Charles to Tobagonians: Be ready to speak out on autonomy

Tobagonians should prepare to present their views and concerns on the Tobago Bill for autonomy before a Joint Select Committee (JSC).

So advised Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles who said the JSC will be coming to Tobago soon to hear them speak on the Bill.

Speaking at a One-on-One community meeting at the Canbee/Mt Pleasant Community centre on Tuesday night, hosted by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Charles said two weeks ago he made a presentation to the JSC in Parliament in Trinidad on the draft bill that was submitted to the cabinet in 2016.

“Cabinet made some adjustments to that bill and it would have been laid in the House of Representatives on a motion by the Prime Minister, calling for the establishment at that time for the Joint Select Committee to consider that bill,” he said.

Charles urged Tobagonians to take the opportunity to have their say.

“The uninformed and the non-participating citizen fail democracy, and therefore we have the responsibility to position ourselves to make sure we are informed and to make sure we contribute before the Joint Select Committee.

“We recognise that to move this island to the next level, we have to engage in a process of adjusting our mindset. We cannot continue the way we are going for a number of reasons, not the least of which if we are to take greater responsibility for the development of the island by way of autonomy, which is being debated, it is up to us to take hold of the reigns of the various elements of Tobago and run with them,” he said.

He added that if Tobagonians did not grasp this opportunity “others will come do it for us.”

“We have taken the position that as we seek to continue with the development of the island of Tobago, the basis of that development would be a deepening of our tourism sector, a revitalisation of our agriculture sector, an emphasis on live manufacturing and experiment into the area of some specialised services,” he said.

“This approach would be supported by the pillars of robust education sector, a dynamic health sector, a reformed public service and a hospitable and productive island,” he added.

Charles also admitted that Tobago is in place seventh of eight districts when coming to academic performance. He said he was uncomfortable with this position and promised to develop the island’s education system.

He also said the Tobago Tourism Agency, which is charged with the responsibility to market the destination and develop the island’s tourism product, would continue to focus on developing the sector by utilising the island’s distinguishable rich culture, which he said was an advantage Tobago has above other Caribbean countries.