Imbert, UNC fight over Tobago

FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert and Opposition MPs on Tuesday argued over who loves Tobago more.

Their argument played out before the Standing Finance Committee approved a $2,264,630,000 allocation in the 2019-2020 budget for the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

Imbert accused the other side of criticising benefits that Tobago will receive under the PNM and deliberating misinterpreting what he was saying.

"You really don't like Tobagonians. Not one (of them) will vote for you."

Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial replied, "Voting for Watson Duke is another story. I urge them to vote for Watson Duke."

Imbert countered, "No chance."

Ramdial insisted, "I love the people of Tobago."

Imbert scoffed, "Joke, joke, joke. I don't believe her."

As he responded to questions from Ramdial about the money allocated to the THA, she accused him of being condescending.

Imbert told Ramdial, "You are being rude and disrespectful."

But their argument turned comical at times. After Imbert replied to one of her questions, Ramdial teased, "You want to know what else I am fascinated with?"

Imbert quipped, "I don't want to know. I scared."

When Ramdial asked about beaches in Tobago, Imbert asked, " You want me to count all the beaches and every grain of sand?"

"Let's move on," Ramdial said.

"I wish you would," Imbert replied.

He was aghast that Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh did not know the THA could not fill vacant public-officer posts in the assembly on its own.

"For the umpteenth time, government ministries and the THA are not empowered to fill permanent positions for public officers. I am now explaining this for probably the 15th time in the last five days. That is the responsibility of the service commissions," he said.

"It would be imprudent and impractical for agencies to just leave positions vacant while waiting on the service commissions (to fill the positions)."

Imbert reminded MPs they had heard on Monday that the service commissions are struggling even to fill their own positions.

"It would be gross negligence of the THA to leave posts vacant for years, waiting for service commissions to fill them," he declared.

He rejected claims from Gopeesingh that $5 million was being allocated for one consultant. He explained this sum was allocated for consultancy services and so far one consultant had been hired. When Ramdial was surprised at a $2 million allocation to maintain the Scarborough Financial Complex, Imbert replied,"You should visit Tobago every now and then."

Committee chairman Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George admonished MPs, "An eye for an eye is not the way."

Annisette-George was disappointed Gopeesingh did not use his 20 years of parliamentary experience to maintain order on the opposition benches.

Imbert quipped, "Twenty years of mischief inside of this place."

When Gopeesingh stopped doing calculations on the figures he was providing, Imbert said the Opposition was angry whether the figures increased, decreased or stayed the same.

"We can argue outside (of Parliament)," Gopeesingh said.

"Let's do that," Imbert replied.