Port-of-Spain – Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley last week tore into Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar over her revelation of what is now being called the “fake oil” issue, hurling a derogatory, coined word at her in an accusation of “jammetry”.
The word “jammete” comes from the French patois “diametre”, meaning someone from the fringes of society, or a socially unacceptable person. Colloquially, it is used to describe a crass and promiscuous woman.
Claiming these actions could prevent herself and the entire country learning the truth about this latest development, Rowley said Persad-Bissessar has had a lean period since the PNM came into office.
While she can make politics out of any issue she wishes as Opposition Leader, Rowley described her revelations at a UNC rally on September 10 as “a bit of an overreach”.
He added: “You can behave as an effective Opposition Leader. I think the country’s better for that... but ‘jammetry’ is not really the way to deal with this thing if you are going to get the best out of it. Sometimes that kind of behaviour itself might be an impediment to getting to the root of the problem.”
"To jump off on a preliminary enquiry and start accusing everybody you know, of being part of some grand conspiracy, resulting in Petrotrin oil being stolen, was a bit of an overreach. You could behave as an effective Opposition Leader...But jammetry is not really the way to deal with these things...Sometimes that type of behaviour may be an impediment to getting to the root of the problem," he said.

Asked about this accusation, Rowley responded: “I choose my words very carefully. I choose my words very carefully because if an employee of Petrotrin is found to have done something wrong, with or without the collusion of a contractor of Petrotrin, I don't know what possible involvement I could have in this matter... But of course, the Opposition Leader has to make sure that it comes to me, at the personal level, and I take that for what it is."
He added Persad-Bissessar was having a “lean” season under his government since “marks were very hard to buss”. Getting such “interesting information” allowed her to play “it for all it was worth”.
However, as Persad-Bissessar claimed, Rowley admitted Nazim Baksh, the principal of A&V Oil and Gas, the company at the centre of the “fake oil” accusations, was a friend.
Rowley was overseas when the allegations became public the company had inflated its oil production figures. He said he called Baksh upon learning about the claims. Rowley was unapologetic when questioned on whether he thought this action was appropriate, given the fact that the company was being investigated.
"Of course it is appropriate! I couldn't wait to call him to find out what this is all about. And he said (to me) he doesn't know (about it)," Rowley said.
Insisting his actions were natural, Rowley said: "If I have a friend and I am accused in that way, and the friend doesn't reach out to me to find out what is going on, I would look to him kind of funny. If a person is my friend, I don't deny or disown a friend because an allegation is made against them... Being a friend means something. I am not of that mettle."
Rowley added he knew from experience where serious allegation can be made by someone and remained uncompromising in his opposition against corruption. It mattered not who a person was, he said, “whether a PNM member, NPM, or the alphabet – you are not to expect any protection from the government”.
“If you engage in corruption, you on your own,” he declared.
Rowley noted he could not refer a preliminary report to the Fraud Squad, or the Director of Public Prosecutions, based on someone who "buss a mark", or made an allegation.
He said if the allegations are confirmed, the government expected the matter would be referred to the Fraud Squad, “and wherever you want to send it”.
After a proper, clear and conclusive investigation, and the facts are confirmed, the chips would fall where they may, he said.
Asked if Baksh and his company contributed financially to the PNM's campaign, Rowley said he would be “surprised” if this was not so. The business sector had always made contributions to political activity, “and I don't know that any person should be demonised for doing that”.
However, the PNM makes “no deals with anybody”.
Following Rowley’s broadside on Persad-Bissessar, the UNC National Women's Arm responded, describing the statement as “reckless and demeaning”. The demand was made for an apology to Persad-Bissessar.
The Women's Arm said it “notes with distaste the utterances of the Honourable Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley... the reference made by the Prime Minister seeks to demean and degrade women”.
It added: "Referring to the Opposition Leader Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, revelations of the 'fake oil' scandal at Petrotrin as 'jammetry' is a major cause for concern. We call upon the Prime Minister to issue an immediate apology to all women, especially the Opposition Leader as the reference was made against her person. The Women's Arm continues to note with dissatisfaction the references used by the Prime Minister with regards to women, and we hope this alarming occurrence will be rectified since it is reckless and demeaning.”
However, PNM lady vice-chairman and chair of the PNM Women's League Camille Robinson-Regis defended the remark, saying she did not view it as a comment directed at Persad-Bissessar.
"I do not think the Prime Minister meant it as Mrs Persad-Bissessar herself. From how I heard him use the term, we felt, or I felt at any rate, that it was just said in the context of the mechanism that is being used to try to get political capital out of everything even before an investigation is done. I didn't think he meant it as personal, something personal. He made an adverb out of a noun. That word doesn't exist.”
Robinson-Regis felt the context in which the Prime Minister spoke was “to make everything into a Carnival before everything is done”.

Port-of-Spain – Finance Minister Colm Imbert made the announcement in the House of Representatives last week setting October 2 as Budget Day 2018. This is the third budget to be presented by the PNM government since it came to power.
Even as the government was making preparations for delivery of the budget next month, UWI economist Dr Vaalmikki Arjoon was last week warning VAT may be increased from 12.5 percent to 15 percent as the government seeks to increase its revenue stream. He gave this prediction while addressing a pre-budget forum in Siparia.
Arjoon predicted another deficit budget is in the making as Finance Minister Colm Imbert would once again engage in borrowing to finance state expenditure.
“It is quite likely government will continue to borrow to fund the budget, but the question is, ‘How much will he borrow?’”, Arjoon said.
He suggested that one method of increasing agricultural production was to move away from the CEPEP programme to one where the focus is on agriculture. He said the agro-intensive initiative could be called FARMPEP.
Also addressing the forum was former Minister in the Ministry of Finance Mariano Browne who observed that the Budget would be one in which the nation would have to face its Maker. “We are in a very difficult situation and government has become bloated over time and it is quite clear oil is not going to rise. So this budget is one where we have to face our Maker,” Browne said.
He predicted government revenue for 2017 was in the range of (TT) $35 billion after falling from $60 to $42 to $38 billion in previous years. Browne said that ministries which would continue to receive the lion’s share of allocations are Education, Health, National Security, and Finance.
Opposition Caroni Central MP Dr Bhoe Tewarie identified a lack of confidence as the main hindrance to economic growth, saying high crime and murders are impeding foreign direct investment.
“We have now surpassed Jamaica as the most dangerous in the region and this is causing a lack of confidence in the economy,” Tewarie said.

Port-of-Spain – Head of the Social Justice Commission and a member of the Equal Opportunity Tribunal Leela Ramdeen last week said Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s “jamettery” comment directed at Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar was unbecoming of a leader.
Prime Minister Rowley should be careful about the language he uses, she declared.

“Leaders need to use language to lift people to a higher place,” she said.
Ramdeen said the Equal Opportunities Tribunal has been trying “to get people to learn to respect each other.”
She added: “I am now realising how divided we are as a country in terms of ethnicity and race. Nobody should have to boast that they have a friend of a different race. The mere fact that someone has to say I have an Indian friend is not good enough, we should be building fraternity with the entire society.”
Seventh Day Adventist Pastor Clive Dottin was also “totally disappointed” at the comment.

“Trinidad is a very difficult place to govern as Dr Rowley himself has suggested we have a combination of race, class and religion and gender and if not properly managed could prove to be a very explosive phenomena. Because of the economic and social challenges in the country leaders on both sides of the political spectrum must be extremely careful in their selection of language,” he said.
Dottin said Rowley must be “a unifier and not a polariser”, adding politicians “must remember that young people are searching for mentors”.
The UNC also condemned Rowley, with Chairman and Pointe-a-Pierre Member of Parliament David Lee questioning why the Prime Minister constantly degraded women. Lee called on the country to unite and condemn the statement.

He wondered: “Why would a leader, who is supposed to promote respect towards women, look to degrade a female leader who has contributed so much to our national development?” Such language was unbecoming of a person who holds high office.
“More so, it reflects that the government has been caught red-handed and they have no plausible answer to these accusations hence they result in name calling,” Lee noted.
He also defended Persad-Bissessar, saying she was only doing her duty as a concerned citizen in informing the population about the millions of taxpayers’ dollars being wasted.
Tim Gopeesingh also condemned Rowley’s statement, saying he joined with all right thinking and conscientious citizens in expressing his abhorrence to what he described as “the new low to which the PM has taken national governance”.
Said Gopeesingh: “Dr Rowley’s crass and vulgar statements during his comments on the ‘fake oil’ fiasco once more showcases someone ‘completely out of control’, as previously defined by then-Prime Minister Patrick Manning. In addition, Dr Rowley has contaminated the enquiry into the oil scam, since he has made it clear to all – including the investigators – that the accused is his personal and special friend. It is obvious that the Prime Minister does not intend to facilitate a full and independent investigation into this scam, in the same way that he has sidestepped the ‘ferry fiasco’.”
Former government minister, Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan called on Rowley to apologise to Persad-Bissessar .
“While I strongly denounce the utter disrespect and insensitivity reflected in the Prime Minister’s reference to the Opposition Leader, I remain hopeful that there is still the possibility of a positive outcome. I call upon Dr Rowley to take full responsibility for his faux pas and show remorse in an apology to Mrs Bissessar.” Seepersad-Bachan called on the government and the opposition to support them in a proposal to adopt the word “Respect” as one of the national watch words, to replace tolerance.
“Through respect, we learn to appreciate people of all genders, ethnicities and cultures. Let it be a seminal value that will inform our initiatives for the elimination of crime and the current ills plaguing our society,” she said.

Port-of-Spain – The number of Venezuelans living legally or illegally in Trinidad and Tobago is nowhere near 40,000 as estimated by the Living Waters Foundation’s Ministry for Migration and Refugees, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon stated last week.
Based on information from the Immigration Department, he added, “That figure (40,000) is something that we have to check because according to our estimates it is not the same.”
Illegal entries are estimated based on trends and patterns, Dillon said.
“I cannot give you a figure as to what we have right now, but it is nothing near to 40,000 as was reported. I can safely say that during the early part of this year, there has been a decrease in the number of Venezuelans coming to Trinidad and Tobago,” Dillon said, adding over the years both incoming and outgoing Venezuelans into Trinidad and Tobago have been monitored.
Asked what was the last estimate of Venezuelans living in Trinidad and Tobago, Dillon said the last estimate was in July this year, but he could not provide a number. He said the Chief Immigration Officer was in the process of updating the estimate.
“The areas of concern for us are the ones coming in illegally,” he said.
Dillion said the Regiment and Coast Guard have stepped up land and sea-based patrols in rural areas, especially in the south east coast of Trinidad in areas from Icacos to Moruga. Patrols have also been ongoing in areas on the north coast including Blanchisseuse.
In addition, the government last year re-established bilateral cooperation with the Venezuelan authorities, so there is now direct communication between the commanding officer of the Coast Guard and their Venezuelan counterparts.
On the issue of Venezuelans coming to Trinidad and Tobago because of the socio- economic and political turmoil in their homeland, being a national security threat, Dillon said it was difficult to suggest this with no empirical evidence.
He added that not only Venezuelans “are on the radar”, but also a number of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, China, Nigeria, and Ghana.

Port-of-Spain – The report of sole investigator Victor Mouttet into the ferry fiasco was completed last week and handed to Prime Minister Keith Rowley.
During the Prime Minister Question Time in Parliament last Friday, Rowley said the report had been submitted the evening before. Mouttet had been appointed on August 15 with the mandate to complete the assignment in 30 days.
Rowley said the report would be made available to the Joint Select Committee enquiring into the situation on the seabridge.
Rowley was asked by Couva South MP Rudy Indarsingh whether he was prepared to lay the report in the House of Representatives. The Prime Minsiter responded saying the report would be made available to the JSC sitting specifically on this matter, and he trusted that that would meet the needs of the House.
Asked by Oropouche West MP Vidia Gayadeen-Gopeesingh to elaborate on what prompted his suggestion that the procurement of the Ocean Flower II deal was crooked, Rowley said he had been summoned to appear before the Joint Select Committee investigating this matter and had agreed to appear. He said he would prefer to make his comments at that venue and on that occasion.
Asked by Chaguanas West MP Ganga Singh whether the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly or other secretaries had made themselves available to Mouttet, Rowley said he did not know whether their presence was requested and if so, whether they complied.
A question by Singh to the Prime Minister on how he viewed the refusal of THA representatives to attend the JSC in Tobago was not allowed by Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George.
Responding to another question, Rowley said a letter of credit was extended to the Port Authority by First Citizens for the Ocean Flower II and a letter was extended to the Port by Republic Bank for the Cabo Star.
He denied Oropouche East MP Roodal Moonilal's "assumption" that it was an "irrevocable letter of credit".
He said the letter of credit was intended to provide security and once the contract for the Ocean Flower was terminated by the Port Authority, the Port instructed First Citizens not to pay and therefore the owners of the vessel could not collect the letter of credit.
He reiterated that no money was paid to the principals of the Ocean Flower.

Port-of-Spain – The government has been given the go-ahead by the High Court to proceed with winding up cash-strapped CL Financial as it seeks to recover a multibillion-dollar debt owed to it stemming from its bailout of the conglomerate in 2009.
The green light was given by Justice Kevin Ramcharan following the hearing of the petition which was filed by the government earlier this year.
In all, the government is seeking to recover more than (TT) $15 billion – the remainder of its approximate $23 billion loan to the company.
In July the government filed the petition on the grounds the conglomerate could not repay its debt, and, therefore, its assets had to be sold in an attempt to recover it.
It had also filed an application to have provisional liquidators appointed to preserve and conserve the assets of the company pending the outcome of the petition.
That application was granted by the Court of Appeal in July after Ramcharan previously dismissed it.
The State had argued if the company were to be allowed to trade, it may find itself in even deeper debt.
Senior Counsel Deborah Peake, who led the case for the State, submitted that an insolvent company was not even allowed to continue to trade.
In the end, Ramcharan said the court found it had no option but to grant the petition as it was satisfied with the arguments presented by the State that the company was insolvent.
However, despite the ruling the State will not as yet be able to dispose of the assets. This comes after shareholders of the company, who were in challenge of its winding up, indicated after the ruling they will appeal the judge's decision.
Carlton Reis, spokesperson for Dalco Capital Management Company and CL Financial significant shareholder Lawrence Duprey, said the fight had only just begun.
"We expected this ruling because CL Financial had no defence because this was a case of him onto himself and now we have to look at our legal options. This was just first round that they won and we will be taking it further. We cannot just sit down and let the State take this company and run away with it... It is sad to see the State has done this to a conglomerate that did so much to develop the economy," said Reis.
The shareholders had attempted to become parties in both the application for the provisional liquidators to be appointed as well as the winding-up petition, but were unsuccessful on both attempts.