Des Vignes: Beware 'Houdini' tricks from Minority

Leader of Assembly Business Kwesi Des Vignes has accused the Minority of trying to hoodwink Tobagonians by conjuring fantasies to promise the electorate ahead of the general elections and THA elections. .

He was contributing on Thursday to a motion moved by Minority Leader Watson Duke, calling for the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to make its own laws.

Des Vignes described the tactic employed by the Minority as "Houdini acts" which would not serve the interest of Tobagonians.

In the motion, Duke complained about the THA’s inability to make laws after 40 years of existence. Des Vignes believes the motion is designed to rob Tobagonians of “what we deserve and what we have put out there that we want."

He said, “Madam Presiding Officer (Vanessa Cutting-Thomas), some people playing smart with stupidness. This is a deliberate attempt to hoodwink the people of Tobago ahead of a couple elections.”

Des Vignes, who is the also the Secretary for Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment, accused the Duke-led Progressive Democratic Patriots of “parading all over the place taking about independence for Tobago.”

He described as piecemeal, the PDP’s approach to governance.

Des Vignes recalled the frenzy that was caused by Duke’s “swim protest” in August 2017 to highlight the problems on the sea and airbridge.

“Madam Presiding Officer, it reminds me of a story my grandmother told me that sometime ago, this man say they going to swim to Trinidad and when he dive in the water, he jump on a boat, a jet ski, and say they swim to Trinidad.”

He added: “That is not what the people want. They are trying to hoodwink the people with those types of Houdini acts that I say I am going to do this and then I actually go and do that.”

Des Vignes further accused the Minority of “living in a fantasy world chasing unicorns and leprechauns.”

DUKE: A DISGRACEFUL HOUSE

Duke described as disgraceful, the fact that the THA has not passed any laws during its 40 years of existence.

“We have not been able to make any law in Tobago nor any policy. We have not made one policy in Tobago in the last 40 years and that is disgraceful,” he declared.

He regarded the Assembly as ineffective.

“This is what this House has come to Madam Presiding Officer, a house of torture, a house of ridicule, a disgraceful house.

“We have not passed one single policy within this House of Assembly, not one policy since the establishment of the House of Assembly in 1980.”

Duke wondered sarcastically whether THA members were incapable of handling matters of such importance.

“Now, I don’t know if something is wrong with our mental faculties here that we can’t prepare a bill so it becomes a law or something is wrong with the system in which we are caught up that when the bills get to Trinidad, it does not materialise into a law. Or maybe we do not come up with the ideas regular enough so there are insufficient bills going to Trinidad and those that have gone are just simply bad.”

Alluding to Section 25 of the THA Act, Duke said the legislation addresses the powers of the assembly as it relates to items contained in schedule five, including education, sport and health.

However, the Roxborough/Delaford representative said the Assembly has not been able to pass any laws in any of these areas.

Duke said based on his recollection, the THA, under the PNM, has tried to send bills to Trinidad on two occasions, the last being the Constitutional Amendment Bill, which, he said, revisited “the push for self-government for Tobago.”

The legislation for internal self-government is currently before a Joint Select Committee of the Parliament.

Duke repeated his appeal for the THA election to be called immediately to rectify the situation “because if after 40 years they can’t pass a law, that is a disgraceful place to be.”

Directing his comments at new Chief Secretary Ancil Dennis, he added: “If you can’t do the job, give someone else the job to do because this is not a job for any child king but a man, someone who is in charge and knows his direction. Someone who will answers questions.”

Duke argued the motion will lay aside partisan politics and unite Tobago in the way the late former prime minister and president ANR Robinson had envisioned when he moved the motion for internal self-government in 1977.

“We have come today to place Tobago side by side with Trinidad. We are tired of being treated and being rated as glorified little boys and little girls in an Assembly, speaking to themselves for laughs, moving motions as if they are asking Miss for an excuse to use the restroom, but unable to conduct the business of Tobago in accordance with the wishes and desires of all Tobagonians.”

He cited Nebraska (US), Hamburg (Germany) and Hong Kong as places that have developed their own legislative systems.