PM: Chief Sec will give Tobago input at cabinet meetings

PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine will be allowed to have an input on matters relating to Tobago before cabinet makes a decision on those matters.

She made this comment at a post-cabinet news conference at the Red House, Port of Spain on May 29.

"Whenever major Tobago issues are being discussed at cabinet, the Chief Secretary will be invited to attend (the cabinet meeting) to have his input before decision are taken."

Persad-Bissessar said Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj has been assigned to "handle all legislative matters to be worked out with the THA."

Persad-Bissessar and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) Barry Padarath met with Augustine and leader of Assembly business Zorisha Hackett in Tobago on May 28 to discuss matters of interest to government and the THA.

She hinted at the possibility of the UNC bringing a new Tobago autonomy bill to Parliament after consultation it had on this proposed legislation.

Persad-Bissessar repeated there is "low-hanging fruit" which government and the THA could work on in the interim with respect to Tobago.

On May 22 Augustine tabled a motion in the THA calling on the government, through the Attorney General and the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, to work with the Assembly 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.

The motion was passed on the same day.

The motion also asked government to review all previous versions of the Tobago autonomy bills with input from the assembly, 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 Persad-Bissessar at the earliest opportunity.

Speaking on the motion at a media conference on May 26, Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke said it had sparked public debate across Tobago.

In a Newsday report, Duke claimed the voices of Tobagonians were being bypassed in the matter.

“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," he said.

"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.”

Duke, among other things, recommended the development of a Tobago referendum framework grounded in constitutional and legislative reform.

He said he had written to the Prime Minister asking her to consider Tobagonians’ right to self-determination in accordance with international law.

On May 29, Persad-Bissessar was asked if she had received communication from Duke on the issue.

She said, "If I were to be brutally honest, Watson Duke did send me congratulations and every good word, he also asked me for a job. I'll be honest, I did get it, and we certainly are considering it."

The Constitution Amendment (Tobago Self-Government) Bill 2020 came before the House of Representatives on December 9, 2024, but it failed to acquire the three-fourths special majority (31 votes) needed to pass.

At that time, 21 then PNM government MPs voted in favour while 16 then UNC opposition MPs against the bill.

The new UNC government has 26 MPs in the House while the opposition PNM has 13.

Even with the support of the two Tobago People's Party (TPP) MPs, the UNC will need the PNM's support to pass the bill.