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  • 2 years ago
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00:00:00 [MUSIC]
00:00:10 And a very special good morning Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the world.
00:00:19 I'm Marlon Hopkins and as always, welcome to The Morning Edition.
00:00:21 It's Monday, Monday, Monday, I can hear you now, you're celebrating.
00:00:26 It's Monday, the beginning of a new work week.
00:00:30 It's February 26th, 2024.
00:00:32 Thank you very much for joining us.
00:00:34 As always, I thought I would have had a very good weekend weather wise.
00:00:39 I know that there were reports that we would be experiencing the Sahara dust and
00:00:43 so on.
00:00:44 So I think it was Saturday morning and the mountain, it was very, very clear.
00:00:49 And I said, today is going to be a good day.
00:00:51 I'm going to open up the house and let some fresh air come in.
00:00:55 And they started burning the mountain, boy.
00:00:57 >> [LAUGH]
00:00:59 >> Well, it's special, very, very special.
00:01:02 You remember we had an official here a few months ago?
00:01:05 And what did that individual say at that time?
00:01:08 That the fires are being lit deliberately.
00:01:11 Because people speak, people talk all sorts of things.
00:01:16 Is mirror and is brick bottle and no, no, no.
00:01:20 It is you all who is doing this to the environment.
00:01:24 So let's, I mean, this is the dry season.
00:01:28 And if these fires are being lit deliberately,
00:01:32 it can have a very, very serious impact on the environment.
00:01:36 Think about that, yeah?
00:01:37 All right, well,
00:01:38 let's check out to see what's happening in the Express newspaper for today.
00:01:42 On the front page, Integrity Commission writes chief fire officer requesting
00:01:46 documents on $1 million purchase, ladders under probe,
00:01:51 doctors in pain and suspect in KFC Gasparillo murder held.
00:01:56 And joyride, sliding fun, siblings Kiana and
00:02:00 Keanu have fun while riding a coconut branch at the botanical gardens
00:02:06 in Port of Spain yesterday, yeah?
00:02:08 This is when things were very, very simple, right?
00:02:11 Yeah, and in some cases, it's still very, very simple.
00:02:14 So you don't need the phone and the iPad and
00:02:18 computer and so on to occupy yourself.
00:02:21 So good morning to Kiana and Keanu, yeah?
00:02:26 I hope you had a good day yesterday.
00:02:27 TNT Canada showdown under 20 Warriors hammer Dominica 5-0.
00:02:33 Don't celebrate yet, don't celebrate.
00:02:35 Trinidad and Tobago set up a winner take all showdown with Canada.
00:02:39 When comfortably winning 5-0 over Dominica for
00:02:44 their second victory of the Conqueror under 20 men group D qualifying series
00:02:49 last night at the Hazy Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, all right?
00:02:53 So congratulations to the boys.
00:02:56 Okay, so we're moving on.
00:02:57 It's time to remind you about Trinbago, your nice feature.
00:02:59 Remember to participate, watch out your videos or images to 737-3778.
00:03:06 We have this for you, beautiful.
00:03:08 That's Pui, right?
00:03:10 Yeah, that's a Pui tree.
00:03:12 So it's an image from Ronald Daniel.
00:03:14 Yeah, we also have a birthday greeting to Valerie Green,
00:03:20 mother of Colonel Roberts, yeah?
00:03:23 So Miss Green, a very special good morning to you, yeah?
00:03:27 And we dedicate this picture to you, Miss Green, yeah?
00:03:30 You like Pui?
00:03:31 Yeah, this is a beautiful Pui tree here, okay?
00:03:35 So a very special good morning to all of you and
00:03:37 thank you very much to Ronald for that beautiful picture, all right?
00:03:41 So we do have a lot for you in the program today.
00:03:43 Get your coffee, get your tea, get something to eat.
00:03:46 We're coming back, everybody.
00:03:47 Stay right there.
00:03:48 [MUSIC]
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00:04:53 [MUSIC]
00:05:05 >> Universal Church presents Programs of Faith,
00:05:09 5:30am, the hour of miracles.
00:05:13 [MUSIC]
00:05:16 5pm, it's possible.
00:05:18 [MUSIC]
00:05:23 Now on TV6.
00:05:26 [MUSIC]
00:05:28 [FOREIGN]
00:05:38 >> You want great for bad enough for you.
00:05:41 If you go to our countries and the boss pretends, have us working day and
00:05:44 night like slaves and expect us to be grateful.
00:05:47 [FOREIGN]
00:05:57 >> Just allow us to leave.
00:06:00 >> Please, give us our passports and allow us to leave.
00:06:03 >> You can feel our things are free to leave.
00:06:08 If you step one foot out of here,
00:06:12 I will see to it that immigration sends you back to whatever hell you came from.
00:06:18 >> If you know of or suspect human trafficking activity,
00:06:23 call the counter trafficking hotline at 800-4CTU or 800-4288.
00:06:30 Human trafficking is a crime.
00:06:31 Identify it, report it, stop it.
00:06:35 A message from the counter trafficking unit of the Ministry of National Security.
00:06:39 [MUSIC]
00:06:49 >> All right, so welcome back everyone.
00:07:01 I hope that you're having a good day.
00:07:04 Let me tell you, sometimes things tend to bog you down and
00:07:09 sometimes we think about the negatives.
00:07:12 It's always good to think of things as the cup being half full, right?
00:07:17 So as you get up today, let's all be thankful.
00:07:20 Again, thank you very much for joining us this morning.
00:07:22 So February 25th, yesterday, mark two years since four divers lost their lives in
00:07:27 what has been described as the Paria diving tragedy.
00:07:30 The victims are Faisal Kurban, Kazim Ali Jr., Rishi Nagusa, and Yusuf Henry.
00:07:35 Now Christopher Boudram is the lone survivor.
00:07:38 Now a lot has happened over the past two years,
00:07:40 including a commission of inquiry.
00:07:42 Its report, full of recommendations, has been laid in the parliament.
00:07:46 As we reflect on everything surrounding this matter,
00:07:49 we are joined this morning by MSJ political leader David Abdullah.
00:07:52 Mr. Abdullah, as always, thank you very much for joining us.
00:07:54 >> Thank you for having me, Marlon.
00:07:57 And a very good morning to everyone too, today.
00:07:59 >> Yeah, Mr. Abdullah, as I said, a lot has happened over the past two years.
00:08:04 Recently, the commission of inquiry report was completed.
00:08:08 It was handed over to the president, later laid in parliament.
00:08:11 There has been debate over the recommendations in this commission of
00:08:15 inquiry as we look at everything in connection with this matter.
00:08:19 How do you see things?
00:08:20 >> Very, very disturbing still on a number of counts.
00:08:26 Two years, of course, the families are still to receive sent in compensation.
00:08:33 That is absolutely unacceptable and horrific.
00:08:38 The commission of inquiry made very strong statements about the way in which
00:08:43 a company, Paria, treated the families of the divers,
00:08:48 both immediately when the incident happened.
00:08:53 And subsequently, the fact that Paria can't seem to find it within the board and
00:08:59 managers, let's not make it abstract, let's not talk about the company Paria.
00:09:05 There are people who are responsible, who are in charge,
00:09:09 who are accountable for the actions or lack of actions by Paria.
00:09:14 So we need to personalize it because we deal with the lives of four men.
00:09:19 The situation of Christopher Boudram who is still traumatized at the impact
00:09:25 that that incident two years ago had on the families of the divers.
00:09:30 So we need to get down to the human factor.
00:09:35 And Paria, the managers of Paria, the board of Paria,
00:09:38 can't find it within themselves to compensate the families
00:09:45 without necessarily prejudice to their legal claims and so on.
00:09:50 The commission of inquiry stated very clearly that this ought to be done immediately.
00:09:54 And certainly since the report was published a few months ago,
00:09:58 it ought to have been done.
00:10:01 That's the first thing.
00:10:02 Second thing, the prime minister said in a press conference that he's the prime
00:10:07 minister of everyone in Trinidad and Tobago and he has his concerns as a human being.
00:10:11 All right, we have to take him at face value.
00:10:13 I don't know whether he was being sincere or not.
00:10:16 But one has to judge people not by their words, but by their deeds.
00:10:21 And Mr. Prakash Ramana, who attorney at law for a number of the families,
00:10:25 said, I saw it on your news report last night, that the prime minister's office
00:10:31 has not reached out to the families that the prime minister seems to wait,
00:10:35 is waiting on the families to reach out to him.
00:10:37 Well, that's inappropriate.
00:10:38 You're the prime minister of the country.
00:10:40 You have all kinds of means.
00:10:41 He ought to have reached out to the families a long, long time ago,
00:10:46 but certainly subsequent to the commission of inquiry's report,
00:10:49 and had a meeting with them.
00:10:51 I mean, those things don't necessarily result in justice for the families,
00:10:57 but at least they will feel that those in authority
00:11:00 have some consideration and concern.
00:11:04 I think that there has been a concern that if government
00:11:10 acts in a certain way, and I know that the prime minister expressed
00:11:14 some level of concern about that, that precedent could be set.
00:11:18 And I think while everyone agrees that this was a horrible tragedy,
00:11:24 I think that there is the concern, judging from what members of the government
00:11:29 have said in the past, judging from what they have said,
00:11:32 that precedent could be set.
00:11:33 And I think that's their concern.
00:11:37 That really is a cop out, you know.
00:11:39 This government seems to find all kinds of ways and means
00:11:42 of not taking action where action should be taken.
00:11:46 You know, there was a case of a young child who was not
00:11:52 born in Trinidad and Tobago, was born--
00:11:54 his mother is Trinidadian and so on, came back from Syria or wherever,
00:11:59 and the boy can't get into school, or the child can't get into school,
00:12:02 and the minister of education says, well, no ID, no proof.
00:12:06 I mean, you know, all kinds of bureaucratic nonsense, really,
00:12:10 just to avoid doing something that would demonstrate
00:12:15 that every single person in this country counts and is important,
00:12:20 and the lives of our people count and are important.
00:12:23 So the government, as government of Trinidad and Tobago,
00:12:28 does not have to provide compensation, but Paria could as a company--
00:12:33 and Paria, of course, is a state company-- and Paria could and should have,
00:12:36 as the commission of inquiry, strongly, strongly recommend it.
00:12:40 Should have taken place a long time ago.
00:12:44 So those are two first points.
00:12:46 And then I read in one of the newspapers yesterday
00:12:49 that the case against Paria and LMCS, actually,
00:12:55 before the industrial court with respect to violations of the OSH Act,
00:12:59 the Occupational Safety and Health Act, that those charges are in limbo
00:13:04 because the appeal court, apparently, in some other case,
00:13:07 ruled that the charges or complaints under the OSH Act
00:13:11 had to be brought to the court within six months of the incident.
00:13:15 And of course, the commission of inquiry, in its report,
00:13:19 suggested that the time frame was two years.
00:13:21 And this matter now, in terms of the previous issue that has been litigated,
00:13:26 is before the Privy Council.
00:13:27 So the industrial court has not yet begun
00:13:31 any hearing of the complaints brought by the OSH authority
00:13:37 with respect to the deaths of the divers.
00:13:40 So that now is another issue because in the absence of the industrial court
00:13:45 dealing with the violations or alleged violations of the OSH Act,
00:13:50 then really, the only other legal course of action--
00:13:56 I'm not a lawyer-- but the only other legal course of action
00:13:58 is that which Mr. Ramadag and others may be pursuing
00:14:01 on behalf of the families in the civil court.
00:14:03 And of course, the DPP taking action with respect to corporate manslaughter.
00:14:11 Yeah.
00:14:13 Judging from your experience, Mr. Abdullah,
00:14:18 and what you would have seen over the years concerning
00:14:23 a number of commissions of inquiry, millions of dollars
00:14:28 have been expended.
00:14:30 What do you expect from this report of the commission of inquiry?
00:14:35 And I say that based on what we have seen over the years.
00:14:39 There has been a bit of hesitation in bringing the recommendations,
00:14:45 the suggestions to the fore.
00:14:48 There has been great delay surrounding a number of the commissions of inquiry.
00:14:53 One, just off my tongue, the commission of inquiry
00:14:57 into the 1990 attempted coup.
00:14:59 So many suggestions and recommendations have been made.
00:15:02 And up to today, very little has been done.
00:15:06 Very little has been provided to the relatives of victims
00:15:10 of what would have transpired.
00:15:11 So as we look at this commission of inquiry and the recommendations
00:15:15 and suggestions, what do you expect?
00:15:18 That's the question.
00:15:19 Well, yes.
00:15:21 Good preamble to the question.
00:15:23 And of course, we could add many other important commissions of inquiry.
00:15:27 The findings of which, of course, are very important.
00:15:30 But the problem is the state of governance in this country,
00:15:35 where there is no accountability by those in authority, primarily
00:15:40 the government.
00:15:41 Let's be very clear, the government of the day
00:15:44 and subsequent governments that may come in
00:15:46 to do anything about the reports and recommendations
00:15:49 of commissions of inquiry.
00:15:50 I could cite the example of the commission of inquiry
00:15:53 with that my father chaired into prison reform
00:15:57 when Dr. Williams was prime minister.
00:15:59 And many of those recommendations, how many years ago is that?
00:16:02 About 40, 40-odd, 50 years ago, have not
00:16:04 been implemented, which were important given the crisis
00:16:07 within our nation's prisons.
00:16:08 And I know that you have interviewed many persons about the problems
00:16:11 in the nation's prisons.
00:16:13 The Coleman commission of inquiry into CLECO and HCU,
00:16:17 the off commission of inquiry, and so on,
00:16:19 into the construction matters that surrounded many
00:16:26 of the problems of public procurement.
00:16:29 So yes, there are tons of recommendations.
00:16:31 And just after the Lynch report was made in parliament,
00:16:36 I did make a very clear statement that apart from the DPP being
00:16:42 recommended that the DPP take action,
00:16:44 apart from compensation being provided to the families,
00:16:48 and that could be done.
00:16:49 The DPP obviously has a process to go through,
00:16:51 but Paria could give compensation right away to the families.
00:16:54 That hasn't been done.
00:16:55 But there are other things that could be done.
00:16:57 One is the Bureau of Standards can bring into being
00:17:02 mandatory standards for diving, because the commission
00:17:07 recommended that.
00:17:08 The laws with respect to the OSHA can be--
00:17:14 it was recommended the OSHA should be amended
00:17:17 to further tighten up on safety standards
00:17:19 and to provide for a longer period of time
00:17:21 under which complaints could be brought.
00:17:23 That could be done.
00:17:23 Nothing-- we have heard nothing from the minister of labor
00:17:25 with respect to that.
00:17:27 There is the issue of amending the Companies Act
00:17:32 to make persons who--
00:17:34 individuals who would have taken or not taken
00:17:38 certain actions that resulted deaths like this,
00:17:40 or in a sense like it's happening,
00:17:42 resulting in death and injury, that they become more liable
00:17:47 under the Companies Act.
00:17:48 So the attorney general could bring legislation
00:17:51 to deal with that.
00:17:51 So there are a number of areas of government action
00:17:55 arising out of the recommendations
00:17:57 of the Commission of Inquiry that ought to be taken.
00:18:00 Now, what we should then hear from the government
00:18:02 is that we have taken the recommendations on board,
00:18:06 and attorney general is doing this.
00:18:09 Minister of Labor is doing that.
00:18:11 Bureau of Standards is doing the other.
00:18:13 The OSH agency and authority is doing this and so on.
00:18:16 So that-- Paria is doing the following.
00:18:18 So that we would be aware that things are in train.
00:18:22 Paria, for example, the board of Paria
00:18:23 should have gone a long, long time ago.
00:18:25 They should have gone since February 2022.
00:18:30 But certainly, coming out of the Commission of Inquiry report,
00:18:33 that board should have been removed.
00:18:36 The managers who were involved and who did nothing,
00:18:40 Mr. Piper, Mr. Wei, and Mr. Muhammad, and so on,
00:18:43 who--
00:18:45 they were fiddling while Rome was burning.
00:18:47 They were doing nothing while men were dying in the pipeline.
00:18:50 They should go.
00:18:52 They can't be getting salaries of 50 and 60
00:18:56 or how much, $1,000 a month, and no compensation to the families.
00:19:00 And they seem to be comfortable.
00:19:02 That is wrong.
00:19:03 There's something wrong in our society
00:19:05 when these things happen and people are not
00:19:06 held to account.
00:19:08 So there are things that ought to be done arising out
00:19:10 of the Commission of Inquiry report.
00:19:12 And I think Mr. Lynch and his other commissioner
00:19:15 and the counsel to the commission, Mr. Ramesh
00:19:18 Lajmaraj, did an excellent job.
00:19:19 It's one of the quickest reports that have come out.
00:19:23 It was fully transparent.
00:19:25 We saw everything.
00:19:25 All the documentation is there in the public domain.
00:19:28 The recommendations are clear and strong.
00:19:31 The analysis is good and so on.
00:19:33 So it was a good Commission of Inquiry in that sense.
00:19:36 But the issue now is those who have to take action arising out
00:19:41 of the Commission of Inquiry.
00:19:42 And they're lead on footed, and they just seem not to care.
00:19:45 And therefore, we not only have to hold this government
00:19:49 to account and the ministers and the prime minister
00:19:51 and the board and so on, because to remove the board
00:19:54 is the action of cabinet.
00:19:57 A new board perhaps will then remove the managers.
00:20:00 So it comes down to what is the government doing.
00:20:03 And the government can't say it is setting a precedent
00:20:06 by not removing a board.
00:20:07 They're prepared to restructure three companies
00:20:11 and send home 50 workers, invest TT, I think creative TT,
00:20:16 and export TT.
00:20:17 So obviously, boards will go.
00:20:19 Yes.
00:20:19 New people will come in.
00:20:21 Managers will go.
00:20:22 People will lose their jobs over restructuring.
00:20:25 But they're not prepared to take action on paria.
00:20:28 No, man.
00:20:29 The government has to be held to account on that.
00:20:31 But you know, Mr. Abdullah, I think
00:20:34 that when first the incident happened,
00:20:38 there was great debate.
00:20:39 There was a great outcry as to how could this have happened.
00:20:44 But two years later, to me-- and this is really a personal view--
00:20:49 but hasn't the majority of us, have we not really
00:20:54 gone very silent as to what has really transpired with this?
00:20:59 And we're seeing the commission of inquiry, the report,
00:21:02 the suggestions.
00:21:04 There may be a feeling that the population just
00:21:08 doesn't really care as to what happens after.
00:21:12 I think the population does care.
00:21:14 Obviously, the families and persons close to them
00:21:17 have continued to raise the issue.
00:21:19 There was some activity on Saturday and so on.
00:21:21 Unfortunately, I couldn't join in that
00:21:23 because I was working on some other projects.
00:21:25 But the families have been speaking.
00:21:27 All the media, I think, has done a very good job
00:21:29 in keeping the matter alive in the consciousness
00:21:32 of the people with reporting of what the families are
00:21:37 seeing with inaction.
00:21:40 And so the matter has not died in the minds of people.
00:21:45 Obviously, those who control power think that it will die.
00:21:51 And therefore, they could get away with it.
00:21:54 That will be another nine-day wonder.
00:21:57 And people will forget.
00:21:58 But no, I think that people are remembering.
00:22:01 Of course, the issue is, what do we
00:22:04 do to ensure that something like this never happens again
00:22:08 in the first place?
00:22:09 And secondly, that recommendations
00:22:11 that have been made get implemented
00:22:14 by those who have the power to implement them.
00:22:16 And that is where now voices have
00:22:19 to be raised in the public domain
00:22:20 by civic-minded individuals and organizations
00:22:24 and by the media as the fourth estate.
00:22:27 You think there's a political price to pay if, let's say,
00:22:29 the government doesn't handle this in a humane manner?
00:22:34 I think so.
00:22:35 It's not only that because I raised the issue not only
00:22:40 when the matter took place, because I was there,
00:22:43 I think, on a Saturday sometime.
00:22:45 On a Saturday, we had a press conference
00:22:46 and a picket on a Sunday morning while the families were
00:22:50 in the car park and so on.
00:22:51 And the ODBQ has also raised the issue
00:22:53 that something like this would not have happened
00:22:56 had Petrochil not been closed down.
00:22:58 So we also have to go to that issue
00:23:01 because de-skilling, the lack of knowledge,
00:23:04 the lack of a balanced wheel in terms of a union being present
00:23:08 to ensure that proper processes and rules were adhered to.
00:23:15 The fact that there was not proper supervision,
00:23:18 that you had labor supply contract people hired
00:23:22 by Kenson being responsible.
00:23:24 So there were a chain of responsibility and authority
00:23:28 and so on was very muddled and not clear.
00:23:33 All of that would not have happened
00:23:35 had Petrochil still been existent.
00:23:37 So the autoworkers trade union being there
00:23:39 representing the workers.
00:23:40 So yes, there's a political price,
00:23:42 I think, to pay for the closure of Petrochil
00:23:45 for a lot of other issues that are
00:23:46 taking place in the country.
00:23:48 And later this morning, I have a press conference speaking
00:23:51 in another capacity to be with our crime summit,
00:23:54 the People's Roundtable Crime Summit.
00:23:56 So things are happening and the government
00:23:59 seems to be this rowdy-led government.
00:24:02 It's like molasses.
00:24:03 It's like molasses.
00:24:04 Let's speak a little bit about the relatives of the victims.
00:24:09 Now, I know that you may have been in touch with them
00:24:13 over the past few years since this incident happened.
00:24:17 What sort of life have they been living since this tragedy?
00:24:24 Yes, I have not been in touch with the relatives
00:24:27 as much as I ought to have been.
00:24:28 So I want to make that clear.
00:24:29 I don't want to seem as if I have been in constant contact
00:24:32 with them.
00:24:32 Of course, the Corbin family I know better than any others.
00:24:37 Faisy's brother, I see him on a regular basis and so on.
00:24:42 Actually, he was one of the persons who nominated me
00:24:44 in the 2020 general elections as a candidate and so on.
00:24:48 So I've been in touch with Faisy's brother
00:24:51 more than anyone else.
00:24:53 So the families are in, obviously, distress.
00:24:58 There's a financial distress to the families
00:25:02 because they lost their breadwinner.
00:25:06 In the case, particularly, of the Henry family,
00:25:09 the Henry family, as was reported in one of the newspapers,
00:25:12 I think, yesterday, of Fisher Henry,
00:25:16 the sister of Yusuf Henry, lost two other brothers.
00:25:23 You know, there were--
00:25:25 so the Henry family has gone through a lot of tragedy.
00:25:29 Mrs. Henry lost three sons.
00:25:32 So there's a financial difficulty.
00:25:34 There's a psychological trauma and so on.
00:25:39 Death is not easy.
00:25:40 There was a very interesting letter yesterday
00:25:43 written by David Millett, who I know well.
00:25:46 His wife used to work in the union.
00:25:48 His father-in-law was a union activist and so on.
00:25:51 And he wrote a very heartfelt letter
00:25:54 about the loss of his son to murder
00:25:56 and the psychological difficulty that one goes through,
00:26:01 something like that.
00:26:03 But the families of these divers went through a situation
00:26:07 where the deaths of those men would have been horrific.
00:26:14 You know, the trauma of them living
00:26:17 in this pipeline for maybe 36 hours
00:26:20 or however long it was estimated they were alive,
00:26:25 that was a horrible wait for them to go
00:26:27 and to know that something could have
00:26:29 been done to try to save them.
00:26:32 Now, whether that would have been successful or not,
00:26:34 we don't know.
00:26:34 But there was no effort to save them.
00:26:37 And I think that is a horrific thing for people
00:26:43 to have to live through, that you
00:26:44 know that your family member could
00:26:47 have been saved if somebody made the effort to do it.
00:26:51 And there were people who were-- divers
00:26:53 were prepared to go down, but pariah
00:26:56 stopped them from doing so.
00:26:57 So I think those are things that we
00:27:00 have to take into consideration when
00:27:01 we think about what kind of society
00:27:04 do we really want to have, Marlon.
00:27:05 Because see, all of these things are indicators
00:27:09 of the kind of society that Trinidad and Tobago is becoming
00:27:14 or has become, where we are not concerned about how
00:27:19 other people are living or how other people are surviving.
00:27:24 We have become highly individualistic.
00:27:27 It is about, as Tony Watkins once said,
00:27:30 and I've taken a phrase from him, A for apple, B for bat,
00:27:33 and C for yourself.
00:27:35 And when nobody is seeing about you,
00:27:38 when solidarity breaks down, when
00:27:41 the sense of the collective breaks down,
00:27:45 then the society is in a very dangerous situation.
00:27:49 And that is where we are going now.
00:27:53 So the lives of these four men, and the trauma of the families,
00:27:57 and so on, and the trauma of Christopher Boudram, who
00:27:59 survived, ought not to be in vain.
00:28:04 We-- in other words, not only in terms of the specific things
00:28:07 that--
00:28:08 legislating amendments to laws and so on,
00:28:11 but it is a wake-up call for us as a society as a whole.
00:28:14 But what does--
00:28:16 what does justice look like for Christopher Boudram
00:28:20 and the relatives of the other four men?
00:28:22 What does justice look like, in your mind,
00:28:25 for the relatives and Christopher Boudram?
00:28:28 Certainly, initially, financial compensation
00:28:32 is one element of it, because at least that
00:28:35 will ease some of the stresses of their life
00:28:38 that have resulted from the death.
00:28:41 In the case of Christopher Boudram,
00:28:44 some kind of alternative employment for him, that will--
00:28:47 because his wife is a nurse, but one income
00:28:52 can meet the family needs, and so on.
00:28:55 But in addition to that, all the other things
00:28:58 I mentioned in terms of the removal of the board,
00:29:00 removal of the managers, the prime minister meeting
00:29:03 with the families, and expressing concern and empathy
00:29:06 in a personal, direct way to show that the government is
00:29:10 concerned, the amendments to all the legislation that
00:29:13 were recommended by the commission of inquiry,
00:29:16 and therefore, a safer and healthier work environment.
00:29:19 I think all of those things would
00:29:22 say that the deaths were not in vain,
00:29:24 and therefore, some level of justice was achieved.
00:29:27 And for the society as a whole to reflect
00:29:30 on who are we becoming as a people in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:29:36 Is this matter heading for the court?
00:29:37 I know that according to Prakash Ramada,
00:29:42 he believes that should be the last option.
00:29:45 He's not too keen in pursuing such action,
00:29:48 but he believes that a more humane approach
00:29:52 needs to be adopted.
00:29:54 If not, then they're going to have to go to court.
00:29:58 Yes, and therefore, a company like Paria,
00:30:02 the prime minister wanted to take a hands-off.
00:30:05 We said in press conference, well, that is not cabinet,
00:30:07 that is not government, that is a state company,
00:30:10 and there's a board, and they have to make a decision.
00:30:13 But state companies get policy directives from line ministers
00:30:16 all the time, you know.
00:30:17 Yes, and therefore, the cabinet and the line minister
00:30:21 can say to Paria, as a policy, we
00:30:28 are sending us policy signal.
00:30:30 We're removing the board.
00:30:32 And a new board can be given a mandate
00:30:34 to clean up the situation, deal with the managers,
00:30:37 and create a new corporate culture.
00:30:39 That's a policy action.
00:30:41 And that begins with the cabinet, yes?
00:30:44 And that could then obviate and prevent
00:30:47 the matter going to court, so that we demonstrate
00:30:50 that we can sit down and arrive at a settlement that
00:30:54 is mutually acceptable, not perfect,
00:30:57 but that we can come to a point where everyone can walk away
00:31:01 saying that we have not lost total.
00:31:07 All right.
00:31:08 Mr. Abdullah, anything else you'd like to add before you
00:31:10 leave us this morning?
00:31:12 Well, no, just to say that I sent several open letters
00:31:16 on behalf of different organizations,
00:31:18 one on behalf of the Assembly of Caribbean People,
00:31:20 and one on behalf of trying to make
00:31:22 one solidarity with Palestine to the heads of government.
00:31:25 So I hope that the media reports on those two major statements
00:31:31 that were made bring to the attention of CARICOM heads
00:31:35 important matters related to Haiti,
00:31:37 in one case in relating to the genocide in Palestine,
00:31:41 on the other hand.
00:31:42 Because we also-- which is also about solidarity
00:31:46 and about concern for the lives of our fellow human beings
00:31:49 in other parts of the world.
00:31:51 So as we demonstrate solidarity and concern
00:31:53 about the lives of the families of the divers
00:31:56 and of Christopher Boudram and what
00:31:58 happened to those four divers, we also
00:32:00 have to recognize that that solidarity is
00:32:03 extended to other people in other parts of the world.
00:32:07 That is what MSJ is about, about solidarity,
00:32:11 about collective, about concern, about humanity.
00:32:14 Yeah.
00:32:15 Mr. Abdullah, as always, thank you very much
00:32:16 for speaking with us.
00:32:17 We do appreciate it.
00:32:18 Thank you for having me, Marlon.
00:32:20 All right, bye for now.
00:32:21 So it's time for another break.
00:32:23 We are coming back.
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00:34:21 Slavery, a terrible time in our history.
00:34:26 The kidnapping, buying and selling of people for profit,
00:34:30 the exploitation of another human being.
00:34:33 It still exists today.
00:34:35 It has a new name, human trafficking.
00:34:38 Anyone can be a victim.
00:34:40 There is forced labor, sexual exploitation,
00:34:45 and domestic servitude.
00:34:49 Human trafficking is a worldwide problem
00:34:51 and an emerging concern for us here in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:34:56 If you know of or suspect human trafficking activity,
00:34:59 call the counter-trafficking hotline at 800-4CTU or 800-4288.
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00:35:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:35:20 Welcome back, everyone.
00:35:42 So we are opening up the lines at this time
00:35:45 because we do have some very interesting interviews for you
00:35:50 during the course of our program for today.
00:35:52 But in the meantime, we can take some of your calls.
00:35:55 You're calling us on 623-1711.
00:35:57 The extension is 1995.
00:36:00 I know a lot of things happening in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:36:03 And I know that you want to speak about them.
00:36:05 So you can call us now.
00:36:06 We just have a few minutes because, as I said,
00:36:08 we are on standby for a very interesting interview that
00:36:13 is coming up, all right?
00:36:14 But let me just read this to you because this
00:36:16 is very important and interesting, if I do say so.
00:36:21 So the San Fernando mayor, Robert Paris,
00:36:23 has made a clarion call for leaders
00:36:26 to make the right decisions, even though they
00:36:29 may be unpopular for the greater good of the nation.
00:36:32 Now, Paris said Trinidad and Tobago
00:36:34 must be brought to a better place.
00:36:36 And leaders must be prepared to lose their friends
00:36:39 for the sake of the nation.
00:36:42 Speaking at the Founders' Day celebrations
00:36:45 of the South Central District of the Scouts Association
00:36:48 of Trinidad and Tobago yesterday,
00:36:50 Paris encouraged association members
00:36:52 to always tell the truth and honor their Scout motto,
00:36:56 "Be prepared."
00:36:58 At different times and junctures,
00:37:00 you are placed to make some very difficult decisions,
00:37:03 especially as a politician in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:37:06 He says, "I have no issue with saying that.
00:37:09 We have an issue with leadership in this country.
00:37:12 The time has come for a leader to evolve among us," said Paris.
00:37:17 "We must bring TNT to a better place.
00:37:19 I have learned that as mayor, when you make tough decisions,
00:37:24 you lose a lot of friends.
00:37:26 That is OK.
00:37:27 I will lose as many friends as I can for being honorable
00:37:31 and for telling the truth."
00:37:33 Now, Paris said he preferred to tell the truth than a lie
00:37:36 and to do what is right rather than to have friends.
00:37:40 And that is the definition of leadership,
00:37:43 and that is what TNT needs.
00:37:45 Stop trying to make the popular decision.
00:37:48 San Fernando needs leadership now.
00:37:50 We have fallen from what San Fernando used to be.
00:37:54 All right?
00:37:55 The quote there from the San Fernando mayor, Robert Paris.
00:37:59 All right, so we are--very interesting statement
00:38:02 of the San Fernando mayor.
00:38:04 You're calling us on 623-1711.
00:38:06 The extension is 1995, so you can please call us now.
00:38:10 Too short in enterprise.
00:38:11 You remember a few years ago what was happening in enterprise
00:38:16 where you had a time that people could not walk
00:38:19 in the streets of enterprise?
00:38:21 And I'm just hoping that this is not the beginning of things to come
00:38:26 because in recent years things became very, very quiet in enterprise
00:38:32 and because the police and other organizations were doing a lot of work.
00:38:37 And I know that the work is continuing,
00:38:39 and I know that these organizations are doing everything possible
00:38:44 to involve the youth in the area and to inspire the youth.
00:38:49 But again, I'm just hoping this is not the beginning of things to come.
00:38:52 Good morning, caller.
00:38:54 Good morning, Marlon.
00:38:56 You always look dapper.
00:38:57 Thank you, sir.
00:38:58 Marlon, I am extremely angry this morning.
00:39:02 Marlon, those shooting in this country of Turin is unacceptable.
00:39:11 Marlon, I don't know if you remember last week
00:39:14 they had a shooting outside the Gloucester Primary School.
00:39:18 I think you know that area, Marlon.
00:39:20 It's a cramped, cramped area, a very cramped area.
00:39:23 That shooting and killing of that gentleman,
00:39:25 with all those children, those really innocent, nice, loving,
00:39:29 God-send children, witnessing and saw that, Marlon.
00:39:33 And Marlon, just a few days ago down in the garden, right along my side,
00:39:39 they shoot an extra, they shoot in the hand, with adults fighting and all the same.
00:39:44 Marlon, UNICEF might have to know about how Turin is unsafe in Turin.
00:39:49 Maybe we might have to write UNICEF and let them take some action about the safety
00:39:54 that is not being provided by the state of Turin.
00:39:57 Turin is our cherished something, Marlon.
00:40:00 What is happening in Turin?
00:40:02 This is a lawless society, and the people in authority see that.
00:40:07 They alone live in a la-la land.
00:40:09 What is going on in this country?
00:40:11 Children display, Marlon.
00:40:13 You was a young man, too.
00:40:14 I was a young man sometimes, playing with my roller in Borne,
00:40:17 showed up in Rossland, Marlon.
00:40:19 Marlon, what is happening?
00:40:21 And you hear nothing from the authorities.
00:40:24 They are silent on this.
00:40:26 Turin, Marlon, is the presence.
00:40:29 Turin has to pick common entrance, or what we call a sea of grime just now,
00:40:32 and they can't go to school.
00:40:34 And you hear nothing.
00:40:36 Nothing coming out of what they will do to protect the lives of children
00:40:39 with these madmen who can just walk up with an AR-15,
00:40:43 and they shoot up the place.
00:40:46 This happen too often.
00:40:48 It happen too often, man.
00:40:49 Thank you.
00:40:51 Sir, I think that you have expressed the sentiments of a number of people
00:40:54 in Trinidad and Tobago, and let me tell you,
00:40:57 the passion that you have expressed this morning,
00:40:59 I would love to see more people express that level of passion and concern
00:41:05 when it comes to crime in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:41:08 Because you know how some of us are in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:41:11 We tend to categorize things.
00:41:14 So if a shooting happens in this community,
00:41:17 it is less than when it happens in another community, right?
00:41:20 My position is every crime should be treated as serious as it should be,
00:41:27 and more so murders.
00:41:29 Well, I mean, the greatest of attention has to be given towards that,
00:41:36 and all attempts must be made to rid this country of the murders
00:41:41 that we have been having for so many years now.
00:41:44 I just hope it's not a situation where we have now accepted it.
00:41:48 This is a part of the culture.
00:41:50 This is a part of how Trinidad and Tobago must look today and beyond.
00:41:55 The authorities are going to say they have been doing everything possible
00:41:58 with the greatest of respect to everyone.
00:42:01 But the anti-crime measures have not been working well.
00:42:05 They have just not been working well.
00:42:07 We need to do things differently.
00:42:09 We need to think outside the box, but something has to be done.
00:42:14 I don't know what the something is.
00:42:16 I'm no authority on crime.
00:42:18 I'm not a criminologist. I'm not a minister.
00:42:20 I'm not the prime minister, but something has to be done.
00:42:23 Too much blood is on the street.
00:42:27 You're calling us on 623-1711.
00:42:30 The extension is 1995, so you can please call us now.
00:42:35 The planning ministry monitors oil spills' impact on sea life.
00:42:39 The planning minister, Penelope Beckel, said,
00:42:41 "The Institute of Marine Affairs has completed the first round of analysis
00:42:44 of the results of the hydrocarbon samples taken at the site of the Tobago fuel spill."
00:42:51 Now, on February 7, the Gulf Stream barge was found overturned
00:42:56 in Cove Industrial and Business Park.
00:43:00 The barge was being towed by a tugboat called the Solo Cree.
00:43:04 So the situation there is engaging the attention of the planning ministry.
00:43:12 You're calling us on 623-1711.
00:43:15 The extension is 1995.
00:43:18 Let me also see.
00:43:20 So the chief secretary is continuing to speak about the oil spill.
00:43:24 Tobago House of Assembly chief secretary, Farley Augustine,
00:43:27 has lamented the delay in the containment of the fuel spill in Tobago
00:43:32 and was highly critical of the response of the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.
00:43:38 Yes, so he says, "I will recommend that the Department of Border Security and Control
00:43:43 be established within the Ministry of National Security.
00:43:47 The core lead agencies for this department will be the Coast Guard,
00:43:51 the Air Guard, Customs, Immigration, and the adjacent tiers of Port and Airport Security
00:43:59 and international support and collaboration.
00:44:02 With regards to Tobago and containment, there is no secret that we can't even get help
00:44:07 for a fisherman in danger out in the open seas.
00:44:11 We can't even get that because there's never a boat available in Tobago.
00:44:16 You always have to wait."
00:44:19 All right, so this has opened up another can of worms about the preparedness of Tobago
00:44:25 when dealing with such matters.
00:44:27 All right, we're calling us on 623-1711.
00:44:30 The extension is 1995, so you can please call us now.
00:44:35 We just do have a few minutes again.
00:44:38 We would love to hear from you.
00:44:40 Get serious about helping at-risk youth.
00:44:43 Now, this is the call from the member of Parliament for Chagones East, Vandana Mohit.
00:44:48 She was speaking at a news conference yesterday.
00:44:51 Now, Mohit said, "Given the recent killing of 12-year-old Ezekiel Paria in Laventale
00:44:57 and the 2022 killing of Jamal Modest of Enterprise,
00:45:01 the government should provide measures of savior to the nation's youth."
00:45:05 Let's take another call. Good morning, caller.
00:45:08 Hello, good morning.
00:45:09 Morning.
00:45:11 I'd like to find out about the--if Marlon will be a--continue to be a parent and be on the team.
00:45:20 Ma'am, I would have given an explanation last week, right?
00:45:26 And this is for the persons who have not heard.
00:45:30 I do have serious concerns with the way that the senior superintendent was removed from the program,
00:45:36 and because of that, I have taken a position that I will not return to the program
00:45:41 until the senior superintendent returns.
00:45:44 So that is my position.
00:45:46 All right, let's take another call.
00:45:47 Good morning, caller.
00:45:50 Hello?
00:45:51 Oh, the caller is gone.
00:45:52 All right, so you're calling us on 623-1711.
00:45:55 The extension is 1995, so you can please call us now.
00:46:00 So the UNC is--it wants answers in Boy's death,
00:46:05 and it concerns the death of 12-year-old Ezekiel Paria,
00:46:09 who was hit by a stray bullet while riding his bicycle in Laventale on Thursday,
00:46:16 according to Opposition Senator David Naked.
00:46:23 A response must come from the prime minister and the government.
00:46:28 All right, let's take another call.
00:46:30 Good morning, caller.
00:46:32 Good morning, Marlon.
00:46:33 Yes.
00:46:36 What I would like to respond to is with respect to David Abdullah's contribution,
00:46:43 which was very powerful, how is it that we have not been hearing from the company
00:46:51 that hired the guys?
00:46:53 And I feel somebody's story, there's a back story somewhere that is not coming forward
00:46:59 and which somebody may know of, and we are kept in the dark.
00:47:03 So I would like to find out if there's any attempt by the news agency to get an interview
00:47:10 with the people who hired these men, the contractors,
00:47:13 and hear their side of the story, what has happened, what all the things.
00:47:17 There has been a lot of silence on that side.
00:47:20 Thank you.
00:47:21 Yes, thank you very much, sir.
00:47:23 This whole matter, is it not a mess?
00:47:27 And two years later, we're still dealing with this.
00:47:30 I would have thought that--and this is just my personal view again--
00:47:34 that this matter would have been wrapped up.
00:47:39 Some time ago, and I just think that there's too much suffering concerning this matter,
00:47:48 and the suffering has to come to an end.
00:47:51 Interpret that however you like to interpret it, but there is too much suffering
00:47:57 in connection with this matter, and yes, there has to be a humane approach,
00:48:02 a greater humane approach to all of this.
00:48:06 Just my view.
00:48:08 You're calling us on 623-1711.
00:48:10 The extension, it's 1995, so you can please call us now.
00:48:16 We are waiting for another call from you.
00:48:19 Just a few minutes again.
00:48:21 TSTT Cyber Attack Report, ready by April.
00:48:23 Let's take a call.
00:48:24 Good morning, caller.
00:48:25 Good morning.
00:48:26 Morning.
00:48:27 Yes.
00:48:28 I would like to make a contribution.
00:48:30 Go ahead.
00:48:31 Yes.
00:48:32 Good morning.
00:48:33 Yes.
00:48:35 I agree with the last caller.
00:48:37 We are here.
00:48:38 Everything is being placed on pariet, but the company that really engaged these divers,
00:48:48 we are hearing nothing from them, and I think they too are responsible.
00:48:55 All right.
00:48:56 Ma'am, thank you very much.
00:48:57 You're calling us on 623-1711.
00:48:59 The extension is 1995, so you can please call us now.
00:49:04 So Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzalez expects to get the report of the investigation
00:49:09 into last October's cyber security attack on TSTT in the month of March or April.
00:49:15 Now, the investigation is still ongoing, but I think it is an advanced stage, or it is
00:49:22 at an advanced stage, he said on Friday.
00:49:25 Asked whether the report would be tabled in Parliament, he said, "I intend to, as I promised
00:49:30 the country, to make this report public."
00:49:34 Now, the findings of the report, I intend to make public, and to how it is made public,
00:49:39 I will follow the directives of the Prime Minister and the Leader of Government Business
00:49:43 in the House on whether I should table it in the Parliament or find another way to make
00:49:48 it public.
00:49:50 Let's take a call.
00:49:51 Good morning, caller.
00:49:54 Caller, are you there?
00:49:57 Caller, we're waiting to hear you, you know.
00:50:00 Caller is gone.
00:50:02 Yeah?
00:50:03 In any event, according to the Public Utilities Minister, it is going to be made public, as
00:50:09 I promised the country, and in the most suitable place, which might well be the Parliament,
00:50:15 given the fact that the Joint Select Committee on State Enterprises is examining the very
00:50:20 same issue.
00:50:21 Let's take another call.
00:50:22 Good morning, caller.
00:50:23 Good morning, Marlon.
00:50:24 Good morning, Sir.
00:50:25 Yes, sir.
00:50:26 Okay.
00:50:27 This is my two cents worth on the pirate diving tragedy.
00:50:30 Firstly, my condolences go out to the families of these men.
00:50:34 It was indeed a tragedy.
00:50:36 Okay?
00:50:37 I am a contractor.
00:50:38 I work in hazardous conditions.
00:50:41 The buildings behind you, on the station there, those tall buildings, I work on the top of
00:50:46 those tall buildings, and I work two stories below those tall buildings in hazardous conditions.
00:50:52 The responsibility of the safety of my crew are mine and mine primarily.
00:50:57 When I go to those buildings and the client does not have things in place for the safety
00:51:02 of my men, I do not do the job.
00:51:05 If anything happens to my men, I have to go home and talk to their families.
00:51:10 Okay?
00:51:11 I watched the inquiry.
00:51:12 To the best of my knowledge, four out of the five men were not certified to do the job
00:51:16 they were doing.
00:51:17 Okay?
00:51:18 It was a tragedy.
00:51:19 But all I'm hearing about is Paria, because Paria is a state company with theoretically
00:51:24 millions of limited dollars, unlimited, to pay these men.
00:51:29 It is a tragedy, but LMCS is the primary person responsible for the safety of the men, and
00:51:35 even Mr. Abdullah already mentioned LMCS once.
00:51:39 Right?
00:51:40 Men in Paria's offices were in a tough position to send other men in a dangerous position
00:51:45 when they did not know what was going on.
00:51:47 It was a tough situation, but the primary responsibility is the main contractor and
00:51:53 not the client.
00:51:54 The contractor has a right to make sure the client puts things in place, whether it's
00:51:58 a rescue plan or whatever it is in place, to make sure that their men are safe.
00:52:02 Okay?
00:52:03 Have a good morning, Trinidad.
00:52:04 Thank you very much, sir.
00:52:05 And thank you to all of the persons who would have called in this morning.
00:52:08 We do appreciate all of your views and comments.
00:52:11 All right, we are going to a very short break.
00:52:12 We're coming back, everybody.
00:52:13 [Music]
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00:52:53 They are in the process towards establishing really good innovative ideas and commercially
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00:53:02 Appreciate the fact that this accelerator program decided to place entrepreneurs in
00:53:09 different tiers because we are all in different stages of our business.
00:53:13 Some are caterpillars, some are butterflies.
00:53:17 I felt as though I was in a cocoon, standing still, full of potential, but can't move.
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00:53:36 I started this off with one branch.
00:53:39 After the training and building out of that cocoon, we launched two additional branches.
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00:55:37 Welcome back everyone. So very young lives being lost to violent crime.
00:55:42 Is this the beginning of things to come?
00:55:45 Concerns are now being raised in several quarters.
00:55:47 Joining us this morning is clinical traumatologist, Hanif E. Benjamin.
00:55:52 Mr. Benjamin, as always, thank you very much for joining us.
00:55:55 Thank you so much, Marlon, and happy new year to you.
00:55:58 And thank you for having me.
00:56:00 Yeah, happy new year to you too, Mr. Benjamin.
00:56:03 Well, let's get right into this matter of the killings we have been seeing.
00:56:09 And it's not, it's nothing new.
00:56:12 I mean, we have been seeing it over the past few years.
00:56:15 The latest is the death of 12-year-old Ezekiel Paria.
00:56:20 But what is this saying about us as a society, Mr. Benjamin?
00:56:27 It is saying that we are a violent society.
00:56:30 It continues to, you know, show that the way we value the lives of children
00:56:38 continue to be that low on the totem pole.
00:56:42 It continues to tell us that we are a society that just do what we want.
00:56:49 And whoever, wherever, whenever, they are caught up in the fracas.
00:56:56 You know, no one really gives a damn.
00:57:00 And we're seeing that the most vulnerable among us, our children, continues to be at peril.
00:57:07 The most vulnerable among us continues to be on the other end of the stick that is not so clean.
00:57:12 On so many areas, whether it is the violence they see, whether it is their home life,
00:57:19 whether it is the community life.
00:57:21 We continue to see that our children continue to be the one who seem to be suffering the most in all of this.
00:57:29 I'm sure that there has to be a concern that this is becoming commonplace in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:57:36 And I don't know, Mr. Benjamin, that strong messages are being sent
00:57:43 and as frequent enough as to speak about matters such as these in an attempt to prevent people from engaging in such activities.
00:57:58 Bannon, the reason why I have not been with you for the year, we're at the tail end of February, yeah?
00:58:05 Yeah.
00:58:06 And generally I am a frequent visitor to your station and others.
00:58:11 And last week I appeared in Tobago and today I'm appearing here.
00:58:15 And the reason why I have not gone to you is for that very reason.
00:58:20 Because I felt as if I am, and few others are the only voice that really resonate when it comes to the protection of children.
00:58:30 I'm sure to form very few step forward.
00:58:34 And so what we keep missing is how constant the protection of children must be on our lips.
00:58:43 How constant the protection of children must be in our action.
00:58:48 How constant the protection of children must be the priority.
00:58:53 And we cannot just wait for a tragedy as in the tragedy of these two children.
00:58:59 And last year we saw numerous homeless children being hurt, named, killed.
00:59:05 And so we must understand that because our children are the most vulnerable, we must constantly do battle for them.
00:59:17 And doing battle for them is not just talking but also the action that follows.
00:59:24 And we don't see a whole lot of action now.
00:59:27 You know Mr. Benjamin, I'm listening to you and I'm just, my mind is racing.
00:59:32 Because you know sometimes there is greater outrage when the community leader, something happens to the community leader.
00:59:40 Than when a child is killed or an elderly person is killed or, you know, I mean all killings are horrific, right?
00:59:50 But there seems to be a level of inconsistency across the board.
00:59:59 When it comes to our children, because we have not prioritized from the top down our children.
01:00:07 We as a country, we are signatory to the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
01:00:12 We created laws to fit in terms of, you know, protection of children.
01:00:18 We have an authority that is designed to fit the protection of children.
01:00:24 We have a special unit in the police service.
01:00:26 However, the synergistic approach to the actual protection of children seems to be lacking.
01:00:33 And I don't know if it's because of a lack of will, a lack of understanding or a combination of multiple things.
01:00:38 But most definitely, the protection of children is lacking.
01:00:43 And so we as a nation must understand where our children fall on the spectrum and begin to put sustained protection around our children.
01:00:55 Sustained protection.
01:00:57 Even as parents, even whatever activities you might be involved in or not involved in, you have to have a protection around your child.
01:01:06 To ensure that at least your child or children feel safe.
01:01:10 Even in our school system, our children must feel safe.
01:01:14 Even in our communities, our children must feel safe.
01:01:19 And Marlon, if we have all of these agencies and our children are still not safe, then what does it say about our society?
01:01:28 But how do we attain that sustained protection that you're speaking about?
01:01:34 Look at what happened outside a school in Belmont last week.
01:01:37 Marlon, to me, the very first thing we need to understand is what does that mean?
01:01:46 I don't think that we understand what vulnerability means.
01:01:50 And when we say this is a vulnerable population, what does that mean?
01:01:54 When I lecture to my students and I ask my students about vulnerability and what does that mean,
01:02:00 it means that there must be a level that is afforded to the population to protect them because Marlon, they cannot protect themselves.
01:02:09 And so when we have shooting in front of schools, when we have shooting in schools, when we have violence in schools,
01:02:16 when we have domestic violence at home, sexual abuse, it means that we have not understood what is the power of vulnerability.
01:02:24 And we are saying to our children that we don't care about them.
01:02:28 We as leaders not only must we speak it, but we must act it, we must protect them.
01:02:33 We must ensure that the schools in those areas are well protected.
01:02:37 We must ensure that domestic violence is a thing of the past.
01:02:41 We must ensure that sexual abuse is dealt with swiftly.
01:02:46 Those are the actions, Marlon, that we must take and we're not taking those actions.
01:02:51 We are talking, or some people are talking, but when it comes to the actual protection, looking at the social ills that surround our children,
01:03:00 looking at the trauma that our children face, you see, Marlon, what we're not understanding is that if our communities or the surrounding,
01:03:09 what I call the social environment around our children is crumbling, it means that our children themselves do not have protective factors.
01:03:18 And if they lack the protective factors, then they will grow up with trauma, they will grow up with pain, they will grow up with hurt.
01:03:24 And guess what happens? Then they start to join the cycle of pain and hurt.
01:03:30 And when they begin to join the cycle of pain and hurt, we have a next generation of violence.
01:03:36 And so we need to work on the first end, protect those children who have not yet entered the traumatic cycle.
01:03:45 We have to now provide support for the children who have entered into that traumatic cycle.
01:03:51 For example, at school, those children should be receiving counseling, not just counseling, but trauma-informed counseling.
01:04:00 And we also have to look at the adults in our system and help them to understand what is going on.
01:04:06 Marlon, there was a time when children, church, mass religious places, were sanctimonious, where we know that we don't go there.
01:04:14 We don't interfere with them.
01:04:17 But it means that the way we live our lives is where everything and anything goes, and so anybody and everybody gets it.
01:04:24 And so, as I'm saying this, we as the people in charge, we as the leaders, must provide protective factors.
01:04:33 We must provide them for all our children, wherever they might be.
01:04:37 I want to speak a little bit about the impact that this is having on our children.
01:04:43 I want to speak about the shootings in communities.
01:04:46 I want to speak about what is happening outside of the school, within the school.
01:04:51 I want to speak about what is happening, what you hear, what you see on social media, what you see on television concerning crime,
01:05:03 and how this is impacting on the young people at a very young age.
01:05:09 And not just at a very young age, but across the entire early childhood, late childhood, early adolescent, late adolescent.
01:05:17 Marlon, that is a powerful question, and that's the question that we're not asking.
01:05:22 Not just the impact, but let's look at the immediate, short, and long-term impact of what this society is doing to our children.
01:05:33 In the short, because, let me just go back a bit, because when you talk about the impact, I'm talking about the overall impact of crime and criminality.
01:05:42 The overall impact of trauma on our children.
01:05:46 You see, Basil Van de Kerk spoke about the body keeping the score in his book, right?
01:05:52 And that is where the trauma, when it enters the system, it does something to your whole physiological, your mental psyche.
01:06:02 Something that we don't see, but we feel as we traverse through life.
01:06:07 And so the impact on our children in the most immediate is fear.
01:06:11 Fear to go to school, fear to engage, or in some instances, the immediate impact is celebration.
01:06:21 Because what children see on social media, through music, through all of these different gang activities,
01:06:28 is a level of celebration when crime happens.
01:06:32 When you see the gory face on the ground and the bullet-ridden body, they celebrate as if something is won.
01:06:38 Because that is what they see, because society reveres death and dying and violence.
01:06:45 And we see it through our movies, through our songs, through our shows, through our everything.
01:06:50 So in one instance, we have children who are in fear, and we have children who are in celebration.
01:06:58 But when you grow up in fear and you traverse life through fear, it means that you are not engaging.
01:07:04 Part of your system, your physiological system, has now become frightened to go out there, to get engaged in life, to be a part of, to go to school and learn.
01:07:14 Marlon, we have children in school, failing school, not because they don't, they don't teach in a stupid manner.
01:07:21 It's because they cannot focus on education because their mind is not settled.
01:07:27 Marlon, if I am not safe in my mind, I am not safe in my space.
01:07:31 And if I am not safe, I cannot come and do any real work.
01:07:37 And so you're talking about fear throughout the child and adolescent lifespan.
01:07:42 And so we look at where children are now becoming hypervigilant, hypervigilant, where they are on the lookout.
01:07:51 So anything that comes, they are ready to pounce.
01:07:54 Marlon, and we are seeing that through our fights in our school, because our children are always ready.
01:08:01 They are no longer willing to talk.
01:08:03 As a matter of fact, we are not teaching this generation to sit and have conversation about how they feel.
01:08:08 They just react because throughout all of our leadership, all the way down, they just react.
01:08:14 You say what you want to say, you act the way you want to act without consequence that somebody might be looking on.
01:08:20 And so our children either power in fear, and so in that you have depression, anxiety, trauma kicking in, or they just respond to the situation.
01:08:31 And that is what we saw during COVID-19.
01:08:33 These children had to go through pain, hurt, and trauma at home because of what they had to do, the isolation, the sexual abuse, the physical abuse.
01:08:42 The report from the Children's Authority showed that our children, more reports of sexual abuse during COVID.
01:08:48 There was another report about how many young girls were pregnant during COVID under the age of 15.
01:08:54 So I am not talking out of the air.
01:08:56 These are facts that I have been saying since during COVID.
01:09:00 And so now when our children are hurt and angry, they are retaliating.
01:09:06 And so that is the impact, Marlon.
01:09:08 And then let me take it a step further.
01:09:10 For the long term, we are going to have children who will never reach their potential because they could not reach their potential in school because of fear and trauma and all these other things.
01:09:21 And we have children who are not going to go into that gangster life.
01:09:25 And there are some children who are just going to go mediocre in the middle.
01:09:28 Marlon, we are in a difficult place.
01:09:30 And if society is not recognizing that, through our church, our religious sector, our community sector, our government sector, NGOs,
01:09:40 everybody must understand their role and must understand that if we don't stop it now,
01:09:46 and when I say stop, I mean stop abuse from happening, stop in terms of the treatment of the children now,
01:09:53 and put a plan for those who have already been traumatized.
01:09:57 We are going to see another 20 years of severe pain and good in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:10:05 You know, Mr. Benjamin, something happened some time ago, and I was in the company of a five-year-old child.
01:10:16 And there was an explosion.
01:10:19 And you know what the child said to me?
01:10:21 Is that a gunshot?
01:10:23 And to me, that was troubling.
01:10:25 It was telling.
01:10:27 The child didn't say, is that fireworks or is that a burst tire or something of the sort?
01:10:33 The child asked, is that a gunshot?
01:10:36 And I think--
01:10:37 Because that is what our community is giving.
01:10:40 That is where our children sit.
01:10:43 Our children have become desensitized to gunshot violence.
01:10:48 And in some instances--I remember I was doing some work up on the hill,
01:10:52 and I remember a parent just saying to me that everybody has to live in a different part of the house
01:10:58 because they have bullets coming through their home.
01:11:00 And one other parent said to me, when my child hears gunshot or anything resembling gunshot,
01:11:06 it's an immediate bowel movement.
01:11:09 That is the level of trauma that we're dealing with, Marlon.
01:11:12 Mr. Benjamin, it's always a pleasure speaking with you.
01:11:15 You have laid much food for thought on our table this morning, and we do appreciate it.
01:11:21 Thank you very much again.
01:11:23 Thank you for having me. Have a blessed one, and be safe, everybody.
01:11:26 All right. Bye for now.
01:11:28 So we are going to a very short break, everybody. We're coming back.
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01:12:49 You want me to send you a picture of what?
01:12:52 You really like that kind of rude stuff, eh?
01:12:56 Well, okay. But you're sure no one else is going to see these, right?
01:13:02 Of course I trust you, babe. And I know you love me.
01:13:05 I love you too. I can't believe he posted those photos.
01:13:11 I trusted him so much, and now it's all over the internet.
01:13:16 It feels like the whole world has seen it. Even my friends are sharing it.
01:13:22 They call me all these names that I'm not.
01:13:26 I didn't even want to do it, but I trusted him. And now I feel like my life is over.
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01:13:46 Children have rights.
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01:15:02 All right, so welcome back everyone.
01:15:04 So Vashti Gayathie, Chief Executive Officer of the TTCSI, is the newly appointed Ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago
01:15:11 by the Pan-African Leadership Institute. And Dr. Kofi Osei-Kusi, President and Co-Founder of the Pan-African Leadership Institute.
01:15:20 They're joining us this morning. Vashti, good morning. Congratulations.
01:15:25 And doctor, thank you very much for joining us this morning.
01:15:28 Thank you, Mark.
01:15:31 You're absolutely welcome.
01:15:32 Yes. Well, doctor, let's get right to it. What does all of this mean for Vashti?
01:15:40 Absolutely. Well, first of all, good morning to your viewers in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:15:49 Yes.
01:15:50 So, yes, this absolutely means a lot for Vashti.
01:15:55 Vashti has tremendous experience coming from, you know, academia, international relations, business,
01:16:06 as well as the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of Services Industries.
01:16:11 And she has distinguished herself as an incredible leader.
01:16:15 But more importantly, she has the passion for continuous leadership development.
01:16:21 As you may be aware, leadership is a journey. It's not something you have or you don't have.
01:16:26 It's something that you continuously develop.
01:16:29 And it takes a humble leader to continue to develop himself or herself.
01:16:34 And this is what Vashti has done.
01:16:36 And lastly, you know, Vashti has gone beyond her nation of Trinidad to not just the Caribbean,
01:16:44 but across even into Africa and around the world in executing positive leadership influence.
01:16:50 And for that, we have been very excited.
01:16:52 And having graduated from one of our leadership courses, we were tremendously excited seeing her work to appoint her,
01:17:00 you know, as our ambassador for the Caribbean.
01:17:03 To help bring together, you know, the African diaspora and to help champion the course of leadership development,
01:17:09 not only in Trinidad, but also around the world.
01:17:13 Yeah. So let's go to the lady of the moment at this time. Vashti, congratulations again.
01:17:18 Let's speak a little bit about the achievement for you.
01:17:21 And how is this going to be beneficial to the people that you come in contact with?
01:17:30 Thank you, Marlon.
01:17:32 Well, this is I this came at an ideal moment because Trinidad and Tobago has roughly tied to it.
01:17:41 Ghana for more than 50 years and Ghana is seen as the gateway to West Africa.
01:17:48 And not only trade ties, because we would have you would have seen in the news where Prime Minister
01:17:54 Mia Mclee has been focusing on Africa in terms of strengthening not just trade ties, but air links as well.
01:18:01 And so this gives me the opportunity to bring that bridge because Pali has a network of alumni from roughly 42 countries.
01:18:12 So it gives me an opportunity. And we have just come out of a pandemic.
01:18:17 And I am we are we to be CSI. We are focused on in terms of strengthening and deepening services exports.
01:18:27 So it gives me an opportunity to connect Caribbean services exporters with the diaspora in Africa.
01:18:36 Yeah. Doctor, let's speak a little bit about that, about this is I suspect we can describe it as another attempt
01:18:46 to tighten ties, if I can put it that way.
01:18:51 A closer relationship between us in Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and our brothers and sisters in Africa.
01:19:01 That's absolutely correct. And, you know, there is being an ongoing, tremendous building of ties between the African Union and CARICOM.
01:19:12 And this is in that direction as well, because we do share more than 400 years of historic ties and cultural ties with the Caribbean.
01:19:22 We have been separated as brothers and sisters for too long.
01:19:26 And the world now realizes that together we can achieve greater things.
01:19:30 In Africa, we say that if you take a single stick of a broom, it will not be able to sweep and do a good job.
01:19:37 But when you put sticks of brooms together, it's able to sweep and deliver an excellent work.
01:19:43 And so we realize today that it's time that we come together as a people.
01:19:47 We come together as people with a common heritage and begin to build economic ties, begin to build business ties,
01:19:55 and also collaborate in the area of education and leadership development that will take us to that place of prosperity, progress and growth for our peoples.
01:20:06 Vashley, what is the first priority for you and what steps are you going to take to achieve whatever is the priority?
01:20:19 Sure. The first priority is to establish a meeting with all alumni.
01:20:26 So we have a roughly about, we have, well, Jamaica Network is stronger than the OACS and Trinidad and Tobago.
01:20:36 So we are going to host a meeting with all alumni.
01:20:39 And following that meeting, it's that meeting will be a coming together of minds whereby we map out, because we do not intend to do this on our own.
01:20:49 We map out some priority areas, just three things that we intend to get done this year.
01:20:55 Also, Export TT together with the TTME and the TT Chamber will be hosting, will be going to Ghana next month.
01:21:04 So it's all sorts of network with that, those institutions to find out how best I can help them in terms of discussions, meeting with Polly in Ghana when they are going to Ghana.
01:21:19 Yeah. Dr. Kusi, let's speak a little bit about the benefits in Africa for the people of Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.
01:21:33 Incredible. Incredible. Africa has so much to offer.
01:21:37 As you know, Africa is the land of origins. You know, all humanity started from Africa.
01:21:43 First civilization started from Africa, started from Egypt and across the continent of Africa.
01:21:50 Other civilizations have come, but it's never eroded the essence and the foundational role that Africa plays in the world.
01:21:57 And today, Africa holds the largest youth population in the world.
01:22:01 And it is projected that in about 15, 20 years, the large population of people in the world will be from Africa.
01:22:09 Africa is for tomorrow. Africa is the future.
01:22:12 Africa holds most of the world's resources. One of the biggest challenges that Africa has had has been leadership.
01:22:18 But today, Polly and many other leading institutions are building its people to be able to lead effectively.
01:22:24 And so Africa has a lot in terms of resources, natural resources, human capital or human resources.
01:22:31 And Africa, even more importantly, has, you know, the African wisdom, which has been missing, you know, within the global leadership space.
01:22:41 A lot of the wisdom and concepts around the world has been very western, which is great.
01:22:46 But there is so much incredible wisdom that Africa has to offer.
01:22:49 And these are some of the unique things that we get to offer on some of our unique courses.
01:22:54 And so it's shown in the number of leaders that have come with that from Asia, from Philippines, from Pakistan, from the US, from Canada and across the continent,
01:23:03 who have gotten the chance to come to our leadership programs.
01:23:07 They have acquired tremendous wisdom, which is what has created the excitement across the Caribbean and around the world about what Polly has to offer and what Africa has to offer.
01:23:15 So Africa is that continent not to be ignored.
01:23:18 Again, in conclusion, you know, we say in Africa that you can never tie a knot without your tongue.
01:23:24 You can never tie a knot, a good knot without your tongue.
01:23:28 Africa is that continent, which is the tongue, without which the world cannot survive, without which the world cannot succeed.
01:23:35 And so Africa has a tremendous role to play. And this is the time for us to build a ties with the continent of Africa.
01:23:41 Yeah. And Vashti, are there particular sectors that we in the Caribbean are looking to get opportunities in re-Africa?
01:23:57 Yes, definitely. Services and we're to drill down deeper into services, professional services, ICT, energy services.
01:24:06 We have long established ties in terms of energy relations. And just going back to what Dr. Cooke said there, these courses offered by Polly, and I can vouch for how critical it is.
01:24:20 We have not touched because they are very different. I came, I started my career in academia and these courses stood out for me simply because it gets to the core of what leadership is supposed to be.
01:24:34 In terms of conscious leadership. So this is why this stands out for me, because we need a new brand of leaders in the region.
01:24:47 Yeah. Dr. Kusi, let's speak a little bit about the work of the Pan-African Leadership Institute.
01:24:55 If you can tell us how many members do you have and the type of business that you are engaged in.
01:25:02 That's two. And why should people in the Caribbean be interested to be involved in such an institute?
01:25:14 Thank you for the great question. So the Pan-African Leadership Institute focuses on developing what we call holistic, entrepreneurial and conscientious leaders.
01:25:29 In other words, leadership has to be approached from a holistic perspective. It takes the whole of a person.
01:25:35 It takes the whole of you. As you were interviewing us today, it's not just a fraction of you. You are there as a family person.
01:25:42 You are there with your intellect. You're there with your soul. You're there with your mind. You are there with your spirit. You're there with a whole of you.
01:25:48 So leadership ought to be approached from a holistic perspective. It's also important that every leader thinks like an entrepreneur.
01:25:56 Whether you are an entrepreneur or not, you need to have an entrepreneurial perspective to your leadership.
01:26:02 Whether you're a political leader, whether you're a traditional leader, whether you are a philanthropic leader, you need to apply entrepreneurial principles.
01:26:09 And the third thing is conscientious leaders. Exactly what Ms. Vashity said, we need more conscientious leaders in the world.
01:26:17 Leaders with a heart and leaders with a conscience. We're seeing all over the world that many leaders are a lot more individualistic, selfish and self-seeking.
01:26:26 But we need a lot more selfless leaders. And these are the three cardinal areas that Pali's courses focuses on.
01:26:34 Holistic, entrepreneurial and conscientious leaders. But unlike other places in the world where leadership programs are run,
01:26:41 our courses and our programs are run specifically looking at the unique or critical skills that leaders in specific areas require.
01:26:51 Example, we have a professional leadership course for leaders within the creative arts and the media industry.
01:26:58 They are critical skills that a leader in the media or in the creative arts require that a political leader or, for instance, a philanthropic leader or corporate leader may not require.
01:27:09 And so we have courses for political leaders. We have a course, we have courses for traditional leaders.
01:27:15 And so whichever field you find yourself, Pali has a course that is uniquely designed, that has been well researched,
01:27:24 that looks at the critical skills that leaders in these fields require.
01:27:28 Remember that leadership is the greatest force on the face of the earth. Without leadership, nothing significant happens in this world.
01:27:37 And yet leadership is not something you are just born with. It's something that you learn.
01:27:42 It's something that you continuously, endlessly continue to develop.
01:27:46 And so it's very important that any forward looking person explores potentials for continuous leadership growth,
01:27:53 not only from one part of the world, but from a place like Pali that looks at leadership from a global perspective,
01:28:00 which brings in that capacity for you to not only lead within your little community, but to be able to lead globally.
01:28:08 And that is what Pali gets to offer and has to offer to leaders and to everyone within the Trinidad, Tobago and the Caricom area.
01:28:16 All right. Let's go to the ambassador now. Ambassador Gayadine, I give you the final word this morning, you know.
01:28:26 Sure. Thank you, Marlon. As I said earlier, these courses stood out for me because of it's going back to basics, the foundation of becoming a leader.
01:28:38 And it's not just about growing, but also in terms of straight ties.
01:28:44 Reach out to me. We are going to form a network. There's the Ubuntu saying I am because we are.
01:28:53 And this stood out for me because we all need to work together to make the world a better place.
01:28:59 Yeah. Vashli, congratulations again. Doctor, it was a pleasure speaking with you this morning.
01:29:07 Absolutely, sir. Thank you for having us. OK, bye for now. And we wish you all the best.
01:29:12 OK, so we have to go to a very short break again. We do have this video for you.
01:29:16 It's from Duda Mansu. Good morning, Duda. Thank you very much for the video. We're coming back, everybody.
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01:31:17 Many parents say, I get licks and I turn out fine.
01:31:21 But did you really?
01:31:23 Was that kind of discipline the most effective and helpful?
01:31:26 Or did it instill fear and intimidation instead?
01:31:31 Discipline is important but it must be used in a constructive way with your children for it to be effective.
01:31:39 So instead of just punishing them, also take the time to teach them what is appropriate behaviour.
01:31:45 To help them learn what to do differently and to make better decisions.
01:31:50 Try to be in control of your emotions before disciplining them.
01:31:54 And discipline should be fair and consistent.
01:31:58 And most importantly, it should be appropriate for your child's age.
01:32:03 Remember, spare the rod, it won't spoil the child.
01:32:08 At the end of the day, keep trying your best.
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01:32:54 [Music]
01:33:12 All right, so welcome back everyone.
01:33:14 We are now joined by the author of the book Respond with Class.
01:33:18 He is Mr. Stephen Leon, Group Sales Manager at the Hyatt Hotel.
01:33:22 Stephen, good morning and thank you very much for coming.
01:33:24 Good morning, it's a pleasure.
01:33:26 I'm going to turn it out into bigger.
01:33:28 Yeah, Respond with Class, you know.
01:33:30 Respond with Class.
01:33:31 Please tell us about it.
01:33:33 What was your rationale for writing this book?
01:33:36 Well, honestly, the idea or the download, I would call it, I call it, came one morning.
01:33:44 I was sitting at my desk, I get to work very early and I was praying and I just got the idea.
01:33:50 And the name, Respond with Class, I got the seven chapters, which actually now turn into seven sections.
01:33:57 And I wrote it all down.
01:33:58 I still have the file that I created exactly 10 years ago in 2014 when I got the idea.
01:34:03 And that's basically how it came.
01:34:05 And I think the name Respond with Class also kind of spawned from a phrase that I read in a book.
01:34:13 The very first book that I read is called Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
01:34:17 And in that book, there was a phrase by another author called Booker T. Washington.
01:34:22 And the phrase is exactly this.
01:34:24 The circumstances that surrounds a man's life is not important.
01:34:28 How he responds is what is important.
01:34:30 Yeah.
01:34:31 Well, Stephen, I mean, I wasn't expecting a profound response like that.
01:34:36 I thought somebody gave that, Respond with Class, that boy.
01:34:39 You know, things are in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:34:42 But, Stephen, you brought the book with you?
01:34:44 I did.
01:34:45 Yeah?
01:34:46 Yes.
01:34:47 And actually, this is your copy that I want to present to you.
01:34:49 What?
01:34:50 Boy, Respond with Class, everybody.
01:34:52 This is how it looks.
01:34:53 Yeah?
01:34:54 Respond with Class.
01:34:56 So, Stephen, what are some of the lessons that we can learn from this book, Respond with Class?
01:35:03 Well, one of the first things is people always ask me, why class?
01:35:07 Why not respond with kindness or respond with peace?
01:35:11 You know, and the example that I used to like to use is what Michelle Obama said.
01:35:16 Yes.
01:35:17 When they go low, you go high.
01:35:19 You know, and that kind of encapsulates what Responding with Class is.
01:35:25 But it also means, you know, circumstances that you face on a daily basis.
01:35:30 You know, a lot of us, many times we react, and your reaction is usually based on impulse.
01:35:36 But the book, what I try to share and what I try to show everyone is that, hey, you have a choice on how you respond to anything that happens to you.
01:35:45 As a matter of fact, you and I can face a very similar situation, you know, right now at the end of this program, right?
01:35:51 An adversity.
01:35:52 Yeah.
01:35:53 The same adversity.
01:35:54 And we both can have two different outcomes based on how we respond.
01:35:58 And my book basically just tries to show everyone that, hey, even though you face adversity, even though you face negative, you still have a choice in how you respond to whatever you face.
01:36:10 And maybe the better choice is to have a more positive response than a more negative response.
01:36:14 Yeah.
01:36:15 But who is the book for?
01:36:16 The book is for everyone.
01:36:18 And I'm glad that you asked that because I published, the book was published on Christmas Day.
01:36:24 I did the launch on the 31st, sorry, the 28th of January.
01:36:29 And I have been getting excellent feedback from every age, as a matter of fact.
01:36:36 From young people, from older people, even my teacher, who I want to mention here, actually spoke to me.
01:36:46 And I'm saying this because I was listening to the program before and we were talking about crime and everything and stuff like that.
01:36:51 And my teacher, back when I was 15 years old, said to me, I was actually doing a letter to the editor.
01:36:59 That's what we were doing in school.
01:37:00 We were learning how to write a letter to the editor.
01:37:02 And she explained to us and she said, a letter to the editor is usually controversial in nature and sometimes it ends with a rhetorical question like, don't you think?
01:37:13 So she just gave us a brief on how to write it.
01:37:15 And she gave us half an hour to write the letter.
01:37:18 And I wrote it like in 10 minutes.
01:37:19 And I brought it up to her and she was like, you know, she looked at me kind of inquisitive.
01:37:23 She's like, let me see what you wrote here.
01:37:25 And then she said, you know, Stephen, you write really, really well.
01:37:30 And I'm mentioning that because that was a seed that was planted in me then that always made me think that I can write well.
01:37:38 And that was one of the things that actually pushed me to be able to finish this.
01:37:41 The tree earlier.
01:37:44 This is the tree.
01:37:45 I was chatting with her this week and I told her that.
01:37:47 I said, listen, you're reaping the benefits of that seed that you planted.
01:37:51 Yeah.
01:37:52 But what sort of format have you adopted for the book?
01:37:56 Have you shaped it, your experiences that you have encapsulated in the book?
01:38:01 Absolutely. And I'm glad you asked me that question, too, because this is not a book that says, OK, this is the this is all the answers to life.
01:38:07 Right. This book is based on my experiences.
01:38:11 Right. And it started from when I was suicidal.
01:38:14 I was actually suicidal at 18 years old.
01:38:17 Right. And it starts it starts from there.
01:38:19 And it's a book that I've been reading for a long time.
01:38:22 And I've been reading journals, all of the things that I went through up until now and how I responded to it and how I was successful.
01:38:30 And now I'm saying maybe if I did it and I was successful, maybe you can do it this way and be successful.
01:38:35 So it is it is not only a coping mechanism for you.
01:38:40 I'm sure. But it is a coping mechanism for all who would want to read it.
01:38:44 Correct. Yeah.
01:38:45 One of the things I absolutely believe is that I know what my purpose in life is.
01:38:51 You know, I always tell people you can question a hundred people right now.
01:38:55 And if there are only two persons out of the hundred, I know what their purpose is.
01:38:57 I am the other person, you know, and my purpose is to be an inspiration to others.
01:39:02 Right. And this is just one avenue for me to be able to do that, to be an inspiration for others.
01:39:08 So one of the things that I actually want to do with this book and if it all goes well is to go into all of the schools.
01:39:15 And I'm talking about the graduating students in particular, form five and form six and do motivational sessions with them.
01:39:23 And I plan to I plan to seek corporate sponsorship for this, because what I want to do is also gift each student a book after the motivational session.
01:39:33 But that session would be basically to say to them, hey, life is tough.
01:39:38 Life is hard. You're about to make a transition. But you know what? Never, ever give up on your dreams.
01:39:44 Yeah. Because if I if I if I did and I'll tell you something like going through that book, halfway through that book, I wanted to stop.
01:39:51 I wanted to quit. And, you know, thank God, actually, for my self-publishing coach, Maria Rodney.
01:39:57 She was the one that kind of, you know, pushed me and pushed me and said, you know, you can't give up.
01:40:01 You can't quit. But I thought about giving up. I wanted to stop because writing a book and putting yourself out there is like saying to the world, you know, criticize me.
01:40:10 Right. Basically. And I was like saying to myself, you know, who am I to think that I could actually write a book?
01:40:16 And I really wanted to stop. But then I put I pushed through and now I want to go even further.
01:40:21 And I really want to do my part in terms of contributing to crime, because you were talking about crime before.
01:40:27 Yeah. And I think that this is a positive way that I can contribute to crime, because if you can get people to change the way they think, they would change the way they act.
01:40:35 And you can never go wrong with reading. You know, if I donate 30 books to a school to graduate students, even if 15 of them read the book.
01:40:45 And because if you look at the subtitle, it says rethinking the way you respond to life's daily challenges.
01:40:52 We all go through stuff, very similar stuff. I say it all the time. We all get dealt very similar hands.
01:40:59 But we usually have different outcomes because of the choice of response that we made.
01:41:04 Yeah. And that's a good point that you're making, because as you know, for some people, their perception is that all they see is darkness.
01:41:14 Yes. And there is no hope. Yeah. Yeah. So that's a very good point that you're making in that there is hope and this too shall pass. Right.
01:41:21 Yes. And as you're saying, if you can do it, a lot of other people can do it too.
01:41:26 Yes. And I think what is relatable, especially in terms of being able to target the young people, is the fact that I was suicidal.
01:41:33 You might not know it, but I've spoken to a number of young people and a lot of them secretly and quietly are suicidal because they're stressed out.
01:41:43 Yeah. You know, everything that is happening in society right now in terms of the Internet and peer pressure from every angle.
01:41:53 You know, you were talking just now about young children and abuse and all these sort of things.
01:41:58 Children go through a lot of stuff. And, you know, I want to target young men especially, you know, because, you know, we've always been taught, you know, to be strong and don't cry and, you know, and that sort of thing.
01:42:08 Right. But men need to be able to express themselves even more. I think that's one of the reasons why I became suicidal, because my father died when I was nine.
01:42:17 Right. I didn't have a father figure per se. And, you know, I was stressed out about not having stuff.
01:42:24 But it was a stress. You know, where I went to school, I had to walk home from school.
01:42:29 I came up in very humble beginnings. I had to tote water and all these things.
01:42:33 You know, so all of that was a stress for me at that age. And I just like, you know what? I don't know if I'm going to kill myself.
01:42:39 Wow. But I didn't do it because I had an encounter. Yeah. Yeah.
01:42:45 Stephen, you have given us a lot to think about this morning. But congratulations to you.
01:42:52 Yes. Thank you very much. And congratulations on your decision.
01:42:55 And congratulations on trying to really provide a road map for so many people in this society who may, as I said, all they're seeing is darkness and hopelessness.
01:43:07 Yes. And I'm really glad for this opportunity to be able to do this.
01:43:12 And like I said, you know, I'm really hoping that everything goes well in terms of me going into the schools and being able to contribute my or make my contribution.
01:43:22 Where can we get the book? OK, so I'm actually now this week going to be going out to all of the bookstores.
01:43:29 Right now, I have all the copies in my in my possession. OK.
01:43:32 But I'm but I'm available online on Amazon as well. But in terms of Trinidad, I have all the copies in my possession.
01:43:38 But I'm going to the bookstores this week. Yeah. So he has all in his possession except this one people.
01:43:45 Stephen, anything else you'd like to tell us before you leave us this morning?
01:43:48 No, I mean, I just want to be able to say to the young people again, because I really want to talk to them and I really want to say one last time.
01:43:55 And I know this sounds cliche and we always say, you know, don't give up on your dreams.
01:43:58 But I want to say that again to them. You know, don't give up on your dreams. Don't quit because of adversity.
01:44:05 You know, you may feel like it's the end of the road.
01:44:10 You may feel like there's no hope, but there's always hope still.
01:44:14 You know, do you have a social media presence and people can contact you?
01:44:18 Yes. I'm on Facebook. I'm also on Instagram. Respond with class.
01:44:23 Yeah. I respond with class. And then of course, everybody. Yeah.
01:44:26 By Stephen Leon. Stephen, thank you very much for the book. I'm going to take a reader.
01:44:31 Yes, please. And then give me your feedback. Yeah. Thanks again for coming this morning.
01:44:35 Appreciate it. Thank you for having me. Yeah. We are going to very short break, everybody.
01:44:38 Coming back. Respond with class, everybody.
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01:47:29 Hello, I'm Peter, an Englishman living in Trinidad for many, many years.
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01:50:41 [Music]
01:50:54 All right, so welcome back everyone. We do have one more segment before I leave you this morning.
01:50:59 But in the meantime, it was very interesting to hear what Mr. Leon had to say a short while ago.
01:51:07 Because as I said and he admitted, sometimes you know in communities all that we see is darkness.
01:51:16 And there's a level of hopelessness and as I've said from the beginning,
01:51:21 you know we need to inculcate at a very young age that people belong and that they are important.
01:51:29 All right, do we have our next segment for our viewers?
01:51:32 All right, so we are discussing now the Masters of Arts in Carnival Studies Founders Day.
01:51:39 We do have on the line Dr. Kayla Francis. Dr. Francis, good morning.
01:51:43 Good morning.
01:51:45 And thank you very much for joining us this morning.
01:51:48 Yeah, doctor, let's speak a little bit about the Masters of Arts in Carnival Studies Founders Day.
01:51:53 Please tell us about it.
01:51:55 Well, it's Founders Day. It is celebrating the anniversary of the Arts, Letters, Culture and Public Affairs Academy
01:52:09 at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, which was founded on the February 28th, 2005.
01:52:16 And so we are launching this event to commemorate the founding of the Academy
01:52:22 as well as the achievement of the Masters of Arts in Carnival Studies, which is our premier program.
01:52:28 This year, the program will be held on the 6th of March at 6 p.m.
01:52:34 And we will be honoring our first program leader, nine time Calypso champion, Professor Hollis Liverpool, ORTT.
01:52:46 Yes, doctor, who's the program for?
01:52:51 So the event Founders Day is for, it's really celebrating with our alumni.
01:52:59 It's also open to the public, limited seating, so there's an email to RSVP.
01:53:06 Yes.
01:53:09 Bridget.Garcia@utc.edu.tt.
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01:54:59 All right. So Dr. Kayla Francis is still with us.
01:55:11 She is an assistant professor at UTT and the program leader of the UTT Master of Arts in Carnival Studies program.
01:55:19 Doctor, thank you for staying with us to continue our discussion.
01:55:23 Doctor, I think because of the problems that we were having just now, many people may not have heard.
01:55:30 So if you could please tell us a little bit again about the Founders Day.
01:55:36 Yes. So we are commemorating the foundation of our academy at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:55:43 It was founded the 28th of February, 2005.
01:55:47 Really, we are both the voice of research for the university as well as ensuring that people understand the culture of Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.
01:56:00 We think that culture is very important for the development of a country. It's the soul of a people.
01:56:06 So we dedicate our expertise, our research, our time to excavating and curating and disseminating information about Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean culture.
01:56:19 All right.
01:56:20 Founders Day, we decided to launch this event to commemorate that kind of important work that we do and to celebrate our graduates, our alums for the Masters of Arts in Carnival Studies.
01:56:38 And also we are honoring the founder. This is one of his many legacies being left for Trinidad and Tobago.
01:56:45 And as Tiny Sang last year, "Give them their flowers while they are alive."
01:56:49 And that's Dr. Hollis Liverpool, right?
01:56:52 Yes.
01:56:53 Yeah. So the event is being held on March 6th?
01:56:58 March 6th at 6 p.m. in Napa, Theater One.
01:57:03 And it's free to members of the public?
01:57:05 It's free. Limited seating, but it is free. So it's a RSVP to Bridget.Garcia@utp.edu.pt. It's a mouthful, I know. Just to reserve their seating.
01:57:21 Yeah. Well, Doctor, you all had a major achievement for the Masters of Arts in Carnival Studies, for the carnival, right?
01:57:28 Yes.
01:57:29 But what... Right? So when does the new enrollment period begin?
01:57:39 So we start our program every September. It's a two-year program.
01:57:46 Yes.
01:57:47 So you can start sending in applications via U.UT website where you apply for all our courses.
01:57:56 Once you... We get your application, we interview you to see, you know, how the fit would be, and then we start classes in September.
01:58:07 Yeah. Is there a particular amount of students that you're catering for?
01:58:11 We like intimate classroom space. You know, as a master's program, you're looking at 15 to 20 people at a time, cohorts.
01:58:22 Only because we want conversation, we want people to feel that camaraderie, because that's also what carnival is about, you know, make somebody a family.
01:58:33 Yeah. And there is a renewed interest or interest, Doctor?
01:58:39 There is interest. I think we had a, you know, riding this wave of this year, is renewed interest in learning about carnival, learning about how carnival impacts society.
01:58:55 Yes.
01:58:56 And how we can build on it to make a more egalitarian nation.
01:59:03 Yes. Doctor Francis, anything else you'd like to tell us before you leave us this morning?
01:59:08 I would like to encourage everyone to apply. This program is not just letters behind your name.
01:59:16 It's a way of learning who you are in this space, and that's always important.
01:59:22 And, you know, look out for more things from us in the future.
01:59:28 Yes. Doctor, I think that there's going to be an increase in enrollment. I'm just saying.
01:59:34 Bye for now, Doctor Francis.
01:59:38 Thank you. Bye.
01:59:40 That's going to do it for the end of our show for today, everybody.
01:59:44 In the meantime, we leave you with this image. It's of a sunset from Anjali Parasram Singh.
01:59:48 Anjali, good morning. See you, everybody.
01:59:51 [Music]
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