Duke: Prioritise Tobago referendum before autonomy bill

PROGRESSIVE Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader and electoral representative for Roxborough/ Argyle Watson Duke has written to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar asking her to consider Tobagonians' right to self-determination in accordance with international law.

This follows the May 22 passing of a motion, tabled by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine in the Assembly Legislature, calling on the government, through the Attorney General and the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, to work with the THA to expand its legislative and regulatory authority over key areas in the Fifth Schedule, and to draft the necessary legal amendments in collaboration with the THA’s legal team.

It also asks the government to review all previous versions of the Tobago autonomy bills with input from the THA, identify areas of consensus and refinement, and reintroduce the bills in Parliament at the shortest possible period. Augustine is expected to send this motion and a supporting policy paper to the Prime Minister at the earliest opportunity.

The Constitution Amendment (Tobago Self-Government) Bill 2020 came before Parliament on December 9, 2024, but it failed to acquire the three-fourths special majority needed to pass. Twenty-one MPs in the previous PNM government voted in favour while 16 Opposition MPs from the UNC voted against. The bill required the support of 31 MPs to pass.

The current government, led by the UNC, has 26 MPs in the House of Representatives, the PNM Opposition has 13 while the Tobago People's Party has two MPs.

At a press conference at the PDP’s headquarters in Scarborough on May 26, Duke said the passage of the motion in the Assembly Legislature has sparked public debate across the island, noting that the voices of Tobagonians are being bypassed in this matter of critical importance to the island’s future.

“We are of the firm view that any move towards autonomy, independence or free association must be grounded in the informed consent of the people. The rights of the people to determine their own political status is well established under international law, and it is our shared responsibility to ensure that this principle is given full expression through lawful, transparent and inclusive mechanisms.”

He recommended the development of a Tobago referendum framework grounded in constitutional and legislative reform.

“This framework should amend the Constitution to provide for the legality of referendums, be supported by a referendum act outlining how, when and by which bodies referendums can be conducted, establish an independent referendum committee tasked with public education and the oversight of any vote, free from partisan and political interference, and clearly present the people of Tobago with the three internationally recognised options for self-determination.”

This process, he said, should be accompanied by a national public response culminating in structured development of a green and a white paper all leading to a final bill for debate and adoption by Parliament.

Duke said that process would show democratic maturity, one that honours the sovereign equality of the twin island nation while recognising Tobago’s unique, historical and cultural identity.

He was supported by PDP deputy political leader Curtis Douglas and party chairman Dr Sean Nedd. Douglas said what was demonstrated at the Assembly Legislature was laziness, the inability to be inclusive, the inability to be positive and the inability to be a visionary for the people of Tobago.

“They would have voted to give the counterparts in Trinidad the privildge to decide for the people of Tobago, and that does not augur well for the people of Tobago, that doesn’t augur well with the fishing community, that doesn’t augur well for the entire community of Tobago.”

A motion like this, he said, should be scrapped immediately and the self-determination of the people of Tobago should be conducted where every individual should be educated and give their input.

“I would not stand by idly where I see the leadership and the responsibility of Tobago being handed down like a baton in a relay, from one to the next, and the runners are not Tobagonians. It is either you are part of the solution or you are the problem.”