Dr Tsoiafatt Angus to chief secretary: 'Why demote Terance Baynes?'

INNOVATIVE Democratic Alliance (IDA) political leader Dr Denise Tsoiafatt Angus says she is eager to see how the demotion of former Secretary of Community Development, Youth Development and Sport Terance Baynes would “play out” in the context of the Farley Augustine-led administration’s bid for re-election in the next THA election, constitutionally due in 2025.

Augustine announced the long-awaited changes to his executive in a media release from the Office of the Chief Secretary on May 13.

Among the highlights of the reshuffle was his decision to relinquish the position of Secretary of Finance and the Economy, which he has held since December 9, 2021.

Augustine also elevated Assistant Secretary in the Division of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development Joel Sampson to the position of Secretary of Community Development, Youth Development and Sport.

Baynes was shifted to the position of Assistant Secretary in the Division of Infrastructure. He was also made Deputy THA Presiding Officer, replacing Sampson.

Baynes, interim leader of the Tobago Forwards, was selected as the Progressive Democratic Patriots' candidate for Bethel/Mt Irvine in the January 2021 THA election, which resulted in a six-six tie between the PDP and PNM.

He later won the seat in the December 6, 2021 THA election in which 15 electoral districts were contested. The PDP won 14 of the 15 seats in that election.

Baynes was also part of the THA executive that severed ties with the PDP in December 2022 after a public fallout between its leader Watson Duke and Augustine. He is a member of the Tobago People's Party, which was launched in August 2023 with Augustine as its interim leader.

Commenting on the reshuffle on the Tobago Updates morning show on May 14, Tsoiafatt Angus described it as “cloak and dagger politics.”

While she congratulated Sampson on his elevation to the position of secretary, Tsoiafatt wondered how Baynes would fare in the administration moving forward.

“I ask myself, political leader to political leader, you have now demoted the political leader of the Tobago Forwards who would have formed an alliance with you to go into office. And therefore, how is that going to play out in terms of the demotion of another political leader who would have supported you getting into office and would have taken office,” she said.

Tsoiafatt Angus said Baynes is not just her former schoolmate but a former classmate.

“I really felt it for him. It is an embarrassing situation regardless of him saying he is now the Deputy Presiding Officer. It is an embarrassing situation.”

She wondered if Baynes’ demotion was related to his feud with Tobago West MP Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis and the Black Rock Village Council over jurisdiction of the multi-purpose regional complex in the area.

If that were the case, Tsoiafatt Angus believes other secretaries, by virtue of their conduct, should also have been demoted.

She recalled a secretary once speaking disparagingly about Tobagonians over social media.

Tsoiafatt Angus also claimed another secretary had cost the administration a lot of money in legal fees in relation to several projects for which questions were raised.

“Therefore, if you had to do a demotion or if you had to move someone, why not treat with these other situations. But for whatever reason, he has chosen not to deal with them.”

On Augustine’s plan to announce and install a new finance secretary by July 1, Tsoiafatt suggested, “Maybe they are going to terminate a councillor and bring in someone of expertise, whether it is an Anslem Richards or some other expert that they find out there.”

Tsoiafatt Angus wondered why Augustine felt the need to reshuffle his administration.

“It is almost a tale of intrigue and espionage that is happening and we have to first ask ourselves, ‘why would you want a reshuffle in the first place?

“And I would think that any leader would want to reshuffle a situation where you have persons who may be the greatest form of embarrassment to the administration, persons who may not be performing in areas where you have put them and you may want to move them.”

She said at the end of the day, the secretary is ultimately responsible for a division and not the assistant secretary regardless of what they have responsibility for.