Rowley: What does 'own terms' mean?

FORMER prime minister Dr Keith Rowley is asking what THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine meant by welcoming a Sandals-branded hotel but on THA terms, as central government would need to incentivise the chain.

Rowley was responding to statements by Augustine at the Tobago People’s Party (TPP) special convention at Rovanel’s Resort, Store Bay Local Road, Bon Accord, on March 23.

Augustine said Tobago didn’t have a problem with Sandals as stated by Rowley, but any discussions with the hotel should be led by the THA and not by Rowley.

Rowley said he wanted to know what the “approval on our terms the Chief Secretary is talking about” was.

“Sandals has to get its incentives from central government under existing laws. Buccoo Estate is state-owned, not THA. It is a private company that may consider doing business on private lands or in state lands in Tobago.”

Rowley also noted he had called for all parties involved in Tobago to be involved in any discussion.

“If he was listening to what I said, instead of dreaming up political mischief, he would have heard me say that I have invited Sandals to think about Tobago again and when they come back (if they do) that they meet with government, Farley, Duke and all others for whom Sandals is an economic potential to generate development in Tobago.”

The former PM said the hostility surrounding the Sandals issue could lead to the hotel chain staying away.

“All this latent hostility will do is ensure that Sandals stay away from Tobago rather than come into this hostile environment and have to be saddled with the irrational, destructive conduct of local politicians.”

Attempts to reach Augustine via phone and WhatsApp to find out under what terms the THA might be willing to accept Sandals were not successful up to press time.

The Sandals chain pulled out of Tobago in 2019 after two years of negotiation, citing negative publicity.