Duke: THA running illegally without chief administrator

PROGRESSIVE Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke believes the THA is “running illegally” without a chief administrator.

At a sod-turning ceremony last Friday for the $300 million Synergy Water Park at Friendship Estate, Deputy Chief Secretary Dr Faith BYisrael apologised for the absence of Chief Secretary Farley Augustine. She told the audience the latter had been “trying to deal with several emergencies that have come as a result of the THA being without a chief administrator for almost one month.”

The THA has had no chief administrator since Ethlyn John retired on May 17.

On the Tobago Updates morning show on Monday, BYisrael said she was unclear what was the keepback in appointing a new chief administrator and wondered if the absence of the assembly’s most senior public servant was not “an ambush….what seems to be a larger plot to destabilise the current THA.”

At a news conference later that day, the Prime Minister said the THA administration is to blame for the absence of a chief administrator.

Dr Rowley said the assembly ruled out the next candidate before he was even able to see the recommendation made by the Public Service Commission. He said he is waiting for the commission to send him its recommendation of the next qualified public servant in line, as the selection process had to be restarted as his office was informed the first nominee was facing suspension over misconduct allegations.

But at a news conference on Tuesday at the PDP’s headquarters, Port Mall, Scarborough, Duke said the Farley Augustine-led administration cannot refer to any law to justify running the affairs of the THA without a sitting chief administrator.

“Clearly, Tobago is running illegally right now and I am not sure what law they will use to substitute the administration of the place without the administrator,” he said.

“The chief administrator is an item within the Constitution. The Constitution of the Republic of TT speaks of a chief administrator being part of the THA. That is legal thing.

"So right now the assembly is running illegally.”

Duke, the assemblyman for Roxborough/Argyle, said Augustine and former chief secretary Hochoy Charles should have spoken on the issue already.

He said, “I was expecting our scholars to talk on that. I was expecting the big chief, the old chief, to talk about that. But they seem to be silent too. Whatever Farley is eating, he is apparently giving him to eat. So both of them are silent. They love to talk, both of them. The old chief and the baby chief.

“But all of a sudden Tobago is running illegally and both of them are silent. I say, ‘Hochoy Charles, where are you today? Farley Augustine, where are you today? Tobago is operating illegally outside of the Constitution, without a chief administrator.”

Turning his attention to BYisrael, Duke said she should review her credentials.

“When someone so wise speaks so foolishly, one has to question whether they are senile or reading their book upside down.”

THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris has called on Augustine to release the findings of the audit report into the road resurfacing programme of the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and the Environment under the former PNM THA administration, which led to the suspension of the most senior public officer in Tobago, who was in line to become chief administrator.