of the teams still need support, financial support, maybe even support with venues to house them.

01:44:59 Definitely. So all of the venues that we play at, they need to be FIFA sanctioned venues.

01:45:06 And unfortunately, every team does not have their own home venue.

01:45:09 So it's a lot of moving around and juggling on the FA side to make these things happen.

01:45:15 We are garnering the interest of corporate Trinidad, who we obviously needed to be able to support these teams as well.

01:45:22 So some of them have been able to secure large sponsors since season one.

01:45:30 Mahika, sorry, Point Fort in Civic, they were able to secure Heritage Petroleum as their title sponsor.

01:45:36 Police FC just signed a deal with Miscellaneous Marketing.

01:45:39 So these things are happening and we hope to see more involvement from corporate Trinidad in partnering and supporting the league as well as the teams moving forward.

01:45:51 Yeah. So the corporate sponsors, they are coming.

01:45:56 They are coming.

01:45:57 Yeah. And as we look at the TT Premier Football League, you see a bright future for it in Trinidad and Tobago.

01:46:07 Absolutely. Season one was very encouraging from a marketing perspective, from looking at the product and seeing the response to it.

01:46:18 It was very encouraging. So we do anticipate that we are on to something, even in meeting with the representatives from FIFA.

01:46:26 They have looked at the numbers, they've looked at the progression thus far, and they are very happy with how things are running.

01:46:32 Obviously, there's room for improvement in everything, but very encouraging.

01:46:38 Yeah. But it's a type of a new beginning following COVID and so on.

01:46:43 So it's a new beginning for the league.

01:46:45 It's a new beginning for the league, but also for Trinidad football.

01:46:49 We would have gone through a period of kind of darkness, a dark cloud over local football, given some scandals and whatnot.

01:46:58 So there was very low...

01:47:02 What's the word?

01:47:04 There wasn't much trust in football and the administration of football moving forward.

01:47:09 So there was a need for complete restructuring of the normalization committee.

01:47:14 There was a need to look at the format of the league where it was private before, but now FIFA has said, OK, this needs to be under the purview of the FA.

01:47:23 So there's a certain level of control.

01:47:25 So those are things that we have established from the ground up so that we have a strong foundation to build a proper product moving forward.

01:47:32 Yeah. Shea, anything else you'd like to tell us before you leave us this morning?

01:47:35 Yes. So anyone interested in the league, you can follow our social media pages, TTPFL1 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

01:47:46 And we're also on YouTube and we post the fixtures regularly, the standings regularly, players to watch, profiles on the teams so you can get to know the players, the teams, etc.

01:47:57 And the matches, some of the matches are broadcast live on Sportsmax and FIFA Plus.

01:48:03 Yeah. Shea, it was a pleasure speaking with you this morning and thank you for the work that the TT Premier Football League is doing.

01:48:10 Thank you very much.

01:48:11 Thanks for having me, Marlon. I appreciate it.

01:48:12 OK. So it's time for another break. We do have this picture for you. It's of the Avocat Waterfall. We're coming back, everybody.

01:48:19 [Music]

01:48:43 Come on, come on. Everyone can play. Play football. It's the Ministry of Sport and Community Development's 7-a-side tournament.

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01:49:19 Spots are limited, so don't delay. For registration details, visit Red 96.7 FM Facebook page or send your email to red96football@gmail.com.

01:49:29 The Ministry of Sport and Community Development presents 7-a-side tournament. Powered by the bigger 96. Bought from the love of sport.

01:49:40 [Music]

01:49:59 [Music]

01:50:14 Hola. My name is Elena. It's actually not my real name. You don't really care, do you? All you care about is want to pay your money to my boss that I look pretty, smell nice, smile for you, and let you have a good time, enjoying yourself and doing to me whatever you want to do for the money you pay.

01:50:39 What you don't see or know is that I don't get any part of the money you pay. My boss takes all of it. I am forced to work, taking as many clients as my boss tells me to. I am beaten, made to take drugs, and I cannot leave this kind of work on my own.

01:51:01 I am a victim of human trafficking. Please. Por favor, help me.

01:51:15 [Music]

01:51:26 And welcome back. It's time now for the local news headlines.

01:51:37 Good morning. I'm Sharon Hamilton-Cajou with the TV6 Morning News. The suspect in the double homicide in Glencoe is scheduled to appear in the Port of Spain Magistrates' Court today for the crime. On Wednesday, the Director of Public Prosecutions gave police the go-ahead to charge the 48-year-old man, a soldier, with the killings of a mother and daughter, Carmelita de Leon and Khalida Shamba.

01:52:05 Samsonite luggage is now being made right here in TNT. This is the boast of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley to an audience at the official opening of the Phoenix Park Industrial Estate.

01:52:18 I am pleased to report that high-quality, famously branded luggage is now being made right here in Trinidad and Tobago, right here at Phoenix Park Industrial Estate for the markets of North America and other parts of the Americas and I dare say the rest of the world.

01:52:38 With crime of paramount concern to citizens and the recent murder of a seasonal NCC worker in the Queens Park Savannah, the Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hines met on Wednesday with several stakeholders and gave an assurance that all the proper safety and security measures had been put in place for Carnival.

01:52:59 Among the stakeholders were the NCC, the TTPS, the Mayor of Port of Spain and the Trinidad and Tobago Promoters Association.

01:53:13 Taking a look at the weather forecast, seas may occasionally become choppy due to the combined effect of wind waves and spring tides. As such, all marine interests are asked to exercise caution, especially during high tides.

01:53:29 Overall, we maintain hot and sunny conditions across most areas with one or two isolated showers likely in a few areas.

01:53:40 So listen to this very quickly. So the Met Office says the initial part of the dry season is from January to March and is expected to be mostly drier than normal and will likely result in an increase in surface and vegetation dryness together with an increased potential for bush, forest and landfill fires.

01:54:02 All right, so that's going to do it for our program for today. Remember that Emmy Prime comes up this evening. In the meantime, we leave you with this image. It's of Chaka Cabana. Yeah, from M. Griffith. Thank you very much. See you tomorrow, everybody.

01:54:18 [MUSIC]

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Morning Edition: 11th January 2024

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