Rowley wary of mashing Tobago corn

THE Prime Minister is always wary of "mashing any corn in Tobago."

Dr Rowley made the statement on Saturday at a news conference in Scarborough. He was responding to a question about the opening and closing of the controversial Tobago Correctional Facility at Montessori Drive, Glen Road, Scarborough.

Residents had protested vehemently against the opening of the jail, arguing there was no public consultation before a decision was made. Chief Secretary Ancil Dennis subsequently apologised to residents but said section five of the Prisons Service Act gives the Attorney General the authority to designate and identify a building as a district prison.

However, Dennis acknowledged, “I must say, the process could have been better. My information is there was not enough consultation, if any at all, with persons residing in the community."

After a Zoom meeting with residents on Thursday, Dennis requested the prison to be closed.

Rowley said in Parliament on Friday that the prison was meant to house covid19-positive prisoners in Tobago. He said it was always meant to be temporary to deal with the covid19 outbreak in Tobago prisons.

Prisons Commissioner Dennis Pulchan had toured the facility on November 6 saying, "It is our intention to move the inmates to this facility so that we can use the existing Scarborough prison as a quarantine facility, so that we can have inmates come to the facility, do a screening of 14 days and, provided they have no flu-like symptoms, then we transfer them to this facility to serve the remainder of their sentence."

There were also claims that the area representative was unaware of the decision about the prison.

Rowley sought to clear up the misunderstanding on Saturday.

He said, "That was a situation where there was some communication complications. There will always be situations where Central Government and the THA authority (cross wires), especially when the communication is not clear. However, it was an emergency requiring a temporary decision and a decision was taken that this temporary thing be developed."

Rowley said Central Government and the THA will continue to work together.

"There is no wall between THA and Central Government. Tobago business will always require communication with Central Government and vice versa."

He said he remains cognisant of the boundaries as the THA has reminded him of them in the past.

"Sometimes the public servants who do these things may, at times, be overwhelmed by the urgency, and not be like in my case. As Prime Minister I am very circumspect to not mash any corn in Tobago. Because I know the THA, and the first thing they will say, the first thing they'll do is look for somebody to blame. And the second thing is to put me in my place and say, 'We have our autonomy.' I experienced that so I know that everything I do always has to be done in the context of what Tobago's position is, if the matter is in Tobago. Unfortunately, not all public servants are sufficiently enamoured with that fear but all's well that ends well."