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00:00:00And the very special Good Morning Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the world, I'm
00:00:17Marlon Hopkins.
00:00:18And as always, welcome to The Morning Edition.
00:00:20It's Monday, 12 August, and thank you very much for joining us this morning.
00:00:24I hope that you had a safe weekend, a good weekend, that you had the opportunity to spend
00:00:32some time with your family, yeah?
00:00:34And that you're safe and with us this morning, all right?
00:00:36So we do have a very interesting two hours of our program today, and of course, we invite
00:00:42you to stay with us, all right?
00:00:44Let's check out to see what's happening on the Daily Express today, all right?
00:00:47Let me show you this.
00:00:49Medal-less, yeah?
00:00:51That's the headline on the Daily Express today.
00:00:55And it speaks about Olympic Committee President says, changes needed after Team TTO comes
00:00:59home empty-handed.
00:01:01Let's see what she says.
00:01:03TTOC chief after medal-less Olympic showing, different approach needed.
00:01:08It ended as a medal-less showing for Trinidad and Tobago in back-to-back Olympic campaigns.
00:01:13At Paris 2024, Team TTO repeated its Tokyo 2020 performance.
00:01:18Before that, the country's athletes had climbed the podium at six straight editions of the
00:01:23Olympics between 1996 and 2016.
00:01:27Before Ada Bolden's double sprint bronze at Atlanta 1996, TNT endured a two-decade drought
00:01:35following Hazley Crawford's historic 100 meters gold at Montreal 1976.
00:01:41There are concerns in some quarters that the current no-medal trend could develop into
00:01:46another drought.
00:01:47I saw an interview being done with Andrew Batiste and Atul Bolden on the weekend.
00:01:54If you do get the opportunity, take a look at that interview.
00:01:58Very interesting interview.
00:01:59A number of things Atul would have said, really telling the authorities in Trinidad and Tobago
00:02:06that it's time to get their act together.
00:02:09And you know how Atul speaks in the only way that he can speak very, very straightforward.
00:02:14You know, he even spoke about that, that, you know, sometimes when you give positive
00:02:20criticisms, they come out in a certain type of way.
00:02:24All right. So he has asked people to forget all of that.
00:02:27He has even said that he is prepared to help Trinidad and Tobago in its quest for medals.
00:02:34All they have to do is to give him a call and he'll assist in any way that he can.
00:02:40All right. So the doors are open.
00:02:43So let's try to use that opportunity.
00:02:45Just my view.
00:02:46All right. Because it doesn't change the fact that we have come back home without any medals.
00:02:53All right. OK, let's go to the back page now.
00:02:56You're seeing that. Where do I go?
00:02:58Yeah. Move my hand.
00:03:02It's gone from zero to 100.
00:03:06So Aremians complain about rising crime, despite admitting to the looming threat of crime
00:03:12in the borough. Most Aremians who spoke to the express from the streets on Thursday
00:03:16expressed disappointment in Mayor Ballyram Maharaj's decision to cancel the Juve
00:03:21celebrations without stating their names or giving too much information to reveal their
00:03:25identity. Most people were willing to talk about the Arema they knew, the current
00:03:31situation and the one they would like to see.
00:03:34They described the Arema now as crime infested and frightening at times.
00:03:40All right. Let's give you a little more sport this morning.
00:03:47Yeah. So one of the main stories in the express newspaper today.
00:03:58All right. And it speaks about West Indies save first test.
00:04:02The result of the match is more important than getting a hundred.
00:04:06But I would have loved to have got a hundred.
00:04:09Alec Athenaeus got his priorities right.
00:04:11Yesterday is 92, while eight runs short of a coveted first test.
00:04:15Hundred proved a most valuable innings for the West Indies yesterday as they drew the
00:04:20first test against South Africa.
00:04:23Yeah. So the Olympics, they came to a close yesterday.
00:04:29The curtains came down and the next Olympics is going to be in Los Angeles.
00:04:35Yeah. Look, Tom Cruise.
00:04:40So right. And it's Tom Cruise rode off with the Olympic flag yesterday to signal that
00:04:47it's coming to L.A. Yeah.
00:04:50All right. What do we have for viewers now?
00:04:52All right. Or Trinbago Unice feature.
00:04:55Right. Let me see if I get the hand right this morning.
00:04:59Yeah. Yeah.
00:05:01Trinbago Unice at TV6TNT.com.
00:05:04We really do appreciate you sending videos and images to us.
00:05:08Yeah. And as I always tell you, you could put your name.
00:05:11You don't have to give your entire government name, you know, but it's good to say good
00:05:15morning to you. That's a beautiful picture.
00:05:17And that looks to be a breadfruit tree.
00:05:20What do you think, studio?
00:05:22That tree in the middle there.
00:05:23One, two, three.
00:05:25That looks like a breadfruit tree.
00:05:27And yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:05:29Men in studio say, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:05:31They're looking like a breadfruit tree.
00:05:33So that person would have said that to us this morning.
00:05:36All right. So as I said to you, we do have a lot for you on the program today.
00:05:40You have your coffee, your tea, get something to eat and come back.
00:06:04And take it easy.
00:06:06The rise of the murder.
00:06:08I've read about printing, jazzy, I love it.
00:06:10Make the whole place better.
00:06:14Make the right choice and I will see the optical get complete single vision lenses
00:06:17with frames for two ninety nine single vision lenses with transition and designer
00:06:21frames eight ninety nine and get your progressive transitions with designer frames
00:06:25for forty ninety nine at CV Optical.
00:06:27Affordable eyewear for everyone.
00:06:29From the master of suspense and night Shyamalan.
00:06:34He's really good.
00:06:35He is your next door neighbor and the father of two children.
00:06:39But beneath the surface, this whole concert, it's a trap.
00:06:43He's Cooper is someone else.
00:06:46I've been following him for all 18 victims.
00:06:48Dad, you're acting weird.
00:06:51Monsters aren't real.
00:06:53Yes, they are.
00:06:56Trap only in theaters.
00:07:00This is your opportunity to win with the Trinidad Express newspapers.
00:07:04Twenty lucky participants will walk away with tickets to one of five TKR home games,
00:07:10plus a humble courtesy of Angostura.
00:07:12Simply look for the entry form at the back of the express, fill it out and send us a
00:07:17picture of the completed form via WhatsApp for your chance to win.
00:07:22It's as easy as.
00:07:24So grab this opportunity to win with the Trinidad Express newspapers.
00:07:28Promotion approved by the NLCB.
00:07:44Join us on the number one station in Trinidad and Tobago for Showtime this
00:07:49Wednesday, 830 p.m.
00:07:50only on TV6.
00:07:53A skill online, you know, it is where the name Larry I get in with him now.
00:08:02It.
00:08:09Let's take a selfie.
00:08:13It looking good.
00:08:14Boy, I wasn't it online.
00:08:16Hey, I thought you say I went to the beach with your parents.
00:08:20Who's you?
00:08:21It's me, Larry, from online.
00:08:46Sorry.
00:09:01All right, so welcome back, everyone again.
00:09:03Thank you very much for joining us this Monday morning.
00:09:06So this morning we place on the agenda the issue of extortion and more
00:09:11specifically, the impact it has been having on the business community in
00:09:14Tunapuna.
00:09:15Already, some businesses have had to close up shop and some families have
00:09:19left the country because of threats and attacks.
00:09:22Joining us this morning is president of the Tunapuna Police Station Community
00:09:26Council, Neil Budusing.
00:09:27Mr. Budusing is also an executive member of the Greater Tunapuna Chamber of
00:09:32Industry and Commerce.
00:09:33Mr. Budusing, thank you very much for speaking with us this morning.
00:09:38Morning to you and your viewers, Mr. Marlon.
00:09:41Yes, to be here, of course, is always a pleasure to speak with you, Mr.
00:09:44Budusing. How serious is the situation of extortion in Tunapuna?
00:09:52Marlon, firstly, any crime that is committed is a serious
00:09:59is a serious issue, and extortion is just the latest
00:10:04and the newest form of crime
00:10:09that is being committed in not only Tunapuna, but in the country.
00:10:15Yeah, so I know that because we have been hearing reports
00:10:20that certain businesses and even small businesses
00:10:25in Tunapuna are being targeted.
00:10:28We have heard of people being threatened,
00:10:32people being attacked.
00:10:34We have heard of one incident where a vendor's home was shot up.
00:10:38We are even hearing about claims that some people have
00:10:43left the Tunapuna business area
00:10:47and have even taken it further
00:10:50and have left the country because of these threats.
00:10:56I, you know, it's hard to say, but I want to agree with you.
00:11:00There's a lot going around on social media with people
00:11:04being extorted and people leaving the country.
00:11:08What I will say is that from what I am looking at from my end,
00:11:16the criminal element targeting the more
00:11:22I don't want to say the smaller businesses,
00:11:25but the larger ones are being left at bay.
00:11:28Maybe they are more organized.
00:11:30Maybe they have surveillance systems in place.
00:11:34Maybe they have security guards in place.
00:11:37But then there are the businesses that can't afford
00:11:41that sort of expense.
00:11:44So they will be under the attack.
00:11:49Do you think where you sit as an executive member
00:11:52of the greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry and Commerce
00:11:55and also the president of the Tunapuna Police Station Community Council,
00:11:58where you sit, can you say if there is a spike
00:12:03in cases of extortion in Tunapuna?
00:12:07Yes, I would say that, as you know, Marlon,
00:12:11everything is evolving in the world and crime has evolved.
00:12:20Crime has gone to a different level.
00:12:23And we in Tunapuna believe that we need to assist the police
00:12:29in also evolving with their tools and evolving
00:12:35and evolving with their systems and their crime initiatives
00:12:42need to be evolved also.
00:12:44Yeah, so it's a different kind of criminal we are dealing with.
00:12:48And the police has to do
00:12:51their job in being more
00:12:55up to date and getting up with the times.
00:12:59And this is what we're dealing with and we have to go on.
00:13:03I'm seeing in the newspaper today, the Daily Express,
00:13:07and it is quoting the St.
00:13:08Augustine MP Khadija Amin, and she's saying that residents
00:13:12and business owners in Paget, Orange Grove Road and St.
00:13:15Augustine South are facing an alarming increase in criminal activities.
00:13:19She reported these criminal activities, including extortion,
00:13:23robbery, shootings and home invasion.
00:13:25She says these areas have become hotbeds for crime,
00:13:29with bandits taking advantage of easy escape routes via the highway.
00:13:36I will agree with that.
00:13:39But know that this is not only happening in Tunapuna,
00:13:43it's happening throughout the country and.
00:13:49My district, which is in the Tunapuna area,
00:13:52I have to concentrate on that area, and we are working with initiatives.
00:13:58We are working with systems that we can assist the police
00:14:02that we can put in place to alleviate these problems.
00:14:07But in light of the situation that faces
00:14:12members of the business community in Tunapuna,
00:14:15how do you all remain positive and how do you all?
00:14:22Think to yourselves, well, in all of this, we still have to continue business.
00:14:28Marlon, if, you know, some people look at extortion as.
00:14:35That they could just pick up and run away.
00:14:38But there are businesses that cannot afford to pack up and leave.
00:14:42There are businesses that don't have that capability, don't have that
00:14:47sort of know-how and they have to stick it out.
00:14:51But if we all were to pack up and leave, what would happen to the country?
00:14:55It would be a failed state.
00:14:57So we have to stay and do what we can do.
00:15:00We have to work with the tools that we have.
00:15:02We have to work with the TTPs.
00:15:04They are the ones that are put there to protect and to serve us.
00:15:09And we have to give them that information as a first thing.
00:15:15A lot of the reports that you have been getting and also myself
00:15:20and people have been calling me, my phone has been ringing.
00:15:23And people have been calling me, my phone has been ringing off
00:15:26with people from the Paje area and other parts of Tunakula.
00:15:32And the first thing I have to tell them is you need to go and make a report.
00:15:36The TTPs has to know about this.
00:15:38You can't just sit down and take it to social media,
00:15:42take it to your neighbors and your friends and your family.
00:15:45But you don't want to go to the TTPs to make a report.
00:15:48And this is the first thing I have to tell them.
00:15:52And some occasions I accompany them to the police station.
00:15:58But isn't there a trust and confidence issue that they feel?
00:16:02Look, if we pass on the information to the police, very little is going to be done.
00:16:09I have the privilege and I say I have the privilege
00:16:13because I work directly under the inspector of the station, Mr.
00:16:18And then I work and answer to Mr.
00:16:22Richard Smith, who is the person in charge of our decision.
00:16:26And I must say that any incident
00:16:32that went to him or my senior, direct senior, it was dealt with.
00:16:38And it was expedited and it was put on the front burner.
00:16:43It wasn't tucked away.
00:16:46So I can assure people that,
00:16:49you know, a lot of people in the district knows me
00:16:53and I've been operating there over 30 years.
00:16:56They have a lot of confidence in me and they will call me.
00:17:00And I am saying to you that if you have an incident
00:17:05and you don't want to go to the police directly, call me, call the council.
00:17:10I'm sure, you know, by extension, if it is not to the Buddha,
00:17:14you could call the council in your area.
00:17:17And there are people that will help you.
00:17:20Marlon, I'm not saying to walk into the station and make a report
00:17:24as though you just got into that accident and you just go and see a constable.
00:17:28You could walk into the station and ask to see the most senior officer.
00:17:34On duty.
00:17:36And they will, you know, take this very, very serious.
00:17:40I had a meeting after last week and I know that the TPS
00:17:47has put extortion on the front burner.
00:17:53They will not treat it as though you just got in the
00:17:58an accident.
00:18:01Well, let me just tell you what the minister
00:18:04and the Ministry of National Security has said.
00:18:06Keith Scotland, he has assured and he was speaking with Shogun as businessman
00:18:11and he was saying that extortion will be dealt with.
00:18:14So he says one of his last acts in private practice
00:18:18was to contact the Shogun police station in order for one of the police
00:18:21to go with one of his clients, a businessman.
00:18:24So he is not.
00:18:26So he is not extorted by someone whose job is it is to extort.
00:18:30And I find that unacceptable.
00:18:32So he says, I want to give you all the assurance
00:18:34that I have direct contact with the TPS.
00:18:37I am now acquainting myself with a job, but I want you all to have the assurance
00:18:42that when it comes to your businesses, your families, your homes,
00:18:45we will do all that is within our power to make sure going to safe.
00:18:50As I said, he was speaking at the show, going as chamber
00:18:54now hearing assurances like that from the minister
00:18:58in the Ministry of National Security.
00:19:00Are you optimistic as to what he would have said?
00:19:04Well, I read that article.
00:19:07With Mr. Scotland and what I would like to reach out to Mr.
00:19:12Scotland this morning via your your media here.
00:19:17Is that extortion also exist in Bajie?
00:19:22We're fully aware of that.
00:19:23We're not going to put our heads in the sand and say it doesn't exist.
00:19:28And I am inviting him
00:19:30to come to the Bajie area, to come to the Tunapuna area,
00:19:34meet with our senior officers.
00:19:37And I will personally do a walkabout.
00:19:41I'm taking the areas and taking the businesses that have reached out to me
00:19:46where there are a number of businesses that were shut up.
00:19:50I'm not going to say come up here and say this is not happening.
00:19:53This is happening.
00:19:55And there are businesses and business owners
00:19:58that I have been dealing with on a daily basis.
00:20:01That is scary.
00:20:03And maybe the minister and could do a walkabout with us
00:20:09because we do a lot of walkabouts in different neighborhoods.
00:20:13And we intend, I intend to meet with my seniors this week
00:20:16and to have planned walkabouts
00:20:20for that Bajie area that is under duress
00:20:24and actually go house to house and hear what the people are saying
00:20:28and let him hear for himself some of the instances
00:20:32and hear of the duress that people are under
00:20:36when they go through a home invasion.
00:20:39I spoke to a lady two weeks ago.
00:20:43I'm sorry to say she had a home invasion and it was horrible.
00:20:48And I sat down and I said to myself, that is the worst experience
00:20:53anybody could go through.
00:20:55And to be a law abiding citizen,
00:20:58to be paying your taxes and you doing the right thing
00:21:01and to have to come under the gun like that, it is unfair.
00:21:06And what I'm saying is that you need to report it.
00:21:11You need to get the police involved.
00:21:13But I also think that the police
00:21:18has the opportunity now to go out.
00:21:22And get on the not be on the offensive,
00:21:26but to go on and look out and get into the communities and target them.
00:21:33So instead of we being the targets,
00:21:36the police should now have these guys on the radar
00:21:40and take the fight to them.
00:21:42This is what we need to do.
00:21:43We need to go and take back the neighborhoods,
00:21:47take back the communities.
00:21:49And yes, we could set up neighborhood watches.
00:21:52Yes, we could set up set up business groups, but we can't do it on our own.
00:21:58And once the police give us that assistance and they have been trying
00:22:02to pull up and I am going to
00:22:06put my foot down and make an insist
00:22:09that we go into this area.
00:22:12And take it back.
00:22:14This is what needs to be done.
00:22:16Too many people are under duress.
00:22:19Via what means are these threats coming to members of the business community?
00:22:24Is it that people are calling business people?
00:22:27Is it that they are visiting business people?
00:22:30By what means are they using?
00:22:34Well, information that came to me is that the first thing is that I call,
00:22:39but the call normally comes from an unknown number
00:22:43or block number, and my recommendation to anybody
00:22:46is that if anybody is calling from an unknown number or block number,
00:22:49you shouldn't take the call in the first place.
00:22:53But when they make the call, they would make some sort of demand.
00:22:57They would send you some sort of pictures showing your relatives
00:23:01or your business or what have you.
00:23:03And if you don't take heed of it,
00:23:06the next day, expect that your house or your business might be shot at.
00:23:12It's as bad as that.
00:23:15And they are very whoever orchestrated
00:23:19they're very serious and they're very organized.
00:23:24So is it then you think that members of the business community
00:23:28and other people in the Tunapuna area, they are being monitored?
00:23:35Well, everybody's being monitored.
00:23:39Because the criminal element,
00:23:43this is their job and they are becoming more efficient at it.
00:23:48And we as business owners
00:23:52have to make ourselves hard targets.
00:23:56We have to change our times.
00:23:57We have to do things differently.
00:24:00We have to be alert of anything.
00:24:08As you know, Mr.
00:24:09Budu Singh, a few months ago,
00:24:12the Tunapuna area was also rocked by a number of murders.
00:24:17And at that time, it was said that the gang activities
00:24:21in the area would have contributed to these murders.
00:24:24Have things subsided somewhat?
00:24:27Or is it continuing at a pace in Tunapuna?
00:24:33Well, as my senior would say, don't don't
00:24:37talk about it too soon, because you know what would happen.
00:24:41But things have settled down with with the gang related stuff.
00:24:46We have less murders, I must say,
00:24:50but the extortion and the home invasions have been on the rise.
00:24:58But again, because we did speak about about how do people stay positive,
00:25:05but I get the impression
00:25:09that there may be some people in Tunapuna who are walking around,
00:25:15you know, constantly looking at their
00:25:20surroundings and not feeling safe.
00:25:23So as you know, Mr.
00:25:25Budu Singh, if people do not feel safe to visit Tunapuna
00:25:29and other areas that are being affected by crime, they will not come.
00:25:34And of course, this is going to affect business.
00:25:37So what's your message to people who want to come to Tunapuna
00:25:44to continue doing business or to do business in Tunapuna?
00:25:50What I will say is that, as you're aware, Mr.
00:25:53Marlon, we had a conversation last year,
00:25:56close to the end of the year, and we from then to now have launched
00:26:02a program called the Eagle Eye.
00:26:05And it was an initiative of myself and the council
00:26:10in partnership with the TTPS and with the CSN group.
00:26:14And we have installed close to 300 cameras in Tunapuna already.
00:26:20And what I will say
00:26:23is that where we have installed all these cameras.
00:26:28It has become safe
00:26:30zones. The entire business district
00:26:34is a safe zone.
00:26:36We have neighborhoods that are already under camera surveillance.
00:26:40It's a safe zone.
00:26:42This area in question that we are having these extortion issues with,
00:26:46I am making it my duty this week
00:26:50to actually go on walkabouts and get these neighborhoods involved
00:26:56in the Eagle Eye project,
00:26:59because the Eagle Eye project has been working.
00:27:03As you are aware, I mean, you're not here to talk about the Eagle Eye this morning,
00:27:07but I'll give you a brief synopsis.
00:27:11We installed cameras in a partnership with the community
00:27:15and the TTPS that are viewed directly in the Tunapuna station.
00:27:21And now with these cameras being installed
00:27:24and the element realizing that they are being looked at,
00:27:28they are moving out of those areas,
00:27:30but they are going into the areas that are easy targets.
00:27:36So I said before that we need to make ourselves a hard target.
00:27:42And one of the first initiatives is to get on board
00:27:45with this camera system, with the Eagle Eye,
00:27:47and have it installed in your neighborhood
00:27:51and get your neighborhood under lockdown.
00:27:53And we have new initiatives with super sirens
00:27:56and we have initiatives with strobe lights
00:27:59that any civilian would have access to
00:28:03and will be able to deploy in a moment's notice
00:28:06that will bring alert not only to your household,
00:28:10but to the entire neighborhood and will send a direct signal to the station.
00:28:16Our system has been launched under Mr.
00:28:19Richard Smith, and it has been showing results.
00:28:24Now, the element is definitely moving out
00:28:27of the areas that we have covered and going into the areas
00:28:31that are soft targets.
00:28:33So we intend to make the entire Tunapuna a hard target,
00:28:38but it's going to take time.
00:28:41Is it is there an opportunity for other communities
00:28:45also to come on board, read this initiative?
00:28:49As you are aware, Mr.
00:28:50Marlin, the prime minister in an open forum
00:28:55expressed his interest in this program and said he would partner with us.
00:29:01I am now appealing to him to give us that assistance that we need.
00:29:07Yes, we are doing talks throughout the country,
00:29:11but at the end of the day, it's a cost that citizens have to incur.
00:29:16Citizens have to incur.
00:29:18And if the the government were to get involved at this point
00:29:22and assist us with some financing
00:29:26and to put things in place, this program could be spread
00:29:30throughout the country.
00:29:32I have been doing talks left, right and center,
00:29:35and people have been taking initiative.
00:29:38We have people in Chagonas coming on board.
00:29:41We have people in Glencoe coming on board.
00:29:44We have people in Arima, people in Brandy.
00:29:49Even as far as Princess Town, we went there, we did talks.
00:29:52People are coming on board slowly.
00:29:55But if the government were to pick up this initiative and run with it
00:29:58and put cameras in all neighborhoods and the system that we have brought up
00:30:03with the super sirens that would cause a havoc.
00:30:08When there's a home invasion,
00:30:10anything that there's havoc and all your neighbors
00:30:13getting involved and turning on the lights and alarms going off,
00:30:18the criminal will run and leave.
00:30:19Yeah, the driver might run off and leave them.
00:30:22Mr. Budusing, I just have about a minute again.
00:30:24Any final comments that you would want to share with us?
00:30:29What I would like to say
00:30:33to the business community and even homeowners
00:30:37in the Tudopuna area and also nationwide.
00:30:41If you have a problem, there's an issue.
00:30:45You are under attack.
00:30:47Go to the TTPS.
00:30:49Don't walk in and ask for a junior person.
00:30:52Go and ask for a senior person.
00:30:55Speak to them.
00:30:56Let them know what is happening, because the only avenue
00:31:00we have as citizens would be the TTPS.
00:31:05Not all of us.
00:31:09Not all of us are privy
00:31:12to leave the country.
00:31:13Not all of us are privy to run away.
00:31:16I am in a position to pack up shop.
00:31:18Some of us depend on what businesses we have.
00:31:22And the only way to keep it afloat is to go and report it
00:31:26and get the assistance of the police.
00:31:29I am fully aware of the TTPS
00:31:33getting involved and helping
00:31:37and eradicating situations.
00:31:40I am aware of this.
00:31:42And I fully endorse TTPS in this manner.
00:31:46All right, Mr.
00:31:46Budhasinghe, it's always a pleasure speaking with you.
00:31:48Thank you very much for your perspective this morning.
00:31:50We do appreciate it.
00:31:53Thank you, sir.
00:31:54All right.
00:31:54It was always a pleasure being a part of your program.
00:31:57Thank you.
00:31:57Thank you very much, sir.
00:31:58Until we meet again and speak again.
00:32:00All right.
00:32:01So it's time for a very quick break.
00:32:02We are coming back.
00:33:32All right. So welcome back, everyone.
00:33:50So we continue to focus on the crime situation in Tobago.
00:33:54You will remember that last week a meeting was held to discuss
00:33:57the problem and solutions.
00:33:59Well, joining us this morning is political leader of the PDP,
00:34:02Watson Duke. Mr. Duke, good morning.
00:34:04And thank you very much for joining us.
00:34:10All right, Mr. Duke, are you hearing us?
00:34:12Morning. Good morning.
00:34:13Good morning. Good morning.
00:34:14Good morning, Marlon.
00:34:15Good morning, Trinidad and Tobago.
00:34:18It's good to be here.
00:34:19Yeah, it's good to be six.
00:34:21It's always good to to see and speak with you, Mr.
00:34:23Duke. Well, your perspective this morning on this spike
00:34:26in criminal activity in Tobago.
00:34:28Well, the thing, but the reality is that the papers
00:34:31or that have carried a story that's at simply states that
00:34:36I want to look at the headlines.
00:34:38It says here that
00:34:43I put it right up there.
00:34:44THJ employee arrested for trafficking drugs and gun.
00:34:50And it has to do with a 30 year old employee from a Tobago
00:34:54House of Assembly chief secretary of the state.
00:34:56And it has to do with a 30 year old employee from a Tobago
00:34:59House of Assembly chief secretary office.
00:35:03I tell you, the man who is trying to fight
00:35:08crime. Has crime happening under his roof.
00:35:14Then we we are worried people.
00:35:16Well, Mr. Duke, just before you move on, just just before you move on,
00:35:20just to say that the chief secretary, he put out a post yesterday
00:35:25is not attached in any way to his office.
00:35:30You see, chief secretary is a known pathological liar.
00:35:34And I see that on here.
00:35:37Prior to the election, at the dawn of the elections in 2021,
00:35:41you went to thousands of Tobago, millions and millions of people
00:35:44around the world and saw an affidavit
00:35:48saying that he will stick to the PDP plan
00:35:51and he will ensure that that there is a what you call it,
00:35:56these people who whisper and give secrets out, et cetera.
00:36:01But for the fancy name you call them, right?
00:36:04These are the critter bill, right?
00:36:06For those reasons, recently, the parliament
00:36:08ensured that that he will put policies in place to ensure
00:36:11a person could bring acts of corruption to him
00:36:14and that the people in his society and the societies of Tobago
00:36:18could hold the document up and see where people are going wrong.
00:36:20You would have created an avenue for that within one year,
00:36:24with less than a year, nine months, the detour only got left and say, look,
00:36:27we know that we know of that.
00:36:29We are independent.
00:36:30We people voted for us, not the party.
00:36:33This man's a pathological liar.
00:36:36This man was in that same TV station you're on now
00:36:39telling Fazi Muhammad before he departed.
00:36:42That he won the election, not me.
00:36:44People voted for me because of him.
00:36:46He's a pathological liar.
00:36:48Tobago does not trust him.
00:36:50He sees one thing and do a completely another thing.
00:36:54Right. And Tobago doesn't trust him.
00:36:56Tobago is ready for elections.
00:36:57And now I'm happy because I see that next year they'll be out of there.
00:37:01But I always say this.
00:37:04When people in office, they are covered by the cloak of office.
00:37:08When you come out of office, their sins are exposed.
00:37:12He has a lot to answer for.
00:37:14And this crime is his responsibility.
00:37:16This is a national issue.
00:37:19It's a community issue in Tobago.
00:37:21It's a Tobago issue.
00:37:22And he is directly responsible.
00:37:25But again, he takes no responsibility for nothing.
00:37:29Hence, he could say to us that the person who is working
00:37:33underneath him has nothing to do with his department.
00:37:37But that is what he said yesterday.
00:37:40But of course, as I said last week, stakeholders would have met.
00:37:44The chief secretary would have led a delegation
00:37:48into the talks.
00:37:49The minority leader was there.
00:37:51Members of the business community were there.
00:37:54Members of the police service were there.
00:37:56Do you feel optimistic that
00:37:59something good is going to come out of these talks
00:38:02as it relates to dealing with crime in Tobago?
00:38:07They are perpetuating Tobagoans.
00:38:08Tobagoans that have journeyed around Tobago yesterday and Saturday, etc.
00:38:12They could care less about what he sees and what he does,
00:38:16because there's a mismatch.
00:38:18Let me tell you this, sir.
00:38:20You cannot talk to the head of the National Security Council,
00:38:23the prime minister.
00:38:24You cannot talk to the commissioner of police and all the heads of the army, etc.
00:38:29And then come back about three weeks later and have a lower meeting.
00:38:32You know what? That's nonsense.
00:38:34He's insulting the dignity of this nation.
00:38:38He was fighting for a conversation with the prime minister
00:38:40when he got the conversation with the prime minister.
00:38:43He said, yes, everything will be better now.
00:38:45But then he comes to us and he's having a low class meeting.
00:38:50Something is wrong with our chief secretary.
00:38:52He's not thinking right.
00:38:53That conversation has reached the level of the prime minister.
00:38:55And there is where the conversations will stay.
00:38:58But he doesn't understand what he's doing.
00:39:00He's flipping the ball.
00:39:03But, Mr. Duke, I mean, I don't know that people will agree with you
00:39:07when you say a low class meeting, because there were
00:39:11senior officials of the police service there.
00:39:15The ACP was there.
00:39:16I believe the the senior superintendent of the Tobago Division,
00:39:20that they were there.
00:39:22So in that context, I suspect these are the people
00:39:27who are responsible for all of the police officers in Tobago.
00:39:31And they would have
00:39:34authority over as to what crime plan
00:39:38should be put in place to deal with crime in Tobago.
00:39:40Yes and no, Marlon, let's understand this.
00:39:43You have elevated the
00:39:47nature of the meeting to that of the prime minister,
00:39:50the commission of police and all the heads of all the various security departments.
00:39:56They gave you their commitment.
00:39:59Then before you go back and have a next meeting again,
00:40:01follow up with them at the chief secretary,
00:40:03you have gone for your for the peers, if your peers in Tobago,
00:40:07that you cannot do that.
00:40:08Negotiation is not like that.
00:40:09You don't go up and then come back down.
00:40:12You go up and keep the conversation of the if crime has escaped
00:40:16to be able to become a national issue, it should remain a national issue.
00:40:20There's no reason to get back down.
00:40:21He doesn't know what he is doing.
00:40:22The young man is confused.
00:40:24And I regret I even supported him.
00:40:26I must say that I regret because he's nothing like he said he would have been.
00:40:31Total traitor.
00:40:33What's the Duke?
00:40:37It wasn't you.
00:40:39You're you're something else, you know.
00:40:40But here's what
00:40:43I mean, you're still the political leader of your party.
00:40:49I suspect of I suspect you are going to contest the next
00:40:54election and also the general elections.
00:40:58So you you as a politician,
00:41:01so you you as political leader, of course,
00:41:05I'm sure that you must have a view, a plan as to how to address crime in Tobago.
00:41:12Certainly, but I want to give my plan, at least these kids
00:41:17an experiment with the plan and make the plan look like a failure.
00:41:20All right. So I'll wait until you have a plan.
00:41:24What's the Duke or you don't have a plan?
00:41:27So do you have a plan or you don't have a plan to make the plan look?
00:41:30Of course, I have a plan.
00:41:31There's always a plan afoot, I think, on my feet.
00:41:35And it's easy to be dynamic because crime situation in Tobago is dynamic.
00:41:39It's Scarborough one day.
00:41:41It's the next day.
00:41:43It's Mount Pleasant the next day.
00:41:45It's Roxborough next day.
00:41:46It keeps moving. It's dynamic.
00:41:47And it's not guns.
00:41:48People think it is guns.
00:41:49It is not guns.
00:41:51It's not guns.
00:41:52We do not have guns in Tobago.
00:41:55Gangs are endemic to certain clusters like you have planning.
00:41:59We have no plannings in Tobago.
00:42:01All these persons come from an individual home, not even an apartment complex.
00:42:06They come from a home where they walk in and their family, their past neighbors.
00:42:10These are people who live within the community,
00:42:13but they keep trying to make it look as if it's a gang thing.
00:42:16And it's not a gang thing.
00:42:18It's a community issue.
00:42:20Yes, there's an influx of guns in Tobago
00:42:22because someone thinks that maybe to destabilize Tobago,
00:42:26you should bring guns here and bring drugs here.
00:42:29But there is no gangs.
00:42:30There is no gangs.
00:42:32People are idle.
00:42:33And so when there's no work, they sit in idle hall.
00:42:35They sit and they talk and they lie.
00:42:37But that's no gang.
00:42:38That's always been so.
00:42:41You see, it has always been so.
00:42:43So what we are seeing here, it is not a new problem.
00:42:47It's just that we are just seeing it, seeing it bubbling over now.
00:42:51That's what you're saying.
00:42:53The new problem here is the influx of guns.
00:42:56There are many guns in Tobago coming in.
00:42:58And you know why?
00:42:59We must now blame national security for this.
00:43:01National security has failed.
00:43:04And if it is on one point, the PNM should lose elections
00:43:08and perhaps the UNC should lose elections also, too.
00:43:11You know, they have never secured the borders.
00:43:14They have never secured the borders of the country.
00:43:16The first thing when a man buy a piece of land and you have encroaching neighbors,
00:43:20the first thing you do is to secure your borders, your property.
00:43:24And if you don't, if I think chain link fence is too weak,
00:43:27you create concrete fence.
00:43:29And so they have failed to concretize our borders, to protect our borders
00:43:33with the relevant Coast Guard vessels,
00:43:36air patrols, sea patrols, et cetera.
00:43:39So now we have lots of guns coming into the country
00:43:42and we have both the police and the civilians saying
00:43:45the borders are porous.
00:43:48We have recently, as maybe earlier in the year,
00:43:51the Coast Guard vessel sunk right in the base, right in the base.
00:43:55The vessel was shown underwater.
00:43:58What kind of madness is this?
00:44:00They collect a budget of six billion dollars every year.
00:44:04And you can't buy a boat.
00:44:05And we did not have the chief secretary running around like a headless chicken
00:44:09as if he has no proper thing to do with Tobago money.
00:44:12To see he's going to rent a boat, rent some prerogs, some high class prerogs
00:44:16or glorified prerogs for Coast Guard.
00:44:18And he knows he's admitting up front it is not the ideal boat,
00:44:22but what they can do.
00:44:24Who gave him permission to use Tobago money to rent prerogs?
00:44:27And who they're renting prerogs by? Who they should rent?
00:44:30We don't want that. We don't want that.
00:44:31Let national security handle the borders.
00:44:34The borders belong to national security
00:44:37because Tobago exists within the country of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:44:42It is not by itself.
00:44:43So let national security patrol the borders.
00:44:46And we must hold them account to that.
00:44:48But on the ground, on the island, we are responsible.
00:44:52Have you been on the ground?
00:44:53And if so, what have the people been telling you?
00:44:58Well, the people have been saying that they're dissatisfied with falling.
00:45:01He's a big disappointment.
00:45:03We came in a riding high saying we are going to fix this.
00:45:06But then when you look at them in their cheekbone, it's fat.
00:45:09It's swelling with meat.
00:45:10You know, all of them, their cheekbone have gotten fat.
00:45:13Their waistline have fat.
00:45:14They have love handles now along their waist.
00:45:16While the rest of society suffer, they go home with the security.
00:45:20People go home with their dog.
00:45:22They put on the roof.
00:45:23It's not balanced.
00:45:26People do not feel the benefit of having a new THC administration.
00:45:32Do you want them out?
00:45:34Do you want them out?
00:45:36They can't wait to get them out.
00:45:38That's what people are saying to me.
00:45:39They are failures.
00:45:41Imagine the man can't even protect his own office, chief secretary office,
00:45:44that the papers would report that he told the old man
00:45:47attached to the chief secretary office, guns and drugs.
00:45:51You can't protect that.
00:45:52If the papers report that, where the people got the information from.
00:45:55Mr. Duke, where the people got the information.
00:45:57Mr. Duke, the chief secretary, the chief secretary was quick to deny that.
00:46:02And he says that the gentleman and he said no way
00:46:06associated with his office. All right.
00:46:10So I know, I know, because sometimes, you know, I feel, Mr.
00:46:14Duke, that sometimes, you know, you have personal issues with Mr.
00:46:19Mr. Augustine. So of course I do.
00:46:23I do. Yeah, I do have postage.
00:46:26Don't feel it. I want to know it.
00:46:27And I want Trinidad and Tobago to know it's personal.
00:46:30But when you groom a young man and they put a young man into office
00:46:34and the young man betray you and then betrayal of Tobago
00:46:37and operates as if you have done nothing wrong.
00:46:40That young man has done something illegal, something wrong.
00:46:43And it's only running on the looseness of the law to operate his dirty work.
00:46:48But I think what he's doing, right?
00:46:49Yes, Mr. Duke.
00:46:50But I think that because of of of this relationship
00:46:55or the lack of a relationship with Mr.
00:46:57Augustine, I think that if sometimes your comments come come across personal,
00:47:04I feel that it may be doing a disservice
00:47:10to the electorate who you would want to vote for you.
00:47:15And they may say, well, here's what you're not seeing things in a neutral way.
00:47:19And you're seeing things in an emotional way
00:47:22and you're not really giving the truth.
00:47:25Very good point. What is a man without emotion?
00:47:28What is a man without making things personal?
00:47:31There's a time to make things personal as a time to generalizing.
00:47:35I take politics very personal.
00:47:37I don't know how you take politics, Marlon.
00:47:39It's not general who win win.
00:47:40But I saw him on your Tuesday yesterday.
00:47:42What's your state today?
00:47:43Today, I take politics to beg onions.
00:47:46I've become I've come to a point where I'm not taking the politics.
00:47:50You can't come and tell us that.
00:47:52No, no, no. I strain that business.
00:47:53No, no, no. I stand business.
00:47:55Not you. He has to accept responsibility for the crime situation in the country.
00:47:59He has to accept that.
00:48:01And crime is very personal because when they kill people, it's not enough.
00:48:04I have heard last night that a trio or a girl, right?
00:48:08From Pembroke died.
00:48:11When you go to the hospital, she was some of us, some of us
00:48:15was healing and she died at the hospital.
00:48:17I also learned that a young lady, also a nurse, died
00:48:20recently about a few days ago at the hospital while delivering a baby.
00:48:25Come on. That is personal to me.
00:48:27There's nothing general about that.
00:48:28I do not accept that as another day for me.
00:48:31I accept that as something serious, especially young people.
00:48:34Come on. They are doing nonsense up there.
00:48:37And they all need to submit their resignation and let Tobago choose someone
00:48:41they want to because never vote for a bunch of independents without no plan.
00:48:45Yeah, to be going.
00:48:46Never vote for the forward dressed up as if they see people party.
00:48:51They've never done that.
00:48:53This is political war.
00:48:54I want them to know that we are coming for the teacher.
00:48:57We're coming for the Tobago East and the Tobago West.
00:49:00And I see by next week, Sunday, around the 25th of August,
00:49:03I'll be launching my attack officially,
00:49:07officially on both the PNM and the TPP.
00:49:10This is political war.
00:49:11Tobago is not a plaything.
00:49:13I didn't fight for Tobago to be a dolly baby.
00:49:16We fight, we have fought for Tobago, that it be returned to the hands of the people.
00:49:20We say power to the people and we mean that.
00:49:23We don't play with that. It's personal.
00:49:26What can we expect or what do you expect?
00:49:29Re-crime in Tobago, let's say in the next few days
00:49:33in the next few weeks, in the next few months.
00:49:35Do we see a let up in this situation?
00:49:39But two things are going to happen.
00:49:40One, I believe that.
00:49:44The THC will want to force the police to carry out extrajudicial killings,
00:49:50because I say enough talk, enough talk.
00:49:53You want to make someone, you know, Mr.
00:49:54Duke, I think with the greatest respect to you, Mr.
00:49:57Duke, I don't know that you or anyone.
00:50:02I don't know that you or anyone has any evidence of that.
00:50:06This claim that you're making this morning.
00:50:10I mean, I don't know where's the evidence you're saying,
00:50:14but I'm not going to say what you said, but I'm just saying where's the evidence of this?
00:50:20Well, listen to me, you're not asking for evidence, you're asking for my opinion.
00:50:24Yes, but it has to be backed by evidence.
00:50:28It has to be backed by evidence.
00:50:31Because the answer, you know, knock me out of the air and say, no, no, no, no, no.
00:50:37So rephrase the question and answer.
00:50:38You have my personal feeling.
00:50:40I get my personal feeling.
00:50:41So ask me a question again.
00:50:42You want me to answer and I'll answer your question.
00:50:44I have asked you, what do you expect in the next?
00:50:48I asked you, is there going to be a let up, you think, in the crime situation?
00:50:53That is why that is what I ask.
00:50:56My expectation, I said, but I don't want to hear it.
00:51:00You don't want to hear my experience.
00:51:01Because I don't know, with the greatest respect to you and everyone else,
00:51:05I don't know that what you're saying is based on fact.
00:51:08Well, when the chief said, enough talk, no more talking.
00:51:13Drastic actions and he began to call people in our society miscreants
00:51:18and derogatory names like that.
00:51:20It's a view that he has personalized of our young people,
00:51:25our men and our women, miscreants.
00:51:27You never see unemployed people who have become deviants of society
00:51:31because of lack of social protection.
00:51:33That's what that should place around them.
00:51:35You never said that.
00:51:36The miscreants, enough talk, real shoe biting, real gunman thing,
00:51:40real cowboy thingy talking.
00:51:42That's what I'm saying to you.
00:51:44I'm saying to you, I expect, I expect you to try to force
00:51:48that the police are responsible.
00:51:49The police under ACP Hazel are responsible people.
00:51:54Yeah, they are not crazy people at all.
00:51:56They are responsible people.
00:51:57So they don't want to bring people from Trinidad
00:52:00who has no attachment to the community in which we live.
00:52:04To carry out that thing.
00:52:09I'm saying to them, they care.
00:52:12Tobago will not accept that.
00:52:14We do not, Tobago, all of us are one family here.
00:52:17All of us are one family.
00:52:18I was even told I'm related to Pauli Agustin.
00:52:20I mean, I dread to believe that, but I was told that I'm related to him.
00:52:26You see how far, you know, how far this thing could go.
00:52:30You have to be careful as to how you appoint and how you label people in our society.
00:52:34Mr. Duke, Mr. Duke, we are run out of time.
00:52:37But thank you very much for speaking with us this morning.
00:52:40We always do appreciate it.
00:52:42All right. Speak to you sometime in the future, Mr. Duke.
00:52:45Bye for now.
00:52:46All right. So we are going to a very short break.
00:52:48We are coming back.
00:52:56Because his promises remain forever and ever.
00:53:00Don't let nobody trick you.
00:53:04Blessings flowing over here.
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00:54:34Father Lord, put a hand.
00:54:37How many times you uttered that with something similar,
00:54:42out of frustration or tiredness when dealing with your family?
00:54:48But even if it isn't said with feelings,
00:54:52prayers are critical to your family life.
00:54:55Remember, a family that prays together stays together.
00:55:00Teach your child about the importance of prayer
00:55:03as a means of connecting with the Almighty God.
00:55:06Show them to express gratitude,
00:55:09seek guidance, and find solace through prayer.
00:55:13Help them to understand that prayer can be a source of strength
00:55:18and comfort in difficult times.
00:55:21At the end of the day, do your best as parents.
00:55:25Share if you found this useful.
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00:55:33The letter of the day is P for prayers.
00:55:43Good morning. I'm Jule Brown with your TV6 News Morning Update.
00:55:47A 21-year-old mother was among three young people shot and killed by police in Kareni yesterday.
00:55:54While the police said they were members of the resistance gang,
00:55:57their relatives described them as quiet and being unruly.
00:56:01The mother was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:04Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:07Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:10Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:13Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:16Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:19Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:22Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:25Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:28Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:31Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:34Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:38Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:41Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:44Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:47Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:50Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:53Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:56Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:56:59Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:02Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:05Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:08Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:11Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:14Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:17Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:20Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:23Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:26Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:29Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:32Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:35Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:38Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:41Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:44Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:47Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:50Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:53Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:56Police say she was arrested and taken to a police station.
00:57:59We all have an idea of what love can be.
00:58:02But 15 seconds can change everything.
00:58:05But 15 seconds can change everything.
00:58:08But 15 seconds can change everything.
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00:58:17But 15 seconds can change everything.
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00:58:23But 15 seconds can change everything.
00:58:26But 15 seconds can change everything.
00:58:34Ends with us.
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00:59:14I am your mother.
00:59:15I'm grandmother.
00:59:17Guardian.
00:59:18Friend.
00:59:19And I promise to protect you in all situations.
00:59:23Because someone has hurt you,
00:59:25violated you,
00:59:26harmed you,
00:59:27abused you,
00:59:29and you were brave enough to tell me you trusted me.
00:59:33You came to me for help,
00:59:35to defend,
00:59:36for support,
00:59:38to protect you.
00:59:40No amount of money,
00:59:42or bribes,
00:59:43favors,
00:59:44or gifts will stop me.
00:59:47You are most important to me.
00:59:50You are worth more to me than any material thing.
00:59:54I will do all in my power,
00:59:56in my heart,
00:59:58to make sure that you are taken care of,
01:00:01and that justice is served,
01:00:03and you thrive.
01:00:05Together, my daughter,
01:00:06my son,
01:00:07my child,
01:00:09we will live and love.
01:00:11I will protect you.
01:00:13Break the silence.
01:00:14Report all cases of child sexual abuse.
01:00:21I know it's very easy.
01:00:23Just go on the rap to your people,
01:00:25and tell them like me,
01:00:27there is one race.
01:00:28Caribbean man.
01:00:29From the same place.
01:00:30Caribbean man.
01:00:31That make the same trip.
01:00:32Caribbean man.
01:00:33On the same ship.
01:00:34Caribbean man.
01:00:35So we must push one common intention.
01:00:38It's for a better life in the region.
01:00:40For the women,
01:00:42and the children.
01:00:44That must be the answer.
01:00:45All right, so welcome back everyone.
01:00:46So the Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Center
01:00:49is an agency of the Ministry of Finance
01:00:51that is spearheading the government's
01:00:53cashless society agenda.
01:00:55Joining us on set is Dawn Nelson,
01:00:57Vice President, Financial Sector Transformation,
01:00:59Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Center,
01:01:02to tell us more about the TTIFC.
01:01:06Ms. Nelson.
01:01:07Yes.
01:01:08Thank you very much for joining us this morning.
01:01:09Good morning Marlon,
01:01:10and good morning to Trinidad and Tobago.
01:01:12Thanks for having us.
01:01:13Of course, it's good to have you here.
01:01:14Of course.
01:01:15Well, let's talk a little bit about the TTIFC.
01:01:16Absolutely.
01:01:18So the TTIFC is a state enterprise
01:01:20under the Ministry of Finance.
01:01:22And back in April of 2021,
01:01:24our mandate was revised,
01:01:26and now we stand on three pillars.
01:01:28So those are the digitalization of government payments,
01:01:31enabling the fintech sector,
01:01:33and really kind of establishing Trinidad and Tobago
01:01:36as a fintech hub and a regional leader.
01:01:39And also, most importantly,
01:01:40and I think most of what we're going to talk about this morning,
01:01:43is financial inclusion.
01:01:45Having to close the gap around financial inclusion.
01:01:48Of course.
01:01:49But I know that recently,
01:01:53was there a national financial inclusion survey?
01:01:57That's right.
01:01:58What were the findings?
01:01:59So that was very interesting.
01:02:00And let me take a little step back
01:02:02to what was the idea and the focus behind the survey.
01:02:06The World Bank, and through the fintech framework,
01:02:10usually conducts these financial inclusion surveys
01:02:13across the world, globally.
01:02:14And our last one was in 2017.
01:02:17So based on the appetite of the Ministry of Finance
01:02:21to really have quantitative data
01:02:24around the state of financial inclusion,
01:02:27the TTIFC was mandated
01:02:30to conduct a national financial inclusion survey
01:02:33to understand where we are currently.
01:02:36What did we find?
01:02:37We found that 25% of our population
01:02:42across Trinidad and Tobago are financially excluded.
01:02:46And even delving a little bit deeper into that number,
01:02:50of that 25%, 51% were involuntarily
01:02:56financially excluded.
01:02:57So what does that mean?
01:02:58It means that they want to participate
01:03:00in the formal financial economy, but can't.
01:03:03So why?
01:03:04And we not only looked at the quantitative side of it,
01:03:09but we spent some time talking to folks in focus groups.
01:03:12We talked to MSMEs.
01:03:13We talked to the youth.
01:03:14We talked to the elderly.
01:03:16We talked to members of civil society.
01:03:18What are these barriers that are preventing you
01:03:21from participating fully?
01:03:23And we heard a number of things.
01:03:25We heard about onerous documentation.
01:03:27We heard about, well, I don't make enough
01:03:29to put in an account to have fees take that.
01:03:33That's not for me.
01:03:34We heard people who said, well, look,
01:03:35I don't know how to manage an account.
01:03:38And all of this sits in a society
01:03:41where we have tremendous mobile penetration.
01:03:44We have very good educated population.
01:03:48And we have persons who, if they look abroad,
01:03:51they know very well what's a PayPal, what's a Venmo,
01:03:54what's a Zelle.
01:03:55So what is standing in the way of us closing
01:03:59some of these financial inclusion gaps?
01:04:02So that was one side.
01:04:03The second side, and that was extremely powerful for us,
01:04:07was that 77% of micro, small, and medium enterprises
01:04:13do not possess a business bank account.
01:04:15And that's like bread and butter of transacting
01:04:19as a business entity.
01:04:21And of those 77%, 86% said, we don't take digital payments.
01:04:28So you can walk into the mom and pop shop
01:04:30in your community, the parlor, as we would say,
01:04:33and be able to transact digitally.
01:04:35Why?
01:04:36Because, again, barriers that prevent persons
01:04:40from either through knowledge, either through access,
01:04:43either through an ability to feel
01:04:45that I'm at a mature enough stage
01:04:47to have a business bank account.
01:04:49And the MSME finding, in particular,
01:04:53is very interesting.
01:04:55Because when you look at the power of that sector globally,
01:05:00you find that MSMEs account for 90% of business in the world.
01:05:07Yes.
01:05:08And they employ 50% of persons.
01:05:11But is it also that some people just don't trust the system?
01:05:15Big, big.
01:05:16And I'm glad you used the word trust, Marlon.
01:05:19Because every time you talk about a digital payment agenda,
01:05:23or you talk about using cashless in order
01:05:26to drive financial inclusion, people
01:05:28throw up all of the usual old excuses.
01:05:31Oh, they don't want to be taxed.
01:05:33Oh, they don't want the government
01:05:34to know what they're doing.
01:05:35No.
01:05:36Yes, that might be there.
01:05:37But a lot of the folks that we spoke to said to us,
01:05:41these products are just not fitting my needs.
01:05:44These products are either too expensive for me,
01:05:47or I don't understand them.
01:05:49Or if I have an issue, I don't know how to troubleshoot that.
01:05:52And we have to close the gap in terms
01:05:55of aligning the type of financial services products
01:05:59that are out there to meet the needs of everyone.
01:06:02It does not have to be a one-size-fits-all.
01:06:06Yes, yes.
01:06:10So it's not going to be a cookie-cutter approach,
01:06:14or it can't be a cookie-cutter approach.
01:06:16It must be molded in a way to meet
01:06:22the demands of the persons who want to use the system.
01:06:25Absolutely.
01:06:26And to that end, what happened after we conducted
01:06:29the National Financial Inclusion Survey?
01:06:32After we did that and we understood the baseline,
01:06:36that was our baseline assessment,
01:06:38the next thing was to kind of go and say,
01:06:40well, all right, what vision do we have
01:06:42around financial inclusion?
01:06:44Yes.
01:06:45And all of these things feed back into
01:06:47the other strands of our mandate.
01:06:49It feeds back into the digitalization of payments,
01:06:52and it feeds back into leveraging fintech.
01:06:55So we could not sit in a silo and decide
01:06:59what the vision was.
01:07:00We had to have a broad, consultative kind of approach.
01:07:05So right after the survey, we then brought in
01:07:08various stakeholders from those same segments I mentioned,
01:07:12MSMEs, the elderly, civil society, government,
01:07:16the fintech community.
01:07:18And we said to them, here's what we found in our survey.
01:07:21What do you think, from your perspective,
01:07:25would be some of those things, those programs,
01:07:28those initiatives that could close this gap,
01:07:31that could bring and fold people into the formal economy?
01:07:35And we got some very good feedback from them.
01:07:38And we incorporated that now in order to be able
01:07:42to understand what would a national financial inclusion
01:07:47strategy look like?
01:07:49What would be the programs and objectives
01:07:51that we need to do?
01:07:53And some of them were very simple.
01:07:55From our perspective, having folded in that wide view,
01:07:59we are saying financial inclusion means that
01:08:03everyone, Marlon, everyone should have access
01:08:07to a basic transactional account.
01:08:10It should be affordable.
01:08:11It should be easy to open.
01:08:13It should be competitive.
01:08:15And they should be able to troubleshoot
01:08:17any issues anytime.
01:08:19That is it.
01:08:20But are we there yet?
01:08:22And if not, how long is it going to take to get there?
01:08:25There are still gaps, right?
01:08:27I mean, it was not only the negative side we looked at.
01:08:32It wasn't only, okay, what are the gaps?
01:08:34We also understood that Trinidad and Tobago
01:08:37is a country that saves.
01:08:39We found that there's a high percentage of saving.
01:08:42We found that Trinidad and Tobago is a country
01:08:44that utilizes their mobile phones very often.
01:08:47So we are armed with some of that foundation.
01:08:52We now have to, to your point, to get there,
01:08:55leverage a little bit of the technology
01:08:58to bring better products and services
01:09:02in alignment with the folks who are saying right now,
01:09:05what you have doesn't meet my needs.
01:09:07So we're getting there.
01:09:09And the conversation takes all of us.
01:09:11It's not just we sit and we try to figure out
01:09:15how to close that gap.
01:09:16We need to talk to our current financial institutions.
01:09:19We need to have FinTech programs
01:09:21and FinTech offerings and solutions
01:09:24meet the needs of some of these folks
01:09:27who are saying, I don't feel included.
01:09:30And to that end, One FinTech Avenue
01:09:33is a space that we have created
01:09:35within the Trinidad and Tobago
01:09:37International Financial Center.
01:09:39It's a physical space, but it is also a mental,
01:09:43it's a mental nexus for people to crowd in
01:09:48all the elements that it takes to leverage FinTech
01:09:52to solve these type of concerns.
01:09:55So for example, we did a FinTech Sprint
01:09:58with a lot of thought leadership
01:10:00coming out of the United Nations Capital Development Fund.
01:10:05And this FinTech Sprint looked for problem statements
01:10:09as they exist within our ecosystem.
01:10:12One of them was with respect to the credit unions.
01:10:15The credit unions control 700,000 credit union members.
01:10:21That's a fantastic and a tremendous
01:10:23and a powerful quantity of folks.
01:10:26But yet they are not connected onto the banking rails.
01:10:30So if you are with your credit union
01:10:32and you would like to move money from your credit union,
01:10:35let's say into a bank account or to pay something,
01:10:39you don't have to wait a couple of days
01:10:41while that transaction happens.
01:10:43And we're saying, why can't we use FinTech
01:10:46to address that type of delay?
01:10:49Why can't you and your credit union
01:10:51and me and my financial institution,
01:10:53why can't we immediately transact seamlessly
01:10:57and without friction?
01:10:58That's one type of problem that we see
01:11:01that would bring financial inclusion
01:11:04and leverage financial inclusion
01:11:06and have people transact a lot more easily.
01:11:08I think that we do have a culture
01:11:11because you hear it all of the time
01:11:13when you speak to people.
01:11:15Again, they don't trust the system,
01:11:17but they don't like to pay taxes.
01:11:19And they feel, well, here's what.
01:11:22I don't want to give you this.
01:11:23I prefer to keep my money.
01:11:26Some people still do it.
01:11:27I hear it.
01:11:28Under the mattress, Marlon.
01:11:29Under the mattress.
01:11:30Under the mattress, yes.
01:11:31And it's safe that way.
01:11:32And of course, when you hear certain systems crashing
01:11:38and certain businessmen, business people
01:11:41losing thousands, tens of thousands of dollars,
01:11:44it just does not help the case
01:11:48as to what you all are trying to do, right?
01:11:51So how do you address all of those challenges?
01:11:56Yes.
01:11:57And everything you raised there
01:11:59is something that we all need to pay attention to.
01:12:02The cybersecurity and the rigidity
01:12:04of our systems and solutions
01:12:06and also people's perception of value.
01:12:10Marlon, people are very simple.
01:12:12They will do what works for them.
01:12:15And I want to give a little example
01:12:17of how fintech, digital payments,
01:12:21financial inclusion can all fold in together.
01:12:25Sometimes if I'm driving along the Valencia stretch
01:12:28and I see a woman, let's say her name is Angela.
01:12:31And Angela has a nice little backyard garden
01:12:34and she's growing these gorgeous vegetables,
01:12:37better than what you're getting in the supermarket.
01:12:39But half the time I'm passing, I don't have any cash on me.
01:12:43And Angela has no digital method
01:12:45of interacting or transacting with me.
01:12:48If there were 50 cars that passed Angela on that day
01:12:52on the Valencia stretch,
01:12:53and she could have transacted digitally,
01:12:56you immediately see the uptick in her revenue.
01:13:01Yes.
01:13:02Suppose from that now,
01:13:03with that consistency of people being able to transact with her,
01:13:07however, you now see Angela able to say,
01:13:10well, all right, I'm going to use my mother's recipe
01:13:13for pepper sauce,
01:13:14and I'm going to get into a kind of community development
01:13:18of pepper sauce.
01:13:20Just from being able to transact differently.
01:13:23So Angela, who might have previously said,
01:13:26I don't want to put my money in a financial institution,
01:13:29I'm not making enough, whatnot,
01:13:31now begins to have a digital footprint,
01:13:34a digital transaction footprint.
01:13:37Do you know, Marlon,
01:13:38she can use that digital transaction footprint
01:13:41and that can be cash flow projection.
01:13:44That can be something she can now take
01:13:46to a financial institution and say, okay, I need a loan.
01:13:50And from there, she can stand up her pepper sauce business.
01:13:53And from there, she can now employ folks.
01:13:55And from there, she can now raise the quality of her family's life.
01:13:59That is a seamless link between digital payments,
01:14:05quality of life,
01:14:06and somebody being financially included and leveraging FinTech.
01:14:10Ms. Nelsons, please stay with us for a few minutes more.
01:14:13All right?
01:14:14So we must go to a very short break.
01:14:15We're coming back.
01:14:16♪♪
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01:17:16Alright, so welcome back everyone.
01:17:18So we are continuing our discussion on the TTIFC.
01:17:21Of course, with us here this morning,
01:17:23we do have Ms. Dawn Nelson,
01:17:25Vice President, Financial Sector Transformation,
01:17:27Trinidad and Tobago International Financial Center.
01:17:30Ms. Nelson, judging from everything that you have told us this morning,
01:17:35how do businesses sign on?
01:17:37Right, so what we seek to be at the TTIFC
01:17:41is a little bit of a hub around which businesses can now
01:17:46get that kind of advice, that kind of guidance.
01:17:50So we don't intend to do this alone.
01:17:52All the services that businesses need to proliferate exist.
01:17:57You need to register your business.
01:17:59You need to open a business bank account.
01:18:01Maybe you want to move your business online.
01:18:04You want to start to leverage e-commerce.
01:18:06What we are saying is at the TTIFC,
01:18:09via that space, 1 Fintech Avenue,
01:18:12we aspire to help you solve those types of problems.
01:18:17It may mean that we connect you to our friends at NEDCO.
01:18:20We've worked alongside them,
01:18:22especially as they've moved into the area of grant distributions
01:18:26for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
01:18:29We can work alongside our friends at the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
01:18:33They have a fantastic entrepreneurial innovation capability,
01:18:38which she trades.
01:18:39We have worked alongside the CBTT.
01:18:43The CBTT has done tremendous work in the area of raising
01:18:47the visibility of financial literacy,
01:18:50and indeed we want to partner with them
01:18:52to look at digital financial literacy.
01:18:55What we recognize is that when a business,
01:18:58particularly a small business, comes to the table,
01:19:01they sometimes don't know what they don't know,
01:19:04and they want to be able to ask questions,
01:19:06and they want to be able to get an answer in one location.
01:19:10We aspire to be that location.
01:19:12So reach out to us.
01:19:14Our website is www.ttifc.co.tt.
01:19:18Take a look at what 1 Fintech Avenue has as a plan and program,
01:19:23and not more importantly, Marlon,
01:19:26but this Friday we are going to have the benefit
01:19:29of having our Honorable Minister of Finance, Carl Mimber,
01:19:32come and open and present the results
01:19:36of this National Financial Inclusion Survey.
01:19:39And from there, we seek to connect the dots now
01:19:42to that National Financial Inclusion Strategy,
01:19:46those programs and initiatives that can address
01:19:49some of those issues as you've raised in terms of businesses,
01:19:52even individuals who seek to move and evolve
01:19:56from being that, a start-up,
01:19:58into perhaps a more mature business.
01:20:00I get the feeling that this initiative is really aimed
01:20:04at making business more easier for the business.
01:20:09Business easier for the business.
01:20:11Business easier for the consumer
01:20:13who has to interact with that business.
01:20:15Business more trustworthy.
01:20:18Business more accessible.
01:20:20Because again, when you really accelerate
01:20:24your micro, small, medium enterprise segment,
01:20:27you really move your national economy forward.
01:20:30And that is an aspiration definitely of the Ministry of Finance.
01:20:33Yeah, and you know what business people like to hear.
01:20:36Making business more profitable.
01:20:38Absolutely.
01:20:39Right?
01:20:40Absolutely.
01:20:41Yeah.
01:20:42Miss Nelson, anything else you'd like to tell us
01:20:44before you leave us this morning?
01:20:45No, I'd just like to say to Trinidad and Tobago
01:20:47that this is more than just a government initiative
01:20:51or something.
01:20:53This is something that can really benefit
01:20:55each and every person,
01:20:57and we seek to hear your feedback.
01:20:59We would love for you to reach out to us.
01:21:01Let us know what you want to see evolving in this space.
01:21:05Yeah.
01:21:06Dawn Nelson, it was a pleasure speaking with you.
01:21:08Thank you.
01:21:09All of the information this morning.
01:21:10Thanks again.
01:21:11All right, so we are going to a very short break, everybody.
01:21:13We're coming back.
01:21:15For the women and the children
01:21:19That must be the ambition of the Caribbean man
01:21:22The Caribbean man, the Caribbean man
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01:23:01This is Mary
01:23:03Mary has bills to pay and takes a chance parking in front of the building at the no parking sign
01:23:10Mary returns to her car and this is what happens
01:23:21Mary decides to call when she's five minutes away to let her daughter know that she is close by
01:23:27But Mary forgot one thing
01:23:31Why?
01:23:32Second ticket for the day, I don't know na
01:23:34I really don't know
01:23:35Well I tell you
01:23:36After two tickets, Mary just isn't paying attention to her speed
01:23:56Don't be like Mary
01:23:59Obey the laws of the road
01:24:01A message from the TTPS
01:24:06Inspiration through song makes our souls rejoice
01:24:17Inspiration through dance is fueled by inspiration
01:24:22Inspiration is found in the diversity of nature
01:24:29Direct from the past
01:24:31Join us every Monday morning at 8.30am right here on TV6 for our many moments of inspiration
01:24:39Join us on the number one station in Trinidad and Tobago for Showtime this Wednesday 8.30pm only on TV6
01:25:10So probably just beginning to feel more like ourself
01:25:14So it's time now for our CPL segment and of course we are focusing a little more on the WCPL
01:25:20Which begins on August 21st
01:25:22And we're speaking now with West Indies Women's All-Rounder Chanel Henry
01:25:26Now Chanel Henry is a Jamaican All-Rounder who has been around for a little while now
01:25:31Having made her T20 international debut for the West Indies women's team in October 2013 against the England women's team
01:25:38Henry then made her women's one day international debut against New Zealand in February 2014
01:25:44To date she has played 54 T20 internationals and 48 one day games for the Windies women
01:25:52This will be Henry's third time playing in the women's CPL with Barbados Royals
01:25:57Last year the team won the women's CPL and it is safe to say that Barbados Royals have retained Henry to the team
01:26:04Chanel good morning thank you very much for joining us
01:26:08Good morning it's a pleasure to be here thanks
01:26:11Yeah you know Chanel I'm just going through all of your achievements and I'm just saying to myself
01:26:17Wow Chanel is a is a overachiever right
01:26:21It's good to have those you know games and stuff but I still think there's a lot of work to do
01:26:27When it comes on to you know being up there with with all the other top athletes around the world
01:26:32So I mean it's it's it's still a process
01:26:35Yeah so Chanel are you are you ready for this season that is going to be a big one
01:26:41Are you ready for this season that is going to be a big one
01:26:45Yeah so Chanel are you are you ready for this season that is going to begin the WCPL season with the Barbados Royals
01:26:53What can we expect
01:26:57I mean of course it's good to have the women's CPL back
01:27:01As you know this year is the third edition of the competition
01:27:05Last year we were we came out winners of the women's CPL
01:27:12So this year we're looking for nothing different
01:27:14Of course we have some new faces in the squad but we have most of the players we played with last year
01:27:22So it's just about I guess looking back at you know the good things we did
01:27:28The positives we did as a team and come forward in this women's CPL
01:27:32It's just about adding the new players to the mix to get the results again this year
01:27:38Yeah as you reflect on the team's performance last year
01:27:42What do you think worked for the team and two what do you think that some of the challenges were
01:27:50And what do you think that you all have to do different this time around
01:27:56I mean of course last year the overseas players we had are no longer with us
01:28:02There's a group of new overseas players but no doubt these are top athletes, top professionals
01:28:08When you look at the well-rounded team we had last year
01:28:12You know we had a core group of the West Indies girls
01:28:16And everybody chipped in and did everything along with the overseas players that we had
01:28:21So I mean this year we're looking to do the same thing
01:28:24Welcome the new faces to the squad work together as a team
01:28:28And this is the last season we just I guess rely, bank on each individual skills
01:28:36And put that together to form a good squad
01:28:40So I guess this year is the same thing we're looking to do even with the new faces added to the group
01:28:45So has the squad met as yet and have you all been training together and has the team been gelling well
01:28:56Obviously the overseas players still have their own competition going on
01:29:02Because I guess most of them are playing in the 100 along with Captain Haley Matthews
01:29:06The rest of local Caribbean players we've been training
01:29:12Right now most of us are in a West Indies camp right now in Bantiga
01:29:17So we have cricket, we are playing a lot of cricket
01:29:20So as soon as we're finished with this West Indies camp we head straight to Trinidad into CPL
01:29:27So of course every single person is being prepared, we're playing cricket
01:29:32So when CPL games start on the 21st we'll be ready to go
01:29:38But you know Chanel when you have success as the Barbados Royals had
01:29:47You know sometimes there is no rest time right
01:29:50Because you really want to repeat what you would have done the year before
01:29:56So if we look at the time, between the time that you all would have won to this period here
01:30:06What has it been like for you, particularly for you
01:30:13Is there anything that you're working on in particular that you want to be better at, be sharper at?
01:30:23Of course there's always improvements to be made, it doesn't matter top athletes or not
01:30:30There's always something to work on, there's always something to do better at
01:30:33The periods between last year's CPL and now we have played a lot of cricket
01:30:40We basically just finished with the West Indies team a couple of tours, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
01:30:47We had a short period of time at home, we went to camp again in Trinidad
01:30:53Another short period, now we're back in Antigua for camp
01:30:56So there has been cricket right around since the last CPL leading up to this one
01:31:01As I said when we leave here we go straight to Trinidad
01:31:05So there's not much time to hang around and do stuff like that
01:31:11There's always something going on, there's always work, there's always training
01:31:15So as I said there's always things to work on as individuals
01:31:18I think going forward people will see the results and everything, the work that has been done
01:31:28It's just about trusting the preparation that has been going on behind the scenes for a long time
01:31:34And just showing up and giving the people of the Caribbean something to look forward to come next week
01:31:42But Chanel this sounds like a lot of work, the preparation, it sounds a lot?
01:31:49As elite athletes the workload is always a lot
01:31:53This is what we choose to do, of course there's rest in between
01:31:56But as I said as elite athletes we have to do the job
01:32:00And that's to be ready to go whenever the coaches or whoever it might be decided that we have work to do
01:32:09So yes we do get time off, yes we do get our rest
01:32:12But whenever it's time to go we just do what we have to do
01:32:17That's just the job of being an elite athlete
01:32:20Yeah Chanel just listening to you and I feel a little bit tired right?
01:32:24But how did it feel winning your first WCPL title for Barbados?
01:32:32It was really, it was a good feeling
01:32:34I mean when we played, when we lost the first time to TKR
01:32:40That was it, we came so close and then we couldn't cross the line
01:32:45So we know what we had to do last year to cross the line
01:32:50So I think as I said it's just the individual, it's just the little things as a team
01:32:56So going forward into this year's CPL
01:33:01We just have to remember the little things that we have to do to cross the line
01:33:05Especially in a final
01:33:07Of course we're looking to retain our title but we have to go there and play good cricket
01:33:12Because each team is coming this year and everybody I'm pretty sure wants to be Barbados Royals
01:33:17Because again we're the defending champions
01:33:20So we can't take anything for granted
01:33:22We just have to go there and show up and play good cricket
01:33:25You feel that when you have such success
01:33:29That you feel that sometimes there's a target on your back
01:33:33Going into the competition this time around
01:33:37People want to knock you off
01:33:39Of course, there's always targets on our backs
01:33:45Even now, just being around the team and stuff
01:33:48We're having fun, we're coming for Barbados Royals this year
01:33:52That's just the little competition, the motivation we have
01:33:57As a group, it doesn't matter which team you're playing for
01:34:00And as I said, being a Royals
01:34:03A lot of the players, everybody wants to be Barbados Royals
01:34:08Because everybody wants to be a defending champion
01:34:12But as I said, we can't take anything for granted
01:34:16Because the other two teams are looking to come back at us
01:34:22So we just have to go out there and play every game like it's a final to defend our title this year
01:34:30How does it feel, Chanel, playing cricket in front of thousands of eyes?
01:34:41I suspect that may be intimidating to some
01:34:45So how do you, yes, after your preparations
01:34:48You go out there and you look around the stand
01:34:51And you're seeing thousands of people looking at you
01:34:54How do you perform under such pressure?
01:34:57Sometimes it can be a lot
01:34:59But I guess when you remember that these are the people that have been behind you since day one
01:35:04These are your fans, these are family, friends
01:35:07And they just come out to support you
01:35:09So I guess it's about being out there with the team in the now
01:35:13Focusing on the game
01:35:15And of course the crowd, it's going to be a lot, it's going to be loud
01:35:19But as professionals, I think playing over the years
01:35:23You get to get used to the crowds, you get used to the noise, you get used to the atmosphere
01:35:28So once you can be out there with your team enjoying every second on that field
01:35:34Then the fans and the crowd, everybody just makes it a little bit extra special
01:35:40Knowing that they're there watching you doing the thing that you love the most
01:35:44Performing at your best
01:35:46So once you can just go out there and have fun and enjoy the moment with your team
01:35:50The fans are just like thousands of teammates that cheer for you
01:35:54And that's just how you have to look at it
01:35:56Yeah, I like how you put that
01:35:58Your other teammates, right?
01:36:00Chanel, I'd like you to stay with us a little while longer
01:36:04We must go to a very short break, we'll be right back
01:36:19We're all in this, we say it is
01:36:25It's CPL, it's CPL
01:36:27It's CPL time, time, time, time
01:36:29Time, time, time, time, time
01:36:31Time, time, time, time, time
01:36:33It's CPL time, time, time, time
01:36:35Feel the CPL joy
01:36:37From every nation in the Caribbean
01:36:39We're building legend in this Caribbean nation
01:36:43We're all in, it's CPL time
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01:37:23Now I love my beautiful trim bagel, I think we all do
01:37:26But you see this thing called crime, crime is becoming a norm
01:37:29It's as though criminals are using our country as their own space to perform
01:37:33It's as though they have a calling
01:37:35Meanwhile bodies falling, mothers mourning
01:37:37And killers walking free in the streets of TNT
01:37:39And still nobody talking
01:37:41So when you see crime, don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call 800-TIPS
01:37:44Or go online at crimestopperstt.com
01:37:47It's an international system, it works and it's anonymous
01:37:51So decide to pick a side, because when everyone is watching, they can't hide
01:38:01We got stoves, cook it, fry it, bake it, stew it, poach it, eat it, drink it, slurp it
01:38:07At courts, you can get it
01:38:09We got fridges, slurp it, chill it, freeze it, store it, crisp it, pack it and sack it
01:38:15At courts, you can get it
01:38:16Washer, dryer, net, wash it, fluff it, sp-spin it, spin it, dry it, c-clean it
01:38:21Fold it, wear it, assort it and soak it
01:38:23R-r-r-rinse, rinse it, load it
01:38:26F-E-A gon' make you bend it, crush it
01:38:28T-t-toast it
01:38:29At courts, you can get it
01:38:47We gon' be on the road
01:38:49We gon' be country when the boy don't know
01:38:52When the boy don't know
01:38:55And if we're talking about champion, we're speaking about Chanel Henry
01:39:00Cricketer with the Barbados Royals
01:39:03Of course, last year, they were victorious at the WCPL
01:39:08Chanel, thank you very much for staying with us this morning
01:39:12I want to speak a little bit about the fans who come out to see you all
01:39:19And I want to compare them a little bit to the men's game
01:39:23You think that more and more fans are warming up to the women's game
01:39:29And the same amount of intensity and interest that the men's team are getting
01:39:36Do you think that the women's teams are getting that sort of interest from the fans?
01:39:44If we're being honest, we're still a far way off from getting the same support as the men
01:39:49When it comes on to, I guess, sports in the Caribbean
01:39:55Last year, we travelled to different countries, of course
01:40:00So the support in each country was a little bit different
01:40:06I guess when you have the clash of the women's play first and then the men
01:40:12Or when you have the men play first and then the women
01:40:16Of course, the crowd of the men will stay back to watch the women's game
01:40:19But when you have the women's game, let's just say we have our early morning women's game
01:40:23Or for whatever the reason might be
01:40:26If I'm being honest, you probably still wouldn't see the same crowd as if it was a men's morning game
01:40:32But as the games progress, as the games go on, you start seeing more people coming out to watch the women's game
01:40:39I think the good thing for us this year is that we have a couple of doubleheaders with the men's T20 games
01:40:47That will be played in Trinidad against South Africa
01:40:50So the men will play first and then, of course, the women will play in the night
01:40:53So that will give more people, more fans the chance to see us play
01:40:59And I hope that when they actually do see us, it doesn't be a case where if the men's not playing
01:41:05Then they can't come out and support the women's game
01:41:08So I think we have a job to do as cricketers too, as players
01:41:14That we can show these fans that we're just as good or we're just as entertaining as the men's game
01:41:21So I'm really excited, I'm really looking forward to the support
01:41:27Because, of course, we're going to Trinidad, people in Trinidad love cricket
01:41:31So we're definitely looking forward to that support come the opening game of the women's CPL
01:41:39Yeah, but you know, Chanel, I don't think it is far-fetched to say that sometime in the future
01:41:46And maybe it is already happening now, where the names of female players
01:41:54It is going to be a situation where every household, they can identify you all
01:42:02They know your names and have little girls been approaching you all already for autographs and photographs and so on?
01:42:12Yes, I think it's definitely going to that point
01:42:20They have a few names in the set-up that people already know, people already walk up to
01:42:26So with things like these being shown over the world, people watching from everywhere
01:42:33People coming to see the games, I think for us as athletes, that's a good thing for us to know
01:42:41If we walk out the door, if we go down the street, a little boy or a little girl will probably be like
01:42:46I saw her, I know her, she plays cricket, whether it's West Indies, Barbados, whoever it might be
01:42:53So that will even give female cricketers more joy to know that they're being recognized
01:43:02So as I said, this will be a good thing for women's cricket
01:43:08So kudos to CPL for continuing the franchise, continuing the sports
01:43:15And as the years goes by, hopefully it'll get bigger, especially when it comes down to the fans, the players
01:43:23More players, of course, will include more teams, but of course we know that that will take a while
01:43:30So it's already trending in the right direction, so I just hope that that's something that can continue
01:43:34So Chanel, let's talk a little bit about your journey, because I suspect your journey is a very interesting one
01:43:42You're a fast bowler, so where did this inspiration come from, Chanel?
01:43:47To be honest, I actually never used to bowl when I came on this team
01:43:56I made this team as a batter, to be honest, and then I guess one day in training
01:44:03One of the coaches just be like, we need extra people, we need extra bowlers
01:44:08So just come and help the batters out, and I think that was probably back in 2018, if I'm being honest
01:44:18It was like, yeah, come and help the bowlers out, and then from there, everything just took a turn for the better
01:44:24Now we're all rounder in the setup, but I also know that this is something I wanted to do
01:44:32So when I had the chance to do it, this is something that I started working on
01:44:38Because of course, you want to have everything in your arsenal when you're playing
01:44:42You want to be able to do everything, because of course you have an opportunity to make a difference in a team
01:44:47Whether it's with bats, ball, whatever it might be
01:44:50So for me, that was really good
01:44:55So my journey, I started playing really young, probably at 13, when I started playing for Jamaica
01:45:02Then I had my first game for West Hampton at age 18
01:45:06So I've been around a really long time, still have a lot more to give
01:45:12So it's just about continuing the work and see how it goes in the next couple of years
01:45:18Especially with a lot of work-ups to be played
01:45:21Yeah, but why cricket?
01:45:23I mean, when we speak about Jamaica, the athletic program over there, it's legendary
01:45:30We have seen the success from the athletic program over there
01:45:34But why cricket?
01:45:36Of course you have football too, the reggae boys, we know them very, very well
01:45:43So why cricket?
01:45:47Honestly, I played every sport you could think of
01:45:52And I'm not even exaggerating
01:45:55But my dad is the one who made me actually start really, really loving cricket
01:46:05Because he also played, not at the highest level, but back home in Jamaica
01:46:09So he would take me everywhere, and I would watch him, he would let me play with the boys
01:46:15And then from there I just started playing
01:46:17I remember one time I had the chance to choose between cricket and football, playing for Jamaica
01:46:22And I just chose cricket
01:46:25And after that, I just never looked back from there
01:46:30I started giving all my time to cricket
01:46:32I dropped everything else I was doing, I was just concentrating
01:46:35So I really did play a lot of sports
01:46:38But I prioritized this because it was something that I was really good at
01:46:42And every time I would go and play, there's a lot of people telling me that I have the talent and the potential to make it out
01:46:50So I just stuck with it and here I am
01:46:53It just may be, Chanel, that cricket chose you, right?
01:46:56So stay with us for a little while longer, we're going to have a very short break, we're coming back
01:47:13We got stoves, cook it, fry it, bake it, stew it, poach it, eat it, drink it, slurp it
01:47:22At courts, you can get it
01:47:23We got fridges, slurp it, chill it, freeze it, store it, crisp it, pack it, and stack it
01:47:29At courts, you can get it
01:47:31Washer, dryer, then wash it, fluff it
01:47:33Spin it, spin it, dry it, clean it, fold it, wear it
01:47:37Sort it and soak it, rinse, rinse it, load it
01:47:41FDA gon' make you bend it, crush it
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01:48:36And plenty of ice-cold refreshment
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01:48:55Cars, sports, careers, food
01:48:59We men always talk about these things
01:49:01But not about our health
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01:49:06Strength, deep voice, healthy hair growth and a sex drive
01:49:09With low testosterone, we may not achieve our potential
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01:49:57WCPL
01:50:05Welcome back everyone
01:50:07We continue our discussion on the WCPL
01:50:10We do have with us still Chanel Henry
01:50:14Chanel, I also know that this year
01:50:19There's going to also be the Women's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh
01:50:25As a West Indies cricketer
01:50:28How do you think that we are going to perform this time around?
01:50:37Well, obviously we had a few tours leading up to the T20 World Cup
01:50:44Which we won both T20 accomplishments
01:50:48So for us as individuals, as a team
01:50:51There's a lot of preparation being taken place
01:50:54As I said, right now we're in camp
01:50:57This is also preparation leading up to the T20 World Cup
01:51:02Right after this we're going to CPL
01:51:04So that's more game time
01:51:06That's more work under our belt
01:51:09Going into the T20 World Cup
01:51:11And I think each individual, every single one of us is in a good headspace
01:51:16Ready to go, participate in this World Cup
01:51:20And we know that as a team
01:51:23What we're going there for
01:51:25How far in the competition we want to go
01:51:29And that's discussion that's already started
01:51:32Since probably the beginning of the year
01:51:36Since we knew that we had T20 competition this year
01:51:40So this is no news to us
01:51:42We are doing the work, the preparations are underway
01:51:45And there are good preparations
01:51:47Everybody's in a good headspace
01:51:49Everything that's been done is really good
01:51:51The performance out of the current tours that we've had
01:51:55Different individuals putting up their hands
01:51:58So the team is in good spirits
01:52:01And we're ready for this T20 World Cup
01:52:05Yeah, any particular teams that you're looking at
01:52:08That you may be looking at saying
01:52:10Hey, we're coming for you
01:52:14I'm pretty sure it's not just us
01:52:16Every team that's going to the T20 World Cup
01:52:20Knows that there are going to be some big teams in there
01:52:24Everybody wants to beat big teams
01:52:26And that's the same idea, the same inspiration for us
01:52:29We're going there, we want to beat the teams
01:52:33That we're coming up against
01:52:35And that will definitely put us in a poor position
01:52:39In this T20 World Cup
01:52:41So as I said, it's really good for us as a team
01:52:45To know the team goal, to know the objective
01:52:48And once we stick together
01:52:50That's something that we're going to achieve
01:52:53When we go to the T20 World Cup
01:52:55Yeah, Chanel, I just have about a minute again
01:52:58I do appreciate you speaking with us today
01:53:02But for, again, the little girls
01:53:05Who may be looking at our discussion this morning
01:53:08And who would want to get involved in cricket
01:53:10It's a lot of work, but what would you want to tell them?
01:53:16The workload, like you said, it's a lot of work
01:53:19But it is worth it
01:53:21This is something that we definitely need more girls
01:53:24We definitely need more little girls
01:53:27In the West Indies
01:53:29Looking to carry on once this core group of players are finished
01:53:33So I'll definitely say to them
01:53:35If cricket is something you want to play, go for it
01:53:37It is actually getting more recognizable in the Caribbean
01:53:41People are coming out to support women's cricket
01:53:44We pave a pathway for younger girls coming up
01:53:48So this is something that will help going forward
01:53:53For future girls who are looking on who wants to play
01:53:56So if it's cricket you want to play
01:53:59Then play cricket, because trust me
01:54:01There's a lot to get out of it
01:54:05So just keep working hard and do what you have to do
01:54:09Yeah, Chanel, it was an absolute pleasure
01:54:11Speaking with you this morning
01:54:13Thank you for the conversation
01:54:15We wish you all the best in your future endeavors
01:54:17We wish the Barbados Royals and you all success
01:54:22Thank you very much and thanks for having me
01:54:24Of course, bye for now
01:54:26So that's going to do it for our program for today
01:54:29Thank you to all of our guests and all of our viewers
01:54:32Have a good day, everybody
01:54:34We do it right back here all over again tomorrow morning
01:54:41This segment was brought to you by Republic Bank
01:54:44Title sponsor, an official bank of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League
01:55:10www.rimbaracer.co.uk