Dennis: 'King crab' Farley manufacturing outrage

PEOPLE’S National Movement (PNM) Tobago Council political leader Ancil Dennis has accused Chief Secretary Farley Augustine of "manufacturing outrage" after his criticism of former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley's statement that Tobagonians were "behaving like 60,000 crabs in a barrel.”

Speaking at the Tobago People's Party (TPP) special convention on March 23 at Rovanel’s Resort, Store Bay Local Road, Bon Accord, Augustine addressed Rowley's comment.

He told the partisan gathering, "I am not sure you are aware, but I was born on July 1, and though I am not a believer in horoscopes, I am a Cancer, and that means I am the crab (the symbol of that sign) with the biggest 'gundy' (claw)."

His comment drew a raucous response from supporters.

On March 15, as he wound up his address at the practical completion of the new terminal at the ANR Robinson International Airport, Rowley said he was tired of the THA’s attempts to thwart progress on the island.

He said, “For God’s sake, can’t we all just get along? Ah fed up of the ‘rah rah.’ Ah fed up of the ‘yah yah.’ Sixty-thousand people and you behaving like 60,000 crabs in a barrel.”

On his Facebook page on March 24, Dennis said Tobago has always been a place of resilience, unity, and self-reliance, noting that more recently under Augustine’s leadership, it has become a place where one man thrives by dragging his own people down.

“He has crowned himself Tobago’s king crab with the biggest ‘gundy’, clawing his way to the top by pulling down his fellow Tobagonians, stripping us of opportunities, and selling us out to his new masters in Trinidad.”

He said Augustine has betrayed Tobago.

"Taking away contracts, jobs, and opportunities from Tobagonians – contractors, farmers, creatives – and handing them over to UNC financiers from Trinidad, brave and bold-faced right in our faces. Tobago’s contractors are being blacklisted and bypassed, while central and south Trinidadian businesses secure lucrative THA contracts and hefty payments even for unfinished projects, while Tobagonians await payments for projects completed since 2020.”

He claimed farmers are not being prioritised and food imports from Trinidad are increasing.

The creatives, he said, who bring life and culture to our economy, are being ignored, while outsiders reap the benefits of Tobago’s creative sector, especially the October carnival.

“Farley talks about Tobago’s autonomy, but what kind of leader robs his own people of economic opportunities only to enrich newfound Trinidadian friends?

"What kind of leader cripples Tobago’s private sector and economy while masquerading as a champion for self-governance? This isn’t leadership; this is sabotage and sell-out. He has abandoned the people who put him in power, choosing instead to curry favour with the UNC, the same party that never had Tobago’s best interest at heart.”

Augustine, he said, was quite comfortable publicly disrespecting Rowley, his fellow Tobagonian and Bishopian, by calling him a "house slave" while "clinging to the frock tail of the most irresponsible and divisive politician in this country, Kamla Persad-Bissessar from Siparia."

He added, “Plenty love for stranger, but pure hatred for his own. This is the king crab in full effect; clawing and crushing anyone including his own, who dares stand in the way of his personal ambition to sell us out. Meanwhile, his minions and enablers in an act of sheer desperation and shameless hypocrisy, are trying to manufacture outrage over Dr Rowley’s statement on Tobagonians and the crabs-in-a-barrel mentality.”

Dennis said Rowley was pointing out the destructive habit of pulling each other down instead of lifting each other up. He said the attempt to spin Rowley’s words was the TPP trying to distract from its own failures.

“Tobago’s real problem isn’t Dr Rowley’s statement, it’s Farley Augustine’s actions. Tobago is watching, and Tobagonians will not be fooled this time around. The biggest crab is the king crab at the helm of the THA right now – having climbed (his former PDP leader) Watson Duke’s back to get there – dragging Tobago and Tobagonians down with every move he makes.”