Charles: Jazz success silences opposition

Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles on Tuesday declared that the success of the 2018 Tobago Jazz Experience has silenced members of the opposition and others who had called for it to be cancelled this year.

Charles, in describing the two-day event as a success, also said this proved Tobago was capable of economic development despite problems with inter-island transportation.

Speaking at a One-to-One community meeting at the Carnbee/Mt Pleasant Community Centre on Tuesday night in Carnbee, Charles said;

“After the show we put down on Saturday and Sunday night for the jazz festival, social media went silent. All of them who were waiting and criticising us before, cannot say anything. According to local saying, they can’t pick their teeth.”

“All who were saying that we are wasting the money and there is no money and so on, don’t realise that part of the process of economic development must be how you organise to ensure that there is circulation of the money. Anyone who was present at Speyside would realise the number of persons, like vendors, benefitted.”

“Could you imagine 12,000 people in one space wanting to eat and drink, but you know what is equally frustrating is that the representative for that area went on radio and condemned the exercise.

“However, there wasn’t a single room available in Speyside, Charlottesville and Delaford, which provided economic benefits directly to the people of Speyside. Yes, you are opposition but you don’t have to behave so, if you have nothing good to say keep your mouth closed as you are doing now because of the success of the activity.”