Port-of-Spain – Standard and Poor’s downgrade of Trinidad and Tobago’s credit rating from BBB+ to BBB came as no surprise, former government minister Mariano Browne, economist Dr Vaalmiki Arjoon, and Chamber of Industry and Commerce CEO Gabriel Faria said last week.
Browne did not share Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s optimism about S&P’s economic outlook for the country. He said the report did not provide any evidence that the necessary steps are being taken to balance the budget.
Also, Browne recalled former finance minister Larry Howai’s promise to balance the budget by 2016, which did not occur.
As Trinidad and Tobago sits on the cusp of successive elections, Browne doubted the issues raised in S&P’s outlook would be addressed by the government.

“We are in a difficult position,” he said. Browne explained the stable economic outlook given by S&P to Trinidad and Tobago means “we are at the bottom of the trough”, and there was no indication to which direction the economy will head.
Browne also noted Trinidad and Tobago’s situation was similar to a frog in a pot of water, which is being slowly boiled, with the frog unaware it is being boiled alive until too late.
Meanwhile, Arjoon noted the most direct implication with the new rating was Trinidad and Tobago “will face increased difficulty in accessing loans from foreign countries”. He said a decline in revenues in recent years, continued under performance in the non-energy sector, and an expected fall in LNG production from Atlantic Train One means “we will attempt to acquire more debt from the foreign market to meet our budgetary obligations, especially since we are going into elections mode”.

Arjoon said Trinidad and Tobago’s debt repayment capacity will become more challenged, and the “economy as a whole continues to be risky”.
“The downgrade also signals increased uncertainty and shattered confidence in the economy,” he added.
Arjoon warned if Trinidad and Tobago is not careful, the State will continue to borrow in the coming years, which “will continue the cycle of downgrades and financial stress”.
However, while the consolation was the outlook was stable, Faria said stable was not acceptable in our current situation.
“Continuing to do what has been done will result in a predictable outcome. Stable performance at best,” he said.
Faria noted it is important for the government, business, and labour to work together to move the outlook from stable to positive. He cited evidence of this in Jamaica, where all stakeholders worked to improve its economy.
“To change these outcomes, we have to stop reacting and take a decisive and proactive approach to deal with the situation,” he said.
Faria added the revenue authority must be implemented as soon as possible “to improve tax collection, rather than continuing to increase the tax burden on the individuals and organisations which are already compliant”.
He noted the S&P also referred to a lack of timely economic data, and observed it was something that has been discussed for so long “but is still outstanding”.

Port-of-Spain – While the ratings for Trinidad and Tobago have dropped a notch,, the country more or less has held its own, Prime Minister Keith Rowley said last week. He was responding to the July 2 downgrade of Trinidad and Tobago by the rating agency Standard and Poor’s.
Said Rowley: “Trinidad and Tobago is in difficult times. Remember we were on the brink of collapse. … they reported our rating has dropped one level from BBB+ to BBB. We are still at investment grade... But they have upgraded our outlook from negative to stable.”
Rowley received applause following that statement. At the time he was speaking to PNM supporters at a political meeting in south Trinidad.
Spinning the downgrade positively, Rowley indicated the reason was due to Trinidad and Tobago’s stable external profile and its similarly stable democracy. “[S&P] also say it reflects on the country’s solid level of government financial assets, and good fiscal and external performance,” he declared.
Rowley said “the loss of the little plus” was as a result of unexpectedly lower gas production over the next several years, which may limit the energy sector's contribution to economic growth, and the disappointing results of BPTT’s infill drilling programme.
He said while S&P’s also projected a reduction in gas production, “this government was not on that wavelength at all”. His recent travels were designed to ensure the continued exploration for oil and gas.
Said Rowley: “It is to make sure that this prediction of reduction of gas production in the years ahead does not come to pass.”
Rowley noted S&P also looked at falling oil production, while adding Trinidad and Tobago had moved from drilling zero wells under Petrotrin to 16 to 18 wells under its successor exploration and production company, Heritage. It means “'that prediction would not come to pass”, Rowley assured.
He also noted S&P indicated the PNM administration had adjusted its policies to the less favourable economy, meaning it was running the country “with $20 billion less in the kitty”, and consequently had to bring down expenditure.
“So we are not the government of ‘Ah go give yuh dis’, and ‘Ah go give yuh dat’,” he said.
Rowley said his government’s “unpleasant” assignment was to run the country with billions of dollars less annually.
He added: “You see the difference? When we had money, we had a government of, ‘Spend, spend, spend!’”
Rowley said the last billion dollars in NGC’s kitty were spent on a contract that was given to a contractor whose bid was (TT) $400 million more than the next bidder. He revealed this bidder, after receiving 80 percent of the money for 40 percent of the work, bolted from the country right after the general election, never to return.
“These are the people who are now saying to you, ‘Elections coming; put us back in office’. Well, if yuh drunk; yuh mad; or yuh crazy – do that! You have seen them; heard them; felt them; smelt them. Yuh don’t want no part of them. What you want is the PNM,” Rowley said to cheers from his partisan audience.

Port-of-Spain – Former news anchor Colleen Holder received a death threat a week after she spoke out on issues affecting her neighbourhood, including growing criminal activity in the Oropune Gardens, Piarco area.
Holder said she had received “credible information” last Thursday morning a “hit” had been place on her life.
The death threat came one day after officials from the Housing Development Corporation, accompanied by police, moved into the area and demolished illegal structures built by a businessman outside an apartment in the Oropune area. The businessman was operating a hardware and a commercial shop.
Holder told the media she received the threatening call about 9 am last Thursday.
“The only information I got from my source was ‘green light’, or ‘green lit’...shoot and burn,” she said.
Holder said she spoke to police, but was yet to lodge a formal report. She also intends to send comprehensive letters to both the Commissioner of Police and the Minister of National Security.
Holder said she was not afraid, and had no regrets for speaking out on the issues.
“I'm not scared. I have no regrets. Unfortunately, though I understand now why people stay silent when they live in a situation where they feel like they can’t speak out for fear of being targeted,” she said. Additionally, Holder said she had no plans to move out of the Oropune area, saying, “My next move us to just live my life. I have received numerous calls of support from people of all walks of life, as well as the community.”
Standing up and speaking out against illegal activities in her area was not just her fight, she noted, saying, “It's a community trying to regain its peaceful footing before it’s too late.”
Holder said she was a victim of crime. She was robbed twice, once when her car was stolen from at gunpoint outside her home last year, and a month later, when her house was burglarised.
Last week Holder raised serious security issues following a murder in the area where a man was shot dead outside Building 4A. It was the second murder in a month. Earlier in June, a teenager was shot dead outside the same building.
Holder said residents were growing more and more concerned over the sudden increase in gun violence in the area, along with other illegal activities. She called for an immediate intervention by HDC officials and the police.

Port-of-Spain – Award-winning actor, producer, and director Raymond Choo Kong was discovered murdered on Monday afternoon. A family member made the discovery after midday at the actor’s Green Street, Arima house. Police said there appeared to be marks of violence and multiple stab wounds on the body. Choo Kong also appeared to have struggled with his killer, with police noting there were pieces of broken furniture in the room where the body was found.
Choo Kong changed the landscape of Trinidad’s theatre through comedy for 40 years through his organisation, Raymond Choo Kong Productions, which was a well-established theatre production house. He is the holder of many awards, receiving a total of 18 Cacique Awards from all categories in the theatre industry.
He was well-known for his creativity and compassion, Arima Mayor Lisa Roxanne Morris-Julian said.
“It is shocking. Raymond Choo Kong was an icon… it is just strange to say, ‘Was’. His family helped to build Arima. They were hard-working, and gave back a lot to the community. This is definitely a devastating blow, not only for myself, but for the thousands of burgesses in Arima. He was well-known for his creativity,” she said.
Roger Roberts, a member of the rapso group ‘3canal’ and also a veteran actor, said he was flabbergasted by the death of his friend. He described Choo Kong’s murder as senseless, and noted Choo Kong had a fighting spirit.
“If it was a robbery, Raymond would not have let someone take advantage of him. That is the kind of person he was,” Roberts said.
Roberts also wondered at the many unsolved murders in Trinidad and Tobago.
“There is no sense of justice. What is going on? I cannot remember the last time a person was held for a murder. How do we begin to address these issues without fearing we could be victimised? I am feeling really confused and powerless,” he said.
He called on the leaders of the country to note Trinidad and Tobago is being terrorised, and that people are feeling powerless.
Speaking to Choo Kong’s legacy, Roberts said the veteran actor helped to make theatre in Trinidad and Tobago into a well-oiled and well-produced enterprise.
At the time of his death, Choo Kong was facilitating a Mentoring with the Masters workshop organised by the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts. He was also involved in a production of Derek Walcott’s Ti Jean and His Brothers, with its producers in the middle of auditioning.
Choo Kong was also due to stage a special production of Diva Returns for Pride Trinidad and Tobago on July 26.

Port-of-Spain – Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar last week welcomed the Commission of Enquiry into land acquisition for the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension to Point Fortin. Among other things, the CoE will investigate the role of the Ministerial Oversight Committee, then chaired by former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and nine senior ministers.
Persad-Bissessar described the government’s move with the CoE to be a witch-hunt and a distraction from failed governance by the PNM government.
Said Persad-Bissessar: “Bring on the Commission of Enquiry. I have no problems with that. If anybody did wrong, they did wrong; deal with them in law. I am a believer in the rule of law, and should they be able to find any such thing, go ahead.”
Persad-Bissessar also called for investigations into several issues, among them the multi-million dollar rental of properties to the Attorney General and his family, the AV Drilling ‘Fake Oil’ Scandal, and on the report of weapons being in the hands of the children of a government official. She also called for probes into a large cash deposit into a bank by government minister Camille Robinson-Regis; into the report of a sexual harassment settlement involving former Sport Minister Darryl Smith, and on the government’s failed economic and fiscal policies.
She said from “Day One” the government has been looking in the “rear view mirror” at the People’s Partnership government, and continued to do so four years later, and to play the blame game.
Persad-Bissessar noted it was no surprise the move to appoint a CoE into the land acquisition was made within days of “alarming news” the international rating agency Standard & Poor’s Global had downgraded Trinidad and Tobago’s investment credit rating from BBB+ to BBB, one level above junk status.
She added the S&P downgrade was an indictment on the failed economic policies of the Rowley government, and exposed the blatant lie told to the public about an “economic turnaround”.
Said Persad-Bissessar: “Every day we sit in the Parliament they talk about locking up people. When they are finished they will lock up themselves!”
Persad-Bissessar said it was a “tragedy” when the country was in dire straits the government continues with “witch-hunting”, and added that instead of focusing on improving economic conditions, health care, and helping struggling citizens, the PNM was about to spend millions of taxpayers’ dollars “in a public relations gimmick on the eve of a Local Government election”.
The CoE was announced by Minister of National Security and Communications Stuart Young last Thursday, and will determine whether there was any “breach of duty”, or any potential criminal or civil liability by any person or entity involved in the process. It will be chaired by Retired Justice Sebastien Ventour.
In outlining the government’s decision to proceed with the CoE, Young said: “[The Persad-Bissessar ministerial committee] would review the recommendations of private valuers... they were getting the valuation reports of private valuers even before they were sent to the implementation State agency (Nidco) and they (the ministerial committee) would decide for themselves whether the right values or value for money... for taxpayers was actually being implemented... before it went to the public servants and the technocrats.”
He said more than 513 properties were acquired and paid for by the taxpayers in this way, at a cost exceeding (TT) $500 million. There are still 495 properties to be acquired. Also, 291 properties were served with land acquisition notices the State no longer needs to acquire.
Young also cited irregularities, noting in one instance where a family of four living in the same household were compensated individually for the same land, which resulted in a fourfold inflation of the cost.
Young also cited legal claims being made against the State by affected people, with one paid $50 million for land acquired who was now claiming a further $30 million from the State.
Other legal issues include a High Court claim for $92.4 million; another for $5.4 million; and one for $116.2 million, with a daily interest rate of $21,200. There were also claims for $2.5 million, another for $720,000, a $6 million claim, and another for $50.9 million.
Said Young: “It is when we saw these things cascading... we said: ‘Let’s look into this’… We need to have a Commission of Enquiry to get at the true facts in the public glare as to what took place here for the expenditure of public funds of over half a billion dollars… In some instances, great overvalues were paid.”
Former Minister in the Ministry of Works Stacy Roopnarine, who was on Persad-Bissessar's highway committee, indicated last week Nidco and other technocrats were involved in the land acquisition process.
“The land acquisition process was done via private negotiations between Nidco and landowners,” she said. Additionally, landowners brought their land valuations and NIDCO also hired valuators. There was no compulsory acquisition, she said.
Along with Persad-Bissessar, Roopnarine said the enquiry appeared to be a witch-hunt, adding, “I am concerned with the timing, as to whether there is a political agenda behind this. Local Government and general elections are around the corner. I did not hear what this enquiry will cost. I think the Minister has to provide this to the people. I think this is nothing more than a witch-hunt.”

Port-of-Spain – In re­sponse to the spate of killings, the T&T Po­lice Ser­vice in­tends to call out all of­fi­cers who are off-du­ty as it mounts na­tion­wide ex­er­cis­es to flush out crim­i­nals.
A state­ment from the Po­lice Ser­vice on Mon­day stat­ed that Po­lice Com­mis­sion­er Gary Grif­fith had not­ed the homi­cide rate had spiked with eight homi­cides in the past 24 to 36 hours, af­ter a three-day pe­ri­od of not a sin­gle homi­cide be­ing record­ed in the coun­try.
The TTPS stat­ed that the mur­ders were now en­gag­ing their at­ten­tion and that a num­ber of key polic­ing strate­gies have gone in­to im­me­di­ate ef­fect and will con­tin­ue over the com­ing days.
Among the mea­sures the TTPS stat­ed are de­ten­tion of sus­pects in shoot­ing in­ci­dents, every avail­able po­lice of­fi­cer will be out on the streets con­duct­ing sta­t­ic and foot pa­trols, all Emer­gency Re­sponse Pa­trol ve­hi­cles will be on pa­trol, of­fi­cers who are cur­rent­ly on days off have been called out on du­ty, road­blocks and stop and search­es, joint po­lice and army pa­trols and of­fi­cers have been called up­on to per­form ad­di­tion­al hours of work.

Port-of-Spain – Four out of every five mur­der vic­tims this year, have been shot dead.
As of Mon­day af­ter­noon, 229 of the 280 record­ed mur­ders for the year or 81 per cent, were felled by gun fire, ac­cord­ing to mur­der sta­tis­tics tab­u­lat­ed by the Pow­er­ful Ladies of Trinidad and To­ba­go.
Last month, Com­mis­sion­er of Po­lice Gary Grif­fith ad­mit­ted that on av­er­age 75 per cent of mur­ders for the last decade were com­mit­ted by peo­ple us­ing il­le­gal guns in his sup­port for leg­is­la­tion to de­ny bail for of­fend­ers held with il­le­gal guns.How­ev­er, this year the spate of gun-re­lat­ed vi­o­lence ap­pears to be on the rise.
In Feb­ru­ary, be­fore a Joint Se­lect Com­mit­tee on Na­tion­al Se­cu­ri­ty, Act­ing As­sis­tant Com­mis­sion­er of Po­lice Jayson Forde told the com­mit­tee that the of­fi­cers had been en­coun­ter­ing more mil­i­tary type weapons than pre­vi­ous­ly seen.
He es­ti­mat­ed that over 8,000 il­le­gal guns were present in the coun­try, while po­lice on av­er­age seized about 1,000 per year.
Crim­i­nol­o­gist Dau­rius Figueira be­lieves that the in­crease in gun crimes and in­vari­ably the in­creased preva­lence of so­phis­ti­cat­ed weapons used in the crime has been caused by the in­crease in transna­tion­al or­gan­ised crime in the coun­try.
“Why the use of these pow­er­ful weapons? It has to have a ra­tio­nal rea­son for you to be pur­chas­ing these weapons to pro­tect some­thing that is so valu­able that it is worth pro­tect­ing and, there­fore, it has to be an il­lic­it busi­ness,” said Figuera.
Figuera not­ed that crim­i­nals moved from seek­ing AK 47s to AR-15 as­sault ri­fles, weapons that can on­ly be im­port­ed.
“They don’t give you an AR, you have to ac­quire an AR. That is the re­al­i­ty. You have to have the re­sources in which to ac­quire. If you are an en­forcer for an or­gan­i­sa­tion and the or­gan­i­sa­tion can choose you to be an en­forcer and hand you an AR-15, well then that or­gan­i­sa­tion has re­sources that could af­ford to im­port, store and pro­tect those il­lic­it weapons. That means that it has to be an il­lic­it busi­ness that is turn­ing over size­able amounts of mon­ey,” said Figuera.
“As long you are in an il­lic­it busi­ness you have to pro­tect that busi­ness and you will pro­tect it by any means nec­es­sary with the great­est fire-pow­er that you could get your hands on. That means that you have a gun trade in this coun­try that is so dy­nam­ic and so po­tent that they can get on­to and ac­quire any­thing they want,” said Figuera, who be­lieves that this transna­tion­al or­gan­i­sa­tion al­so push hu­man traf­fick­ing and the drug trade as well.
Figuera said the re­cur­ring is­sue of spikes in mur­ders af­ter a Na­tion­al Se­cu­ri­ty of­fi­cial high­lights a re­duc­tion in the mur­der rate, can al­so be at­trib­uted to these or­gan­i­sa­tions.