Chief Sec: Continue Robinson's autonomy fight

CHIEF SECRETARY Farley Augustine is urging Tobagonians to recommit to the fight for autonomy.

He made the appeal on December 16 while delivering a statement at the 36th plenary sitting in the Assembly Legislature, Scarborough.

The sitting coincided with Robinson Day, which is observed annually to commemorate the birth of late president and prime minister ANR Robinson, who famously moved a motion in the Parliament calling for self-determination in Tobago in 1977.

An island-wide clean-up also was held to mark the occasion.

The autonomy bills – Tobago Island Government Bill 2021 and the Constitution (Self-Government) Bill 2020 – were debated in Parliament on December 9.

The former was passed by a vote of 20-10 but the Constitution (Self-Government) Bill – the main piece of legislation – failed to get the required three-fourths majority for passage.

Augustine alluded to the failure of the bill in his statement, saying, “If ANR Robinson was alive today, he probably would not be surprised that the same culprits that denied the tenets of his 1977 motion and denied the recommendations of Seemungal in 1979 and denied his ambitious constitutional proposals in 1996 are the same ones that continue to deny Tobago their human right to self-determination.”

Late MP Lionel Seemungal tabled a motion for self-government in 1979.

Augustine urged Tobagonians to recommit to Robinson’s vision for self-government and the values and actions which underpinned his leadership.

“As we stand here today on the birthday of this great son of the soil, let us renew our commitment to his vision. Let us remember that bad habits, when unchecked, become seas of chaos, but good habits, when nurtured, can transform into rivers of progress and oceans of hope.”

Currently, he observed, society was plagued with social ills – crime, violence, indiscipline.

“These issues began small, unchecked ripples, but quickly swelling to torrents that erode the very foundation of our homes, schools and communities.

“Too many of our young people have fallen through the cracks, caught in cycles of hopelessness and delinquency. Too many families are struggling to instil the values of respect, honesty and integrity that are the bedrock of a just society.

“And while schools play their part the burden must not rest there alone. Our society, each of us, must come together to pull back together from the brink, to redirect these streams and stem the tide before rivers turn into seas of despair.”

He said Robinson understood this.

“He believed that leadership begins with the people. He knew that the challenges we face are not insurmountable but demands action at every level, within our homes, our schools, our communities and our institutions.”

Augustine said Robinson envisioned a Tobago where every citizen recognised their role as a contributor to the collective good – one where “we do not sit and wait for others to act but where we rise and take responsibility for shaping the future we deserve.”

He called for a united approach to the problems confronting society.

“Let us turn our focus to our homes, where values are first taught. Let us strengthen our schools, where the next generation is shaped and let us stand together as a society united in purpose and unshaken in resolve.”

Augustine said Robinson’s legacy is a call to action.

“It is a reminder that streams of small efforts, whether in service, advocacy or in patriotism, can create rivers of change. And those rivers will join together to flow into the vast seas of transformation that uplift communities, nations and generations.”

“On this his birthday, let us honour his memory, not just with words, but with deeds. Let us commit to the work of volunteerism, the spirit of patriotism and the continued fight for autonomy and self-determination.”

He told Tobagonians they were the “stewards of his vision and the work is far from over.”

Augustine said autonomy, for Robinson, was not a privilege but a right.

“The autonomy conversation did not die with Mr Robinson. It lives on in us, the resilient people of Tobago who refuse to let that vision fail.”

Autonomy, he argued, is not just about legislative power.

“It is about empowerment, empowering Tobagonians to chart our own course and build a future that reflects our hopes, values and identity.”