August 2012


Issue Home >>

Let’s talk pepper, cocoa and urea

On Thursday 9th August, 2012, Jennifer Carroll, the Trinidadian born Lieutenant Governor of Florida, visited UWI’s St. Augustine Campus where she delivered a lecture on the topic, “The US elections, Florida and the Caribbean.” Following opening and welcome remarks by Dr Bishnu Ragoonath, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Behavioural Sciences, and Professor Rhoda Reddock, UWI St. Augustine Campus Deputy Principal, Lt. Gov Carroll began her lecture by speaking about her visit to Trinidad. This visit, she said, focused on building business relationships between Trinidad and Tobago and the US in order to help both countries. She said that the US was especially interested in T&T’s pepper, cocoa and urea industries. She spoke about T&T’s oil and gas industry advising that our supply can run out so we shouldn’t abuse our resources.

Lt. Gov. Carroll then described the election process in the US, commending T&T’s citizens on their “voter integrity.” She cited the 60-70 per cent voter turnout during the country’s 2010 general elections. “I’m very impressed by that,” she said. However, T&T doesn’t accommodate for voting adequately since there is just one opportunity and one location for citizens to vote. In the US there are numerous opportunities to vote, she continued. For example, the elderly and disabled are facilitated by having people visit them at home and “you can even vote in your PJs.”

Lt. Gov. Carroll ended her lecture by encouraging the women of T&T to become involved in the country’s government and “be a part of the solution and the greatness that you know this country can be.