Jamal confirms Ghany report includes THA report

Communcation Minister Jamal Mohammed. "It was promised to the people of Tobago...and we are delivering now at this time for and on behalf of the people of Tobago."

Communications Minister Jamal Mohammed confirmed on Thursday that the Tobago constitutional committee headed by Dr Hamid Ghany considered submissions sent to the committee by THA Chief Secretary Orville London.

And he also stated that because of time constraints it is not possible for the self government bill to become law before the January 21, 2013 Tobago House of Assembly election.

The bill will go to Parliament on Monday and debate is scheduled to begin on January 16, five days before the election. Assuming that the bill gets through its stages in the Lower House in two days, the earliest that it could reach the Senate would AFTER the election.

The bill requires a two-thirds majority in both houses, which means it can pass without the support of the opposition in the House of Representatives and in the Senate with the support of six of the nine independent senators.

Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley says debating the bill at this time is "vulgar and insulting". However Mohammed brushed that aside when reporters asked about it, noting that the government is keeping its mainfesto promise to give Tobago a better deal.

"It is what the people deserve," he said. "It was promised to the people of Tobago by Mr (Ashworth) Jack, and we are delivering now at this time for and on behalf of the people of Tobago."

Mohammed also refuted London's claim that the people of Tobago were not was consulted on the bill.

"We have documents today in the Cabinet where the committee, headed by Prof Hamid Ghany, they received recommendations and a report from the Tobago House of Assembly, and Dr Ghany mentioned in the report that he considered all of these recommendations from the THA in coming up with his final report, which was represented to the Cabinet and from which the Bill was produced,'' the minister said.

He said London made recommendations that were considered by Ghany and members of his committee. "All of it is found in the report and the subsequent Bill that will be laid in Parliament on Monday," Mohammed said.