Alexander, Elder talk Tobago matters

HOMELAND Security Minister Roger Alexander and Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities Clyde Elder appeared to advance certain Tobago matters in the Senate on November 14, ahead of the upcoming Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election.

The sitting also saw the appointment of former THA minority leader Ashworth Jack as a temporary government senator. Jack is the former leader of the defunct Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), one of the parties which formed the then UNC-led People's Partnership (PP) coalition government of 2010-2015.

In response to a question from Opposition Senator Melanie Roberts-Radgman about fatal shootings in Tobago in April and May, Alexander said police are given timelines in which to complete investigations into such matters.

He added the process involves "timely and transparent reporting, use of forensic technical tools, communication with the public and training of investigators."

Alexander said the use of body-worn cameras by police also helps to provide information to assist investigations into alleged police fatal shootings.

He added investigations by the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), use of force policies (by the police) and legal frameworks and reviews by the National Security Council (NSC) also feature in the determination of these matters. The NSC is chaired by the Prime Minister.

Later in the sitting, Elder responded to questions from Roberts-Radgman about low water supplies in Tobago in September and October.

He attributed part of this problem to a lack of funding and neglect which happened in Tobago under the former PNM administration over the last decade. Elder, a former trade unionist, assured, "We will fix it."

The THA was dissolved on November 12. The election is expected to be held between January 12 and February 12.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar addressed a sitting of the assembly before its dissolution and promised Tobago would benefit from several initiatives.

There is no formal political coalition between the UNC and the Tobago People's Party (TPP) but the latter's two MPs occupy seats on the backbench next to government MPs in the House of Representatives.

Normally, government MPs alone occupy benches on one side of the parliament chamber while opposition and any other party's MPs occupy benches on the opposite side.

The TPP held 13 of the 15 seats in the assembly before its dissolution. The remaining two seats were held by the PNM and Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP). TPP leader and THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine was a former PDP member.