Duke: Farley-led THA sound like 'crybabies'

TOBAGO'S allocation in the 2024/2025 budget presentation by Finance Minister Colm Imbert has come as no surprise to political leader of the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) and THA assemblyman for Roxborough/Argyle Watson Duke.

During his presentation in the Red House, Port of Spain on September 30, Imbert said the THA will receive an allocation of $2.599 billion to manage its affairs over the next year. This, he said, represents 4.35 per cent of the national budget.

At a PDP media conference in Scarborough on October 1, Duke said, contrary to many naysayers, he believes it is a "good" budget.

He said the theme, Steadfast and Resolute – Forging Pathways to Prosperity, was powerful.

Duke, the former Deputy Chief Secretary, said he listened to the budget response by the THA executive, led by Farley Augustine, whom he said came across as “crybabies.”

Duke said, “Tobago did not vote for any cry-crybabies. How dare you come in front the cameras and cry, 'Not enough money.'

"Well, come on, you’ve had $7.5 billion given to you by the Trinidad government and Tobago has seen nothing – nothing. So how dare you come and cry...We don’t want to hear that from you.”

He added: “$7.5 billion is a lot of money and all we saw are a few ten-day jobs, a few people were hired in health, but there was no real growth of the Tobago economy.

"There was no development from a cultural perspective or a social perspective either for Tobagonians. So don’t come to us and cry looking for sympathy, we are not buying in to that stupid fight you want to bring.

He said the theme clearly depicts the current central government.

“If you know anything about that political party that the finance minister represents, they are steadfast and they are resolute. Some people don’t understand how that party operates – the leaders of that party – they do not change. So the honourable Keith Rowley and the honourable Stuart Young, they are the same, it does not matter, they are the same and they would always be the same because their handlers are the same – steadfast and resolute.

"Not only are they steadfast and resolute but they have trained their sycophants, who are sick on them, to also be steadfast and resolute.”

He explained why he felt it was a good budget.

“They came plain face without any mask. They showed us in Tobago and in Trinidad who they are; they said they are steadfast and resolute, take it or leave it, this is who we are.”

He said, “The little jokers we have in the THA, all they’re looking at is to 'dan-dan' up themselves. Every time they come in front of the cameras, they feel it’s a modelling show; look nice, like everything nice – failures.

"They don’t even understand the attack we have gotten from that budget, that budget has put a very strong hold on Tobago and say: take that, you can't get more."

He said the only way Tobago can get a larger slice of the national budget is by voting the PDP into office. He believes he is the ideal candidate for change.

“You need to have a man down there that understands Trinidad, that understands the language. You need to put me in Trinidad with these son of a gun. You need to put me down there to deal with them and I tell you – they can’t give me no 4.03 per cent for my people in Tobago, they can’t give me that.”