Trinidad & Tobago
Heat for chutney singer
Port-of-Spain – Rick Jacob’s 2017 Chutney Soca song ‘Roll Yuh Hips’ was relatively unknown last week until it came to notice when social media users began sharing the music video. It was then the location where the video was shot was noticed. It showed the unknown chutney artiste, Rick J, dancing and singing in front of the Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre’s Ashram in Carapichaima, central Trinidad.
The two-and-a-half minute video showcased the ashram’s 85 foot Hanuman Murti, with Jacob singing and dancing in different areas of the temple. In one area of the ashram he sings, “Girl you know you drive me crazy... Girl wine your waist”; in other areas, he placed his hands together in mock prayer. He also danced in front of murtis.
The Hanuman Murti was consecrated in 2003; according to the Destination Trinidad and Tobago website, the statue is the tallest in the Western hemisphere, and second tallest in the world. The temple is also a major tourist attraction and is considered sacred, not only by Hindus, but by others who see it as a place for worship, meditation and quiet reflection.
To record such a suggestive music video was irreverent to the sacredness of the temple, and disrespectful to any religion, Hindus and non-Hindus responded.
President of the Sri Dattatreya Yoga Centre, Ramesh Persad-Maharaj, was aghast. Jacob never got permission to record such a video on the compound, he said.
“The public is hereby informed that the video by Rick J, who poses as a chutney singer, was done on the sacred grounds of our Ashram without our knowledge. Apparently, he chose a day and time when the Temple was closed and nobody was around to prevent him from doing his mischief,” Persad-Maharaj said.
He added: “The video is a violation of the sanctity Hindus have for their deities and places of worship. It is disgraceful and an insult to all Hindus and persons who respect places of worship.”
Persad-Maharaj called on Jacob to remove the video, and for an apology to the Hindu community.
He added: “I would like to mention that it is a criminal offense for any person to behave indecently in any place of divine worship at any time. I therefore request him to act promptly to avoid embarrassment and legal costs.”
General Secretary of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Satnarayan Maharaj, also strongly condemned the actions of Jacob. He also lamented that a temple, like a church or mosque, is a place of worship, and is not there for fun and games.
“He had no right to do that! He should be condemned, and if there is a legal case to be made, then it should be made. I will support [Persad-Maharaj] if he files any court action,” Maharaj said.
Hindu spiritual leader and former government minister, Surujrattan Rambachan, also said Jacob’s action on the sacred grounds of the temple was not only disrespectful to Hindus, but to religion and tradition. He called on the government to take appropriate action to ensure it does not happen again.
“It is a distasteful thing that was done. It is something the society should frown upon, where we allow religious institutions to be used for this kind of purpose. What we are doing is showing a high level of disrespect for not just Hindus but generally for religion and tradition. We are also undermining value systems. We are also showing that we are still a long way off in the society from growing in the level of mutual respect which we should have matured into,” Rambachan said.
He added the public should be educated on respecting one another, and there was a need for deeper conversations between groups in society.
“This video comes at a time when during the last couple of years, several temples were desecrated and, in one case, at the Temple in the Sea, murtis were all broken up," he said.
Jacob later issued an apology, saying it was a foolish idea. However, he had initially defended his actions on Facebook, claiming he had received permission to video at the temple location.
Later, in a written statement, Jacob said it was never his intention to disrespect the Hindu community, but showcase the temple and the 85-foot statue of the Hindu god Hanuman. He promised it would not happen again.
Said Jacob: “I can't forgive myself because I always seek the best interest in my country and my country's people. Please forgive me, I made a big mistake. I only have one life to live and we all have to meet God, so I would also like to thank God that things wasn't worst. I'm sorry."
He added he was ashamed of his "foolish mistake", and was hurt so many people were outraged by his "unwise decision".
Said Jacob: "I'm sorry for the pain I caused. I'm sorry for angering the minds of the worshippers. I'm sorry for disturbing the gentle peace at your wonderful temple.”
He said he was inspired by the beauty of the ashram, which he had visited once as a schoolboy.
"I always wanted to go back. I never did until that day," he said. He added he was unaware of the regulations at the ashram.
"It was just my foolish idea, thinking it would [have] been a golden moment and we should take clips for my new video," he said.
The offending video has since been removed from YouTube.
Rowley made the statement during an address to the nation last Wednesday night when he focused on the recent wage negotiations between State-owned oil company Petrotrin and the Oilfields Workers Trade Union.
The union had planned to embark on a 90-day strike starting last week if the company had not moved from its zero-zero-zero offer for the 2014- 2017 period. An initial offer of five percent was agreed to by the union and averted the planned strike action.
PDCC president, Shiva Roopnarine, pointed out that a zero percent increase in wage and salaries may be better than a cut in salaries which had occurred some 30 years ago.
“How far are we from IMF’s door? The nation needs to be aware of the possibilities of returning to the IMF and be aware that 0-0-0 in the future might be better than a cut in salaries as occurred 30 years ago,” Roopnarine stated.
He added, “If we do not study our history, we will definitely repeat it. We might be forced to devalue the currency and freeze all wage negotiations. Your purchasing power would diminish as cost of living escalates. Did we really forget the unrest that resulted in 1990?”
Roopnarine also wondered when cost cutting measures, which had been alluded to by Rowley would materialise at the company.
“The Chamber eagerly awaits the commencement of the proposed cost cutting measures the Prime Minister announced for Petrotrin. We all appreciate that it is necessary, but with all the stakeholders involved, who is going to do it? Would the union allow Petrotrin to send home workers and reduce its annual wage bill to under 50 percent of their total annual costs? We should be aiming at figures that are on par with the international benchmark,” he stated.
He added: “This is a time when the entire country, businesses and citizens have already initiated serious cost cutting measures to meet rising inflation and the slowdown in our economic fortunes.”
Roopnarine noted a “silver lining” may be on the horizon saying foreign exchange could be increased should Petrotrin increase its production output.
“The nation is coming to terms with the decrease in availability of US dollars and an increase in output from Petrotrin can lead to an increase in US dollars,” he stated.
He noted that citizens had to increase their appetite for locally manufactured goods with measures put in place to protect manufacturers and local farmers to ensure that they remain relevant.
This is the view of senior economist Dr Roger Hosein following last week’s proposed 90-day strike action by the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union against cash-strapped Petrotrin.
Hosein said while the government did well to avert the strike by holding discussions with the company and the union, it was his prediction that the Trinidad and Tobago dollar would slide if there continues to be a downward trend in productivity and an increase in wages across all sectors of the economy. Wage negotiations are pending for several major unionised sectors.
However, Hosein said if the downward trend in productivity and the increase in wages throughout the economy continued, then the economy’s real effective exchange rate would appreciate, forcing the urgency of a nominal devaluation of the TT dollar, perhaps to somewhere in the vicinity of (TT) $9 to (US) $1.
“As things stand, the real exchange rate in 2017, when compared to 2005 is about 70 percent overvalued. The solution therefore, more and more, seems to be pointing in the direction of a depreciation of the nominal exchange rate. The nominal exchange rate of a US dollar is around (TT) $6.80 but a good indicator, reflective of the true market rate of the price of US dollar can be found in the Cambio at the Piarco International Airport, where the Trinidad and Tobago dollar is currently (TT) $8.20 for (US) $1.”
Hosein said it was not where policymakers would want to see the economy positioned. However, if wages continued to bear no semblance to productivity, “this is where it would end.”
He added: “This is one of the mechanisms that could allow the State to use the limited foreign exchange it receives, to stretch further.”
He said a recession required all hands on deck to pull in the same direction in order to return the economy to economic growth, and it was critical that the parties involved in wage negotiations work around the roundtable and prevent as far as possible the emergence of strike activity.
He said he found it useful and interesting that the State was able to build into the discussion for the payment of back-pay that Petrotrin returns to profitability and that productivity increases.
“This, to me, is what the State can take away from the negotiated outcome, at this point,” he said.
With the non-booming tradeable sector of the economy not doing well in recent times, he said the share of manufacturing employment in 2016 was lower by almost 10,000 workers as compared to 2005. The same argument held for export agriculture.
Hosein said a depreciated currency, while raising the cost of import into the country will eventually prompt some degree of expenditure switching, in which nationals will switch some proportion of their expenditure away from the consumption of foreign goods towards domestically-produced goods of the same.
He said that would enhance domestic economic activities and reduce, to some extent, the import bill.
“Even more, a devaluation at this point in time will also lead to an enhanced level of NBT sector exports to foreign markets, so that the foreign market can act an as avenue to help stimulate more sustainable jobs in the local economy,” Hosein said.
He added: “I do not think the State could can continue to ignore for much longer the possibilities that exist with a depreciated currency, in the context of the current economic situation.”
through mergers
According to RBC, it will be combining its Chaguaramas branch with its West Mall branch and its branch at Carlton Centre, San Fernando, with the branch on High Street, San Fernando. As a result, the Chaguaramas and Carlton Centre branches will be closed.
RBC said it will also be consolidating part of its operations in Point Lisas to the Couva branch in order to ensure "we maintain an enhanced sales presence in Point Lisas while at the same time effectively serving our clients and key stakeholders in the Couva district".
"We have developed a comprehensive communications plan to inform our clients about these changes," the bank stated.
An official of the bank said these changes are expected to come into effect by March this year.
The bank said the move was all part of an effort to "transform" the way it serves clients.
"RBC has been on a journey of improvement and transformation in the Caribbean as we leverage technology and innovation to improve our clients' experience by investing in our channels, products, processes, systems and people, to become the leading bank in the region," the bank stated.
"In the future, RBC will not be defined solely by its physical presence, but rather as an organisation with an accessible multi-channel distribution network that brings us closer to our clients supported by digital innovation, self-serve channels, re-designed branches, a Client Contract Centre and a proactive mobile sales force that can meet clients anywhere and anytime," it added.
The bank assured that its physical presence here remained a critical part of its transformation strategy and brand.
RBC said its strategy and plans were shared with employees and that it was working with them through the transition.
"We have offered attractive Voluntary Separation and Voluntary Early Retirement programmes to specific groups of impacted employees in Trinidad and Tobago that are designed to help employees make a personal choice about their future," RBC said.
It did not reveal how many employees will be affected by the changes.
Minister of Works and Transport, Senator Rohan Sinanan, said the new permit will be part of a new centralised digital system aimed at making the licensing process more efficient.
It “is embedded with bar code technology” and “will allow authorise officers to scan permits on the scene and obtain all relevant information about the holder of the particular driver’s permit, he said.
He added: “The relevant information includes whether the holder has any recorded and/or outstanding infractions of the law thereby establishing an independent and reliable tracking system for those who have had any interaction with the legal system.”
Sinanan said in a few months he will take legislation to Parliament permitting the relevant officers to scan the permits on the scene.
Overall, the new system will create an efficient licensing service where authorised licensing staff can easily access and provide information to permit holders and where permit holders can easily access their information online.
The new system does not invalidate existing permits, the Minister said.