Nomination Day over – Fight for Tobago truly underway

TPP political leader and Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, deputy political leader Faith Brebnor and Orlando Kerr, right, after filing their nomination papers on Friday at the Glamorgan Multipurpose Facility in Tobago. - Photo by Kinnesha George-Harry

WITH the successful filing on Friday of nomination papers by candidates vying to control the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) for the next four years, the political battle for Tobago's governance is well and truly underway.

Chief Secretary and political leader of the Tobago People’s Party (TPP) Farley Augustine reported a smooth process as he spoke with reporters after emerging from the nomination room at Glamorgan Multipurpose Facility to the cheers of party supporters.

“My colleagues, they were all pre-screened, I was the only one not pre-screened, so I was the delinquent in this regard. The process was efficient, they went through the documents quite well, quickly and they did the certification,” Augustine said.

All prospective candidates, he said met with the EBC a week ago to do a dry run of the process, which he said worked.

“The first thing we did as a party was to assign them with experienced campaign managers, then we also assigned them to experienced election agents, so the process last week helped them to get rid of all nerves and secondly to have all the documentation certified.

He said based on reports he has been getting from teams on the ground, the process across the island has been very efficient.

On the TPP's chances of retaining control of the assembly, Augustine said confidence within the party is high.

“We are very confident at this point, as a matter of fact, we were the first to be nominated in our electoral districts. So I’m the first to be nominated in Parlatuvier/L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside and I’m certain on the night of January 12, I’ll be coming out first.”

He is expecting a higher voter turn out than what was recorded for the general election back in April, saying Tobagonians are well aware of issues on the island.

“It is always a good thing when people could turn out and vote and we noticed in the general election a significant lower voter turn out than the THA elections. The truth is – for us in Tobago, the THA election always elicits a high response because Tobagonians tend to care more about the THA than the central government.

"Not that central government is not important, but the truth is, our everyday lives are impacted by the THA – the roads we drive on, our healthcare, our schools, all the social support and systems – those are all totally run by the THA, so people tend to turn out in larger numbers for the THA (elections) than they do for the central government elections.”

Further questioned about challenges his administration encountered over the last four years, Augustine said he was unbothered as challenges were par for the course in politics and governance.

“Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong, to test us. But our ability to stay stable and continue governing, notwithstanding, showed the mettle of the leadership we have in Tobago and in the TPP."

TPP slate:

Farley Augustine (Parlatuvier/L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside)

Darren Henry (Bethel/New Grange)

Dr Faith Brebnor (Belle Garden/Glamorgan)

Zorisha Hackett (Bethesda/Les Coteaux)

Megan Morrison (Mt St George/Goodwood)

Trevor James (Scarborough/Mt Grace)

Wane “Wasp” Clarke (Lambeau/Lowlands) Niketa Percy (Bon Accord/Crown Point)

Nigel Taitt (Signal Hill/Patience Hill)

Nathisha Charles-Pantin (Bagatelle/Bacolet)

Kern Alexis (Plymouth/Black Rock)

Orlando Kerr (Roxborough/Argyle)

Ricky Joefield (Darrel Spring/Whim)

Keigon Denoon (Buccoo/Mt Pleasant)

The election is set for January 12.