Duke: Build private sector to reduce dependence on Govt

Minority Leader Watson Duke has called on the Tobago House of Assembly current THA Administration to take steps to strengthen the private sector on the island to take the load off Government spending.

Last Thursday, Duke led debate on the THA’s 2018/2019 budget proposals, following Monday’s presentation by Finance Secretary Joel Jack, at the Assembly Legislature Chamber in Scarborough.

In his presentation, Duke, also criticised the THA’s hiring of 62 per cent of the Tobago’s labour force.

“The THA boasts of been responsible for 62 per cent of the island’s employment, which is really a shame and disgrace, but they lack that. In other parts of the world…the Caribbean, people are developing other parts of the sectors.

“The private sector…is being developed to take the load off Government’s spending. While we boast about some 62 per cent that we are responsible for employing… we are living on a subsistence from Trinidad but yet employing 62 per cent. We need to strengthen the private sector,” he said.

Describing himself as the chief secretary-in-waiting, Duke said following Monday’s budget presentation, he went out onto the highways and byways of Tobago to get a sense of what people were saying on the ground, and realised that, based on the responses, the minority was becoming the majority.

“People are not happy with the budget… it lacks the component of accountability… of transparency. Your core that passes as a budget is nonsensical and irrelevant to say the least,” he said.

Duke said developing Tobago must be done in tandem with Trinidad, and there must be a national conversation, especially when all the money (national allocation) was coming from Trinidad.

He charged that the THA, led by Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles, was keeping Tobago dependent on central government allocations.

“This budget is based on…subsidies (which) they get from Trinidad … you do not teach your children dependence, not even a bird does that. As long as the central government keeps Tobago dependent upon it, Tobago will find no need to launch out and diversify its economy along with Trinidad, it is only when we do that we can recognise our true potential for growth.

“It is quite clear to me that not everyone who occupies office really belongs there, for some it’s a job, they get paid and that’s it,” Duke said, contending that Tobago currently lacks great leadership.

“We, the people of Tobago lack a visionary leader, we are led by a Chief Secretary who is not inspirational in his leadership and so all Tobagonians are asking the question, ‘how long?’ and then they turn and ask themselves the question, ‘how far before we have elections?’…

“Misguided budgets, misappropriation of funds… the structures of good governance have been dismantled,” he said.