Skip to playerSkip to main content
CCNTV6
  • 1 year ago
Transcript
00:00:00and a very special good morning Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the world. I'm Marlon
00:00:17Hopkins and as always, welcome to The Morning Edition. It's Thursday, 12th September, yeah,
00:00:21and thank you very much for joining us this morning. I hope that you had a good night,
00:00:26a safe night, there was no untoward incident, right, and that you're here and you're safe
00:00:31and sound with us this morning, alright? We do appreciate it and we want you to stay with
00:00:36us for the next two hours, yeah? I don't have, I do have some good news and I do have some
00:00:42bad news for you, eh? But first, let's check out to see what's happening with Daily Express,
00:00:46alright? On the front page today, property tax pressure, citizens demand answers on frustrating
00:00:52payment system, economists suggest deadline extension online facility and this is the
00:00:58bad news now. Mom, kids found dead in water tank, alright? Let me just give you some details
00:01:04about that. So, a Santa Cruz woman who moved to Palo Tuve, Tobago about a year ago and
00:01:10her two young children were found dead inside an empty Wasser water tank yesterday afternoon.
00:01:16Sarah Smith, 34, who lived at Main Road, Palo Tuve, was found dead along with her 18-month
00:01:22old infant, Phoenix, and three-year-old, Genuine, in the decommissioned water tank
00:01:28in Palo Tuve at 5.40 p.m. Police have yet not determined how the mother and children
00:01:37died, alright? So, that's the bad news that I have for you. Let me, let me just touch
00:01:44a little bit on the property tax now, let's see what's happening with that. So, which
00:01:47line do I join to pay property tax? Why is there no convenient online system to pay it?
00:01:53These and other questions are being asked by frustrated citizens as they line up under
00:01:57a merciless sun outside various Board of Inland Revenue offices throughout the country to
00:02:02meet the September 30th deadline to pay the tax or face penalties. And a following story,
00:02:08Faris on property tax, pay online in next financial year. Alright, so we're moving
00:02:14on to the back page now. Criminal charges read in Osh violation case, Paria execs plead
00:02:21not guilty. Criminal charges were read against the managers of Paria Fuel Trading Company
00:02:26Limited and the director of Land and Marine Contracting Services during a virtual court
00:02:31hearing yesterday. And coloring with sis, Sidewalk Work, siblings Jaden 12 and Tamiah
00:02:39Simmons for do some coloring in a book placed on a makeshift desk along Charlotte Street
00:02:45in Port of Spain yesterday. That's a beautiful little picture, yeah? Tamiah and Jaden, yeah?
00:02:53Cut out this and frame it and put it in your house, yeah? Years from now you're going to
00:02:58look back on that, yeah? But very nice picture there, express. Let me see who took it. Curtis
00:03:05Chase, good morning Curtis. Alright, so we're moving on to some sport now. Saints slaughtered
00:03:10by Tigers, boy. Up for it, St. Mary's College player, Dusan Cooper, right? Battles for the
00:03:17ball against St. Anthony's College's Tariq Theobald during the NGC Secondary Schools
00:03:22Football League Premier Division match at St. Mary's College ground, St. Clair yesterday.
00:03:27St. Anthony's went on to win 6-0. That is a lot of licks, you know. Alright, fellas,
00:03:35well they need to wheel and come again, alright? Not hungry enough, skipper David, coach King
00:03:41lamented missed chance against French Guyana. This is an interesting story. Listen what
00:03:46the gentleman has to say, yeah? Captain Aubrey David said, it well, Trinidad and Tobago senior
00:03:53footballers simply did not have enough desire to turn one point gained from Tuesday night's
00:04:00goalless draw against French Guyana into three. We need to be humble and return to being hungry
00:04:07again. I want to read that again. We need to be humble and return to being hungry again
00:04:14to get good results and win at home. Alright, ponder on that. Okay, so we're moving on.
00:04:22It's time to remind you about Trinbago Unice feature, yeah? Put up, put up, put up the
00:04:26address where people can send their contributions, trinbagounice at tv60nt.com. Look at this
00:04:32boy. Yeah, that is it. That is it all there. That is it. This is where? Yarra Bay. Is this
00:04:40to the northeast? On where? Yeah, North Coast. This is nice. This is really nice, yeah? You
00:04:51all after the program, we're heading up to Yarra. We need to rent a maxi taxi. Thank you very much
00:04:59for that picture. Did some, um, who's the person who sent it? Liz? Lynn? Alright, Lynn. Thank you
00:05:08very much, Lynn. Thank you very much for that beautiful picture. Alright. Okay, so you have
00:05:13your coffee, your tea, get something to eat, dinner. Just a little joke before we go to our
00:05:18break. So every morning, I usually make some bad tasting coffee, right? And I put it in that,
00:05:25in that, um, teacup. So yesterday morning, while I'm washing out the remnants from the cup,
00:05:32I'm only seeing brown water coming out. I said, but why is there so much coffee in here? You know,
00:05:39is the water from the tap that brown? If you see a boy, what should I do? I throw it out,
00:05:46and I throw it out, and I throw it out, and the, and of course, the, the basin is white, right?
00:05:51And I'm saying, but how this has so much coffee, boy? Brown water, boy. Anyway, that's just a joke,
00:05:57right? Good morning, Waslo. We're going to our break, everybody. We're coming back.
00:06:16I see you. Okay. Do your dance. Do your thing. I see you. Okay. Let me see you. Cherry Hill.
00:06:24Yeah. Now take it back. Let me see you. Rock off. Rock off. Shake off. Shake off. Let me
00:06:30see you. Rock off. Rock off. Let me see you kick right now. Kick left now. Step forward. Now step
00:06:42back. Luke is eight. Bring the energy. Forget about bucket lists. We want to know what's on
00:06:48your best life list. Vacation, education, renovation, celebration. Live your best life
00:06:56with Island Finance. Visit a branch near you or islandfinancetrinidad.com and live your best life
00:07:03now. You can depend on Island Finance. Subject to credit approval and documents verification.
00:07:10The greatest event in Trinidad and Tobago, the day of power, weakness, deliverance, healing,
00:07:21transformation on Sunday, September 15th with the free distribution of the holy anointing oil.
00:07:32Reserve your oil now, mainly at 7 a.m. in our national headquarters.
00:07:48Three hours in Gethsemane, he dragged that tire called salvation for man.
00:07:53Lift my eyes up to the hills. We only have one place to go for help. Hallelujah. So I celebrate
00:08:04in Jesus.
00:08:20Thank you members of the media. This concludes our weekly press briefing.
00:08:27As the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service continues to protect and serve with pride,
00:08:32we are calling on all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to get on board with us to ensure that
00:08:39everyone is able to live in a crime-free society. Are you on board? This is my country and I am on
00:08:50board. I am on board with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. Let us save the youth of the
00:08:57nation. Get on board. Crime affects all of us, children, communities and the country as a whole.
00:09:05Supporting crime victims and working with the police service, I am on board. This is my country
00:09:11and I'm on board. My name is Nikolai Blackmon and I'm on board with the TTPS. Vision on Mission is
00:09:20proud to partner with the TTPS because crime prevention is everybody's business. We are the
00:09:27National Congress of Incorporated Spiritual Baptist Organizations of Trinidad and Tobago
00:09:32and we are on board with the TTPS in its fight against crime. I'm a farmer. This is my country
00:09:38and I'm on board. I'm Charles Jason Gordon, the Roman Catholic Archbishop
00:09:44of Portisville. I am on board in the TTPS fight against crime. We are all on board.
00:09:57Some of us like to test limits but there won't always be second chances.
00:10:03Obey the speed limits. Maybe you don't value your life but others value theirs.
00:10:14A message from the TTPS.
00:10:44of the Black Stalin. Just incidentally, we're going to have to get some information to share
00:10:50with our viewers about the funeral of Mr. Caper. I know that that has not happened yet.
00:10:56Of course, Mr. Caper and Mr. Calise, they were very, very great friends and worked
00:11:02so many years together. All right. We have a lot for you on the program and before we
00:11:07get into our first interview, there's a very interesting story in the Express today.
00:11:13Search for new cemetery space in East Trinidad. Graves under pressure. Batuna Punapiaka Regional
00:11:19Corporation has started locating spaces to potentially open a new cemetery following
00:11:25the closure of one of East Trinidad's most popular burial grounds due to it having reached capacity.
00:11:33Now, the chairman, Josiah Austin, said yesterday that cemetery space was a definite concern
00:11:39across the country but some grounds were especially popular. The corporation on Monday
00:11:45announced the closure to two burials of the industry public cemetery in Arema after the
00:11:52facility had reached capacity. Austin said that burial grounds in East Trinidad were under more
00:11:57pressure and the corporation was among state agencies that will be working towards a proper
00:12:03grave system, yeah? And one of the major impacts was the COVID and then you have
00:12:10not discounting the crime situation. I remember years ago, yeah, when you go to the cemetery for,
00:12:16let's say, all saints or all souls, however you want to put it, you know, there would be a level
00:12:23of organization at the cemetery. Now, because the cemeteries are bursting at the seams,
00:12:30the authorities are forced to bury people in all kind of drain and all kind of thing, you know,
00:12:34you think it easy? Yeah, go up there for all saints. You'll see what is happening, all right?
00:12:39All right, so we can move on to our first item of business this morning. So, there are now major
00:12:46concerns over the impact the controversy between the Auditor General and Minister of Finance could
00:12:50have on this country. Now, the issue stems from the Auditor General's report for 2023 which
00:12:56understated some 2.6 billion dollars in revenue. With us this morning is economist Dr. Valmiki
00:13:02Arjun, who has been speaking about this issue. Dr. Arjun, a very special good morning to you.
00:13:11Hi, good morning and good morning to Trayvon, to all your viewers. Yeah, and you know, Dr. Arjun,
00:13:17I think over the past few weeks there was a bit of silence about this entire issue,
00:13:23but it has really come back with a bang and when we thought that maybe tensions
00:13:28would be subsiding between the Auditor General and the Minister of Finance, we're seeing,
00:13:35you know, that things have heated up a bit over the past, let's say, 24 hours.
00:13:42Well, I mean, this is a very, the magnitude of this issue is very large. It carries a lot of
00:13:54gravity with it. You see, you know Shakespeare's play, A Comedy of Errors. Well, this is far from
00:14:01a comedy of errors. This is actually a catastrophe of errors. Now, before we go on, we have to keep
00:14:10in mind that the Auditor General has a very vital role. He checks the veracity of the financial
00:14:16accounts for the public financial system, making sure that the reporting adheres to the highest
00:14:21standards in the interest of transparency. Because after all, it's the public talking about
00:14:27and even how important her role is. This is why her office is completely independent of any control
00:14:34or direction from any other individual or entity because she checks to make sure that the monies,
00:14:40the public funds were spent where they were supposed to be spent and in the correct amounts
00:14:45and that also money that was supposed to be received were actually in fact received and
00:14:50also in the correct amounts. Now, she has to form her opinion based on the audit exercise.
00:14:58The fact that there's an impasse means that she was not satisfied that the information
00:15:03that was provided to her fully corroborated the picture that was painted by the Ministry
00:15:08of Finance and regardless how reasonable one might think the story to be, she at this stage
00:15:14at least is not necessarily able or she feels she's not able to authenticate this veracity
00:15:19given the information she had. Now, what exactly happened? It seems like there as based on what
00:15:25the Ministry of Finance is saying that there was an error caused by this fairly new electronic
00:15:30check clearing system that was causing an overstatement to the payment of refunds
00:15:36back in February of 2023. So, what they said is that a debit advice was overstated. A debit
00:15:43advice is basically a notification that a certain amount of funds has been taken from the account.
00:15:49Now, and what was told to us is that they were overstated because of a double booking
00:15:55transactions and a decimal point error. Keep this in mind, a decimal point error.
00:16:02Now, the next day the central bank would have rectified this by issuing a reversal credit advice
00:16:09to reverse this overstatement, but it appears that the treasury didn't have a report of this
00:16:15and of course the treasury deals with government expenditure. But since it didn't have a record of
00:16:21it, the error was unknown to the treasury, to the Inland Revenue Division that processes these
00:16:27refunds. Now, 15 months later in 2024, the ministry realized that there was an error and
00:16:36subsequently the error was corrected by adjusting the general ledger system of the treasury so that
00:16:43the books would in turn reflect the correct figures. It was very interesting, however,
00:16:49just on a side note is that when they were making the adjustments, there would of course be white
00:16:55collar adjustment vouchers to go along with these adjustments. But what is curious is that even
00:16:59these vouchers were not signed by the comptroller of accounts and this is yet another discrepancy
00:17:06with our internal controls. So, the problem seems to have stemmed from a system malfunction with
00:17:12the electronic check clearing system. Now, the auditor general wants to examine this system at
00:17:19the central bank to verify that it is indeed the source of the problem. So, the assistant auditor
00:17:26general would have written to the central bank asking to examine this system, the electronic
00:17:36check clearing system, but the central bank replied asking for more details because they
00:17:40are bound by confidentiality provisions. The assistant auditor general responded basically
00:17:46saying that they're asking for a walkthrough of the system to better understand its internal controls
00:17:53and also indicated that their focus is only on government issue checks. But then the central
00:17:59bank subsequently wrote back indicating that they were unable to facilitate this request.
00:18:04We were told in parliament a few days ago that the central bank is willing to meet.
00:18:09But of course, they're hoping to meet with the auditor general and it doesn't appear as though
00:18:16they want to deal, not that they don't necessarily want to deal with any of our juniors, they want to
00:18:20deal directly with the auditor general. But Dr. Arjun, if you would allow me, because I think that
00:18:29we have seen, and when I say we, we as a country, we have seen judging from what the
00:18:35authorities have said, they have identified what the problem is. So the question that I'm asking
00:18:44this morning, yes we have identified the question, the problem, we have also identified how to
00:18:52address the problem, resolve the problem, but I think that there is the perception out there and
00:18:58the impression out there that it is now beyond that and it has taken on the realm of a lot of
00:19:07politics and a lot of sparring on both sides. Yeah, no certainly, and I think given the urgency
00:19:15of the situation, it is prudent for both the governor and the auditor general to meet as
00:19:21soon as possible and to discuss this issue further and try to find some kind of a common ground,
00:19:27given the gravity of the situation. Now, given that an error was identified, an error that is
00:19:35as significant as 2.6 billion, in the minds of the stakeholders for this country, not just the
00:19:41citizens, but I'm talking about investors, the multilaterals like the World Banks, the IMS,
00:19:49the IDBs, etc., the credit ratings agencies as well, and many stakeholders, obviously you would
00:19:57find at least some of them starting to question the veracity or the accuracy of our reported
00:20:03fiscal performance, not just last year, but also in previous years, because if you can make an
00:20:08error like this, then what is to say that errors preceding this one were not made, were not made
00:20:15as well, the fiscal balances in previous years, were they accurate, were they not accurate? These
00:20:20are questions that could naturally crop up in the minds for the investors, the private sector,
00:20:26the multilaterals, and of course, the credit rating agencies, because the credit rating agencies,
00:20:31they're the ones that will have, they'll be keeping a key eye on our fiscal performance
00:20:36to determine our abilities to, for example, to repay our liabilities. The question of credibility
00:20:42in the state's financial management and reporting could arise in many, many persons' minds.
00:20:49I spoke about the credit ratings agencies, they could view this possibly as a governance
00:20:56risk and question the quality and the accuracy of government reporting, for example, and that
00:21:03could very well harm our future credit ratings. But how do you return confidence to the system?
00:21:13Well, we need some resolution quickly, I'll tell you that, because we want to avoid the multilateral
00:21:18questioning the integrity of our financial reporting. If this issue isn't resolved at
00:21:24the earliest, there is a serious risk of undermining the integrity and the trust
00:21:29in the public institutions. It is because the court has not just gotten out of hand,
00:21:34given the quantum of money involved, 2.6 billion is quite a lot of money, yes, but it's gotten out
00:21:39of hand because here you have a clash now between two entities and neither of them report to each
00:21:46other, the Ministry of Finance and the Auditor General's office. Now, the Ministry of Finance
00:21:50is expected to adhere to the highest standards of financial reporting and transparency,
00:21:57so it's only natural that earlier this year, the Auditor General would have required
00:22:01supporting documentation to verify within reason the accuracy and the completeness
00:22:07of the adjusted figures, right? Dr. Arjun, if you could still stick a pin there,
00:22:16we have to go to a very short break. Please stay with us, Dr. Arjun, we're coming back to our news.
00:22:46With new Garnier Micellar Gentle Peeling Water, Glycolic Acid. Cleanse, remove makeup and exfoliate
00:22:51gently. Clinically proven to even skin tone and reduce pores. Get baby smooth skin with new
00:22:56Micellar Gentle Peeling Water by Garnier, naturally. Make the right choice in eyewear at
00:23:00Seaview Optical. Get complete single vision lenses with frames for $2.99, single vision lenses with
00:23:05transition and designer frames $8.99, and get your progressive transitions with designer frames
00:23:10for $14.99 at Seaview Optical. Affordable eyewear for everyone. Mark your calendars, folks. The
00:23:17Freemason Charity Fair Toothy 24 is coming to St. John's Ambulance Headquarters in Woodbrook
00:23:22on Sunday, October 6th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This isn't just another fair, it's a full-blown
00:23:29family extravaganza. Door prizes, exciting raffles, and games galore for the kids. From
00:23:36delicious lunch spreads to mouth-watering foods and refreshing drinks, we've got it all. Bring
00:23:42your family, bring your friends, and let's make memories while supporting a great cause.
00:23:47Remember, every laugh, every game, every bite, it all goes towards helping those in need.
00:23:54Join us at the Freemason Charity Fair 2024 and discover the joy of giving back while having a
00:24:00blast. See you there!
00:24:31Hey, I thought you said you went to the beach with your parents.
00:24:36Who's you?
00:24:37It's me, Larry, from online.
00:25:01All right, everybody, so we are continuing our discussion with economist Dr. Valmiki Arjun. Dr.
00:25:09Arjun, thank you very much for staying with us. Doctor, I'll allow you to finish the point that
00:25:13you were making before we went to our break. Yeah, so I found it, to me, it's still surprising
00:25:21that after all this time, the Central Bank and the Auditor General didn't try harder to meet
00:25:26and to collaborate based on the magnitude of the amount of monies that we're talking about,
00:25:33so that at least the Auditor General could get some form of satisfaction
00:25:41that the electronic check clearing system was indeed behind the problem and understand the
00:25:46internal controls of this check clearing system. I think this needs to be made a key priority,
00:25:52the number one priority going forward, because you see, the worse the situation gets,
00:25:58it could further call into question the authorities' commitment to good governance,
00:26:03and we don't want this perception among certain stakeholders, however misleading it could be,
00:26:08that somebody somewhere is being disingenuous with the figures. This has to be avoided going
00:26:14further. But in addition to this, we can't ignore that the Auditor General's report earlier this
00:26:20year would have exposed numerous instances of financial discrepancies, financial mismanagement.
00:26:28There were things like a 5.4 million spent on medical equipment without proper documentation.
00:26:33There were other instances where authorization signatures in various documents were missing,
00:26:39for payments to contractors for incomplete work, and then they couldn't find payments,
00:26:45to unverified suppliers for undelivered items. Things like these, they not only lead to
00:26:51inefficiencies and wastages in public funds, but they create a perception that you want to avoid,
00:26:58a perception of fraud and corruption. All of that, of course, erodes public trust
00:27:03in the state's financial management, in our internal systems and controls.
00:27:10And it's also not the first time that the Auditor General report has indicated financial
00:27:15discrepancies and missing documentation. Back in 2016, that report with a different
00:27:20Auditor General would have highlighted discrepancies as well, discrepancies with
00:27:26the internal systems and processes. In fact, it also went as far as to report that when they
00:27:33requested some information, it was actually denied to the Auditor General back then because
00:27:39they invoked the official secrecy provisions of Section 4 of the Income Tax Act. So, when one
00:27:46looks at all these things, it really paints a picture. It could very well paint a picture,
00:27:52and I'm sure it does, in the minds of many stakeholders, that we are not up to standard
00:27:58with respect to our financial issues, like our financial reporting and our internal control
00:28:05overall with respect to our public financial management. It creates a perception of wasteful
00:28:12spending that increases the state's costs. These contributes to budget deficits, which in turn
00:28:19will necessitate increased borrowing, higher taxes, reallocating funds from vital areas,
00:28:24and that ultimately reduces economic efficiency, and when monies are unaccounted for,
00:28:30we are missing opportunities to spend that money on areas that will facilitate growth and
00:28:35development. And again, that does not bode well for us when we have to face the credit ratings
00:28:40agencies. Now, the Ministry of Finance, back in 2018, they did speak about implementing a
00:28:46solution known as the Integrated Financial Management Information System, which is an
00:28:50automated system, an automated platform, that is supposed to centralise or give you centralised
00:28:57information of a centralised platform then, and to track the expenditure pattern, the expenditure,
00:29:05and even the revenues, the fiscal information then, across the entire public service. So,
00:29:10when you want to track expenditure of a particular item, just going on the system with a click of a
00:29:14button, you'll be able to see exactly what stage of expenditure you're at, and how much monies are
00:29:21being spent, etc. So, there's better accounting, accountability, and transparency with this system,
00:29:26but what's happening with this system, that is a mystery to me. Yeah, but Dr Arjun, I think that
00:29:31the situation that you are explaining to us this morning, it's a situation that is dire, that it
00:29:38has to be addressed. So, and I feel that what you're also saying is that it has to be addressed
00:29:44almost immediately because of the impact that it has been having. So, the question is, how do you
00:29:51dampen, if I can say that, the tensions between the Auditor General's office
00:29:56and also the Finance Ministry and the Minister, that's one, and how do you again
00:30:05bring this feeling again of stability to the system?
00:30:14Well, I think the first thing is that the Central Bank and the Auditor General need to meet.
00:30:18That is the very first, I think that's the first step going forward. The Minister would have
00:30:24indicated in Parliament the willingness of the Central Bank to meet with the Auditor General
00:30:31still, and I mean, just give him the benefit of the doubt here, and I think a meeting is certainly
00:30:38and urgently warranted going forward at this particular stage. But it's not doing anybody
00:30:44any favours if politicians were using their privilege, their parliamentary privilege,
00:30:56whenever they speak in Parliament, then to basically doing their part to add more fuel
00:31:02to the fire. Because remember, you have your parliamentary privileges on one side when you
00:31:07speak in Parliament, but the Auditor General doesn't seem as though she is or can or will
00:31:15give a response in the media, at least not at this stage. At least I haven't seen her put out
00:31:21anything just as yet. So, I think on the side of the politicians, I think they need to probably be
00:31:26a bit careful as to how they respond to particular questions and the statements that they make in
00:31:35Parliament going forward. They have parliamentary privileges, yes, but let's use it within certain
00:31:42limits to not add more fuel to the fire also. But at this stage, that meeting with the Central Bank
00:31:47and the Auditor General is urgent. You know, and we did discuss earlier, and also earlier this year,
00:31:54the Auditor General also spoke about that the matter is being painted with the brush of politics,
00:32:02and certain allegations and claims have been made about the Auditor General.
00:32:07As you look at this entire issue, Dr. Arjun, from the beginning to where we are now, is it your view
00:32:15that the Auditor General has acted properly? She has an argument?
00:32:24Well, the Auditor General is yet to form an opinion, and I think Mr. Mariano Brown a few
00:32:29days ago in your program would have indicated almost the same thing. She's yet to form an
00:32:36opinion based on the audit exercise, and given that there still is some kind of an impasse
00:32:46between both her office and the Ministry of Finance, means that regardless of what the story
00:32:53is, she still is not fully satisfied that the information provided to her fully corroborates,
00:33:02fully verifies the picture that's being painted by the Ministry of Finance. So we might think
00:33:08the story to be reasonable, the public may think the story to be reasonable, some of them might not
00:33:13think the story to be reasonable, but regardless of what other people think, she has a particular
00:33:18responsibility that's on her shoulders, a very large and significant responsibility, because she's
00:33:25basically examining the veracity of the reporting of how we spend our public funds,
00:33:32how the country, the Ministry, the various public entities are spending the public funds, the
00:33:38taxpayers' money. So her office, of course, has to be 100% independent, and she's not answerable
00:33:44to any authority, or they accept the people of Trinidad and Tobago. So the fact that there is
00:33:50still this impasse means that no matter how reasonable one may think the story to be, if they
00:33:55do, she still is, in her opinion, unable to verify 100% the accuracy of the information that has
00:34:04been provided to us, which again, I think based on looking at this report, and based on what
00:34:09the Minister has said in Parliament, the next step is certainly meet with the Central Bank.
00:34:14Central Bank and Auditor General. Yeah, Dr. Arjun, I just have about two minutes again, but I see that
00:34:21today you are expressing some concern about property tax payments, and some of the problems
00:34:29and challenges that are being experienced at this time. Yeah, well, first of all, they should have,
00:34:36and I think they had enough time to implement an online payment platform, so that people wouldn't
00:34:40have to go and line up in any physical location to be able to pay this tax. That still wasn't done.
00:34:46It's a bit counterintuitive that for the last couple of years, the government, in their budget,
00:34:50they have been talking about a digitization agenda, which I fully welcome and endorse,
00:34:55but you're still, a tax that they've also been pushing this agenda for quite a while,
00:35:01they don't have a digital payment platform set up to be able to pay this tax. I think that
00:35:06going forward, they really need to make this a priority, so that people, especially the more
00:35:11mature citizens, older persons in society, pensioners, et cetera, who will find it difficult
00:35:16to go to a physical location to meet this September 30th deadline, they should have had an
00:35:20online payment system to look forward to, to pay this tax. That's one issue. The other issue is
00:35:27I think if the government gave themselves an extension of about four and a half months
00:35:32to send out the notice of assessment, remember the notice of assessment was supposed to be sent
00:35:37out since by the latest March 30th, the 30th of March, given the original legislation,
00:35:43that was adjusted to allow for the government to have extensions to sending out the notice
00:35:48of assessment. That basically went from March to June to July and then to August.
00:35:54August the 16th, I believe the final deadline was that the government gave themselves.
00:36:00So that's about a four and a half month extension. So why not give the people, the citizens,
00:36:04the taxpayers a four and a half month extension as well to pay the tax? The initial thrust of
00:36:09the legislation was to allow for at least six months, to give at least six months notice
00:36:14to pay this tax, right? So you have at least six months to pay the tax. They should still have
00:36:19allowed this period of time. So instead of it being the end of September, give the extension
00:36:25that government gave themselves, the four and a half months to the taxpayer, so that they would
00:36:31have until next year, February, by next year, mid-February, or if they're feeling generous,
00:36:39by the end of February, to pay off this tax. And that would have given, that would have had,
00:36:44you would have the added benefits of those who have queries with the valuation, the rental value
00:36:50of their property, because there are many that have to. Remember they have, when they submit
00:36:54the query, they have about a year. The Commissioner of Valuation has about a year to respond to this.
00:37:00But if they could pay the tax, they're allowed to pay it by next year, February, they have an
00:37:07extension, then all know they could be submitting their queries, their objections then to the
00:37:12valuations, and that gives some time, some time for the Commissioner of Valuations to respond.
00:37:19So they could get a response and a fairer valuation, a possibly fairer valuation,
00:37:24and a possibly fairer tax amount to pay before they even pay the tax. Because if you, as a
00:37:30taxpayer, if you have an objection, you still have to pay the tax in any event. But if the objection
00:37:36is clarified before you pay the tax, then of course you pay the fairer tax amount, the new tax amount
00:37:40that they're telling you to pay. That could of course be another advantage of giving them an
00:37:46extension to the deadline. Yes. Dr. Arjun, it's always a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you
00:37:50very much for your perspective this morning. We do appreciate it. Bye for now, sir.
00:37:57Thank you very much for having me. All right, so it's time for a very quick break. We are coming back, everybody.
00:38:10The moment my children came into my life, I do everything I can for them to live healthy,
00:38:24enjoyable lives. Nature's ways alive. Kids' gummies are multivitamin gummies
00:38:29meant to support the development of children's bodies. They come with delicious fruit flavors
00:38:34and contain natural fruit-based pectin. This means that if I am looking for an alternative
00:38:39to animal-based gelatin for personal reasons, they are the best choice for my little ones.
00:38:44Choose Alive Kids' Gummies by Nature's Way for your children because they deserve it.
00:38:49Woodside Tools' professional high-quality tools at great prices can be found at Megatrader's Home
00:38:54Improvement Center. Woodside Tools uses high-quality materials and advanced technology to manufacture
00:39:00power tools from cordless drills, impact drivers, saws, routers, to angle grinders, rotary hammer drills,
00:39:06circular saws, jigsaws. Visit us at Megatrader's Limited, No. 81,
00:39:11Sapporo Street, San Fernando. Call 652-4438. Shop online at www.ebuystt.com.
00:39:19Mark your calendars, folks. The Freemason Charity Fair Toothy 24 is coming to St. John's
00:39:26Ambulance Headquarters in Woodbrook on Sunday, October 6th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
00:39:32This isn't just another fair, it's a full-blown family extravaganza.
00:39:36Door prizes, exciting raffles, and games galore for the kids. From delicious lunch spreads to
00:39:42mouth-watering foods and refreshing drinks, we've got it all. Bring your family, bring your friends,
00:39:49and let's make memories while supporting a great cause. Remember, every laugh, every game, every
00:39:55bite, it all goes towards helping those in need. Join us at the Freemason Charity Fair 2024 and
00:40:03discover the joy of giving back while having a blast. See you there. Hola, amigos! Minute Maid
00:40:13and KFC proudly present the biggest circus from Mexico, the Suarez Brothers Circus. We're coming
00:40:19to San Fernando from this Saturday, 14th September at the Skinner Park Grounds for a
00:40:24limited time only. It's a magical experience for the entire family. Tickets on sale at Extra Food
00:40:30Supermarkets, Francis Fashion Shoe Locker Outlets, Topper South Park Mall, MS Food City Day Bay,
00:40:36online at islandetickets.com, and at the Circus Box Office from 10 a.m. daily. Showtimes, Monday
00:40:42or Friday, 7 p.m. daily. Saturday at Republic Day Holiday, 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday, 2, 5, and 8 p.m.
00:40:51Come and enjoy our spectacular attractions, The Fantastic Pendulum, Jugglers, Acrobats, Clowns,
00:40:57Skinner's Book of Records, The Amazing Strongman, and lots more. Powered by NCASH in collaboration
00:41:03with B-Mobile, Dairy Dairy, Pizza Hut, Coca-Cola, Dasani, Extra Food Supermarkets, Smolta, Kaleidoscope
00:41:11Pains, Carib Malta, and media partner, Guardian Media Limited. ¡Hala, nos vemos!
00:41:32All right, so welcome back everyone. So, Republic Bank is hosting its first Sustainability Expo at
00:41:36the Center of Excellence in Macquarie, under the theme, Transforming Talk into Action. The event
00:41:42is carded for the 13th and 14th of September. So, to tell us more about the Expo, is Group
00:41:47Sustainability Officer, Legal Services and Corporate Affairs, Tisha Maraj. Ms. Maraj,
00:41:52thank you very much for coming this morning. Thank you, Marlon, and good morning, and thank
00:41:56you for having us. Of course, yeah. Well, tell us about the Expo. Well, the Expo, as you said,
00:42:02is happening this weekend on Friday the 13th and Saturday 14th at the Center of Excellence.
00:42:10Really and truly what it is, in a nutshell, we're getting together, we have over 100
00:42:17businesses and practitioners who operate specifically in the sustainability field
00:42:23to come and showcase their products and services, you know, to the public. It's free to the public,
00:42:30and it's open to everybody from nine to five, and the interesting thing is that we, you know,
00:42:37a lot of people associate the environment or sustainability, I should say, with these,
00:42:42you know, small little products, but we have exhibitors ranging from very large, so people
00:42:49who are into electric vehicles, we have NGC Green, we have Angostura, and then we have medium-sized
00:42:56ones, and then we have our SMEs as well, so we have a wide range of businesses, and I think,
00:43:04you know, it would be quite interesting to see how many businesses operate in that sphere,
00:43:11and when I say sustainability, again, the same thing, people think it's just about the environment,
00:43:16but as we all know, sustainability really and truly, in its truest forms, it's linked to
00:43:23everything, it's linked to the society, to the way we do things, to accountability, transparency,
00:43:29to human health, so we're going to find aspects of all of that at the Expo. But why do you think,
00:43:35or why did your bank feel that now was the right time to host such an Expo? Just to go back a bit,
00:43:43now, the Republic Bank is sort of a pioneer in the region. Now, as you'll be aware if you see
00:43:52on LinkedIn and so on, climate change is one of the most critical issues and threats facing us
00:43:59globally, right? I mean, the examples are everywhere, we're seeing extreme weather patterns,
00:44:07you're seeing houses just falling off, you know, in LA recently, big insurance losses,
00:44:15so the bank recognized that this is going to be a critical issue, and about two years ago,
00:44:22we formed my department, which is the group sustainability unit, and on top of that,
00:44:28we've signed on to several UN principles, which relate specifically to responsible banking
00:44:34and net zero, and that allowed us to join all the global banks to work towards creating financing
00:44:45options to create basically money available to deal with climate change. And first in the region,
00:44:53it's really critical, right? Because although we do not have a significant impact on climate change,
00:45:01I mean, we're small economies, right? But we are small islands floating in a sea of water that is
00:45:06rising. And as we saw in Carriacou, losses are still being, I think the latest figure I saw was
00:45:15up to about 500 million US, so in terms of losses, so I mean, the bank recognizes that it's a threat,
00:45:22but it's also opportunities for the businesses that we are now trying to promote to also have
00:45:31access to financing and funding, to innovate, to transform, to become, to go deeper into creating
00:45:41more climate resilient and adaptive technologies to combat climate change. So we see the threats,
00:45:49but we also see the opportunity. Yeah, and I think that that, let's segue to the business
00:45:56aspect of the Expo, because I'm sure it's not only to speak about climate change and the
00:46:01environment and so on, but I suspect it is to provide opportunities for persons even visiting
00:46:09the Expo. Well, absolutely. And we've had to, we have over 100 businesses and we had to even cut
00:46:16off at a particular point. And I think, you know, although sustainability as an economic
00:46:28sector in the rest of the world, I think it's very structured, it's very clear, but I think for us,
00:46:35there is still, you know, there is still a lack of access to proper financing,
00:46:41lack of capacity in understanding how to create business proposals, you know, lack of being able
00:46:49to form proper partnerships and networking opportunities. And so the people who are
00:46:55coming, yes, they're coming to meet with the businesses, but they also have their own ideas
00:47:01and their own innovative strategies that they just need assistance with in order to get it
00:47:08off the ground. And some of them are coming to learn how to even grow their operations,
00:47:12because we have a lot of SMEs who we are also subsidizing the costs for, so they're not paying
00:47:18for their boots and so on, because we want to also build capacity with them. So the SMEs who
00:47:24are there are really coming to also, again, you know, work with us, work with the community,
00:47:29form the partnerships that are required, you know, to really get us where the rest of the world is
00:47:37in terms of perhaps creating a really strong diversified economy that is also sustainable.
00:47:45Yeah, so I think it is correct to say that it would expose people visiting the Expo
00:47:54to some of the stakeholders in the industry. I think that the dilemma has been when we speak
00:48:01about sustainable businesses and people who would have invested in such businesses, you know,
00:48:07there's always a concern, boy, I wonder if this is viable, and I think that has been the problem.
00:48:14And I want to ask this question, is it that you see, because of your position at the bank,
00:48:20you see more people coming to the bank for funding, read these types of businesses?
00:48:26Well, there are two aspects, right? So as I said before, we have clients ranging from the
00:48:34very large who are big exporters, and these are the guys who are now subjected to
00:48:41international legislation that has been instituted regarding sustainability and climate change.
00:48:50So, you know, and they now have to build that capacity, and we are working with them,
00:48:55because they now have to be ready for the carbon tax that is coming out in the UK and in Europe.
00:49:02They have to be able to disclose if they decide to, again, and all the countries now are
00:49:10putting in legislation, right? In terms of what we're seeing with the SMEs, we are seeing an
00:49:17uptake on different types of businesses, especially in, you know, areas that you would not even think
00:49:24of, like in AI and technology and modelling and using AI to model climate patterns, and there's a
00:49:33lot of interesting work being happening, being done. We just had a recent symposium on green
00:49:40hydrogen, which is hydrogen really made from renewable fuels rather than fossil fuels, and
00:49:47again, there were these great projects, but again, it's also now that gap between finding financing
00:49:55for them to get these projects off the ground. So, as a bank, we're seeing those opportunities,
00:50:01and of course, you know, we're in 16 countries. So, whereas in Trinidad, we may not see that level,
00:50:08but in the other countries where, of course, energy prices is a motivating factor for people
00:50:13to innovate faster in terms of climate change, we are seeing a lot of new projects and interesting
00:50:20projects coming up. So, you know, we really want to be that bank to take that lead and to guide
00:50:26that way, and we're trying to do it in a, not in a PR-focused way, but in a deep, structured
00:50:34way as well. And I suspect, Ms. Maraj, if it is that businesses want to get into the industry
00:50:41and also expand their businesses because of the legislation that you would have spoken about a
00:50:45short while ago, it's something that they can't fight. You're just going to have to embrace it
00:50:50because it is here and it is coming. It's coming, yes. It's coming especially, I think, faster than
00:50:57we think because, as you know, the COP, the Conference of Parties on Climate Change, which
00:51:03happens every year, is happening in Brazil in 2025, and it's coming to our region. And as you'd
00:51:10be aware as well, every time there is one of these conferences, there is a slew of activities
00:51:16that countries who are all signatories to the UN, including us, have to abide by. So, we expect to
00:51:24see a lot of changes for our region coming through next year, and I think our bank is
00:51:32really in a unique position because we are ready to take on those challenges. All right. So,
00:51:38we're speaking about two days of the Expo. What time do things kick off on Saturday? Well, on both
00:51:45days, they kick off at nine and it goes on till five. We have our president, he specifically
00:51:55asked us to, you know, focus on action because, you know, there's talk shops all over the place.
00:52:00Everywhere you go, there's a conference, right? And I think this was a brilliant idea because he wanted
00:52:06us to focus really on taking it to the next step. So, we have the Expo going on, we have our
00:52:13exhibitors, we have in the big hall in Sense of Excellence, but we also have another room
00:52:23where we have something called a Conversation Café, and that room is very relaxed. It's like a
00:52:29lounge where we have practitioners who are actually in the field sharing their business
00:52:36ideas with the public and with each other, who are people farming, composting, people who have
00:52:43written books, people who make products, who are recycling, who are making
00:52:49strides in the circular economy, and they will be there in that room. We have a nice coffee
00:52:54station, we have a movie theater where we are partnering with the green screen people as well
00:53:02to be showing films and so on. So, that room as well is going to be, you know, really geared towards,
00:53:08you know, not, I mean, obviously not just the younger people, but, you know, people who really
00:53:13want to come in and have these strong conversations. Yeah, so people don't have to register or anything,
00:53:17right? No, it's free of charge to the public. You just show up and we hope that you do show
00:53:24up. And we have, we've arranged parking. I know Sense of Excellence has parking, but there's, we've
00:53:30arranged parking in the park across and in the school as well. We have shuttles that are also
00:53:35free for people who want to park and come in. We have people who are directing traffic, so
00:53:41everything hopefully should be well organized and should be an excellent day, well, two days.
00:53:49So, free admission and you can get some free coffee too, right? Miss Maraj, it was a pleasure
00:53:54speaking with you this morning. Thank you very much for the information. I thank you and I hope
00:53:58to see you and your staff members there. Studio, studio is raring to go in. Studio want to come
00:54:04from now. Great, so we're looking forward to seeing you there. All right, Miss Maraj, bye for now.
00:54:09Thank you. Okay, so we are going to a very short break, everybody. We're coming back.
00:54:12I see you, okay. Do your dance, do your thing. I see you, okay. Let me see you, Cherry Hill.
00:54:41Yeah, now take it back. Let me see you rock off, rock off, shake off, shake off. Let me see you
00:54:47rock off, rock off. Let me see you kick right, now kick left, now step forward, now step back.
00:54:59LucasAid, bring the energy. Are you diabetic, pre-diabetic, or at risk for diabetes?
00:55:06You need Berberine Plus by Aja Nutrition. Two doses a day keeps the blood sugar at bay,
00:55:11cholesterol levels in check, and your immune system strong. Made with ancient Ayurvedic
00:55:16ingredients, berberine, bitter melon, and banana leaf, Berberine Plus is clinically proven to
00:55:21improve glucose metabolism, enhance insulin sensitivity, and slows glucose absorption
00:55:27in the gut. Berberine Plus, providing a natural path to a healthier you. Pick up a bottle today
00:55:32at Pennywise and all leading pharmacies nationwide. The choice is clear. The TV6 News
00:55:40is the number one news broadcast and the most watched program in TNT, including all cable
00:55:45programming. With over 50% more eyeballs than the closest competitor, advertisers trust the TV6 News
00:55:51to deliver their message to their target audience. Competitive rates ensure the biggest brand per
00:55:57buck, and the authority and reputation of the newscast help to build and maintain trust in
00:56:01your brand. So regardless of the size of your business, the choice is clear. TV6 News delivers
00:56:09results. Get ready to experience the thrill of the CPL T20 Cricket Live on Toshland 2.3 FM. The
00:56:21official radio right holder for the CPL games in the Caribbean. The Republic Bank Men's Caribbean
00:56:27Premier League, August 29th to October 6th. CPL is online. Two, three. It's cricket played louder on
00:56:35the station that sounds better. Charge 92.3 FM. The home of CPL.
00:56:57Good morning. I am Ansel Gibbs with a news update. Police are now seeking help from the public
00:57:17as they investigate the murder of Alvin Daniel in Tobago. It seems like Mr. Daniel was targeted
00:57:24and again I am calling on the members of the public. There must be somebody who saw something
00:57:32somewhere and we are asking for them to cooperate with the police. Notwithstanding that what is in
00:57:38the public space, your information will be treated with the highest level of confidentiality
00:57:45whilst we are treating with it. A family needs your help as they're trying to raise funds for
00:57:53surgery for their four-year-old daughter Jamila who has been diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease.
00:58:00What is the overall cost? The overall cost is 500,000. Sometimes I just like break and tears
00:58:08just come to my eye. Well just when you're really thinking about what could happen to her, it's just
00:58:16frightening. If you'd like to help you can call 305 4676 or 301 0838. And in the weather forecast
00:58:30both islands will be fair to partly cloudy with intervals of showers. There is a medium chance
00:58:36of the isolated heavy shower or thunderstorm this afternoon. Tonight should be mostly fair despite
00:58:43a few isolated showers. Temperatures are expected to climb to 34 degrees Celsius in Trinidad
00:58:49and 32 in Tobago. Seas will be moderate with waves up to one and a half meters
00:58:56in open waters and below one meter but at times choppy near showers and in sheltered areas.
00:59:02Make the right choice in eyewear at Seaview Optical. Get complete single vision lenses with
00:59:06frames for $2.99. Single vision lenses with transition and designer frames $8.99 and get
00:59:11your progressive transitions with designer frames for $14.99 at Seaview Optical. Affordable eyewear
00:59:16for everyone. We promise contactless check-in and check-out. Additional deep cleaning of high
00:59:25touch surfaces. Social distancing. Frequent cleaning of rooms and 24-hour gaps before new
00:59:30allocation. Good isn't good enough. We're committed to high levels of cleanliness. That means clean
00:59:38well-maintained clutter-free rooms that meet our standards. If this isn't what you find when you
00:59:43check in then we promise you'll find what you need.
00:59:55Make it right. We're more than ready to welcome you. We are Holiday Inn Express and Suites Trin
01:00:01City Trinidad. Book your stay today at 669-6209 or visit our website or Facebook page for more
01:00:09information. Athletes, coaches, administrators, and public. We need to find the desire to work
01:00:18together. Join us on iSports on i95.5 FM to find out more.
01:00:29iSports with Andre Errol Batiste. Thursday 625 p.m. and Saturday 615 p.m.
01:00:36For the most influential name in sports, i95.5 FM.
01:01:06All right everybody, so welcome back. So local designer Sandra Hordat has taken her brand
01:01:18Sandy's Angels and her designs to the runway of New York's Fashion Week and she's here with us
01:01:24this morning to talk about it. Good morning, Sandra. Hi, good morning. Thank you for having me,
01:01:30Malang. Of course, Sandra. Well, Sandra, how has the experience been from what we have been seeing
01:01:35on social media? Sandra, you almost broke the internet, you know. It has been a blow mind,
01:01:44the experience. I cannot, I cannot even explain how exciting this whole journey has been,
01:01:52getting to New York and taking part in New York Fashion Week.
01:01:57Sandra, well, let's speak about the journey. How did this happen?
01:02:01So early this year, I was invited in January, I was invited to show at Runway 7 for New York
01:02:10Fashion Week and I basically almost had to forfeit Carnival to take part. I showed a capsule
01:02:17collection. I only showed five pieces at that point and it was almost like a trial run and
01:02:26honestly, they enjoyed the show so much that they invited me to show again in September,
01:02:32which just took place. But this time, they asked me to show 12 pieces.
01:02:39What has the response been? What has the response been, Sandy?
01:02:45Sorry? What has the response been like?
01:02:48The response, I mean, after the show itself, people just love the brand so much. They were
01:02:57blown away. The audience was like overwhelmed. And after the show, we actually went down to
01:03:05Times Square to take more pictures and that turned into, that turned into Carnival,
01:03:13literally. People were taking pictures. We were actually going down with maybe two photographers
01:03:20to Times Square and it ended up being like maybe 40 photographers taking pictures. It was crazy.
01:03:27Yeah. Well, I know, Sandra, that, and let's speak a little bit about the brand,
01:03:31Sandy's Angels, because I know that when you first started, to me, it seemed to be sort of
01:03:38a lingerie line. Have you expanded the line?
01:03:44Yes. So, Sandy's Angels was born, Sandy's Angels is a COVID baby. Sandy's Angels was born during
01:03:51COVID and it started off being a sleepwear line. And it's now transitioned into like bringing
01:04:01Carnival into the collection. So, it's a mix of sleepwear, lingerie, Monday wear, festival wear.
01:04:14Yeah. The brand keeps growing.
01:04:16Yeah. So, Sandra, I know that all of this and your trip to the runway of the show,
01:04:27to the runway of the New York Fashion Week, I know that all of this takes a level of funds and
01:04:36funding. How was that exercise for you? Was it challenging? Have sponsors been coming along?
01:04:47What is the situation?
01:04:49Sponsors? No sponsors yet. Right now, it has been thriving, but just by me. It's a one-man
01:05:04show right now. And in order for Sandy's Angels to really expand its full potential,
01:05:10we do need funding. We do. We do need help. We've been invited to show at other
01:05:17fashion weeks, LA, Dubai. The sky's the limit for the brand.
01:05:25But help is needed.
01:05:26Yeah. But Sandra, is it safe to say that when you attend these events, it not only exposes
01:05:35your brand, but it also shows the culture of Trinidad and Tobago, right? And what
01:05:42Trinidad and Tobago has to offer.
01:05:44Of course. Of course. I mean, we are stepping into a whole new realm here, you know,
01:05:50showing Carnival on fashion runways around the world. Like this is a great opportunity for Trinidad
01:05:57and Tobago.
01:05:59Yeah. So what's next for you, Sandra, and the brand? Is there anything in store for you
01:06:08internationally before I know, before I know you get back home to Carnival in Trinidad?
01:06:15Yeah. So I'll be launching my website soon where pieces will be available at
01:06:23www.sandysangels.com. And also you can check out Sandy's Angels on Instagram.
01:06:32This is Sandy with an I. Yeah, I hope to take the brand to different runways all around the world.
01:06:41It will be great, great exposure, great experience.
01:06:45Yeah. So is it, how do the ladies at this time, if they are interested in a particular design,
01:06:53if they are interested in a particular piece, how do they get in touch with you?
01:06:58They direct message me on Sandy's Angels on Instagram, at Sandy's Angels with an I,
01:07:06or they can send an email, or they can wait for the website to drop, which is going to happen
01:07:13this week. And they'll have all the prices, they can pre-order, they can make deposits.
01:07:19It's going to be very simple, very easy.
01:07:21Yeah. And you know, Sandra, you know how men are, men may want some pieces too.
01:07:27So are you venturing in producing pieces for the men too?
01:07:33Men get very jealous. So yes, we will be bringing some pieces for the men as well.
01:07:39Yeah. All right. Sandra, is there anything else you'd like to tell us before you leave us this
01:07:42morning?
01:07:43I want to say, you know, look out for more, look out for more from Sandy's Angels.
01:07:49Maybe LA, maybe Dubai, you know, we want to hit the runways internationally and spread,
01:07:55spread the brand, spread Trinidad and Tobago, spread our talents. Yes. Join me for the ride.
01:08:02Yeah. It sounds like something that you're going to be doing for a long time.
01:08:05Yeah. I'm going to be doing it for a long time.
01:08:07Bye for now. Okay. All right. So we are going to a very short break, everybody. We are coming back.
01:08:37I see you. Okay. Do your dance. Do your thing. I see you. Okay. Let me see you. Cherry Hill.
01:09:02Yeah. Now take it back. Let me see you.
01:09:04Rock off, rock off, shake off, shake off. Let me see you rock off, rock off.
01:09:16Let me see you kick right now. Kick left now. Step forward. Now step back.
01:09:20Lucas Aid, bring the energy.
01:09:23The greatest event in Trinidad and Tobago, the day of power, weakness, deliverance.
01:09:31Healing transformation on Sunday, September 15th with the free distribution of the holy anointing oil.
01:09:43Reserve your oil now, mainly at 7 a.m. in our national headquarters.
01:09:52Join us for echoes of the black Stalin classic concert and unforgettable evening celebrating
01:09:58the life, legacy, and legend of the iconic Leroy Caliste, the black Stalin.
01:10:03This special tribute concert will feature Ras Aili and Mighty Gabby from Barbados,
01:10:08Ajamu from Grenada, Machel Montano, Kevin Caliste, Brother Valentino, Baron, Super Blue,
01:10:14Johnny Kane, Iowa George, Ronnie McIntosh, and a host of musical legends from Trinidad and Tobago.
01:10:19It's happening October 4th, 2024 at Zappa. Showtime is 7.30 p.m.
01:10:24Get your tickets from WAC radio and athletes by the park in San Fernando, Basil Bistro,
01:10:29Woodbrook, Angels Courier Services, Tobago, and from islandetickets.com.
01:10:33It's the biggest show of the year, echoes of the black Stalin classic concert. See you there.
01:10:55Maybe you could afford to pay up to $22,500 in fines and lose your license permanently.
01:11:12No? Then don't drink and drive.
01:11:16A message from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
01:11:20All right, everybody, so welcome back. So the Brilliant Minds Foundation is an educational
01:11:47non-profit organization that provides free quality education, get that,
01:11:52free quality education to students preparing for the SEA and CSEC examinations. Here to tell us
01:11:59more about Brilliant Minds is its founder, Aaron Edwards. Aaron, it's always good to see you and
01:12:05speak with you. All right, good morning, Marlon. Thank you for having me. Good morning, Trinidad
01:12:09and Tobago. Yeah, and just incidentally, Aaron teaches physics and math. Where was Aaron when
01:12:16I was going to school? But yeah, but Aaron, let's speak a little more about the Brilliant
01:12:24Minds Foundation because I know that last year you were here, and at that time you were making
01:12:31a call for students to get involved. How did that go? Right, so basically last year we would have
01:12:39started the foundation and we more or less catered specifically for students at the
01:12:45SEA and CSEC level. We did have a little difficulty in terms of locating a specific
01:12:51location for persons who were interested because we had persons from north, east, south, and west
01:12:55of Trinidad who were interested. So we did run the classes online. Those students did really well,
01:13:01all right, for those who would have stayed in the program between September 2023 and this year,
01:13:06who would have wrote exams this year. But we do know that not every student is able to gravitate
01:13:12towards the online learning, and so this year we actually do have the ability to actually do the
01:13:19classes both physical and online, all right. We are actually located at Hunter Street, which is
01:13:24in Woodbrook, Port of Spain, and the classes are available for students who are both
01:13:31interested in physical and online classes. We do have classes that cater for students between
01:13:34standards one to form five, as well as adult private candidates, you know, those who are
01:13:38interested in obtaining a full certificate at the CSEC level. Yeah, you know, so these classes
01:13:46are expected to begin when? Right, in October, which will be tentatively in the first week of
01:13:51October next month. So there's still time to register? Yes, we do have quite a few persons
01:13:58who are registering currently, and well, of course, because it's for in terms of the physical spaces,
01:14:03we have a limited amount of students who would be able to join the class. But we do have,
01:14:09you know, spaces available for those who are still interested. Yeah, how many subjects
01:14:16will the students be exposed to and get tutoring in? Right, so at the primary level, between
01:14:23standards one to five, we cover everything according to the Ministry of Education, which would be math,
01:14:29English, and creative writing. And at the secondary level, we do offer currently up to
01:14:3414 different subjects, which covers all the business, science, language subjects, IT, geography,
01:14:40you know, and much more. So for those who are interested at the CSEC level, you can choose
01:14:45up to any five out of the list of 14 subjects available. Yeah, but Aaron, what you're telling
01:14:50us here this morning, that's a lot of work, you know, and a lot of resources. How are you all
01:14:57able to do this? Right, well, the administration itself, we generally work with sponsors. So we
01:15:05are currently partnered with Synergy TV, as well as one or two other corporate entities that will
01:15:12be coming in. Of course, we welcome any corporate entity that will be willing to assist in the
01:15:16program as well too. So more or less in terms of the foundation itself, we provide 100% tuition
01:15:23for any student who's willing to, or who is interested in, or a parent who's interested in
01:15:29part of the program. And in terms of those who would want to do things outside of, let's say,
01:15:37the educational aspect, we do also offer additional programs to those who are interested.
01:15:42Right, so more or less these sponsors are those who drive the program itself. Yeah, but how are
01:15:48these classes conducted? When do these, when do the classes begin? At what time, and what does the
01:15:56day look like for the student? Right, so generally we have classes that start in the evening period
01:16:02from 3 p.m. Classes are about an hour and a half to two hours in length at any given academic
01:16:08level between Sandwich 1 and Form 5. So we have classes from Sunday to Sunday. This depends on the
01:16:14academic level and what type of class the student is interested in. Of course, for those, we do know
01:16:19that there are some parents who prefer for students to do classes during the weekends. Some persons
01:16:25prefer to do it after school. Right after school, you know, you freshen up yourself and then you,
01:16:31you know, you get the additional learning that you need. So classes are available for those who are
01:16:35interested in, on the weekdays and the weekends as well too. We do also have day school available
01:16:43for those who are from the academic level from Standard 1 to Form 3. So the day school classes
01:16:49would generally begin from 8 30 to 2 p.m. Right, and of course we cover all aspects as related to
01:16:56the Ministry of Education or the syllabus as outlined by the Ministry of Education. All of
01:17:01this is free? Well, in terms of the tuition, the tuition is 100% free. So the tuition would
01:17:06incorporate the textbooks, booklets, in terms of handouts, past papers, uniforms. So all of that
01:17:16is actually covered by the administration. Of course, there is an expense to this. So in terms
01:17:22of any persons who are interested, you just simply assist the foundation and make a small donation of
01:17:27about 350, 350 TT, which is a monthly donation and, you know, we cover the rest. Yeah. How do, let's say,
01:17:39the corporate entities that are looking at us right now and they would want to contact your
01:17:45organization, how do they do that? Well, they can reach out to us via direct phone call or even
01:17:50WhatsApp via the number 267-7119, or you can email us at the Brilliant Minds Foundation
01:17:58TT at gmail.com, but you can reach out to us at any point in time, whether it be
01:18:04through social media. We do have an Instagram and Facebook page, Brilliant Minds Foundation TT,
01:18:10but specifically you can just give us a call or message us and we're more than willing to
01:18:14collaborate. Yeah. Is it via these routes that the student can also contact you all? Yes, of course,
01:18:22students, parents, CSEC repeaters, we do know that, well, based on the grades and the performance
01:18:29from this year at both the SC and CSEC, well, you know, persons have a lot to say about that,
01:18:33right? So they can also reach out to us via WhatsApp or direct phone call as well too.
01:18:39Yeah. And, you know, Aaron, I'm glad that you touched on that because I think that we really
01:18:46got startling news a few weeks ago. Read the performance of how our students have been going
01:18:55in math and English and there's a concern that they're not getting full certificates and therefore
01:19:01they cannot move on to university. Correct. Yeah. I mean, you have been involved in this
01:19:08for a while now, teaching. Do you have a view on that at all? Of course. The performance of
01:19:14students? Yes. You know, everyone has a different angle that they look at it and, of course, on
01:19:21programs like yourself and even on the radio shows and so on, everyone has an idea that,
01:19:28okay, maybe it's the teachers or maybe it's the parents or maybe it's the students, this generation
01:19:31is different. Actually, in terms of what is taking place right now, I think it's more of
01:19:41a holistic type of problem in the sense that you have to look at the fact that some students
01:19:47are more or less left without a teacher sometimes for an entire academic term, right? Some students
01:19:53have a teacher but they don't cover the entirety of the syllabus, right? Some students learn under
01:19:57uncomfortable circumstances in school. The environment is not conducive for learning,
01:20:03right? And so, these problems all together actually causes a much larger problem at hand
01:20:11and then you have certain situations where students leave the primary school level and
01:20:16enter secondary school without a proper foundation, so they're already starting off bad,
01:20:20right? And that foundation is not really addressed at the secondary school level. There's very limited
01:20:26time for teachers to actually do that or in certain cases, you have 20-something or 30-something
01:20:31students in a class, right? Teachers are not able to give students the individual attention that
01:20:36they need. So, because of that, you find that some students go through the entire system for five
01:20:41years, 10 years and they leave the system with nothing, right? So, that is why I think that a
01:20:47lot of parents right now are looking for a viable alternative in terms of still being able to get
01:20:53that quality education that they're looking for so that students can't, not everyone would want to
01:20:57be a doctor or lawyer or nurse and that's fine if you want to go about that traditional route,
01:21:02but there's also persons who are looking towards entrepreneurship and so on and so that's why in
01:21:07terms of the Brainerd Minds Foundation, we do offer the same quality education that persons
01:21:12should or are looking for, right? The classes are very comfortable, air-conditioned.
01:21:17We keep very small numbers so we can give students the individual attention that they need.
01:21:21We cover the full syllabus coverage as well as we do have other aspects of the program that
01:21:26are completely free aside from the educational part of the program. Yeah, Aaron, please tell
01:21:33people again how do they sign up? Right, so you can just get in touch with us. You can give us a call
01:21:40267-7119 and you can visit our website as well to BrainerdMindsFoundation.com
01:21:48and there's the registration, online registration form there, right? So once you fill out the online
01:21:52registration form, there's one for the primary level and CSEC level as well as adult private
01:21:58candidates. Once you fill out the online registration form, you can just give us a call and we can book
01:22:02an appointment for you to come into register. Yeah, Aaron, as I said earlier, it's always good
01:22:08to see you and speak with you and thank you for the good work that you and your organization
01:22:12continue to do. Of course, thank you for taking the time to meet with me this morning. All right,
01:22:16thank you again, Aaron. All right, so we are going to a very short break, everybody. When we come back, it's
01:22:21CPI.
01:22:34Make the right choice in eyewear at CV Optical. Get complete single vision lenses with frames
01:22:38for $299. Single vision lenses with transition and designer frames $899 and get your progressive
01:22:43transitions with designer frames for $1499 at CV Optical. Affordable eyewear for everyone.
01:22:49Sister Shivani is coming to Trinidad on Thursday 19th September from 7pm to 8.30pm to speak on
01:22:56the path to forgiveness and healing. Tickets are free, however, online registration is required
01:23:02at TicketGateway.com. Patrons must be seated by 6pm. For more information, call 737-1779
01:23:11833-051 or visit the Brahma Kumaris St. Augustine Facebook page. Are we ready to create a peaceful
01:23:18world? The number one digital news publication in TNT, the Trinidad Express ePaper gives you
01:23:25more ways to subscribe. Whatever your style, we've got you covered. Call, email, download the Trinidad
01:23:33Express app for Apple or Android or visit digital.trinidadexpress.com and begin your journey
01:23:39into the enhanced ePaper experience. Enjoy bonus pictures and videos with select stories.
01:23:45Get articles translated into 11 languages. Use the convenient voice reader function when you're
01:23:49on the move. Set up customized alerts and never miss a story with access to past editions at
01:23:55your fingertips. The Trinidad Express eKingdom gives you more ways to subscribe. Sign up today
01:24:01for a free 90-day trial. All the Republic Bank CP election is live and exclusive on CCN TV6.
01:25:01This segment is brought to you by Republic Bank,
01:25:06title sponsor and official bank of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League.
01:25:13Everybody, so it's time now to discuss CPL, CPL action, and we are now joined this morning by
01:25:34Tobago cricket broadcaster, Marcus Daniel. Marcus, thank you very much for joining us again. It's
01:25:41always good to speak with you, Marcus. Yes, Marlon, good morning and let me say good morning
01:25:47to your viewers as well. Yeah, well Marcus, the last time that I spoke with you, you had on your
01:25:53TKR t-shirt. Yeah, we have been looking at the performance of TKR over the past few days.
01:26:00Marcus, they look kind of shaky, you know, how you feel?
01:26:04Indeed, we are yet to play a complete game and I say a complete game in terms of batting, bowling
01:26:13and feeling. Every single game we have played so far, we have had a situation where the bowlers
01:26:18would have done well and then the next game we had the batters doing well and the feeling doing well.
01:26:23The last game we won in the last over, thanks so much to the captain, Kieron Ballard. We had a
01:26:28number of drop catches in the field and I think we are still not stringing together good bowling
01:26:35performances because 180-something against that TKR line-up, I think that was too much in that
01:26:41sense. But we got the big W and that's important but we have got some important games coming up,
01:26:48especially against the unbeaten Barbados Royal team playing really good cricket. That's on
01:26:53tomorrow night and I am expecting that, you know, the rotation of the players because we are still
01:26:57yet to see plenty of fun on Jerusalem and I am hoping that he gets some form for the later stages
01:27:05of the competition. And you know something Marcus, just touching on that point that you have made
01:27:10there, because I was speaking to one of my colleagues this morning, I was speaking to
01:27:14Dominic, right? And Dominic is telling me, he says, well, you know, we have not seen the full
01:27:20extent, the full reach of the team as yet because he believes it's a very strong team.
01:27:26It's a team that is made up with a lot of strong players and he believes that when the team
01:27:34comes to Trinidad to play their games, that's when we will see that TKR
01:27:42team fully blossom and really into action.
01:27:51Yeah, and I think what they are trying to do as well is just to manage the workload
01:27:55of some of the players because, I mean, we have to agree that they are no longer
01:28:00at the age of 20 or even 30 on Jerusalem, Durant, Bravo, Cairo and Pollard. They are now on the
01:28:06later stages of 30. So it's about managing their workload and ensuring that when it gets to the
01:28:12business end of the tournament, we have our best players ready to play. And I am hoping that I get
01:28:16a seat on Jerusalem and even Durant Bravo, this being his last TPL. I am hoping I am going to see
01:28:23him live when they get the photos in next Wednesday and Thursday.
01:28:28All right, so let's talk a little bit about the finer aspects of what you have been seeing,
01:28:34Ree, the team. What do you feel are the challenges of the team at this time? Do you feel that,
01:28:42here's what, that they can improve a little bit on the bowling, the batting, the fielding? Because,
01:28:48sometimes, Marcus, there's a fine line between winning and losing, and that
01:28:56people in sport will tell you, well, it's the finer things that we need to focus on.
01:29:02Yes, indeed. Most definitely our fielding and the back-end bowling. I think we are
01:29:10getting too many runs at the back-end. Last time we tried Terence Hines and he went for a lot.
01:29:16If we can improve on our net bowling, and even in the foreplay as well,
01:29:20I think we still coincide in a lot of runs in the foreplay and at the back-end. So,
01:29:24in the line, he normally comes on just after the foreplay, or sometimes he's used for one over in
01:29:28the foreplay, and then he comes in and, you know, he's very economical, and maybe he gets a free
01:29:33two every now and then. But when he doesn't, sometimes we are able to, we are chasing,
01:29:37like, a set of 108 or 190. Against better teams, to change those runs, that's going to be difficult.
01:29:44So, if we can tighten up with the back-end bowling and the net bowling, and then take our catches,
01:29:48because we are creating chances, you know, but we are doubling a lot of catches. And one point
01:29:53I want to hit on, I think last year I spoke a lot about it, the key man in this team here,
01:29:58whether it's fielding or batting, Nicholas Curran, I think he gets out too easily.
01:30:05Sometimes, some people may say, you know, you have to take what you get from Nicholas Curran,
01:30:09because he's an impulsive player. When he comes off, it's a beauty. But, I mean, when he doesn't,
01:30:15the team struggles to get a really good big score, or sometimes struggles to actually get
01:30:19over the line, chase and run. So, if I can get a Nicholas Curran from his first game when he
01:30:24was 97, I believe, and if we can get some more consistency from him where he's leading batter,
01:30:30give us some 40s or some 50s, I'll be more comfortable. But we need to tighten up on
01:30:35those things, fielding and our net bowling, if we are to really contend with the Warriors.
01:30:42All right, Marcus, we must go to a very short break. Marcus,
01:30:44please stay with us. To our viewers, we're coming back.
01:31:30We're all in. Republic Bank, title sponsor and official bank of the Republic Bank Caribbean
01:31:43Premier League. These two have revolutionized T20 cricket, just like Insight Interiors and
01:31:50Insight Investments have revolutionized flooring and home design. Wow, this place is amazing.
01:31:56Check out the flooring. It's on another level. Imagine that flooring in this spacious living
01:32:02room. Total game changer. Look at this comfort up. Perfect for the modern kitchen. But I've
01:32:09got the eye for style. Check out this greeny bedroom. Nah, you mad. I always pick the champions.
01:32:15Now, if you want to be a winner, then choose the real champion. No doubt about it. From flooring
01:32:21to finish, they've nailed it. Visit Insight Interiors and Insight Investments to transform
01:32:27your home with the best, just like these legends. Time to go big with TCL at courts. Chop at courts
01:32:38and get a chance to win tickets to CPL game, a side by side fridge or an 85 inch TV with the
01:32:43purchase of any TCL product. Get a 65 inch QLED smart TV for $5,999. Shop today and pay later with
01:32:54Courts Ready Finance. Go big with TCL at courts, bringing value home. Conditions apply.
01:33:03No matter where the game is played, there's some things you always need. A bat,
01:33:09a ball, a wicket, and plenty of ice cold refreshment. Enjoy the cricket with Angus Tour Chill,
01:33:19the official refreshment partner of the Republic Bank CPL T20. Angus Tour Chill. Chill. Play. Lime.
01:33:38Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play
01:34:08Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play. Lime. Play
01:34:38We're not good at bowling.
01:34:45Not even cheerleading.
01:34:50But we're definitely good at windows, doors, handrails, fences.
01:34:59Guys, let's stick to what we know, please.
01:35:01Visit our website at www.domuswindows.com
01:35:08All right, everybody.
01:35:15So welcome back.
01:35:16So we are continuing our discussion on the CPL and we do still have
01:35:22on the line Marcus Daniel, Tobago cricket broadcaster.
01:35:25Marcus, before we move on to other things CPL, but you do believe
01:35:31at this time that the TKR that they are in a good position to
01:35:37to move on and potentially they could be in a position to raise
01:35:42the trophy this time around?
01:35:46Yeah, I think I think if they tighten up on these things that I
01:35:48mentioned before the break, I think they have a really good chance
01:35:51of going all the way. Last year they got to the final and they were
01:35:55beaten by a very good Warriors team. I think this year, knowing
01:35:58what the challenges were last year, they can go all the way this
01:36:02year. Just need a more team effort. You can't depend on one person
01:36:09to keep doing the work of the scoring or one person to do the work
01:36:12of the bowling. We just need that team effort. I think now is the
01:36:16time to try to start to get the team functioning together instead
01:36:19of relying on one particular person.
01:36:22And I'm coming, we are real thankful to Paul Harcourt for the last game.
01:36:25He got to the top of the line.
01:36:27But how many times can he do that?
01:36:29How many times can he do that?
01:36:30And we expect that all the players, the batters, the goblers, they need
01:36:34to contribute and contribute on a more consistent basis.
01:36:37Just like you have seen from the Warriors and you have seen from the
01:36:40Royals, they have been very consistent. And I think once we do all those
01:36:44things, yeah, I really can go all the way this year and give Prem Babar
01:36:47a really good stand up.
01:36:49All right.
01:36:50So Marcus, let's look a little bit now about some of the other
01:36:56teams. Are there any
01:37:00teams that you think that are outstanding teams that we have seen
01:37:06some impressive performances from them and some of the
01:37:11some of the other players
01:37:15in the CPL who we need to be looking at, whose performances have been
01:37:20impressive?
01:37:22Yeah, most definitely.
01:37:24We have seen some amazing teams in the competition.
01:37:29That's the Warriors, the defending champions and the Barbados Royals.
01:37:32They have played three games and they have won all three games.
01:37:36And they have been consistent and I see consistent in that the players
01:37:40that you have seen score in one, they have scored in one. The Queens and
01:37:44the Cubs for the New Zealand.
01:37:46But McCoy, you've been looking good and I've seen the Royals, they have
01:37:50been blessed by the
01:37:54by David Miller, another good player as well.
01:37:58I'm going to look at the Warriors team.
01:38:00Ket Meijer. Ket Meijer seems to be in some really good form.
01:38:03And they are led also by a really good captain, an inspirational
01:38:08captain in Zaheer. And when you have teams playing confidently
01:38:13and they have a winning record, it is very difficult to beat them on any given day.
01:38:19And from what I've seen so far, those are the two form teams and you expect
01:38:23that, you know, they will definitely be right up there in top four and
01:38:28can challenge the trophy again.
01:38:29And they have some big games coming up.
01:38:31Obviously, Chiquita will play against the Royals tomorrow and then the Royals
01:38:35will play against the Warriors still.
01:38:37I'm looking forward to those matches.
01:38:39And those matches will obviously be a test to test all those things and
01:38:42see where or who will end up in the top two or who can get straight to the final.
01:38:47Yeah, Marcus.
01:38:48All right, please hold the line again.
01:38:50We must go to a very short break.
01:38:52We're coming back everybody.
01:39:17It's CPL time, my one golden boy.
01:39:20Feel the CPL joy from every nation in the Caribbean.
01:39:24The flash of a light.
01:39:25We're building legends in this Caribbean nation.
01:39:28We're all in.
01:39:29It's CPL time.
01:39:31We're all in.
01:39:32Republic Bank, title sponsor and official bank of the Republic Bank
01:39:36Caribbean Premier League.
01:39:46It comes naturally to us.
01:40:10Unstoppable energy.
01:40:13We share it.
01:40:15We use it to live better.
01:40:17We are manifesting a green and sustainable future.
01:40:37NGC pursuing sustainability at the forefront of energy.
01:40:43Guns cannot think or care.
01:40:45They cannot care about the communities.
01:40:47They destroy.
01:40:48They cannot think about the families that they wreck but you you can take
01:40:53your shot and report illegal guns anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
01:40:58You can call go online or use their new free internationally acclaimed p3
01:41:04tips app Crime Stoppers is an international program and no callers
01:41:08identity has ever been revealed.
01:41:10Crime Stoppers.
01:41:11It's safe and it works up your a game elevate your digital experience
01:41:17with Alfea TV voice and internet up the benefits with free installation
01:41:23up the speed with fiber technology and up to one gigabit per second up
01:41:29your service quality with 24 7 customer support and up the savings
01:41:34with $100 off your bill sign up now and supercharge your digital
01:41:39life with Alfea do more live more.
01:42:09Sangeetha knee where women's healthcare is not one of the things
01:42:37we do.
01:42:38It's the only thing.
01:42:40Introducing berberine plus by Aja nutrition two doses a day keeps
01:42:48the blood sugar at bay cholesterol levels in check in your immune
01:42:52system strong made with ancient Ayurvedic ingredients berberine bitter
01:42:56melon and banana leaf berberine plus is clinically proven to improve
01:43:01glucose metabolism enhance insulin sensitivity and slows glucose
01:43:05absorption in the gut berberine plus providing a natural path to a
01:43:09healthier you pick up a bottle today a penny wise and all leading
01:43:12pharmacies nationwide.
01:43:15It's the right choice and I will see the optical get complete single
01:43:18vision lenses with frame for $2.99 single vision lenses with transition
01:43:21and designer frames $8.99 and get your progressive transitions with
01:43:25designer frames for $14.99 at CV optical affordable eyewear for
01:43:29everyone.
01:43:39All right.
01:43:39So welcome back everyone.
01:43:40So we are continuing our discussion on CPL and with us still is Marcus
01:43:44Daniel Tobago cricket broadcaster Marcus.
01:43:47Thank you very much for staying with us Marcus.
01:43:49You took in the game last night.
01:43:51And if so, what is your impression of what you would have seen from
01:43:55both the Royals and the Falcons?
01:44:00As a laughing over last night's game, obviously had to be decided by
01:44:06the LS system.
01:44:09I think the game was lost.
01:44:11Obviously those who watch the game.
01:44:13I was on fire with this over one number 12 in which he couldn't leave
01:44:18it 21 and then two hours after 2.3 was after the rain came and game
01:44:25had to be abandoned.
01:44:27And Royals won the game on the West.
01:44:31I think I think the Falcons the Falcons the Falcons.
01:44:36They've been a really good game.
01:44:37I think they should have gotten over 200 runs having been at once is
01:44:40a hundred and forty four one and then what was for what's remaining
01:44:44the slump but in 201 which would have given them a better opportunity
01:44:48to win.
01:44:49I don't know what Lewis given that the rain came at the end, but it
01:44:53says a lot about consistency and form and confidence in the unit as
01:44:58well.
01:44:58They are pretty stubborn game so far and they have only won two games.
01:45:02They have three games remaining.
01:45:04The most they can get is what 10 points 10 points in total.
01:45:07I expect that I expect that with the coming games that they have
01:45:11against you should they go like riders and Warriors and even the
01:45:14Kings.
01:45:15It may be a difficult time for them to qualify only for the football.
01:45:19I'm disappointed.
01:45:19I haven't seen Joshua James in the starting 11 yet.
01:45:23I think the opportunity for him to play given the inconsistency of
01:45:27so many so many of the players that he's contested with I mentioned
01:45:30was on private.
01:45:31He's going to have a horrific over.
01:45:33I think that's over with 22 runs even for a 14 ball over in fact never
01:45:37good of an over going for 14 balls and I think that didn't change.
01:45:42Of course, the idea of Falcons the game.
01:45:45I was happy to see Brandon King back in the playing 11, but they
01:45:49haven't been consistent at all.
01:45:51They won two games in a row one of those games being TKR, but they
01:45:56are they're not a team that I can see qualify for the football.
01:46:00It will be the lineup of matches that they have remaining.
01:46:03Yeah.
01:46:04Now while I'm speaking to you Marcus, I'm looking at some of the
01:46:08footage of last night's game.
01:46:10Well and footage of TKR too from a from a past game there, but I
01:46:15think Marcus that while we are seeing the crowds coming and there
01:46:20is greater support for the men's game.
01:46:23I think I think that the video will show you that but I still
01:46:27think that we're seeing some empty seats.
01:46:30So the question is how do we how do we get to grow this fan base?
01:46:36And so so the the end result will be more and more people flocking
01:46:42these grounds to take in the to take in the cricket.
01:46:47Yeah, and I think I think people people have been doing a really
01:46:51good job in terms of marketing the games.
01:46:54I mean, I'm sure when when it gets to be to not like next week
01:46:58you're going to see capacity growth when it comes to the support
01:47:02of cricket and TKR and Trinidad and Tobago.
01:47:04I mean, I don't think what when it kind of can basically rival
01:47:08Trinidad and Tobago support.
01:47:09Trinidad and Tobago do a really good job in terms of marketing
01:47:12the games and it's up to the territory given the fact that it's
01:47:17a kind of tourism product, a sport tourism product.
01:47:20So even though the CPL are giving the territories the matches
01:47:23it's up to the boards here or even the government to really push
01:47:27the games to bring people out.
01:47:28There's also a situation where the matches are played during
01:47:31the week and sometimes late 7 p.m.
01:47:34Sometimes the games go to midnight and obviously we put ESPN
01:47:37the following day.
01:47:38Some people will choose obviously to go over to a match
01:47:42and have to go over the next day.
01:47:44So persons sometimes choose to go to a bar and watch the game
01:47:48or stay at home and take it in with their family because
01:47:51they're in the comfort of their home.
01:47:53So many different reasons for not going to the stadium
01:47:57but I can tell you when it comes to Trinidad and Tobago and
01:47:59Guyana, they love going to the venue, music, alcohol,
01:48:06a picnic in that sense, have a good time.
01:48:08And also in Trinidad and Tobago, they meet you in front of the
01:48:12market, you know, they meet you to see you when and where and
01:48:14you have a coaching up there and in Guyana as well.
01:48:17Yeah.
01:48:18All right Marcus, please stay with us again.
01:48:19We are going to a very short break everybody.
01:48:21We're coming back.
01:48:38We're all in, it's CPL time, it's passion, it's love for the game,
01:49:02it's passion, it's love for the game, it's passion, it's love for the game.
01:49:18You send that child to school.
01:49:20What about that cold she had for the longest while?
01:49:23You're not carrying her to the doctor.
01:49:24Why that boy always home by himself?
01:49:27All these things is neglect, you know, things and times hard
01:49:30but don't make it worse for yourself.
01:49:32I would have called it children's authority.
01:49:34If I was you, they could put you onto some people who could help
01:49:38social development, have grandson thing.
01:49:40You got to fill out some paperwork.
01:49:42You might find the process long, but it's for the children.
01:49:48Are you living with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes?
01:49:52Manage it with the unique Jameson 100% complete multivitamin
01:49:57with 400 micrograms of chromium to lower blood glucose, lutein
01:50:02for your eyes, B vitamins for energy, vitamin C and lycopene
01:50:07for antioxidant support.
01:50:10Take a step towards a healthier tomorrow and make the proactive
01:50:14switch to Jameson today.
01:50:20Time to go big with TCL at courts.
01:50:24Shop at courts and get a chance to win tickets to CPL game, a
01:50:27side-by-side fridge or an 85 inch TV with the purchase of any
01:50:31TCL product.
01:50:33Get a 65 inch QLED smart TV for $5,999.
01:50:39Shop today and pay later with courts ready finance.
01:50:42Go big with TCL at courts, bringing value home.
01:50:47Conditions apply.
01:50:50No matter your goals, there's a plan for you.
01:50:54We believe that anyone can invest with the right advice.
01:50:58So we've made investing simple and easy as TNT's first and
01:51:02largest mutual fund company since 1982 with convenient locations
01:51:08in your communities across the nation providing multiple options
01:51:12to suit your needs.
01:51:14We can help you to reach your goals.
01:51:17Start with as little as $100.
01:51:19We'll provide sound advice to help make it grow because we want
01:51:23to see you reach your dreams.
01:51:25Whether it's a new home, a new business, your dream retirement
01:51:29or vacation or simply rainy day savings.
01:51:33We'll help you get there because we've been there too.
01:51:37UTC your partners for life.
01:51:49Make the right choice and I will exceed you optical get complete
01:51:51single vision lenses with frames for $2.99 single vision lenses
01:51:54with transition and designer frames $8.99 and get your progressive
01:51:58transitions with designer frames for $14.99 at CV optical affordable
01:52:02eyewear for everyone.
01:52:21Welcome back.
01:52:46So we do still have Marcus Daniel Tobago cricket broadcaster on
01:52:51the line and just a few minutes again Marcus Marcus.
01:52:54So as we look at the next few days and the and the matches, what's
01:52:59your predictions as we look forward to the next few days?
01:53:04All right.
01:53:05So obviously starting with the night.
01:53:07This in kitchen.
01:53:08Maybe it's pretty just up against the king.
01:53:11They would definitely need a win to keep their hoops alive for
01:53:15qualifying for the top four mathematically.
01:53:17They can still qualify.
01:53:19Obviously they need to win and hope other results go their way, but
01:53:24I expect that the Kings will be too strong for the Patriots.
01:53:27They have their troubles in the camp when a bunch of anyone upon
01:53:31would have actually pulled out of the rest of the tournament for
01:53:33personal reasons.
01:53:35He would have been one of the leading batters there.
01:53:37I'll be in so much fun.
01:53:39If you just came so not sure what's happening there, but they need
01:53:43to need to win tonight.
01:53:44But as you would have asked in terms of prediction, they shouldn't
01:53:48expect that the Kings will be too strong.
01:53:50They have also lost two games in a row and they are playing at home
01:53:53and I expect that they will come out victorious.
01:53:55Yeah, and in terms of weekend, some big matches on with the Royals
01:54:00against the Chimbego Knight Riders.
01:54:02Well, in terms of my bias, I expect that the Patriots will be defeated
01:54:07against the Patriots.
01:54:10So the Royals will be defeated by the Chimbego Knight Riders.
01:54:13Obviously, they are now at home in Barbados.
01:54:17I'm expecting a good fill-up.
01:54:18Even the team's game will be tomorrow night.
01:54:21I'm expecting it to be weekend and then the Warriors against the
01:54:23Royals, that's going to be a blockbuster on Saturday.
01:54:27So, I mean, in terms of that game, I expect the Warriors to maintain
01:54:32their unbeaten start to this season.
01:54:34They have been playing a really good cricket.
01:54:35They've had four long cricket passing, scoring, stealing.
01:54:39They are really well-learned as well by Ibrahim Zahir.
01:54:41And as I said before, they have the confidence to be the defending
01:54:44champion.
01:54:45Yeah, Marcus.
01:54:46Thank you very much.
01:54:47It's always a pleasure speaking with you and I'm sure that we will
01:54:50speak again.
01:54:51Bye for now.
01:54:52All right.
01:54:52So that's going to be it for our program for today.
01:54:54Have a good day, everyone.
01:54:55See you right back here tomorrow morning and a very special good
01:54:58morning to my producer.
01:55:00Good morning, producer.
01:55:02This segment was brought to you by Republic Bank, title sponsor
01:55:15and official bank of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment