Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday sold himself as the country’s best salesman, saying he has been able to bring investors to our shores and sign deals that will generate revenue to take the country out of the economic downturn and recession.

Rowley threw out his sales pitch during his Budget contribution in Parliament, saying he recently sealed the deal with Sandals Resorts to build an 800-room in Tobago which, upon completion, will put T&T on the world map as a tourist destination.

“The communication between me and Sandals ownership is based on mutual respect. I speak to Sandals as the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. No underhand deal. Not on this side. We don’t do that,” Rowley said.

He said while he has been trying to sell T&T, the Opposition had not offered any alternative to take the country of economic crisis. Describing Sandals as a world brand, Rowley said according to the MOU, Sandals will manage the hotel and a board has been assigned to start preparatory work for the hotel, which would change Tobago and raise it standards.

He added that the agreement between BP and the National Gas Company (NGC), which he was instrumental in, saw a $10 billion investment for T&T.

“That is not the end of it. We are talking to some Italians now who have expressed an interest to come to T&T and get involved in some kind of industrial business.”

On the economy, Rowley said if Government doesn’t cut expenses the country would run into bankruptcy. He said in setting an example at the Office of the Prime Minister, he has reduced the bill for telephone, entertainment, overseas travel, promotions and printing and hosting of conferences by millions of dollars.

In 2011, Rowley said it costs taxpayers $387 million for these services, which went up to $495m the following year for a total $882m. In his last two years in office, Rowley said they reduced the figure from $882 to $521 million.

“A savings of $361 million. When we had money that is how we spent it. And to come here today to give us lessons as to how to spend money, no thank you!”

Touching on the gaming industry workers who protested outside of Parliament on Wednesday, Rowley said the casino owners have been operating illegally in T&T.

“A lot of people are engaging in illegal activity and telling me they go burn down the country. And you giving them gasoline.”

He said what we have were private members clubs that owners, many of them foreigners, have converted into casinos. In the coming days, Rowley said they would address the matter through the work of the Joint Select Committee.

“We are going to legalise casino gambling in this country,” the PM said, adding it was better to have a gaming commission that would regulate the gambling and take out the crime, criminality and foreign details from it.

“I am appealing from my colleagues on the other side to join with the Government to put this thing under proper legislative control so the workers could have proper and secured jobs in a legal setting.”

Arouca/Maloney MP Camille Robinson-Regis yesterday created history by reading out in Parliament a search warrant which was issue for Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal in connection with committing misconduct in public office and corruptly giving advantages as an inducement or reward.

Robinson-Regis read the document during her Budget contribution in Parliament, which led to an uproar and caused tempers to flare among Members. At one point, deputy Speaker Osmond Forde had to warn Members that he would not condone any outburst.

Robinson-Regis said the warrant, under the Indictable Preliminary Offences Act, was issued in the County of St Patrick by Inspector Derrick Walker of the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau and signed by acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle.

In addition to Moonilal, she said there were eight other people and companies who the search warrant had been issued for in relation to the offences.

“What it means is that when a search warrant is issued, it means that a court was convinced that there was a prima facie case of evidence linking the Member for Oropouche East to the charges I spoke about.”

She said that “all constables…meaning every single police officer looking for him” referring to Moonilal, who was absent from the Chamber during her contribution.

In response, Moonilal said it was a fabrication by the PNM and at no time had the police searched his home, office, car or locker room.

“Camille reported on an issue which is already in the public domain and reflected a desperate fight back. Her statement reflected my prophetic statement that they will come after me.

I think Camille will arrest me,” Moonilal stated in a text message last night

Government is supposed to collect $500 million a year in taxes from this country’s gaming industry but only received around $56 million last fiscal year, Finance Minister Colm Imbert has said.

“This is going to come to an end,” Imbert said as he wound up the Budget debate in the House of Representatives last night.

In the 2018 Budget Imbert signalled his intention to increase the taxes the gaming industry will have to pay. There have been protests outside the Parliament by members of the gaming industry against this move and Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has promised to appoint someone from the industry to the Senate to speak about their plight.

But Imbert yesterday knocked this suggestion, saying, “Speak about what? There is no relationship between the Gambling and Gaming Bill, which is to establish a commission to regulate casino gambling in this country to put an end to the scourge of money laundering, the illegal activity that take place in these casinos,” he said.

Imbert said according to “conservative” estimates Government is supposed to collect $100 million annually from the “proliferation” of amusement games scattered around the country. However, only $8 million was collected last year.

“And yet I would hear people go out and say ‘this is all a set of old talk, everybody is paying their taxes, none of us are doing anything underhand, everything we do is above board, we are all legal’,” Imbert said.

Labelling those who avoided payment as tax cheaters, Imbert said casinos were also supposed to pay close to $400 million in taxes but only paid $48 million last year.

“All of these large enterprises are owned by foreigners,” Imbert said.

He said the casino owners never protest but instead “threaten the poor little workers” to protest or they will be dismissed.

Based on current figures for revenue and expenditure, Imbert said the country will have a shortfall of $2 billion this month. The “inescapable expenses” for this month, including salaries and pensions, is expected to be $3.1 billion.

“That does not include a number of cheques that were written in the month of September that will be presented in the month of October and when you add the cheques that were written in September and not yet presented in October, we get another billion dollars. We are talking about $4.1 billion,” Imbert said.

The total cash inflow is estimated at $2.2 billion, he said.

A night of karaoke fun turned deadly when masked men sprayed bullets into a crowded bar in Marabella on Wednesday night, killing three patrons. Police suspect one of the men, Michael Scott, 48, a rigger, was the intended target. The others, Ruthven Sandy, 62, a grandfather of 11, of Marabella, and another man who remains unidentified, were innocent victims, police said.

Investigators believe Scott was shot in retaliation for a murder allegedly committed by one of his close relatives.

At around 11 pm, two masked men ran into Caribbean Vibes bar on the Southern Main Road and began firing wildly. Scott, a father of three, was shot several times, as was Sandy, who was walking from the washroom area, and the unidentified man, who was sitting on a chair. Sandy, who was shot five times, died while undergoing emergency treatment at the San Fernando General Hospital. The other two died at the scene.

Scott’s wife, Janice, said yesterday she had no idea why anyone would want to kill her husband.

“He was the best husband I ever saw,” she said, adding he never showed anger or raised his voice to anyone.

Saying she spoke to him just before he went to to bar, she said: “It was a normal conversation. He told me he was going to make a turn and come back. If I knew it would have been the last time I spoke to him I would have hugged him up and kissed him and told him that I loved him with all my heart.” Janice, who was married to Scott for nine years but knew him for 23 years, said she fell to ground and cried when she heard of his death.

“I felt it in my belly. I still feel as though I am dreaming,” she said.

Sandy’s son, Ako Cobham, said: “He wasn’t suppose to go that way. We not taking that just so. The man they come to kill dead. They kill my father for nothing, an innocent man. I out with a father and them men happy.” Cobham said he was outside the bar with his brother and a friend when he heard the gunshots and saw one of the attackers running away.

“A golf course is like a woman, so you have to groom her every day otherwise it turns into a pasture.”

This was the statement Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley made as he defended Government’s decision to spend $3 million to upgrade the Chaguaramas Golf Course during his contribution to the Budget debate last night.

However, within minutes of his utterance he was taken to task by social media users for the comment, with some calling it sexist.

This is the latest statement made by Rowley which has drawn the ire of people on social media.

Last month Rowley was taken to task for his use of the word “jammetry” in describing the actions of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar in the Petrotrin “fake oil” scandal. In February, he was chastised for telling women involved in domestic violence relationships to choose their partners better, saying, “I’m not in your bedroom...”

In the build-up to the 2015 general election, Rowley also came under fire for a “dog and cyat” statement he made, which was also viewed as a sexist attack on women and Persad-Bissessar.

Among the expenditure for this fiscal year in the Budget, was a $3 million allocation to the Planning and Development Ministry for the upgrade of the Chaguaramas course.

“Making a big issue of $3 million in a $50 billion budget to fix the single public golf course in Trinidad and Tobago, when of course Barbados has five or six golf courses and that is what makes them an attractive location, a golfing destination for high-end tourists and long stay tourists,” Rowley said.

“Golfers don’t come and spend one day, most times they spend three to five days and they pay at the top, Trinidad and Tobago has a number of golf courses and most of them are sheep pastures.”

Then Rowley made his comparison between women and golf courses.

Rowley said most of the people who play golf in the North of Trinidad learnt to do so at the Chaguaramas course.

“It has probably the only junior programme in the golfing fraternity in the country, so why would my colleagues come here and want to make an issue of that,” Rowley said

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship ‘RFA Mounts Bay’ which aided in hurricane relief-efforts up the islands will arrive in T&T next week.

The ship arrived from the UK in July and is three months into a three-year Caribbean deployment.

In the early part of its deployment, it played a pivotal role in providing humanitarian relief in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Last month, the people of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands and Dominica were supported by its crew, who delivered aid to the ones in the isolated communities of the hurricane-ravaged islands. The crew also assisted in repairing critical infrastructure.

To support work ashore, the vessel carries an array of vehicles including diggers, trucks, quad bikes, command and all-terrain vehicles.

Its “Wildcat” helicopter was also used to assess damage after both hurricanes. The ship has been invaluable in delivering fresh water, shelter and aid to isolated communities.

Commanding the Commando Engineer Regiment, Lt Oli Fletcher RE described his small detachment of 19 people as being “full of useful skill-sets in times of need.”

“Plumbers, fitters, joiners, mechanics and plant operators provide a wide range of potential options to the Disaster Management team in that first 24 – 48 hours following a disaster. And with the army’s, Royal Navy’s and Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s assistance we can deploy rapidly and get to work where we are best needed,” Fletcher said.

Commanding Officer Captain Stephen Norris said it is a privilege to command such a versatile unit, “with such an amazing and helpful range of military personnel, equipment and capability.”

Norris added that while the ship’s primary task is to provide enhanced security and reassurance to the UK Oversees Territories, including disaster relief when called upon, “she will also be involved in work with regional partners on security issues in the area while being on very short notice to react to any emerging crises around the world.”

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has given the First Peoples the commitment that a monument will be erected in their honour at the Red House when it is completed at the end of 2018. He added that the bones of their ancestors found at the Red House will also be handed over to the First Peoples in an official ceremony to be announced.

Rowley made the announcement at yesterday’s First Peoples holiday celebrations at the Arima Velodrome. He said the time had come to preserve T&T’s history, including the rich heritage of the First Peoples.

“The bones and artefacts found beneath that building (the Red House), that at the appropriate time towards the completion of that construction, before the Parliament returns or as we return to that building to continue our parliamentary sessions, an appropriate ceremony event will take place where those ancient bones would be restored at an appropriate location on the Red House site marking with respect,” Rowley said.

As the Parliament returns to be seated in that Red House, I give you the commitment that an appropriate monument would be established on that ground after appropriate consultation with those who are relevant to such development.”

The PM was referring in part to the April 2013 discovery of bones under the Red House during restoration work on the Parliament. Udecott officials subsequently confirmed that the human remains of four people and archaeology experts had said the remains and certain artefacts were believed to be dating back to the time when Amerindians occupied the country. In early 2014, then Speaker of the House Wade Mark had told the Parliament that results from DNA tests confirmed that the samples of bones discovered ,as well as the artefacts, belonged to people living in T&T and parts of Central America during the period AD 990 to AD 1400.

On the issue of First Peoples located in the southern part of T&T, Rowley yesterday said the Government plans to consult with them to find appropriate land for them. He said although he could not promise any financial support, Government would be supportive to their activities, including having a cultural and heritage village in Arima. He said while there cannot be a permanent holiday to commemorate the First Peoples it would be more appropriate to have a day to recognise the First Peoples instead.

Referring to preserving the history of the First Peoples, he said a textbook is being put together to be added to the curriculum at the nation’s schools.

“My Government is making strides to ensuring that the history our First Peoples are accurately reflected in our schools through the publishing of the history of T&T which was mentioned by the Minister of Education, a voluminous text which will soon be available to all of T&T.”

As the Prime Minister made the commitment yesterday, Chief of the Santa Rosa First Peoples, Ricardo Bharath Hernandez called on Government to establish a committee to develop the Cultural and Heritage Village.

“I make a special appeal to you to ensure that the vision of the Santa Rosa First Peoples community, to realise the establishment of a Heritage village is fulfilled. Strategic steps need to be taken that would lead to achieving this goal.

“I ask the Government to establish a committee from various arms of (T&T) private sector, NGOs that would bring their skills and resources to develop our Heritage village.” he said

Bharath said what is clear is that the village, when completed, would have a twin role— the first to earn revenue for T&T and the second to preserve the history of the First Peoples.

Disrespectful and demeaning to women!

That’s the view of the Opposition UNC’s National Women’s Arm concerning remarks by Prime Minister Keith Rowley during parliamentary budget debate when he was speaking about golf course projects. This was on Thursday.

The UNC’s NWA claimed, “He’s continued to liken a woman’s person to that of ‘pastures which need regular grooming’ and similar to that of a ‘golf course.”

“We’re calling for an immediate and sincere apology! Respect our women!”

NWA added, “The innuendos once more continue to degrade women and the sexist undertones are undeniable. The Prime Minister, instead addressing the many issues facing the country, saw it fit to use his time to make distasteful comments. “

“Once more the NWA calls for an apology from the Prime Minister to all women of T&T - it will no longer be tolerated . It’s very unacceptable to degrade women who are a significant section of society. The women of today are strong, courageous and will stand up against sexism and the apparent misogynistic tendencies of this present Prime Minister.”

UNC’s party unit said Rowley’s latest remarks came on the heels of his recent reference to “jammetry” as he responded on statements by the Opposition Leader regarding an issue.

During budget debate Opposition MPs also jammed Government on the PM’s posturings. UNC MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh on Wednesday said Government’s leader had a “predilection” for the female anatomy aspect.

On Thursday UNC MP Roodal Moonilal was told by the House Speaker to withdraw statements that the Government’s leader had an obsession with the female anatomy. UNC MPs also slammed Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s brush-off of criticism of the budget - and himself - by females at a recent Chamber seminar.

A teenager, who according to police, shot at residents of Beetham Gardens, was killed yesterday morning. Two of his accomplices ran away as he lay bleeding.

Leroy Reynolds Isaac, 19, of Prizgar Lands, Laventille was found at Eastern Quarry Laventille, near the Success Laventille Secondary School around 4 am . Police said they responded to a report of gunshots in the area and found Issac dead.

Officers reported that when they arrived at the scene they were shot at by residents of Beetham Gardens who were still agitated. This is the second time within a week that gunmen from Beetham Gardens and police had an exchange of gunfire.

According to police, residents of John John will usually send two gunmen across the Eastern Main Road to shoot at Beetham residents.

When the residents retaliate, the John John gunmen, perched on the hills, would open fire on their targets. Issac was said to have been on of two men who early yesterday morning opened fire on Beetham residents who returned fire, killing him.

No reports were made of anyone from Beetham Gardens being shot either by police during their brief gun battle or by acquaintances of Isaac.

In another murder that took place yesterday, police are searching for an identity for the victim.

Police said around 6 am, a resident of Chinapoo, Morvant, was walking when he saw the body of a man at the side of the road.

The man was wearing a white t-shirt and blue pair of jeans and believed to be of mixed descent in his 20s. Anyone with information on his identity can contact the police.

The two murders and that of a Maloney man, who was threatened one month ago and died Thursday afternoon after he was shot near his home Wednesday night, increased the murder toll to 385 for the year.

Police said Kazim Burke, 20, was approached at his Building 19, Maloney Gardens home around 9.30 pm by a masked gunman who opened fire on him before running off.

Burke was taken to the Arima Health Facility and then transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) with gunshot wounds to the head, face, back, abdomen shoulder and hands.

He died around noon on Thursday at the EWMSC.

Relatives said Burke was threatened recently and asked if he wanted war with men from the Maloney housing scheme.

Police believe his death is linked to ongoing gang war in the Maloney area but could not say if Burke himself was affiliated with any gang.

President of the Amusement Gaming Association (AGA) Russel Bahadoorsingh is accusing Minister of Finance Colm Imbert of presenting misconceptions and misinformation during his winding up speech of the budget debate in the Parliament on Thursday.

Bahadoorsingh was the one referenced to as representing on September 5, 2017 at the Joint Select Committee on Gambling Control Bill (2016).

In that meeting, Bahadoorsingh said he gave testimony evidence about amusement games in T&T.

“It was pellucidly clear that Minister Imbert was not prepared to listen to our position but instead was stubbornly handcuffed to his preconceived incorrect ideas,” Bahadoorsingh said.

He added that from the allegations made by Imbert. the AGA questioned the basis for Imbert’s statement.

“For example where is the data to support there being 5000 bars in T&T as the budget statement indicated? The AGA challenges the minister to provide the facts on this issue,” he said.

Imbert said the Ministry of Finance should be collecting $60 million but the actual figures is around $8 million, Bahadoorsingh said.

“Therefore the problem is collection and enforcement of existing taxes not 100 per cent increase on the industry. Will those persons who are not presently paying the low tax rate now pay a higher tax? The incompetence of the collection and enforcement will not be solved with an increase in taxes,” he said.

Bahadoorsingh said bars are owned by the local small man, “What’s going to happen when all these local small businesses cannot afford to continue to function as a result of the increased in taxation. The increase in taxation will result in employee layoffs.”

He added that it should be noted that the way that bars are regulated under the liquor license they have to pay the gaming machine taxes before they get licenses.

“What is needed was proper enforcement of the existing taxes to those that are not compliant to meet the required tax amount,” Bahadoorsingh said.

“If the minister had meaningful discussions with the AGA we would have been able to enlighten him on the proper way to enforce the existing tax process instead of increasing taxes which we believe will only destroy the industry and lead to lower tax collection and force people to illegally operate their machines. However, we remain open to dialogue,” he said.

The gaming community is wealthy enough to afford tax measures since one casino rented a location for $450,000 monthly and kept it empty for “umpteen years” just to block competition, says Attorney General Faris Al- Rawi.

He spoke about the matter in Thursday budget debate in Parliament saying casino workers should not be exploited or threatened to come out and protest.

He said during last Wednesday’s protest by casino workers, a government worker passing through the protest, was told to sign a book or they wouldn’t be paid.

Al-Rawi, who said he once worked for people in the gaming community, added he found it conspicuous that casino owners aren’t coming forward and workers are being sent out to protest.

“I want to tell workers: don’t be used as a scapegoat . The gaming community is wealthy enough to afford the measures being effected. There’s room for adjustment and there’s no reason to threaten workers. Gaming sector workers are being exploited,” he added.

“Hold strong, Government is aware of your position. As the regulatory movement pushes out, the industry, it’ll settle itself,”

On recent Port dismissals, the AG said, “When you see public servants being sent on leave or dismissed, it’s not by mistake.”

But he said when Government sought to eliminate corruption the Opposition said the State was attacking public servants.

Al-Rawi also said former Defence Force members alleged to have robbed the Defence Force have admitted to guilt and the police were yet to charge them. He said his office had taken action in the issue of the former Defence Force members, froze their accounts and recovered their assets and “They admitted to guilt.”

His office is also probing the matter of a door which cost $76,900 . He said this was akin to matters in the Piarco Airport cost overrun issue when a door’ s value was given as $80,00.

Al-Rawi criticised UNC MPs for statements abut “400 nationals” joining Isis and T&T nationals found in Iraq. He said international partners pay attention to that and foreign media pick it up and T&T is later incorrectly dubbed the place with the highest number of Isis fighters.

He said Government has listed 341 people under anti- terrorism laws and listed one person from T&T based on United National evidence.

He said several major corruption matters are in the court. “But any ‘mark’ we have to buss, we bussing it in court,”he added.

Vendors in downtown Port-of-Spain are complaining of the actions of the Port-of-Spain City Corporation in clamping down on them.

Hours after the vendors complained of the action during a T&T Police Service (TTPS) town meeting on the Brian Lara Promenade on Wednesday night, officers of the corporation’s independent police force held an exercise targeting illegal vending the next day.

In an interview, Bernadette Cornwall, a newspaper vendor, who has been operating at the corner of Henry Street and Independence Square for over 26 years, claimed she was unfairly targeted.

“I turn my back and they just pick up everything and throw everything in the back of the truck. If they had told me to move it, I would have,” Cornwall said.

Cornwall said because of the move she is not sure if she could continue selling over the weekend as she was now forced to pay a $1,150 in order to get back her stall, stool and unsold newspapers.

“Right now I’m stranded I have no money to buy papers in the morning,” she said.

She also claimed that in the past newspaper vendors were exempt from action taken against illegal vending.

Speaking at the meeting, president of the Downtown and Independence Square Vendors Association, O’Neil Benjamin questioned the release fee.

“They just seize our stuff and charge us this tax. It is not like they are locking us up and charging us for illegal vending,” Benjamin said.

Describing the fee as arbitrary, Benjamin said many times vendors refused to pay it as their items such as stands and coolers were not worth as much.

Head of the Port-of-Spain Division Senior Supt Floris Hodge-Griffith said she could not respond to the action and fee as it was within the purview of the corporation and its police force.

When contacted, Port-of-Spain Mayor Joel Martinez explained that the move was based on a decision by the corporation’s council to crack down on illegal vending.

“I don’t know what would have been the previous mayor’s position but vending in the city has gotten out of hand and we are trying to regulate it,” Martinez said.

He went on: “Order has to occur and we are trying to clean up the streets and make Port-of-Spain a better city. Yes we are going to tolerate some vending but at the same time, the vendors need to be mindful of that.”

Martinez stated that the Port-of-Spain Market had been renovated to accommodate additional vendors but many refused to relocate.

Responding to the fee for release of the vending apparatus, Martinez said it was another decision taken by the council.

“The fee is imposed by the corporation because there is a cost to the police in picking up the items and impounding the stuff. Just as with wrecking there is a fee, the council has imposed one for this,” he said.

Stop inviting Marlene McDonald for tea!

The warning was issued by Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis to Opposition members who she are accusing have been desperately trying to court the Port-of-Spain South MP to get her on the Opposition bench.

Delivering her budget contribution in Parliament on Thursday, Robinson-Regis, the Arouca Maloney MP ,said she just wanted to remind Opposition MPs that despite their various calls to McDonald “to have tea with them she is PNM, PNM, PNM, PNM. So don’t bother to call her to have tea.”

Robinson-Regis said she wanted the United National Congress MPs to know that the PNM has “tea, cocoa, juice, coffee and everything that is needed. We even have zebapique. So Madame Speaker she is safe on this side.”

Robsinson-Regis said McDonald is a PNM and will remain a die-hard PNM.

“Let me also say that the Member for Diego Martin West (Dr Keith Rowley) was also removed from a Cabinet, if some of you remember… and you see where he is now. Okay. So stop calling her for tea. She doesn’t need tea.”

In July, McDonald was fired for the second time from the Rowley’s led administration.

McDonald was sworn in on Friday, June 30, at President House, St Ann’s, but became the subject of controversy as she was accompanied to her swearing in ceremony by Cedric Burke, who was in 2011 arrested and charged under the anti-gang law.

Police seized four guns, over 500 rounds of assorted ammunition and 18 kilograms of marijuana during an exercise in the Central Division on Thursday.

During the exercise the officers searched an abandoned house near the home of a convicted killer and found two guns, an air rifle and a Sig-Sauer machine gun along with 610 rounds of assorted ammunition.

The lawmen also found the marijuana at the house. Since the house was abandoned, police said no one could be held criminally responsible for the contents of the home.

Police later searched an area on Milton Road and five men were arrested for possession of firearms and ammunition as well as possession marijuana.

The officers then went to another location in the California area where a quantity of cocaine was found buried in a barrel. The officers executed search warrants in the Couva district and arrested another man for possession of a revolver and six rounds of ammunition. In the Port-of-Spain Division, officers arrested 12 illegal immigrants and charged six people with illegal vending during an exercise that lasted from 2 pm to 6 pm Thursday.

Police also arrested one man on an outstanding warrant and another for obscene language.

The illegal immigrants arrested included three Venezuelans, a Cuban, Vincentian, Dominican, Colombian, Jamaican and four Guyanese. Six vending carts were seized and 30 vehicles were stripped of illegal tints.

The exercise, which began at 4 am and ended at 10 pm, was co-ordinated by Supt Belfon and Assistant Superintendents Pierre and Smith and led by Sgt Ali along with Cpl Baboolala and PC Balkissoon.

The National Lotteries Control Board spent $40,000 on Johnnie Walker Black whisky as gifts for NLCB Board members and also paid $1,000 for a taxi to transport a Tobago director to the Lara Stadium, UNC MP Roodal Moonilal has said.

Speaking during the budget debate in Parliament on Thursday, he said, “Even though they were told to tighten their belts, they squandered money as if they never see money—there was total mismanagement there!”

“They spent and overspent on trips abroad, lavish travels to Italy, Las Vegas, China, the Magdalena in Tobago. The Finance Minister stopped the travels, but did they return the money?”

He listed spending from an NLCB report

• Staff function at Hilton - Massy Stores vouchers totalling $100,000
• Johnnie Walker Black whisky as gifts for NLCB Board members - $40,000
• Board members cricket excursion -$687,000
• Taxi to take a Tobago director to Lara Stadium - $1,000
• Hyatt Retreat stationary cost - $18,000
•Awards ceremony -$800,00
• Children’s party - $250,000
•Decorations - 106,00, $60,000 sound system .
• Ten members long service awards - $108,000

Moonilal also noted $10,000 body guard costs and patrols for NLCB’s chairman and a “bomb sweep” at his office—though the chairman didn’t report a security threat to the police Moonilal urged the Government to remove tax on NLCB games like Play Whe to prevent illegal gambling.

He said Price Waterhouse Coopers was being used as the “FBI” as ex- Port CEO Chairman Lewis dismissal letter stated she was removed due to recent information from a PWC audit. He said Lewis’ dismissal reeked of victimisation, political influence and undermining of Parliament as she recently testified before the Joint Select committee probing ferry issues.

Moonilal also queried the hiring of Petrotrin consultants noted in an October 201 6 document. He said it would be feasible to have sensitive information like—seismic research and those regarding lease operations— trusted to people who lacked contracts.

When the USA lost to T&T, disqualifying themselves from the World Cup competition last week, many T&T nationals were celebrating.

Despite having T&T’s own World Cup Russia dreams shattered long before, the strong feelings T&T football fans held toward the US football team has been burning since 1989, when losing to the US back then meant losing World Cup access. So for many watching the game, denying the US team the win and access to the World’s biggest football competition was nothing short of wonderful. Some called it payback.

One might think the feeling would be the same for all the members of the 1989 Strike Squad team, but for Kelvin Jones, one of the players, who remembers all too well that day on November 19, almost 30 years ago, revenge was far from his mind.

Jones, who watches all the national games, mostly to see his two sons Alvin and Joevin play for this country’s national team, said he couldn’t think of revenge against the United States football team.

“What happened then was really disappointing, but when I went to the Ato Boldon Stadium to watch the game, it was to watch my boys play and the feeling I left with was victory in seeing Alvin score and they both played really well,” Jones said in an interview with the Sunday Guardian last week.

He said he particularly felt good after having to listen to commentators harshly criticise his children.

“I’ve heard commentators say Alvin shouldn’t be on the team and I’ve heard people say all sorts of things about Joevin so when I watched the game, I felt really good about seeing my kids play. The performance made me feel so proud.

‘Victory’s no revenge’

“But the victory isn’t any kind of revenge for me.”

Jones is currently a police corporal, working in the finance branch and still plays football with members of the Strike Squad for exhibition games and to raise funds for their various projects.

He’s used to talking about his Strike Squad days, but he absolutely loves talking about his sons.

He said he talks to his sons a lot about football and often reviews past games with them.

“We watch the game and talk about what they should have done and what they shouldn’t have done. I always speak to them and advise them because I was in the same situation as well.”

Noting that it was difficult to raise boys in modern times, Jones said he had no problem raising his boys and recalled he would always take them with him to football games and most of his activities.

Jones, who watches all this country’s World Cup qualifier games, said while T&T had not done as well as the citizens would have hoped, he felt the team had a good foundation and could progress better if the administrators gave the appropriate support.

He also felt citizens could support footballers more.

“When I played I remembered the stadium would always be packed. It was a sea of red and it was amazing to walk into the stadium and you see all this red there to cheer for you.”

He blamed the lack of support on the administrators. “They really need to do a better job. What happened in the past is that as we failed with World Cup everything just falls down but there needs to be a continuation. The CFU and the Gold Cup is next year. What they usually do is wait till a month before competition to pull teams together but if they just continued training every month till then with the local players we can do better.”

Jones said the intensity required to always be on top was lacking but blamed the stagnant time between competitions for that.

He praised the fact that the majority of players on the field against the USA were local but said to keep the local professionals at peak performance, they should play at that level of intensity more frequently.

While Jones will not be supporting T&T in the World Cup, as an Argentina fan, he still has a country to cheer on.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia says corporal punishment is not part of the ministry’s plans.

He was speaking at the 2017 SEA Recognition Ceremony for the top 203 students at Napa, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

Garcia said “Within the last few days as we were discussing and debating the national Budget, one of the topics that was gaining public prominence was the area of corporal punishment. In all the newspapers there have been editorials, letters to the editor and comments about corporal punishment.

“I want to make it quite clear the Ministry of Education is not considering corporal punishment at this time.”

He said it was not on the ministry’s front burner, nor back burner and was nowhere in their thoughts and plans.

Garcia said he wanted to assure students, parents and the national community that the days of corporal punishment were way behind them and they must forge ahead.

He also assured that the ministry had put things in place to ensure that the nation’s students were safe and well taken care of.

Process server Mark Adams—who admits to being anti-PNM, and who has made coersion allegations against Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi—says he does not sell out his friends.

Adams is the alleged “whistle-blower” in text messages which UNC MP Roodal Moonilal revealed in Parliament last Thursday. Moonilal used alleged texts, accusing high public officials of conspiracy to tap the phones of UNC Senator Gerald Ramdeen and break into his office. Al-Rawi has deemed it fabrication.

Adams, a process server for Ramdeen, still works for him “off and on”, he said, adding Ramdeen is his friend. “You don’t sell out your friends,” he added.

Adams, who said he has a “well documented criminal history”, said he served two years in jail up to 1998 for trafficking marijuana, but was not questioned by police for alleged sexual offences.

Adams, who claimed to have helped conceptualise the PP’s Life Sport programme, said he also calls as friend, former PP sport minister Anil Roberts and former Life Sport jefe Rajee Ali (accused in the Seetahal matter).

He also cited former PP AG Anand Ramlogan as a friend.

Adams was the process server for the PP’s election petitions against PNM on the 2015 general election results. He attempted to serve documents on Al-Rawi and this issue was referred to at a briefing by Ramdeen and others.

Adams claimed he got a call in February 2016 from a PNM activist that the “AG wanted to see me”.

He claimed he later got a text message and when he called the number it was the AG’s . He did not call again until the PNM activist asked him to.

When he did, he alleged he was asked for a meeting. One was held at St Paul’s Church, he alleged, claiming he met the AG three times in late 2016.

He claimed at a meeting at the AG’s office “He asked if there was any document in Ramdeen’s office representing bank records. I said for us to get anything, I’ll have to break the man office. To my surprise, I was told ‘do what you have to.’”

Adams claimed he asked for “help” with his transportation costs and was supplied with $1,500 and recording equipment allegedly brought to him by Netram Kowlessar. The latter was the Central Authority’s head. He did not answer calls.

Adams claimed he later went to POS CID and gave Inspector Jarahir a report alleging the AG tried to coerce him. He claimed Jarahir told him to return since they would have more work to do, “But I couldn’t get him after. It lapsed for a year.”

He said he returned last Monday—before Moonilal’s revelation—and made another report to Corporal Seelal. He said he was supposed to give a statement last Thursday, “But they weren’t there and rescheduled to next week.”

He alleged Seelal called him after Moonilal’s revelations and said a probe was being launched and to bring all evidence.

Yesterday, the Guardian was told by CID (at 12.30 pm) Seelal and Jarahir were not there.

In an attempt to protect "problem gamblers" from themselves, the Government has proposed the creation of a "self-exclusion programme" where any listed person who is found inside a gambling facility can be charged for trespassing.

People who place their names on the list also forego their right to "collect any winnings or recover any losses from any gambling activity as a gambling establishment for the duration of the exclusion period".

The minimum length of the exclusion period is six months and comprises other brackets including a lifetime ban.

To some this may seem a drastic measure but according to experts dealing with individuals trying to overcome gambling addiction, these are the types of initiatives that need to be undertaken to help those seeking help to have a fighting chance.

The Government is also proposing the creation of the "Office of Responsible Gambling" which is expected to assist "problem gamblers and prevent problem gambling".

These initiative are listed among the existing regulations related to the Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Bill, 2016.

The Gambling (Gambling and Betting) Control (Responsible Gambling) Regulations 2015 is "intended to offer individuals one means to help address problem gambling behaviour or deter an individual with family, religious or other personal concerns from entering the gambling area of a Gambling establishment or any area in which gambling is conducted in Trinidad and Tobago".

So what exactly is a 'problem gambler'?

Well, according to the Gambling (Gambling and Betting) Control (Responsible Gambling) Regulations 2015, a "problem gambler" is "an individual who believes their gambling behaviour is currently, or may in the future without intervention, cause problems in their life or on the loves of their family, friends, and/or co-workers".

While the illegality of casinos and the shortage of tax revenue are worrying to some, the issue of gambling addiction is of a bigger concern to others.

There are currently no real statistics with respect to the number of individuals battling gambling addiction in this country, but according to those dealing with individuals battling addictions there are now more people coming forward begging for help to overcome gambling rather than alcohol and drugs.

According to the University College of London's "Global statistics on addictive behaviours: 2014 status report", "global estimates of problem gambling are not possible but in countries where it has been assessed the prevalence is estimated at 1.5 per cent".

Gambling addiction...'request for help coming mostly from Central, South'

Sherry Smith-Pierre, the executive director of the T&T National Council on Alcoholism and Other Addictions (TTNCA), said the majority of requests for assistance they have gotten over the last two years have been for gambling addiction rather than alcohol or drugs.

"Over the last two years, I have noted a trend and the trend has been in terms of the requests for information and help it has been more for gambling addiction," Smith-Pierre said.

Smith-Pierre said with the increase in the requests for help for gambling addiction coming especially from Central and South, the TTNCA has begun reconsidering its approach to the situation.

Smith-Pierre said the first step was to get the person assessed professionally to determine the extent of the situation and also help identify the "triggers".

"A lot of people who have some sort of addiction do not believe that they have an addiction, they believe 'okay, I gambled now, listen I can lay off of this for a couple months and start again'," she said.

Smith-Pierre said the proliferation of gaming and amusement machines in the country was fuelling the gambling addiction.

Members Clubs, bars with gaming machines not supervised by Govt

Speaking at the House of Representatives on Thursday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said there are between 20,000-30,000 amusement gaming machines, and 1,000 amusement roulette machines in bars around T&T

The amusement gaming machines have a maximum payout of $5,000.

Apart from these bars with amusement machines the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) 2009 report titled "Vulnerabilities of Casinos and Gaming Sectors" noted that "while there are no legal casinos operating in Trinidad, 72 registered Private Members Clubs were identified that operated like casinos" and that these establishments are not supervised by the Government.

"Because it is now right in your face it is a temptation," Smith-Pierre said as she also pointed out the increase in draws for Play Whe.

Easy come, easy go

On Wednesday night I won $223 dollars playing the slot machines at a casino.

By Thursday lunchtime, I lost that money playing the slot machines at a casino.

This week the Guardian on Sunday looks at the issue of gambling addiction, so I decided to go to a casino to see exactly what is the true lure.

It was just after 7 pm on Wednesday when I walked into a casino in Central thinking I was probably too early.

I was wrong, as there were at least two dozen people in the casino already.

I made up my mind that the most I could afford to lose was $500. So that is all the money I would bet for the night.

It was a bit unnerving seeing all the machines.

So after walking around a bit I went to a slot machine called Hoot Loot with the picture of an owl on it.

I like birds and I came to win money, so Hoot Loot it was.

I had no idea what I was doing and lost my first $100.

Then after putting in a second $100 bill, I somehow managed to get $400.50.

I cashed out with my $200 profit and walked to another machine.

I put a $100 bill in Joe's Yard Games and after playing a bit and cashed out when I had $4 profit.

On the third machine, Pyramid of the Kings, I put in another $100 bill but lost it in no time at all.

Then, with my final $100 bill for the night, I played Jade Monkey and won $218.80

In all I spent $500 and won $723.70. A difference of $223.70.

In less than an hour, I had made $200 profit.

So the next day at noon, I waked into a casino in Port-of-Spain.

There were also about two dozen people there despite the fact it was a work day.

I saw a Jade Monkey machine and hoped that my luck would continue from the previous night.

I lost the $200 I won the night before in less than 30 minutes.

Mary and John have been married for 19 years and have two teenage daughters together. Mary, who says she still loves John, however, is now in the process of getting a divorce from him. She says she needs to do so in order to maintain her sanity.

“I love him but I had to love the girls and myself more. I couldn’t take it anymore, I was not sleeping at night, I was stressed and I was feeling like if I didn’t move on I would have gone mad,” Mary told the Sunday Guardian.

The reason Mary, 43, decided to leave John was because he did not want to get help for his gambling addiction.

“The thing is if someone is not willing to get help then there is nothing you can do for them, and sadly that was the case with him,” Mary said.

“So since I could not help him I had to help myself and my daughters.”

Mary said it was a hard decision but one she had to make.

Mary said she and John were “big limers” but that stopped when they had their daughters.

“He is a limer, so he would go to the casino and lime with friends, and when they went to the track and bet on horses he would go too, he would play a little Play Whe and Lotto every now and then but it was nothing serious,” Mary said.

But then a few years ago, the gambling which John said was relaxing started to become more serious.

“Now it has become a runaway horse,” she said.

Mary does not know what caused John to get heavily involved in gambling.

“I remember once he and some friends went to lime a Friday and he said he was playing some card game, I don’t know how much he betted but that night when he came home he woke me up and said he won around $6,500. He eventually spent that money to take me and the girls to Margarita (island) for a weekend a couple months later,” Mary said.

When the fun stopped

But as time rolled on, something happened and John no longer gambled just for fun.

He started to gamble more regularly and not only when he went out with friends, Mary said.

Mary said she still did not think much of it.

Then one day she realised that things were spiralling out of control.

“We each pay different bills and then one day he came to me and said he needed to borrow some money from me to pay the mortgage,” Mary said.

Mary said she had no problem forking out the money and did not really think too much of it.

Then the borrowing became more frequent.

Mary said John maxed out his credit card and borrowed from her as well as other family members and friends.

John never had money to do anything, she said.

When Mary asked John what was going on with his finances he got angry and resentful.

He told her he had everything under control.

Mary realised that this was the furthest thing from the truth.

“The thing really hit the fan for me when I saw a letter from the mortgage company in the mail and it was saying that we had arrears owing,” Mary said.

Mary confronted John and that conversation escalated into a big argument.

“I had to end up borrowing money from my father to pay off the mortgage, you know how shameful that was,” she said.

Digging a hole

Mary said she realised John was digging a hole he could not get himself out of.

“So I called around to find out what help I could get for him, I organised a meeting and he got angry with me for that saying he not going anywhere,” Mary said.

Mary said that hurt her.

John became more and more unpredictable and was moody at home.

“I started to become depressed, I felt hurt and angry with him and it was affecting everything in my life. I almost had a mental breakdown in work, once I had to just sit down in the ladies (washroom) and cry for a while,” Mary said.

Then one day, about a year ago, Mary took her daughters and went to stay at her parent’s home.

She eventually told John she was leaving him for good.

To his credit, Mary said John told her for the sake of the children she could move back in the family house and he would leave.

Mary now pays the mortgage for the house.

“I have all these extra expenses now, but my father has been helping me and I had to cut back on some stuff,” she said.

Within the time they have been separated John has changed apartments on at least three occasions.

Mary said she hopes one day he would find the strength to realise that he needs help.

*Mary opted not to have her real name used in this article to prevent any embarrassment to her husband and her daughters.
• Continuing next week