THA adviser calls joint select committee's criticisms an 'ambush'

Parliament's joint select committee looking into the Tobago House of Assembly ambushed officials in its questions on the management of the island's tourism during a meeting last Wednesday, THA adviser Anselm Richards said on Friday.

“You can’t call me to ask me about corn and question me about cucumbers. It just not fair, that is an ambush,” Richards said on the Tobago Updates morning show.

He was responding to committee's members criticisms about the lack of information provided by THA officials. The THA was asked to account for matters relating to tourism including some of the festivals on the island through the Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation, as well as the post-covid19 recovery strategy through the Division of Finance, Trade and the Economy.

Government Senator Laurence Hislop, who sits on the JSC, also speaking on the Tobago Updates said members were disappointed by THA officials' answers.

It was revealed that an estimated $0.7 million loss was incurred on Tobago's October Carnival and April's Jazz Experience. However, many of the follow-up questions had to be deferred as in responding members of the THA team noted that they did not have the answers readily available, and they would be provided via writing.

Hislop said three members – the chairman Varma Deyalsingh, Lisa Morris-Julian along with himself expressed their disappointment in the basic information about arrival numbers.

“That is what we were disappointed in.”

Hislop said the division was not prepared for the JSC.

“It’s not that we’re contradicting ourselves in stating that you can provide the information at a later date, but usually when that is allowed or when that is requested is when it is detailed information about a specific issue. The detailed information may not be available at the point in time to the technocrat or the official of the ministry and so the official says we would like to provide that in writing. But what we’re saying, you’re the Division of Tourism your clients are visitors to the island – Tobago is the product and so a basic thing as how many people came to your island between a particular period of time is something that you should have, if not on your fingertip but in a document. You’re coming before a joint select committee and you are to expect wide ranging questions about the entity that you represent.”

He questioned why people were offended by the way the JSC was doing its job, noting that this is the responsibility of the committee.

In response, Richards, the technical adviser at the Division of Finance, Trade and the Economy, said the disappointment should have been withdrawn when the actual information was provided.

“The information was available – you gave us a body of questions and you ask us to provide written submissions, we complied with that. You had a whole host of adjacent questions that you came up with. Some of them were not even in alignment with what you asked and when the witness said we don’t have the information readily available, we are going to submit in writing then the big face of disappointment is presented in the public space to give the calculated impression that the THA don’t know what its doing and the Joint Select Committee is so disappointed.”

He said they must be fair.