Duke: Soul of Tobago at stake in THA elections

PDP leader Watson Duke -

Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke says he will not stop fighting for Tobago as he signalled his party's readiness to battle ahead of the THA elections.

However, in a media release on August 6, Duke said the PDP would only rise if Tobagonians give the signal. Comparing it to a boxing match, Duke, the electoral representative for Roxborough/Argyle, said the champion always enters the ring last.

“This election is not just about the THA. It’s about the soul of Tobago. Make your decision clear. Tobago must win. Ah we haffuh win,” Duke wrote.

He gave a stinging criticism of the current Farley Augustine-led administration, describing them as “failed pretenders” who "came to wine, play games, and blame everyone else for their own incompetence.”

He added, “These so-called Tobago people, the ones who danced their way into power on empty promises...have betrayed the very people who trusted them. In December 2021, they stood before God and man, swearing to 'fix dis', the bread-and-butter issues. But nearly four years later, Tobago has never been poorer, hungrier, or more disrespected in the 45-year history of the THA.”

The current THA executive, he said, swore to fight for Tobago’s self-determination, but instead “turned around and handed our future to Trinidad on a silver platter.” He said the current Tobago MPs Joel Sampson and David Thomas are "clueless figureheads...who cannot string two sentences together to defend Tobago's right to chart its own destiny.

“Their only instruction: vote when told, like well-behaved puppets. This is what the PDP stood against, giving Central Government absolute, raw power to dictate what Tobago gets, how much, and when.”

He said now the time has come for Tobagonians to choose to either reward betrayal with their silence or use their voting finger and revoke the administration's stay in power.

In the December 2021 THA elections, Duke led the PDP to an overwhelming 14-1 victory over the PNM. But eight months into its term, a rift over the funding of the Roxborough cultural group's trip to New York for Tobago Day celebrations saw Duke and Augustine's relationship collapse. Duke subsequently resigned as Deputy Chief Secretary and fired Augustine, Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith BYisrael and Alicia Roberts-Patterson as PDP deputy leaders.

In December 2022, 13 executive members of the PDP resigned from the party and declared themselves independents in the THA. Their supporters later established the Tobago People’s Party (TPP) with Augustine now its political leader. The party was launched formally in Scarborough on August 13, 2023 with its colour as blue and symbol, an anchor.