Trinidad & Tobago
Cultural icon Pat Bishop passes away
Port-of-Spain - Cultural icon and Trinity Cross recipient Pat Bishop passed away Sunday afternoon after she collapsed during a meeting in Port-of-Spain with Minister of Planning, Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie, masman Peter Minshall and a number of her cultural colleagues. She was 71.
Bishop, who had complained earlier on Sunday of chest pains, collapsed during the meeting of Government's High Level Expert Panel to Guide the Implementation of Arts, Cultural and Entrepreneurial Projects and Patriotism Project, at the Ministry of Planning at the Eric Williams Finance Building, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain.
She was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital.
The panel, of which Bishop was a part, consists of a number of members of the arts and culture community. Tewarie said the panel met for about three-and-a-half hours before he was called in for further discussion.
The panel had held its final meeting before finishing a report on building institutions and identifying cultural projects on artistic developments.
It was while Minshall was speaking, Tewarie said, that Bishop suddenly "pulled up" into her chair and collapsed.
Head of the Artists Coalition, Rubadiri Victor and Dr Kiran Akal rushed to Bishop's side and tried, unsuccessfully, to revive her.
Others in the room were at the same trying to get an ambulance to the building, Tewarie said. An ambulance arrived 20 minutes later. It was another 20 minutes or so before the ambulance arrived at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital, where Bishop was admitted through the Emergency Department.
Doctors on duty were not able to revive Bishop and have so far diagnosed the cause of death as a combination of a heart attack and stroke.
"This is monumental loss to the country," Tewarie said. "Pat has been not only an independent thinker but a cultural contributor of the highest order."
Tewarie said he did not have the pleasure of seeing Bishop often but they got along very well.
When Tewarie was being inducted as Principal of the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine campus in 2001, he asked Bishop to take charge of the programme.
"She was the one who did the cultural part of the installation ceremony," Tewarie said. "So personally, it is a loss."
Offering condolences to Bishop's family, including her sister, jewelry designer Gillian Bishop, Tewarie said efforts will certainly be made to have Bishop's "tremendous" work documented and remembered.
In an earlier statement, Tewarie's Planning Ministry said Bishop spent her life as an artist and as an activist in the creative community in Trinidad and Tobago.
She was from time to time outspoken on issues related to culture and the arts and was on of the country's most independent thinking citizens, the ministry said.
Rubadiri Victor described Bishop as "one of the greatest Caribbean citizens ever". He added: "She was a magnificent Trinidad and Tobago gift to the universe. She was a complete renaissance woman. She was also one of our greatest cultural theorists, curators and teachers. She is irreplaceable, we have just lost an entire university."
Victor said Bishop was a "mother and mentor" to thousands of creative people, who must now work to realise her dreams for this country.
"This is tragedy of epic proportions because in her last years, Pat was not allowed to lead the creation of those institutions that would have made a difference to our Republic. Pat died battling for the realisation of a vision of that shining, golden Trinidad and Tobago, which is rooted in our unique, cultural genius. She leaves behind us, thousands of her children, to win this battle in her name."
Port-of-Spain - The death penalty, discrimination against lesbians and gays, excessive use of force by police officers and backlogs in the courts are some of the human rights concerns listed in the July 31 published report on Trinidad and Tobago submitted by Amnesty International to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review, October 2011.
The report said although there had been no executions since 1999, death sentences continued to be handed down by the courts. It said at the end of 2010 at least 40 prisoners were on death row. "Mandatory death sentences violate international standards on fair trials, individualised sentencing is required to prevent cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and the arbitrary deprivation of life," the report stated.
In January, the government submitted a bill for approval by Parliament to reform the Constitution for the implementation of the death penalty. In her statement on January 14 on the bill, Prime Minister Kamla-Persad Bissessar said it was "a crucial step to overcoming the hindrances to the implementation of the death penalty arising from the Privy Council's jurisprudence and, as a consequence, as a necessary measure to fight crime and in particular, to respond to the high number of murders that each year are committed in Trinidad and Tobago." The bill was defeated on February 28. However, Amnesty International expressed concern that the evident contradiction with international human rights law and standards had not been discussed in the parliamentary debate.
Amnesty International called on the government to immediately establish a moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty and to commute without delay, all death sentences to terms of imprisonment. Among its other recommendation on the death penalty, it said to refrain from proposing and adopting legislative and constitutional amendments which could result in the resumption of executions in violation of international human rights and standards.
The report said excessive use of force by members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service was widespread. It said at least 79 people were killed in 2008 and 2009.
"In most cases, witness testimonies and other evidence suggested the killings might have been unlawful," despite police officers claiming they acted in self-defence, the report stated. It listed the case of Tristan Cobbler who was allegedly shot by police in January last year. Cobbler called his mother, saying he had been shot in the leg by police and was hiding in a bushy area in Mentor Alley, Laventille. His mother found him dead where he said he was hiding. His autopsy revealed that he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the leg, neck, back and chest.
The report said: "Mechanisms to hold members of the Police Service accountable for alleged abuses are weak." It recommended that the government ensured all complaints of human rights violations by security forces be subjected to immediate, thorough and independent investigation and that those found responsible should be brought to trial in an expeditious manner.
The report said while there was an amendment to the Police Complaints Authority Act in 2007, enabling it to investigate criminal offences involving police officers, corruption and misconduct, the laws were still ambiguous about certain powers.
"The authority's work was also hampered by it having no director for almost three years until December 2010. A backlog of 1,000 complaints was reported in February 2011," the report stated.
To address this problem, Amnesty International recommended that the government amend the Act to ensure the Police Complaints Authority had the necessary powers to investigate all alleged misconduct and allegations of human rights violations by members of the police force, including killings and torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment. It also recommended that members of the TTPS be adequately trained in the appropriate use of force and firearms in accordance with international standards.
"The professional conduct of the Police Service has been scrutinised on a number of occasions, especially in the light of high incidence of violent crime and the failure to bring police officers responsible for abuses to justice," the report said.
It noted the "disturbingly" high number of disciplinary charges against officers, a need to combat the increased levels of indiscipline with the service and "a serious lack of accountability from top to bottom."
The report blamed the shortages of judges and lawyers for the heavy backlogs in the courts and lengthy pre-trial detentions. It called on the government to increase the number of state attorneys; provide adequate protection to state witnesses in criminal trials and take the necessary measures to reduce court backlogs, expedite trials and reduce the length of pre-trial detentions in keeping with international standards for fair trial.
By Sandra Chouthi
Special to Indo-Caribbean World
Port-of-Spain - Trade unions in Trinidad and Tobago are at war, and the stakes of this battle are high.
It started off as 19 trade unions threatening to shut down the country because Finance Minister Winston Dookeran had set a cap of five percent for public sector wage increases.
Both Dookeran and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar have said that five percent is what Trinidad and Tobago can afford to pay in increased wages.
Finance Minister Winston Dookeran said in the 2011 budget presentation that the total revenue is estimated at (TT) $41.3 billion, of which the energy sector's revenue is $15.2 billion and the non-energy revenue of $26.1 billion. He said total expenditure is projected at $49 billion, resulting in a fiscal deficit of $7.7 billion, or 5.48 percent of GDP.
According to the Draft Estimates of Expenditure for 2011, the government's wage bill was estimated at $7.2 billion, or 14.7 percent of the total estimated expenditure for 2011.
The Public Services Association agreement with the Water and Sewerage Authority for five percent will total $183 million, including arrears, for approximately 5,000 workers. The PSA's acceptance in April of the government's five percent salary increase for its 33,000 members will cost the Government another $600 million.
The unions, including the Ancel Roget-led Oilfield Workers Trade Union, appeared as if their threat to shut down the country — they have promised it will happen like a thief in the night — was gaining strength and momentum.
That is, until Watson Duke, president of the PSA, which represents 33,000 civil servants, on April 8, 2011, accepted the Chief Personnel Officer's five percent offer. The news sent shock waves throughout the labour movement and among public servants.
The PSA was originally agitating for 34 percent. It ended up settling for 29 percent less.
Duke, who has not been embraced by his labour counterparts as a comrade, went on to agree to a five percent wage increase for three other groups of civil servants: the Regional Health Authority, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Chaguaramas Development Authority. All of this within the last five months.
Duke, who has been at loggerheads with members of the PSA's general council, has become the scourge of the labour movement. He continues to get fire inside his union and from his labour brethren on the streets. Labour leaders have labelled him a sellout. Last Easter, he was the battered "bobolee".
Duke remains unfazed. He retorted that the labour movement is existing in the dinosaur age.
Things got more heated on August 18, but this time it was PSA members against Duke. There was a fist fight. Fingers were pointed in PSA members faces.
Angry, threatening words were exchanged between suspended members of the PSA and Duke during a general council meeting. The media reported on August 19 that Duke had blamed the government for the fracas.
On that very day, Duke called a press conference at the PSA's office on Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, denying he said the government was responsible for the trade union in-fighting.
On the day the fight broke out, police had shut down Abercromby Street near the PSA head office up to Park Street after receiving a report that members of the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen, which attempted a coup d'etat on July 27, 1990, against the National Alliance for Reconstruction government, were intimidating and using physical force against the suspended executive members.
At the press conference, Duke, joined by acting first vice president Christopher Joefield, acting general secretary Nixon Callender and appointed member Desmond Cummings,
He said the events of August 18 were the results of a plot that had been "in training for quite a while."
Referring to members of the trade union movement as "dissidents," Duke accused them of supporting the suspended PSA members.
He said the trade union movement's was plotting his overthrow, so the PSA would be "in their hands," allowing them to successfully shut down the country.
Duke said the suspended executive members, who, he said, were responsible for the confrontation, regularly took part in the labour movement's demonstrations.
He accused a certain labour leader of using them to "poach" PSA members.
Duke said this labour leader was responsible for encouraging deviant behaviour among union members telling them to "take your union back."
He said this labour leader had "done nothing but try to ruin every labour leader."
Duke said there could be no solidarity among the labour movement unless the unions recognised the sovereignty of each entity.
Regarding the re-instatement of suspended members of the executive on August 18 by the general council, Duke said all decisions made were "null and void."
The media arrived for Duke's press conference to see suspended executive member Joanne Semper-Caprietta sitting on the steps of the PSA building.
She said she reported to work, but was physically put outside the building by Duke's security.
Duke said all decisions that took place after he left the meeting on August 18 were taken by a group of people who were suspended and, therefore, held no substance, according to the PSA constitution.
Addressing Ricky Cedeno's statement that the general council would call upon Duke to answer for a series of offences, including financial misconduct at a special conference, Duke said, "There is no such conference!"
He said he would not be attending any meeting being held by Cedeno.
Duke dismissed claims of financial misconduct. He said a financial report was presented every month to the general council and the PSA was currently under audit.
Pressed about reports that his personal security team, led by accused 1990 coup conspirator, Salim Muwakil, assaulted suspended executive members, Duke said there was no truth to those claims.
He said a call was made to the police by a suspended member stating the PSA was being overrun by members of the Muslimeen. Duke said that was a lie. He said Muwakil and his men never touched anyone in the building.
Duke said the police were contacted by the suspended members, who allegedly had connections with certain members of the Police Service.
He said he and his executive wanted to distance themselves from the ugly episode.
Duke said it was his intention to maintain peace, stability and progress within the PSA.
He said public servants should be made aware that despite the unfortunate turn of events, the executive was continuing to carry on business on the behalf of the members they were committed to serve.
Responding on August 19 to Duke's accusations that the trade union movement had a part to play in the fight at the PSA, OWTU president Roget said: "I don't respond to foolishness and madness, especially when they are together in a cocktail."
Vincent Cabrera, president of the Banking, Insurance and General Workers Union, said he had nothing to say on the matter. Cabrera said he could not recall anything as dramatic happening in the trade union movement in his 35 years in the arena.
Michael Annisette, president of the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU), said: "That's not even worthy of a response."
However, in a statement issued on August 19, Annisette, who is also president of the National Trade Union Centre, called on all parties involved to do everything in their powers to ensure a democratic and speedy resolution to avoid bringing the PSA into dispute.
"The problems being faced by the PSA cannot be solved by violence and/or thuggery, but must be solved in the true democratic tradition of the trade union."
On the day of the fight, Labour Minister Errol McLeod, who preceded Roget as OWTU president, said warring PSA members should retreat and reflect on the folly of their ways.
McLeod said the labour movement in Trinidad and Tobago was the loser from the fracas.
He also called for a priest or someone other respected individual to be used as a conciliator to resolve the PSA in-fighting. "Somebody who has not been tainted should be given the role of conciliator, somebody who is respected in the society," he suggested.
Mc Leod said it was "a most devastating blow against the family of trade unions and the labour movement (in T&T)."
In the meantime, division within the labour movement is excellent news for the government, as this recent episode will only serve to stave off the unions' threat to shut down Trinidad and Tobago. It is the last thing the People's Partnership need, especially since it is under fire for doing very little, and running the country much in the style of the now-Opposition People's National Movement.