Farley: No date for Tobago election, yet

Tobago Dillon De Shong 16 Hrs Ago

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar view a display shown to them by a participant in the UNICEF World's Children's Day exhibition - Our City, Through Our Eyes - at the Parliament's Rotunda Gallery, Port of Spain on November 20. - Photo by Faith Ayoung

AS Tobagonians wait with bated breath for the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine says he has not yet made a decision on the date.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament building on November 20 on the sidelines of a UNICEF event, Augustine said the election would be sooner than expected.

“I have not decided on a date as yet, and I have not advised the Prime Minister and President of a date. The law however requires that the dates be between the 12 of January and the 12 of February. So that's the window that I have to work with. It's based on Act 40 of 1996,” he said.

Augustine and the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) won a landslide victory over the People’s National Movement (PNM) in the last THA election, securing 14 of the 15 seats in the assembly legislature.

However, Augustine, who represents the Parlatuvier/L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside electoral district, along with 12 other assemblymen eventually broke away from PDP leader Watson Duke and formed the Tobago People’s Party (TPP) in August 2023.

The TPP is expected to contest the upcoming election against the PNM, PDP, and several smaller parties and independent candidates.

Augustine said he is confident about his party’s chances, adding that the work done by his administration over the past four years can be felt across the island.

“We dispensed a significant amount of resources, fixing things that were broken and ensuring that we keep the economy afloat,” he said.

“We have spent more on school repairs in the four-year period than any previous administration, spent more on gratuities and insurance than any other administration. So we have been quite a good government. Notwithstanding that the push is to do better than we did the previous four years.”

Deputy Chief Secretary Dr Faith Brebnor said the party’s ability to win Tobago’s two seats in the general election demonstrates its readiness to lead for another term.

Brebnor added that the TPP remains strong as it heads into the polls and she rated the party's performance as excellent.

“Given all of the challenges we have had, I think we are at least a nine (out of 10). I think any other group of people without the kind of leadership that we had would have crumbled when you look at all the opposition that came upon us,” she said.