Augustine:Tobago suffering under PNM

Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Assemblyman for Palatuvier/L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside Farley Augustine says the People’s National Movement is making Tobagonians suffer.

This follows comments by Tobago East MP and Minister of State in the OPM Ayanna Webster Roy in Parliament last Friday. While responding to Opposition MP for Couva North Ramona Ramdial, who had earlier accused the government of mistreating Tobagonians, Webster Roy is quoted as saying “Nobody in Tobago is suffering – get that right!” She insisted that as someone who lives in Tobago she could say more was being made of the issue than was necessary.

Speaking with reporters during the weekly briefing of the Minority Council on Tuesday at James Park, Augustine said she was not wrong.

“In a sense, Mrs Webster Roy is correct. It is not that Tobagonians are suffering but it is that the PNM (People’s National Movement) is suffering (sic) Tobago. That is the clarification, that is the kind of specifics that should have been placed on the Hansard as opposed to simply saying that Tobago is not suffering, what is true is that the PNM is suffering Tobago,” he said.

He said the PNM is the reason behind all the crises that Tobagonians are experiencing at this time.

“After 17 years in office, we still don’t have a vibrant agricultural sector, after 17 years in office, we still cannot get a functioning ferry service between the both islands and the Cabinet that is responsible for such has demonstrated incompetence. After 17 years in office, people are still receiving salaries weeks and months late. And so the crisis that exists on the island of Tobago is the orchestration of poor governance by the PNM, and so I wish to make that clarification on behalf of the member,” he said.