Duke to THA: Apologise for 'failed' carnival

ASSEMBLYMAN Watson Duke has identified the "real winners and losers" of Tobago carnival.

In a Facebook video on Monday, Duke said THA secretaries benefited the most from the October 28-30 festival

"They were the real winners. After all, who else got free tickets, free food, free fete? They were the winners.

"When I compare what the people of Tobago had to go through, I would say they were the losers, when you look at the amount of money they had to spend to go a Burna Boy fete, some $800-$2,000 a ticket. When they go there, some have to walk in barefoot because the place muddy. They have to stand up in the rain with their umbrellas. Some still reeling from cold, fever."

Duke said the inaugural carnival was a failure as heavy rain caused a number of events to bust.

"That whole carnival thing – failure, failure, failure. Allyuh must count allyuh losses. Hang allyuh head in shame and apologise to us. Allyuh not listening. Like the foolish man who built his house in the sand, yuh build a carnival in the rain and want to make money. Everything bust."

Duke said everything was a disaster, as he noted the blackouts in several parts of the island on the night of the Burna Boy concert.

"Was it that that fete took all the electricity? Or T&TEC work especially hard to ensure that place stayed lit while Scarborough and environs was shrouded in darkness?"

He said the $17.5 million spent by the THA on the carnival was wasted.

"When we look at the amount of money spent on the carnival, the THA secretaries, they spending money like water for carnival in the rainy season."

He also criticised the $20 million contract awarded to Trinidad company California Stucco Ltd to construct the Smithsfield-Dutchfort connector roads in Scarborough. The roads were officially opened last Friday.

"Now tell me, what kinda traffic Tobago have that cannot be dissipated within a ten-20 minutes, When you see traffic bad, is somebody park up bad, some truck coming off the boat. How that road benefit when most of the carnival was not in Scarborough, but in Crown Point and elsewhere?"

He said the money could have been used to build retaining walls to help Tobagonians who had suffered damage from landslides earlier in October.

"They never attended to that. They just clean up the mess. Wipe it up and gone – carnival in the air.

"Rain came again in the carnival and some of those landslides got worse and blocked the roads."

He said the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) reported 12 roads were blocked during the carnival.

Duke also took another swipe at the controversial stage in the sea at Rockly Bay, Scarborough.

"How much people dance on that stage in the sea? How beautiful it was? Is it something that resembles the statue of Christ (Christ the Redeemer) in Brazil; the iconic figure of the Eiffel Tower; or some beautiful thing like the Statue of Liberty?

"This stage in the sea, was it a work of art that says, 'Look at what we have done, come pose by this'?"

He said the location of the stage in the sea, next to the I Love Tobago sign, was another faux pas, as it pales in comparison.

"Now carnival finished, what will it be used or? For cars to turn around? What was the speed, what was the urgency, that you didn't even get EMA clearance?"

He also criticised Augustine for posting pictures on his Facebook of soca stars Aaron "Voice" St Louis and Vincentian Skinny Fabulous.

"Them guys big in the dance. What about the little Tobagonain who looking for a little forward?"

He said the PDP's mandate was to put Tobagonians on a pedestal, and Augustine was not doing this.