[UPDATED] Duke hits plan to name $70m road after late parliamentarian – ‘Don’t sully Winston Murray’s legacy’

PROGRESSIVE Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke says the $70 million Friendship Connector Road in Canaan, Tobago, should not be named after late parliamentarian and educator Dr Winston Murray.

In his budget presentation on June 24, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said the road, when completed, will be named after Murray, a Tobago West MP who fought for the island’s self-governance and played a key role in setting up the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). He died on January 1, 2017, in Virginia, US, at 83.

But Duke said, “The road that they are building in the west is a waste, and if I was Dr Winston Murray children, I would say, ‘Take his name off of that nasty road.’

“That is pure wastage of Tobagonians’ money.”

He spoke on June 25 at a news conference at the PDP’s headquarters, Port Mall, Scarborough.

Duke alleged, “All of that money is going back to Trinidad contractors. Seventy million dollars goes back to the banks in Trinidad to develop somebody’s neighbourhood.

“Why couldn’t we spend that money here among our own local contractors? We have plenty backhoes here, plenty excavators here. Works accustomed building roads here.

“But they send the money to Trinidad and they are coming to call that Dr Winston Murray Bypass Road.

“Why not find something more beautiful in the eyes of Tobagonians, as if they are trying to cover their political sores by using his good name. Don’t use the man’s name for that folly.

“Why didn’t you take a more dignified Tobago project and rename it? Do that.”

Duke said Augustine and his team have a lot of potential.

The theme of the $3.95 billion budget package was Unlocking Tobago’s Development Potential.

On February 28, 2024, High Court judge Justice Eleanor Donaldson-Honeywell granted an injunction to stop the construction of part of the road after lawyers representing Derek Hearn of Friendship Estate argued that construction had damaged his property and had begun without the necessary approvals.

Hearn’s property has an organic farm, a stable, beehives, an old wooden house, a well, and two mills. His attorney argued that his rights as the owner of Mill House 2 were violated because the project infringed on his property and caused unjust destruction.

But on March 19, Donaldson-Honeywell lifted the injunction by consent on the grounds that the THA would refrain from taking possession, trespassing on or doing construction work on the land identified as belonging to Hearn, which includes Mill House 1 and 2 and other structures until the substantive matter is heard and determined by the court.

The Friendship Connector Road is expected to be a 2.7km dual-lane road.

Construction began in May 2023 without the necessary Environmental Management Authority or certificate of environmental clearance approvals. The latter was granted to the Infrastructure Division in September 2023, but with specific stipulations, which the Hearns argued the THA failed to meet.

This story was originally published with the title Duke: Don't link 'nasty' $70m road with Winston Murray's legacy and has been updated to include additional details. See original post below.

PROGRESSIVE Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke says the $70 million Friendship Connector Road in Canaan, Tobago, should not be named after late parliamentarian and educator Dr Winston Murray.

In his budget presentation on June 24, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said the road, when completed, will be named after Murray, a Tobago West MP who fought for the island’s self-governance and played a key role in setting up the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

But Duke said, “The road that they are building in the west is a waste, and if I was Dr Winston Murray children, I would say, 'Take his name off of that nasty road.'

"That is pure wastage of Tobagonians’ money.”

He spoke on June 25 at a news conference at the PDP’s headquarters, Port Mall, Scarborough.

Duke alleged, “All of that money is going back to Trinidad contractors. Seventy million dollars goes back to the banks in Trinidad to develop somebody’s neighbourhood.

"Why couldn’t we spend that money here among our own local contractors? We have plenty backhoes here, plenty excavators here. Works accustomed building roads here.

“But they send the money to Trinidad and they are coming to call that Dr Winston Murray Bypass Road.

"Why not find something more beautiful in the eyes of Tobagonians, as if they are trying to cover their political sores by using his good name. Don’t use the man’s name for that folly.

"Why didn’t you take a more dignified Tobago project and rename it? Do that.”