Economist: Don't debate Tobago governance bill in Trinidad

Economist Anslem Richards believes the Tobago Island Administration Bill being reviewed by the Joint Select Committee (JSC) before its debate in Parliament, defeats the purpose of Tobago autonomy. He believes solely Tobago should debate and shape the bill before making it law.

Richards said the Tobago Self-Government Bill and the Tobago Island Administration Bill are designed to "frustrate" the island’s decades-long fight for self-government.

The bills are meant to give the island greater autonomy in managing its affairs.

The Joint Select Committee (JSC), which reviewed both pieces of legislation, recently held three public consultations to gauge feedback, two in Tobago and one in Trinidad.

In an interview with Newsday on Thursday, Richards said the bills must be rejected.

“Those could only be described as two deliberately concocted pieces of legislation designed with the intention to frustrate Tobagonians and Tobago’s effort towards self-government, with the sole objective of kicking the issue down the road for another four or five years. There is no other way to describe those bills,” he said.

Richards also argued that the Tobago Island Administration Bill 2021 should not be the domain of the Parliament or Central Government.

“That is legislation that needs to be developed by Tobagonians in their effort to create a new democracy and a new system of governance that is appropriate for our time, our people, our history and future.”

He added: “If we allow Parliament to pass this legislation, there is no opportunity for the Tobago legislature to shift and change the structure and form of Government when there is a need to do so.”

Richards used the six-six deadlock in the THA as an example.

“We cannot change the construct of our government. We have to defer to Parliament because the legislation is passed in the Parliament.

“That is what they want to do with the Island Administration Bill, which doesn’t make any sense in the context of internal self-government.”

Richards insisted Tobago must be given law-making powers.

“Give us our constitutional authority, our law-making powers and we will develop our Tobago Island Government (Administration) Bill alongside our Tobago Bill of Rights.”

He said this is not a matter for the JSC, Cabinet or Parliament.

“It is a matter for Tobagonians, their elected representatives and their legislators. We can’t accept that.”

He added, "It is clear that is the strategy of the Government and it is being facilitated by the Prime Minister and our two Tobago representatives (Shamfa Cudjoe and Ayanna Webster-Roy), which even makes this situation obscene.”

Referring to the bills, Richards noted that after some 45 years of struggle for internal self-government, Tobagonians will not have any jurisdiction over any portion of the territorial sea of TT.

“They have reversed all of the progress that we have made by telling Tobagonians that we cannot administrate any portion of the territorial sea of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Saying Tobago has been administrating six nautical miles for the past 25 years without any issue, Richards noted: “There has been no significant change in international relations as it relates to the international law of the sea. There have been no changes in terms of our Territorial Sea Act and our exclusive economic zone legislation.”