After spending more than nine years in jail awaiting trial for killing her abusive and adulterous husband, stroke-stricken Jassodra Jagmohan, 63, was finally reunited with her family yesterday when she was set free.

Claiming her actions were spurred on by years of physical and mental abuse, Jagmohan, who was initially charged with murder, pleaded guilty on Wednesday in the San Fernando High Court to the lesser count of manslaughter.

A frail looking, grey-haired Jagmohan, whose right hand was in a sling, managed to muster a smile for photos, but seemed to be in a state of disbelief at the decision.

Unable to form her words properly, she whispered “very hap..py” when asked by reporters how she felt to be freed.

Being incarcerated for all those years “was not easy” said Jagmohan, who said she prayed for her freedom and to be reunited with her two daughters.

The abuse meted out to Jagmohan by her husband Jagindranan, 57, his flagrant infidelity, her age, health and period of incarceration were among the things considered by Justice Althea Alexis-Windsor as she decided Jagmohan’s sentence.

“This has been a trial of law and emotion,” said the judge.

Notwithstanding their measured faces, she said they were all human beings and it was “impossible for emotions to remain dormant.”

According to the facts agreed between the attorneys, the plan to kill her husband was hatched with her cousin at the Penal Market about a month and a half prior to the killing. However, he was never charged. Jagmohan paid her cousin $1,000 to kill her husband, also called Rex.

On the night of June 23, 2007, the cousin went to their home with a two-foot long plastic strap.

Jagmohan’s husband had taken medication which incapacitated him. Jagmohan watched as her husband was dragged into a car purportedly owned by her cousin and that was the last time she saw him alive.

The next day Jagmohan went to the Homicide office in San Fernando and reported her husband left home that morning to go jogging and didn’t return. Her husband was subsequently found strangled at Clarke Road, Penal.

Homicide detectives went to her home on January 3, 2008 to obtain information. Jagmohan, who was not a suspect then, voluntarily went to the Homicide office where she admitted to being part of a plan to “mash up” her husband. Jagmohan, however, told the officers she was sorry and had only agreed with her cousin to kill her husband because she was frustrated, angry, hurt and ashamed. She told police her husband physically and emotionally abused her since 1998 and was involved in at least two extramarital affairs up to the time of his death. Jagmohan was released by a magistrate following the preliminary inquiry, but was rearrested on a judge’s warrant some months later.

Asking the judge to discharge her, attorney Michael Rooplal, who together with Prakash Ramadhar represented her, said, “She has spent a lifetime on remand.”

He said her medical reports would show she suffered numerous strokes in jail and her health had rapidly deteriorated.

He added, “She is in the category of a battered woman. This would have played a major role in her participation in the killing of her husband.”

Described a model inmate, Rooplal said the mother of two and grandmother of four did not have a criminal past. He also provided testimonials from Jagmohan’s daughters, who live in the Canada and Saudi Arabia.

In passing sentence, the judge said had the matter gone to trial and the accused opted to use the Battered Woman Syndrome defence, if accepted by the jury, she would have been found guilty of manslaughter. The judge’s sentence starting point was 16 years, but after taking everything into consideration, it was reduced to nine years and four months. However, Jagmohan would have already served that time incarcerated. After discharging her, the judge said, “Good luck. You can go home, hope you enjoy the rest of your life.”

Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC, who was given a fiat to prosecute, said justice was not only done in this case, but was also seen to be done. Relatives of Jagmohan and her husband were present in court.

In case anyone actually happened to miss the point in the last two Budgets of the Rowley administration, things are tough and they’re unlikely to be that much better in 2018. That is, judging from last Wednesday’s overview by Government at the symposium by the Prime Minister’s Office geared to give insight on T&T’s economic and financial circumstances.

Coming on the eve of Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s 2018 Budget presentation tomorrow, it’s revealed T&T’s continuing rocky road. But along with the problems emphasised, came certain plans (from Government) and prescriptions (from experts.)

After two years of low oil prices and challenging economic circumstances, the event sought solutions to repivot T&T towards growth.

Apart from recommendations from business and academia, Government’s own plans, which were detailed, may lend insight into some of what’s ahead in Budget 2018.

Government’s target:

“A strategy addressing the two main problems facing T&T—the sizeable stubborn deficit and the need to reverse the economy’s growth trend . . . putting it on a moderate, but steady, growth path over the next three years,” said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

“If the national income is on a negative long term downward trend, government revenue will follow the same trend. This means that even as it tries to stabilize the revenue situation the government is duty bound to get the growth process restarted, since growth will bring new revenues for government.”

If useful suggestions don’t make it into Imbert’s package tomorrow, Rowley added, they will be there for the months and years ahead. Government, he added, intends to get the economy “to learn how to grow without depending on the energy sector.”

But getting there means confronting issues plaguing T&T that are not limited to crime.

Economist Dr Roger Hosein, at the forum, listed challenges

“Worker ethic has been identified in the Ease of Doing Business index as the number one business obstacle in Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

“Also, Trinidad and Tobago’s real effective exchange rate in 2016 was 79 per cent more overvalued than in 2000. The economy’s ranking on the Ease of Doing Business index and Global Competitiveness Index has been sliding, labour productivity has been falling, debt rising, the current account balance worsening and the shares of employment in manufacturing, agriculture and tourism falling.

“Policy makers must consider how to get people to work harder in an environment of rising prices, limited wage increases and falling government budgetary outlays.

“This is a critical question at the heart of T&T’s economic progress for the next ten years. This is a very trying period. Growth in the next 10 years would be moderate, at best.”

Hosein’s advice: “Albert Einstein once said, ‘The world as we have created it, is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking’.”

T&T Chamber president Ronald Hinds’ view put it into a T&T perspective: “We’re running out of runway and space to manoeuvre. We have to make the hard choices now, or they’ll be made for us.”

T&T’s problems

• Energy sector revenues, taxes, royalties dropped from $15.7b (2010) to $2.1b (2017)—89 per cent plus fall in main revenue sources.
• Bills which Government couldn’t discharge.
• Chronic minimal economic growth.
• Slight downward trend for past decade despite few growth spurts.
• Rate of growth of four and a half per cent in 2007 reached under three per cent in 2013, declining steadily since.
• 2016 growth figure almost negative three per cent.
• 2018 revenue situation very challenging.
• Foreign exchange sales to the public since January totalled US $3.7b but forex inflows were US $2.55b
• Biggest Forex users: retail and distribution sectors, credit card transactions, manufacturing, financial services sectors.
• Current account went from surplus (2007) to deficits (up to 2016)
• Value of import/export reserves dropped from $11b (2015) to $8.6b (2017).
• T&T currently has 10 months of import cover, described as “reasonable”.
• Tax revenues: $40b (2008) to $15b (2017).
• Taxes from oil companies: $25b (2008) to $472 million (2017) .
• VAT levels from $5 billion (2007) to “flat” now
• Transfers and subsidies from $17.7 b (2007) to $27.8 b (2016)
• Personnel expenditure rose from $6.2b (2007) to $9.6 b (2016), minus contract expenditure.
• Productivity waned by over 7 per cent from 2015 - 2016

Government’s plan

• Tighten revenue collection mechanisms.
• New expenditure monitoring systems; new procurement system to reduce expenditure.
• Action calls to reduce expenditure, but caution about dramatic cuts.
• Some things T&T may want in 2018 must be postponed.
• T&T should remain open to any/all suggestions to boost revenue levels.
• Forex priority for firms/industries generating reasonable amounts of Forex.
• Development programme with some government spending and mobilization of significant private capital.
• Private sector investment in targeted industries.
• Over 2018-2021 government will work with private sector to push activity in export manufacturing, tourism, housing, maritime services, agriculture, financial services, creative industries.
• Fiscal regimes configured to support spawning of new businesses and getting existing businesses to adopt new modes and activity.
• Sectors will be selected annually with projects aimed at generating forex and new output levels.
• Intended six per cent growth after three years. New output projected between $2b (first year) to $4.5 (third). Expected deficit reduction of $1.1b (third year).

Expert’s prescriptions

Dr Roger Hosein:

• T&T’s Labour Force Participation Rate, compromising economic output, needs improvement
• Examine spending—transfers and subsidies. Fiscal gap must be closed
• Consider removing surplus Cepep labour, reallocating to agriculture/other sectors
• Obtain GATE formula that explicitly factors in the demographic transition at work in the economy
• Examine VAT, income taxes to boost revenues
• Reduce import propensity to below 50 per cent
• Consider if T&T needs help to reduce the murder rate to 200 annually
• Survey the top 20 most successful non-energy firms. Profile how they overcame exporting obstacles
• Examine exports’ structure Locate popular-demand goods
• Assess sectors for which demand for imports by the trade partner is rising but T&T exports to that market is falling
• Compare ease of doing business in T&T to Caricom partners and implement team to move T&T to top spot within Caricom in a year
• Policy makers must determine whether in the medium term the current account balance will improve and whether the focus should be on the overall balance or non-energy balance

Dr Vaalmiki Arjoon:

• Unions can bargain for additional training/retraining to continuously upgrade workers’ skills
• Stimulate investment in avenues that don’t require significant Government expenditure but can increase revenue streams, exports, forex
• Assist small/medium sized businesses source funding from local/ foreign private investors/governments
• Cepep/URP expenditure reallocated to capital expenditure. Work force merged into programmes for youth agriculture apprenticeship, cocoa rehabilitation, new tourism initiatives, “Farmpep” agricultural development
• Skills training for entrepreneurs on technical aspects of business: marketing strategies, product development, human resources, employee productivity, corporate governance
• Agro-processing, agricultural co-operatives. Farmers can collaborate/share use of big companies’ equipment
• Global logistics/shipping industry, partnering with foreign sector giants
• Push for local/foreign companies to be listed on TT Stock Exchange and foreign investors to trade
• Re-allocate more finances to capital expenditure

Clive Pantin, who wore many hats, including politician, educator, national sportsman and philanthropist, died yesterday at age 84. His funeral will be held at 11 am on Tuesday at the St Theresa’s RC Church and will be officiated by the current principal of Fatima College, Fr. Gregory Augustine

In 1973, Pantin became Fatima College’s first lay principal.

His son, veteran journalist Bernard Pantin, who is expected to deliver the eulogy at the funeral, said his father lived a “very full” life.

“He has had such a wide and varied life which is something we are all very proud of because it was very full when you look at all the different things that he did,” the younger Pantin said.

“We are very proud of the outpouring of comments from people, it is sad in its own way but it was testament to who he was and we are all very appreciative of what people think,.”

Education Minister Anthony Garcia, who like Pantin also held the post Fatima College principal before eventually becoming a Cabinet member, described his predecessor as a stalwart .

Between 1986 to 1991 Pantin served as a senator with the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) and was Education Minister.

“Mr Pantin, over the years, had established himself as a stalwart in education and in general, a true patriot of Trinidad and Tobago. With a stellar career in education spanning from the first lay principalship of Fatima College and subsequently assuming the office of Minister of Education, Mr Pantin will be remembered for his willingness to serve and his commitment to all people,” Garcia said.

Garcia described Pantin’s passing as “a loss that cannot be measured or explained.”

“The work and commitment of men like Clive Pantin are an example that all our young people should strive to emulate,” he said.

Pantin was the founder of the Foundation for the Enhancement and Enrichment of Life (FEEL) which became an effective vehicle to assist in the alleviation of poverty and hunger throughout the country. FEEL was recently engaged by the Education Ministry to support its hurricane relief efforts, Garcia said.

Before making his name as a principal, politician and philanthropist, Pantin attended St Mary’s College. He also played football for the national team from 1957 to 1962 and represented the country in hockey.

As a mark of respect, a minute’s silence was held before kick off at all Secondary School Football League games yesterday. Pantin was described as an “avid supporter of the SSFL”.

Former Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran said it was because of Pantin that his mother insisted he attend Fatima College.

“My lasting memories of Mr. Clive Pantin are that of an exemplary teacher, leader and patriot. He was a towering figure of strength, who never waned in his support and love for his students, family, and the less fortunate in our society,” Rambarran said.

Opposition Senator Dr Bhoe Tewarie took to social media to offer condolences to the Pantin family on the loss of “an illustrious son of T&T who gave much and cared.”

As Finance Minister Colm Imbert prepares to present his third budget tomorrow, he will be faced with a worrying gap between what Government earns and what it spends. Projections put the gap at $10 billion for the current fiscal year, ending on September 30.

For some specialists, it is time for Imbert to take decisive action if he is to make sure the government has a credible fiscal policy and that markets have confidence in its ability to steer the country through these difficult times.

For senior lecturer at the University of West Indies, Dr Roger Hosein, the deficit can be seen as a sign of weak governance, increasing the risk that confidence in the economy drops and investments are stifled.

Former minister in the Ministry of Finance, Mariano Browne, says now is the time for Imbert to take decisive action. For Browne, the Minister of Finance has been “playing for time, hoping for an increase in energy prices and gas output”.

“We are in a period where the adjustment process is long, this could take at least ten years. This is survival, so we need to determine what is critical for our survival, what are our priorities, and those are the things that the government has not begun to address that’s why I call it a menu of fudge,” Browne said.

The situation may be more critical as the government’s revenue projections presented at mid-term review may have been too optimistic. According to Hosein, last fiscal year the state generated $44.01 billion in revenue and, for the current year, it has projected a total of $48 million.

For Hosein, the problem is that, if this fiscal year’s tax collection pattern is similar to last year’s, with the period from October to March representing 45 per cent of the revenue, T&T may be heading to a considerable shortfall.

“For the corresponding period October 2016 to March 2017 the State only collected $16 billion in fiscal revenues and, if one were to again assume that this will stand for 45 per cent of all Government revenue to be collected for fiscal year 2016/17, then this interprets that for this fiscal year the State would realise a mere $36.8 billion in revenues,” Hosein said. That would leave the government over $10 billion short of its forecast.

The problems for Government do not stop there.

At the start of the current fiscal year, the balance of the country’s Consolidated Fund, Government’s main bank account, was $29.5 billion in the red, at least an improvement on the previous year’s $33 billion gap.

In his mid-year budget review on May 10, Imbert said the reality currently facing the country is “how to run an economy accustomed to $57 billion in expenditure on $37 billion in tax revenue”.

The challenge for Government, according to Hosein, is that even if expenditure is cut by five per cent, the “budget deficit would still be large”.

“Such a large fiscal deficit, if viewed as weak governance and when considered against the backdrop of the International Monetary Fund’s estimate for the TT economy of 5.1 per cent contraction for 2016, would lower the confidence that business people have in the economy and stifle the investment process,” Hosein said.

PAYROLL COST: $10.6 BILLION

A big part of the government’s budget goes to pay its workers.

The state’s annual wage and salaries bill for this fiscal year was set at $10.6 billion, an increase of around $1 billion on the previous year’s.

For Hosein, the state would have to manage increases in its wage bill moving forward because, as it stands now, it already needs to find additional resources on a monthly basis to meet this bill.

Speaking during his conversations with the nation last month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said there are 89,000 public servants on the central government’s payroll, including 39,000 civil servants, 13,000 member of the protective service and 16,000 teachers.

The figure excludes local government and state-owned enterprises. Even so, it has been going up. Hosein highlights that, in 2016, the central government employed some 76,000 workers and, in 2001, they totalled only 50,000.

“This is a significant increase no doubt motivated by the state padding in the labour market via the make work programmes,” he said, adding that employment in the period 1999 to 2016 in central and local government increased a whopping 64.6 per cent.

“In this regard, the state may have become a bit over-staffed. However, even if the state were to shed some workforce, total output in the central and local government sub-sector of the economy may not fall and indeed its average productivity may rise, if it is carrying surplus labour,” Hosein said.

“Whether or not the private sector could absorb the labour force shed by the state remains to be seen, but the restart of the highway to Point Fortin and the Diego Martin overpass once fully started would directly or indirectly absorb some of the workers shed by the state. This transitioning would not be immediate nor black and white” he said.

Last month, Dr Rowley met with the trade union federations—the Joint Trade Union Movement, the National Trade Union Centre of T&T and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and Non-governmental Organisations—to signal that there would be no further job loss in the public sector for this year.

Wise or not, with the payroll reduction option closed, Hosein says Government should look at subsidies to determine what financial cuts it needs to make. These subsidies include below market prices for fuel and electricity, for instance.

“A good starting point for the reform of state expenditure therefore would be to review the additional $13.4 billion on transfers and subsidies spent between 2007 and 2016, although the level of nominal GDP was basically the same in both years. A line by line approach would have to be taken,” he said.

Browne said “transfers and subsidies rose to approximately 51 per cent of government expenditure, accounting for the entire increase in government revenues during that time”.

The only “bright spark were the fiscal incentives which facilitated Juniper (gas field) and other projects,” Browne stated.

Newly-appointed Opposition Senator Saddam Hosein is promising to make a difference in the Senate when he delivers his maiden contribution during the 2017/2018 budget debate. He wants to help reform the criminal justice system, reduce crime and be a voice for the youth.

The 26-year-old attorney, who was named after former Iraq president Saddam Hussein by his 66-year old grandmother, admitted that people react to his name with shock.

“The name is just a label. It is really the personality that comes with the character,” he said during a brief interview.

He said he knows the name creates fear in the minds of many, but he has no intention of creating uneasiness in the Senate. He promised to deliver contributions that are well-researched and comprehensive.

Hosein, along with UNC PRO Anita Haynes and business graduate Taharqa Obika, were sworn in as UNC Senators at the start of the Third Session of the 11th Parliament on Friday. The trio replaced Danny Solomon, Wayne Sturge and Rodger Samuel.

Hosein thanked UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for selecting him and promised to put his best foot forward when he delivers his contribution.

An attorney, Hosein gave up his job at the Director of Public Prosecutions office to enter politics, a moved which surprised his family, although they support him. He said the decision was not difficult.

“It was me now serving country in a different capacity. I want to make more contributions regarding crime and how we can fix the criminal justice in T&T,” he said.

Haynes, 30, said it is a tremendous opportunity to serve the people of T&T.

“I am excited but I am also aware of the responsibility that comes with it. I hope to bring a fresh prospective,” she said.

A supporter of the UNC since 2010, Obika, 34, who recently became a member of the party, aims to get politics back to the centre of the people.

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Wade Mark said the new UNC senators will be given all the necessary support, inspiration and motivation to perform and excel in their duties. He said Solomon and Sturge remain UNC members and showed no animosity towards the party, while Samuel continues to be a COP member.

With T&T’s foreign exchange shortage nearing a critical low, the Starlite Group is trying to stimulate economic growth while cutting back on the need for US dollars with the opening of Nova Coffee Trinidad.

At the launch of the latest addition to the South Park Mall in San Fernando yesterday, Starlite Group managing director Gerald Aboud said because importation of green coffee beans from the world’s best suppliers is prohibited in T&T, they had to find the middle ground between local and international beans. Bean can be imported if they are roasted, but after they go through that process, are at their best for up to one week.

Together with the Texas-based coffee consulting firm Brewed Behaviour president Tracy Allen, Nova Coffee will be roasting the Brazilian beans themselves so that customers can experience it at its freshest.

“If you import roasted, you pay four times the price and the coffee never tastes as good. This needs to change. We do not have the altitude for Arabica beans here and those are the best quality. This means we must find a middle grown between our local and international coffee bean options,” Aboud said.

“Not only this, but by roasting all the beans ourselves, we can save foreign exchange, invest in the local industry, and we can also export. Coffee is one of the largest traded commodities in the world and we can be a part of this trade.”

Explaining his decision to add coffee to the Starlite Group, Aboud said the industry has always been his dream and the brand is in line with his belief that there must be a greater thrust for local input in businesses.

San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello said it is an exciting time to invest in the city because of the San Fernando Waterfront Redevelopment Project, which is scheduled to start in the coming weeks and promised local government reform.

“Contrary to popular opinion, as Mayor of San Fernando, I am excited by what is ahead from a business perspective. With these two initiatives as mentioned before, the city is taking off, businesses are thriving and exciting times await San Fernando,” Regrello said.

A major concern for men who have to undergo surgery and radiation treatment for prostate cancer is the possibility of erectile dysfunction afterwards, says urological surgeon Dr Fuad Khan.

However, Khan says he has a way to help men get rid of their prostate cancer without getting rid of their virility—High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), a minimally invasive alternative to conventional therapies for the disease.

HIFU received third level approval from the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2015 but had been used outside of the US for years before that. T&T is the only country in the English speaking Caribbean that uses that treatment.

Khan has a Sonablate 500 machine to perform the procedure. It is a unique image-guided device that allows physicians to create a customised plan for each patient’s prostate needs. Ultrasound energy, or sound waves, is transmitted through the rectal wall and focused at desired locations within the prostate identified by MRI and confirmed by ultrasound. At the focal point of the sound waves, tissue temperature rapidly rises to almost 90 degrees Celsius destroying the targeted tissue while surrounding tissue remains unharmed.

Khan said the technique is safe.

“It’s completely new and anything that is new people would scoff at it,” he explained.

So far, 15 people have undergone therapy for prostate cancer using the HIFU.

“Every single person who has done the other modalities have lost their erections and it is something that nobody talks about. They don’t talk about it, they push it under the carpet, they tell you you could use Viagra or Cialis,” Khan said.

“However all the patients we have done so far (using the HIFU) have not only gotten rid of the tumours but those who had good erections have maintained their erections and they are happy.”

He warns, however, that if a patient’s erections were “no good before”, the HIFU will not miraculously make it better.

Apart from erectile dysfunction, there are other complications from surgery and radiation, Khan said.

“What we say in medicine is don’t let the treatment be worse than the disease and sometimes that is what we see,” he said.

With HIFU therapy patients are placed under spinal or general anaesthesia while a probe is placed in their rectum. Real-time images of the prostate and surrounding areas are then transmitted on a computer screen and from these images doctors plan where the ultrasound energy will be delivered.

Tumours are dissolved using ultrasound energy and there is no pain during the treatment. It is a day case surgery and patients can do it in the morning and leave the hospital by evening. This is what attracted Khan to the HIFU a decade or so ago.

“When I went to see it in the Dominican Republic almost ten years ago I was shocked. Some guys came from the United States stayed in a hotel, went into the nursing home, they did the HIFU, and they left went back to the hotel and were normal the next day. It is that good,” he said.

Khan said if he is ever faced with a prostate cancer problem he will opt for HIFU.

There are, however, specific criteria for patients hoping to undergo HIFU to get rid of prostate cancer. The tumour must be localised to the prostate and must be within a specified size range.

Khan said unlike radiation HIFU is non-ionizing so it can be repeated if necessary without damaging healthy tissue.

“Sometimes after radiation when it is done people still have the tumour, it returns. HIFU is the only thing that could actually be done again. The others you cannot do it. You cannot do over radiation. When it is finished you have to go for chemotherapy,” he said.

“Anybody who has had failed radiotherapy and failed brachytherapy we could do this rather than injecting you with all the drugs because the drugs have side effects also.”

Khan advised men to be tested for prostate cancer.

“Prostate cancer is not a death sentence if handled earlier. In fact you can live a normal life even if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer,” he said.

Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan is now being asked to ensure all tender reports are published, if state agency NIDCO has nothing to hide in the award of a $400 million contract to Kallco for the first phase of the Toco to Manzanilla Highway.

Chartered surveyor and managing director of Raymond and Pierre, Afra Raymond, said although Sinanan said he had recused himself from the discussion and decision by Cabinet for award of the contract, given the tradition of Cabinet secrecy, it is impossible to verify the that assertion.

He was responding to reports that Sinanan had declared a family relationship with the owner of Kallco and recused himself when Cabinet discussed the NIDCO recommendation to award the $400 million contract to the company. At the sod turning ceremony for the start of the project last week, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said Kallco was one of six companies that tendered for the project and had the lowest bid.

Raymond said in the interest of transparency and good governance, the Cabinet minute should be made public “to see who was in the room and present when the decision was made.” Since it was a commercial transaction involving millions of tax payers dollars,e the government should “remove the shroud of secrecy” and make the minute public, he said.

“If the state agency and the ministry really have nothing to hide, Minister Sinanan must now ensure that all the tender reports are published,” he said.

Raymond said that would be in line with recommendation 39 of the Uff Report which stated: “The reviewing of tenders and the making of decisions upon the award of contracts should be undertaken in as transparent a manner as possible, including demonstrating clear compliance with procurement rules, so as to allay suspicion of improper actions or potential corrupt influences.”

He said: “That is directly related to this situation and so many others.”

What was “astonishing and unacceptable” about the revelations, Raymond added, was that Cabinet was making the decision to award the $400 million contract.

“If that was indeed the case, one has to ask what is the purpose of the state enterprise sector? What is the competence of the Cabinet to make such a decision?” he asked.

Raymond said while the Cabinet might have considered reports from NIDCO and/or the Ministry of Works before making the decision, that raises the question of the function of the NIDCO board if its key decisions are taken elsewhere. He said the practice of “dispersal of responsibility” which is the norm in the public sector is incompatible with the state’s goal of a single point of responsibility when pursuing the design build option.

Past president of the Contractors Association Mikey Joseph said contracts on major projects should not necessarily go to the lowest bidder.

“On a major project, price should be 25-35 per cent of a major contract. Past history should also be considered,” he said.

Chairman of the Private Sector Civil Society Group on Public Procurement Winston Riley said as far as he is concerned NIDCO has a rigorous” pre-qualification process.

“To get past the pre-qualification you need a track record. The next issue is the management, the relative cost and things like that. The key is what happens at the first stage and what happens at the other stage,” he said.

Economist Indera Sageewan-Alli says Government should cut the Cepep and URP budget in half and re-allocate some of the monies allocated to those programmes to a more viable agricultural programme.

With warnings of an economy in the doldrums having been sounded even louder last Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Spotlight on the Economy, Sageewan-Alli said while those discussions might result in Finance Minister Colm Imbert “tweaking” the already prepared budget, warning bells had been sounded that “things are bad with the economy and the population should prepare for the worse.”

In a stark presentation, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Vishnu Dhanpaul lamented that transfers and subsidies to public utilities WASA and T&TEC have been not just for debt payment but for operational issues. He was particularly concerned that “billions had been spent on WASA.”

Sagewewan-Alli said she expects the budget to speak to some of those concerns.

“The fact is that subsidies is a big area and I can see Government attacking the issue of the utility rates,” she said

She said there is very little left to do with the fuel subsidy: “Government may move to completely remove it, but subsidies on water and electricity will be looked at.”

The 2017-2018 budget will be a “real balancing act as Government is faced with trying to maintain economic activity but at the same time ensuring it is not done through transfers and subsidies but through productive activity,” she said.

Sageewan-Alli while cutting the make work programmes will be hard, these are the kinds of decisions that have to be made. I

“In a co-operative model the very same workers could see the opportunity to own part of the estate rather than surviving on a ten days,” she said.

The budget she said should present the opportunity for both “inspiration to increase productivity and the hope that something is being done to make things better.”

She expects increases in alcohol, cigarettes and gambling “because these are areas where no matter the price people will find ways to buy.”

In addition, given the foreign exchange situation,Imbert might analyse the effect of the seven per cent on line tax and “may want to double it, I could see that as a place they will go after,” Sageewan-Alli said.

A 35-year-old man who drank poison after stabbing a 12-year-old girl and her 32-year-old mother 11 days ago has died at hospital.

The man, a PH taxi driver, attacked the mother and daughter a day after the woman went to the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court to secure a restraining order against him. Following his death on Wednesday at the San Fernando General Hospital, relatives scheduled his funeral for today.

Relatives told reporters the attack followed claims that the 12-year-old had been sexually molested repeatedly by a close male relative. The girl’s mother confronted the suspect and made a report to the police.

Two days later, the suspect, who had threatened to tie up the family and set their house ablaze, pried open their front door with a pitchfork around midnight and stabbed the mother and daughter with a kitchen knife. They were able to run into the road and were taken to hospital.

The man ran into bushes and hid but was found hours later by residents. As they brought him to the roadside, he threw up a liquid that appeared to be a pesticide. He was taken to hospital where doctors found that his organs had been severely affected.

Local contractors are hoping that when the budget is read it will include a plan to settle the $4 billion debt still owed to them. They say payment of the debt could assist the country with revitalisation of the construction sector and help stimulate the economy.

President of the Contractors Association Ramlogan Roopnarinesingh said: “Recently we did an evaluation and the debt owed to contractors is over $4 billion, and the industry is owed $6 billion. This includes suppliers, architects, engineers, and other people involved in the industry. It is a hell of a lot of money.”

Roopnarinesingh said thedebt had taken a toll on some contractors.

“A lot of contractors have had to close. They have lost their businesses and properties because they could not meet mortgage payments,” he said, while others had opted to scale down operations and in some cases “sold their equipment to pay the banks.”

“A lot of people are affected and even those operating now are operating at 35-40 per cent of their capacity,” he saod

Commenting on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s call for private enterprise to get involved in the development of the country, Roopnarinesingh said: “If you pay us, we could invest in housing and other services to stimulate the economy.”

He said contractors could start projects, including building homes for middle income families, but if they are not paid they cannot invest.

“By paying the outstanding bills there can be a resurgence in the industry,” he said. “The industry as a whole is suffering. There isneed for new projects and the continuation of projects to revive the industry.”

According to Roopnarinesingh, once the construction sector is at a certain level of production,it employs 15 per cent of the labour force

“The sector in its best time is the second largest employer after the government. We hire from top down, architects, engineers, project planners, carpenters, masons, quarries and even the people who sell food. Everyone in the society has something to gain when construction is going on.”

While highways and road construction is more equipment intensive, Roopnarinesingh said constructing buildings is more labour intensive.

“But everything could be happening at the same time. We need the roads and infrastructure, but we also need other projects,” he said

He is happy that government plans to break contracts into small, medium and large, so that all contractors have the opportunity to tender.”

He is also hoping that the budget will present a plan for appointment of a procurement regulator and is also renewing a call for licensing and registration of contractors.

“We believe this will bring much improvement and quality and standards by people in the industry and it will also give us the opportunity to enter into the extra regional market to earn foreign exchange and assist in diversification,” Roopnarinesingh said.

Former Minister of Public Administration, Carolyn Seepersad Bachan made a call for Gender Responsive Budgeting at a pre-budget forum held by the Institute of Gender Affairs (IGDS), UWI.

Noting the potential for measures and initiatives deployed to address the economic crisis to unfairly pass the burden of care to the most vulnerable households, it is important that expenditure for social development programmes reaches the “Most in Need” and facilitates empowerment towards decreasing dependency on the state. In this regard, there must be improved mechanisms to increase the impact of desired outcomes and more effective design of entrepreneurial programmes that will lead to the graduation off social programmes in the shortest possible time frame.

Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) is not about whether an equal amount is spent on women and men, but more about the different ways women, men, girls and boys access social delivery services and contribute to the society and economy. GRB is part of the budgeting process in many countries and has been used as part of the performance based budgeting and Institutional Reform Programmes.

At the forum, Ms. Seepersad Bachan presented the findings of an analysis conducted by IGDS on expenditure for fiscal years 2015-2017 for the network of social services and subventions to partner organizations including established Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs). However, by Government not providing the data disaggregated by sex, the analysis could not provide an understanding of how gender differences influenced forms of vulnerability and the likelihood of moving out of vulnerable situations; shaped abilities to access services and impacted on the conversion of project opportunities into advancement.

For example, given the longer life expectancy of women, the majority of the 90,800 pensioners are elderly women. Post-60 lived realities require most of these women to assume significant care giving roles. However, the gender blindness of the Senior Citizens Pension Scheme does not facilitate an analysis of the extent of this pension to accommodate caring for younger family members and the possible negative impact on their ability to access the necessary health care. Similarly, for the emerging and increasingly vulnerable group of older men who never formed cohesive family units, to what extent has this pension accommodated ongoing support typically sourced within family units?

On the contrary, the Gendered assessment of the Adult Education programmes for the out of school population revealed that in comparison to men (698), three times as many women (2,096) were desirous of self improvement. However, further disaggregation of data into men, women, boys and girls accessing the different types of tuition for CXC exams, NEC courses, Primary School Leaving Certificate and Literacy is required to gain insights into male and female dropouts and whether similarly positioned men are less likely to access assistance. This would also facilitate further analysis of issues pertaining to boys’ ability to complete education including lack of proper guidance, their ability to cope with curriculum or the need for supplementing families’ income, in addition to the impact of teenaged pregnancy and care responsibilities at home on girls’ access to such programmes.

GRB will also provide an understanding of the impact of the interchanging roles of men and women on social delivery programmes as in the case of the emergence of single father homes.

To strategically address the needs of the most vulnerable there must be the development of more accurate poverty profiles in order to facilitate the better targeting of poverty reduction intervention.

Members of the Sant Naggar Hindu Temple in Sangre Grande, led by pundit Bownath Maharaj and devotees held their annual Ramleela street parade yesterday, attracting scores of onlookers.

The celebration of Ramleela, which was held over the last few days at the grounds of Sangre Grande Hindu School, and at other venues across the country depict the re-enactment of the life of Lord Rama, which ends in a ten-day battle between him and Ravan, as described in the Hindu sciptures of the Ramayana.

Various characters, such as Ram, Sita, Lutchman, and Hanuman dressed in their costumes danced as the paraded along the streets. Ramleela came to an end yesterday with the burning of an effigy of Ravan. The end of Ram Leela begins the preparation for Divali celebrations.

Public Services Association President Watson Duke has been elected as the president of National Trade Union Centre (NATUC) for a four year term.

The election followed the 9th Biennial Convention of delegates held at SWWTU Hall, Port-of-Spain on Saturday.

Duke didn't answer calls on what he plans for NATUC, what direction he will take that labour grouping and what his views were on the upcoming 2018 Budget being presented today.

Duke succeeded previous Natuc president Michael Annisette (SWWTU president).

KEVON FELMINE

kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt

The wails of Shirley Indarsingh shook those who gathered at the crime scene as undertakers removed the battered body of her daughter Ria on Saturday night.

Although she walked away from an abusive lover a year ago, there was no escape for Ria who was believed to be knifed and bludgeoned to death by the male relative.

Her family believes that the same relative is responsible for her death but police confirmed yesterday that they had no suspect in custody.

Indarsingh, 41, of Maharaj Street, was the twin sister of Rona Indarsingh — whose son Daniel Guerra, eight, was found murdered in a drain along the Tarouba Link Road, San Fernando in 2011.

Reports stated that Indarsingh was supposed to pick up her two children at C3 Centre, Ste Madeleine where they had gone to see a movie. When she did not show up, they contacted the male relative who took them home.

On reaching home around 8 pm, they found her bloodied bloody lying on the floor on the upper story.

Gasparillo police and the Homicide Bureau of the Investigations, Region III responded and they believed that she was beaten and stabbed in the head.

As Indarsingh sat on a chair outside Ria's home, she cried out to God for retribution, saying that someone had taken away her "flesh and blood." She said it was only ago hours before that Ria came to her house and had lunch.

"I don't know who did this, but there is a God. What goes around, comes around and you will pay for this boy. Lord Jesus, I will see that you pay for it. In Jesus name I am telling you, they will pay for what they did my child," Indarsingh yelled.

There was a hush in the community as those around the scene were almost frozen in shock.

For one elderly resident, his emotion was anger.

"She was a good mother. All of us know her. She was a very nice person," he said before storming off.

The pain of the Indarsingh family was reminiscent of six years ago when Guerra was found dead on the embankment of a drain.

Three days before, he had left his home on Beddau Street, Gasparillo to purchase energy drinks at a nearby shop, but he never returned.

Controversy surrounded Guerra's death as an autopsy by pathologist Dr Eslyn McDonald-Burris showed that he had drowned. However, another autopsy by professor James Gill a stated that he suffered homicidal asphyxia.

Police officer Darwin Ghouralal, a friend of Daniel's mother was subsequently charged with his murder, but two and a half years later, Ghouralal would walk free as the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence against him. The State applied for a judge's warrant for Ghouralal, which was granted. However, he has not been seen since and police believe he left the country.

The National Infrastructure Development Company (NIDCO) has invited the chairman of the T&T Transparency Institute (TTTI) to a meeting today to review the procurement process used for tendering, evaluation and awarding of the Manzanilla highway extension project to Kallco Ltd.

Nidco confirmed the development via a statement yesterday following a recent TTTI statement on the award of the contract.

A $400 million contract was awarded to Kallco for Package 1 of the Churchill Roosevelt Highway Extension to Manzanilla.

Nidco said it was inaccurate for TTTI to state there is no procurement legislation in place " ...As there is and NIDCO also has tender and procurement policies."

"It is most unfortunate the TTTI would have put out a statement commenting on a tender and evaluation process that it had no factual knowledge of, save, it appears, what may have been carried in the media."

KEVON FELMINE

kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt

Healthcare workers are chipping in to send relief aid to Dominica in the aftermath of the destructive Hurricane Maria.

Members of the public are being urged to donate supplies which can be placed in specially marked bins at strategic locations at healthcare facilities in the South-West region.

South West Regional Health Authority's (SWRHA) corporate communications manager Crystal Marcano said they have partnered with the T&T Medical Association (TTMA) to provide relief to their Caribbean brothers and sisters in need.

Marcano said while there are many other organisations engaged in the relief effort, the devastation to Dominica was so vast that a Herculean effort was needed. She said even staff had been requesting that the RHA coordinate some assistance, which was endorsed upon by CEO Gail Miller-Meade. The effort officially got started on Friday and help has begun pouring in from both staff and the public. The TTMA has committed to the shipping coordinating efforts to ensure the people of Dominic received this much-needed supplies.

Locations include:

San Fernando Teaching Hospital levels three, four and eight.

San Fernando General Hospital- Doctors’ Lounge, Ground floor.

Regional Administrative Centre I Lobby Area

Siparia District Health Facility 's foyer

Princes Town District Health Facility

Couva District Health Facility

Area Hospital, Point Fortin.

Required items

Non-perishable food

Cleaning supplies

Baby and infant supplies

First aid items

Personal care products

Candles and flashlights with batteries

Household items.

Anyone willing to donate can contact the Corporate Communication Department at 225-HEAL (4325) ext. 1,2107 or communication@swrha.co.tt

Hold off on fuel price hikes.

That's the call from some quarters as speculation — and jitters — mounted that today's 2018 Budget may involve increases such as on diesel fuel.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert will deliver Government's third Budget of its term, at 1.30 pm in Parliament.

Messages of continuing tough economic times — and a correspondingly tough Budget — telegraphed by Government in the last week have heightened concerns among the public.

Government sources were tightlipped yesterday on speculation the 2o18 Budget could be slightly lower than Imbert's 2017 package of $53b and if taxes on alcohol and cigarettes might be increased as they were previously.

In his first 2015-16 Budget, Imbert projected removing the fuel subsidy over 2015-2017 and started then, hiking fuel prices since.

In the 2017 Budget, he had warned other transfers and subsidies to be examined included “complete elimination of fuel subsidies and reduction of transfers to utilities".

He had also noted “chronic” issues and debts in WASA and TTEC, which has heightened speculation the 2018 package could include transfer reductions to utilities — and whether this may impact rates ahead.

Minister in the Ministry of Finance Allyson West recently said the Budget would be a tough one following Government's signals at last week's forum on T&T's economic circumstances.

There, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the revenue situation facing T&T in 2018 remains very challenging, tightening of revenue collection mechanisms is necessary and further expenditure cuts will be "unavoidable" due to the 2018 deficit.

Rowley said T&T "out of necessity should remain open to any and all suggestions to boost revenue levels" and some items for 2018 will have to be postponed.

He warned T&T would have to "do more with less in the future and "hold some strain for now."

West said the Budget will reflect the need for "everybody" to contribute to getting T&T out of the current situation — but she didn't think it would be austere as some feel.

However, the Joint Trade Union Movement has urged Government to avoid placing the brunt of burden on workers and the poor, to share it equitably and avoid further fuel subsidy reduction resulting in price hikes on diesel, super and LPG.

JTUM added, "This (hikes) will place hardship on people who definitely cannot afford it, unlike the one per cent. It'll further exacerbate inequality. Any attempt to increase the fuel price will be vigorously resisted."

JTUM supports stimulation of certain sectors (which Government recently announced) and social programme reforms (which economists have advised).

Today's delivery will reveal if Imbert's 2018 budgeting formula is the same as 2017’s where revenue shortfalls were financed by borrowing, Heritage and Stabilization Fund drawdown, sale of assets and repayments.

He had projected oil price hikes between US$50-60 over 2017/18. Last week prices were around US$50.

Opposition MP Dr Bhoe Tewarie said, "I expect a lot of numbers today and excuses about their options. Whether the fiscal measures reflect that, is another matter."

Following today's Budget, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar replies on Friday.