Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :

From the Archives Memories of the 1990 Coup : Army won the match

From the GloCal Knowledge Pot Archives:

Memories of the 1990 Coup

Kelshall: Army won the match

During the July 1990 uprising the Coast Guard set up roadblocks to defend its base at Hart's Cut Bay from rogue elements in the army. "It was the single factor that guided the strategy," then commanding officer of the Coast Guard Richard Kelshall told the commission of enquiry into the attempted coup at the Caribbean Court of Justice, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. Kelshall, one of an array of law enforcement personnel giving evidence in this session, said there were rumours the army was supporting the Jamaat al Muslimeen insurgents, led by Imam Yasin Abu Bakr. He said: "When I heard the army was with Bakr I took preventative action. "I was influenced by 1970," he added, recalling his experience when the army, led by Raffique Shah, staged a mutiny in 1970.

Hart's Cut Bay was not attacked by any rogue elements in the army in 1990. Despite criticisms from several witnesses, including Capt Gary Griffith, that the army blundered, Kelshall emphasised, however, how well soldiers performed in quelling the insurrection. Asked by commissioner Eastlyn McKenzie how he rated the army's performance, Kelshall said: "They won the match. "In a football game who makes the most goals wins the match. They won," he said, generally dismissing operational blunders. Kelshall further disclosed if he had to choose a hero of the attempted takeover crisis, it would be Joseph Theodore, Chief of Defence Staff at the time. He said: "If I had to pin a hero, it would be Joe Theodore... to handle such a terrible situation and to carry out the negotiations, which were excellently done...

"Did we win? The situation came out right in the end. How we got there is not important. The country owes a terrible debt of gratitude to the regiment." Kelshall heaped more praises on the soliders whom he said displayed incredible "fire discipline" during the hostage crisis. He said: "There were soldiers with live ammunition all over Port-of-Spain. The order went out to hold their fire (when the Muslimeen were surrendering) and they did. It was incredible fire discipline. All it would have taken was one hothead (to mess things up). "The world and I felt the T&T Regiment performed immaculately at the time."

Kelshall, highlighting some of the confusion in the army shortly after the announcement of the attempted overthrow of the Government said he was actually fired upon when he first went to Camp Ogden, the army's command centre. He said he went to Camp Ogden around 7.30 am on July 28, one day after the uprising. Kelshall said one of the Coast Guard's role was to support the army. He added: "I had gone through the fear and desperation the night before and arrived there with a clear mind. "When I got there, there was a large quantity of soldiers milling around and to my great surprise I came under fire."

From 

Kelshall: Army won the match | The Trinidad Guardian, 20110914

by Yvonne Baboolal

More about #coup at GloCal Knowledge Pot: www.krisrampersad.com

40 years of Inspiring Action | Greenpeace International

40 years of Inspiring Action | Greenpeace International

UNESCO Youth Seminar on Ethics and Democracy – Egypt

UNESCO Youth Seminar on Ethics and Democracy – Egypt

Y local level proactive community intervention important POS the new Baghdad | Trinidad Express Newspaper | News

POS the new Baghdad | Trinidad Express Newspaper | News

Network of NGOs celebrates National women awardees | The Trinidad Guardian

Network of NGOs celebrates National women awardees | The Trinidad Guardian

What we can fix with $10m.!... UTT in $10M car rental spree

Karim: UTT in $10M car rental spree

by

20110910

Shaliza Hassanali

An investigation conducted by Ernst and Young Services Ltd has unearthed a $10 million transportation scam for 130 "high performing athlete" students on scholarship at the University of T&T (UTT). The scope of the investigation-which included all transportation transactions during the period October 2007 to June 2011-has uncovered major irregularities with regards to over-invoicing of a Port-of-Spain unregistered car rental company and possible collaboration with UTT staff. The students representing 12 sporting disciplines fell under the programme of Academy of Sports and Leisure Studies. The fraud is just one of the many of irregularities uncovered at UTT following poor financial practices and management in the past.

In delivering his presentation on two motions to increase this country's borrowing capacity by over $26 billion through two specific pieces of legislation on Friday in the Senate, Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education Fazal Karim questioned the transportation arrangements with the company, which he said was the subject of an investigative audit by Ernst and Young. Karim stated that the company provided transportation to students involved in UTT's High Performing Athletes Programmes. The Minister explained that the company provided for the students who were housed at Olera Heights, Vistabella to be transported anywhere they wished by this car rental agency.

Karim questioned who were the high performing athletes and the process under which they were selected by UTT. "The bottom line is that over the last few years this agency has billed for just under a whopping $10 million, of which $7 million has been paid." There are claims for just under $3 million, Karim revealed. This has been the subject of an investigation by Ernst and Young. "The audit has turned up major irregularities suggesting over invoicing and possible collaboration with UTT staff."

Major discrepancies in paper trail

Major disrepancies, Karim said, have been discovered in the paper trail. Batches of documents between May 2010 to November 2010, Karim said, cannot be found. "There has been a pattern of invoices being signed off, 18 months after payment." Karim said the Ernst and Young management letter in respect of 2008 to 2009 audits of UTT indicated weak internal control and poor management practices. He also said there was major financial issues regarding the Tamana project.

"Multi-million dollar changes were made without proper documentation, which are causing major delays. The bottom line is that despite the high profiles of people that held positions there, UTT is in a mess from an administrative and financial point of view." The report received by the Sunday Guardian showed several irregularities, including:

• Non-compliance with UTT's policies and procedures which resulted in procuring of services from a supplier without the guidance of the procurement department.

• No audit trail to ascertain the engagement of the (company) as the original request for quotation or evidence of the evaluation of the quotations could not be provided.

• No material requisition to initiate supply of quotations for the provision of transportation services.

• The use of UTT's service contract authorisation template without consent and knowledge of the procurement department.

• UTT was over invoiced by $456,500 and under invoiced by $27,300.

• 97 per cent of purchase orders generated by the (company) were done after the provision of the service and receipts of invoices from the supplier.

Probe revealed

The investigation revealed that the total value of invoices submitted by the company over the period October 2007 to May 2011 amounted to $9,908,450.

• Invoices processed and paid $7,129,050;

• cheques not issued $331,500; and

• invoices submitted but not paid, $ 2,447, 900.

The audit also revealed that six out of the 39 cheques, totalling $2,488,300 issued by UTT to (name called) were made payable to the company. A UTT source stated that the investigation would form part of UTT's forensic audit, which Attorney General Anand Ramlogan had requested upon taking up office in May 2010.

Karim: UTT in $10M car rental spree | The Trinidad Guardian

More visit www.krisrampersad.com

NEWS

Ministry compiles ‘Remember When’ –

SATURDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2011

The minister made the announcement yesterday during the ministry’s launch of its “Remember When” Exhibition at the Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA).

The “Remember When” exhibition is a venture of the ministry to preserve the country’s folk culture and heritage while educating the public on its history and providing enjoyment.

The minister said, “Remembering as a people is very important to the survival of a culture. Our shared heritage creates a collective understanding of who we are, as Trinbagonians.” Peters continued that the preservation of the recordings of our culture would help define who we are as a people. “These human treasures cannot be hung on the walls of museums, but they are indeed precious, as they would help us remember who we are as a people, and define our culture as distinctly Trinbagonian.” said Peters

He continued that the ministry has been in the process of storing data which would be used in the proposed institute.

“The ministry owns a storehouse of intangible artifacts which reflects directly, an image of ourselves as we have lived over the past 40 years. For two and a half years , the Division of Culture has been digitising materials that would one day be stored in the institute.” said Peters

Artifacts of long ago folklore songs, stories, books, newspapers, art, journals, music and calypsonians were on display at the exhibition as well as digitised memories that were previously stored by the now defunct National Cultural Council. The ministry also launched a web-page which stores a compilation of audio-visual material, manuscripts, and photographs from as far back as the 1880s. The “Remember When” web-page, according to Peters, is unlike any other cultural e-based repository in this country. The web-page would be open to the public in three months time.

Guests such as Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool, and historian Bridget Brereton, and Chair of the National Commission for UNESCO, Dr Kris Rampersad, were present at the exhibition.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism, Jennifer Jones, said the exhibition would give citizens the opportunity to compare the music, literature and folklore from then to now. The exhibition would be open to the general public from today until September 24 from 9am to 5pm on Mondays to Fridays and 10am to 6pm on weekends.

For Mroe on Caribbean Heritage go to https://krisrampersad.com/

Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday : newsday.co.tt :

The Trinidad Guardian -Online Edition Ver 2.0

The Trinidad Guardian -Online Edition Ver 2.0

Kris Rampersad

Kris Rampersad