Pres Weekes to intervene in Minority office matter

Minority Councillor Faith BYisrael speaks to reporters at a press conference at James Park, Scarborough on Tuesday. Photo by Kinnesha George-Harry
Minority Councillor Faith BYisrael speaks to reporters at a press conference at James Park, Scarborough on Tuesday. Photo by Kinnesha George-Harry

President Paula Mae Weekes has promised to communicate with Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles on having the matter of the provision of official office space for members of the Minority Council “resolved to the satisfaction of all.”

Minority Councillor Dr Faith BYisrael on Tuesday reported that Weekes has responded to a request from the Minority for her intervention in the matter of an official office for the Leader of the Minority, almost a year and a half after being sworn into the Tobago House of Assembly.

Since their inauguration on January 26, 2017, Minority members of - Leader Watson Duke, Assemblyman Farley Augustine and Councillor Faith BYisrael - has been using the public open air James Park, opposite the THA Chamber in Scarborough, to host press conferences.

The THA Executive Council, led by the Chief Secretary, is responsible for approving the rental of office space for the Minority Leader. The Chief Administrator, as the accounting officer in the Office of the Chief Secretary, is the person authorised to sign a rental agreement for this office on behalf of the THA

On January 30, after various attempts to locate a suitable space, staff of the Assembly Legislature and Property Management Unit of the THA showed members of the Minority Council office space at #2 Hamilton Street in Scarborough. The Minority agreed this space was suitable but has since had no further word from the THA

At a press conference on Tuesday at the location, BYisrael said that an official response has been received from Weekes, that “her Excellency has advised that she would contact the Chief Secretary to attempt to have the situation resolved to the satisfaction of all.”

“So, we await her further communication and more importantly, we await the office of the Chief Secretary and the office of the Chief Administrator calling us and letting us know what is happening,” she said.

Comments

"Pres Weekes to intervene in Minority office matter"

More in this section