James: PNM wants Tobago like Laventille

ECONOMIST Dr Vanus James was back on a Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) platform on Monday campaigning against the for the Watson Duke-led party ahead of the August 10 general election. Describing the PNM as a "virus," James said Tobago would end up like Laventille and Morvant if they remain in power.

He said, "You have to put your foot down now...If you want to see the future that you are heading for as Tobago if you vote the PNM, look no further than Laventille and Morvant. They are uprising now against the PNM although their hands are in the lion's mouth. They have a crumbled, destroyed economy. Ninety per cent of the people working in Morvant and Laventille work in the government – Cepep, URP and all that sort of low productivity stuff. They all living in eternal poverty down there."

James also took umbrage to recent criticism of a group of "non-aligned politicians' who are backing the PDP for the general election. The group consists of George Stanley Beard, Pamela Nicholson, Cecil Caruth, Regis Caruth, Dr Jefferson Davidson, Max James and Carlyle Dick.

The PNM has dismissed the group as irrelevant to modern-day politics.

James said PNM Tobago West candidate Shamfa Cudjoe cannot fill the shoes left by former NAR MP Nicholson and should not criticise her.

"Tobagonians have been trying to build something different, thanks to the work of ANR Robinson, (Winston) Murray and Sister Pam...You cannot walk in the footstep of sister Pam so long you with the PNM," James said.

James said Tobago has always fought for what it wanted but the PNM was not doing so.

"The strategy PNM is working in Tobago became transparent to me on a little thought. We fought and won on the backs of Robinson and Murray, and we launched a programme to change the future of Tobago. I remember coming here in 1997 to write a plan for (former chief secretary) Hochoy Charles on how we are going to move the Tobago economy to the future."

James said Tobago was previously allocated just over one per cent of the national budget, which he described as "crumbs."

He said Tobago had to go to court through the Dispute Resolution Commission to get around four per cent.

James said the PNM has a vested interest in keeping the majority of Tobagonians employed by the THA.

"The plan of the PNM is to impoverish Tobago, get everybody working for the government and force you into the dirty, racist politics that they practising in Trinidad. That is why PNM is walking around Tobago with this false myth that the PDP is part of (UNC political leader) Kamla's regime."

James said self governance was important to Tobagonians and PNM's Tobago candidates, Ayanna Webster-Roy and Shamfa Cudjoe, were unable to have that conversation with the Prime Minister.

James said Duke (Tobago (East) and Tashia Grace Burris (Tobago West) will "disrupt Parliament" if the Government is not serious about Tobago internal self governance.