Webster-Roy: Government looking after Tobago, children

TOBAGO East MP Ayanna Webster-Roy has defended the allocation in the 2024/2025 budget for Tobago.

Webster-Roy, who is also Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for gender and child affairs, rejected claims from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar that government is not interested in protecting children.

She made these statements during her contribution to the budget debate in House of Representatives on October 4.

In his budget presentation in the House on September 30, Finance Minister Colm Imbert announced an allocation of $2.599 billion for Tobago.

This included $2.376 billion for recurrent expenditure, $205 million is for development programme expenditure, $18 million for the URP (Unemployment Relief Programme ) and $9.2 million for CEPEP.

In response to the budget, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) described it as "fiscal wickedness" by government towards Tobago.

Webster-Roy defended the allocation to Tobago.

"In Tobago, there is a common belief that the funds allocated to the ministries and central government agencies don't really benefit Tobago. Let me tell you, that is simply not true."

Webster-Roy said the $2.599 billion figure "does not include an additional $678.5 million that has been allocated to various ministries, state agencies to execute major projects in Tobago."

She agreed with Imbert's statement that government has given the current THA administration more resources than any of its predecessors.

Webster-Roy said she and Tobago West MP Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis continue to advocate in Cabinet for benefits for Tobago.

She added that Tobago has seen improvements in its social and physical infrastructure under the PNM over the last nine years.

"Tobagonians can count on the support of all PNM MPs. Can Tobago count on the PDP, TPP (led by Augustine) and their friends in the UNC? I doubt they can."

Webster-Roy called on the TPP-led THA to demonstrate care for Tobagonians "calling on their friends in the UNC to support the two Tobago autonomy bills (that are currently before Parliament).

In August, the Prime Minister identified passing legislation to grant greater autonomy for Tobago as one of the PNM's objectives as it enters its final year in office. The next general election is constitutionally due in 2025.

Webster-Roy disagreed with Persad-Bissessar's claim in her earlier contribution that the PNM did not care about children.

She recalled that when she entered government in 2015 she "met a struggling child care protection system."

Government, Webster-Roy continued, has been working to improve the operations of the Children's Authority over time.

She said the authority was not a place where people could go to find an easy job.

"If your interest isn't about the best interest of the children of TT, I don't want you. Don't even apply."

Webster Roy said the OPM's gender and child affairs division has also been working with constituency offices to train staff to recognise situations where children could be at risk and how to handle them.

She thanked UNC MPs Rushton Paray, Dr Rai Ragbir and Anita Haynes-Alleyne for setting aside politics and working with the division.

"Child protection is everyone's business."

Paray, Ragbir and Haynes-Alleyne are three of a group of five UNC MPs who have publicly questioned the ability of Persad-Bissessar to lead the party to victory in the next election.

The other two MPs are Dinesh Rambally and Rodney Charles.