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00:00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:00:15 Come on, studio.
00:00:16 Give us a little music.
00:00:17 Give us a little more music.
00:00:19 We need to wake up this morning.
00:00:21 We really need to wake up this morning.
00:00:23 A very special good morning Trinidad and Tobago
00:00:25 and the rest of the world.
00:00:26 I'm Marlon Hopkins.
00:00:27 And as always, welcome to the Morning Edition.
00:00:29 It's Tuesday, May 14th.
00:00:31 And yeah, Tuesday, May 14th.
00:00:34 Thank you very much for joining us this morning.
00:00:36 So many things going on here right now.
00:00:40 And I think what has thrown me off a little bit this morning
00:00:43 is what transpired last night, that a police
00:00:48 officer was shot and killed.
00:00:50 Now, from what I understand that--
00:00:52 and there's a video on social media showing the killing.
00:00:56 So the police officer, a friend and his wife,
00:00:59 they were at an establishment.
00:01:01 A gentleman came in, announced a hold up.
00:01:04 The police officer whipped out his firearm,
00:01:06 attempted to strike the individual.
00:01:09 The individual shot back.
00:01:11 The officer was wounded.
00:01:13 And he later died around just after 11 o'clock last night
00:01:19 at a medical facility.
00:01:20 So when you have things like that--
00:01:24 because sometimes you feel that another line has been crossed.
00:01:29 Yeah, well, I think that another line
00:01:30 has been crossed last night.
00:01:33 I don't know that the gentleman knew
00:01:35 that it was a police officer.
00:01:37 But in the twinkle of an eye, in a split second,
00:01:41 things can just change drastically.
00:01:46 So yeah, that's why I'm telling you.
00:01:49 A lot of things I'm thinking this morning.
00:01:52 Just incidentally, the police commissioner, Eula Christopher,
00:01:56 she has given an extension for another year.
00:02:01 That's one of the big stories happening yesterday.
00:02:04 But let's check out the Daily Express
00:02:06 to see what's happening.
00:02:08 So cabinet approves one-year extension for Top Corp.
00:02:10 Eula stays.
00:02:12 And water crisis looms.
00:02:13 Filling up, 18-year-old Chas Ford
00:02:16 fills water at a standpipe in Koke Village near San Fernando
00:02:19 yesterday.
00:02:20 Trinidad and Tobago is on its way to a crisis point
00:02:23 with its water supply, which has been cut by 35 million gallons
00:02:26 a day due to a lack of rain and excessive heat fueled
00:02:30 by climate change, said the public utilities minister,
00:02:34 Marvin Gonzalez.
00:02:35 So let's just get a little deeper
00:02:38 into some of the stories this morning.
00:02:39 Eula gets one-year extension.
00:02:41 Police commissioner, Eula Christopher,
00:02:43 who will celebrate her 61st birthday today,
00:02:46 has been given a one-year extension by the cabinet
00:02:49 to continue serving as this country's Top Corp.
00:02:52 Kamala Gary unhappy over reappointment.
00:02:55 Mouni Lal, she will have to up her game.
00:02:58 And touching on the water story, Trinidad and Tobago
00:03:01 is on its way to a crisis point with its water supply, which
00:03:05 has been cut by 35 million gallons a day
00:03:07 due to a lack of rain and excessive heat fueled
00:03:10 by climate change.
00:03:11 But the minister of public utilities
00:03:13 is telling people that the Water and Sewage Authority
00:03:17 has put things in place to ensure that we as a population
00:03:23 continue to receive water.
00:03:25 All right.
00:03:25 So we'll touch on this a little later
00:03:27 as we get further on into the program.
00:03:30 Let's look at some sport now.
00:03:32 Flying 100s, Augustine, Bernard, Lewis, Sizzle in USA.
00:03:37 Trinidad and Tobago sprinters, Devon Augustine, Leah Bertrand,
00:03:41 and Omari Lewis produced 100-meter scorches
00:03:44 at conference meets in the United States on the weekend.
00:03:48 All right, some of the stories in the Daily Express today.
00:03:51 Let's remind you of a Trinbago, your nice feature.
00:03:53 Yeah, we'll put up the numbers for you.
00:03:56 Those are the numbers that you can call-- not call.
00:03:58 Why every morning I'm saying call?
00:03:59 You don't call.
00:04:00 You send it to us, right, via that number.
00:04:05 So photographs and videos.
00:04:06 And we do appreciate the videos and photographs
00:04:09 that you continue to send to us.
00:04:13 All right.
00:04:14 Anybody remembers the name of this plant?
00:04:17 We had a plant like this once in our yard.
00:04:20 Studio, you remember the name of this plant?
00:04:22 Anybody?
00:04:23 I can't remember the name of it.
00:04:27 It has something like a little shak-shak on it.
00:04:30 Yeah?
00:04:31 All right, well, I'm sure that someone will be able to tell us
00:04:34 a little later maybe.
00:04:35 All right, so a beautiful picture again.
00:04:37 It's from Sham Sahadev.
00:04:40 He calls it "Gold-rimmed Swallowtail Butterfly."
00:04:45 What?
00:04:46 Sham has all the information this morning.
00:04:48 All right?
00:04:49 OK, so you have your coffee, your tea, get something to eat.
00:04:52 We're coming back, everybody.
00:04:53 [MUSIC - SHAM SAHADEV, "DADA"]
00:04:55 Why you doing me dada?
00:04:57 Something in the atmosphere.
00:04:59 No money, but I don't care.
00:05:01 Tell them I will be there.
00:05:05 Thing I realize we still find.
00:05:07 Melody and romance.
00:05:09 I come in to give them chance.
00:05:10 Oh, oh, oh.
00:05:11 I come from very humble beginning.
00:05:17 And in those days when it was time to paint,
00:05:20 my father would always choose kaleidoscopic.
00:05:23 Today, some 50 years later, I have my own family now.
00:05:28 And we too just got some cans of kaleidoscopic.
00:05:32 We are about to paint the nursery of my first grandchild.
00:05:37 So you know it's only the best will do.
00:05:40 My family has trusted kaleidoscopic
00:05:42 for its consistent durability and quality for generations.
00:05:48 Kaleidoscopic, my first choice every time.
00:05:52 Kaleidoscopic paints, the number one choice of the Caribbean.
00:05:55 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:05:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:06:02 What's up, you guys?
00:06:14 I am Ren.
00:06:15 And I'm Kim.
00:06:16 Welcome to Conversations with Ren and Kim.
00:06:19 On our show, we dive deep into the stories that matter.
00:06:22 From inspiring individuals making a difference
00:06:25 to experts sharing their insights on the latest trends
00:06:28 and topics.
00:06:29 We're here to spark conversations
00:06:31 that challenge, inspire, and entertain.
00:06:34 Whether it's about art, culture, technology, or everyday life,
00:06:37 we've got you covered.
00:06:39 So join us every Saturday for conversations
00:06:42 and unforgettable moments.
00:06:44 See you there.
00:06:46 When I was a young boy growing up in Laventry Road
00:06:49 in February Village in Samoa, I really
00:06:51 had no concept of ever becoming a manager
00:06:53 or having an organization of my own,
00:06:56 or even having my own house.
00:06:58 And a lot of people reached out and helped me along the way.
00:07:01 People who helped me who I knew, some of them I didn't know.
00:07:04 And for that reason, I feel it's important now
00:07:07 that I give back in any way that I can.
00:07:10 Our corporate social responsibility
00:07:12 at the Esquerrez and CiteHub is Habitat for Humanity.
00:07:14 So we are supporting the cause of alleviating poverty housing.
00:07:18 And really, you don't have to have a whole lot
00:07:20 to be able to give.
00:07:22 What you're giving of is your time, talent, and treasure.
00:07:25 So this is my appeal to you, to get involved with Habitat.
00:07:28 Get on board.
00:07:29 And for those of you who have received a lot,
00:07:31 to those who much is given, much is expected.
00:07:34 What you can see from this image is a man
00:07:48 lying in a pool of blood in his living room.
00:07:52 He was shot dead a short while ago
00:07:54 as two bandits tried to rob him and his family.
00:07:57 What you can't hear is his wife crying inconsolably.
00:08:01 What you don't know is that his four-year-old daughter
00:08:05 is standing looking at her father,
00:08:07 confused, begging him to wake up.
00:08:09 Can you imagine what this wife and child are going through
00:08:12 and what they will have to go through?
00:08:14 They try to process what has happened.
00:08:16 How can we begin to help?
00:08:18 We can start right here at the Victim and Witness Support Unit.
00:08:22 From investigation to counseling,
00:08:24 to helping families find justice,
00:08:27 to helping families find peace,
00:08:30 this unit gives victims and witnesses hope to cope.
00:08:35 We are the Victim and Witness Support Unit,
00:08:38 bridging the service gap between the victims,
00:08:40 witnesses, and the police.
00:08:43 [Music]
00:09:11 So, how can you spot and identify perpetrators
00:09:14 and victims of trafficking?
00:09:16 Many victims are found living and working together
00:09:19 in the same place and sleep in shared and inappropriate spaces.
00:09:22 Victims work excessively long hours.
00:09:25 They often sleep in the daytime and work long nights.
00:09:28 They are often escorted everywhere they go
00:09:31 and may appear to be malnourished.
00:09:33 They may show signs of physical abuse,
00:09:35 drug and alcohol use,
00:09:37 and may also appear withdrawn, fearful, or intimidated.
00:09:41 Victims who are migrants are often not in possession
00:09:44 of their identity or immigration documents
00:09:46 and have irregular immigration status.
00:09:49 Perpetrators can be male or female
00:09:51 and may appear to be managing or controlling the victims.
00:09:55 And they may even at times appear to be the victim's
00:09:58 best friend, boyfriend, or employer.
00:10:01 We are the Counter-Trafficking Unit
00:10:03 of the Ministry of National Security, Trinidad and Tobago,
00:10:06 safeguarding human life.
00:10:34 Alright, so welcome back everyone.
00:10:36 So earlier I would have told you about a situation
00:10:39 involving a police officer who was shot and killed.
00:10:42 Let me share some details with you.
00:10:46 So he is a police constable.
00:10:49 He was shot and killed last night in Chaguanas.
00:10:52 He has been identified as P.C. Dale Myers.
00:10:55 Now he was last attached to the Arima Police Station.
00:10:59 The information is that at around 10 p.m.
00:11:03 that's last night, Myers was liming with his wife
00:11:07 and a friend at Unique Bar
00:11:10 along Montrose Main Road in Chaguanas
00:11:14 when they were confronted by a lone gunman.
00:11:19 The man approached the trio and announced a hold-up.
00:11:25 However, Myers pulled out his licensed firearm
00:11:30 and shot at the suspect.
00:11:32 The suspect returned fire before turning and fleeing the scene.
00:11:36 Myers was shot in the chest with the bullet exiting his left arm.
00:11:41 The police and paramedics were notified
00:11:44 and he was taken to the Chaguanas District Hospital.
00:11:48 However, the police officer died while undergoing emergency surgery
00:11:52 at around 11.06 p.m. last night.
00:11:57 So that's the information coming to hand
00:11:59 in connection with the shooting and killing of P.C. Dale Myers.
00:12:06 All right, condolences to the Myers family.
00:12:09 All right, so we are moving on.
00:12:12 We kick off our program today on the decision by the Cabinet
00:12:15 to extend the services of Earl Christopher as Police Commissioner
00:12:19 for one more year.
00:12:20 Today we are joined by Cheriza Ali,
00:12:22 VP of the Canupia Chamber of Commerce.
00:12:25 We also have on the line with us this morning
00:12:28 Rampersad Siraj, sitting board member of the Confederation
00:12:31 of Regional Business Chambers
00:12:33 and immediate past president of the Pinal Debe Chamber of Commerce.
00:12:38 Good morning.
00:12:41 Ms. Ali, Mr. Siraj.
00:12:43 Good morning.
00:12:45 All right, studio, before we move on,
00:12:47 could we please fix that super bar?
00:12:49 Yeah?
00:12:51 Let's remove it for now.
00:12:54 Okay.
00:12:55 All right, so good morning again.
00:12:59 So let's begin our discussion on the extension of the services
00:13:06 of Earl Christopher for one more year.
00:13:08 I know that you all would also want to speak about the crime situation
00:13:13 in general, but let's, if we could,
00:13:16 let's deal with the extension first of the Police Commissioner.
00:13:20 Ms. Ali, what's your reaction?
00:13:24 Yes, good morning.
00:13:26 Yes, so I'm Cheriza Ali,
00:13:28 Vice President of the Canupia Business Chamber.
00:13:31 Good morning, Trinidad and Tobago.
00:13:33 Good morning.
00:13:34 Yes, good morning.
00:13:37 What I would like to say about the Commissioner,
00:13:42 another year added to her extension is that crime generally,
00:13:49 before the last Commissioner, we had a big break,
00:13:54 and crime was really out of hand already, you know,
00:13:57 before she started.
00:13:59 And last year we had 500 and more crime last year.
00:14:05 And this year we already have approximately 300,
00:14:10 and we are expecting more crime this year.
00:14:12 So it might be doubled.
00:14:14 Ms. Ali, before you move on, we haven't reached the stage of 300 as yet,
00:14:17 all right, but we will try to, right?
00:14:20 So we have not reached there yet, but go ahead, Ms. Ali.
00:14:24 Yes.
00:14:27 Yes, so it's, I think it's okay to give her a chance another year.
00:14:32 And because crime in this country is vast, it's very,
00:14:37 the detection rate, detection rate is very, very high in crime.
00:14:42 And the police, the police in Trinidad and Tobago right now,
00:14:48 they need advice, they need diversity right now in order to help with this
00:14:56 crime.
00:14:57 And we need, in crime as well right now, we need a speedy trial.
00:15:02 We need a speedy trial.
00:15:04 And because with the crime rate right now, which is so high,
00:15:07 home invasions, we really need a good commissioner of police, you know,
00:15:13 to do this drive and to take Trinidad and Tobago forward to have a better
00:15:17 country.
00:15:18 Yeah.
00:15:19 At large.
00:15:20 Thank you very much, Ms. Ali.
00:15:21 Mr. Siraj.
00:15:24 Yes.
00:15:25 Good morning.
00:15:26 Good morning.
00:15:27 Good morning, Trinidad and Tobago.
00:15:28 Yes.
00:15:31 Yes.
00:15:32 The question is specific to me as well.
00:15:33 Yeah.
00:15:34 The same question.
00:15:35 How do you feel about the extension?
00:15:38 Of one year for the early Christopher.
00:15:42 Unlike my colleague, I want to say, say that.
00:15:46 I am absolutely.
00:15:48 Disgusted. If I may say.
00:15:50 For what we have seen as passing as competence.
00:15:54 I don't know that we reward.
00:15:56 Incompetence with promotion.
00:15:59 The fact of the matter is this police commissioner has been in there for a
00:16:02 period of time.
00:16:04 Another year.
00:16:05 She has been in the police service ever since.
00:16:08 She has had a history of being in the police service.
00:16:11 So there is absolutely no reason for saying she needs more time.
00:16:14 She just have been incapable of doing what is necessary for this.
00:16:19 For the state of crime and criminality.
00:16:21 And I can't.
00:16:23 I can't justify any just.
00:16:28 I would like probably the minister of national security.
00:16:30 The prime minister.
00:16:32 Justification for giving an extension of service.
00:16:35 This is.
00:16:40 What is acceptable to society?
00:16:45 The crime situation affected your community over the past year.
00:16:54 Miss Ali, are you there?
00:16:57 All right.
00:16:58 Have we lost her?
00:17:01 All right. Okay.
00:17:03 Mr. Seraj, if we can return to you.
00:17:06 Of course, you're the immediate past president of the penile.
00:17:09 They be a chamber of commerce.
00:17:12 How has crime affected your community over the past year?
00:17:17 Well,
00:17:19 They may be.
00:17:21 As consistent with other aspects.
00:17:24 Are there areas of.
00:17:25 Is.
00:17:27 We are in.
00:17:29 Thankfully we.
00:17:31 In the locality.
00:17:34 I must say that.
00:17:38 The police department has done a tremendous job in terms of.
00:17:42 Arrested.
00:17:46 And conviction. Well, obviously that's outside of their portfolio.
00:17:49 But as it is right now, we.
00:17:58 If the police will tell you that they have a grip on the penile,
00:18:00 the area, but within recent times,
00:18:02 there have been numerous instances and murders within the penile.
00:18:04 And I think that's a good thing.
00:18:07 For example, the penile.
00:18:09 It's probably operating with one vehicle.
00:18:13 One functional vehicle. And it's impossible.
00:18:16 The cover the penile baby area with the one functional vehicle.
00:18:19 I have raised this matter with previous commissioners of police.
00:18:22 And they have indicated to me that there are.
00:18:24 Arms of the police service, which supplement the penile.
00:18:26 But Marlon, you tell me, how is it possible?
00:18:29 How is it possible for an area like.
00:18:31 Penile area to have one vehicle?
00:18:34 The police just cannot be at two places at one time.
00:18:37 So therefore you end up in situations where a crime is taking place.
00:18:40 The police is aware of it.
00:18:42 You call them and they tell you we have no vehicles.
00:18:44 And then yes, still.
00:18:46 Continue to spend this monumental amount of money on the ministry of
00:18:49 national security.
00:18:50 And the country is not getting anything for it.
00:18:52 And takes me back to the electricity format.
00:18:54 I mean, how do we justify what is happening?
00:18:56 This country is.
00:18:57 Literally.
00:18:58 Not working in this place.
00:19:01 Mr.
00:19:02 See Raj, you made a few statements.
00:19:05 A short while ago.
00:19:06 And you said that crime was rampant.
00:19:09 You also said that.
00:19:11 The.
00:19:12 The penile day.
00:19:13 The area.
00:19:14 Was inundated.
00:19:16 With crime. And you also spoke about one.
00:19:19 Police vehicle in the district.
00:19:22 Yes.
00:19:23 My last.
00:19:24 My last.
00:19:26 My last confirmation, which was very recently.
00:19:29 We were told that it is one.
00:19:31 And if I may quote.
00:19:32 We were told that this is not advertised because we don't want to.
00:19:35 Criminals know that there is only one.
00:19:37 That is the state of the penal police station.
00:19:40 And it's operational.
00:19:41 Competence and capability.
00:19:43 Do we blame the police officers? Do we hold.
00:19:45 And the police station.
00:19:46 Accountable for this? Absolutely not.
00:19:48 This is at the hands of the minister of national security.
00:19:51 And those in charge of law enforcement.
00:19:53 The fact that the matter is nothing is happening.
00:19:55 As of yesterday.
00:19:57 We had already 200.
00:19:58 And five murders.
00:20:00 Our.
00:20:01 Condolences to the PC Myers family.
00:20:04 And the police fraternity at large.
00:20:06 Because this is.
00:20:08 It is ritual. No.
00:20:09 They actually killing police officers.
00:20:11 Who next.
00:20:12 Yes.
00:20:14 I mean, you know.
00:20:15 Yeah.
00:20:16 Miss Ali, are you there?
00:20:18 Do we have Miss Ali?
00:20:20 Yes.
00:20:21 Hello. Yes.
00:20:23 So Miss Ali, the question I was asking is how has the crime situation been affecting your community in Canopia?
00:20:36 Miss Ali.
00:20:40 All right. Let's.
00:20:42 Yes. Miss Ali. Are you hearing us?
00:20:45 Yes, I'm hearing you.
00:20:47 Yes. So I was asking how was the crime situation affecting your community in Canopia?
00:20:58 All right. We seem to be having some difficulty there.
00:21:01 Let's return to Mr. Seraj.
00:21:03 Mr. Seraj, you would have spoken about murders happening in the Penal Debi area.
00:21:09 What other crimes are affecting the residents of the area and also members of the business community?
00:21:20 Well, again, as is as is happening, the home invasions is something that is rampant here.
00:21:29 The fact of the matter is a number of people are not reporting it simply because of the fact that seems to be little or no solution to the matter.
00:21:37 The business community has its problem in terms of security, in terms of cameras.
00:21:42 We realize now that even if you put cameras, you know, you don't know which one is bandit and which one is police.
00:21:47 We are in a situation where we just don't know when next to turn and who to turn to.
00:21:53 The business community have invested in enormous amount of resources and sort of security personnel and cameras and this sort of thing.
00:22:02 But there is only so much that we can do. And like I said, you're given the limited resources of the policeman power in terms of transferability and transport.
00:22:10 And so we just kind of seems to be getting anywhere.
00:22:14 And Penal is inundated as well with maybe about 10,000 Venezuelans.
00:22:19 And they have been the source of some of the problems we have been experiencing in places like Tulsa, Tres.
00:22:25 And so we just doesn't seem to be no solution to the problem that we have.
00:22:32 And Penal is just symptomatic of what is happening throughout the people.
00:22:36 I mean, look, yesterday you find a situation where the police, the Police, Social and Welfare Association president, Gideon Dixon,
00:22:42 is literally saying that we are alarmed at what has happened with the CCTV cameras.
00:22:48 Another issue that maybe I will maybe help me to understand why Tulsa should not be there.
00:22:53 I mean, just imagine on the Hawaii Power Watch, you have the bandits putting up CCTV cameras.
00:22:59 And that doesn't seem to know what is happening. I mean, do we really, are we in a real state?
00:23:05 Are we heading down the street, the Haiti like status? Where are we going?
00:23:10 And it's time that people stand up and speak up for what is the right thing in this country.
00:23:14 We cannot continue to tell ourselves that the problems are solvable and it's being solved.
00:23:20 I want to believe maybe one of our bigger problems in Trinidad and Tobago are the politicians themselves.
00:23:25 They are the ones who are making the decisions. They are the ones who are in charge of 50 billion dollars, 60 billion dollars annually.
00:23:31 What is happening to this money? Where are we? Where are we heading as a country?
00:23:36 But Mr. Siraj, have you all made your concerns officially known to the powers that be, the authorities?
00:23:46 And what has been the response if you have relayed your complaints to the authorities?
00:23:54 Yes, I personally have done this with past commissioners, Gary Griffith, McDonnell Jacob.
00:24:01 Who else do we have with Steve Williams? I have been doing this thing for a decade.
00:24:05 I have raised this thing on national and international media, print and electronic.
00:24:11 I am part of the Pinal Police Community Council, so I am aware of what is happening.
00:24:15 We are privy to some of the information that is being made available in terms of the community.
00:24:19 And we take all our concerns to the community, to the police.
00:24:22 But the police will tell you they are hamstrung because of the fact that the resources are not there.
00:24:27 They are trying their best. I can say this much for the Pinal Police Station.
00:24:30 They have done as much as could be done given the limited resources that they have.
00:24:34 And in terms of myself and Pinal, David Chamber in particular, raising this matter in the national consciousness.
00:24:41 We have done this over a decade now. One previous commissioner, acting commissioner, said to us,
00:24:46 the problem in the police service is bigger than the police service.
00:24:49 And if this is coming from a police commissioner who said so to me personally at a forum in UWE, where do we go from here?
00:24:57 Yeah. Do we have Miss Ali? Miss Ali, you're hearing us now. Miss Ali.
00:25:07 All right. We apologize. We're trying to give Miss Ali the opportunity to give her views.
00:25:13 But apparently we're not. That connection is very, very bad this morning.
00:25:18 So we will continue to try to make contact with Miss Ali.
00:25:23 Miss. Mr. Siraj, what do you expect during this next term, this next year of the police commissioner?
00:25:33 What would you like to see as it relates to anti-crime measures and so on?
00:25:39 Well, first of all, doing the same thing the same way and expecting different results is a definition of insanity.
00:25:48 And if we continue to do the same thing and continue to implement the same measures that we have, are we or will we get any way progressively better?
00:25:57 The answer to that is no. What do we expect?
00:26:01 We expect that the police service be able to, one, be adequately manned and resourced.
00:26:06 We expect that they give proper training and this detection rate be increased, whatever the 8 percent, 12 percent, whatever is the rate right now.
00:26:15 Obviously, if I have a criminal, they are 90 percent the chances that I will be walking tomorrow without anything happening.
00:26:21 What are the what? How do they address these issues without proper training and resources?
00:26:28 Are we to seek outside assistance? I don't know if that's the measure because the police service is not tolerant of outside outside resources.
00:26:38 What do you expect them to do? These resources that they have, they are incapable.
00:26:42 I want to believe that the policemen today, like other people, sees the job as a 8 to 4, doesn't seem to have the initiative and the drive to go out there and do what used to be done in the past.
00:26:53 The criminals today are fully aware of the police capabilities and competencies.
00:26:58 And like we have noticed where they have now installed cameras, they are even better equipped now.
00:27:03 They probably even technologically, probably even more equipped than the police service themselves.
00:27:07 I mean, this poor police officer that got shot last night, as you said.
00:27:11 All the fellow did was sit down, probably having a get together with his colleagues.
00:27:16 And what has happened? As we talk about the police service have now embarked with the national security and whatever measures they have now embarked on taking away arms from,
00:27:27 well not literally, not taking away literally, but basically giving you arms and telling you, OK, your hands are tied behind your back, you can't use it.
00:27:35 I mean, I really don't understand these measures. And it seems to know, it seems to beg the question, who is advising these people?
00:27:43 I mean, they have got technocrats. There are libraries of information on police protection and service to the community.
00:27:51 The world over there is crime all over. So we don't have to basically renew or revisit anything that has not been done before.
00:28:02 There are services, there is so much information available to us that I see no reason why we cannot tap into the resources that other countries have.
00:28:09 And probably, like I said, if it becomes necessary, seek outside assistance.
00:28:14 Yeah. All right. I believe that we do have Miss Ali now. Miss Ali, are you hearing me?
00:28:24 All right. We're trying. We're trying. All right. Let's try again for Miss Ali.
00:28:33 Yeah, we're still having some difficulty, right? All right. All right.
00:28:40 Let's let's get back to Mr. Siraj. Mr. Siraj, I don't want to belabor this point, but for an area like Pinal Debi, a highly commercialized area.
00:28:53 And I'm sure this this area, it holds thousands of residents.
00:29:01 But, you know, it's not sitting well with me that you have told us this morning that the area only has one police vehicle.
00:29:13 So the question is, Mr. Siraj, how is the police in that area able to serve the people of Pinal Debi?
00:29:26 At the last census, I think Pinal Debi had a population of 90,000 people.
00:29:32 And now with the influx of probably 10,000 Venezuelans, we're talking about 100,000 people.
00:29:37 It is obvious that there is no way one police vehicle will be able to service this population.
00:29:45 So we would find, for example, on the extreme, well, where so ever in Pinal Debi, at any one point in time that the police vehicle is in operation,
00:29:52 let's say, like, for example, in Tulsa Trace and there is an issue in Clark Road or Pinal Road, obviously they cannot do it.
00:29:59 I have been told and I have been advised in the past by commissioners of police that there are other vehicles that are made available.
00:30:08 For example, you might find highway patrol vehicles may be sourced from there in terms of mobility and so on.
00:30:16 But again, this brings into question, how do we continue to service Pinal Debi and probably Trinidad and Tobago with similar resources, maybe in the rural areas?
00:30:25 Pinal Debi is not unique to Trinidad and Tobago. What basically happened is that maybe northwest Trinidad and Tobago is better equipped.
00:30:38 But places like Pinal Debi, we're not on the horizon for whatever reason.
00:30:42 And we just have to thank the police in Pinal Debi for doing whatever could be done with limited resources.
00:30:49 I myself do not want to believe at the point, but the fact of the matter is I can tell you.
00:30:53 And like I said, I have raised this matter on numerous occasions, at numerous forums, with numerous commissioners, with numerous people of authority,
00:31:00 even with the Minister of National Security at one point in time.
00:31:04 So this is not something that is happening within recent. And this is a matter that has been going on since the day I started.
00:31:12 You know, Mr. Siraj, and I'm going to ask this question and the answer always varies when we speak about the post of police commissioner or the post of a national security minister.
00:31:26 And according to who you speak to, some people believe that the figure itself that you put in that office, it determines a lot of things.
00:31:38 It speaks about leadership. It speaks about drive. It speaks about performance and so on. According to who you speak to.
00:31:47 How do you how important do you think is leadership, let's say, to the Ministry of National Security or to the TTPS?
00:31:59 Well, I get every facet of life. Without leadership, we are unable to progress.
00:32:07 Or if progress, we progress probably regressively sometimes.
00:32:11 This is a situation that has been hampering the police service and governance and leadership is a matter that is of national imperative.
00:32:21 The fact of the matter is that our leadership is lacking from the top come down.
00:32:28 Like I said to you, we are a failed state. A state is built on institutions.
00:32:33 And I dare anyone to tell me which institution in Trinidad and Tobago is working.
00:32:38 The Office of the President, the Parliament, the opposition, the police service, the Integrity Commission, the Board of Inland Revenue, the judiciary.
00:32:47 Which one of these things is working? Marlon, there is only one institution in Trinidad and Tobago that is working.
00:32:53 That is really nauseating for us. That is the prisoners behind bars.
00:33:00 They could organize a hit on me and you tomorrow and it's effectively done.
00:33:03 How come no other institution in Trinidad and Tobago is functional?
00:33:07 And tell me, Marlon, which one you could think of is functional?
00:33:11 We have now the borough with the Attorney General and the Minister of Finance and the Auditor General.
00:33:18 I mean, which institution is functional in this place? And what are we leaving for kids and children to follow?
00:33:25 We have the brain drain. I myself, we have the brain drain where the educated ones have migrated and are migrating.
00:33:31 When we remain with the dregs in society, what are we to expect?
00:33:34 Are we going down Haiti's title status?
00:33:39 So, Mr. Siraj, what's the next step? How do we remedy this situation? How do we fix it?
00:33:45 The problem lies, not the politician, the problem lies in the people themselves.
00:33:50 We put these people there every five years and we changed them and we put Sherry and we changed Bim and we changed Bam.
00:33:58 And we continue to have the same set of people recital all the time, expecting them to do better for country.
00:34:04 And these people, some of them are most self-centered and forget that when they get there, the country, the people, what matters.
00:34:14 If you do not have the interests of this country at heart, what do you expect?
00:34:18 I dare any one of these politicians to tell us what some of them have a track record.
00:34:22 I don't know how many years now, probably as old as me and you.
00:34:24 And what have they done and what are they doing in the interests of the country in Parliament?
00:34:29 When you look at Parliament, I remember Alex said ages ago, they kick it in Parliament still.
00:34:34 And they expect the school children to be guided by what they see in Parliament.
00:34:39 You understand that the whole country is in a mess.
00:34:42 And unless the people take a position that this is the way we want to go, we will continue to be where we are.
00:34:48 If you continue to support red and you continue to support yellow, then we are where we are.
00:34:54 And how do you change that?
00:34:56 Majority is yes, those who are in the 50 plus percent roles, but in this country right now, as it is,
00:35:03 the democracy in this country right now is where the minority is being oppressed by the majority.
00:35:09 That is the 90 percent who support red and yellow all the time and the 10 percent or 15 percent of the population that think in one bit.
00:35:15 I mean, cannot move forward because the majority rules. And there we go.
00:35:19 Yeah.
00:35:20 So the problem lies with the country and the political electorate.
00:35:23 We need to probably have started a situation of civic education from the days of school.
00:35:28 Our children, they don't know their counselors. They don't know the civic rights.
00:35:31 They don't know the civic duties. They don't know what the parliamentarians expect.
00:35:34 What do you expect? We at UWI, for example, I remember UWI used to be in colleges all over the world,
00:35:42 universities all over the world. And the genesis from which changes take place.
00:35:47 When last have we heard something from UWI concerning what is happening in this country?
00:35:51 Where are the young people in this country? What are we to expect?
00:35:55 When people like ourselves have served our time, we are left at a mercy.
00:35:58 Now, I had to worry about when I go home, which bandit is going to be by me, which home invasion I'm going to have.
00:36:03 What is going to happen? How do I defend myself? How do I defend my family?
00:36:06 We are at the whims. We are sitting ducks.
00:36:10 Yes.
00:36:11 The one percent banditry in the country.
00:36:15 Rampersad Siraj, it was a pleasure speaking with you this morning.
00:36:18 Also, Miss Shariza Ali, we do appreciate it. Bye for now.
00:36:23 Thank you.
00:36:24 All right. So we are going to a very short break. We are coming back.
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00:37:55 All right, everyone. So welcome back.
00:37:57 So we are now joined by TPPS ambassador, media ambassador, Sergeant Ansel Ford.
00:38:03 Mr. Ford, thank you very much for coming this morning.
00:38:05 Hi, pleasant morning, Marlon.
00:38:06 Sergeant Ford and I, we're both in grey.
00:38:08 We look like the men from the Matrix.
00:38:11 Except we don't have the locks.
00:38:14 Mr. Ford, thank you very much for coming again.
00:38:16 Yes, morning, Marlon. Morning, Sergeant Ansel Tobego.
00:38:18 And it's a pleasure to be here, as always.
00:38:20 Yeah, what do you have for us this morning?
00:38:22 Marlon, last week we started the discussion with respect to gang membership and gang-related activities,
00:38:29 particularly focusing on the young men.
00:38:33 And last week, among the things that I would have discussed was looking at it from the perspective of
00:38:40 what can we do as productive members of our community in terms of identifying that some young people,
00:38:49 they have been misled, and we can get involved in, I want to say, small measures,
00:38:56 but it could go a long way in terms of helping to guide that young person back on the right track.
00:39:04 So to continue the discussion, Marlon, whilst it is I am, I identify that we have adults who are trade men,
00:39:18 and so on, even I want to say women who are involved in, let us say, seamstress, dressmaking as the case may be,
00:39:27 or who may be operating a kitchen as a small business.
00:39:32 We are still saying that these persons are not the only persons who we can call upon in a particular area
00:39:41 or particular, let us say, community to reach out to the young people, right?
00:39:47 We have some business organizations.
00:39:51 We have some, I want to say, real professionals who are financially strong, yes,
00:40:00 and can assist by way of sponsoring some small programs, be it talent development, be it sporting opportunities,
00:40:14 where it is the persons within the community can organize some specific things,
00:40:20 because you have a lot of young people, they gravitate to music, they are involved in singing,
00:40:27 some of the content might not be appropriate, but they have talent, right?
00:40:33 You have persons who are very skilled as young sportsmen, young athletes, right?
00:40:40 And I speak, when I say men, both male and female, right?
00:40:44 And what they would be looking for is something to hold on to, something to direct them,
00:40:51 in order to let them know that if I remain focused on this and I apply myself,
00:40:57 there is an opportunity that I can reap success, right?
00:41:01 Because some of them, they are out of school and they are unemployed, but they are looking for opportunities.
00:41:10 What we have on the other side of that, you have the persons who are involved in criminal activity,
00:41:17 who are also looking for persons to join them.
00:41:21 They are looking to recruit and they focus on the young men within the community,
00:41:26 because the young men, some of them, they are not occupied when the day comes, right?
00:41:32 And they don't see much opportunities.
00:41:35 But if we get some of the corporate bodies involved, some of our professionals who live within communities,
00:41:43 to assist in these little programs, we can recruit these young persons, these young men, young women,
00:41:52 into something that is really positive and point them in the right direction.
00:41:58 So this is a specific role to the corporate sector and to our professionals within communities
00:42:06 who are financially strong and able to assist in these areas.
00:42:11 We believe that if it is we get some of these programs or some of these activities going
00:42:19 and there is consistency, for instance a little tournament, a little football tournament,
00:42:24 a little cricket tournament that is sponsored by someone,
00:42:27 you may have persons who are good cricketers, good footballers.
00:42:35 When you see them play, you know that is a wonderful prospect for probably the national team.
00:42:40 And with the exposure, they could probably go international, similarly for cricket and other sporting activities.
00:42:47 But it has to start somewhere where it is accessible to them.
00:42:54 So, parents. If it is the parent, him or herself understands that my child has a particular interest
00:43:04 and I try my best to get my child involved in that particular interest,
00:43:11 as opposed to probably saying, "What I have for you in mind is for you to become this or that."
00:43:18 But then the child has this natural ability.
00:43:22 And if it is we try to harness it, we can assist the child to achieve what is within reach of the child.
00:43:31 So even to the parents, we want to say, "Assess your child. Get the necessary information."
00:43:39 For instance, whether it is to join a little athletics club, whether it is to join some other sporting club,
00:43:47 or we want to encourage them, look at the youth organizations, police youth club.
00:43:56 We have a lot of success stories with persons who join the police youth club.
00:44:00 There is a lot of success stories in terms of persons who join the cadets.
00:44:07 You have young ladies who would have been part of the girls' guide.
00:44:13 These little organizations that you enroll them in at a very tender age, it instills a certain level of discipline,
00:44:25 a certain level of commitment, a sense of belonging, where they are purpose-driven.
00:44:31 It opens their eyes to a lot of other opportunities. And we need to go back to some of those things, Marlon.
00:44:39 And I think that is the crux of the matter, that you need to get to them at a very tender age.
00:44:47 Because by the time they are initiated into the gangs and they embrace gang culture, then it is very difficult to get them away.
00:44:58 It is difficult, Marlon. And understanding that where the young person made that mistake,
00:45:07 and I want to say it as a mistake, to get involved.
00:45:12 And they may have had to go through an initiation where they committed a serious crime, Marlon.
00:45:20 And they know, after getting involved, understand that this is not for me.
00:45:28 But because of what they did and then what is being, let us say, held against them by other persons who are involved, right?
00:45:40 Whether it's threat of death, whether it's threat that we would let the police know that you were involved,
00:45:48 whether it's threat that we would harm you other than that, right? Or your relatives.
00:45:53 Some of these persons, they are now somewhat forced to remain as something that they don't really want to be a part of, right?
00:46:02 So, in that particular instance, Marlon, what I can say to those persons who are involved but they know now that I don't want to be a part of this,
00:46:13 is one of the ways is to actually come to the police.
00:46:21 Inform the police that you, even if you don't want to speak about other persons, that you were involved in a particular incident, right?
00:46:32 And with the police, naturally, we'll afford you all of your rights, be it legal advice, as the case may be.
00:46:40 But what you are now doing is facing the consequences of your action.
00:46:47 In so doing, you are removing yourself from that position where you were held under some form of pressure, some form of duress, right?
00:46:59 By now accepting, "Okay, I did something wrong. Let me go to the police. Let me face the consequences of my actions."
00:47:06 In so doing, you are giving yourself an opportunity to start over, as opposed to remaining in the situation.
00:47:15 And now you are forced, literally forced, to continue to commit crimes and other gang-related activities.
00:47:25 I just want to make a point. I want you to speak to it. We don't have very long again, Mr Ford.
00:47:31 I want you to speak to this, because you see, we have some young people out here who feel that being arrested and charged by the police,
00:47:43 and have this charge being laid against you, it's a small thing.
00:47:48 I want you to speak about how serious this is, and how serious this is for your record and employment,
00:47:55 and even maybe getting various documentation to go abroad, and things like that.
00:48:02 I want you to speak about these charges being put in the way of opportunities, of future opportunities that you may have had.
00:48:12 Okay. Now, Malan, to sort of bring it to a point where persons, young people who are listening can understand,
00:48:21 I will identify some of the offenses that are under the first schedule of the Anti-Gang Act,
00:48:28 that you may end up, or you can commit, and it is deemed to be gang-related.
00:48:34 So, one, possession of an imitation firearm in pursuance of a criminal offense.
00:48:40 Larson of a motor vehicle. Larson, receiving stolen goods, which is something that people do, right? Receive stolen goods.
00:48:50 Being a gang leader or a gang member. Preventing a gang leader or a gang member from leaving the gang.
00:48:57 Counseling a gang. Harboring a gang leader. Concealing a gang leader.
00:49:04 Recruiting a gang member. Threatening to publish with intent to extort.
00:49:08 Demanding money by menace. Murder, obviously. Shooting with intent.
00:49:14 Robbery. Robbery with aggravation. Robbery with violence. Rape. Trafficking in dangerous drugs.
00:49:22 Grievous sexual assault. Kidnapping.
00:49:26 Now, if, as a young person, you find yourself involved in any of these offenses, they are serious offenses, right?
00:49:36 And, yes, you can be charged and later convicted and have now a criminal record.
00:49:46 You are staying for life. You are staying for life.
00:49:48 And Marlon, being staying for life, understand it in the context of how does staying for life affect me with a criminal record?
00:49:56 Yes. Marlon, to enter some educational programs, they require a certificate of character.
00:50:05 Yes. For most jobs, they require a certificate of character.
00:50:11 Sometimes to travel, depending on what you are going to do, the institution may ask for a certificate of character.
00:50:20 Sometimes you leave and you go abroad and at that point in time you wish to get involved in something
00:50:28 and they need to know what is your history in the country that you came from and they want a certificate of character.
00:50:37 And because you may have committed a crime now and your character is stained, that may affect your opportunity.
00:50:47 Now, you may have committed that offense a long time ago. That is the reality, right?
00:50:52 Yes. But yet still, it forms part of your criminal record.
00:50:57 So, for the greater part of it, what you want to do is to ensure that I maintain a clean record, a good record in terms of my character
00:51:10 so that I would not spoil the opportunity that is there probably waiting for me, right? Understanding that.
00:51:20 Now, on that backdrop, Marlon, I spoke before of somebody who wishes to come clean, a young person wanting to start over.
00:51:29 And one of the ways I said is to come forward, right? Marlon, I want to speak to what provisions there are in law, right?
00:51:40 For young persons who may have committed a first offense, the law under the Summary Courts Act caters for a magistrate to consider the age of the person,
00:51:57 the antecedents in terms of the criminal record of that person in making a determination regarding a matter as before, him or her.
00:52:10 And it doesn't necessarily mean that you would be convicted and have a criminal record. Based on these considerations, the court can reprimand you
00:52:28 and discharge you, giving you an opportunity to make better choices going forward, right?
00:52:36 And whilst I'm not saying that this is absolute, I'm saying to the young people who are involved but wishes to come clean,
00:52:46 this is an opportunity as well for you to come clean and start afresh.
00:52:52 Yes.
00:52:53 Do not condemn yourself to whatever activity you may have been involved in that is criminal.
00:53:00 Do not condemn yourself to it and remain in it and spoil the entire of your life.
00:53:08 Yeah.
00:53:09 So, Marlon, before we close, I want to speak to...
00:53:15 Yes.
00:53:16 Yeah? Right. Under Section 12 of the Anti-Gang Act, a person who knownly conceals a gang leader or a gang member
00:53:27 or a gang-related activity, so you have knowledge of a gang-related activity, commits an offence because you did not do anything about it, right?
00:53:37 Commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for 15 years and on conviction and indictment to imprisonment for 25 years.
00:53:46 A person who recruits a child, and we understand a child to be someone under the age of 18 years, right?
00:53:55 That person who commits, who recruits that child into a gang, on summary conviction is open to imprisonment for 15 years
00:54:03 and on indictment to imprisonment for 25 years.
00:54:07 Our schools and educational facilities are catered for in terms of a school includes a community, a residence as defined under the Children's Community Residence,
00:54:21 foster care and nursery at recreation grounds or park or an establishment for the conduct of technical or vocational training
00:54:31 or educational, sporting or social programs designed for children.
00:54:35 So if someone who is trying to recruit children targets a school, which by definition means all of these institutions, to try to recruit persons from,
00:54:49 what I can say, Marlon, our efforts are focused on the young people and our intelligence would be focused on institutions
00:55:01 that fall under schools where young children are to see if we can identify these persons who are trying to recruit young people.
00:55:12 Sergeant, I have 30 seconds.
00:55:13 Yes, Marlon. And we will deal with them according to the law.
00:55:18 So Marlon, to all persons listening, we encourage you to partner with us. If we are to deal with a gang culture that exists,
00:55:31 we need to remove that source from which they can continue to have that life of, let us say, young blood coming in.
00:55:44 We need to remove it or we need to work together in order to point our children to something that is positive
00:55:55 and save them from the hands of these criminal gang activities.
00:56:02 Sergeant, it is always a pleasure to speak with you.
00:56:06 But I think we really needed to make the point this morning that the life of crime, some people see it as entering it as a small thing
00:56:18 and it is not that way. And you have some instances where people are deliberately putting barriers in their way for a good life and a good future.
00:56:29 Yes, Marlon.
00:56:30 So Sergeant, thank you very much for speaking about that this morning. We do appreciate it.
00:56:34 You are most welcome. Thank you.
00:56:35 All right. So we do have a quick break, but we do have this for you. It is from Koke Village and it is from Anderson.
00:56:41 Anderson, good morning. We are coming back, everybody.
00:56:44 [Music]
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00:57:48 [Music]
00:57:55 Good morning. I am Ansel Gibbs with a news update.
00:57:59 Erla Harewood Christopher has another year in office as Commissioner of Police.
00:58:05 The Office of the Prime Minister has announced that her term has been extended by another year.
00:58:11 Her term in office was due to end today.
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00:58:18 Anyone thinking about scalping tickets during the upcoming ICC T20 Cricket World Cup should think twice according to the Attorney General.
00:58:27 Clause 6 makes provision for sale and distribution of tickets for CWC 2024 person by person solely authorized by the CWI and there are penalties in the bill for scalping.
00:58:42 And in the weather forecast, mainly hot, hazy and at times breezy conditions could be interrupted periodically by some partly cloudy spells and the low chance of one or two brisk passing showers.
00:58:55 Meanwhile, seas are smooth to moderate in open waters with swells ranging from 1 to 1.5 meters and increasing in height.
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01:02:24 I grew up in a country, small little town called Bougmanatres in Santa Cruz. Very special place to grow up in.
01:02:33 And now as an adult, I think of those children in Trinidad and Tobago who do not have a safe place.
01:02:41 Who are maybe not even lying in their own beds or a bed. And there's no roof to shade them from the sun, nor to protect them from the rain.
01:02:52 When I started looking at Habitat for Humanity Trinidad and Tobago, they answered a call I have deep inside of me.
01:03:01 What they were saying to me was that we can make a difference.
01:03:06 I'd like to ask you to consider coming on board. Consider helping Habitat for Humanity in whatever way you can.
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01:03:36 Also, More Than Conquerors International Deliverance Ministry will be hosting its annual unity walk to remind all citizens of the importance of peace and unity.
01:03:45 And that is the responsibility of us all to do our part to curb crime and criminal activity.
01:03:51 We are now joined this morning by Apostle Dr. Cherise Takpatore of More Than Conquerors International Deliverance Ministries.
01:03:59 And we also have Pastor Dale Delicia. Thank you very much for coming this morning.
01:04:04 Oh, it's a pleasure to be here in Trinidad and Tobago. And thank you, TV6, for having us.
01:04:09 Of course, it's good to see the pastor. You know, I haven't seen him in a while. So it's good to see him here this morning.
01:04:15 The pastor got up early this morning to come down.
01:04:18 Amen. Amen, Mark.
01:04:21 Apostle Takpatore, let's talk about this unity walk. Yeah? And the importance of it. And the importance of it, having it right now.
01:04:33 Well, we as citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, we are all under a serious scourge of the related crime and criminality in our nation.
01:04:45 And it's time that we say enough is enough. It's time that we have a voice.
01:04:50 It's time that we come out and march against the murders, senseless murders, domestic violence, you know, school rivalry.
01:04:59 Yes. So it's just that time. You know, things are getting worse every single day.
01:05:06 And we have got to come out and say enough is enough. We're fed up. We're just fed up. Yeah.
01:05:14 Pastor, let's talk about your message. What's your message to the young people here?
01:05:19 Well, young people need to really find themselves.
01:05:24 What we're suffering from, Marlon, is really an identity crisis. A lot of young people don't know who they are.
01:05:29 They don't know why they're here. And they get involved in all kinds of things, trying to find themselves.
01:05:34 Not even know that they're looking for themselves. So we need young people to really try to find themselves, understand who they are, who's there, and what they are here for.
01:05:43 Because inside of all these young people, despite what they are doing, God has placed something special in all of them to benefit themselves and the world.
01:05:51 And when you fail to identify that thing inside of you, you rob yourself and you rob the world of something that God placed in you to benefit yourself and the world.
01:05:59 Yes. That's a good point that you're making. So, Pastor, how do we at an early age, because I always stress on the early age,
01:06:08 before people are initiated into criminal activity and bad things, how do we identify that gift that you're speaking about?
01:06:16 Well, the Bible says, "Train up a child in the way it should go, and he will not depart from it."
01:06:21 Outside of that, a lot of parents look at their children and they decide what they want their children to be,
01:06:27 without really identifying what their children are doing and the skills that their children have.
01:06:32 So you ought to look at your child and support your child in what your child shows that he is about.
01:06:38 Because the thing that you were born to do, you start doing it from the time you're born.
01:06:43 You start to identify, you start to move in that direction.
01:06:47 And sometimes, sometimes parents don't take time, they don't even understand what's going on.
01:06:53 And then the child is forced into some area and it can never, ever be really the best it could be,
01:06:59 and comfortable when you're not doing what you were born to do.
01:07:02 You would always be uncomfortable.
01:07:04 Yeah. Apostle, let's get deeper into this unity walk. How do people participate?
01:07:12 Yes, well we are expecting and we would like people to come out from all different creeds, different races, different personalities.
01:07:26 We have invited every religious background to come out.
01:07:31 And you can get your T-shirts, they are $100, and you can get them upstairs Pennywise.
01:07:40 That is upstairs Pennywise on Charlotte Street for $100. Oversized T-shirts are $130.
01:07:48 And this walk is going to be on May 18th, and we will be starting at 8 o'clock,
01:07:57 whereby breakfast will be served before we kick off at 10, you know, from the Memorial Park.
01:08:04 And then we are going to be going through the hot spots.
01:08:08 Yeah, we are going through, you know, coming around by the Harp.
01:08:12 You know, we have even teamed up with five young ladies,
01:08:17 and their group is giving the youth a fighting chance from around the Harp place.
01:08:23 And they have collaborated with us for this great walk.
01:08:28 And we will be going through Piccadilly, Nelson Street.
01:08:32 So we want to hit through all the hot spots, and then we will end at the promenade,
01:08:38 where there will be ministry and entertainment. Yes.
01:08:42 Yeah. Pastor, you know, this is not the first time that such a walk or such a march,
01:08:49 however you want to describe it, it's being held.
01:08:53 But what is going to be different as it relates to this Unity Walk?
01:08:59 And what do you hope will stick with the people who hear your message?
01:09:06 Well, I think this walk would be different from a lot of walk,
01:09:10 because most of the walks, they go around the savannah.
01:09:12 But this walk, we understand as a church that we are not wrestling against the gun and the gunman and all those things.
01:09:19 We are wrestling against principalities, against powers, against rulers of darkness.
01:09:23 And we are going to strategically go into these areas,
01:09:26 and we are going to make some stops at particular places and make some declarations,
01:09:30 because we know we are fighting some territorial demands.
01:09:33 And a lot of the people who are involved, they are being used by these territorial demands,
01:09:38 and they don't even know that. So we are confronting these things.
01:09:40 You see, no longer can the church sit between the walls and pray.
01:09:45 Yes, and we have to come out and cultivate what we want in our society.
01:09:49 So this walk is really a catalyst for people to see it's not about the government.
01:09:55 It's not about the government. It's about you seeing something and doing nothing about it.
01:09:59 It's about you having your children, knowing they're involved in crime,
01:10:02 and as a parent, you're doing nothing about it. Instead, you're facilitating.
01:10:05 So it's about everybody. What we want to stick is that everybody must know that it is your role.
01:10:11 Crime affects all of us, and all of us need to come together and hold hands,
01:10:15 because we are more than they. The elements, the negative elements, we are more than they.
01:10:20 It's just that the media and the news, badness is news, crime is news, bad things are news.
01:10:27 So nobody highlights the good, really.
01:10:29 So sometimes people even feel that it's bigger than it is, but it's not.
01:10:34 We are more than they, and we need to come together and really put up a fight.
01:10:37 Because if you're not part of the solution, you're definitely part of the problem.
01:10:41 Well, you know, Pastor, I can't allow you to move on without responding to that,
01:10:45 because the thing is that I think that we do, in the media, we also highlight the good that is happening.
01:10:52 On page 8?
01:10:53 Well, that's a whole discussion that we may need the entire morning to discuss, right?
01:10:58 Yes.
01:10:59 But my point is that we don't make up these things. Whether we put it on page 8 or page 1,
01:11:06 this is a part of the society that we are dealing, that is happening in society,
01:11:12 and we, as a country, we have to deal with it.
01:11:15 Yes.
01:11:16 But, Apostle, I want you to speak a little bit about the importance of religion.
01:11:25 Because while some young people and while some people have embraced religion
01:11:33 and have stuck with it and have maintained it,
01:11:36 but you have a generation of people who just don't believe it.
01:11:41 And I think that maybe they just don't understand the importance of it,
01:11:45 to really keep an individual in check, yeah, and for them to reflect and do the right things.
01:11:53 Well, there is a God, Marlon, and I am not really, you know, interested in religion.
01:12:01 You know, religion is not what's going to take us to eternity.
01:12:06 It's you having a right relationship with your maker, with your creator.
01:12:11 And as parents, we, again, just like Pastor Dale said,
01:12:17 we have to train up our children in the way of the Lord.
01:12:21 And that is one of the greatest issues that is affecting our homes.
01:12:27 And what affects our homes will affect our community, and it will affect the nation.
01:12:34 So when the power of God is not found in the home, is extinct in the home,
01:12:43 then you will have a generation of vipers.
01:12:46 And that is what we are seeing today in this generation.
01:12:51 Our children, our parents, number one, have given our children and facilitated them with iPhones.
01:13:00 And nothing is wrong with that, but we have not given our children the word.
01:13:06 What is that word? The word of God.
01:13:08 Biblical, basic instructions before leaving it.
01:13:12 So they are lost. They are really lost.
01:13:15 And when you have a lost generation, then they will only be able and capable to do lost things.
01:13:22 So we are losing our young people to crime.
01:13:27 Their minds are not where it ought to be.
01:13:31 So we need, as parents, to really train up our children in the Lord.
01:13:40 Buying them vanities is okay, but most of us have failed as parents
01:13:46 because we give them the things of the world, and that profits no man.
01:13:51 Pastor, as we apostles spoke about the persons who are lost,
01:13:58 you think that the persons who we describe as lost,
01:14:02 you think that they are still prepared to accept and embrace the word of God?
01:14:10 No, Marlon, everybody is searching for something.
01:14:14 And everybody is really searching for the same thing.
01:14:17 But the Bible said, because of lack of knowledge, my people perish.
01:14:20 And knowledge is only found in the word of God.
01:14:24 So if it is that you, because sometimes we can read the self-help book,
01:14:28 and it will tell you how to develop yourself and all those things,
01:14:32 but the Bible said in Proverbs 19, 21,
01:14:36 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the will of God that will prevail."
01:14:39 So despite, God does not care about your plans.
01:14:42 Will precedes plans. And there is a will, there is a purpose for you.
01:14:46 And if you don't find that purpose, and everybody needs to find that purpose in their life,
01:14:50 and fulfill that purpose, else you will never be happy.
01:14:53 You see, we don't even have a country problem with crime and those things,
01:14:56 we have an individual problem.
01:14:58 An individual problem affects the family, it affects the community,
01:15:01 and by extension it will affect the whole country.
01:15:04 You know people always say, "Things are going to get better." That's not true.
01:15:08 Things are going to get worse, prophecy will be fulfilled.
01:15:10 But as individuals, you can get better and put yourself in a position
01:15:15 where you have God fighting on your behalf.
01:15:18 You'll be faced with the same situations, but you're sure that God will make a way
01:15:23 where there seems to be no way on your behalf.
01:15:25 He will fight those that fight you.
01:15:27 Amen? The battle is not yours, it's the Lord.
01:15:30 But you have to submit to the Lordship of the Lord,
01:15:33 to get, because not everybody is a child of God.
01:15:38 We are all God's creation, but you have to accept to be afforded those privileges.
01:15:44 You understand? Nothing is free.
01:15:47 Nothing in life is free. You have to give up something to get something.
01:15:49 Ah boy, pastor is preaching this morning. Apostle?
01:15:52 Yes.
01:15:53 Any additional information you'd like to share with us concerning the Unity Walk?
01:15:57 Yes, we urge Trinidad and Tobago, please, mothers, the theme this year is a mother's cry.
01:16:06 We see when our children, mothers, should be bringing us flowers,
01:16:11 we are now taking wreaths for them, for their funerals.
01:16:16 I urge you all to come out, because what is happening is,
01:16:19 most of the times when I go into these areas, like St. Paul Street, Nelson Street,
01:16:25 Duncan Street, Hart Place, Gonzales, you know, these guys want to come out, but they are afraid to.
01:16:33 So I'm urging for those citizens who can come out, to really come out,
01:16:39 and let's fight for our nation. Let's say enough is enough.
01:16:44 Let's say enough is enough. You know, we can't continue to break down our communities.
01:16:50 We must give our youth a fighting chance. We must give Trinidad and Tobago a chance.
01:16:57 Yeah. So we have put up the information there, also a phone number.
01:17:02 Pastor, any final words?
01:17:05 Yeah. This unity walk is a catalyst. The walk starts after this unity walk.
01:17:11 And we want people after the unity walk to come out, bring your skill, bring your talent,
01:17:15 bring your resources, and let us work together and develop a proper plan
01:17:19 to address the root cause of all these problems that we are having.
01:17:22 So we really want people to come out and help us highlight the problem,
01:17:26 and after that, join with us. Join with us.
01:17:30 We as a church, we are willing to join with anybody for the development and the upliftment of our society.
01:17:35 We want to cultivate the type of behavior and the type of thing we want to see in our society.
01:17:41 So we want people to come out, support, and after the walk, let's hold hands and work together.
01:17:48 Yeah. Yes, Marlon. And we are asking anybody to please come and support.
01:17:52 There is need for, we are expecting people to come out. We need water. We need transport.
01:17:58 A lot of groups are coming to bless us on the walk, but transport is needed for them.
01:18:04 So we are still trusting that we get transport for these guys to come.
01:18:09 Please help where you can help citizens. Please give a hand. And I expect to see you there.
01:18:15 God bless you. Remind us what day it is again. May 18th, this Saturday.
01:18:20 May 18th, and we are going to be meeting at 8 a.m. at the Memorial Park. Yes. Yes.
01:18:28 Apostle, pastor, thank you very much for coming this morning. Thank you very much for the information.
01:18:33 And thank you very much for the work that you continue to do in the communities. We appreciate it.
01:18:38 Thank you so much. All right. So we are going to a very short break.
01:18:42 We have this for you. A gray-lined hawk from Sham.
01:18:47 We do have it. Let me come back.
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01:19:46 That's it. Every man had sinned and come short of the glory of God.
01:19:51 So no ordinary man could have died.
01:19:54 God's design, God's plan changed.
01:19:57 In His presence is fullness of joy.
01:20:00 In His presence is healing.
01:20:04 Morning.
01:20:08 Morning.
01:20:09 Listen, I've noticed something out.
01:20:12 There are new people at the barbero.
01:20:14 Where?
01:20:15 Girl, the man is passing up and down in front of here with a set of women.
01:20:19 I really noticed some women living there, you know.
01:20:22 And they can't even say as much as good morning.
01:20:24 Well, listen, I wonder if this human trafficking you think is that?
01:20:28 So, how can you spot and identify perpetrators and victims of trafficking?
01:20:33 Many victims are found living and working together in the same place and sleep in shared and inappropriate spaces.
01:20:40 Victims work excessively long hours.
01:20:42 They often sleep in the daytime and work long nights.
01:20:45 They are often escorted everywhere they go and may appear to be malnourished.
01:20:50 They may show signs of physical abuse, drug and alcohol use and may also appear withdrawn, fearful or intimidated.
01:20:58 Victims who are migrants are often not in possession of their identity or immigration documents and have irregular immigration status.
01:21:06 Perpetrators can be male or female and may appear to be managing or controlling the victims.
01:21:12 And they may even at times appear to be the victim's best friend, boyfriend or employer.
01:21:18 We are the counter trafficking unit of the Ministry of National Security, Trinidad and Tobago, safeguarding human life.
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01:23:00 The first thing that he wanted to do more than anything else was to have a venue or an avenue to showcase and talk about Trinidad and Tobago stories
01:23:11 and then by and large Caribbean stories.
01:23:14 Because while the diaspora is moving along and doing what it's doing, we're also out in the world accomplishing, thriving, succeeding.
01:23:23 And I'm based in New York and we do our own platform content there.
01:23:30 And then his family thought, one of his visions being that he wanted our presence to be so felt throughout the Caribbean, let's start a partner with media houses throughout the Caribbean.
01:23:42 So our first foray is mainly with TV6 and we're really excited about the content that we're providing.
01:23:49 And most of the time in Trinidad and Tobago, media houses stand alone because they're all doing what they're doing to make their way in this space.
01:23:58 So this is really an exciting opportunity for us to come together and put something together for the people, about the people.
01:24:06 Yeah, and let's speak about that something as we look at the screen here.
01:24:10 [Laughter]
01:24:11 Conversations with Ren and Kim.
01:24:14 Saturdays, 7.30, has just started.
01:24:18 And what's exciting about this is these are two sisters who I recently had the pleasure to meet and one of the things I told them that really, really excited me about them is they have this dynamic.
01:24:31 They literally bounce off of one another.
01:24:34 It's almost like you're talking to one person and that then conveys to the guests the comfort zone that is needed because it's easy to say, well, you know, I'd like to talk about this on television.
01:24:46 And then the opportunity comes along and you start thinking people are watching what's going to happen.
01:24:51 They have the ability to put anyone at ease because I've been watching them grow and thrive and do the work that they're doing with us.
01:24:59 And it's really, really exciting to watch them bring their stories to life and bring their guests to that place where they feel this is really just a conversation.
01:25:09 There just happens to be a camera.
01:25:11 There just happens to be a couple thousand people looking on, listening to what I have to say.
01:25:17 Yeah.
01:25:18 I have seen a few episodes of it because, as you said, it's already being shown on TV6.
01:25:26 But if you had if you could tell our viewers who have not seen the episodes as yet, what sort of topics do they engage in discussion on?
01:25:40 Ren and Kim, because they have that ability to be at ease with whomever they speak, will be speaking with everyone from politicians, designers, artists, entertainers, children.
01:25:54 Trinidad and Tobago has so many rich stories to tell.
01:25:58 Our media presence in this country is one where we have our programming that we're doing and we go through from what I believe to be waves of there's so much to tell, let's start telling them.
01:26:12 And then we get busy with the business of the day.
01:26:15 And Ren and Kim, they have that ability and they are going to presenting to our guests.
01:26:21 Listen, this is going on right here in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:26:24 These are the people that live among us.
01:26:27 We don't necessarily have to look outbound for inspiration, for encouragement, for thought, for education, for entertainment.
01:26:37 There are so many stories of so many varied people in this country alone that it's a really exciting project to watch them bring those stories.
01:26:47 So it's telling people's stories and telling our stories.
01:26:50 It's telling our stories to our people so that we understand there might be somebody in Moruga who's been feeding a village for 30 years with no budget but the donations and the goodwill of the community.
01:27:04 And we need some good news, too.
01:27:06 We need different news.
01:27:09 We need exciting news.
01:27:10 We need entertaining news.
01:27:12 And it's local content.
01:27:13 That's one of the things that media houses have always sought to provide and always felt a challenge with because then we need people who want to step up and tell those stories and film those stories and interview those stories and show those stories for people to see, wow, I don't have to be a physician in Brooklyn to inspire somebody in Trinidad.
01:27:36 We have those people right here.
01:27:38 And those stories are what are going to let people see.
01:27:42 There is so much going on.
01:27:44 We are accomplishing so much.
01:27:46 But most of the time it's that one person who leaves the country who makes it big out there and then we go, wow, maybe I could do that.
01:27:55 And sometimes that's what people need.
01:27:58 A lot of the time it's okay to have those stories exist right here.
01:28:03 Yeah.
01:28:04 And I know just touching on the challenge that you spoke about, there have been challenges over the years.
01:28:10 I mean, we have seen spurts of local content over the years, good shows that we liked.
01:28:18 But there has been always a difficulty of having it on a consistent basis.
01:28:25 There has been a problem when it comes to funding and so on and the advertiser really embracing it and investing in it.
01:28:32 You think that times are changing?
01:28:34 They're definitely changing.
01:28:36 But the fact is they've been changing over the last 20, 25 years with the advent of places like Gaelle whose content was probably 99% local.
01:28:46 And you bring up a point when you talk about the fact that the advertiser, we have a responsibility to those who pay our salaries and our rent for them to think I want something that will take my product to the largest audience possible.
01:29:04 So what are they going to watch?
01:29:06 Something talking about what's going on in Moruga on a weekend or something that's prime time in North America?
01:29:15 So many times it's almost like when you have children and you ask your kids what would you like for dinner and they give you this menu.
01:29:23 And you think as the parent I know what's good for you.
01:29:27 So I'll give you what you need.
01:29:29 Local content is what we need.
01:29:32 But as you've also said, funding and I said the challenges of that, we walk a very precarious line in providing that content.
01:29:41 The inconsistency comes from the fact that people are intrigued in the beginning.
01:29:45 This is good.
01:29:46 This is here.
01:29:47 But then we have our North American and foreign programming to go back to because it's what's first.
01:29:53 Maybe by providing more and constant and consistent content, we can hold the attention of the audience.
01:30:00 We can hold the attention of the people and say, listen, this is still going on.
01:30:05 People are still accomplishing a lot in this country.
01:30:08 We have so many firsts globally that have come from Trinidadians and Tobago Indians and West Indians.
01:30:16 And very rarely do we hear about it.
01:30:18 Somebody made a comment the other day that a lot of time we only hear about things after people pass.
01:30:25 Conversations with Ren and Kim would like to highlight those people who are either at the epoch of their contribution or who are about to hit their own stride.
01:30:36 So that we could see, I remember when he started this, he was 18 years old.
01:30:41 And now here he is at 65 still telling us these wonderful stories of what he has been doing to contribute to society.
01:30:49 Are there other projects?
01:30:51 There is Hit the Road with Steph Kalu, which I believe is on Sundays at 630.
01:30:56 And Steph seeks to take us out.
01:30:59 It's almost like a know your country.
01:31:01 I used to work for a company a long time ago.
01:31:03 And my boss at the time said, we have clients all over the country.
01:31:08 Do we know where they are?
01:31:11 And he rented a van one weekend and we drove around the country, basically going to the areas that we were servicing.
01:31:20 And it was eye opening.
01:31:22 It was so much fun because we learned so much on the drive there.
01:31:27 You'd literally be driving there and go, I never saw this and I never saw that.
01:31:31 And I didn't know that was there.
01:31:33 You ever saw that?
01:31:34 And when you ask people, how long has this been here?
01:31:36 It is.
01:31:38 But we know Trinidad and Tobago.
01:31:40 We know of Trinidad and Tobago.
01:31:42 But what do we know about Trinidad and Tobago?
01:31:45 Have you been able to measure the response to these projects as yet?
01:31:49 Conversations with Steph, with rather Ren and Kim have been getting a wonderful response on social media.
01:31:57 Hit the Road with Steph is beginning to hit its stride because it's not just driving around the country.
01:32:04 It's not just going around the country.
01:32:06 It's going to different parts of the country and yet again, telling the stories of the parts of the country that we may not know about.
01:32:13 That we may not necessarily ever visit.
01:32:15 Trinidad and Tobago is a small place.
01:32:17 Yet, there are so many parts of the country that many of us have never ever been to.
01:32:23 We are bringing that into your living room.
01:32:25 We are showing you this is going on in Toco.
01:32:28 This is going on in Cedras.
01:32:30 One of the things as a child growing up I remember there were so many community and village events that were constant.
01:32:38 Those are still going on but they have died away a lot because the focus is now on the bigger, more glossy, more shiny events.
01:32:47 Nothing is wrong with that.
01:32:49 But it's always wonderful to come back home to see what is going on in that neighborhood that may be a half hour up the road from you.
01:32:58 But you drive past it all the time.
01:33:00 But every weekend there is a dance festival.
01:33:03 Children are learning to dance.
01:33:04 Children are learning to craft.
01:33:06 Adults are being catered to who need some sort of care.
01:33:09 And it's being done by the communities that they live in.
01:33:12 They are not being sent away to a palliative care facility necessarily.
01:33:17 So, STEF is taking us around the country to show us art, entertainment, culture, fun and you are learning.
01:33:25 What is the response from the diaspora?
01:33:29 It's interesting that you talk about that because WIN has an online presence.
01:33:34 WIN TV does not have a physical presence in Trinidad and Tobago anymore.
01:33:38 But one of the things that Mohan Jaykaran felt very strongly about that he saw as the future of media houses is an online presence.
01:33:47 So, when you go to our website and you look at our archives, you go to our YouTube, you look at our archives, there is stuff there not only that's going on now, but also a testament to our commitment to constantly sharing local stories.
01:34:01 So, when people go online, if you miss it, you go online and you check it out.
01:34:05 You see what's going on.
01:34:07 It's exciting.
01:34:08 Yeah.
01:34:09 Nelon, is there anything else you'd like to speak about that we didn't touch on this morning?
01:34:14 There's two more projects, one of them being One WIN in One Week.
01:34:20 And it's a sort of a play on words and it's supposed to be fun.
01:34:23 And it's what I do in New York, where we look at what the diaspora is doing in New York and what the people of the diaspora are contributing to the fabric of not just New York, but to the U.S., to North America, to by and large the world.
01:34:37 We want to show the diaspora in North America, we are here and we're not just waking up and going to work and doing our thing and making our way.
01:34:47 Most people, when they go to another country to live, it's because they want to seek more opportunity.
01:34:52 Yes.
01:34:53 That journey in itself is a story that is amazing to hear because you hear about people who left a small town in Arima and then they go to Long Island and they are the head physician of a department that's really headed by a non-American person.
01:35:15 And their story of getting to that place is what is amazing to tell.
01:35:21 So we just look at what's going on there, but about us, our stories there.
01:35:27 Yeah. There's something else you said, two things that you wanted to share with us.
01:35:31 There's another show called Checking In with Cherie and we are about to start getting our content together for that.
01:35:37 And Checking In is, it's almost like taking a pulse of what's going on.
01:35:42 What people want, what they want to hear, what they want to see, what they prefer, what they don't prefer.
01:35:48 And she is going to be talking to people about what's going on in the country and how we feel.
01:35:54 And not in a salacious way, but really how do you feel about the things that affect us?
01:35:59 Yes.
01:36:00 What can we as individuals do?
01:36:02 Because we do have that power and all of these projects so far are focused on the power of our stories to transform other people's lives and to make their lives better.
01:36:13 Let's learn from one another. Let's teach one another. Let's hear from one another.
01:36:18 Yeah. Nelon, thank you very much for coming this morning.
01:36:21 Thank you so much for having me. I really, really appreciate it.
01:36:24 So is it that we can expect, how do I say, a quick turnover of these stories? Can we expect stories on a more consistent basis?
01:36:39 Absolutely. Conversations with Ren and Kim has committed to 15 episodes.
01:36:43 We are hoping for the same thing with Hit the Road, with One Win in One Week, with Checking In.
01:36:50 We want to provide those stories not only for as long as people want to hear them, but for as long as we think people need to hear them.
01:36:59 To be that little local flavor difference in everything that's going on in our media environment.
01:37:04 Yeah, flavor with some slight pepper, right?
01:37:06 Nelon, thank you very much for coming this morning.
01:37:08 Thank you. Thank you very much.
01:37:10 Yeah. All right. So we are going to a very short break. We do have this for you. All right. We're coming back, everybody.
01:37:15 [Music]
01:37:28 Before undergoing weight loss surgery, I faced challenges with high blood pressure and sleep apnea, affecting the quality of my life.
01:37:38 Now after undergoing weight loss surgery at the Community Hospital in Trinidad, my blood pressure is under control and I enjoy uninterrupted sleep, a better quality of life.
01:37:51 Thank you to the weight loss surgery team. My wife can now embrace me with ease.
01:37:56 Take your first step towards a healthier you at the Community Hospital of Seventh-Day Adventist in Trinidad.
01:38:04 [Music]
01:38:16 Hey, CPL fans. Have you ever dreamt about being a part of the CPL Broadcast presenting team? Well, now's your chance.
01:38:25 All you have to do is simply share a video of your best presenting performance using the hashtag #CPLTalentSearch and you could be in front of the camera at this year's tournament.
01:38:37 Maybe you could interview a friend or give us an insightful preview about an upcoming game or just simply show us your passion and discuss a memorable CPL moment.
01:38:48 The winner will get a live sport presenting masterclass from some of our CPL directors and of course, you get to work with me and the rest of the team.
01:38:56 But don't forget the hashtag #CPLTalentSearch. Get sharing. I can't wait to see what you guys have got in store.
01:39:03 [Music]
01:39:08 We as men face situations and feelings such as sadness, fear, hurt and embarrassment and we associate it with being weak and effeminate.
01:39:19 And we feel like we need to regain our power and masculine identity by using the only tools society has given and excused from men, which are anger and violence.
01:39:31 So fellas, man to man, controlling women with violence does not reassure our masculinity or an excuse for violent acts and women are not keepers of our manhood.
01:39:43 When we get angry and commit harmful acts to women and children, it is our actions, attitudes and values being illustrated.
01:39:54 [Music]
01:40:23 That's the music of lynchpin everybody. Yeah. So we do have with us in studio this morning, Sivan Sivasaran, vocalist and manager.
01:40:33 And we also have guitarist, Gerard Ferreira. Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming this morning.
01:40:39 Thanks for having us.
01:40:40 I had to say to Sivan, I said, Sivan, that is your voice.
01:40:46 So, so spoken.
01:40:49 Yeah. But gentlemen, the last time you were here, of course, you're here this morning to speak about the third album launch, right?
01:40:55 Correct.
01:40:56 But the last time you were here, it was just before your trip to Montreal.
01:41:01 Yeah.
01:41:02 So let's speak a little bit about that.
01:41:03 Yeah.
01:41:04 So we were going to Montreal to record our third album, which we are releasing now.
01:41:10 I told you, we thought it was going to go well. We didn't think it was going to go this well.
01:41:16 So we completely we had like six songs on the way.
01:41:20 We thought, OK, these songs are pretty much done.
01:41:23 We got there and we produced with Christian Donaldson, who also makes the master of the album.
01:41:29 That we never really worked so closely with our producer before.
01:41:33 And he himself is deeply rooted in metal.
01:41:36 So he took the songs and just sent them to a whole new level.
01:41:41 So we produced now an album that we are really, really happy about.
01:41:46 Because we're so happy about it, we want to release it in a really big way.
01:41:50 Yeah.
01:41:51 Sivan, when we describe your music, is it what we call heavy metal rock?
01:41:57 I guess you say heavy metal.
01:42:00 Right.
01:42:01 You would say death metal, you would say death core.
01:42:03 When we travel a lot, we realize that the sound that we had was very unique.
01:42:08 We wouldn't hear it because we're from here.
01:42:10 But a lot of people started to refer to it as Caribbean metal.
01:42:15 And then people coined a word that they call carry core.
01:42:18 So we always say that we were like some of the founders of that genre.
01:42:23 Carry core, where it has groove and heaviness.
01:42:25 It enshrined in how we write and enshrines how we move.
01:42:29 We refer to us now as Caribbean brutality.
01:42:33 When we went to Germany, the one commonality that foreigners told us
01:42:38 is that there's an accent to your music.
01:42:40 And obviously, when we speak, we don't hear an accent.
01:42:43 So when we are making music, we don't hear whatever the accent is in the music.
01:42:47 But they were hearing something that we weren't.
01:42:49 But isn't that special to have that flavor, that organic flavor?
01:43:00 Of course, you're living here. You're doing your music.
01:43:03 And you're not hearing it as you're saying.
01:43:06 But other people are seeing this difference.
01:43:10 Yeah, and I think we could hear it now when we listen to local rock.
01:43:14 We hear that fusion in it.
01:43:16 We wouldn't see it as fusion because we live here.
01:43:19 But the more that the genre becomes more apparent,
01:43:22 and that's why we want to get that communication with ministries,
01:43:26 our culture and stuff, to recognize that it's not just soca and chutney.
01:43:30 But rock is indigenous to Trinidad too because there is a twang to local rock.
01:43:36 And it's important to get that representation
01:43:38 because there is a big community down here in the Caribbean.
01:43:41 Yeah, it's a dialect, right?
01:43:43 Even in rock music, we do have that.
01:43:46 Gerard, let's speak a little bit about your third album now.
01:43:50 Sure. So it's six songs.
01:43:52 As I said, we thought that we had the six songs ready to go.
01:43:56 When we went to Montreal, we deconstructed them.
01:43:59 We built them back up.
01:44:01 So now we also added a second guitarist, Riban, prior to going.
01:44:07 So the six songs are, it's funny to say,
01:44:09 but also the most melodic that we've had ever.
01:44:13 The songs are--to me, we have some beautiful elements in these songs.
01:44:17 You might listen to the music that we just had and say
01:44:19 there's nothing beautiful about that.
01:44:21 But yeah, the melodies, the harmonies inside of there.
01:44:26 We recorded something like four or five different guitar parts
01:44:29 in different parts of the songs.
01:44:31 So yes, we're really happy about these songs.
01:44:33 It's definitely an evolution of our sound.
01:44:36 So Stephen, you're having a launch? You just had a flyer there?
01:44:40 Yeah. So when we say album launch,
01:44:43 I think it just coincides with the fact that we're releasing the album.
01:44:46 But this is a celebration and it's an experience that we're trying to bring.
01:44:50 From all the touring that we did and all the festivals that we played,
01:44:54 we wanted to bring something to Trinidad that is local too.
01:44:58 Whenever we have international acts coming down,
01:45:01 we throw out all the fanfare.
01:45:03 We want to do a local show with a Caribbean band also.
01:45:07 We have a band from Guyana coming across.
01:45:09 But we wanted to put out an experience.
01:45:11 And this is what we're calling in the show.
01:45:13 It is more than just an experience.
01:45:15 It's not a rock concert. It's a rock experience.
01:45:18 We go in all out with stage, lights, effects.
01:45:22 Everything's going to be built into the show.
01:45:25 We want local fans to rejoice that your local bands could do this too.
01:45:30 Your local bands could have a show like this.
01:45:32 They're worthy of this sort of treatment.
01:45:34 We don't only have to wait until big bands come to Trinidad to put this on.
01:45:39 Gentlemen, we have a lot more to speak about.
01:45:42 We must go to a very short break. We're coming back, everybody.
01:45:45 [break]
01:45:49 [music]
01:45:52 [music]
01:45:55 [music]
01:46:00 Caribbean Hot Cider.
01:46:09 Moments made extraordinary.
01:46:12 [music]
01:46:17 [music]
01:46:20 [music]
01:46:25 What's up, you guys? I am Ren.
01:46:30 And I'm Kim.
01:46:31 Welcome to Conversations with Ren and Kim.
01:46:33 On our show, we dive deep into the stories that matter.
01:46:36 From inspiring individuals making a difference
01:46:39 to experts sharing their insights on the latest trends and topics.
01:46:43 We're here to spark conversations that challenge, inspire, and entertain.
01:46:48 Whether it's about art, culture, technology, or everyday life, we've got you covered.
01:46:53 So join us every Saturday for conversations and unforgettable moments.
01:46:58 See you there!
01:47:00 [music]
01:47:07 All right, so we are continuing our discussion with the members of Linchpin.
01:47:13 Of course, they are launching their third album.
01:47:16 So we do have Sivan Sivasaran, who is the vocalist and manager.
01:47:20 And we also have Gerard Ferreira, guitarist.
01:47:24 Gentlemen, let's talk about--is there a name to the album?
01:47:27 What's the name of the album?
01:47:29 Yes, so the name of the album is "This Mortal Coil."
01:47:32 It's a play off Shakespeare, the idea of living within this mortal coil
01:47:38 and being able to live, and then on top of that, what happens after.
01:47:42 So a lot of these songs intertwine the ideas of life and death.
01:47:47 You know, when people ask us about, you know,
01:47:50 "Why would you sing about things like death and life?"
01:47:52 I was like, "Well, when we think about us being Caribbean or being from Trinidad,
01:47:56 we read in newspapers, we see our society too."
01:48:00 Yes, we have beaches and sunshine, and we have music for that.
01:48:03 But we see the mortalities of what we write too, and it's a concept album.
01:48:07 So we want to express how we feel, and a lot of people understand
01:48:11 the direction we're coming from.
01:48:13 It's not being morbid, it's being real.
01:48:16 And when we say Caribbean brutality, I think people fully understand
01:48:20 that we embrace the fact of the realities that we live in.
01:48:23 Yeah. But Gerard, speak a little bit about that for me.
01:48:28 When you go into the process of doing the music and writing and so on,
01:48:35 what's the message you're trying to convey?
01:48:38 Well, the lyrical message is more on Sivan's part, but the musical message,
01:48:44 I don't think that there's ever--we've never really had an intention
01:48:49 before we write individual songs.
01:48:51 We may have riffs or ideas, and we say, "Okay, we want to follow that kind of path."
01:48:56 But actually with this album, we've had songs where we started with a riff,
01:49:00 but then we kind of knew where we wanted to take the song,
01:49:03 and Sivan said, "Okay, he wants to kind of go down this mortal coil path."
01:49:08 So we have some songs where I wrote or we wrote riffs that sort of sound
01:49:13 a little like funeral marches and stuff like that.
01:49:16 So we've written some thematic elements into it as well.
01:49:20 Right. So let's get back to that message, Sivan.
01:49:24 What are you trying to convey with this third album?
01:49:27 We want to especially express not just musically and lyrically, but thematically,
01:49:33 being able to let people feel the songs, feel the album.
01:49:37 When we were producing with Christian in Canada, we learned so much about
01:49:43 how music is not just writing a riff, but allowing riffs to flow with music,
01:49:49 allow it to flow with lyrics.
01:49:51 And when we go on stage, we want to portray that,
01:49:55 because music to us is what you hear, but when you go to perform,
01:49:59 it's also what you see and what you feel.
01:50:01 So it's being able to get people a full experience of this mortal coil.
01:50:06 And the launch, we have lots of local bands, Putty and the Soulfish.
01:50:12 We have Cypher, a debuting band.
01:50:15 We have Circle Square, and then we have from Guyana Coming,
01:50:18 and then Celestial Burn, all original music.
01:50:21 So we're excited for people to hear what Trinidad and the Caribbean has to offer.
01:50:26 So you all have made some strides in Canada.
01:50:30 What about the U.S., which is like the big market, right?
01:50:33 Correct. I actually went to a conference on U.S. artist visas the other day,
01:50:41 and I think that the U.S. is still--I'm trying to choose my words carefully here--
01:50:46 the U.S. is still at a point where it's a difficult process for artists,
01:50:52 and not just rock bands or anything, artists who are not a martial or a cast or a voice,
01:50:58 who don't already have a huge following, especially with the diaspora across there.
01:51:02 It's very difficult for other artists to get visas to go across there,
01:51:08 because you need somebody in the U.S. who wants to bring you across,
01:51:11 the petition for you to come across.
01:51:13 So it's difficult, but it's not impossible.
01:51:17 So what we're doing now is trying to make inroads via social media,
01:51:21 make contacts across in the U.S.
01:51:23 Before we do anything, say, "Hey, this is what we're about.
01:51:27 Do you like this? Don't you like this?
01:51:29 Do you think that there's a market for this? How can we come across there?"
01:51:32 So that's sort of where we are with the U.S.
01:51:34 What's the appetite for the music here locally?
01:51:37 Oh, it's big. I mean, local rock in Trinidad is a big community,
01:51:41 and the Caribbean is getting bigger.
01:51:43 The largest in the Caribbean?
01:51:44 Yeah, Trinidad has the largest community.
01:51:46 English-speaking Caribbean.
01:51:47 English-speaking, yeah.
01:51:48 Then you have places like Cuba and Guyana and Suriname that's booming.
01:51:53 So building those bridges are important, just like carry-on.
01:51:56 This is our trade.
01:51:58 And you were just talking about that point about getting inroads into America.
01:52:02 Before we can build inroads into America, we need to build inroads into the Caribbean,
01:52:06 build ourselves.
01:52:08 Right now we're working with talking to people outside in terms of the business,
01:52:11 labels and stuff.
01:52:13 I think that's something that local rock bands learn,
01:52:16 and I think it's something that we want to be able to teach,
01:52:19 like going out there and understanding the business aspects of this too,
01:52:22 because it's not just your music, but it's also your brand
01:52:25 and how you portray your brand, how you portray yourself.
01:52:28 That's where people invest money in your band,
01:52:31 and that's a big part of what you have to do now.
01:52:34 Because it's not like the '80s and '90s where people get a cassette.
01:52:37 Now it's social media and how much social media is invested into you.
01:52:41 Yeah.
01:52:43 As I speak to you, I'm thinking about the challenges
01:52:46 and what keeps you all going,
01:52:49 because we have to discuss the economics.
01:52:52 Someone in the studio was asking, "Do you all do this full-time?"
01:52:56 I know that you're a teacher.
01:52:58 Yeah.
01:52:59 Gerard?
01:53:00 I'm a businessman, basically.
01:53:02 So the studio, they're not doing it full-time, right?
01:53:04 But they wish they could.
01:53:06 Yeah.
01:53:07 Right?
01:53:08 But what keeps you all going?
01:53:10 Each other.
01:53:11 Honestly, we were lucky.
01:53:14 All of us have a very similar demeanor.
01:53:17 Our humor is very unique.
01:53:19 But I think it's the local scene that keeps us going,
01:53:22 because we have been in it for nearly 20 years.
01:53:25 We've been doing this.
01:53:27 This year is our 15th anniversary as Linchpin.
01:53:29 Wow.
01:53:30 And doing it, you get to see bands grow, you get to see bands leave,
01:53:34 you get to see new ones come.
01:53:36 It's like a constant battle, a constant fight.
01:53:39 People say the word "trailblazer" with Linchpin,
01:53:42 and I always say trailblazer doesn't mean that you're going to reap the rewards of it.
01:53:46 Trailblazer means you're cutting the grass and you're helping pave a road.
01:53:49 Maybe a younger band could drive on that road easier and go even further.
01:53:53 The idea is that somewhere in time,
01:53:56 we should be able to get recognition coming out to the Caribbean internationally.
01:54:00 It's a union that we have.
01:54:03 And I think for local artists and local fans,
01:54:06 it's to see that if we work together,
01:54:08 we can get more than the normal crab in the barrel attitude that I know Trinidad loves.
01:54:13 Jared, I have about 30 seconds.
01:54:15 So actually, I just want to jump off of that point,
01:54:17 and that's why we want to do this show,
01:54:19 because we want to show that local bands are still just as worthy as international bands,
01:54:24 and getting this sort of large-scale treatment,
01:54:27 that local bands are worth your time, your money, your energy.
01:54:32 We deserve this grand spectacle as well.
01:54:35 Right. Yeah.
01:54:37 Gentlemen, I'm giving you 20 seconds again just to wrap up as it relates to the event that you all are having.
01:54:43 So come out July 6th.
01:54:46 Center of Excellence will be there performing alongside some great original local bands and Caribbean bands.
01:54:52 Go out there and funky photos.
01:54:54 You're going to Rebel Yell, and you go to Planners and any band members to get tickets.
01:54:58 $250 advance tickets.
01:55:00 Contact us at @lynchpintt.
01:55:03 Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming this morning.
01:55:06 It's good to see you all, and I'm glad that things worked out well for you in Montreal.
01:55:10 I can't wait to see you at the concert, man.
01:55:12 Yeah, man. I'll come in there, man.
01:55:15 Gentlemen, again, thank you very much.
01:55:16 We wish you all the best for your event coming up.
01:55:18 Thank you so much.
01:55:19 Okay, so that's going to do it for our show for today.
01:55:21 We have some music from Lynchpin in the background there.
01:55:23 You're hearing it?
01:55:24 We do have this image for you.
01:55:26 Sunset Time from Sham.
01:55:29 Let's take in some music, everybody.
01:55:31 See you tomorrow.
01:55:32 [music]
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