THA Minority -Settle down and govern

The THA Minority is calling on the executive of the Assembly to settle down and govern.

The issue was addressed by both the Minority Leader Kelvon Morris and Minority Councillor Petal Daniel-Benoit as they spoke with members of the media on Monday from their office in Scarborough.

Morris made note of the leaked audio tape said to be of two high-ranking Tobago government officials discussing the use of public funds to hire people to carry out a political propaganda campaign. He said in the audiotape, it was evident that the two were looking for ways as “to how they can use state resources to continue campaigning, to continue politicking and continue to shape narratives to make their political opponents be seen in a bad light.”

He said the time for that kind of approach needs to change as it needs to stop, and governance must begin.

“A lot of people are trying to downplay what we heard in those audio recordings. A lot of people is trying to say well this is part of the course as political institutions survive on spreading propaganda and therefore this is no big deal but6 there is a fundamental difference in what we heard and what political parties engage in.”He said from time to time political parties use various propaganda strategies and mechanisms to influence support, noting that in done only in the pool of their own personal resources.

“The challenge with what we heard on that audio recording is that a party that has been overwhelmingly elected by the people of Tobago and given the mandate to treat with the governance of the island to treat with the day to day issues – rather than sit down in a setting to treat with those issues, they were conspiring to use the very resources that should be used for those things to find a way to employ persons so that they can spread propaganda.”

In endorsing his sentiments, Daniel-Benoit said there is a time and a season for everything.

“There is a season where we get on the campaign trail, we sell ourselves and our political parties as individuals vying for positions, we indicate to you what our policies are for governance and the people decide in their view who they think is the better choice to govern.”

She said after the elections are over and the votes and the ballots are counted, the party and the people elected to lead has to get down to govern.

“They have to get down to serve the people and do right by all people not only the ones who you perceive to wear your jersey or shirt colour.”

She had this message to the administration: “You need to pick up governance, you need to implement the policies that you promised the people on the campaign trail, you need to fix all the things that you said you were going to fix – you need to govern.”

She said every single citizen should listen to the audio recording as in the recording “it is clear that this administration has not settled down to govern and is not prepared to settle down to govern.”