Hard work, discipline, respect and attention for her teachers led to her success, says one of the top performing students in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

Ashisha Nirupa Persad, a former student of Naparima Girls’ High School, said she was not surprised by her achievement after she was announced as one of two President’s Gold Medal winners by Education Minister Anthony Garcia.

“I am really excited to bring some glory to my school,” she said in an interview at the school yesterday.

Shivrani Prabhudial, of Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College, was announced as the other girl who copped the President’s  Gold Medal. She will be honoured by her school this morning.

The diminutive Persad, who stands just over four feet, also broke the school’s dry seven-year spell since they won their last Presidental Medal, making it 13 to date.

Persad is the second of two daughters for Dr Rambachan Persad and mother Carmen, a financial manager, of Gulf View. 

Her elder sister, Sitara, who also attended Naps Girls’ also won an open scholarship (mathematics) in 2012 and is pursuing engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.

Saying her sister is her inspiration, Persad also intends to head to MIT in the next year, after taking some time off to relax, to pursue a similar path.

Surrounded by her proud parents, principal Caroline Bally-Gosein and teachers, Persad said having earned ten distinctions at the CSEC level which won her the President’s Medal, Gold, in 2013 and ten distinctions as well in CAPE in the area of information technology, mathematics, physics and chemistry and Caribbean communication over the two years. 

Her dad said he too was not surprised that his daughters had both won scholarships because of their dedication and discipline. 

“I always thought they had it in them to excel and they have done that, so I an very proud and very happy for their accomplishment,” he said. 

He and his wife also showered praises on the principal and staff for their commitment and dedication to the all- round development of students at the school.

“She is a joy to have as a child,” mom Carmen said.

Forty-five girls, including Persad, set a new record for their alma mater by winning an unprecedented 45 of the 443 national scholarships based on the CAPE results released yesterday.

They also set a new record of 17 of the 102 open scholarships awarded, beating last year’s record of 10 open and 23 additional.

Principal Caroline Bally-Gosine was overjoyed with the school’s results.

“This is the icing on what I was hoping to be a very large cake and I am not disappointed,” Bally-Gosine said yesterday as she hugged and congratulated Persad for bringing glory once more to the Presbyterian-run all girls high school.

“I am truly happy with the results. It is the first time the school has won 45 scholarships and also the highest number of open scholarships. This success is indeed an inspiration to our Sixth Form students and our younger girls,”she added.

However, the principal said the crowning glory would by no means lull them into complacency but drive them to further excellence.

“At this school we don’t just aim for academic excellence, we focus on the holistic, overall development of the child but we aim to break more records. 

“There is always room for improvement and when we examine what we have done we will not rest on our laurels. We intend to better and break this record.”

Mayor’s Congratulations

San Fernando Mayor Kazim Hosein also extended congratulations to Ashisha and the 44 other scholarship winners, saying they have brought great pride to the city of San Fernando.

He also congratulated his alma mater, Naparima College, on its achievement of 40 scholarships and encouraged all the young men “to step up to the challenge set by our young women.”

To the winners, he said: “Your success continues in the legacy of excellence long established by the primary and secondary schools of our city. 

“Our schools’ performances show that San Fernando is not only the energy capital but the educational capital of T&T.” 

​

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal has his eyes on the job of Opposition Leader as he entered the election race yesterday, confident that he will emerge victorious as the United National Congress’ (UNC) new political leader.

Moonilal, who had been gauging party support over the last two weeks before making his decision, extended an invitation to MPs and other UNC members to join his campaign to defeat former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on December 5.

He also announced his decision to step down as Opposition Chief Whip in the Parliament, saying it would be unethical to serve in that position to his opponent in the race for leadership. 

“It is clear in our constitutional arrangement that the political leader of the party is distinct from the Opposition Leader. The Opposition Leader is chosen by those members of the House. If the majority so wish to choose someone who is in Opposition to the Government, we will first concentrate on the party but I am convinced that whoever emerges successful as political leader will indeed have very little difficulty in assuming the position of Opposition Leader once that person is a member of the House of Representatives," Moonilal said, at his Debe constituency office.

 Moonilal did not announce a slate, but said that would be revealed when he launches his campaign on November 12, at the Rienzi Complex, Couva. He also announced that the colour of his team would revert to the original colour of the UNC, which is orange and not the yellow now being worn. 

"We must allow our MPs to make up their minds, to look at the situation, to consult with their constituents, their family. I am not pushing any colleague to support me or not. I will embrace all who join me, but I will also understand those who chose not to join me.” 

Surrounded by a handful of supporters at his Oropouche East constituency office, Moonilal paid tribute to Persad-Bissessar’s leadership and dignity and her government’s ‘unparalleled record of performance,’ but he said the time had come for the party to move on.

He said many people he spoke to could not understand how the party with its unparalleled record of performance in government could have experienced such a shocking electoral defeat at the September 7 polls. 

“Almost two months after the election, many of our members are still analysing and internalising the election results.”

He said while Persad-Bissessar would have taken them to victory in 2010, along the way, many of their followers and supporters who worked hard to give them that historic victory would have been left behind.

After Persad-Bissessar led the party to five consecutive defeats, Moonilal called for the rebirth, renewal and restoration of the party, “if we are to rise again.”

“We have to foster a culture of loyalty to the party and not to individuals. We must be active, not passive. The party must be democratic, not autocratic,” Moonilal  said.

He said his decision came after extensive discussion with supporters, including party founder former prime minister Basdeo Panday, because it was not just a question of running or not running for the post.

He said the meeting discussed the state of the party, dreams and aspiration of members and helped to fashion and formulate a new vision and policy.

“Because the future of the UNC is the future of T&T. We are a critical national institution,” he said.

Moonilal said the victory of Dr Keith Rowley and the People’s National Movement (PNM) on September 7 had to do with the support he got from the membership.

“Despite Dr Rowley's shortcomings and whatever we may think of him, he had the support of a very great institution, a strong institution, well organised, well structured, functioning, the PNM that lifted what we believe to be a poor candidate for prime minister and, unless you do not build a party this way, you can have the best candidate in the world, you will not be successful unless you build the institutions.”

Kamla welcomes challenge

​Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday wished her opponent Dr Roodal Moonilal the best of luck in his bid to dethrone her.

But UNC founder Basdeo Panday predicted that Moonilal would lose the battle on December 5.

He said this had nothing to do with “whether Moonilal is good, bad or indifferent, but because I believe the elections will neither be free nor fair.

“How can the election be free and fair when the person conducting the election is also contesting the election?” Panday asked.

“Dr Moonilal came to see me and I told him the elections are irrelevant at this time because they are going to be rigged and the only way he can win is to ensure the elections are free and fair.”

Persad-Bissessar has stated her intention to have an independent election committee to oversee the process, pointing out that no member of the UNC executive or candidate can serve on that committee. 

Persad-Bissessar welcomed the challenge yesterday, saying, “We have a healthy democracy in our party. Any member is free to put in a nomination. It is their right if they choose so to do and the membership would decide at the end of the day.”

She confirmed that Moonilal called her before making public his announcement at his Oropouche East constituency office, Debe.

“I spoke with him and I wished him good luck and I hope he wishes me good luck as well. It’s a healthy democracy. That is the process and at the end of the day the membership would decide which way we go forward with the party. We are all members of the UNC family. It is a free country. I am not worried. Let the membership decide, whichever way it goes.”

Persad-Bissessar, however, reserved comments on the appearance of her former press officer Francis Joseph who chaired Moonilal’s news conference. 

Joseph resigned his position from the Office of the Prime Minister on October 8, following the defeat of the Persad-Bissessar administration and election of the Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s People’s National Movement (PNM) Government.

Joseph said he was hired by Moonilal in his capacity as an events manager. He said he was not a member of his slate or of his campaign team.

​

Second-time drunk driving offender Shyams Mohammed was fined $10,000 when he appeared before a magistrate in the San Fernando Traffic Court on Monday.

Telling him that the circumstances which brought him to the court were quite serious, Magistrate Natalie Diop ordered that he pay half of the fine immediately, and allowed him 20 days to pay the balance, or serve 16 months with hard labour.

Mohammed, who was fined for a similar offence last December, was arrested on November 7 at Ste Madeleine. An officer on mobile patrol duty at Palm Drive observed Mohammed slumped in the driver’s seat.

He approached the vehicle and enquired from Mohammed if he needed assistance. The officer said he detected a strong scent of alcohol on his breath and noticed that his eyes were red and his speech slurred.

Mohammed was taken to the nearby police station and was given instructions to take a sample of his breath. However, the court was told he kept blowing and stopping and so the officer was unable to get a proper reading.

He was subsequently charged with failure to provide a sample of his breath for reading without reasonable cause. Mohammed pleaded guilty.

Court prosecutor Sgt Dianath Harricharan also produced a criminal record which showed that on December 12, 2014, Mohammed was also fined $7,000 for a similar offence. He was also charged with disorderly behaviour. 

In the same court, Shameel Mohammed (no relation) also expressed remorse through his attorney Marissa Bobb and volunteered to enrol in the Arrive Alive defensive driving programme.

Magistrate Diop agreed and adjourned his matter to January 12.

The father of three and part owner of an automotive parts place was also arrested on November 7 along the Tarouba Link Road. He admitted to officers who stopped him that he went to a birthday party with a relative and drank six beers.

He said he had a meal and thought that would have balanced it off.

Pennywise Cosmetics Limited opened its third in-house pharmacy at its Gulf City Mall branch on Monday and according to director Satnarine Paladee the diversification into pharmaceuticals has created additional permanent jobs at a time when other companies are reducing staff.

He said each of the pharmacies located at Trincity Mall, Port-of-Spain and Gulf City has created employment opportunities for ten more people, in addition to a similar number at its warehouse. 

With the anticipated opening of its fourth pharmacy at Grand Bazaar next February 2016, Paladee said another ten jobs would be added. The company is also building its own mall along the Gulf City Link Road which will include a personal care supermarket, the first of its kind in the Caribbean. 

Paladee said in addition to job creation, the intention was to bring benefits to customers by keeping the prices competitive and offering special discounts and deals to loyal customers. He said a loyalty card for frequent customers should be available within the next five to six months.

He said the company was keeping prices for pharmaceuticals low even as the cost of doing business was rising by using the same kind of mark up they used for cosmetics. In time, customers will be able to purchase prescription drugs at the same prices available in the US, he added.

Paladee said he was not concerned about competition from other pharmacies located in the mall.

“I believe all can co-exist. Each one, I am sure, has their own clientele who will come to them. I mean, we are not here to fight with them, but to bring the cost down for the consumers. People have a way of making things work and I am sure we will all be able to survive.”

The pharmacy team is headed by pharmacist Nadia Ramsawack and will be managed by Dr Shivum Paladee, son of Pennywise CEO Dalvi Paladee.

Tests done for H1N1 by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) on swabs taken from a Point Fortin security officer have come back positive.

San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) medical director Dr Anand Chatoorgoon said yesterday the tests confirmed their suspicion that the patient, who has been warded at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the past two weeks, had indeed contracted the disease.

Relatives of the patient told the T&T Guardian yesterday the officer was still not out of danger as he remained hooked up to life support at the ICU. Medical professionals have advised them that the patient’s heart, lungs and kidneys were now severely affected by the virus.

All personnel entering the ICU are being asked to wear protective clothing but the relatives said they were now very concerned about their own safety since they made visits prior to the confirmation without the necessary gowns and masks. “We have been taking our own precautions to prevent the spread of the virus by getting vaccinated,” one relative said.  

On October 16, the virus, also known as swine flu, claimed the life of Siparia resident Cherrie Ryce. Doctors at the SFGH are still awaiting test results to confirm whether the disease also caused the November 2 death of Shannon Nashaud, 16. Autopsy results showed that Nashaud, of Couva, died from pneumonia, one of the symptoms of the H1N1. 

Chatoorgoon also confirmed yesterday the Point Fortin officer was the only H1N1 patient at the hospital at the moment. “We are supporting him maximally. We are doing everything we can possibly do for him but we haven’t changed treatment because we would have been treating him for the swine flu for a while,” he added.

Concerning risks to family members, Chatoorgoon said once they took the necessary precautions by donning masks and gowns on their visits there should be no risk.

On whether other patients in the ICU could be infected, Chatoorgoon explained that while they did not have any isolation units in the department they have tried to screen the H1N1 patient so there would be no obvious risks. He added that the risks were really from nurse to nurse.

“Nurses are the important people but once the nurses take the normal infection prevention control measures it should be okay,” he explained.

Chatoorgoon also responded to reports that some frontline medical staff workers, including those dealing with blood testing, have not been vaccinated against the virus and have been advised to seek the immunization privately. The MD said vaccinations were available for whoever wanted it. 

“Not everybody wants it. I did not take it,” he said. 

A release from CARPHA on October 23 stated that for the year to date it had received 284 samples for influenza-virus testing. Forty-seven  of these tested positive and 14 of them were typed as Influenza A H1N1.

Former Oropouche West MP Stacy Roopnarine has finally come out in the open and  has declared her support for Vasant Bharath in the race for leadership of the United National Congress (UNC) December 5, internal elections.

Roopnarine’s announcement comes hours before another contender for leadership of the UNC Dr Roodal Moonilal was scheduled to announce his slate of candidates in his bid to dethrone political leader Kamla Persad Bissessar.

Political sources claim Moonilal was counting on Roopnarine’s support in his quest, as he had opposed Persad Bissessar’s decision to replace her as a candidate in the last general elections.

In a release issued a short while ago, Roopnarine, the chairperson of the UNC Women’s Arm, said her decision came after much consideration and consultation with members of the women’s arm and the wider membership.  

However, she said other members of the women's arm do not share her endorsement of Bharath, and have pledged support for other candidates, as is their democratic right to do, but she believes Bharath is the best choice for leadership.

Roopnarine said the UNC’s focus must be on building the organisation from the ground up. 

In the face of two confirmed cases of swine flu and reports of other cases, the public is being advised that there is no need to panic.

The assurance came from medical director of the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH), Dr Anand Chatoorgoon, yesterday who played down the spread of the virus.

He said there were no unique symptoms of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) which is spread by droplets from an infected patient. 

“H1N1 is with us all the time. It is not that we never have it. Every now and again patients get infected with influenza viruses. 

“There are many types of influenza and H1N1 is one. If we suspect someone has pneumonia that is galloping unusually fast and getting severe that they need to go on a ventilator, then we have a high index of suspicion this could be H1N1. So there is nothing specific about H1N1,” he added.

He said three patients, including the two deceased—Cherrie Ryce who died from H1N1 on October 16; Himraj Mungroo, 60, of Quarry Road, Quarry Village, who died earlier this month and another case involving a security officer, being treated—are all from south Trinidad but did not indicate that the virus was confined to any particular part of the country.

He also confirmed that test results done by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) on swabs taken from 16-year-old Shannon Nashaud came back negative for H1N1. 

Autopsy results showed that Nashaud, of Couva, died on November 2 from pneumonia, one of the symptoms of the H1N1. 

He said Mungroo presented with fever, diarrhoea and developed breathing complications but he got worse and died.

Chatoorgoon said there were varying degrees of the flu, in that some people have the mild form while others develop the severe form. 

He said if the immune system of patients was compromised, “in that if you are fat, diabetic, are on durgs, steroid, have cancer, patients are more susceptible and develop complications.”

Chatoorgoon said the latest patient, while still critical, was improving. 

“I think his lungs are getting better, although with ICU one can never tell,” he added.

Weeks after Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar chastised Couva North MP Ramona  Ramdial for her indecision in not openly demonstrating her support for her bid to retain leadership of the United National Congress (UNC), Ramdial has decided to go it alone in a bid for deputy political leader. 

Ramdial said after much introspection and consultations with her constituency, executive and party groups, she knew she had to run.

"I have decided to declare my intention to run as an independent candidate for the position of Deputy Political Leader," Ramdial said.

In a statement issued last night, Ramdial said: "At this juncture the party is bigger than the individual and the UNC needs rebuilding urgently if we are to present ourselves as a viable option for government in 2020.

 
"Therefore the onus rests on the membership of the UNC to choose a strong national executive that will be able to effect change and rebuild the structures which we can rely upon to win the next General Election."

Ramdial said she firmly believe the membership will vote across slates to ensure the best leaders are chosen and advocated against any and all negative or destructive campaigning. 

There is a three way race for leadership with the main contenders being the incumbent Persad-Bissessar and challengers Dr Rudy Moonilal and Vasant Bharath.

Ramdial. the only independent thus far, ahead of the November 20 nomination day said: "There must be no fracturing regardless of the outcome. Ours are a party based on unity and love, bringing all together under the UNC umbrella offering hope for a brighter day.”

Ramdial said she is qualified for the position based on her experience, humility, hard work and impregnable defence of the party's name throughout her term as Elections Officer on the National Executive, Director of the UNC Academy and as a Member of Parliament and Minister in the former People’s Partnership Government. 

She will square off against  former Oropouche West MP Stacy Roopnarine who is contesting the same position on the Bharath slate, as well as attorney Larry Lalla and trade unionist James Lambert, the latter two who were announced last night as contenders on Moonilal's slate.

Bharath  is expected to announce his slate on Saturday. Persad-Bissessar is yet to indicate any intention to identify her slate ahead of the December 5 internal elections.

Mickela Panday has put to rest speculation that she intends to follow in the footsteps of her father and contest the top or any other post in the December 5 internal elections of the United National Congress (UNC).

Panday, daughter of UNC founder former prime minister Basdeo Panday, announced yesterday that she would be sitting this election out because of numerous irregularities in the process.

The young attorney, who has represented the party in the Oropouche West constituency, made it clear that although she was approached by both Dr Roodal Moonilal, who is contesting the top position on the Loyalist slate and Vasant Bharath, who is expected to announce his slate today, she would not be joining either of their slates. She said she also could not endorse any of the candidates who sat idly by for five years and did nothing to save the party.

Panday said instead of fighting for a position, she would embark on a campaign to restore democracy to the party.

“This election should not be about who will be leader, it should be about how we can save the party from those who sat by and did nothing as it was dying a slow death. But our members need to first understand, believe and accept, it is not the leader or the national executive that holds the power, it is the members themselves.”

Flanked by UNC foundation member John Humphrey, former Tabaquite MP Dr Adesh Nanan and former executive member Vashist Maharaj, in the Basdeo Panday Foundation Conference room at the Rienzi Complex, Couva, Panday declared, “My campaign begins today.”

She said she would be sensitising the membership to the irregularities and illegalities in the electoral process.

“As long as the party is run by people perceived to be corrupt, it will never see power. We cannot expect to do the same thing over and over and get different results.”

She also questioned the validity of the elections, “given the constitutional term limits of both the incumbent leader and all other 17 members of the national executive officers had expired. Surely, if you are not duly elected, it follows you can’t make decisions and speak on behalf of the membership.”

She said she gave consideration to heading a slate after being approached by people to do so, although people she respected, including her father, advised against it unless the elections would be free and fair.

Nevertheless, Panday said, she felt it important to give people the benefit of the doubt and so she attempted to get basic information, such as whether her name was on the UNC’s current membership list, but she encountered a brick wall every step of the way.

Panday said she was shocked at the irregular and highly unreasonable request that she, a life member who has never sought political membership of another party in the country, should submit her name to the office for verification. She said she was still awaiting confirmation of her membership number and to ascertain that her name was on the electoral list. She said impossible and unrealistic two-day deadlines were also set for registration of new members and to date she was still awaiting membership forms for new members.

“Why would a political party be afraid of people joining?” she asked.

“It is unacceptable in a party where the incumbent leader continues to preach democracy, such dictatorial decisions are being taken. 

“In these circumstances and without a valid, updated membership list, I am convinced the election will not be free or fair. Not only will my contesting indicate an acceptance of this madness, it will guarantee things never change and we will be destined to continuously repeat our mistakes of the past and never move forward.”

She added, “Immediately, we have to take steps to return our party to the ideological position on which it was founded, to restore the democracy and dignity of the party, so that all of its members, old and new, can hold their heads up high and be proud of their party.”

She said her campaign to educate and remind members of the ideology that led to the foundation of the party would start next week.

“After such time, the members will have to decide if they wish to participate in the elections on December 5, and if they decide not to, they must demand those strangling the party release it and hold free and fair elections that not only the members, but the public at large, can have confidence in.”

Kimberly Farrah Singh may have won the battle to represent T&T in next month’s Miss World Pageant in China but her struggle to get there is far from over.

Speaking on her behalf yesterday, one of the attorneys Rondell Donowa, who made her victory possible, said she still needed a substantial portion of the $35,000 required for air travel.

He said she was scheduled to leave for China Saturday but because of the cash flow problem, the reservation has been extended until next Thursday.

Donowa said the road ahead would be tough for Singh who has to make the journey to China alone as there was no money for not even a chaperone. 

He said they were also trying to source a wardrobe, including a national costume and a gown for the competition.

“We are pleading on her behalf if any organisations which want to come together to assist,” Donowa said.

He said attorneys representing both Singh and Miss World franchise holder Vanessa Sahatoo-Manoo met on Tuesday to chart a way forward and had agreed on a number of areas.

“Both parties were very upbeat and willing to put this issue behind them and move forward for the greater good because at the end of the day we are representing Trinidad and Tobago.”

Donowa said both Sahatoo-Manoo and Singh were advised not to make any public statements at the moment as they tried to heal the rift. 

He added: “The franchise holder indicated she was making progress in terms of sponsorship and Kimberly is also seeking sponsorship from certain persons. 

“We (the attorneys from Fortitude Chamber who fought her case) are trying to make this is possible for her because we see her as a young person, like ourselves, who needed her just due and we were successful.”

He said Singh, who continued to train while her firing was in arbitration, is also making progress.

“She is fine tuning things with regards to a stipend and getting the national costume and wardrobe. 

“A number of clothing stores have committed to assist. She is also receiving a lot of assistance from the past Miss World delegate Sara Jane Waddle and she is doing well.”

The issue

Singh was dethroned and replaced by the first runner-up Daniella Walcott. 

She took the matter to court and it was referred for arbitration.

On Monday, arbitrator Ernest Koylass, SC, ruled that while Singh breached specific terms of the beauty pageant agreement, such breaches were not fundamental enough to warrant her termination as Miss World T&T.

He, therefore, ordered that she be reinstated and that each party bear their own legal costs of the arbitration and that both parties attempt to agree on the way forward to arrive at a mutually accepted resolution of this matter. 

Attorneys for Kimberly Farrah Singh:

• Prakash Maharaj.

• Rhon Mitchell.

• Frank Gittens.

• Rondell Donowa.

Attorneys for Vanessa Sahatoo-Manoo:

• Kevin Ratiram.

• Charlene Kalloo.

Caught in the act of breaking into a jewelry store in San Fernando, a Jamaican national wanted by Interpol jumped 25 feet off a building, breaking both legs in the process as he tried to evade the police.

The dash for freedom proved unsuccessful for the 28-year old Jamaican, a resident in Port-of-Spain who is known by two different names. He was detained and is now warded at the San Fernando General Hospital under police guard.

A bag with cutting implements was also recovered by police. Police believe he is the mastermind behind a spate of ten other rooftop burglaries in and around San Fernando. Upon his release he will be questioned in connection with a number of break-ins and larceny in the Port-of-Spain, Central, Southern and South Western Divisions.

His arrest comes after months of investigation into several rooftop burglaries which resulted in millions of dollars in losses to the various business owners.

According to reports, around 4 am yesterday, Cpl Christopher Emrith, PC Collin Pereira and PC Ali from the Criminal Investigators Department (CID), San Fernando, were on patrol along High Street when they received information from jewelry store owner, Jitendra Desai, that a man was seen breaking into his building from the roof. 

The quiet, rural village of New Grant reacted with shock yesterday after a horrific accident in Princes Town which claimed the lives of a father and his son and left two other members of the same family injured, one of them in a serious condition.

The mid-morning head-on accident involved a car and loaded ten-tonne truck in rainy weather. The accident caused traffic to back up for miles.

Fire officers who were among the first responders were so traumatised by the scene, their senior officer said they would have to seek counselling.

Police said Namdeo Harriram, 41, driving a black Toyota Altis veered head-on into a truck on its way to make a delivery to a supermarket around 10.20 am along the M1 Ring Road. His son, Lalchan, 25, who was seated behind his father, along with his father died instantly. 

Namdeo’s seven-year old daughter, Tricia, who was also seated in the back seat, suffered broken bones. 

His wife, Havanti, 40, who was in the front passenger seat, miraculously escaped with minor injuries. 

Mother and daughter, along with truck passenger Nizam Mohammed, were taken to San Fernando General Hospital, where Tricia was admitted. 

The driver of the truck, Dave Ramkissoon, was unhurt.

Namdeo’s younger son, Keshan, who arrived on the scene was too traumatised to speak to the media as he held his head in disbelief.

Police officer ASP Rohan Pardasie said preliminary reports indicate that the car was heading east “when he (the driver) encountered a skid on the wet road and collided with this motor lorry which was proceeding in the opposite direction.”

Pardasie said a relative, who was on the scene, told them Namdeo was taking his son, who recently suffered the chikungunya virus, to a doctor.

Neighbours at Daily Road, New Grant, where the family lived, remembered the father and son, “as nice people.” They said Namdeo was a safe driver.

One of Ramkissoon’s co-workers, who did not want to be identified, said he was transporting dry goods from Unilever, Champs Fleurs, to a supermarket in Princes Town when tragedy struck.

Fire officers had to use hydraulic cutting tools to remove the bodies of the two men from the mangled wreck of their vehicle.

Acting Fire Station Officer Lalchan Arjoon said while fire officers were trained to deal with those kinds of situations, they were not unaffected by the carnage.

"We are humans too,” Arjoon said, as he appealed to drivers to exercise due care and attention on the nation’s road.

“Especially when it is raining you have to adjust your driving conditions. Drivers have a personal responsibility to act safely on the roads. One life lost is too many.”

He said some of the officers who responded to that tragedy may be traumatised by what they would have seen but assured they will receive help from the Employees Assistance Programme.

ASP Pardasie is continuing investigations.

Hawantee Harriram, one of the survivors of Monday’s tragedy which claimed the life of her husband Namdeo, and son Lalchan, was discharged from the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) today.

Her daughter, Karishma, seven, remains warded nursing a broken right arm and leg.

Both mother and daughter were passengers in a car driven by Namdeo, when it skidded off the MI Ring Road and slammed into an oncoming 10 tonne truck which was transporting dry goods for a supermarket in Princes Town.

Both men died on the spot. Tentative funeral arrangements are being made for Friday. A relative said both men will be cremated at the Shore of Peace, Mosquito Creek, La Romaine following a service at the house of morning, Daly Road, New Grant.
 

Seven-year-old Karishma Harriram is unaware that the accident which caused her to suffer a broken arm and leg also claimed the life of her father and brother, Namdeo and Lalchan Harriram.

However, her aunt Radica Rampersad, who has been at her bedside at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital, said the child, sensing that something is wrong, has been constantly asking for her daddy and her brother who would have been at her side under normal circumstances.

“We have not told her that they have passed on but she has a feeling that something is wrong. 

“She is crying constantly and is asking for her father and her brother. 

“She saw her mother who was with her in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department after the accident but she has not seen her dad and brother.”

Hawantee, 45, was discharged from the hospital at 3 am on Tuesday after being treated for minor cuts and bruises.

Rampersad said Karishma, also known as Tricia, had no memory of the accident as she was taken to the district hospital at Princes Town by passers-by who witnessed the accident, before paramedics, police and fire officers arrived on the scene and used the hydraulic cutting tools, commonly referred to as the jaws of life, to remove the bodies of the two men from the wreckage.

Lalchan and Karishma were in the back seat of the vehicle, driven by Namdeo. Hawantee was in the front passenger seat. 

The brother and sister were on their way to visit a doctor in San Fernando, when tragedy struck.

“Tricia is in a lot of pain and has been asking the nurses not to give her any injections because they hurt,” her aunt said.

Member of Parliament for Princes Town Barry Padarath visited Hawantee at hospital and has offered to assist with the joint funeral arrangements which are scheduled for Friday at the family’s home in New Grant.

“I know the family well. In fact, Mrs Harriram worked closely with me during the 2015 general election as one of my polling agents. 

“This is a very humble family and I have pledged to offer them whatever support we can from the office of the MP and at the level of the Princes Town Regional Corporation.”

Padarath said Hawantee appeared to be strong emotionally but very fragile when it came to recalling the incident.

“You have to understand that in addition to being the backbone of the family, the breadwinners, Lalchan was also her first-born with whom she shared a very close relationship,” Padarath said.

Rampersad said the two would be cremated at the Shore of Peace, Mosquito Creek, La Romaine, following a funeral service at the family’s home at Daly Road. It is not certain whether Tricia will be able to attend the funeral.

An autopsy at the mortuary at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) showed that the two men died from multiple injuries consistent with a motor vehicle accident.

ASP Rohan Pardasie confirmed the driver of the truck, Dave Ramkissoon, who is traumatised by the tragedy, is yet to be interviewed by the police. 

He said he would speak with the police Victim and Witness Support Unit to establish whether they could offer counselling to Ramkissoon and his brother, Nizam Mohammed, who was a passenger in the truck.

Shortly after 10 am on Monday, the black Toyota Corolla Altis which Namdeo, 48, was driving, skidded off the wet M1 Ring Road, Princes Town, and crashed into the loaded ten-tonne truck, going under it. 

The impact damaged the front tyre of the truck causing it to run off the opposite side of the road and land in a ditch.

Yvonne Webb and Alana Boodoo-Suraj 

Police believe speed and a wet road may have led to another fatal collision between a car and a ten-tonne truck which claimed the lives of three more people in Mayaro yesterday.

Driver Anthony Marcano, 60, of LP 1028, Pierreville, postal worker Saliesha Ali, 41, of Food Crop Road, Bristol Village, and Sherwin Constantine, 64, of Lot 4 Pierreville, Mayaro, were killed in the smash-up. 

Ali and Constantine were passengers in Marcano’s PH taxi. Another passenger, Sheronie Rampersad, of Chrysostom Trace, Mafeking Village, who was seated in the back seat, is warded in a critical condition at the Sangre Grande Hospital. 

In scenes reminiscent of Monday’s accident on the MI Ring Road, Princes Town, which claimed the lives of father and son—Namdeo and Lalchan Harriram —the car Marcano was driving also skidded off the road and crashed head-on into the truck driven by Mano Churkoo. The Jaws of Life also had to be used by the firefighters to remove Marcano and the other occupants from the mangled wreck.

According to a police report, at around 11.30 am Marcano, the driver of a red Toyota Corolla, was heading west through Bristol Village near the village cemetery. 

The car reportedly veered to the left and off the road, skidded on wet grass, then began to swerve uncontrollably on the road. He missed the first of two trucks which were proceeding east, but crashed head on into a second truck which was transporting asphalt.

The truck ended up off the road on its left side, with the front of the Toyota trapped under its enormous frame. The impact killed Marcano and two of his passengers instantly. Truck driver Churkoo, the lone occupant in his vehicle, escaped unhurt but not unscathed. Still shaken by the loss of life, Churkoo said Marcano would have been driving hard. 

“While proceeding in an easterly direction I observed the red car coming from the opposite direction. He swerved and touched his left side of the road and the car lose control. 

“It almost hit the truck in front of me. He missed that truck and I see him coming towards me. I slammed my brakes and started to skid myself and I pulled the truck as well but he collided with the front and I end up off the side of the road,” he said.

Asked about the speed at which Marcano was proceeding, Churkoo explained: “From the behaviour of the vehicle when it touched the road, it looked as though he was doing some numbers. When the tyres touched the wet grass it (the car) started to dance up and skid across the road.” 

Fresh Arrive Alive appeal 

In responding once again to the loss of lives through road accidents, president of Arrive, Alive Sharon Inglefield, yesterday appealed to the nation’s leaders to focus on preventative measures, such as speed guns, speed cameras and the point system through a revamped Motor Vehicle Authority to save lives.

She said: “Because people are just not listening. We need enforcement by technology. This system will save the carnage on the nation’s roads, just like it does in developed countries. We, therefore, need the political will to save lives urgently.”

While advocating for preventative measures, Inglefield said that did not remove the accountability from drivers, who needed to take their own safety and that of their passengers into their own hands by not speeding and by adjusting their speed to the road conditions.

She encouraged drivers, as well as both front and back seat passengers, to wear their seatbelts and for parents to ensure their children were buckled up in car seats.

Inglefield also expressed condolences to the family and friends of the victims. 

Lisa Martinez, the programme associate of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations country office in T&T and Suriname, says the world is facing a major challenge to feed its expanding population.

 Martinez said the world population stands at 7.2 billion and to nourish the additional two billion people in 2050, food production must rise by 60 per cent.  She said, however, the way food is produced must not be done at the expense of the planet. She was speaking at Tuesday’s opening ceremony of US$30 million to Improve Forest and Protected Area Management in T&T Inception Workshop at Petrotrin. The project is a venture of the Ministry of Planning and Development.

Martinez said the FAO’s mission is to eliminate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition while promoting sustainable development.

“Yet, at the same time, just four—rice, wheat, maize and potato—of the 30,000 edible plants provide 60 per cent of the world dietary energy intake.”

However, she sounded an alarm that, “these are farmed in a manner that takes a heavy toll on the environment. Products of these crops represent a significant value in the Caricom food import bill of over US$4 billion. The crucial message is the way we produce more food cannot be at the expense of the planet.”

She said the FAO has five strategic objectives of which objective two is to make agriculture, which encompasses forestry and fisheries, livestock crops and natural resources, more productive and more sustainable. 

“FAO promotes evidence-based policies and practices to support the agricultural sectors (crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries) while ensuring that the natural resource base does not suffer in the process.

“Its vision is one of a world in which food is nutritious and accessible for everyone and natural resources are managed in a way that maintains ecosystem functions to support current as well as future human needs.

“In this vision, she said, the resource users, including farmers, fisherfolk, foresters and others, are empowered to actively participate in resource decision that results in equitable benefits, decent employment conditions and jobs in a fair-price environment.”

Hawantee Harriram stood between the two simple white coffins bearing the bodies of her husband and her first-born son, yesterday, torn as to which one she should touch as she pleaded with them to wake up.

“My heart is hurting. I don’t know what to do anymore,” she cried as she touched their faces, feet, placed flowers in their coffins before clasping both hands in a position of prayer which she solemnly raised to her face still bearing a plaster as a reminder of the tragedy she survived and which took her loved ones away.

Hawantee threw a mixture of rice and flowers behind the two white hearses transporting the bodies to their final resting place at the Mosquito Creek, bemoaning, “I feel so empty.”

The touching scenes played out at the family’s Daily Trace, New Grant, home, yesterday, as the community came out to say a final farewell to Namdeo, 48, and Lalchan Harriram, 25, who died instantly when Namdeo’s motor vehicle skidded off the road and crashed into a 10-tonne lorry last Monday on the M1 Ring Road, Princes Town.

Hawantee and her seven-year-old daughter Tricia who were also in the vehicle survived the crash. However, Tricia is warded at the San Fernando Teaching Hospital with a broken arm and leg. She has not been told that her father and brother are dead.

Her mother told the Guardian, in an interview on Thursday, that breaking the news to Tricia was not something she looked forward to. 

“We haven’t told her (about the deaths). I don’t know how we are going to be able to tell her. I have to ask God to give me the strength, first to get through the funeral and then to find the strength to tell her. After we get through this, I don’t know what we will do next. God alone knows what plans he has for us,” she said.

Pundit Anil Maharaj who officiated at the service noted how difficult it was for families to deal with the loss of one member and how much more tragic it was for this wife and mother to lose her husband and first-born son.

“It is very hard for this mother to accept the loss of her husband and her son. What is even more sad is that the daughter cannot attend the ceremony and does not know what is happening here.”

He appealed to the mourners to “live a good life and to do good. Say a prayer before you leave home because when you leave you are not sure to return.”

The Harrirams were taking two of their children, Lalchan and Tricia, to the doctor when tragedy struck. 

Hawantee’s sister, former Guardian journalist Kamla Rampersad, who eulogised her brother-in-law and nephew, underscored their commitment to family life. 

She said Namdeo worked hard to find a good way to provide for his wife and family, and nine years ago he chucked in all of the other jobs to join Hawantee in selling at the farmers’ market. 

“Family life meant everything to him and working together with her meant they never had any reason to be apart.”

She said the market community and the vendors became an extension of the family, recalling when Lalchan suffered a broken leg in an accident four years before, how they rallied around her sister and brother-in-law, raising funds to help them through their difficult period.

Lalchan, she said, was also a family person and someone they could count on to do any task at hand. 

“His is the name that was called whenever something needed to be done.”

She ended her eulogy by placing both father and son in God’s hands saying that God had a reason and a purpose for everything that has happened.

Saaheehah Mohammed, a student of the National Energy Skills Centre (NESC), where Lalchan was in his final year as an electrical installation student, also remembered him as a model student and big brother to all his classmates.

She said he possessed leadership qualities, but although he was committed to his academics he never compromised his family values and stood with his fellow students, “through thick and thin.”

Lalchan’s body was taken for a brief moment to the NESC, Ste Madeleine campus, to give his colleagues an opportunity to say goodbye.

Father and son were later cremated at the Shore of Peace, Mosquito Creek, La Romaine.

Consumers were caught by surprise yesterday as they had to fork out an extra $2 one way for taxi fare between Port-of-Spain and San Fernando.

The increase from $15 to $17 has caused division among the fraternity of taxi-drivers opposed to the fare hike caused by the increase in super fuel at the gas pump as well as loyal customers.

With some commuters vowing to now use the Public Service Transport Corporation (PTSC) service, rather than having to pay an extra $4 a day, first vice president of the North-South Taxi Drivers Association Paul Lewis said his worse fear that they would lose customers had been realised.

Lewis has been resisting the suggestion of a price increase following Finance Minister Colm Imbert announcement in the 2015/2016 Budget of a 15 per cent increase in the cost of super and diesel gas. The 15 per cent increase pushed the cost of super from $2.70 a litre to $3.11 and diesel from $1.50 a litre to $1.72. 

While some drivers felt that was an impetus to increase the fares, others like Lewis felt it was too little to substantiate between $3 and $5 increase as was first suggested. Several meetings to arrive at an amicable solution ended in chaos and Lewis said he was not invited to the last two meetings when that decision was made.

He said he had first asked his fellow taxi drivers to hold their hand for Christmas and until the government reviewed the budget in March 2016 but his suggestion gained no traction. As a compromise, he said he suggested a $1 increase but some found that was insufficient. He said unknown to him, a decision was reached between members from Chaguanas, Curepe and Port-of-Spain to impose the $2 hike.

“I had expressed the fear that we would lose customers. Port-of-Spain is more difficult to work because we are competing with the buses, maxi-taxi’s and water taxi.” He said while he did not want to be in conflict with his fellow taxi-drivers, he would observe what was taking place over the next few days and then make a decision.

United National Congress (UNC) leadership candidate Dr Roodal Moonilal told supporters that they should be prepared to go back to the polls.

He was speaking hours after the Appeal Court, in a majority ruling, found merit in the election petitions challenging the Election and Boundaries Commission’s decision to extend the voting time for Trinidad by one hour in the September 7 polls.

“We must get our house in order, so if it is you are successful at the court and there are political consequences involving an election, your party must be ready,” Moonilal said while speaking at the Carapichaima Presbyterian School on a UNC Loyalist platform.

He told his audience that while the decision opened the door for the substantive issue of challenging the EBC’s decision, they could not wait on the courthouse to give them victory in the six marginal constituencies being challenged. 

“The court in T&T will not give you the government. The people will give you the government. What ever happens at the high court, the court cannot rule that we walk over the aisle in the Parliament and take over the government. They can rule that there is a case to return to the polls, but they cannot pick up the government and give it to the UNC and say look the government is yours, take it. You have to go back to the polls.” 

Moonilal said the court ruling had vindicated his decision to challenge the incumbent Kamla Persad-Bissessar for leadership of the party because none of the other two slates were up to the challenge of going back to the polls.

“If ever you had any doubts of the need and importance to build the UNC, it is in the aftermath of the ruling today (Monday) at the Court of Appeal.”

He said which ever leader emerged victorious in Saturday’s election we will have to prepare the party to return to the polls.

“And if you have to go back to the polls, are you ready to go back to the polls with the current dispensation, ready to fight the People’s National Movement with the current leader who says she is not working with Moonilal, Vasant, Gopeesingh, Fuad Khan and Seemungal?”

He said it was interesting that they had on their slate the former Agriculture minister Jairam Seemungal, who lost the La Horquetta/Talparo seat, one of the constituencies which has been petitioned.

“If perchance the petitioner is successful, are they saying Mr Seemungal can’t go back as the candidate for La Horquetta/Talparo because they are not prepared to work with us. So who is going back? Marcia Braveboy? 

“This man has been the lion of La Horquetta/Talparo for five years. Are you now saying you don’t want him back because he is in a slate opposed to you?”

Moonilal also questioned the justification for Vasant Bharath contesting the election and alluded to him being a “spoiler” in the race to ensure that his Loyalist team lost.

He questioned why after Bharath resigned from the Senate to contest the post for leadership, there had been no replacement in the Senate.

He asked whether when he would have fulfilled his role, post December 5, he would be ushered right back into the Senate as a Senator for the UNC.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said there was a strong case that the Elections and Boundaries Commission acted illegally in the September 7 general election by extending the voting time by one hour in Trinidad and is now questioning the legitimacy of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Government.

Speaking at a Team UNC platform at Three Roads Community Centre, Freeport, on Monday night, hours after the Appeal Court ruling on the election petitions, Persad-Bissessar said the ruling was a victory and she was now placing the faith of the party in the rule of law and in the Judiciary of T&T.

“Today records a great victory for the UNC. Today...today, the Court of Appeal, the majority of the Court of Appeal, agreed that our election petitions challenging the result of the general election are valid and should be heard in the courts.”

She told supporters while there was a strong case that the EBC acted illegally, she needed their help to come forward with any information or knowledge of what transpired.

“Come forward and let your voices be heard, so that we can continue to work on your behalf to show that the EBC acted illegally, but we need your help. 

“Yes, we have some of the evidence inside but I am sure throughout the length and breadth of this country, there are those who would have suffered a similar fate, who were turned away,” she said.

As she seeks another term as leader of the United National Congress (UNC) and as an alternative to head the Government, Persad-Bissessar also questioned whether the present day Government of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley was fit to be in power, given what had transpired.

“We have to question the legitimacy of the Government and from now on we must all sing from the same line, from the same words, from the same page, from the same hymn book that this Government came into office and does not have the legitimacy that a Government should have. The legitimacy of the Government is under question,” she said.

Speaking about the three court cases brought against the EBC, Persad-Bissessar said in addition to the election petitions, there was another constitutional motion filed by the people of Tobago, in which they were alleging that their rights under the Constitution were breached because there was different unequal treatment for Trinidad and different unequal treatment for Tobago.

The one-hour voting extension was applied to Trinidad only because of the inclement weather. 

There was another matter before the courts, she said, brought by right-thinking citizens to uphold the Constitution and that was known as a judicial review competition against the EBC, about its actions.

“So, the EBC is being challenged in three different actions and so we leave it there, before the courts, and in the hands of God,” she added.

Speaking about her competitors—Dr Roodal Moonilal and Vasant Bharath—in the elections, Persad-Bissessar noted that while they were challenging her leadership they were also attacking the party. 

“I remind them that our great party won over 340,000 votes. We have this battle in the UNC but we must remember that the real enemy is not the UNC but the PNM.

“It hurts me when I see lined up against me are men and women I trusted. Men and women I gave great positions to. I brought them in and they did not support me in the elections in 2010. Dr Moonilal, Dr Gopeesingh, Vasant Bharath, they campaigned on a different theme, just as they are doing today,” she said.

Persad-Bissessar said she was not worried because in spite of the challenge in 2010 she prevailed and expected a similar result come Saturday.

“Well, as God would have it, I won our party elections in 2010, she added.