'Leadership vacuum'

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

Tobago Forwards political leader Christlyn Moore, a member of the coalition Tobago Liberation and Empowerment Team, said there is a leadership vacuum in the country.

Moore was speaking on the Prime Minister's decision to fire Minister of Public Administration Marlene McDonald after she was charged for corruption offences. McDonald, the MP for Port of Spain South, and her common-law husband Michael Carew were arrested on Thursday at their home in Valley View, Maracas/St Joseph and spent the entire weekend detained, before being charged early Monday morning, along with three contractors.

Mc Donald, who was questioned by police for four days, is the deputy political leader of the People's National Movement (PNM). She was expected to appear before a magistrate on Monday but fell ill and had to be taken to the St Clair Medical Centre for treatment.

Moore said Dr Rowley has to take a lot of the blame for the current situation within his party.

“It must be a symptom of poor leadership when a manager hires and fires the same employee three times,” she said.

Contacted to comment on the issue, chairman of the PNM Tobago Council Stanford Callender said he preferred not to say anything.

However, the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) has called on Commissioner Gary Griffith to investigate alleged corruption in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

Minority councillor Dr Faith BYisrael said the PDP condemns corruption at all levels, particularly in government. She said the needs of communities are not being met.

She said there were several questionable cases in the THA that need further probing.

“The issue of the $10 million wired to the 'wrong account' in the division with responsibility for tourism; the monies supposedly forwarded to singer D'Angelo, who did not perform at the 2017 Jazz festival, and countless other instances of missing monies within the THA," the councillor said.