Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: The best insight, instant feedback, accountability.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: The all new talk radio freedom 106.5 and we welcome to our program gentlemen. We haven't spoken to in in quite a bit. And co leader of the pdp Watson Duke. Good morning to you. Welcome back to our program.
[00:00:17] Speaker A: Good morning my dear friend. How are you and how are the viewers?
[00:00:21] Speaker B: Fine.
[00:00:22] Speaker A: Great radio station.
[00:00:23] Speaker B: Nice to have you with us here this morning. Season's greetings. We didn't speak to you for the entire season. Yes, there's a lot to discuss taking place at this point in time in the country. A lot of developments political and otherwise and it'd be a good place for us to start by getting your opinion on the pronouncements made by the prime minister in Tobago. Dr. Rowley at this retreat made the pronouncement that. Well here we're going on. He gone stepped down. He made that the Friday before went across to Tobago and at the Tobago retreat made the announcement. Well, Stuart Young is the man for the job. He's going to replace Dr. Rowley as Prime Minister when Dr. Rowley does decide to demit office. Let's get your opinion on those developments as we begin.
[00:01:12] Speaker A: Franklin is really a PNM business insofar as whom he selects as long as he remains in the office as prime minister, that is the Prime Minister of the Keith Christopher Rowley. As long as he remains there. The rest of it is further status play. Right. It is just gamesmanship, so to speak. Right. Because there's no vacancy so he can not appoint someone. He is telling us he wants to leave early, but I told person I wanted to leave early, the PSC already. Right. And I remained for I think another year because that's what happens whenever you want to leave early. People will tend to show their colors, who they are for who they are not against who they think is a good successor, who they think is not a good successor. And that is really PNM business per se insofar as the governance of the country is concerned. Right. The entire country voted for Dr. Keith Christopher Rowley to lead the country for five years. And if he's going to step down, I think we should step away all together and allow persons to choose another prime minister and whomsoever they choose, that's their business too. At the end of the day, the country is a democratic one and we must decide to choose the persons who. Who best represent us. Yeah. As it is right now, the polls would have shown that the Prime Minister best represents everyone in the country, whether we like it or not.
If he feels that his ability to execute upon the demands of the people is insufficient, he can say, look, I'm going to call the election and let persons decide whom they will choose. But Stuart Young column, Embert, Penelope, whosoever it is will require persons that are way beyond the PNM voter base. People will have to come and say we want you to come and vote to be a good. Have to say we want you. And that's not a discussion Tobago can seriously engage at this point in time.
[00:03:38] Speaker B: Let's, let's take it from the Tobago perspective because we were told that the two sitting PNM mps, they've been screened or they're going to be screened or something like that, or they've been given the nod to represent the PNM in the coming general election. The election, the general election in Tobago is going to be an interesting one because.
[00:03:59] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:04:00] Speaker B: Because you have. Now you would have obviously the PNM and you would have the other stakeholders. The PDP went into the tha election and won the 14 electoral districts and then you had the breakaway and now you have Farley Augustine and I think it's the Tobago People Party or what the name of the organization is.
[00:04:23] Speaker A: I don't even know what in units.
[00:04:25] Speaker B: And you have, well, obviously PDP and other interests who'll be contesting the elections. How do you see this development with Dr. Rowley impacting? Is it going to have any impact whatsoever? Is it going to be a plus or a minus for the PNM or what do you think is going to happen?
[00:04:43] Speaker A: Practice speaking. The PNM in the next general election will not be led by Dr. Rowley. At least he said that to us.
If the PLM is not led by Dr. Rowley, then persons in Tobago, they attach certain personal commitment to people. That's how Tobago vote. They attach it to people. The party, yes, but also to people.
I'm not sure if the leader that they select will be the leader that Tobago will want. And so therefore it is a good study or for the political minds to study. What I can say is insofar as the PDP is concerned, we are prepared to take the two Tobago seats east and west.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: And has work started in that regards already. What's taking place because we're hearing in Trinidad that MPs, working people who have been screened and so on, they're hitting the constituencies and all those kinds of things. What's the atmosphere like in Tobago? What's going on?
[00:05:58] Speaker A: It's very much the same thing. Very much the same thing.
We in the pdp, we operate a little bit differently. We are very practical. We are very informal in some respects and formal in others. And we are just waiting on the bell to ring. You know, unless the bell ring, then we are not in a position to see who our candidates are. Right. Or what we are going to do. Right now we are on the ground, we are walking, we are talking to people, but we are not in the big splash. This election is a different one and our strategy is different. So all those who wants to line up and talk on the mic loud, let's see what results will come at the end of the election. Election is only one on the day and we are prepared for that.
[00:06:46] Speaker B: The point you made about Dr. Rowley and Tobagonians being emboldened to him because he's Tobagonian. And as such, the PNM benefiting from that relationship is an interesting one because Stuart Young is not Tobagonian.
[00:07:02] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:07:03] Speaker B: And he does not carry with him that sense of camaraderie that persons would have had with Dr. Rowley.
And that's an interesting development. As to how much of an impact it's going to have on the fortunes of the PNM in Tobago is left to be seen. What are some of the issues that you think will be important to Tobagonians heading into this general election?
[00:07:30] Speaker A: They want a leader that is reliable, one that they can trust, one that embodies their hopes, dreams, aspirations, want to understand their way of life, therefore can empathize with them. And Whether you like Dr. Rowley or not, he's a Tobagonian. And Tobagonians are very particular about their own breed of people that says we make him so we could cost him. We could say, what we want is we make him. I said it is in Tobago. And though he has not represented Tobago politically as a seat or as a representative, he has done so as a Prime minister. And I'm not batting for him because, you know, we are political enemies on different sides, Right. And I would want to win the two seats in Tobago in spite of putting up their candidates. And I would see to it that the PDP win those two seats in the east and the West. Whosoever they choose as a political leader can remove those two persons from Tobago and say that they will not be able to beat the pdp. And so therefore we are removing them. And that stands to be seen. But Mr. Adan did in the PNM. The PNM is now at a chaotic point which they can use to mobilize their own people and make them into One strong force or which they can use to demobilize the people and lead them scattered and thus not be prepared for the final battle, which is election day, which is in a few months.
[00:09:05] Speaker B: Going back to some of the issues that are going to be important to the Tobagonian population.
Yeah, one of those would obviously be crime because what's, what's the situation?
[00:09:18] Speaker A: Of course.
But more than crime we have unemployment.
Unemployment and the economy in a whole. Meaning that the profit and loss that Tobago is making, Tobago is making at a loss. Tobago doesn't have money. Not because less money is coming to Tobago but because Falia and friends are bad spending the money in the THC that doesn't allow the money to circulate in Tobago is going to Trinidad. And that because a serious problem with that.
That is part of the reason why there's so much crime. People are looking to rob, people are looking to sell drugs, people are looking to keep guns to protect their turf. But. And then there are persons who see that as a business also too. Let's destabilize Tobago and keep them like idlers. If they are idle, if they are confused, then we are in a position where we can control them. They will get nothing while they argue among themselves. I believe differently. I believe that we have to stop the guns from coming into Tobago, we have to stop the drugs from coming into Tobago and we have to start to take care of Tobagonians. Tobagonians must look to the politicians who are leading the way. Insofar as job opportunities, insofar as a safe environment, insofar as academic opportunities. Tobagoans must come alive to the opportunities in Tobago. Right now they are dead towards it.
[00:10:52] Speaker B: What role do you see the two Tobago seats playing in the wider landscape in the 2025 general elections? Because it would have been a situation where you would have been able to say, well okay, this is what the trends are, this is what we can expect. But Tobago seems, these two Tobago seeds now seem to be so. I don't want to say uncertain, but up for grabs now more than ever. That it could go anywhere anyhow. You really can't judge the Tobago population as to how they're going to vote. The last opportunity we had to evaluate them was the tha election in which the PDP contested and won resoundingly. But then you had the breakaway and now you have this new faction there that their political strength has as this new entity has not been tested.
I don't know if they've been having meetings or anything else that you can look and see. So the first real test of their political oomph is going to be in the general elections. And that's neither here nor there with the point of us being able to evaluate what can happen. So normally the two Tobago seats play a role but how much more of a role do you think they're going to play this time around?
[00:12:11] Speaker A: Let me see that. They are as significant as they have always been and perhaps more so now that the Prime Minister to be union is not going back up. People want to see how they even support. But Tobago Indians are not in the mood for games. Tobago Indians are in the mood for productivity and production. They want to see a government that is resolute in its decision to help the people off Tobago. They are very personal, take their politics personal. And it's not about Trinidad and Tobago. Tobago nuns see the politics in Tobago as Tobago all right. And they will vote for their own personal issues.
The Father and Friends association.
They do not stand a chance. They will only get a nuisance vote. Vote. That people just fed up and say give me a chance again. They have literally done nothing for Tobago. Not one single thing. If you ask them to identify one single thing you would have done for Tobago since you have been in office for four years and has spent $10 billion one thing in Tobago that made sense for all its people, not one thing to make as well not vote them back. There's no chance of that. They are enjoying the luxury of office and the attention that office brings. They're confusing it with politics. Politics and office is two different things. We have the Prime Minister in office but his body politics there is not looking too nice because there's a little internal, you know what I mean, discord.
And so that could weaken them. The PDP have had its discord and they have chosen their side. Now it's clear to to be Gunians who they are and who the PDP remains as we remain as bona fide Tobagonians. As people who care about Tobagonians development economically, socially, culturally and also politically. We care. But the PDP is very straightforward. What you see is what you get. And the PDP has always been that. So there is no contest here insofar as the Fali and Friends association and the pdp. The PDP has always been a winner. We have never lost any election. We may have gotten the seat. We've always won votes. Last time we beat PMI 7000 votes, right? That's a lot. That's a lot. Since then people have lost the taste for the PNM in their mouth. In Tobago. They don't want peeing back in Tobago.
And certainly Farley has turned their stomach. They have no appreciation for him at all whatsoever. So it brings right back again the PDP again. And we are committed to. So once we have those two seats, those two seats to promote the ideas of Tobagonians and the desires of Tobagonians and you know, personally, because we have worked together while on the ground that I can achieve results, yeah, I am results oriented and so Tobago will get results under my leadership. And with us having those two seats.
[00:15:35] Speaker B: Well, I'll tell you this, and I continue to tell people that Tobago is something. Well, people need to keep their eye on Tobago in the general election because let's just create a scenario. Let's just say as you're suggesting, the PDP wins the two seats in Tobago. That creates a number of opportunities and it presents a number of hurdles as well because two seats in a 41 seat parliament is. That's a bargaining chip.
[00:16:07] Speaker A: 2019 and then you have two.
[00:16:10] Speaker B: It depends on how it's going to work. So have you considered already how it's going to work? Have you decided? Well, all right, I'll work with this one, I work with that one. I ain't working with nobody. I going on my own. And have you had those discussions?
[00:16:29] Speaker A: We are very clear in the pdp, our ideas are not new, it's not foreign. We are very clear. Should there be a 2019 seat in Trinidad and we have a minority government, the party with 20 seats would be the government.
19 will be the opposition. And the two seats in Tobago, we could go either ways. All right.
Whosoever give Tobago the best deal, we will support.
We will not amalgamate and become a part of any organization whether it PNM or the unc. We will remain pdp. PDP has always been that way. We will remain pdp, but we could give support to any party. Once the ideals of Tobagonians are realized and realized promptly. Those ideals must be realized promptly. But those seats are not to give away.
And with the hopes of getting something new from day one, Tobago must benefit from day one.
[00:17:32] Speaker B: When you say best deal for Tobago, what does a best deal look like?
[00:17:39] Speaker A: Well, Tobago wants itself it's right to have self determination. That's number one. All right. To decide what type of government we should have in Tobago, whether it be an independent government from Trinidad. But I be interdependent government like a federal system or the kind of autonomy we have now where we remain a ward or whatever or an association with Trinidad where we share the dollar and our economic space with Trinidad. But our governance is different from Trinade. So we have to decide that. We have not decided that. Trinder decided that. Jamaica decided that, Grenada decided that, St. Vincent decided that, St. Kitts and Nevis decided that. But Tobago have never ever had a chance to decide that. We have never participated in the conversation. Right. And so the time has come for Tobago to decide that. Where everyone in Tobago must decide among themselves without any external influence what type of economy we want to have or you want to develop culturally, socially, etc.
[00:18:42] Speaker B: Yeah. I continue to tell people that this 2025 general election is going to be very interesting for so many different reasons. And you're giving us more evidence as to how this thing could turn on its head and present scenarios that many people may not be considering at this point in time when it comes to the final vote. And, and what exactly exists as we wrap up our interview here in Tobago at this point in time? A lot is taking place when it comes to the politics, the governance and some of the issues that Tobagonians believe should be given more prominence, not being given more prominence.
If I were to say to you, tell me one thing that Tobagonians should, should, should focus on when casting a ballot in the coming general election, what would it be?
[00:19:38] Speaker A: The one thing would be a right to self determination. To determine for ourselves the things that are important for us and to create a budget around those issues so as to bring them into fruition. That's the fundamental thing of Tobago. So if it's crime, then Tobago must determine that crime is a priority and we should be able to fund the type of policies and processes that is necessary to reduce crime.
[00:20:10] Speaker B: I was going to have to leave our interview here this morning, but I know that as we draw closer to the general election there will be the need for us to have further discussions about candidates and all those things. So we look forward to speaking to you again. Thank you for being with us here this morning.
[00:20:26] Speaker A: You very much. Nice.
[00:20:27] Speaker B: And that's how we end our interview this morning with PDP political leader Watson Duke. Ladies and gentlemen, the best insight, instant feedback, accountability, the all new Talk Radio Freedom 106.5.
