Tobago resident demands more say in THA

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, front right, and Deputy Chief Secretary Dr Faith BYisrael, front left, with other assemblymen. FILE PHOTO -
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, front right, and Deputy Chief Secretary Dr Faith BYisrael, front left, with other assemblymen. FILE PHOTO -

A Mason Hall resident has called on the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to implement a digital referendum system so that citizens can have more say in the governance of the island.

At present, Nicholas Braithwaite said, he does not believe democracy exists in Tobago.

“I say that because the only time that the people have an opportunity to really make an impact on governance in Tobago is on election day,” he said on Tuesday at a THA executive council district town hall meeting at the Moriah Community Centre.

“I am asking for the people to have an opportunity to have greater democracy and the only way I see we can do that is by having a digital referendum system.”

Braithwaite said the system will provide an opportunity for Tobagonians to influence the decision-making process in both Trinidad and Tobago.

“So instead of one person saying this is what I want in my community and not being taken seriously… at the end of the day, when we finish here, they are going to have a long list of items that they are not going to be able to address.”

He argued the people must decide what is priority.

“You all (THA) are our representatives. You all are not there to dictate the pace and then come back and tell us this is what you are doing. So you are selling a dream to us.You all have to take our dreams and make them a reality. And I am just asking for a digital referendum system to be set up.”

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine told Braithwaite such an initiative, commonly referred to as e-governance, was doable.

He said, “I agree with you. That will be an easy way to test how people feel about different projects and to help us set the priorities. It could be a part of that conversation.”

Augustine added people will also be able to petition the government and THA to create policies for the things they want.

“People will be able to contribute even to motions for debate in the House – all of that can be done via this e-governance platform. So it is something that we definitely can do.”

He said even without having a caucus with the Executive Council, “I can say safely that this is something that this assembly will be amenable towards doing.

Braithwaite also urged the THA to find out what was Tobago’s contribution to the national economy.

“I am asking for the Chief Secretary, who is the Secretary of Finance, to do an evaluation of Tobago’s real revenue-earning capacity and include as well our natural resources because some of us believe that Tobago should be free, separate and apart from Trinidad and we should not have a problem with that.”

He added, “All of us should come together and decide what we actually want and before we enter into an agreement with anybody from Parliament or any politician, we should be able to know what Tobago is actually worth. We do not know what Tobago is actually worth in terms of the figures annually “

Augustine agreed there must be an evaluation of Tobago’s real revenue-earning capacity and its contribution to the national economy.

Such a study, he believes, will advance the island’s long-standing call for a fair share of the national budget “as part of the whole autonomy conversation.”

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"Tobago resident demands more say in THA"

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