PM: Amendment to change number of THA seats soon

THE Prime Minister has said amendments to the THA (Tobago House of Assembly) Act will be drafted and debated in Parliament "in a few days."

Dr Rowley was speaking at a press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's on Wednesday afternoon.

Last Monday, there was a six-six deadlock between the PNM and the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) in the THA election. Since then, a presiding officer and chief secretary are yet to be chosen.

Rowley said this was something that "should not be allowed to fester for too long."

He said he spoke with Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi before coming to the press conference.

To lessen the chances of a deadlock, he said it will be suggested that there be 15 seats in Tobago instead of 12.

He added, "Give an authority, so in the instance of a deadlock, how that deadlock can be broken – put that authority in somebody's hands."

He added, "The longer we take to do this is the longer the current situation will remain in place."

He said some believe the executive in Tobago could "do what they want and nobody will be held accountable,"

This is not true, he said, adding that "in this kind of season, you get a lot of statements that are not rooted in fact and are quite self-serving."

He said he wants this process to be done as swiftly as possible and asked Tobagonians to be patient for a few weeks.