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sMASH wrote:congo bongo fed up with dhal dougla, they want arepa mulato now. dais why rowley tell dem to come register.
they get a 6month extension to to stay, by that time will vene be better off and safe for them to return? if so, then good. if not, then would it be wise to send them back to that place? if u send them back to go tru the same ting again, would it not make the time they spent here amount to nothing?Habit7 wrote:sMASH wrote:congo bongo fed up with dhal dougla, they want arepa mulato now. dais why rowley tell dem to come register.
Here is the inevitable UNC racism that has them stuck in 2nd place for 10yrs.
Habit7 wrote:sMASH wrote:congo bongo fed up with dhal dougla, they want arepa mulato now. dais why rowley tell dem to come register.
Here is the inevitable UNC racism that has them stuck in 2nd place for 10yrs.
Redman wrote:Habit7 wrote:sMASH wrote:congo bongo fed up with dhal dougla, they want arepa mulato now. dais why rowley tell dem to come register.
Here is the inevitable UNC racism that has them stuck in 2nd place for 10yrs.
The extension of the knife and fork internal dynamic.
Non red Goverments not in powerRedman wrote:Morning Zoombindranath
I figure if I win two or three in a row I will get whole hog.
Like how UNC did give out contracts.
I figure it will work on you like a fire truck on a UNC cabinet.
YawnRedman wrote:Double
HICA DE SILVA
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Higher property taxes will mean higher water rates for some customers in the new year.
This was revealed yesterday by acting chief executive officer of the Water and Sewerage Authority Dr Allan Poon King who said WASA is facing a debt of $4.2 billion and had embarked on several cost-cutting initiatives.
Speaking at the Parliament’s Joint Select Committee Land and Physical Infrastructure meeting on Thursday, Poon King revealed that increases in property valuations can lead to increased water rates for some customers.
In response to a question posed by UNC Senator Saddam Hosein, Dr Poon King said, “ If the property law is amended our rates will be amended accordingly and in some cases, some customers will be metered and the metered rates will apply.”
He added, “The new property tax values will affect the water rates.”
Poon King revealed that WASA pays US$6 million monthly to the Desalination Company of T&T. He noted that the desalinated water is used on the industrial plants operating at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate, noting that the Authority collects $25 million per month for water.
Fifty-five per cent of the 40 million gallons produced per day by DESALCOTT goes for domestic consumption, but Poon King said domestic customers pay far less than industrial customers.
“When (the water) goes outside the rate is $3.50 per cubic metres but for the industrial estate, the rate is $12 per cubic metre,” Dr Poon King revealed.
He explained that WASA has been experiencing a cut in revenues since several plants were shut down on the Estate.
“There is a deficit in the collection of revenue from the Estate. The additional water that was consumed by Arcelor Mittal goes out now on the domestic system but there is not a commensurate collection of money from those areas. We collect less money since the closure of those plants,” he added.
Dr Poon King also said Cabinet has appointed a team to review the Authority and based on the report submitted, a decision will be taken as to whether the Authority will be privatized.
He revealed that the Desalcott contract has been signed and the government has to take 40 million gallons of water per day from Desalcott until 2036.
He noted that the Authority had taken two loans to build several wastewater plants.
This included a wastewater project in southwest Tobago, the Trincity Wastewater plant, the Malabar plant and the San Fernando wastewater plant, which is 91 per cent completed. This plant will be formally opened next year.
Asked whether WASA had made any recommendations for privatization, Poon King said some aspects of operations were already outsourced, noting that this could either be increased or decreased in the future, based on Cabinet approval.
Two months ago, Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales said water rates have to be adjusted for WASA to run more efficiently. He said water rates in T&T was among the cheapest in the world and that the last adjustment was back in 1993
The red Goverment has moved away from oil , gas , steel and chemical industry. High skill work forced gone.sMASH wrote:Running away investors?
The train 1 share holders don't even want to spend money to turnaround their own plant.
But no fear, dragon gas is here!
Rowlee and his mob following his thinking.sMASH wrote:mugabe would be proud
zoom rader wrote:Redman wrote:But ZR were they given any help....where you see that they were given preferential treatment
Who is TT Congo PM?
Where they stranded ?
In stress?
You defending Jackarsesness you Little Kant
eliteauto wrote:https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/hundreds-coming-home-for-christmas/article_82707956-406a-11eb-b7ef-9bcee65e8496.htmlSEVERAL hundred nationals are expected to return home for Christmas, as part of a series of repatriation exercises.
Acting Principal Medical Officer in charge of institutions Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards said yesterday three repatriation flights are expected within the next five to six days.
One group of about 132 returning nationals was expected by 8 p.m. yesterday from New York, Abdool-Richards said during the Ministry of Health’s virtual press conference on Covid-19.
Another group of 132 people is expected from Barbados on December 18 and flights are expected from Miami and Canada in the coming days.
She reminded that repatriation exercises were dependent on the ability of the parallel healthcare system to host returning nationals either in quarantine or in hospital care if a person is found to be Covid-19 positive.
“The repatriation of returning nationals from high- and medium-risk countries, as per the Ministry of Health’s policy, is dependent on the availability of spaces in the State and State-supervised quarantine facilities,” Abdool-Richards said.
She noted that of 15 new positive cases reported on Tuesday, seven people were returning nationals.
Facilities coping
State quarantine facilities are currently at 75 per cent capacity, Abdool-Richards said.
There are now 13 State and State-supervised quarantine facilities in operation, she said, adding: “These repatriation exercises are timed on the availability of these facilities, which is dependent on several factors and not just the availability of occupancies. We have to take into consideration if there are positive Covid-19 cases, which would affect the sanitisation and decontamination of the facility. Also, there has to be an airing out period for that room or area for two weeks, as per (World Health Organization) guidelines.”
Two facilities are reserved for high-risk groups and those unable to self-isolate, Abdool-Richards said, disclosing that a cohort of deportees had arrived from the US requiring additional security. Repatriated nationals from high-risk territories like the US are required to quarantine for six days in State or State-supervised facilities, to be followed by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on the sixth day.
The returnee must then isolate at home for seven days, under State supervision.
Abdool-Richards also confirmed that Government has not yet ordered a Covid-19 vaccine and local authorities continue to monitor for certification by the WHO.
Trinidad and Tobago maintains close contact with the WHO and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for this purpose.
“The Ministry of Health will be guided by the WHO for the selection of a vaccine,” she said, adding that Government on Tuesday signed an agreement with PAHO for distribution of a vaccine by the Ministry.
She addressed reports of a mutated strain of the coronavirus coming out of the United Kingdom and said this was unlikely to impact the efficacy of a vaccine.
She said the Ministry was awaiting the Caribbean Public Health Agency’s pronouncement on if a mutation occurred.
All these people coming in are a mix of UNC people that WE didn't want here for elections and PNM people who jumped the line.
Redman wrote:Habit7 wrote:sMASH wrote:congo bongo fed up with dhal dougla, they want arepa mulato now. dais why rowley tell dem to come register.
Here is the inevitable UNC racism that has them stuck in 2nd place for 10yrs.
The extension of the knife and fork internal dynamic.
sMASH wrote:"UNC" is code.... doh study it. the second coming of Sat maraj happening.
De Dragon wrote:sMASH wrote:"UNC" is code.... doh study it. the second coming of Sat maraj happening.
Red Plastic Bag and the dummy crew love to invoke the racism bogey to deflect and when they can't explain LFRFD PNM party's numerous failures.
Yep , Eliteauto had gone back to the dummy crew . He's showing full support to these racist mob.De Dragon wrote:sMASH wrote:"UNC" is code.... doh study it. the second coming of Sat maraj happening.
Red Plastic Bag and the dummy crew love to invoke the racism bogey to deflect and when they can't explain LFRFD PNM party's numerous failures.
The Lambo is Xtra Foods onematr1x wrote:So who the Lamborghini for?
The amount of alleged mistress and ladder climbers really funny
Public procurement collapse – part two
Afra Raymond December 20, 2020
THE previous article explained that our Parliament reduced independent oversight of the biggest contracts in our country. But all the power is not in Parliament, so it is important to note that civil society has substantial power and influence in these public policy matters.
For example, take the June 2019 attempt by the Government to effectively erode citizens’ right to information held by public authorities, by amending the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA). On June 7, 2019, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi laid proposals in Parliament to extend the existing 30-day time limit for public authorities to respond to FoIA requests to 180 days. The 30-day time limit is regularly exceeded by public authorities, so the proposed extension would have made nonsense of citizens’ right to information.
Those of us committed to those rights to information took up the challenge by alerting the public to the perils, led by the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) under Dr Sheila Rampersad’s direction. Our brief, intense campaign culminated in MATT’s overflowing seminar on Saturday, June 15, 2019 at Hotel Normandie, with Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj SC being the powerful and persuasive lead speaker.
The AG withdrew the proposals “for further consultation” and no more was heard on that count. This demonstrates that it is possible, by concerted, focused and informed agitation, to stop detrimental public policies. Our history is replete with these important lessons.
It is important to understand how these changes arise. The 1961 Central Tenders Board Act surfaced from the political directorate, so there was an appetite for good standards of governance which accorded with the then-popular slogan “Morality in Public Affairs”. In complete contrast, the current Act was conceived and drafted by civil society and private sector groups , which participated in the working party on public procurement appointed by former PM, the late Patrick Manning, in the wake of the Piarco Airport scandal and the shocking revelations of the Bernard Commission of Enquiry.
On December 22, 2010, the Joint Consultative Council of the construction sector (JCC) submitted a complete draft Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Bill to the Joint Select Committee of Parliament established by the People’s Partnership government to examine this issue. After four years of intense lobbying, both by JCC and the wider Private Sector Civil Society Group on Public Procurement, that draft bill became The Act, passed in January 2015 as Act No 1 of that year.
The Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) board was appointed in January 2018, with The Act then being partially proclaimed thereby allowing its operation. That board has spent three busy years to prepare the OPR to take proper oversight of the multitude of public procurement and disposal contracts in the public sector. The OPR has been ready to conduct all its functions since December 2019.
The Act is what is termed framework legislation. The OPR prepares the required regulations, which must be approved by Parliament before the Act can be fully proclaimed.
This intervening stage was one of maximum peril because the Minister of Finance has to lay the regulations in Parliament and, of course, there could be further amendments. In light of the People’s National Movement’s well-established hostility to this kind of independent oversight, there was every case for the PSCSG to have maintained a strong, constant and diverse campaign to make the public aware of just how high were the stakes.
Given my resignation as JCC president in November 2015, it is impossible to know what were the causes of the PSCSG failure, but that campaign never materialised. There were only few and sporadic public engagements from the PSCSG in the five-year period 2016 to 2020. My erstwhile PSCSG colleagues were fully capable of effectively campaigning, but, in the end, made only sporadic, last-ditch, and ultimately futile, attempts to shape the public perception of this critical issue.
Educated and conscious people are able to identify, defend and advance their interests, which our groups failed to do. That failure raises pointed and painful questions as to our real priorities and intentions.
The constitutional issues – The Act was passed by special three-fifths majority, which was required since certain fundamental rights were to be infringed. I am advised that these subsequent amendments via simple majority are lawful if the outcome is reduction in the scope of, or powers derived from, the original special majority Act.
While these amendments do reduce OPR oversight, in so doing they are also giving rise to an imminent breach of citizens’ constitutional rights. Local contractors or suppliers, not engaging in PPP, will be required to follow the Act under OPR oversight. Finance Minister Colm Imbert and his colleagues stated that they do not want G2G to be under OPR oversight.
According to S. 4 (d) of our Constitution, one of the ‘rights enshrined’ is -
“...the right of the individual to equality of treatment from any public authority in the exercise of any functions...”
Parliament has now amended the Act to establish this non-OPR Public Procurement channel, through which huge contracts could be expected to arise. Apart from that amendment doing violence to the intention of the Act, it also gives rise to an arguable case for ‘inequality of treatment from a public authority in the exercise of its functions’, which is of course, unconstitutional. Clearly, these amendments to the Act require a special majority as they infringe upon the rights enshrined at S.4 of our Constitution.
https://trinidadexpress.com/opinion/col ... 19919.html
FRANKLIN KHAN
ANISTO ALVES
Curtis Williams BG logo
This year has been a challenging one for all economies and, with the exception of the tech companies, most other sectors have struggled under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has had a particularly devastating effect on travel, tourism, restaurants and services as governments imposed lockdowns in an effort to reduce the rate of transmission by limiting interaction among the populace.
The knock-on effect has been a major drop in demand for goods and services including energy and energy related products.
Entering into 2020 the global energy market was already soft as the risky strategy by Saudi Arabia to drive shale producers out of the market while raging a price war against Russia has so damaged global markets, many think it is now unlikely that crude oil can ever return to the hay days of US $100 a barrel.
The way the global crude market works is not simply based on supply and demand although that is very important, but its also on sentiment and a built-in level of speculation.
The Saudis strategy seemed to be that their cost of production is so low they could sustain, for some time, low crude prices with the thought that shale producers that have far higher costs and that have not made a lot of money and therefore does not have cash on hand will face bankruptcy and fall-out of the market.
The Saudi strategy in 2019 did not seem to take into account the resilience of American businesses, the fact that efficiency and technology had reduced costs, the increase in crude production from non-OPEC members and that the supply and demand situation was not very tight, with inventories already built up and slowly on their way down, before the world’s largest oil producer decided to commit harakiri.
So when Covid19 hit the world economy at the end of the first quarter 2020, grounded planes, reduced domestic travel and crushed global demand; an already weak oil market naturally collapsed and we had the unprecedented situation where for the first time West Texas Intermediate prices fell into minus territory.
Crude prices have recovered somewhat and as of yesterday Brent was trading over US $50 a barrel and WTI just under US $50 a barrel.
Natural gas and in particular LNG prices were also negatively impacted by the demand/supply prices as shale gas production had changed the US market and the huge new producers in Australia and UAE caused the Asian market to significantly reduce its arbitrage from the North American market.
Petrochemical prices, in particular methanol and ammonia prices were hammered as demand remained weak and you see that T&T’s main foreign exchange earners were all under pressure at the same time.
You then add to that falling crude and natural gas production and the problems with the government policy, implementation and the fiscal regime and you see why we are in the position we are in.
Make no bones about it T&T’s energy sector is in trouble and what is increasing clear is that the government and the Minister of Energy seem incapable of finding solutions.
It would ordinarily be wrong to blame any single person for the state of the Energy sector. But we have had a minister in the person of Franklin Khan who has been at the helm for almost five years and it is worth examining his record to make a decision on whether he has delivered to the country.
This is not a time for party sympathies nor for issues of congeniality. Franklin Khan is the man in charge since 2016 having taken over from the ineffective and inconsequential Nicole Oliverre.
In 2016 when Khan became the Minister of Energy this country’s crude production had averaged 72,000 barrels of oil per day (bo/d). This has now fallen to 56,000 bo/d. That represents a decline of 23 percent.
In 2016 the average natural gas production was 3.3 billion standard cubic feet per day (bscf/d), In 2020 the Ministry of Energy’s own figures show it is down by 100 million standard cubic feet per day, averaging 3.2 bscf/d. So when you hear Khan and the government taking credit for what it has done in natural gas production the evidence says otherwise.
The story is the same with methanol, ammonia and LNG; all down.
Khan often insists that the country is a price taker and there is truth in that but it can impact its own production and the government’s policy of trying to take as much taxes as it can from a smaller and smaller pie is ill advised.
There are those who may argue that Khan is not the one to blame, they have seen how the minister of everything has all but usurped the power of the Minister of Energy, who is often forced to genuflect in his presence praising Stuart Young for doing the work that the substantive Minister of Energy should be leading, but there is also the question of Khan’s health and whether he has the energy to run the Ministry of Energy.
It is no secret that Khan underwent major heart surgery a couple years ago and we are all happy he was able to recover but as we looked at him shuffle to receive his letter of appointment from the President one could not help feel a sense of sadness that the Prime Minister would put such burden on a man who has given so much and who is clearly in the winter of his years and would better spend his time with family and taking care of his health.
It is not just the fall in production that we must judge Khan’s performance by. He has overseen a botched bid round where a year later no block has been awarded nearshore and the bids made by Royal Dutch Shell and BPTT were almost not worth the paper they were written on as sources in the Ministry say they were so below the threshold it appears they were only meant to save the government’s blushes.
Khan has been Minister of Energy and, to date, there is not a single deep water bid round. To be sure we will pay the price as a country down the road for his inertia.
All of the drilling including the Touchstone success were based on blocks given out by the former administration.
It may not be apparent but the PNM has been in power for 14 of the last 19 years. In the last 11 of the PNM’s 14 years it has failed to award a single block for exploration.
Khan has had the dubious honour of overseeing the closure of Petrotrin, the collapse of the Point Lisas Estate and it appears that he is only allowed to be the bearer of bad news or defend the indefensible in Parliament. Any good news is announced by the Prime Minister.
I have known Mr Khan for a long time and he is always a pleasant man. But when it’s time to go we must exit the stage. We must all know when we can do no more.
Rather than being pushed out, the Energy Minister should do the honourable thing and resign. The time has come when people need not to be wedded to office but to principles and surely Mr Khan must know this stint as Minister of Energy has been one of failure.
Over this Christmas season and as we prepare to enter a new year one can only hope Khan reflects and does the right thing.
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