Trinidad & Tobago
Respect law at all times says Ramlogan
Port-of-Spain - Attorney General Anand Ramlogan says the law must take its course if there is no evidence against the 16 detained following allegations of an assassination plot. If so, then they must be set free, he said.
Saying that the law must be respected at all times, Ramlogan added: "The rule of law must be respected at any and all costs and government is committed to the rule of law. If there is insufficient evidence to justify the laying of charges, then the detainees must be set free in accordance to law."
The Attorney General also made it clear that the laying of charges was a matter for the police in consultation with the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Asked what charges, if any, were expected to be laid on the detainees, Ramlogan said he was not advised whether or not charges would be laid.
"But I am not surprised because this is not a matter that involves the executive arm of the State," he said. "It is a matter exclusively for the police and for the DPP who would advise if and when consulted."
A senior lawyer, who asked not to be identified, said given the nature of the allegations, it would have been "obviously appropriate" for the police to maintain a close connection with the office of the DPP and to seek advice regarding what nature of charges could be laid.
The attorney said investigators, depending on what charges they were pursuing, were not duty-bound to consult the DPP and could go ahead and lay the charges.
On the other hand, however, the DPP must give the directive to lay certain charges which would include perjury, sedition and charges relating under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the attorney explained.
"These charges can only be sanctioned by the DPP," the lawyer added.
Attorney representing Khalil Karamath, Senior Counsel Pamela Elder, said the State had found itself in a difficult position. She said the State went ahead and served orders which indicated that the 16 were dangerous people who were likely to endanger the lives of the public.
"So if these are indeed dangerous people, how would the public be protected on the expiration of the State of Emergency?" Elder said.
Detention orders were slapped on the 16 men for allegedly being involved in a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and three senior government ministers. Others were identified as allegedly being behind a plot to destabilise Trinidad and Tobago and cause major panic. The orders were made by the National Security Minister Brigadier John Sandy, in accordance with paragraph two of the second schedule to the Emergency Powers Regulations, 2011.
By Sandra Chouthi
Special to Indo-Caribbean World
Port-of-Spain – It was late November and nationals of Trinidad and Tobago were celebrating the lifting of the curfew by 'liming' and partying despite the ongoing State of Emergency. So it came as a shock on November 24 when Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar revealed that intelligence gathering had unearthed a threat to assassinate herself, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, and government ministers, Dr Roodal Moonilal and Chandresh Sharma. She described the plot as treason.
Unearthing this death plot meant the government's actions to deal with crime was having the desired effect, Persad-Bissessar said. The criminal element was finally being confronted and was reacting - it was a response that had been anticipated, she assured.
The prime minister's revelation was met with scepticism by some. It was felt that the assassination plot was a hoax.
Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs did not think it was. He told reporters that police had uncovered a plan to kill Persad-Bissessar and several members of her Cabinet. As a result the country was put on "high alert". So far 16 people have been detained by police in connection with the alleged assassination.
And in response to the sceptics calling for more concrete information, Gibbs said he could not divulge details of the assassination plot.
"It is very important for us to keep the details close to our chest. We do not want to compromise national security," he said.
Additionally, "We get information from all different sources, but we would not divulge where this information has come from. Certainly we have taken up people, and because of this national threat that we have received, these people are detained and further investigations are continuing," Gibbs said.
He was also asked to respond to claims by some that the assassination plot may be a "smokescreen".
Said Gibbs: "All I can say is that we all expressed that there is a threat and if you choose not to believe that then I guess that is your prerogative, but certainly as there has been expressed a clear threat that has come to the Police Service. We have acted on that threat, and it is in national security interest to keep those details close to our chests."
National Security Minister John Sandy also denied claims that the death was a ploy to extend the State of Emergency. It ended on December 5.
Asked whether the SoE would be extended because of the assassination plot, Sandy said: "Certainly not! This will not be used to extend the State of Emergency… the Prime Minister [has] said the same thing... She said it has always been looked at and reviewed. That possibility is not on the cards."
Sandy added: "The assassination plot is real. This is why the Honorable Prime Minister thought it fit to share with the national community what is happening. She has released some of the information but you must recognise that there are areas which we cannot share."
Commenting on the scepticism, Sandy noted: "All I am prepared to say is that I am saddened by the reaction of some with respect to something as serious as this and utterances that attempt to trivialise this."
Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley has not let the claims of the death plot rest. Last week he called for the release of the 16 persons held under detention orders.
As well, Rowley produced a report which he claimed discredited information that there was a death plot.
The Prime Minister acted "hysterically" and misled the nation about this plot, he said.
Rowley said he obtained a copy of an evaluation of the plot dated November 23 by the national security agencies based on "chatter'' of misconduct by certain persons. He did not reveal from where or from whom he obtained this report.
Quoting from the report, Rowley read lines which in effect stated that there was no evidence to support allegations made by the confidential informant who claimed there was an assassination plot.
Under the heading 'Overall Analysis of Information', Rowley read: "The general assessment of this information is that it seems to be an amalgamation of several pieces of information using historic information on individuals of known ill-repute to validate the claim of a future act and embellished by the author's liberal use of opinions rather than fact."
The report, said Rowley, stated further that the chronological sequence of events of the plot was inconsistent.
"It is quite possible that he, the source, may be speculating as to what he's seeing in an attempt to make sense of it," Rowley quoted from the report.
According to Rowley, it further stated that there was a lack of understanding by the source as the person attempted to use a term to suggest certain persons were extremists.
"There is no information identifying the leaders of the two groups... or whether the persons involved are known to each other, attempts to identify a common link prove to be futile," Rowley quoted.
He said the Prime Minister would have had this information in hand on November 23. Yet the next day she threw the country into panic by disclosing that her life, and the lives of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and government minister Chandresh Sharma and Roodal Moonilal were threatened.
Said Rowley "...The Prime Minister knew that there was no confirmed plot and that it was speculation on the part of a source that had been discredited by the country's security services and therefore this whole question of a plot against the life of the Prime Minister and her Cabinet as of the 24th of November had not been established and the way it was sold to us, I can now confirm that the Prime Minister's attempt to sell it to us was in the context of justifying the State of Emergency," said Rowley.
"I can tell the country… that the Opposition is now totally satisfied that the Prime Minister acted hysterically on matters of national security which should have gone through the proper channels to allow it to be treated in a serious and effective way, got diverted into political diatribe that seriously damaged this country's image internationally," he added.
Rowley said this was misconduct on the part of the Prime Minister.
"And to the extent that any of our citizens — doesn't matter who they are, man, woman, child, long, short, tall of any race, colour creed or class — to the extent that any citizen has been the subject of detention under this development purely to satisfy what we now know is a political need, I'm calling on the State to release them immediately because this is political madness that has no place in Trinidad and Tobago... this nonsense has gone too far and I'm calling on the National Security Minister to address the nation and confront what I've said here," he continued.
In response to the opposition leader's claims last week, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan told the media that the report Rowley spoke of was never provided to the National Security Council.
"Such a report was never provided to the National Security Council and must either be fictitious or bogus. I note that Dr Rowley did not disclose the author of the report," said Ramlogan.
He added that Rowley's allegations were "outrageous, scandalous and mischievous".
Port-of-Spain - The preliminary findings of an opinion poll being conducted by North American Caribbean Teachers Association has revealed mixed views on the credibility of the plot to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and ministerial colleagues. The poll is being conducted by Vishnu Bisram.
While a majority of respondents say there was "something brewing" and there was credibility about the assassination plot, the findings show a nation largely divided on the issue by political affiliation or race. NACTA said almost every government supporter believed there was a plot to kill the PM and ministers and undermine the government, while most Opposition supporters were not convinced of such a plot.
Initially, a lot of people were sceptical that there was a plot against the PM and her colleagues, NACTA said. And even now, most supporters of the Opposition say that the government overreacted in arresting people without credible evidence, the findings show.
According to NACTA, with the alleged plotters being held under detention orders, however, more and more people were coming around into believing there was a serious plot against the government and support the actions against plotters.
People felt the government should come forward with solid proof to substantiate their claims of the seriousness of the plot. Some respondents, including members of the labour movement, felt the government might use the coup plot to justify extending the current state of emergency.
On the State of Emergency, a majority said it should be suspended so people could exhale and enjoy the holiday and Carnival seasons. Many felt the State of Emergency had had a negative effect on the economy, costing many people their jobs and or lowering their income and their spending ability.
Queried about their views on the unity of the government in its handling of the coup plot, curfew, State of Emergency and other recent matters, people overwhelmingly say the Government (Cabinet and its MPs) has shown strong unity. Separately, people were overwhelmingly supportive across the political divide of the PM's decision to revoke the curfew. There were some, however, who said they had no problem living with a permanent curfew in order to put a lid on crime, NACTA added.
Port-of-Spain - Over 17,000 pupils enter the secondary school system but only a few thousand leave with meaningful qualifications, Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh has said.
Gopeesingh made the remarks while addressing a Caribbean Examinations Council awards ceremony for outstanding local and regional graduates at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain last week.
He said of the 17,000 to enter the system, only 12,500 actually sat exams for five subjects or more.
"Four thousand five hundred have found it difficult to write five subjects and out of 12,500 students, 6,500 pass five subjects or more," Gopeesingh said.
A total of 33,318 candidates were registered for any of 34 subjects in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination in Trinidad and Tobago, he revealed.
In 2011, a total of 16,098 pupils attempted five subjects, while those who attempted five subjects or more, including Mathematics and English A amounted to 13,623.
Out of those numbers, 7,183 (44.6 percent) were successful in five or more subjects while 5,892 (43.3 percent) were successful in five or more subjects including Mathematics and English A.
"Mathematics, with a relatively low pass rate of 40.2 percent, has the biggest impact on the group of students obtaining full certificates," Gopeesingh said.
The percentage of pupils passing five or more subjects, including Mathematics and English A, ranged between 22.2 percent in the North Eastern Educational District and 51.2 percent in the Port-of-Spain Educational District.
Two educational districts — Victoria (50.5 percent) and Port-of-Spain (51.2 percent) had pass rates for pupils passing five or more subjects including Mathematics and English A above 50 percent.
A total of 114,817 subject entries were registered for the 34 subjects in 2011, with 48,949 (42.6 percent) were male candidates and 65,868 (57 percent) were female.
"These results reflect the reality of our education systems throughout the Caribbean and they sadly point to the fact that our children are essentially failing to attain required and desired achievement when it comes to basic literacy and numeracy skills," Gopeesingh said.
This country is also ranked 62 out of 82 in the Pearls Index on Primary Schools, he said.
Registrar of the CXC, Didacus Jules, said the regional system must at this time be revised to support children who are not inclined towards traditional academia.
Jules, who earlier in the week said a CXC programme for primary schools is being considered, said the "colonial paradigm of a one size fits all" education system must now be discarded.
Port-of-Spain - Trinidad and Tobago's corruption rankings have worsened over the past year, according to the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2011 which was released last week.
Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (national arm of TI), Richard Joseph, presented the report. For the 2011 ranking, Trinidad and Tobago placed 91 from a list of 183 countries with a score of 3.2 out of 10. In the 2010 report, Trinidad and Tobago was ranked 73 out of 178 with a score of 3.6, Joseph added.
The report stated that there were two major campaign promises from the 2010 general election that could have reversed the perception that the country had become more corrupt.
These are the implementation of the recommendations of the Uff inquiry into the construction sector and the enacting of new public sector procurement legislation. The report also stated that there were several events in the past year that created the opportunity to raise questions about the current administration's avowed commitment to transparency and accountability.
According to the 2011 report: "These include Minister Jack Warner's continued presence in the administration and many allegations about improper procurement and poor governance practices at some state agencies.
"While the administration has insisted on observing the rules of natural justice in these matters, it is possible that by allowing some incumbents to remain in office while lengthy and still unresolved investigations take place, its reputation has been harmed by association."
Joseph said a score of zero would be the most corrupt, while a score of ten would be the least corrupt.
The international survey was carried out during the period December 2009 to September 2011. "The worsening perception of the level of corruption in Trinidad and Tobago, so soon after our last general election, is a strong indicator that this matter is beyond the control of our politicians only and has to be addressed by the national community," Joseph said.
"There is a widely-held perception that the issue of corruption in Trinidad and Tobago has not as yet been comprehensively addressed by the authorities." He said the negative ranking was influenced by the government's failure to implement the recommendations of the Uff Commission of Enquiry into the Construction Sector and UDeCOTT, and the enactment of new public procurement legislation. He said several other events in the past year, including Warner's continued presence in the Cabinet, pending the completion of investigations, "have also created the opportunity to raise questions about the current administration's avowed commitment to transparency and accountability."
Joseph said while the government had "insisted on selectivity, observing the rules of natural justice in these matters, it is possible that by allowing some incumbents to remain in office while lengthy and still unresolved investigations take place, its reputation has been harmed by association."
He said there were "other and more appropriate ways of dealing with these matters under current circumstances while adhering to the principles of natural justice."
In response to questions on the matter, Joseph said: "It is difficult to have a minister in charge of a ministry with an enormous budget against whom there are corruption allegations. I am not saying he is guilty or innocent and I agree that natural justice should take place, but we also have a country to run... we have to run it in a certain way with certain standards.
"I think if somebody is accused of something they (he) should step down, clear their name and then they could come back."
He said the country's corruption ratings have also been adversely impacted by disclosures in the Commission of Enquiry into CL Financial/Clico and HCU. Joseph said the People's Partnership government's anti-corruption initiatives "do not appear to have been sufficient to reverse the widely-held perception they (it) inherited that corruption was out of hand.
"More needs to be done and it needs to be done quickly if we are to avoid a complete collapse of confidence in our state institutions... In a very short time," he said.
Additionally, "We are concerned that the perception of corruption has grown worse. We believe that it is the responsibility of our political leadership to take the steps that can reverse that trend in the short and the long run."
The AATT introduced six check-in kiosks, which will help to enhance the check-in experience for travellers, a statement said.
The kiosks, featuring touch screen stations and manufactured by the International Society of Aeronautic Telecommunications, are located at three custom-built booths at each entrance to the Departures check-in concourse at the airport.
A release from AATT said the launch of the self-check-in system is timed to coincide with an expected increased passenger influx for the Christmas season.
It stated that Caribbean Airlines Ltd is the only airline using the technology for both its domestic and international flights at the moment, but other airlines have expressed interest and are expected to join the system.
Acting chief executive of CAL Robert Corbie said in the AATT statement his company was happy to partner with AATT on this project and to be the first airline to offer the service to customers.
Passengers will have to place their bags at designated drop-off points after checking in at the kiosks, and domestic passengers will still have to check in one hour before the scheduled departure time of their flight.
Since 1999, 1.2 billion people have checked in using similar kiosks, and SITA-modelled kiosks are used in more than 50 countries and by more than 60 airlines.
Louis Frederick, general manager of AATT, said: "The introduction of the kiosks is consistent with AATT's ongoing commitment to providing an enhanced customer service experience at our airports and ensuring that we bring our airports to international standards."