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MINORITY Leader of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Kelvon Morris will on Thursday move a Private Motion on the “betrayal” of Tobago by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine. In a statement Monday, Morris also warned against “distraction” during Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s official visit to Tobago this week, while warning that the Government must not use the issue of autonomy to “cloud the election”. He claimed the “truth” will be out tomorrow, when he moves a Private Motion exposing what he calls “Farley Augustine’s betrayal of Tobago”. Morris said to expect distraction during the PM’s visit to Tobago on Tuesday, with what he describes as “grand announcements and empty promises”. “On Tuesday, the Prime Minister will come to talk autonomy. On Thursday, I will come to talk accountability,” the People’s National Movement (PNM) Minority Leader said. “Tobago must not allow its future to be clouded by political theatre.” The Minority Leader said his Private Motion, which will debated in a special sitting of the Assembly, will “expose how the Farley Augustine-led administration blocked Tobago from receiving the 6.8% budgetary allocation due under the proposed Tobago Island Government Bill costing the island over four billion dollars since 2021”. “Four billion dollars that could have repaired roads, built homes, and created jobs—lost because of one man’s political gamesmanship,” Morris stated. He added that “when you can’t get a home-improvement grant or a small business loan, blame Farley”. “When your child can’t get financial assistance for school, blame Farley. When our roads crumble, blame Farley. When contractors release workers, blame Farley, and when our businesses shut down, blame Farley,” Morris said. He also said that any attempt by the Prime Minister to re-enter the Tobago autonomy debate during the THA election period would be ‘”irresponsible and disingenuous”. He went on to recall remarks by THA deputy leader Dr Faith Brebnor, who once stated that no discussion on Tobago’s autonomy should take place near an election. Morris said Brebnor stated that autonomy is too sacred to be weaponised for votes, and that it requires sober, bipartisan dialogue—not campaign gimmicks. Morris added that “Tobagonians are still waiting for answers on why the ANR Robinson International Airport remains unopened and why Tobago’s tourism is stagnant while islands like St Vincent attract billions in new investment”. PM hypocrisy on CEPEP, URP He criticised Persad-Bissessar for “hypocrisy” over the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP). Morris noted that the PM had recently branded the programmes as “modern-day slavery”. “If CEPEP is modern-day slavery in Trinidad, what makes it any different in Tobago?” he asked. The Central Government has announced that CEPEP and URP have been discontinued in Trinidad but Augustine said in August the programmes would continue in Tobago. Last week during a post-Executive council news conference THA Finance Secretary Petal-Ann Roberts announced that the Assembly is investing $27.2 million in CEPEP and URP. In his statement, Morris said Thursday’s motion will “urge the House to reaffirm a Tobago First approach — one that prioritises local contractors, empowers youth, and restores transparency in governance”. “This week will show the difference between performance and principle,” he stated, adding: “The Prime Minister may come with fanfare, but on Thursday the people will hear the facts. Tobago deserves truth, not theatre.”
