Saturday, October 17, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Is Annisette viable?
Sunday, October 11 2009
Source: Newsday
INDEPENDENT Senator Michael Annisette’s inflamed speech to the Senate last week Thursday raises serious questions as to his impartiality in that office, and on his suitability to continue in such an esteemed post.
“I am not afraid of you; You made a mistake to mess with a dock worker,” he had stormed.
There are two issues.
Firstly, we consider that as a director of Udecott appointed by the Government he had absolutely no business taking part in that debate, in the role of a Senator who is supposedly independent. Secondly, we say he was wrong to use the parliamentary chamber to attack other people, including a politician, a businessman and even a journalist. He kept looking in the direction of the press gallery and shouting, “Where is Mr Bagoo” (Newsday reporter).
More fundamentally, was the fact that Mr Annisette in the guise of an Independent Senator, passionately defended a Government company which is embroiled in controversy over the awards of billions of dollars in contracts, while also vehemently attacking the character of other individuals.
The whole issue was, to us, a blatant conflict of interest.
If Mr Annisette felt he had to get something off his chest in his own defence, he should instead have sought to simply make his views known and then get on with the debate on hand.
In addition to the content of his speech, we also have serious concerns about Mr Annisette’s style of delivery.
Mr Annisette’s delivery was loud and some might also say, aggressive. Further, while speaking he vigorously waved his arms around with an apparently agitated body language.
It was a sight never seen before within living memory on the Independent benches.
We accept that things may get heated in the cut and thrust of partisan politics in the elected Lower House. Such partisanship may even spill over a little into the Upper House between Government and Opposition Senators. But this conduct should never be displayed by an Independent Senator.
By and large, the purpose of the Senate in a bicameral parliament is to be a restraint on the raw power of the Lower House. Further, within the Senate itself, the Independent Senators are expected to be the voice of moderation and decorum.
Up to this time, Trinidad and Tobago has been very well served indeed by the dignity of our past Independent Senators.
Sadly, Mr Annisette’s speech last week was certainly not calm, reasoned, measured and impartial.
He has failed to assuage fears of a conflict of interest in his role as an Independent Senator and as a director of Udecott (and other State boards), or that he has the right temperament to be an Independent Senator.
We say it is time for Mr Annisette to do some serious soul-searching about his future.
This man doesn't have one independent bone in his body, he is an outright PNM to the bone, PNM till he dead. What he doing as an independent senator, only Max could answer that. And we all know how good Max is at selecting people with integrity. After the Integrity Commission fiasco, we know for sure just how qualified Max is at selecting people to serve the country. Max and Annisette are both creatures of the PNM and should both be forced to resign ASAP!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Four more murders push the toll to 408
Gyasi Gonzales
Source: Trinidad Express



PAIN: Avril Dowell, left, is consoled by a relative after her son, Mikhail (inset), was killed on Tuesday night at Priest Hill in St Joseph. -Photo: ABRAHAM DIAZ
FOUR more men have been murdered as the spate of violent crimes continued across the country, pushing the toll to 408 as of last evening.
And although the police have lumped all these killings as "gang related homicides", the relatives of the dead offered other motives.
The first murder occurred in St Joseph.
The victim, Mikhail Dowell, 18, was chopped to death just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
According to the police, Dowell was liming with some friends at Priest Hill, which is off King Street in St Joseph, when they were approached by another group of young men.
Police said there was an argument and Dowell was grabbed by a man and chopped on the neck repeatedly.
The man who chopped Dowell and the group he came with then ran off and remained at large up to last night. One of Dowell's friends held the young man's head but his wounds were so severe he quickly bled to death.
The St Joseph police were called, along with Dowell's family.
Yesterday, his mother, Avril Dowell, said that "as far as I know", the men who killed her son came looking for someone else.
"It's a case of mistaken identity," she said.
The police said they did not believe the killer really intended to kill Dowell.
And around 8 p.m. at Mason Street Extension in Diego Martin, Jahkimo Brewster, 28, was liming with friends when a man crept out of a bushy gully and opened fire on the group.
Brewster and another man, 20-year-old Dillon Rodney, were hit. Brewster ran a short distance, collapsed and died. Rodney was taken to hospital where he was treated.
The Express met two female relatives of Brewster yesterday morning at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, but they would only confirm the correct spelling of his name, nothing else.
In another incident, Leandro Baptiste, 24, was killed around 9.30 a.m. in Woodbrook. He was employed with the Port of Spain City Corporation as well as SM Jaleel.
According to eyewitnesses, Baptiste and a group of city corporation employees were on a pavement rebuilding jobsite at Luis Street, when a Nissan Wingroad driven by someone he knew stopped near the site.
A man who spoke to the Express near the scene yesterday said a man came out the vehicle and walked towards Baptiste. Both men spoke and the killer walked off.
Just before getting into his car, however, the man turned around and walked back towards Baptiste. He pulled him close, embraced him and told him something. He then withdrew a pistol and shot Baptiste in the abdomen. As Baptiste fell, the killer fired more shots until the gun was empty. He then cooly walked back to his car, got in and calmly drove off.
When approached by the Express yesterday, workers on the jobsite claimed they knew nothing.
"Apologies rastaman but we eh know nutting," said one man.
Some of Baptiste's relatives later arrived on the scene. They confirmed that Baptiste had been threatened.
When asked why, one of his relatives said, "Jealousy, they was jealous of him."
The fourth murder occurred at 11 a.m. yesterday.
Police said they knew the victim, Duane "Bad Jesus" Joseph, very well. They said Joseph was on Duke Street, Port of Spain, when he was attacked by a gunman. Joseph was still able to run to Nelson Street where he collapsed. He was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital but died before he got there.