PNM not supporting Tobago self government bill

Keith Rowley in the HOR Wednesday

Keith Rowley called the proposed Tobago Self government legislation a "Trojan horse" that the People's Partnership government has thrust on Tobago as an election gimmick aimed at fooling the people of the island.

And the leader of the opposition said he won't support the bill because it would make Tobago worse off than it is today. He said although the change proposed would allow the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) to pass laws those laws would be of no effect if they are inconsistent with a law made by Parliament.

Rowley said the concurrent list in the legislation would give Port of Spain more rights and responsibilities than it currently has in Tobago.

He also said the government has treated the THA with contempt by acquiring State lands for a university when that is the responsibility of the THA. 

He also took objection to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar "calling my 'Tobagoness' into question, as if she could". He accused her of seeking to revise history by saying the THA had not looked at self-government. 

Rowley said that is not so and pointed out that the PNM was engaged in consultation on the issue of more powers for Tobago long before the People's Partnership government took office.Rowley said there should be national public involvement—the Opposition, Government and THA should work together—and the public should know what is being done on their behalf.

"When the bill has passed through all of that, public comment and all, we will come to the Parliament with a bill that has been so rigorously reviewed and... then we can debate a bill that we supporting and then we can go to committee, finalise it and give Tobago once and for all the self-government that it needs," Rowley said.