By Sue-Ann Wayow
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley will have nothing to do with Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Farley Augustine unless there is the presence of a third party.
So declared Dr Rowley at a People’s National Movement (PNM) political meeting in Calder Hall in Tobago on Monday night.
“That is a man not to be trusted,” he said.
The Prime Minister said since Augustine became Chief Secretary, while the PNM’s defeat in the THA had hurt him, he has tried to assist the new assemblymen and assemblywomen to the best of his ability but all they could do is “bad mouth” him and spread lies.
“The PNM wants no part of their dotish politics,” Dr Rowley declared.
The meeting in Tobago was not initially planned but took place three days after Augustine held a public briefing to state serious allegations against the PNM and a particular construction company which he claimed was demanding money from the THA, part of an outstanding $60 million debt.
According to Dr Rowley’s facts, he said, “It is not that we were giving Farley money to give any friends of ours.”
By the financial year 2022/2023, Government was in a better position to start paying off billions in debt owed to contractors and other businesses, debt which increased by $13 billion during the Covid-19 pandemic he said.
The THA received $100 million of pay off debts and based on a letter to Finance Minister Colm Imbert last July, that particular company was owed $88 million.
Dr Rowley said, “They told the Minister of Finance that they owe (name called) $88 million. That is in a letter. But you come on the platform and saying they greedy and they this and they that. Which little Tobago company could have absorbed $88 million. They told that to the Minister of Finance.”
He also said, “Once the money comes to Tobago, they are free to determine how they pay it out.”
While Dr Rowley said he has not seen documents, he was advised that some $20 plus million have been paid to that contractor which Augustine alleged was blackmailing him into releasing the other $60 million.
Dr Rowley asked, “Why did Farley chose to bring that up to explain his absence?”
He tried to make the link between that company and the silence of Augustine since an audio tape was leaked almost one month ago, a conversation which Augustine admitted was held.
Dr Rowley said , “I am advised that the company that he is waging war against in Tobago incidentally that has laid off 300 people, a Tobago contractor laying off 300 people because they have PNM haters in office.”
Mentioning the PNM’s reign in the THA for a 20-year period, he said if Tobago contractors do work for the THA for Tobago people, that should be a good thing and not looked upon as negative thing simply because some were hating on the PNM.
“Tobago will not be abandoned and will not be left in the hands of those people,” Dr Rowley declared.
He said on numerous occasions he would speak “quietly” with Augustine via social media, phone or in person meetings and Augustine clearly kept vital information from him for reasons he only knew.
Dr Rowley said, “Just before this mark buss, we spoke. I didn’t know it had bacchanal. Me eh know is video coming out the next day…All of this I could take. But you know what I can’t take. I can’t take the lies. And I will not allow the Tobago House of Assembly to put lies on the record where the government and the law is concerned.”
Promises to return to the THA
At the meeting Dr Rowley also spoke at length about the THA not having a Chief Administrator repeating that he takes no blame for the THA’s actions.
“Yesterday was exactly one month that there has not been a Chief Administrator in Tobago,” he said.
Dr Rowley also asked, “Could anything destabilise the assembly more than the missing Chief Secretary?”
Repeating his oath of office that he took as Prime Minister, he said “No amount of negative and bad mouth in Tobago could deprive me of the authority of Prime Minister of Tobago.”
Pledging to continue working for the development of Tobago, Dr Rowley also reminded Augustine that his party had no Parliamentarian representative and therefore was in no position to lend amendments to any Constitution and will continue to rely on Central Government.
He praised the lone PNM councillor in the THA Kelvon Morris, stating that by the next THA election, that number will change.
“The PNM victory in Tobago is not an impossibility,” Dr Rowley said.
A number of years ago, Tobago asked the central government to put a ban on foreigners from purchasing land/property in Tobago. What has happened as an outcome?
They drove the foreign investor away from the island. So that left Trinidadians to be the only investors on the island. That said, so if Tobago has become so dependent on the Trinidad investors, why is it that the people have a disliking towards Trinidadians? The answer is simple, as over the years, the Tobagonians are made to believe that they need to have self governance by the Politicians over and over and this must change and the sooner the better.
The whole Tourism Industry for the island of Tobago is suffering due to the lack of investors, from both Trinidadians and Foreign.