Minority knocks PM: Bullseye on Tobagonians' backs

THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris -

THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris believes there is a bullseye on Tobagonians' backs as he called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to reveal the terms of whatever agreements she may have signed with the US.

Morris was speaking on December 16, following a release by the government a day earlier noting it has giving the US military clearance to use the ANR Robinson International Airport and the Piarco International Airport.

In a statement, the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry said it has given approval for "US military aircraft to transit TT's airport" in the coming weeks. The ministry added, "The US has advised that these movements are logistical in nature, facilitating replenishment and routine personnel rotations."

Over the past few weeks, there have been calls by the PNM and Innovative Democratic Alliance to remove the G/ATOR military-grade radar the US recently installed at the Tobago airport.

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said he was unaware of the installation of the radar system, but after a November 29 meeting with Defence Minister Wayne Sturge, Attorney General John Jeremie and Chief of Defence Staff Commodore Don Polo, he was reassured that the radar would not be used to attack any nation.

On December 15, Venezuela cancelled all gas deals with TT, claiming the Kamla Persad-Bissessar government was complicit in the US seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on December 10. It said the radar was used to track vessels transporting Venezuelan oil.

Contacted for comment on December 16, Morris said Tobagonians should be concerned.

"Whenever big powers and big conflicts start to move around you, small places like Tobago must pay attention, because we do not have the luxury of being careless,” he said.

“And we in Tobago have to be extremely concerned about this development, because the Prime Minister, without our consent, without any consultation, without any consideration of the people of Tobago, decided to place one of those military assets, that military radar, right here in Tobago.

"And I want to tell you what that means in plain language – when you put a military asset in a small island, you do not just put equipment, you put attention, you put risk – and you put a bullseye on the backs of every Tobagonian.”

During a political meeting in Black Rock on December 15, Morris also addressed the issue.

“Who gave consent for Tobago to become a front-line asset? Who sat with you and explained the danger and the implications? And if God forbid war breaks out and an attack is launched against that asset in Tobago, then what?

"If it connects then all ah we dead. That is not exaggeration. That is the reality of modern conflict. A small island does not have to be at war to suffer war.”

He said the Status of Forces Agreement between TT and the United States does not give the US blanket permission.

“A Status of Forces Agreement is a framework arrangement. It sets rules for how foreign military forces may enter, train, co-operate, and operate under agreed conditions in another country. It covers things like jurisdiction, logistics, and conduct during training and cooperation.

"In plain talk, it is about co-operation and training, and how they will behave while here. That type of agreement is not new; it has been in existence between TT and the United States for donkey years. It existed before the period of (former prime minister) Dr Rowley. It existed during the period of the last Kamla Persad-Bissessar government. So this is nothing new.”

He however noted that what is new on this occasion is that while a Status of Forces Agreement allows for training and military co-operation, this administration has accepted and facilitated a request that goes beyond routine training.

“This administration has facilitated military action, using TT airspace and facilities against our neighbours. And for something like this to happen requires more than a generic framework. It requires something more detailed. It requires express approvals and arrangements between the government of TT and the United States.

"So the Prime Minister now has a duty to tell the citizens of TT when she signed or approved that express arrangement that facilitates and allows US access to our airports and airspace for this purpose. We are demanding that the agreement be shown to the people. We are demanding that the date and the terms be made clear because we suspect that agreement was signed during her (September 30) visit to the US.”

Farley: Tobago not a target

In an interview with TV6, Augustine said he was not consulted about the airport clearance to the US military but does not see Tobago as a target.

He said: “I saw it from a press release while I was canvassing. I saw the press release out to the public. I take it that the government sought to inform everybody including myself at the same point in time. But we had no prior discussion about it, it came through a press release."

Augustine said the chief administrator received the correspondence from the ministry, and hinted that it may have arrived prior to the release to the general public.

He said he remains unfazed by the situation.

“No, I’m not worried. I am not seeing Tobago as a target.”