[UPDATED] 'My people in Tobago need me'

FROM November 30, Watson Duke will no longer be president of the Public Services Association (PSA).

An emotional Duke made the announcement while fighting tears yesterday at his Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, office days after facing sedition charges. Although he did not say who would be replacing him come the end of November, he said he would be stepping down to focus on leading the Progressive Democratic Patriots political party, and would become a full-time representative in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

“My people in Tobago need me. I have been short-changing them,” Duke said. “I need to do more for them. I need to represent them wherever they are struggling in life.”

Duke said the laws in TT had been fashioned to benefit the elite and it was time the “peasants” had a decision on the legislation which was passed.

He said with his focused leadership of the party, the PDP, which represents two electoral districts in the THA – Parlatuvier/L’Anse Fourmi/Speyside, and Roxborough/Delaford – would contest the two parliamentary seats, Tobago East and West, in the coming general election. He said he intended to fight the government and hit them where it hurts the most – at the polls.

“I consider myself a peasant," he declared. "I have never been to Queen’s Royal College or Fatima or CIC. I am a yard man who has arisen through the ranks and has become someone. I stay true to my roots and true to my people.

"I believe that governance must take a face like one of us. One of us must actually be able to say that we are creating the legislative agenda for the people.

“That bank that they want to pull out at election time, and say, 'I control Laventille, I control Penal, I control the west,' when they pull at that bank. they must find it empty.”

He added that he also planned to contest seats in Trinidad, but did not specify which seats or who he had selected to run for them. However, he called on people who were dissatisfied with either major party, saying he would represent them if they wanted to cast a "vex vote."

"We have done our homework and we recognise those who are vexed are more than those who are happy, so we will be creating a couple seats down here with good representatives...they will be there waiting for those who want to cast a vex vote. So people who are vexed with PNM and UNC and want to cast a vote, they will have a representative under the PDP.

"I am now ready for them. I am ready for King Papa Rowley, to take him in the ring and knock him out – that’s not seditious, I meant politically in a bout. I have to explain myself every time because they will come for me again."

When asked, Duke said he would say more on the party’s intentions at its official launch in Tobago on October 6.

Duke was charged last Friday with sedition, ten months after making statements to TSTT, TTEC and WASA workers, telling them to “be prepared to die” for their beliefs.

Last Monday afternoon Duke was detained at his PSA office for questioning, and later had to be admitted to hospital, as he complained of a “bad feeling.” Doctors later ran an ECG test and determined his heart rate was “not normal.” Duke then spent the rest of last week in and out of hospital, and assisting police with their investigations.

Eventually he appeared before Port of Spain magistrate Adia Mohammed on Friday and was granted $250,000 bail, for which his brother, Eric Norman Duke, stood surety.

Yesterday, he described his health status as “good enough.”

Duke described the detention and the subsequent charge as a “pleasant” surprise and questioned the motives behind it. He said last Monday his car was intercepted by Special Branch officers, who informed him of his detention but did not produce a warrant. He also said while he was assisting police, they took his cellphone and went to his One Woodbrook Place home and confiscated all cellphones, computers and electronic devices as evidence.

“Even my child, who is nine –we bought him an iPad. There is nothing on that except for games and drawings. They took that too. They took his phone. You could imagine how that would have devastated my child.

"Every single interface device I had, they took it all. They never said to us, based on the Data Protection Act, why they were taking it and how long, where it will be kept, who will be designated to see these files.”

He said the confiscation of his devices hindered him from paying employees and disrupted his wife’s business.

He also complained of the police: "They smiled and spoke in pleasant tones but they were aggressive, so much so that my wife is now having problems sleeping in the house, so I now have to look for a new place to live. We believe the place is bugged, but we can’t check. Their pleasantries did not disarm us at all from feeling violated."

Duke said the act under which he was charged was “unconstitutional” and robbed people of their right to free speech.

“(The act) is not clear and defines by law what sedition is,” Duke said.

He said he is considering joining Sat Maharaj and Devant Maharaj in their bid to challenge the legality of the Sedition Act, but said he was discussing it with his lawyer. Sat Maharaj was charged with sedition over statements reportedly made on his Radio Jaagriti station.

The sedition charge is not the only matter for which Duke would have to face a magistrate. Duke confirmed that he now had 31 matters before the court, including disorderly conduct, indecent assault and rape.

Asked whether the charges would help or hurt his chances while embarking on a national campaign, he said:

“If I am going down the road and I am seeing a hundred people pelting at one tree, I would stop and pay attention to that tree.”

This story was originally published with the title "Duke quits PSA" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

FROM November 30, Watson Duke will no longer be president of the Public Servants’ Association.

An emotional Duke made the announcement while fighting tears minutes ago at his Abercromby Street, Port of Spain Office days after facing sedition charges. Although he did not say who would be replacing him come the end of November, he said he will be stepping down to focus on leading the Progressive Democratic Patriots, and will become a full-time representative in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

“My people in Tobago need me. I have been short-changing them,” Duke said. “I need to do more for them. I need to represent them where ever they are struggling in life.”

Duke said with his focused leadership on the party the PDP, which represents two electoral districts of the THA – Parlatuvier / L’Anse Fourmi / Speyside, and Roxborough / Delaford – will contest the two electoral seats, Tobago East and West, in the coming general election.

Duke said the laws in TT have been fashioned to benefit the elite and it was time the “peasants” had a decision on the legislation which is passed in the country.

“I consider myself a peasant. I have never been to Queen’s Royal College or Fatima or CIC. I am a yard man who has arisen through the ranks and has become someone. I stay true to my roots and true to my people. I believe that governance must take a face like one of us. One of us must actually be able to say that we are creating the legislative agenda for the people,” Duke said.

He said he intended to fight the government where it hurts the most – at the polls.

“That bank that they want to pull out at election time, and say I control Laventille, I control Penal, I control the West, when they pull at that bank they must find it empty,” Duke said.

He added that he also planned to contest seats in Trinidad, but did not specify which seats or who he has selected to represent them.

When asked, Duke said he will say more on the party’s intentions at its official launch in Tobago on October 6.