PDP: A time for change in Tobago

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With just over two weeks to go before the January 25 Tobago House of Assembly elections, the Progressive Democratic Patriots(PDP) is advising Tobagonians if they do not break the Tobago Council of the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) 20-year reign, the island will be in a worse position.

Speaker after speaker at the opening of the PDP’s Bethel office on January 9, said Tobagonians can register their displeasure at the polls by voting for change.

One of the PDP’s deputy political leaders and candidate for Speyside/L’Anse Fourmi/ Parlatuvier Farley Augustine, who spoke at the meeting, told supporters the PNM is taking Tobagonians for granted.

” Twenty years they tell we about bus terminus. Twenty now they telling us about public transportation…they telling us about building homes for the poor. Twenty years now, they telling us about making lands available to our young people for farming…after twenty years, they coming and presenting that in the manifesto. If they ent fix it in 20 years, they nah go fix it in the next four years,” Farley said.

The Island Council launched its manifesto on January 7. It covered the period 2021-2025.

Saying Bethel is an example of the “PNM’s neglect for the past 20 years,” Augustine said many persons have been complaining about a lack of representation by their councilman. The PNM’s incumbent representative and candidate for the area is Shomari Hector.

” I am hearing about complaints from people in the streets about the lack of representation…Good representatives don’t just knock on doors at election time…Good representatives does tell you when they can or can’t help you. They don’t tell you they can and then ignore your calls for four years…PDP is good with representation. Dr Faith (B. Yisrael ) represented as though she is the area representative,” he said.

Yisrael lost the Goodwood/Belle Garden West seat to the PNM, by 5 votes, in the THA’s 2017 elections.

This time around Terance Baynes- leader of the Tobago Forwards(TF), is the PDP’s candidate for the electoral district.