Morning Edition: 03rd June 2024

CCNTV6

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00:00:00 ♪ What's going on ♪

00:00:01 ♪ What's going on ♪

00:00:02 ♪ What's going on ♪

00:00:03 ♪ What's going on, yeah ♪

00:00:04 ♪ What's going on ♪

00:00:05 ♪ Please tell me what's going on ♪

00:00:08 ♪ What's happening ♪

00:00:09 ♪ Please tell me what's happening ♪

00:00:10 - And you will tell me what's going on, right?

00:00:10 A very special good morning, Trinidad and Tobago

00:00:11 and the rest of the world.

00:00:12 I'm Marlon Hopkins, and welcome to The Morning Edition.

00:00:13 It's Monday, June 3rd, and thank you very much

00:00:14 for joining us.

00:00:15 The Monday after a few days well that we had home.

00:00:15 Someone was just saying in studio,

00:00:16 "Well, we had a long rest,

00:00:17 "and we would have come out invigorated

00:00:18 "and we would have had a good time."

00:00:19 And so on, but you know what happens sometimes?

00:00:31 When you have so much time at home,

00:00:32 you're doing all sorts of things.

00:00:33 You're cutting the grass, you're painting the house,

00:00:34 you're doing all sorts of things.

00:00:34 Cooking, yeah?

00:00:35 So when you come out Monday, now you're, you know?

00:00:36 But we'll try to prevent that this morning.

00:00:37 All right, so I hope that you had a very good day.

00:00:38 And I hope that you're having a good time.

00:00:39 And I hope that you're having a good time.

00:00:40 And I hope that you're having a good time.

00:00:41 And I hope that you're having a good time.

00:00:42 And I hope that you're having a good time.

00:00:43 And I hope that you're having a good time.

00:00:44 And I hope that you're having a good time.

00:00:45 And I hope that you're having a good time.

00:00:50 I enjoyed the weather this weekend, yeah?

00:00:53 And I was threatening to go out in the rain

00:00:55 to take a bath, yeah?

00:00:57 Do people still do that?

00:00:59 Do children still do that?

00:01:01 (laughs)

00:01:04 I think that that was the most amazing thing

00:01:07 when I was a child, to go out in the rain and take a bath.

00:01:10 Yeah?

00:01:11 And that water from the guttering

00:01:12 is a different kind of cold, yeah?

00:01:15 Yeah, but I guess the children inside know,

00:01:17 and a lot of them like this, right?

00:01:19 All right?

00:01:20 But all of that was a part of the fun of the older days.

00:01:25 But I guess what we're studying too

00:01:27 is studying the lightning and so on.

00:01:30 Yeah, well, we need to study that too,

00:01:31 but I'm not telling you to take your children

00:01:34 out in the rain and have a bath.

00:01:36 I'm not saying that.

00:01:36 I'm just telling you that is what transpired many years ago.

00:01:39 All right, so here's what.

00:01:41 Before we move on,

00:01:42 I have some very important news for you, all right?

00:01:47 So this is what occurred last night, yeah?

00:01:52 Let me just give you the information now.

00:01:54 So three men are now dead

00:01:56 following two shooting incidents which are related.

00:01:59 Now, the victims identified as Jonathan Arjun,

00:02:02 Jaden Reyes, and Kevin King.

00:02:05 The Daily Express says at around 7.55 last evening,

00:02:08 a group of men was liming at Gonzales

00:02:10 when they were fired upon.

00:02:12 Three were shot and wounded and subsequently taken

00:02:14 to the Port of Spain General Hospital for treatment.

00:02:17 However, as the wounded men arrived at the health facility,

00:02:20 they came under gunfire again from the same men

00:02:24 who had allegedly attacked them before.

00:02:26 The assailants escaped.

00:02:28 Investigations are continuing.

00:02:30 So that occurred late last evening

00:02:33 and up to late into the night,

00:02:36 reporters were at the Port of Spain General Hospital

00:02:39 following up on this story for you, all right?

00:02:41 So we'll try to get additional information for you

00:02:44 throughout the day, and of course,

00:02:45 you are going to get full and comprehensive report

00:02:49 in the TV6 News this evening, all right?

00:02:51 So let's check out the front page of the Daily Express now.

00:02:55 Jamaican reggae star warns Trini gang members,

00:02:57 put down your guns.

00:02:59 Strong message, Jamaican reggae icon Sizzler

00:03:02 during his performance at the Redemption,

00:03:04 the wave-powered concert on Saturday

00:03:06 at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, all right?

00:03:08 And that's the crowd at the Savannah.

00:03:11 TNT facing a crisis in childcare.

00:03:13 But before we get onto that,

00:03:14 let's look at this story concerning Sizzler.

00:03:17 So Sizzler sings for peace,

00:03:19 urges gang members to put down their guns.

00:03:22 Put down the guns and form non-governmental organizations.

00:03:26 This unexpected advice from Jamaican reggae star

00:03:29 Sizzler Kalonji was directed to warring gangs

00:03:32 in Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday night.

00:03:35 It brought a hush to the partying crowd

00:03:37 at the Redemption reggae concert

00:03:38 at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain.

00:03:41 Sizzler signaled for his band to cut the music

00:03:44 and instructed the crowd to put up your lighters

00:03:47 if you want violence and no killing in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:03:52 And of course, Christmas List is in court today.

00:03:55 You remember Christmas List over the past month or so.

00:03:58 He has been visiting hotspots,

00:04:00 what you would call hotspots in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:04:03 Well, he got in a bit of hot trouble

00:04:05 over the past week or so.

00:04:07 Since then, he has been detained

00:04:09 by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

00:04:12 He is expected to appear in court today.

00:04:14 He has subsequently been charged with sedition.

00:04:18 All right, let's check out some sport now.

00:04:20 Workman like Wynn, Chase spares Windy's blushes

00:04:25 in T20 World Cup opener against Minnow's PNG.

00:04:28 Unassuming all-rounder, Rostan Chase proved his worth

00:04:32 in gold as he helped West Indies evade and upset

00:04:36 at the hands of Minnow's Papua New Guinea

00:04:38 by guiding them to a five-wicket win

00:04:40 in their Group C opener of the T20 World Cup yesterday.

00:04:44 All right, let me give you a little more.

00:04:45 In pursuit of a modest 137 on a slow track

00:04:49 at the Guyana National Stadium,

00:04:50 West Indies plunged to 97 for five

00:04:53 at the end of the 16th over to leave the result

00:04:56 and the balance with 40 runs still required

00:04:58 from the remaining 24 deliveries.

00:05:01 So some of what is happening in sport.

00:05:03 Here now, are you enjoying the weather?

00:05:05 Yeah?

00:05:06 Over the past few days,

00:05:08 you've been able to see the Northern Range.

00:05:10 I'm thankful for that.

00:05:12 I don't know about you,

00:05:13 and I've been able to spend some time outside.

00:05:15 I've been enjoying it and soaking it up,

00:05:17 including the rain, right?

00:05:19 So we did get some showers.

00:05:22 It was a little bit windy, which I don't like,

00:05:24 but I guess all of that is a part of the package.

00:05:27 All right, so it's time to remind you

00:05:28 about Trinbago, your nice feature.

00:05:30 Remember to participate,

00:05:31 WhatsApp your videos or images to 737-3778.

00:05:35 What do we have for our viewers this morning?

00:05:37 We do have that.

00:05:38 And it was sent to us from a viewer.

00:05:39 Again, thank you to all of you

00:05:41 who continue to send your photographs to us.

00:05:43 We do appreciate it.

00:05:45 All right?

00:05:46 So we are going to a very short break.

00:05:47 You have your coffee, your tea,

00:05:49 get something to eat and come back.

00:05:51 We'll tell you what's going on.

00:05:52 (upbeat music)

00:05:55 ♪ I'm coming for a better life ♪

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00:07:12 - Hey, CPL fans, have you ever dreamt

00:07:19 about being a part of the CPL Broadcast presenting team?

00:07:22 Well, now's your chance.

00:07:24 All you have to do is simply share a video

00:07:28 of your best presenting performance

00:07:30 using the hashtag #CPLTalentSearch

00:07:33 and you could be in front of the camera

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00:07:36 Maybe you could interview a friend

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00:07:48 The winner will get a live sport presenting masterclass

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00:07:53 And of course, you get to work with me

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00:07:59 Get sharing.

00:08:00 I can't wait to see what you guys have got in store.

00:08:03 - Anytime you leave your keys in the ignition

00:08:15 when you pull up to your driveway,

00:08:18 you make yourself an easy target for theft and robbery.

00:08:22 Make it tough for criminals.

00:08:24 Don't give them a chance.

00:08:26 Switch off your engine, remove your keys, and stay alert.

00:08:31 - A message from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

00:08:35 (upbeat music)

00:08:37 ♪ What a shocking fact to read the news ♪

00:08:49 ♪ About one commander who could light the fuse ♪

00:08:53 ♪ Oh, push the red button on a computer ♪

00:08:58 - And welcome back everyone and a very special good

00:09:01 and Monday morning to all of you.

00:09:03 We do appreciate you joining us this morning.

00:09:05 All right, so let's get right into the program.

00:09:07 Canadian YouTuber, Christopher Arthur Hughes,

00:09:10 charged with sedition is expected to appear

00:09:12 before a Port of Spain magistrate today.

00:09:14 Now Hughes, who goes by the name Christmas List,

00:09:17 was arrested by police last week

00:09:19 after he posted several interviews

00:09:20 with alleged gang members in this country.

00:09:23 He was subsequently charged with publishing a statement

00:09:26 with a seditious intention.

00:09:28 On the line this morning is attorney at law,

00:09:30 KL Taklalsingh, one of the attorneys

00:09:32 who represented Viswanathan Dharma

00:09:34 in his challenge of the sedition laws

00:09:36 in this country some time ago.

00:09:38 Mr. Taklalsingh, good morning

00:09:39 and thank you very much for joining us.

00:09:41 - Good morning, good morning to you

00:09:44 and good morning to your viewers.

00:09:45 - Yes, well, Mr. Taklalsingh, of course,

00:09:48 I'm sure that you would have had a chance

00:09:50 to look at this matter and what has transpired

00:09:53 with this matter over the past few days and so on.

00:09:57 What's your perspective this morning

00:09:59 and what's your take?

00:10:00 - My take is that this is precisely why we have argued

00:10:08 that sedition law is an anachronism.

00:10:12 It is really something that is archaic

00:10:14 and should form no part of the laws of Trinidad and Tobago.

00:10:18 In a modern democratic state, freedom of speech,

00:10:20 freedom of expression and freedom of media

00:10:23 are all important constitutional imperatives

00:10:25 so that if those things aren't being respected

00:10:27 or if there's legislation that is really

00:10:29 undermining those freedoms, then Parliament really

00:10:34 should intervene and treat with sedition

00:10:36 by abolishing it altogether.

00:10:38 There's simply no need for the law.

00:10:39 We have other laws that could deal with this.

00:10:41 We have laws of conspiracy.

00:10:43 So if persons are conspiring to do criminal acts,

00:10:46 you can charge persons.

00:10:47 Nobody should be charged for freedom of expression

00:10:51 or for their speech unless you are inciting violence

00:10:56 and the Sedition Act does not make that clear.

00:10:59 Thankfully, when we went to the Privy Council,

00:11:02 the Privy Council, even though they do not uphold

00:11:04 our constitutional challenge, they said

00:11:06 that the interpretation of the Sedition Act

00:11:09 and it was unchallenged is that you ought not to be charged

00:11:12 unless your speech is actually inciting violence.

00:11:15 So at least we had some clarity on the law,

00:11:18 but unfortunately I think, you know,

00:11:19 I don't want to comment directly on the Christmas list issue

00:11:23 because it's before the courts, et cetera,

00:11:25 and you have, you know, sub judice rules,

00:11:28 but, you know, whether or not the police

00:11:30 and the prosecutor alarms are taking that guidance

00:11:33 from the Privy Council, I can't be sure.

00:11:35 - Yeah, but of course, I'm sure that people must be saying,

00:11:38 Mr. Tak-Lilsing, well, yes, people should have the right

00:11:43 to say what they want.

00:11:46 Freedom of speech and members of the media must be allowed

00:11:50 to conduct their duties in a professional manner and so on.

00:11:55 But I'm sure that people would give the argument

00:12:00 that there have to be checks and balances, right?

00:12:03 - It has to be limitations on freedom of speech.

00:12:08 So for instance, you can't defame someone's character.

00:12:11 You would be sued.

00:12:11 I can't say that X, Y is involved in criminal activity

00:12:15 or is a thief or is corrupt,

00:12:17 and I don't have some reasonable basis for saying so.

00:12:20 So there are sufficient laws in my respectful view

00:12:23 to limit freedom of speech.

00:12:25 But ultimately, ultimately,

00:12:27 I think where balance has to be struck,

00:12:30 the law, the policy makers, the legislators,

00:12:33 the attorney general must come down on the side

00:12:35 of freedom of speech because it is simply too important

00:12:39 for a democratic state.

00:12:41 Anytime we discuss an idea, Marla, we today,

00:12:44 we don't know where the speech might end up.

00:12:46 We don't know where our conversation would take us.

00:12:48 And therefore, I can't be talking about issues with you

00:12:52 and you as a journalist can't be interrogating my ideas.

00:12:55 And in the back of our minds, we're wondering,

00:12:56 well, are we going to get in trouble for saying this?

00:12:58 Are we going to get in trouble for saying that?

00:13:00 That limits thought.

00:13:01 It limits your expression and it limits conversation

00:13:04 in a democratic society.

00:13:06 And if you limit those things,

00:13:07 your democracy isn't a vibrant one.

00:13:09 It isn't functioning.

00:13:11 And therefore, I say that this law has to be abolished.

00:13:14 As I said, unfortunately, it was not struck down

00:13:16 by the Privy Council because of something

00:13:19 called the Savings Law Clause,

00:13:20 meaning you can't strike down law pre-1976

00:13:25 because we have something in our constitution

00:13:27 called the Savings Law Clause,

00:13:29 which immunizes all law from constitutional challenge

00:13:33 pre-1976.

00:13:35 So that is the reason why, really,

00:13:37 the law was not struck down because the law was saved law.

00:13:41 But in a modern democratic society, really,

00:13:43 I think courts that are not bound by that

00:13:46 would have struck it down.

00:13:47 - Yeah, I get the feeling that you're saying

00:13:49 it's really leaning in a particular direction

00:13:53 and it's skewed in a particular direction.

00:13:56 For our viewers this morning,

00:13:58 because you have described it a little earlier

00:14:01 as being archaic, if we could,

00:14:04 just for the benefit of our viewers, Mr. Thacklial Singh,

00:14:07 let's get a little deeper into that.

00:14:08 - Yeah, well, historically, sedition law was imposed

00:14:14 on the colonial, on their colonial states by the empire,

00:14:18 by the British empire.

00:14:19 And really, when one looks at the history,

00:14:21 its origins and its intent was to prevent criticism

00:14:25 of the British government that ruled over

00:14:27 these colonial entities.

00:14:31 In India, Mahatma Gandhi, for instance,

00:14:33 was charged with sedition.

00:14:34 And we knew of his struggles for Indian independence.

00:14:37 That was the purpose of the law.

00:14:39 I can't see how a law that had that purpose,

00:14:42 with that type of intention, to protect,

00:14:45 the colonial master, the colonial power,

00:14:49 could still be relevant in today.

00:14:50 But we here are discussing,

00:14:52 and there are some politicians here who are discussing,

00:14:55 well, we need to abolish the Privy Council

00:14:57 because that is a colonial relic.

00:14:59 And you still have laws such as sedition on your books.

00:15:04 I mean, that can't be right.

00:15:05 Get your priorities in order.

00:15:07 Yes, at some point, one will say,

00:15:09 well, okay, we need our own final appellate court.

00:15:11 But start with the low-hanging fruit.

00:15:14 You have all these old colonial laws

00:15:16 that are no longer relevant in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:15:19 So before we talk Privy Council,

00:15:21 let us deal with laws like sedition.

00:15:23 These things have to go.

00:15:25 - Would you say it is safe to say

00:15:27 that it was an attempt at controlling?

00:15:30 - Yes, it was an attempt.

00:15:34 Its origins, I mean, it existed pre-colonialism in England,

00:15:41 meaning in the old days,

00:15:42 where you could not criticize the king and the queen.

00:15:45 So that was the origin.

00:15:46 You couldn't criticize the monarchy.

00:15:48 And then it became, it was imposed on the colonial states

00:15:52 so that you could not then criticize the colonial power.

00:15:55 And now in Trinidad, it's being used

00:15:57 so that you can't criticize the authorities.

00:16:00 And as I said, when one looks at what seditious intention is

00:16:05 it is too vague.

00:16:06 It is something that causes,

00:16:08 any speech that causes disaffection and ill will,

00:16:11 you know, Marlon, if I came here

00:16:12 and I didn't have my coffee before I spoke to you,

00:16:14 you could say I was causing you disaffection and ill will

00:16:16 if we had a hostile conversation.

00:16:18 And that is the point.

00:16:20 The police and the prosecutorial arms

00:16:22 can, when they can't find something to charge you with,

00:16:24 well, hey fellas, pull out the Sedition Act.

00:16:26 Let's take a look at that.

00:16:28 You know, and that's the problem with the law.

00:16:29 It can't be, it will be abused.

00:16:32 And then yes, eventually one may have a trial

00:16:35 and we know how long that takes.

00:16:36 One may eventually have a trial in Trinidad.

00:16:39 And, but you know, and then you may be proven not guilty

00:16:42 or the prosecution may discontinue.

00:16:44 But that is after perhaps years

00:16:46 of carrying a charge on your back

00:16:48 with all that comes with that.

00:16:50 And that is why this law I think is really irrelevant

00:16:54 and anachronism.

00:16:55 It should not be maintained in a modern democratic state.

00:16:58 And I think any forward thinking attorney general,

00:17:02 any forward thinking legislative agenda ought to abolish it.

00:17:07 If you are concerned about hate speech,

00:17:10 well, there are modern examples of hate speech laws

00:17:12 that you could look at in the UK, in England,

00:17:16 sorry, in England and America,

00:17:17 that you could look at that, that certain things.

00:17:19 That's fine because you know,

00:17:21 I understand the hate speech phenomenon now

00:17:24 with, you know, different segments of society.

00:17:27 But really to say that something causes disaffection

00:17:30 and ill will to a sector of society,

00:17:32 I don't think that is good enough for legislation

00:17:35 and it should be abolished.

00:17:36 But then you have a different dimension

00:17:39 to things these days,

00:17:40 because you do have social media now,

00:17:42 you have Facebook, you have YouTube,

00:17:44 the whole gamut of it.

00:17:47 So I suspect this poses a different dimension to things.

00:17:52 - Yes, I mean, if anything,

00:17:56 social media has increased the amount of speech

00:18:00 on issues that people engage in, which is good.

00:18:04 The more we talk about issues,

00:18:05 the more ideas clash in the marketplace

00:18:09 of discussion and ideas.

00:18:11 It is better for democratic society.

00:18:14 I am one who believes that bad opinions should be expressed

00:18:19 because it gives the right thinking members of society

00:18:22 the opportunity to debunk bad ideas.

00:18:24 And that is how you prove to the rest of society

00:18:26 that bad ideas or intolerant ideas

00:18:29 are in fact intolerant and bad.

00:18:31 But if you keep it suppressed

00:18:32 because someone might be in trouble with the law,

00:18:35 then it festers and it grows underground

00:18:37 and you won't detect it until it's too late.

00:18:39 And therefore that is why I think social media

00:18:42 ought not to be restricted to these types of opinions.

00:18:45 Again, there is already law in place.

00:18:48 If several persons got together on email or social media

00:18:51 and started to conspire to rob a bank or to kill somebody

00:18:54 and the police got a hold of that,

00:18:55 they would be charged for conspiracy.

00:18:57 If persons were defaming other persons on social media,

00:19:01 as we have seen several judgments,

00:19:03 a notable one by Mr. Justice Sipa said,

00:19:06 you will be found liable for defamation and have to pay.

00:19:10 So there are laws which limit speech reasonably,

00:19:13 but sedition is certainly not one of them.

00:19:15 - You think Mr. Thaklal Singh that,

00:19:20 because you did refer to it a little earlier

00:19:23 where you spoke about the authorities,

00:19:26 you spoke about the police in the past

00:19:29 using these laws against certain people.

00:19:32 You feel that there is too much discretion

00:19:37 or too much power being exerted by the authorities

00:19:42 when it comes to a charge such as sedition?

00:19:47 - Well, you've actually hit the constitutional principle

00:19:52 on the head.

00:19:53 The constitutional principle is one of legality.

00:19:57 So essentially the law says that in order for something

00:20:00 to have the quality of law, it ought to be fairly certain.

00:20:04 And the legal principle is legal certainty,

00:20:06 meaning law ought not to be too broad or too vague.

00:20:09 And one of the dangers that judges have pointed out

00:20:12 with law that is too broad or too vague

00:20:14 is that enforcement arms and prosecutorial arms

00:20:17 may interpret it subjectively.

00:20:20 So what may offend one person may not offend another person.

00:20:24 I mean, I'm engaged in another case,

00:20:26 it's actively brought before the court

00:20:28 that involves the importation of certain items,

00:20:31 which some people say are obscene

00:20:33 and some people say are not obscene.

00:20:35 And it really comes down to who is the customs officer

00:20:37 when it's imported.

00:20:39 And those are the types of laws

00:20:41 which really we have to take a handle on.

00:20:44 This sedition law is perhaps the worst.

00:20:46 A police officer comes across a piece of speech

00:20:49 or publication and thinks that it may cause disaffection

00:20:53 and ill will to the government.

00:20:54 He could very well go by a master now

00:20:58 or another authority and get a search warrant

00:21:02 and search your premises.

00:21:03 He may not charge you, but experiencing a search by police

00:21:06 is something that could traumatize you.

00:21:08 And as TV6 would know,

00:21:10 that is something that could seriously upset

00:21:13 the freedom of the media,

00:21:15 even though you may not result in something,

00:21:17 but it's an attempt to intimidate you.

00:21:19 And that is why these types of laws,

00:21:21 it ought to be defined much more precisely

00:21:25 so that it is open to less abuse

00:21:28 by police and prosecutor alarms.

00:21:31 So you've actually hit the nail on the head.

00:21:32 That is the underlying principle.

00:21:34 - Yeah, but how we, and when I say we, we as a country,

00:21:37 how successful have we been in the past

00:21:42 when it comes to charging people with sedition?

00:21:45 How successful have we been not only charging them,

00:21:49 but people being convicted with sedition

00:21:52 in Trinidad and Tobago?

00:21:53 - I think there has been one conviction.

00:21:58 It was a trade union person.

00:22:00 I know that the matter against Abu Bakr was dropped

00:22:04 when we won our case or it was discontinued.

00:22:08 Tubal Uriah Buzz Butler, I believe,

00:22:10 was also charged with sedition and jail for two years.

00:22:14 And I think those are probably only persons

00:22:18 who have faced those charges.

00:22:20 If I'm forgetting one, I might be mistaken.

00:22:22 But really we seem to pull out sedition

00:22:26 when you have things that upset us.

00:22:29 You know, a trade unionist,

00:22:31 trade unionists or somebody

00:22:32 who severely criticizes the government.

00:22:34 I remember once there was almost a threat

00:22:38 that Mr. Devant Maraj,

00:22:39 when he was being very active on behalf of the opposition,

00:22:43 many years ago, some years ago,

00:22:45 they pulled out the sedition card.

00:22:47 They didn't charge him, but they were threatening it.

00:22:51 So we can't have a law that is convenient

00:22:53 when we don't like what people are saying.

00:22:56 You pull it out to quiet them, to silence them.

00:22:59 That is not law, that is a tool of oppression.

00:23:01 Laws are not to be used to oppress us.

00:23:03 Laws are to be used to enforce our rights

00:23:06 and to make our lives better.

00:23:08 Yes, we have to live with certain restriction

00:23:10 and there are some laws we're not going to like.

00:23:13 But when it comes to what we actually say and think,

00:23:15 that is so innate and intimate as a human

00:23:18 and your human experience.

00:23:20 Why would you try to control thought

00:23:22 and expression in that way?

00:23:23 It can't be right, it has to be abolished.

00:23:26 - Yeah, but I think, you know, Mr. Taklal Singh,

00:23:29 to be brutally honest,

00:23:30 I think that some of the things

00:23:31 that we are hearing this morning,

00:23:33 it's a dangerous state of affairs

00:23:34 where someone can just get up in the morning

00:23:36 and say, "Well, here's what now, Mr. Taklal Singh

00:23:39 and Malin and them giving problems."

00:23:42 You know, we need to lead, right?

00:23:46 - We are criticizing the state.

00:23:47 We are saying that the state is wrong for sedition.

00:23:50 Don't worry, Malin, I will represent you if we end up in trouble.

00:23:54 - But you get my drift, right?

00:23:58 - Of course, yes, agreed.

00:23:59 - Yeah.

00:24:00 So, well, of course, I think that what you're saying,

00:24:08 because we have been speaking about it for a few minutes now,

00:24:11 that it's a cake and it's a law that is outdated.

00:24:16 It's not really for today's environment.

00:24:22 And you're saying that there are laws that are in place

00:24:28 to deal with persons who may be reckless

00:24:33 in their thoughts and words and so on.

00:24:36 - Yes, agreed.

00:24:39 And that there are laws like that that can treat with it.

00:24:42 If we feel there is some, as lawyers like to say,

00:24:44 lacuna or gap, then we could draft modern legislation

00:24:48 to treat with that,

00:24:49 something that would conform to our constitutional rights.

00:24:52 But I really think that sedition,

00:24:54 the way it is currently drafted and interpreted

00:24:56 by the police is something that is really not in step

00:25:00 with a democratic society.

00:25:01 We really need to get rid of it.

00:25:03 - Yeah.

00:25:04 Is this something that you think that we are going to see

00:25:06 in our lifetime?

00:25:08 Of course, we have been speaking about constitutional reform

00:25:11 and so on.

00:25:12 - You know, I'm an optimist.

00:25:18 I think that with enough pressure from the population,

00:25:22 with enough pressure from right-thinking people,

00:25:24 the legal profession, persons, media,

00:25:27 such as yourself highlighting the issue,

00:25:30 the issue is going to come to the fore

00:25:31 and the government will, whichever government it is,

00:25:33 they will be forced to treat with it.

00:25:35 I really do hope that the current administration

00:25:38 takes a serious look at it,

00:25:40 especially in light of this issue.

00:25:42 I think the majority of people who have looked at this issue,

00:25:46 at least from my perusal, have said,

00:25:48 "What is going on here?"

00:25:50 Again, without commenting specifically

00:25:52 on what evidence the police may have,

00:25:54 they would want to know that whether or not,

00:25:57 I mean, are we safer today that now that Christmas

00:25:59 has been detained?

00:26:02 What is the purpose of the law?

00:26:03 Has there been a dentin gang activity or violence

00:26:07 now that Christmas is detained?

00:26:10 I can't say, so I don't think so,

00:26:13 but one has to see.

00:26:15 - Yeah, but you do agree,

00:26:16 and you did allude to this fact,

00:26:20 that we, as members of the media,

00:26:24 when things such as these happen,

00:26:27 this should not be seen as a situation

00:26:31 where it has happened to this individual.

00:26:34 It has not happened to us.

00:26:36 It is a situation where it can happen to us in the media,

00:26:40 and we should view it as something of interest to us.

00:26:45 - You should view it as a potential threat,

00:26:53 because anytime laws like this are used,

00:26:56 if it's not used on you today,

00:26:58 it could be used on you tomorrow,

00:27:00 because you report on something.

00:27:01 I mean, how close are we?

00:27:05 We do, there are several investigators

00:27:09 in your news department who sometimes push the boundaries,

00:27:12 meaning that they get into interviews,

00:27:15 they have anonymous interviews.

00:27:16 They get in because they want to get the story.

00:27:19 God forbid that one day they transgress to a point

00:27:24 where some police officer thinks,

00:27:25 well, I think you've gone too far,

00:27:28 and you have a journalist

00:27:30 who's really doing their solemn duty,

00:27:33 and they're fulfilling their role in a democratic society,

00:27:37 and they're charged.

00:27:39 You know, that is something that is very chilling,

00:27:42 it's very dangerous,

00:27:43 and I don't think people quite understand

00:27:45 where we can go as a society.

00:27:48 When we start charging media people

00:27:50 for unearthing things in our society,

00:27:54 that is a very, very dark road that we're going down,

00:27:57 and we really need to treat it as a society.

00:27:59 As I said, an attorney general, a legislative agenda,

00:28:03 a government that is interested in people's rights

00:28:06 ought to take a serious look at this,

00:28:07 and in my respectful view, abolish sedition.

00:28:10 Even if you decide you don't want to abolish it,

00:28:13 well, you need to reform the law

00:28:14 to make it a little more compact.

00:28:17 Why not give media an exemption?

00:28:19 Because media often does this type of work.

00:28:21 These are things we should consider as a society.

00:28:24 - Yeah, attorney at law, Kiel Taklalsingh.

00:28:27 So it was a pleasure speaking with you this morning.

00:28:29 Thank you very much.

00:28:29 You have put a lot of things on the table for us

00:28:31 this morning to think about, and we do appreciate it.

00:28:34 Bye for now.

00:28:35 - Thank you very much, Marlon, and have a good day.

00:28:39 - Of course, sir.

00:28:40 All right, so we are going to a very short break.

00:28:41 We're coming back, everybody.

00:28:43 (upbeat music)

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00:30:14 - So you have big plans for the year, eh?

00:30:19 A trip in July, birthday in November,

00:30:22 and fete after fete this carnival.

00:30:24 But you know what is stop plans?

00:30:28 A $22,500 fine.

00:30:31 You know what else could really stop your plans?

00:30:35 Five years imprisonment

00:30:37 and suspension on your license for three years.

00:30:41 Don't drink and drive.

00:30:43 (car engine roaring)

00:30:53 (dramatic music)

00:31:21 - I rotate because life is precious.

00:31:25 Plus, I can't afford to pay another speeding ticket.

00:31:29 - A message from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

00:31:35 (upbeat music)

00:31:39 ♪ When I was younger and he said to me ♪

00:31:48 ♪ "Hurry boy, never ever worry ♪

00:31:50 ♪ "or your problems would seem bigger and bigger ♪

00:31:53 ♪ "and you'll be living a life of torture." ♪

00:31:56 ♪ She told me as a matter of fact... ♪

00:31:59 - All right, so welcome back everyone.

00:32:00 So the Standing Finance Committee

00:32:01 of the House of Representatives meets today

00:32:03 where the government will be seeking

00:32:06 a reported $2.3 billion to meet the country's expenses.

00:32:09 On the line this morning,

00:32:10 we do have economist and Professor Roger Hussain.

00:32:13 Professor, good morning.

00:32:14 - Good morning, good morning.

00:32:17 Thank you for the invitation.

00:32:18 - Of course, Professor.

00:32:20 All right, well, Professor Azvi,

00:32:22 following news of what we're hearing here

00:32:27 that the Standing Committee will meet today

00:32:30 and will be seeking this $2.3 billion.

00:32:35 Professor, of course,

00:32:36 we are a few months away from the next budget also.

00:32:39 How are we looking in Trinidad and Tobago financially?

00:32:48 - Well, that's a very interesting question.

00:32:51 One of the things that I would commence by saying

00:32:54 is that since the economy plunged post-2015

00:32:59 until the end of 2021,

00:33:02 we are seeing economic growth back on our shore.

00:33:05 So we have experienced moderate economic growth,

00:33:08 2.1%, 1.5%, those type of numbers in 2022.

00:33:13 That's forecasted for 2023.

00:33:16 And if you use the IMF medium term outlook until 2029,

00:33:19 growth is expected to be there.

00:33:22 2025, we are expected to go down sharply,

00:33:26 but there is some economic growth taking place now

00:33:29 and we have to start on that basis.

00:33:32 But in terms of the relationship, say,

00:33:37 of our stock of reserves and this growth,

00:33:41 I am seeing,

00:33:43 and I did point this out to the population before,

00:33:46 that this economic growth is taking place

00:33:49 in a manner and form that is more skewed

00:33:54 to the non-tradable sector

00:33:57 in terms of employment and output,

00:33:59 and therefore comes at the expense

00:34:02 of a decline in the stock of reserves.

00:34:05 So in other words,

00:34:06 we are getting an improvement in economic activity

00:34:10 in the country.

00:34:11 Perhaps when you see economic activity

00:34:16 taking place in some sectors,

00:34:17 but at the same point in time,

00:34:19 there's a decline in these reserves.

00:34:21 And I urge policy makers to take a look at this

00:34:25 because we do not want economic growth

00:34:27 that is in some way compromising the stock of reserves,

00:34:30 perhaps, but it is growth that is leading

00:34:33 to a more rapid increase in the demand

00:34:35 for foreign exchange, for example.

00:34:37 And therefore, it produces output

00:34:40 in areas that are big consumers of foreign exchange.

00:34:43 We need to look at that.

00:34:45 This is not to say that there has not been some improvement

00:34:48 in the manufacturing sector

00:34:50 or other sector that generates foreign exchange.

00:34:52 I'm not saying that at all.

00:34:53 I'm saying that in the net,

00:34:54 the economic growth is going slightly upwards

00:34:57 and the stock of foreign exchange

00:34:59 continues to come downwards.

00:35:01 And we need to look at that carefully

00:35:03 because the kind of economic growth we need

00:35:06 in Toronto and Tobago in the context

00:35:08 of our foreign exchange situation

00:35:11 is economic growth that generates foreign exchange,

00:35:15 in my opinion.

00:35:16 - Yeah, good point, Professor.

00:35:18 So the question is, Professor,

00:35:20 I think it is a fact that we gain most of our foreign

00:35:26 exchange from the oil and gas industry.

00:35:29 Yes, the monies that we have been gaining from that

00:35:34 in the past few years has not been what we would have wanted

00:35:39 but what other areas should we be looking at

00:35:43 maybe to invest in or to have international companies

00:35:48 come and invest in Trinidad and Tobago

00:35:52 so that we can generate much more foreign exchange?

00:35:57 - Right, good.

00:35:59 So you went straight to the point.

00:36:01 I like that.

00:36:02 So what we need to do is we need to, in my opinion,

00:36:06 focus more on manufacturing sector economic activity.

00:36:11 Manufacturing sector economic activity

00:36:16 has done well for us in the last five or six years

00:36:19 and it's definitely one area in which we see

00:36:23 some comparative advantage in various subsectors

00:36:27 and therefore one area in which we could push

00:36:30 these various strong subsectors

00:36:32 to generate additional foreign exchange.

00:36:34 That's one.

00:36:36 Two, we have the services sector

00:36:39 and in particular our tourism sector

00:36:40 but you know, from the moment I start to talk about tourism,

00:36:44 my mind immediately goes to what happened

00:36:46 in Port Haspin General Hospital last time.

00:36:49 We are about 250 murders at June the 3rd, 2024.

00:36:57 So we would probably reach somewhere about 550, 555, 560,

00:37:02 I'm guessing here, homicides by the end of the year,

00:37:06 which will likely put us, if I use the data that I know,

00:37:10 probably in the 10 top homicides per capita in the world

00:37:15 because we have been in that ranking, unfortunately,

00:37:19 the last few years using World Bank data

00:37:21 and I could provide the data for you if needed

00:37:24 and that's a ranking that we don't want.

00:37:26 And so whilst we could definitely get some foreign exchange

00:37:30 from the tourism sector,

00:37:32 we would need the Minister of National Security

00:37:36 to almost act as a junior minister of finance, for example,

00:37:40 because to generate more financial revenues

00:37:43 from the tourism sector,

00:37:45 we would need to bring crime on more under control

00:37:48 in my opinion and in my looking at the facts.

00:37:52 So tourism, manufacturing.

00:37:55 Then we should probably pursue to get an increase

00:38:00 in flow of foreign exchange from the diaspora.

00:38:05 Now this foreign exchange will come

00:38:06 in the form of remittances,

00:38:08 but because we have a situation with our stock of reserves,

00:38:13 even if some of our foreign exchange now comes

00:38:16 from an enhanced amount of remittances,

00:38:19 be it via introducing a diaspora bond or some other program,

00:38:24 then that's another way we could counter

00:38:27 the declining foreign exchange inflows.

00:38:29 Yet another way, and I give the government credit

00:38:33 for some of this, is via the ETEC parks

00:38:36 and foreign direct investment.

00:38:38 So we have this Chinese, I call it the Chinese ETEC park

00:38:41 in the Point Lisa area, the Phoenix park.

00:38:45 And I think one firm is there now,

00:38:47 our suitcase company and more,

00:38:49 a market company, that's good.

00:38:51 We need to fill that park.

00:38:53 And then we need to approach India for a parallel park.

00:38:57 And because India and China are in a bit of a tit for tat,

00:39:02 then if we get China, we hopefully will be able

00:39:05 to pursue India.

00:39:06 And India is an economy that is taking off now.

00:39:09 So their investors would have money.

00:39:11 It's an economy of enormous size.

00:39:13 They have some cultural ties here.

00:39:15 So I don't see why, if we appoint the right ambassador,

00:39:19 that we shouldn't be able to attract them.

00:39:21 And open another foreign direct investment,

00:39:25 intensive export oriented set of ETEC parks.

00:39:29 And that's the way we have to be going.

00:39:32 We have to understand the geography

00:39:34 of where we are on the production possibility frontier

00:39:38 and where we want to go.

00:39:40 We are in a position where the economy growth

00:39:42 is linked to a decline in the stock

00:39:46 of foreign exchange reserves.

00:39:48 And where we want to go is to a position

00:39:51 where we produce less non-tradables and more tradables.

00:39:56 So we get economy growth.

00:39:59 We push the productive capabilities of the economy forward.

00:40:02 We create employment.

00:40:03 We increase output.

00:40:05 And above all of that, in my humble opinion,

00:40:07 we generate more foreign exchange

00:40:09 from the non-energy export sector.

00:40:11 So we give the economy a sustainable medium term outlook.

00:40:15 - Professor, I want your perspective on this.

00:40:18 This is, I'm going to be reading from a story

00:40:20 that was published, I believe on May 8th.

00:40:25 And it speaks about, based on current gas consumption,

00:40:30 Trinidad and Tobago has approximately 11 years

00:40:32 of confirmed gas supply left

00:40:35 according to the latest gas audit results.

00:40:38 This was confirmed by energy minister, Stuart Young.

00:40:45 He also said that if fields are properly extracted,

00:40:48 TNT could see that supply increase to about 20 years.

00:40:53 How do you feel about this information being released

00:40:58 by the energy minister, professor?

00:41:01 - Well, if it's correct, I will be thankful

00:41:05 if that information is correct and factual.

00:41:08 I prefer to hear it from, say, the National Gas Company

00:41:13 or another entity as well.

00:41:16 But if it is correct, we say thank you and we use the gas.

00:41:19 My focus is more on the non-gas sector

00:41:22 because the gas and the oil and the energy sector in general,

00:41:27 whilst at times it generates a lot of revenue,

00:41:29 which creates the problem of management of this revenue,

00:41:32 and we have a bad track record with that,

00:41:35 always is associated with some degree of volatility.

00:41:38 And to be very honest with you,

00:41:41 this country has been up and down too much times

00:41:43 in this cycle of volatility associated with natural gas

00:41:47 and the energy sector.

00:41:48 So we had the '70s, then we had the crash in the '80s,

00:41:51 we had the production of natural gas

00:41:53 via LNG commencing in 1999.

00:41:56 We went straight up a ladder.

00:41:58 We came down in 2008, we came down a bit in 2009,

00:42:02 went back up until 2015, crashed until 2021.

00:42:05 It's too much volatility.

00:42:07 So we take the gas, we extract as much rents

00:42:11 as we could from the energy sector.

00:42:13 But I urge policy makers and I urge people like you

00:42:18 to emphasize the non-energy export sector

00:42:21 because that is where the long-term sustainability is.

00:42:25 And I would even add a little more to that.

00:42:27 Not exactly the non-energy sector,

00:42:30 but the non-energy fossil fuel-based energy sector.

00:42:34 So if you can get wind energy going

00:42:36 and get all these ammonia plants and urea plants

00:42:38 and whatnot founded on green hydrogen,

00:42:41 I'm fine with that because that's sustainable.

00:42:44 But to be honest, we take what we could

00:42:46 from the energy sector, we move forward,

00:42:48 but the extent of volatility and management issues

00:42:52 that comes with that gas in the last 30 to 40 years

00:42:56 and where this economy is now,

00:42:58 I prefer to focus my little knowledge

00:43:00 on the non-energy export sector.

00:43:02 - But Professor, shouldn't we really be picking up the pace?

00:43:06 Shouldn't we be really picking up the pace

00:43:08 as it relates to the non-energy sector?

00:43:11 I mean, Professor, we have been speaking so long

00:43:14 about diversification and our dependence on oil and energy.

00:43:19 And when we speak about our resources,

00:43:23 it always causes some level of anxiety

00:43:27 that when the oil and gas, they are gone, then what's next?

00:43:31 So it shouldn't be the effort B,

00:43:33 as you're suggesting, Professor,

00:43:35 in the non-energy sector, but at a greater pace.

00:43:38 - Yes, I personally know there were some

00:43:43 that would agree with that.

00:43:44 Certainly I would be one.

00:43:45 I think it should be at a greater pace.

00:43:47 So we are having some conversations right now

00:43:50 with a few people in the non-energy export sector.

00:43:53 It's still in the conversation stage.

00:43:55 What I would say in all fairness is I think

00:43:58 the current Minister of Trade

00:44:02 is someone who tries to push the tech logic.

00:44:04 I see the current Minister of Trade

00:44:06 as someone who is pushing TTME,

00:44:09 pushing the non-energy export-oriented sector.

00:44:14 I think she can do more.

00:44:17 I think with more technical work,

00:44:19 which is where I think the Ministry of Trade has a gap,

00:44:22 with more technical work and export TT and TTME,

00:44:26 those are the three important groups, along with TTCSI,

00:44:31 there is perhaps, in my view,

00:44:33 need for more technical depth.

00:44:36 And you work out and you calculate

00:44:38 where the opportunities are in terms of low-hanging fruits

00:44:42 from a foreign exchange perspective,

00:44:44 in the manufacturing sector, in the services sector,

00:44:47 and also from an extensive margin perspective,

00:44:50 what are the implications of the rapid increase,

00:44:54 for example, in economic growth in Guyana,

00:44:56 which is just flying off the roof,

00:44:58 and possibly Suriname in the medium term,

00:45:00 for the demand for our goods.

00:45:02 How do we change our structure of production here

00:45:05 to ensure that the rapid demand that is taking place there

00:45:09 in those two countries,

00:45:10 we become a prime or even more prime supplier of those goods

00:45:15 and the OECS are forecasted to do reasonably well

00:45:18 in the medium term.

00:45:19 Some of these small Dutch-speaking Caribbean islands,

00:45:22 they are forecasted to do really well.

00:45:24 And this is a time where I think there is room

00:45:27 for some good homework, sharing of information and action

00:45:31 as regards where the opportunities lie

00:45:34 in the medium term for the manufacturing and other sectors,

00:45:39 so that we could fetch more foreign exchange,

00:45:41 given our base in the manufacturing sector here.

00:45:46 - Professor, but what about the ease of doing business

00:45:49 in Trinidad and Tobago?

00:45:51 There are people who will still say it's very difficult

00:45:54 to do business in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:45:56 And I know that while the Ministry of Trade and so on,

00:46:01 they have done a number of things to help small businesses

00:46:05 and medium-sized businesses

00:46:06 and even larger businesses out there.

00:46:08 But what about the ease of doing business

00:46:11 in Trinidad and Tobago?

00:46:12 You feel that there's the right structure in place

00:46:15 to facilitate that?

00:46:16 - You know, the ease of doing business,

00:46:24 studies that came out from the World Bank,

00:46:27 I think it stopped in 2019.

00:46:29 So what I'm going by is old information

00:46:31 and one block of new information.

00:46:34 So all the ease of doing business in Trinidad

00:46:36 that stopped in 2019, when I look at it across the board,

00:46:39 Jamaica was way ahead of us

00:46:41 and there was considerable room for improvement

00:46:44 in the subsectors trading across borders, paying taxes,

00:46:48 closing down our business and so on.

00:46:50 There are a number of subsectors

00:46:51 and we were behind Jamaica, St. Lucia

00:46:54 and several other countries in the world.

00:46:56 So there was considerable room for improvement.

00:47:00 Now, the other thing is that,

00:47:02 is that,

00:47:05 claim, when I look at the murder level

00:47:10 in Trinidad and Tobago in the last five years,

00:47:13 from what I remember,

00:47:15 that to me is the most lethal,

00:47:20 it's a really venomous block

00:47:24 on doing business in Trinidad and Tobago.

00:47:28 And what I would say is that we could perhaps,

00:47:31 in my humble opinion, use us as a guide.

00:47:34 If we could bring the average annual murders,

00:47:38 I think in 2022, it was 605.

00:47:43 In 2023, it was 576.

00:47:48 In 2024, it's my, I checked the numbers last night,

00:47:51 it's forecasted to be about 580.

00:47:55 If we could bring that down to about 200,

00:47:59 if we, are we incapable?

00:48:01 Can't we design a formula

00:48:03 where we probably have a limited state of emergency?

00:48:06 We have a curfew in some areas,

00:48:08 we run a gun amnesty.

00:48:09 And these things I'm saying as a citizen now,

00:48:11 not as a economist, I'm saying this as a citizen.

00:48:14 Can't we do some things

00:48:15 and bring down the murder level to 200

00:48:18 and give the business community a chance

00:48:20 to rebuild their business confidence

00:48:22 so that we could get economic growth going,

00:48:24 we could get these e-tech parks going?

00:48:27 I mean, when you see people going to the hospital

00:48:30 and shoot three people, it affects your psyche,

00:48:33 it affects your confidence as a citizen.

00:48:36 It makes you want to plan your expenditure

00:48:39 in a certain way so that you deprive,

00:48:42 you know, it will eventually affect savings,

00:48:45 it will eventually affect investment.

00:48:47 As the business community,

00:48:49 if you are taking all your money

00:48:50 and putting it in burglars for finance security,

00:48:52 where will you get extra money to buy

00:48:55 factors of production to increase output?

00:48:57 It's a terrible situation in my honest, humble view.

00:49:01 And so if you ask me about ease of doing business,

00:49:04 I am going to throw back at you,

00:49:07 why can't the policy makers design a formula

00:49:11 and bring the murder level down to about a minimum?

00:49:15 Sorry, a maximum of about 200 per year

00:49:17 so we could sleep easier, we could rest easier,

00:49:21 you bring down the home invasions.

00:49:23 To me, it's just a worrying situation.

00:49:26 So I cannot see, I myself am a small-scale investor,

00:49:31 and I will spend half of my money now

00:49:34 in securing the business,

00:49:37 rather than taking that extra money

00:49:39 and putting it into the business to expand output

00:49:42 to earn for an exchange, for example.

00:49:44 So it's a tough situation all around,

00:49:48 and I hope that the policy makers listen to us

00:49:51 as technocrats, I also speak as a citizen on the crime,

00:49:55 'cause I'm not an expert here,

00:49:57 and listen to us as citizens,

00:49:59 and take and double their efforts,

00:50:01 because we feel unsafe, I certainly feel unsafe.

00:50:04 What can we do to improve the ease of doing business

00:50:08 so that we motivate and increase the probability

00:50:11 that ordinary people would save more, invest more,

00:50:14 ordinary citizens would invest more,

00:50:17 and therefore improve on the labor force participation rate,

00:50:20 which is very low, it's about 56%,

00:50:23 and help create that spiral upwards of economic activity,

00:50:28 a cumulative effect upwards of economic activity.

00:50:31 - Yeah, Professor, we just have about one minute again.

00:50:34 Anything else you'd like to add

00:50:35 before you leave us this morning, sir?

00:50:38 - Be wise, the medium-term outlook

00:50:40 in terms of foreign exchange is not so bright,

00:50:43 so make good connections with your family abroad

00:50:46 and try to get some remittances for the country, thank you.

00:50:49 - Professor, it's always a pleasure speaking with you.

00:50:50 Thank you very much for your perspective this morning,

00:50:52 we do appreciate it, bye for now.

00:50:54 - Thank you, have a good time.

00:50:55 - Yes, before we go to our break,

00:50:57 for persons now joining us, this morning,

00:51:00 I did read the details of what transpired overnight,

00:51:05 allow me to read it again to you.

00:51:07 So three men are now dead

00:51:09 following two shooting incidents which are related.

00:51:12 So the victims identified as Jonathan Arjun,

00:51:15 Jaden Reyes, and Kevin King.

00:51:17 Now, the Daily Express says,

00:51:19 at around 7.55 last evening,

00:51:21 a group of men was liming at Gonzales in Belmont

00:51:24 when they were fired upon.

00:51:25 Three were shot and wounded,

00:51:27 and subsequently taken to the Port of Spain

00:51:29 General Hospital for treatment.

00:51:31 However, as the wounded men arrived at the facility,

00:51:33 they came under gunfire again from the same men

00:51:37 who had allegedly attacked them before.

00:51:40 The assailants escaped,

00:51:41 and investigations are continuing, all right?

00:51:44 So we are going to a very short break,

00:51:45 we also have some news for you, we'll be right back.

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00:53:57 - Good morning, I am Alicia Boucher

00:54:03 with your news to the hour.

00:54:05 A last minute attempt to secure bail

00:54:07 for Canadian YouTuber Christopher Hughes,

00:54:09 better known as Christmas List, has failed.

00:54:12 And it seems that the police are considering other charges.

00:54:15 Attorney at law, Kristen J. Williams,

00:54:17 confirmed that at his request,

00:54:19 a justice of the peace visited a station in Port of Spain

00:54:23 where Hughes was being held on Sunday afternoon.

00:54:25 However, after a conversation with law enforcement,

00:54:28 the JP was reportedly turned away.

00:54:31 Hughes is expected to appear before a master of the court

00:54:34 in Port of Spain today.

00:54:36 While at this time he has been charged with sedition,

00:54:39 it is stated that police are examining

00:54:41 other possible breaches of law

00:54:43 that may lead to additional charges being laid.

00:54:46 Four men between the ages of 24 and 40

00:54:51 were arrested for driving under the influence

00:54:53 by officers of the traffic and highway patrol unit

00:54:57 during road traffic exercises conducted

00:54:59 along the Solomon Ho Choi Highway

00:55:01 on Saturday between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.

00:55:04 Meanwhile, officers of the Freeport Highway Patrol

00:55:07 conducted a speed exercise

00:55:09 between 12 midnight and 4 p.m. also on Saturday,

00:55:14 where 22 electronic fixed penalty notices were issued.

00:55:18 Police say in light of recent fatal road traffic accidents

00:55:22 on the nation's roadways,

00:55:23 it is urging motorists to put safety first

00:55:26 and obey the road traffic laws

00:55:28 by not drinking and driving and speeding.

00:55:31 Police are investigating the murder of a 20-year-old man

00:55:37 who was fatally shot near his home in Arima

00:55:40 before dawn on Sunday.

00:55:42 According to police, residents of Daniel Trace in Malabar

00:55:46 heard gunshots just after midnight,

00:55:48 and upon investigating,

00:55:50 they found the victim, Nicosi Ambrose, bleeding underground.

00:55:53 He had been shot several times.

00:55:55 Police have not yet determined a motive for the killing.

00:55:58 A claim that the finance minister

00:56:03 is set to request $2.3 billion more today

00:56:07 for the country's 2023-2024 expenditure.

00:56:11 It comes from United National Congress

00:56:13 member of parliament, Devindranath Tengku.

00:56:16 -Tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen,

00:56:18 the standing finance committee

00:56:19 of the House of Representatives will meet.

00:56:23 Having failed to account for $1 billion spent last year,

00:56:26 this government is now coming to ask for an additional $2 billion,

00:56:30 $328 million, $99,600,

00:56:34 in addition to the $68.4 billion

00:56:38 that they already have approved to spend.

00:56:41 This would mean that the government would spend

00:56:45 $70.7 billion in fiscal 2024.

00:56:51 This is the highest level of expenditure ever

00:56:56 by any government in our nation's history.

00:57:04 -It's now time for a look at your weather forecast.

00:57:07 Conditions today are expected to be partly cloudy at times

00:57:10 with a few showers and a low-to-medium chance

00:57:13 of the isolated thunderstorm favoring southern areas.

00:57:16 By nighttime, expect better partly cloudy conditions

00:57:19 with some lingering isolated showers.

00:57:22 The temperatures are expected to get up to 32 degrees Celsius

00:57:25 in Trinidad and 31 degrees Celsius in Tobago.

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00:59:53 - The TV6 Daily Health Tip was brought to you by Omega XL.

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01:01:04 (upbeat music)

01:01:07 - Hey, CPL fans, have you ever dreamt

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01:01:56 (upbeat music)

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01:02:17 (heavy breathing)

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01:02:53 Make it tough for criminals.

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01:03:15 ♪ Getting together ♪

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01:03:41 - All right, so welcome back, everyone.

01:03:42 So the University of the West Indies

01:03:44 is introducing an innovations in data science bootcamp.

01:03:48 It's called an immersive online learning venture.

01:03:51 And we are joined this morning by Dr. Kafka Kan,

01:03:55 lecturer, computer science department

01:03:57 of computer information technology innovations

01:04:01 in data science.

01:04:02 And he's the bootcamp coordinator.

01:04:05 And we also have with us this morning,

01:04:07 Dr. Letitia Addison, project officer, lecturer,

01:04:10 UWE, Women in Data Science, TT ambassador.

01:04:14 Doctors, thank you very much for joining us this morning.

01:04:17 - Hi, thank you.

01:04:20 - All right. - Thank you, thank you, family.

01:04:21 - Yes, Dr. Kan, let's begin with you.

01:04:24 Let's talk about the bootcamp.

01:04:26 - So the actual, the bootcamp is our yearly,

01:04:33 and the Department of Computing and Information,

01:04:35 our yearly camp, which involves forms four to form six.

01:04:40 Students, we try to give this

01:04:43 as part of our outreach program.

01:04:45 We have a lot of fun stuff for the kids.

01:04:51 Parents are interested in giving an exploratory,

01:04:55 looking to giving their children

01:04:57 and looking to future technologies, right?

01:05:01 You see a lot of stuff on headlines today.

01:05:03 And we just try to get the students a little more aware.

01:05:08 So that's our main focus.

01:05:10 And this year we are happy to introduce

01:05:13 Women in Data Science.

01:05:16 That's Dr. Addison is really for giving that part

01:05:21 of our bootcamp and that is really in collaboration

01:05:26 with United Nations, as she would allude to

01:05:29 in a little while as we discuss the camp.

01:05:33 - Yeah, Dr. Addison, let's talk about your participation here.

01:05:37 Good morning, doctor.

01:05:38 Is Dr. Addison hearing me?

01:05:42 - Good morning.

01:05:43 And thank you for having me.

01:05:44 Yeah, so based on what Dr. Kan was saying,

01:05:46 actually Women in Data Science

01:05:48 is connected to the Stanford University.

01:05:50 And what we do is that we host various webinars

01:05:55 and workshops in accordance with trying to increase

01:05:59 the drive for the female representation in the field.

01:06:03 I just wanted to point out, however,

01:06:05 in our collaboration with the Department of Computing

01:06:09 and IT, this campus is open to all, both boys and girls,

01:06:14 secondary school students from Forms 4 to 6.

01:06:17 And what we're trying to do is give them an insight

01:06:20 into data science, what it entails,

01:06:23 the tools you can use, the visuals you can create,

01:06:27 different modeling aspects.

01:06:29 And it's really an interactive and immersive environment.

01:06:32 I know the word bootcamp sounds very intense,

01:06:34 but it's going to be quite a lovely experience

01:06:38 for the young people, because they will actually have

01:06:41 an idea of what this particular field means

01:06:45 for the real world as they progress in their education.

01:06:49 - Yeah, and Dr. Addison, this is not the first time

01:06:51 that UWE is hosting such an event,

01:06:54 but what has the experience been for the participants?

01:06:58 - So the experience has been great.

01:07:01 We have a lot of feedback forms that we gather information

01:07:06 from the participants, and they are usually very happy.

01:07:11 Normally, every year we try to give a data science camp

01:07:14 on different aspects.

01:07:16 I've been interviewed many years, maybe five or six years,

01:07:19 and it's on databases, cybersecurity, web technologies,

01:07:25 all these for coming on fruitful fields

01:07:30 in the field of information technology.

01:07:33 And we try to educate people, and the youth love it,

01:07:36 because they get hands-on experience with mentors,

01:07:41 they get a lot of interactivity

01:07:43 with professionals in the field,

01:07:46 and they have a great time.

01:07:48 And this time, campus tried and tested,

01:07:51 and they get a certificate at the end of the program.

01:07:53 So that is actually proof

01:07:55 that they can actually took part in the camp,

01:07:57 and they can move on with that

01:07:59 as part of their portfolio in the future.

01:08:01 - Yeah, and Dr. Addison, it seems to me

01:08:04 that it's an attempt also at laying a foundation

01:08:08 for our young people out there, for the participants,

01:08:11 for them to get into the field of data science.

01:08:16 - Yeah, this is actually, yeah,

01:08:21 let me show you the slide.

01:08:22 You can take this one,

01:08:23 because she's more in data science.

01:08:25 - That's her, see you there.

01:08:26 - Yeah, yeah, definitely.

01:08:29 I mean, in the current digital space,

01:08:32 we have so many tools at our disposal,

01:08:34 and the field is growing.

01:08:36 Data analytics itself is quite a growing field,

01:08:38 and of course, data science, really, in the broad sense,

01:08:42 is really being able to use data

01:08:44 in a way that tells a story about a specific domain

01:08:49 that you're in, a specific area.

01:08:53 So we really want to have the students think more broadly.

01:08:57 It's not tied to just computer science, I would say.

01:09:00 Any specific field that you're in

01:09:03 has some data science aspects,

01:09:05 some data attached that you would want to analyze

01:09:08 and get some perspectives on.

01:09:09 So we want to encourage the idea

01:09:13 that data sciences is a field that could be integrated

01:09:16 into any specific space or domain,

01:09:19 and we want the students to appreciate that,

01:09:21 'cause a lot of them would actually be doing

01:09:23 different subjects at secondary level.

01:09:25 So it's really to enhance and broaden their horizons.

01:09:29 - Yeah, and just speaking about that,

01:09:31 because sometimes when we think about data science,

01:09:33 we may get the perception,

01:09:35 or there is the perception out there,

01:09:37 that data science, it's a difficult thing.

01:09:40 It's a really black and white thing.

01:09:42 It's a rigid thing.

01:09:44 But truth and in fact, data science encompasses

01:09:49 a lot of things and a lot of interesting things

01:09:52 that could be of interest to our young people.

01:09:57 - Yes, most definitely.

01:10:04 Yes, yes, most definitely.

01:10:07 I mean, at the end of the day,

01:10:08 we have been doing data science for quite a while.

01:10:11 I mean, I always say I'm a statistician at heart.

01:10:14 We do statistics.

01:10:16 We have specific variables.

01:10:19 You collect data, and you want to actually understand,

01:10:22 maybe I want to generate a chart about this data,

01:10:26 have a visual to understand the trends

01:10:28 within that specific field that I'm looking at.

01:10:32 So we want them to think about it broadly.

01:10:34 Anything that's in your actual environment

01:10:38 that you collect data and you want to be able to understand

01:10:41 what's happening in a specific area,

01:10:43 you can apply data science.

01:10:45 It has math, it has statistics,

01:10:47 it has computer science involved.

01:10:49 But of course, in the current domain

01:10:51 that we're in right now,

01:10:52 we have a lot of tools at our disposal.

01:10:55 So they are actually pretty lucky

01:10:56 because they will get to interact

01:10:59 with a lot of the newer tools

01:11:01 that can help them to generate graphs, for instance.

01:11:05 They would actually learn a little bit of programming

01:11:08 to be able to understand how to make sense

01:11:10 of actually building a little data science model

01:11:14 and understanding the statistics behind it,

01:11:17 the interactions, the relationships

01:11:20 between some of the parts of the data.

01:11:22 And they will have a little bit of a report.

01:11:25 And it's going to be very fun.

01:11:26 We are actually building a lot of games

01:11:28 and interactive activities for them

01:11:30 to really learn and grow in the space

01:11:33 and really understand how to utilize the different tools

01:11:39 as they progress in their specific subjects.

01:11:43 So I think it's going to be

01:11:45 a really exciting experience for them.

01:11:47 - Yeah.

01:11:48 Dr. Khan, how do students sign up?

01:11:50 - Yeah, so there are a lot of information

01:11:58 on the DCIT, the website, our website.

01:12:01 You can also, when I say DCIT,

01:12:04 I'm saying that short for Department of Computing

01:12:06 and Information Technology.

01:12:07 So students can go online and just type in DCIT

01:12:11 in a search engine,

01:12:13 and they can be able to get access to the registration page.

01:12:18 They register online,

01:12:20 and there are actually online payment systems also

01:12:23 that we have for them to pay via credit card.

01:12:26 They can pay at the bank, right?

01:12:28 So as I said, we have done this for many years.

01:12:30 Parents are free to email us with questions

01:12:33 and be interactive if they have issues.

01:12:36 We have support staff there.

01:12:38 Emails are very effective, right?

01:12:40 We have people registering already for the camp.

01:12:43 So we are happy to announce

01:12:44 that there's already a budding interest in the area.

01:12:48 And of course we have the flyers.

01:12:51 It's on the website and all this information

01:12:54 they can gain if they access the website

01:12:56 and their numbers and so forth,

01:12:57 to call and contact the department for further information.

01:13:02 - Yeah.

01:13:03 But is there, let me ask this question,

01:13:06 is space limited?

01:13:08 How many people are you catering for?

01:13:09 - Okay, so normally we try to cater for,

01:13:15 when we have the bootcamp face-to-face,

01:13:19 we have a limit or a cap,

01:13:21 but because the camp is online,

01:13:24 as many participants are registered,

01:13:26 so we have a dynamic model.

01:13:28 So we recruit mentors and we recruit people to help

01:13:32 because they are true UB students

01:13:34 are also participating in this event,

01:13:36 helping promote the youths.

01:13:39 So the students are also engaged in the camp

01:13:44 with the younger ones at that age,

01:13:47 from four to form six.

01:13:48 So we have UB students who are closer to their age group.

01:13:52 So they actually participate, they have training,

01:13:55 and they are actually helping in the camp as well

01:13:59 to promote the camp in its progress.

01:14:03 - Yeah, Dr. Khan, not Dr. Khan, Dr. Addison,

01:14:06 is there anything else you'd like to add?

01:14:08 - Yeah, so just based on what Dr. Khan said,

01:14:14 the mentors that we have,

01:14:16 some of them are actually doing their masters

01:14:19 in data science.

01:14:20 So it will give them a perspective of the field itself,

01:14:24 the subject area,

01:14:26 and the mentors will work with different groups of students.

01:14:29 So they will have that interactive approach.

01:14:32 We also have some feature speakers

01:14:35 who will come in on the last day

01:14:37 because it's a six day bootcamp.

01:14:39 And some of them have moved progress

01:14:42 from the Department of Computer and IT into industry.

01:14:45 So the students will also get the industry perspective.

01:14:48 So they will see the perspectives at all levels.

01:14:51 And I believe that will give them

01:14:52 a really holistic approach about the field

01:14:54 and understand how to integrate it

01:14:56 into different areas as they move along.

01:14:59 So it's not just for students who are interested

01:15:01 in going into computer science per se,

01:15:03 but any of the secondary school students

01:15:05 who have an interest in data science,

01:15:07 want to learn about the area,

01:15:08 maybe not too sure what it entails

01:15:11 and would like to come into the camp,

01:15:12 we welcome, it's open to all,

01:15:14 and we welcome all of the students to attend.

01:15:17 - Yeah, Dr. Khan, is there anything else

01:15:23 that you'd like to tell us this morning

01:15:25 that we didn't touch on?

01:15:26 And is there an opportunity for people

01:15:30 to call the university?

01:15:31 Is there a phone number available?

01:15:34 - Yes, there's ample information on the bootcamp flyer.

01:15:42 - Right. - Right?

01:15:44 So, well, I tried to put the background,

01:15:50 make my background the flyer last night,

01:15:52 but it was inverted.

01:15:53 So even I get into some issues also with technology.

01:15:56 So the number won't be there,

01:15:58 but the flyer itself, yes,

01:16:00 would be normally on the information, contact numbers,

01:16:03 all these things are available on the flyer,

01:16:06 which is online.

01:16:07 There's a description of the camp.

01:16:09 Yeah, we advertise a lot on the camp.

01:16:12 As Dr. Utterson said,

01:16:13 there's a whole lot of stuff happening in the camp.

01:16:15 It's not just one aspect.

01:16:18 We have lecture sessions,

01:16:20 we have interactive tutorials,

01:16:23 we have game sessions,

01:16:24 we have, it's really a fun and enjoyable camp,

01:16:27 and we try to encompass a lot of as possible

01:16:30 for that particular age group.

01:16:32 It's really about exposure, right?

01:16:34 And the last thing we try to get as much people involved

01:16:39 and expose the youth.

01:16:40 It doesn't mean you have to take data science

01:16:42 as a career option.

01:16:43 It's just giving you that exposure at the end of the day.

01:16:47 And we hope all the students enjoy,

01:16:50 and we would like to thank the participants

01:16:56 and everyone upfront in part taking such camps

01:16:59 in the future.

01:17:00 - Yeah.

01:17:01 Dr. Scanlon, Addison,

01:17:02 it's always a pleasure speaking with you all.

01:17:04 Thank you very much.

01:17:05 - Okay, thank you.

01:17:08 - Bye. - Bye for now.

01:17:10 So we are going to a very short break,

01:17:12 but first we have this for you.

01:17:13 It's a photo from one of our viewers.

01:17:16 We're coming back, everybody.

01:17:18 (upbeat music)

01:17:20 (upbeat music)

01:17:23 (upbeat music)

01:17:35 - Things don't always go as expected.

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01:18:05 - Probiotics XL contains 11 probiotic strains.

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01:18:47 - When I was a young boy growing up in Labrador Road

01:18:51 in Febbo Village in San Juan,

01:18:53 I really had no concept of ever becoming a manager

01:18:56 or having an organization of my own,

01:18:59 or even having my own house.

01:19:01 And a lot of people reached out and helped me along the way.

01:19:04 People who helped me who I knew, some of them I didn't know.

01:19:07 And for that reason, I feel it's important now

01:19:10 that I give back in any way that I can.

01:19:12 Our corporate social responsibility

01:19:14 at the Esquerrez and SiteHub is Habitat for Humanity.

01:19:17 So we are supporting the cause

01:19:18 of alleviating poverty housing.

01:19:21 And really, you don't have to have a whole lot

01:19:23 to be able to give,

01:19:24 because what you're giving of is your time,

01:19:27 talent, and treasure.

01:19:28 So this is my appeal to you, to get involved with Habitat,

01:19:31 get on board, and for those of you who have received a lot,

01:19:35 to those who much is given, much is expected.

01:19:37 (upbeat music)

01:19:40 (upbeat music)

01:19:42 (upbeat music)

01:19:45 (upbeat music)

01:19:48 - It have some people who just have to

01:19:50 sower everything, so what if I happy

01:19:54 and I cheer on my child for something small?

01:19:56 You know how hard them work for that?

01:19:58 So I have to lift them up.

01:20:00 Always encourage your child in anything they do.

01:20:06 Not pressure, encourage.

01:20:09 Your faith in them will build their self-esteem

01:20:12 and confidence.

01:20:13 Praise their efforts, celebrate their success,

01:20:17 support them through challenges,

01:20:18 and acknowledge their efforts.

01:20:20 At the end of the day, do your best.

01:20:25 Share if you found this useful,

01:20:27 and like and follow CTA's profiles

01:20:29 for more parenting tips.

01:20:31 The letter of the day is E, encourage.

01:20:36 (upbeat music)

01:20:41 (indistinct chatter)

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01:20:50 (heavy breathing)

01:21:16 (upbeat music)

01:21:18 - Ah boy.

01:21:24 Feel like I'm gonna buy myself a seniority tonight.

01:21:31 - Nah, nah, nah.

01:21:32 You know you might be promoting slavery.

01:21:34 - Slavery?

01:21:35 - Mm-hmm.

01:21:36 - What you talking about?

01:21:37 - Hey, modern day slavery or human trafficking

01:21:41 is just what some of these people just do.

01:21:44 You know some of these women were tricked to come here?

01:21:47 Some are held against their will,

01:21:51 abused, and even beaten.

01:21:55 Most times the girls don't even see any of the money

01:21:58 that is paid for them.

01:21:59 Every night, they just had to come out looking nice and sexy

01:22:03 for somebody like you.

01:22:04 Human trafficking is a serious problem and a serious crime.

01:22:10 Persons who solicit commercial sex services

01:22:12 may be contributing to human trafficking.

01:22:15 A message from the Counter-Trafficking Unit

01:22:17 of the Ministry of National Security.

01:22:19 (upbeat music)

01:22:23 - All right, so welcome back.

01:22:34 We do have a lot more for you on the program this morning,

01:22:37 but let me take the opportunity to just go through

01:22:41 a few stories in the Daily Express today.

01:22:44 So Kamla at Queen Anne, Mont Diablo by-election meeting,

01:22:49 easier access to guns coming.

01:22:52 So the reopening of the former PetroTrain refinery,

01:22:56 a removal of that on 7,000 items,

01:22:59 and easier access to guns for law-abiding citizens.

01:23:03 Now some of the plans of the United National Congress,

01:23:07 if it is returned to government.

01:23:09 So this was the announcement made

01:23:11 by the UNC's political leader, Kamala Prasad Bissessa.

01:23:16 Let me see if I can go to the area of the guns.

01:23:20 All right, she also promised to secure lives

01:23:22 and livelihoods.

01:23:23 So she said she did not intend to borrow ideas,

01:23:27 but would invent systems for greater security

01:23:30 through policies for peace, safety, and stability.

01:23:35 She presented several proposals to return the country

01:23:38 and citizens to a state of economic stability and peace

01:23:41 in terms of crime and security.

01:23:43 She proposed stand your ground and home invasion laws

01:23:47 against criminals, as well as police patrols in schools.

01:23:52 Now in terms of education and health,

01:23:54 she proposed free laptops for all secondary school children

01:23:58 and tablets for primary school children.

01:24:00 Free universal preschool or kindergarten education,

01:24:04 expansion of the GATE program for free access

01:24:08 to tertiary level education,

01:24:10 opening of the University of the West Indies South Campus,

01:24:13 and children's hospital,

01:24:15 and expansion of the Children's Life Fund.

01:24:19 All right, so some of the details

01:24:22 as announced by the opposition leader,

01:24:25 and also the political leader

01:24:27 of the United National Congress.

01:24:30 All right, so we're speaking a bit now

01:24:33 about nutrition and we do have on the line this morning,

01:24:38 we do have Ornella Salina.

01:24:40 She is from the Trinidad and Tobago Association

01:24:43 of Nutritionists and Dietitians.

01:24:47 And she is going to be speaking to us

01:24:49 about a very interesting initiative

01:24:53 of her association this morning.

01:24:56 That's the National Nutrition Awareness Week 2024.

01:25:02 Ornella, good morning.

01:25:03 Thank you very much for joining us this morning.

01:25:05 - Hi, good morning.

01:25:06 - Yeah, so tell us about this very interesting week

01:25:09 that you have for us.

01:25:10 - Okay, great.

01:25:13 All right, so as you say,

01:25:14 it's our National Nutrition Awareness Week

01:25:17 in that it started from June 1st up until the 7th.

01:25:20 We may have some events that will fall after that,

01:25:23 but everything is concentrated within that time.

01:25:26 So our theme for this year is healthy people,

01:25:29 healthy planet.

01:25:31 It's all about nutrition.

01:25:32 And this time we will be highlighting

01:25:35 the impact upon our diets and our environment,

01:25:40 both interplay to each other.

01:25:42 So it's important to understand how our diets

01:25:45 can also impact our environment.

01:25:47 And in that, we'll talk a bit more about plant-based foods

01:25:51 and incorporating plant-based foods into our diets.

01:25:54 We try often, as you always hear, dietitians,

01:25:57 you always hear persons in general,

01:25:58 eat your fruits and vegetables as you grow up.

01:26:01 It's very important that we do so for our personal health,

01:26:05 as well as the health of the environment,

01:26:08 especially when we eat local.

01:26:10 So our target for this year,

01:26:12 we'll be focusing on persons 18 years and older,

01:26:15 just to drive that awareness,

01:26:16 but we'll be concentrating on persons

01:26:19 who have chronic diseases or higher risk for chronic diseases

01:26:23 that's our type two diabetes

01:26:25 or cardiovascular diseases as well.

01:26:29 - Yeah.

01:26:30 Studio, could we please address that?

01:26:33 Please take over that for the meantime.

01:26:34 All right.

01:26:36 That's super Bob.

01:26:37 All right.

01:26:38 Ornella, I wanna get deeper into this discussion

01:26:41 about diet and nutrition,

01:26:43 because Ornella, as you know,

01:26:45 when we want to lose some weight,

01:26:48 we tend to, it's a knee jerk reaction, right?

01:26:54 So whether it is carnival or after Christmas or whatever,

01:26:57 you know, it's very easy to implement this diet,

01:27:02 but Ornella, it's still very difficult to stay on this diet.

01:27:07 Not so?

01:27:08 - Definitely.

01:27:09 Definitely.

01:27:10 But first of all,

01:27:11 we have to think about it as a lifestyle change

01:27:14 and not just a diet,

01:27:15 because oftentimes when we say a diet,

01:27:17 we're thinking it's a short term change

01:27:19 that we need to make.

01:27:21 And what we need to do is implement it long term.

01:27:24 So the point, as I always say as a dietitian,

01:27:26 progress, not perfection.

01:27:28 Yes, we may have instances where we're going to do a little,

01:27:32 it may be a bit more strenuous,

01:27:34 given that we're trying to achieve a goal

01:27:36 for a specific time.

01:27:37 Some persons may be at a wedding or a specific event,

01:27:41 but we naturally want to make the change on a daily basis

01:27:44 to improve our overall quality of life

01:27:47 during our lifetime,

01:27:50 not just for carnival,

01:27:52 not just for summer.

01:27:54 We want to make changes gradually.

01:27:57 So then and there is where it becomes sustainable.

01:28:01 And we can't do everything at once

01:28:02 because if we're accustomed consuming ultra processed food

01:28:07 and limited amount of plant-based foods in our diet,

01:28:10 we're not going to wake up as we say,

01:28:11 Monday morning, I'll start for sure, for sure.

01:28:14 We can't just do that.

01:28:15 It's going to take time.

01:28:17 We may fall off the bandwagon a bit

01:28:20 and then we start again and that's okay

01:28:22 because it's a gradual change.

01:28:25 So that's why this year is very important

01:28:27 for us as nutrition professionals,

01:28:31 as persons who are becoming more in tune

01:28:33 with their health and wellness.

01:28:34 It's important to understand where plant-based foods fall

01:28:38 in our diet and drive on the point of its importance.

01:28:42 Right, they include a lot of nutritional value

01:28:46 that we need on a daily basis.

01:28:48 We talk about vitamins, minerals,

01:28:50 they're different nutrients that we need on a daily basis.

01:28:54 So we can't say, well, I had vegetables once for the week,

01:28:56 so that's good enough.

01:28:58 We supposed to have it every single day.

01:29:01 Just to understand, I'm not saying that we're going to,

01:29:05 just for this week, we're going to automatically

01:29:08 just start to consume vegetables every single day,

01:29:11 but we're now making that conscious effort to incorporate.

01:29:15 If we have it once a week,

01:29:16 now we might try three times for the week

01:29:18 and then we might reach five times for the week

01:29:20 and then you realize that every meal we're having it.

01:29:23 So gradual changes to become sustainable.

01:29:26 - Yeah.

01:29:27 - And again, you would have heard me mention

01:29:29 ultra-processed foods.

01:29:31 That is where we talk about the carbon footprint

01:29:34 that are affecting our environment.

01:29:36 So we need to ensure that we consume more local foods

01:29:42 and that will be our vegetables, our seeds, our nuts.

01:29:46 We need to incorporate this every day.

01:29:48 Marlon, do you have vegetables every single day and fruit?

01:29:51 - Well, not every day.

01:29:53 (laughing)

01:29:55 Right?

01:29:56 - It's about making a conscious effort

01:29:59 to improve our health and wellness.

01:30:01 - Yeah.

01:30:02 I start off hot and sweaty, you know, Ornella,

01:30:05 and then somewhere, maybe a few days later,

01:30:08 I find myself off the train.

01:30:10 But I want your perspective on this

01:30:13 because there is a new dimension to things now.

01:30:17 Of course, we do have social media

01:30:19 and we do have the influencers

01:30:20 and we have people doing all sorts of things

01:30:23 on social media, taking tablets.

01:30:27 You're hearing about the all fruit diet

01:30:32 and the grapefruit diet and the smoothie diet

01:30:35 and all sorts of vitamins that they're,

01:30:40 advising you to take and so on.

01:30:42 How do nutritionists and dieticians feel

01:30:46 about this sort of,

01:30:47 or these sorts of influences being peddled?

01:30:51 - So again, it's about ensuring

01:30:56 that you obtain credible information.

01:30:59 A lot of persons who are putting forward

01:31:01 these types of diets and so on, not dieticians.

01:31:04 They are not public health nutritionists.

01:31:07 They are not credible.

01:31:08 So that is the first thing.

01:31:10 Also, there are different types of diets,

01:31:13 but everything is not for everyone.

01:31:15 And there may be different diets.

01:31:17 For example, the ketogenic diet,

01:31:19 which started for persons for athletes.

01:31:22 But we realized that now it has transitioned

01:31:24 into persons using it for weight loss.

01:31:27 Everything has its pros and its cons,

01:31:29 and we need to be mindful of what the pros are

01:31:32 as well as the cons.

01:31:33 And you can only do that

01:31:34 if you're guided by a professional.

01:31:38 So, and diet is not a one size fits all.

01:31:42 What may work for one person may not work for the other.

01:31:45 So that's why it's important to know nutrition, diet,

01:31:49 a healthy lifestyle is individualized.

01:31:52 So that's why you must seek the help

01:31:56 of your healthcare professional.

01:31:58 And all things nutrition,

01:32:00 we must choose a dietician or a registered nutritionist

01:32:04 to provide you with that wealth of knowledge

01:32:06 that will help you to meet your goal.

01:32:09 Be it through medical nutrition therapy,

01:32:11 it may be that you just want to improve

01:32:13 your overall wellness.

01:32:15 We must seek the professionals.

01:32:17 Because when we're sick, we make sure to go to the doctor.

01:32:20 We make sure to seek all the correct persons

01:32:23 that could provide that credible information

01:32:25 so we have that trust and comfort.

01:32:28 So all things nutrition,

01:32:29 we must seek out our dietitians as well.

01:32:32 - Yeah, but Onela, it's a marathon.

01:32:36 It's not to be seen as a knee jerk reaction

01:32:39 if you want to lose weight and so on.

01:32:41 It's a process and you have to buy into that process.

01:32:45 Otherwise, you are going to get disenchanted

01:32:48 and fed up very, very, very quickly.

01:32:50 - Yes, that is very real.

01:32:54 Again, baby steps, bit by bit,

01:32:57 make a conscious effort to make the change.

01:33:00 And again, as I say, it does not mean

01:33:02 that you're not going to ever have ice cream again

01:33:05 or ever have chocolate again.

01:33:07 It's doing things in moderation

01:33:09 and being mindful about what you put into your bodies.

01:33:13 So that is one of the main factors that we need to remember.

01:33:18 If you remember nothing else about today,

01:33:20 we must remember that our diet impacts our environment

01:33:24 and increasing or changing your diet

01:33:28 to incorporate more plant-based foods

01:33:30 or to generally be healthy, it's a process.

01:33:34 Step by step, bit by bit, we're making changes.

01:33:38 And food is for enjoyment.

01:33:40 So not because you're trying to be healthy

01:33:42 means that we're not going to have the foods that we like.

01:33:46 We just need to understand as we tell people

01:33:50 there are sometimes foods and there are always foods,

01:33:53 simply put.

01:33:54 So we can still indulge, but in moderation.

01:33:58 - Yeah, and I think that's the operative word there,

01:34:01 moderation.

01:34:02 We try to remember that moderation, moderation, moderation.

01:34:05 But you know, Wanella, there has been a craze

01:34:10 and I'm not going to mention the product,

01:34:12 but there has been a craze

01:34:14 that has been taking over the world.

01:34:17 So much so that there is a shortage

01:34:22 in that medication right now.

01:34:25 And it has really been taking over the world

01:34:29 and it is being pushed as this panacea

01:34:34 to get a decrease in weight almost overnight

01:34:40 or very, very quickly.

01:34:43 How do you feel about, I shouldn't say initiatives,

01:34:47 about products such as these?

01:34:49 - All right, so again, everything has its place.

01:34:54 Yes, it does work based on some of the information

01:34:58 that has been provided,

01:34:59 but everything again, it's not for everyone.

01:35:02 Persons may have different conditions

01:35:04 that may impact upon that weight loss

01:35:07 and impact upon the nutrients or the chemical components

01:35:11 within that specific tablet.

01:35:14 So again, it's not a one size fits all.

01:35:17 Yes, you may get the results that you're looking for,

01:35:20 but ultimately you may not be healthy or well.

01:35:24 So that's something we need to be mindful of.

01:35:27 For example, that's why we need to go

01:35:31 to our medical professionals

01:35:34 and understand the side effects

01:35:36 associated with different drugs.

01:35:39 And that is something we don't pay attention to.

01:35:42 We see the goal that we want to reach,

01:35:45 be it short or long term,

01:35:49 and we see the results,

01:35:50 so we're concerned with the outcome

01:35:52 and not everything else that is associated with it.

01:35:56 And that's something we need to be mindful of

01:35:58 because it will be all well and good now.

01:36:00 Yes, we're seeing the weight go up,

01:36:02 but how are we five months down the road,

01:36:04 a year, five years down the road?

01:36:07 So we need to be conscious about that

01:36:09 because in all things, even if it works in that moment,

01:36:12 we still need to employ a healthy lifestyle

01:36:15 to be able to sustain that results that we experience.

01:36:19 - Yeah, Onela, a lot of people walking around these days

01:36:22 looking at skeletons, you know,

01:36:23 but that's a different discussion.

01:36:26 - It definitely is.

01:36:28 - Onela, anything else you'd like to tell us

01:36:30 before you leave us this morning,

01:36:32 re the week of activities?

01:36:34 - Yes, so I want everyone to tune in

01:36:37 to Tandy on social media as well.

01:36:40 It's official_tandy.

01:36:42 We'll be posting different activities throughout this week.

01:36:46 So stay connected with us.

01:36:48 Again, the importance is to remind consumers

01:36:52 or remind our population about the importance

01:36:55 of incorporating plant-based foods into our diet,

01:36:58 supporting local to ensure that we promote

01:37:01 a healthy lifestyle.

01:37:03 So we just want to drive that awareness to be healthier

01:37:06 and take it one step at a time.

01:37:08 And we're here to provide that support.

01:37:11 - Yeah, Onela.

01:37:12 - So thank you so much for having me here this morning.

01:37:14 And I hope to be back soon.

01:37:16 - Of course, of course.

01:37:17 I'm going home to eat some vegetables, Onela.

01:37:20 Thank you very much for speaking with us this morning.

01:37:22 Bye for now.

01:37:23 Yeah.

01:37:24 All right, so we are going to a very short break.

01:37:26 We're coming back.

01:37:27 ♪ And you know we end up going low, low, low ♪

01:37:32 ♪ Low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low ♪

01:37:36 ♪ Until we end up going low, low, low ♪

01:37:39 ♪ Low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low ♪

01:37:43 ♪ Until we end up going low, low, low, low, low, low, low ♪

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01:40:30 - A message from the Counter-Trafficking Unit

01:40:42 of the Ministry of National Security.

01:40:44 (upbeat music)

01:40:46 - All right, so welcome back everyone.

01:41:13 So the Tobago House of Assembly will be hosting

01:41:14 its first ever primary plenary debate on June 6th

01:41:18 at the Assembly Chamber in Scarborough, Tobago.

01:41:20 To tell us more about the event

01:41:22 is Mr. Ajay Allain, debating facilitator.

01:41:26 Ajay, good morning.

01:41:27 - Good morning, Mr. Hopkinson

01:41:29 and good morning, Trinidad and Tobago.

01:41:31 - Of course, it's good to have you here

01:41:33 with us this morning, Ajay.

01:41:34 Well, tell us about the debate, Ajay.

01:41:36 - First, let me say thanks for the opportunity

01:41:39 to be able to share this groundbreaking happening

01:41:42 with the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

01:41:45 So this primary plenary debate is a project headed

01:41:49 by Presiding Officer Abby Taylor

01:41:51 and the team at the Education and Outreach Department

01:41:54 of Assembly Legislature.

01:41:56 So there we aim to engage and educate at all levels.

01:41:59 So this is just an extension of our debating programs,

01:42:04 our special sitting basically.

01:42:05 - All right, so here's what.

01:42:08 Let's roll out how the debate is going to be conducted.

01:42:12 How have the participants been chosen?

01:42:17 And on the day of the debate,

01:42:20 what are some of the issues that are going to be debated?

01:42:24 So just give us a full rollout of the exercise.

01:42:28 - Okay, so this is basically a three-part exercise first.

01:42:32 So we began just about a month or eight weeks ago

01:42:35 when we did our school tour.

01:42:37 So we went to 41 plus schools across the island of Tobago,

01:42:41 both public, private, and government-assisted schools.

01:42:46 So we just spent roughly about five minutes

01:42:48 or so with Senate for and Senate for Students,

01:42:51 introduce them to what the legislature does,

01:42:53 the importance of answer,

01:42:55 and how their voice should be heard.

01:42:57 So following that process,

01:42:59 we only have about 25 spaces in the house.

01:43:01 So we selected schools for this first round of the debate.

01:43:05 The topic they would be debating is the essay examination,

01:43:09 the impacts and effects of the essay exam,

01:43:12 and how they feel about it,

01:43:14 and also considering adding the Montessori method

01:43:18 to the educational system on the island of Tobago.

01:43:21 - Yeah.

01:43:22 Let's talk about the ages of the participants.

01:43:24 - Can you repeat?

01:43:27 - The ages of the participants.

01:43:29 Are they primary school students?

01:43:32 - Yes, primary school students,

01:43:33 particularly Standard Four, Standard Five students.

01:43:36 It's just around 12, 18 within our region.

01:43:40 - Yeah.

01:43:43 So the participants have already been chosen?

01:43:45 - Yes, the schools have already been chosen.

01:43:48 Right now we have 18 schools,

01:43:50 just around 85 to 90% ready for the debate on Thursday.

01:43:55 - So it's Thursday, 6th June at 10 a.m.

01:44:00 And it goes until, up to what time?

01:44:03 - It's roughly around 12,

01:44:06 it's about a two hour debate process.

01:44:08 And then we have a small awards function

01:44:10 for the young people after,

01:44:11 just to reward them for their hard work and their efforts.

01:44:14 - Yeah.

01:44:15 Are members of the public,

01:44:19 are they invited at all to witness this debate?

01:44:22 - So yes, we are inviting members of the public.

01:44:26 However, we want to make it noted

01:44:28 that the parents of these children,

01:44:31 as well as some of the classmates and their colleagues

01:44:33 would be given first preference.

01:44:35 But we do have an overflowing place for members

01:44:38 of the public to come and to participate

01:44:40 and to get involved.

01:44:41 You see, this program is under what we call

01:44:43 the People's House Initiative.

01:44:44 So yes, it's the place where the assemblymen sit

01:44:46 and have debates, but it's your house too.

01:44:49 It's your tax paying dollars that pays

01:44:51 and maintains the building.

01:44:52 So you have a right to come and participate,

01:44:54 come and sit in the chamber,

01:44:56 enjoy some of the air conditioning.

01:44:58 (laughs)

01:44:59 - He said, "Come enjoy some of the air conditioning."

01:45:02 All right, Ajay.

01:45:03 Let's speak a little bit.

01:45:06 This is not the first time

01:45:08 that you're having this debate, right?

01:45:10 - It's the first time for the primary school level,

01:45:13 but we usually have special debate show.

01:45:15 They say we have the Tobago Day Debate in December,

01:45:18 which caters to the secondary school students.

01:45:21 That's the fifth and the sixth formers.

01:45:23 We have the International Women's Day Debate.

01:45:25 That's usually on the 8th of March.

01:45:27 We have a wide range of females coming to the debate.

01:45:31 We also have a seniors debate

01:45:33 that happens probably by and early or off and on.

01:45:36 We have the seniors coming to the house

01:45:37 and the debate is usually related to the seniors.

01:45:40 So we really opening up the house

01:45:42 to the Tobago Island population to come in

01:45:44 and have your say, your voice is critical in this process.

01:45:48 - Yeah.

01:45:49 But you think that when you have debates such as these,

01:45:53 they can also result in,

01:45:57 in how do I say,

01:46:00 in resulting in some level of interest

01:46:05 and a spark among the participants

01:46:11 in not only getting involved in exercises such as these,

01:46:15 but having them being involved in,

01:46:20 let's say the debate process

01:46:23 and decision-making and so on.

01:46:25 So there are a number of benefits

01:46:27 when it comes to children participating in such debates.

01:46:32 - Yeah, this is just to wet their feet.

01:46:35 Mr. Hopkins, the only thing that we found interesting

01:46:38 is that these primary schoolers who you would think,

01:46:41 yeah, these primary schoolers,

01:46:43 they don't study governance,

01:46:44 they don't study politics,

01:46:45 are very, very keen and they are listening.

01:46:47 I mean, we heard some students share some examples

01:46:49 of what would happen in the house on a regular.

01:46:52 I mean, the infamous walkout.

01:46:54 I was surprised to hear a standard five student

01:46:57 explained to me what happens in the walkout

01:46:59 and his perspective on it,

01:47:00 whether he saw it as being fitting or not,

01:47:02 whether he saw the behavior as being unparliamentary.

01:47:05 This is a standard five student.

01:47:07 So let's not take it for granted

01:47:09 that these students aren't paying attention.

01:47:11 And I can also let you know

01:47:13 that one of the young persons

01:47:14 who would have came to the Tabigo Day debate process

01:47:17 went on to win the national debate

01:47:21 and went on to represent Trinidad and Tobago

01:47:22 at a regional debating conference.

01:47:25 So this is just an incubator for them.

01:47:27 And we also want to bring this level of civility.

01:47:31 How can we defend Trinidad and Tobago?

01:47:33 How can we say we are civil and we love being Trinidad?

01:47:36 And we don't want to get involved in the governance system

01:47:39 and we're not examining what's happening,

01:47:41 we're not examining our laws,

01:47:42 we're not looking into parliamentary system.

01:47:44 You see, we need to understand

01:47:46 that every single decision these politicians take,

01:47:49 it would affect us directly or indirectly

01:47:51 to whether we vote or not,

01:47:53 whether we participate in the democratic process,

01:47:56 whether we post on Facebook or on social media,

01:47:58 whether we use TikTok to argue,

01:48:00 the decisions they make is going to affect us.

01:48:03 And we want these young people to realize

01:48:05 that they are important

01:48:06 and we don't just want to make a decision.

01:48:08 That's why we chose the SA exam

01:48:10 because they write the SA exam.

01:48:12 There are several conversations about-

01:48:14 - A very controversial issue, Adje.

01:48:15 - But we haven't heard.

01:48:17 - Adje, I hope that you're hearing me

01:48:18 because I think that we have lost you for a few seconds.

01:48:21 But for members of the public

01:48:23 who want to come to witness the debate,

01:48:26 is there a registration exercise

01:48:29 or can they just show up at the assembly?

01:48:32 - Okay, so all of our debates are streamed live

01:48:36 and we do have an overflow, but the house is pretty small.

01:48:39 So usually it's a first come first serve basis

01:48:43 we would use to have persons coming into the actual debate.

01:48:46 But we highly recommend that you use our online platforms.

01:48:49 So you can use YouTube @assemblylegislature

01:48:53 and the same applies on Facebook.

01:48:55 We're also asking members of the public

01:48:57 as well to participate in our post surveys.

01:49:00 'Cause this topic comes from,

01:49:02 we choose topics from a pool.

01:49:04 So you would find when we have debates,

01:49:06 we would ask members of the public,

01:49:09 post the debate, what do you want to have us debate?

01:49:11 What do you want to hear discussed?

01:49:12 And this topic came out of the international women's debate.

01:49:16 So the mothers and the aunts and,

01:49:19 they wanted to hear the children's perspective on the SE.

01:49:22 So this is why this is the topic coming into this debate.

01:49:25 - Yeah, Ajay, is there anything else you'd like to tell us

01:49:28 before you leave us this morning?

01:49:29 We just have about 30 seconds again.

01:49:31 - So I would like to encourage the public to come out,

01:49:35 be a part of the debate.

01:49:36 It's the first time it's happening.

01:49:38 These young people are looking forward to your support

01:49:41 and your comments.

01:49:42 So jump on the stream, if you can come into the chamber,

01:49:45 get onto the YouTube as well as the Facebook

01:49:47 and just encourage these young people.

01:49:49 I mean, Tobago is in a very, very good place politically

01:49:52 with these types of young persons coming up.

01:49:55 Let's give them the training, let's give them the support.

01:49:57 - Yeah, Ajay, it was a pleasure speaking with you.

01:49:59 Thank you very much for joining us this morning.

01:50:01 Bye for now.

01:50:02 - No problem, it's a pleasure.

01:50:03 - All right, we are going to a very short break.

01:50:05 We're coming back, everybody.

01:50:06 (upbeat music)

01:50:08 (upbeat music)

01:50:11 (upbeat music)

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01:51:50 right here on TV6 for our many moments of inspiration.

01:51:54 (upbeat music)

01:51:59 ♪ Oh, there's a story ♪

01:52:02 ♪ Well, are you ready for a brand new discovery ♪

01:52:07 ♪ Calypso ♪

01:52:09 ♪ Calypso ♪

01:52:11 ♪ Calypso music ♪

01:52:14 ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

01:52:16 ♪ Calypso ♪

01:52:19 ♪ Calypso ♪

01:52:20 - Welcome back, everyone.

01:52:21 So the US or US mayors want jobs for Caribbean immigrants.

01:52:26 They want jobs for about 2 million Caribbean immigrants.

01:52:31 They want documents and so on

01:52:36 for some of our relatives in the US.

01:52:38 So that's gonna do it for our program for today.

01:52:42 Thank you very much for joining us.

01:52:43 I know it's Monday.

01:52:45 Let's run out there and be productive this week, everybody.

01:52:49 So that's gonna do it for our program for today.

01:52:51 We have this image for you.

01:52:53 Have a good day, everybody.

01:52:54 We'll see you tomorrow right back here.

01:52:57 ♪ It is a living vibration ♪

01:53:00 ♪ Rooted deep within my Caribbean belly ♪

01:53:05 ♪ Lyrics to make a politician cringe ♪

01:53:10 ♪ Or turn a woman's body into jelly ♪

01:53:14 ♪ Shake, shake ♪

01:53:16 ♪ It is a sweet soul music ♪

01:53:18 ♪ Calypso ♪

01:53:21 ♪ It could have never refused ♪

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