Dennis defends PM: Farley's the wicked one

PNM Tobago Council leader Ancil Dennis has took umbrage with Chief Secretary Farley Augustine for calling the Prime Minister a house slave.

Augustine made the remark on December 9 on Facebook and at a media conference as he reacted to the failure of the Constitution (Amendment) (Tobago Self-Government) Bill in the House of Representatives earlier that day.

The bill needed a special majority – three-fourths– to pass in the Lower House. This equates to support from at least 31 of the 41 MPs. However, it received only a 21-16 majority when put to vote.

Minutes before the sitting, Augustine messaged Dr Rowley and the Opposition via WhatsApp with a list of recommended amendments, saying it should be rejected in its current form.

Rowley scoffed at this approach by Augustine, saying, "This is preposterous and I will have none of it."

In a Facebook post on December 9, Augustine said, "Nothing is worse than when your relative, who is in the seat of power, is nothing but a house slave that ignores the real dreams and aspirations of those he left behind in the field in Tobago.”

He ended his post with the hashtags: #HouseSlaveMentality #WickedPM.

In a Facebook post on December 11, Dennis vehemently defended Rowley, arguing he has done much for Tobago.

On Tobago autonomy, he said, "It was Dr Keith Rowley who accepted the Autonomy Draft Bill from the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) in 2016 and sent it to the Parliament, without a single amendment."

He said Rowley's government supported the Tobago autonomy bills "that would have transformed the relationship between the THA and the Central Government and would have enhanced the quality of life of Tobagonians for generations to come."

He criticised Augustine, who he said "partnered with the UNC traitors to inflict upon us Tobagonians the worst kind of betrayal, denying his own Tobago people significant progress inclusive of an additional minimum $1.5 billion per year, while relegating us to the current context for more years to come."

He was referring to the autonomy bills, which propose Tobago receives a minimum 6.8 per cent of the national budget as opposed to the current 4.03 per cent, as recommended by the Dispute Resolution Commission in 2000.

Dennis said Rowley sought to bring a Sandals resort to Tobago and "took actions to ensure that a new hotel development is under way in Tobago that will add much needed room stock and other benefits to our tourism sector."

He said Rowley should also be given credit for the government's buying the APT James and Buccoo Reef fast ferries from Australia "and had to endure the vilification of the UNC because of that action."

Both ferries, which cost taxpayers approximately $1 billion, arrived to service the seabridge in 2021.

He said Rowley also showed interest in improving agriculture and visited several farmers on the island. He said Rowley "then committed an additional $50 million to the THA to develop lands for over 300 farmers in Tobago. That project has since been cancelled by Farley."

He said the expansion of the ANR Robinson International Airport in Crown Point was a project he deserves credit for.

The cost of the project has come under scrutiny lately, with the Opposition Leader alleging massive cost overruns. Finance Minister Colm Imbert said delays have caused the project to go beyond the budget, but said the Opposition has exaggerated the cost overruns.

The new airport is expected to be open in early 2025.

Dennis said plans for improving Tobago's water supply and building police stations and the Roxborough hospital and fire station were all done under Rowley.

He said, in contrast, the voices of officials in the THA were heard "plotting to use our scarce resources to pay...lucrative salaries to mislead and hoodwink...people by 'shaping the narrative.'”

He lashed out at the Augustine-led THA administration for betraying Tobagonians.

Noting comments by his political rivals before the THA elections, he said, "It was Farley who betrayed the trust of his own people by gifting every single large contract from the THA to external players from south Trinidad after promising to put Tobagonians first."

He claimed Tobago security firms were being sidelined in favour of their Trinidad counterparts.

He also alleged "over 2,000 job losses and the obliteration of Tobago’s once-thriving construction sector."

Dennis said Augustine is the one who has betrayed Tobagonians and destroyed its economy. "Therefore it is obvious which Tobagonian is viciously wicked to their own; it definitely ain’t Dr Rowley."