PNM’s Political Strategy To Deny Tobago Self-Governance

By Stephen Kangal
July 25, 2021

Stephen KangalThe ill-advised, overtly hurried and premature introduction into Parliament of the two completely new Bills on June 28 last on the long-festering granting of autonomy/self-governance to Tobago prior to and without conducting the requisite inter-active consultations with the Tobago constituency of principal stakeholders by the PNM was a deliberate, deceptive, nefarious, dishonest and calculated politically -conceptualised strategy to shelve the Tobago issue.

After all the sound and fury and grand-charging it signified a waste of Parliament’s time.

It was premised on and driven by the expected and orchestrated failure of the Bills to obtain the requisite three-quarters/two-thirds majority without the support of at least nine UNC MP’s because of its eleventh-hour submission and without consulting Tobago.

The objective of Government was clearly to get the Bills to fail and proclaim the THA Amendment Act 2021 which is what they have now done in the greatest parliamentary/legal hoax ever visited on the people of Tobago.

These are two new bills that depart fundamentally and radically from the 2018 Draft referred to the JSC for two years. That is the view of the activists in Tobago.

This deceptive political strategy was engineered to facilitate the Rowley Administration to achieve five political objectives namely:

1. Blame the UNC for non-passage;

2. Defer and shelve the eagerly awaited Tobago Autonomy question for some time that has been PNM’s policy position and zone of comfort ( It will be lapsing in Dec ’21);

3. Operationalise and proclaim (next week 26 July) the side-lined THA Amendment Act to break the PNM-PDP 6-6 deadlock by conducting new THA elections (Dec);

4. Regain political control of the THA by winning the majority of the proposed 15 seats electorate by pouring money to buy over Tobagonians with the EBC in tandem relating to the division and allocation of the 15 electoral districts by a subtle process of manipulation of the boundaries proposed favourable to the PNM’s electoral prospects;

5. Intensify the underlying negative/antagonistic image of the UNC held in Tobago by demonstrating a trumped-up anti-Tobagonian policy, annihilate and/or marginalize the PDP electorally and continue calling the shots in Scarborough from Whitehall.

The Government was making up the Bills by vaps by introducing serious amendments that have not seen the light of day in Tobago. For example, they now propose to extend TIG’s administrative maritime responsibility to 11 miles but measured from the low water mark- not the archipelagic baselines that violates T&T’s archipelagic status.

This eleventh-hour proposal to now recognise Tobago’s entitlement to exercise some jurisdiction over its adjoining maritime areas serves as a cheap palliative designed to appease rising discontent in, inter alia, Parlatuvier and Charlotteville.

That alone will have consequential effects on the Bills that cannot be passed without taking on board indispensable feedback from legitimate interests in Tobago.

These Bills are new and constitute fundamental departures from the original 2018 Draft passed by the THA. They invalidate all previously held consultations from 2011 in Tobago and Trinidad.

As of now the I am convinced that this Self-Governance hamper will be shelved and the PNM will seek to gain electoral advantage to Tobago’s long term detriment.

Self-governance must be economically self-sustaining and less dependent on the Treasury of Trinidad. Tobago has all the economic and political means to fuel and develop its proposed self-government model including:

  • the driving human capital, sun-sea—and sand, the fishing industry, oil/gas deposits;
  • tourism and eco-tourism, agrarian and tertiary education potential, huge limestone deposits; and
  • an articulate and pride in themselves as a people eminently deserving to be respected and treated with real and abiding equality of status with Trinidad and not as an ancillary ward nor political appendage.

Tobago must now show its disgust at being carried for a sight –seeing tour of the Buccoo Reef.

30 thoughts on “PNM’s Political Strategy To Deny Tobago Self-Governance”

  1. The UNC and its allies, its black opportunist supporters, must think black people really stupid. Look who they get to convince Tobagonians to vote for the UNC financed party, the PDP, in Tobago –Stephen Kangal. Stephen Kangal is one of the most racist people in the UNC, most of them don’t come out openly and say what Kangal says with his overt racism. They too smart for that. But maybe they think well Kangal will appeal to Tobagonians. Read his comments, whatever he has said anywhere. He is the most overtly racist of the UNC who have had some official status. Like I said the others not that stupid. So all these articles by Kangal are about the elections in Tobago. So Tobagonians have to think and remember. Remember how the NAR under the encouragement of the Express Minister of Industry liberalized ownership of Tobago land and Europeans came in and bought up the land until they had to be legally stopped. Remember that. The price of land went so high, Tobagonians couldn’t afford it. Remember when they stopped Sandals from coming to Tobago. Tobago could have been the most well known tourist destination in the Caribbean, and Tobago people could have reaped the economic benefits of Sandals being there, but they lied and misinformed and through the Express in particular stopped that project. Why? Because the UNC has its ethnic business people who want to come and take over Tobago, they want to own all the hotels over there, They want Tobagonians to be their slaves, their Dalits; expect low wages from them, expect no human rights because that is their history. So they are agitating the PDP under Watson Duke. You think the Guptas in South Africa are bad, wait till you see what will happen to Tobago. They will go to any lengths to take over Tobago. And Watson Duke their opportunist leader in Tobago will go to any lengths to grab power so that his UNC masters will control Tobago and enslave Tobagonians. Duke is prepared to allow Tobagonians to die in numbers from Covid so that he grabs power. Look at his recent comments on vaccination for Covid. He is actually discouraging it. He said well they don’t know if vaccines are effective, vaccines have been proven effective from preventing death and prolonged illness, all the data show it. Now scientists are talking about a pandemic of the unvaccinated, but Duke is lying and misinforming people. He is willing to see Tobagonians die by the hundreds or thousands to make the PNM look bad so that he and his UNC masters can grab power. And by the way all of them taking the vaccine, it’s only the foolish ones that they can dupe not taking it. By these comments, Duke has convinced me that he is evil, not just an opportunist financed by the UNC. He is evil; he is willing to allow Tobagonians to die so that he and his masters, the UNC, can grab power. And foolishly they put Kangal to convince Tobagonians of this dotishness. I feel the more Kangal writes the more Tobagonians will see through this stupidness and turn off from the evil Watson Duke. So write Kangal, write. And remember people, especially UNC politicians, can say anything, talk is cheap. It’s what they do or intend to do that is important and you can find this out by their history, by what they have done, and what they say in secret that finds its way out in the open. And that they can put Kangal, one of their most racist officials, to be the voice piece of Tobago, to articulate what concerns Tobago. That’s how much Tobago voice matters in the media here.

  2. Tobagonians,
    Please read this article by Stephen Monohar Kangal, and think carefully before you decide if you would want him lecturing to and giving “advice” to you about what’s best foryou and your great grandchildren’s future:

    Royal Politics Shapes The Windsor Wedding (Harry & Meghan)
    https://tinyurl.com/yj6opt4n

    Quotes from Stephen Monohar Kangal
    “A local black correspondent described…the wedding as an over-celebraton of blackness gone wild…” Stephen Monohar Kangal

    Why hide behind “the local black correspondent.” ? The cognitive dissonance in Stephen Monohar Kangal referring to africans as “blacks” , is both hilarious, sad and telling.

    “There was no display of real british diversity at the wedding. It was a domination of the African invasion…” !!!
    – Stephen Monohar Kangal

    Is this how Stephen Monohar Kangal’s mind deconstructs and interprets african issues? This is the the same mind that “advises” africans in tobago on their children’s future?

    “The guest choir and their repertoire was black. So were the Queen’s chaplain, the young BBC musician, the visiting preacher and the writings of Martin Luther King replaced Biblical quotations.” – Stephen Monohar Kangal

    One could be forgiven for being suspicious of kangal having a problem with “the blackness gone wild ” at the wedding?

    “It broke with hallowed British traditions. It was tailored to pander to… the back community…even though other elements of mainstream British diversity were missing…”
    -Stephen Monohar Kangal

    “other elements of mainstream British diversity” ?
    Am i mistaken in surmising , based on his own language in his article, that Stephen Monohar Kangal, the self professed advocate for “tobagonians” ( africans), via “self governance”, might possibly be jealous that (not enough) indians were present at a wedding between an african-american and a european Brit? Is that Stephen Monohar Kangal’s thinking? A former public servant hired at the age 21/22 by Dr. Eric Williams and the PNM upon independence in 1962 until 2000, and UNC administration appointed deputy high commissioner 1996-2000? Is this the mindset that was allowed to occupy crucial positions in the nations’ apparatus by the allegedly “anti-indian” PNM since independence in 1962? This should be a lesson, if Stephen Monohar Kangal could be hired by and work alongside a PNM, african dominated civil service, for almost half of a century, and still hold these obnoxious views and mindset towards their issues (to say the least), olive branches to many persons, are at best a waste and drain of psychological energy, and at worst, you are essentially giving massa’s possible protege’, the raw material for his own WHIP!

    Stephen Kangal’s Curriculum Vitae
    http://www.trinidadandtobagonews.com/Kangalcv.html

    “When someone shows you who they are…believe them!”
    – Maya Angelou (Trinidadian father…African proverb)

    1. Yawn and what does all of your verbal diarrhea have to do with the topic at hand. I think Linda you like Kangal and want to impress him with your in-depth knowledge of him.

      A lot of African women are taking a closer look at Indian males….hmmm. Or maybe you are trying to impress Birdie with your copy and paste research ability. He is easily impressed with you along with Yoruba and Kian…

      1. “A lot of African women are taking a closer look at indian males…” – Mamoo

        Why would any woman have to take “a closer look” at something that was “pronounced”? 🙂

        Mamoo told on himself

  3. So here is the gist of Kangal’s argument. The PNM introduced two Bills on June 28 last on the granting of autonomy/self-governance to Tobago. The Bills needed a two thirds majority of the Parliament to pass. In other words, it needed nine UNC MPs to support it or else it would fail. The Bills did not receive the support of nine UNC MPs and so it was not passed. The issue of granting of autonomy/self-governance to Tobago was therefore halted. Kangal argues that the PNM is at fault for UNC MPs not supporting the Bills. Wait, what? The PNM is at fault for UNC MPs not supporting the Bills? Wait, is the PNM is control of UNC MPs mouths? Are they like puppets that the PNM pulls the strings to move, or talk? So get this, Kangal is blaming the PNM for the UNC not supporting the Bills for autonomy to Tobago. Seriously that is his argument.

  4. Seriously, it gets worse. Kangal says that the “Rowley Administration” has certain objectives in making the UNC MPs not support the Bills. In other words, not only did they pull the strings to make the UNC MPs vote no on these Bills, they had reasons for manipulating those UNC MPs, and the main reason is that they didn’t want the Bills to be passed. So according to Kangal, they introduced two Bills that would have granted autonomy to Tobago that they didn’t want passed so they introduced two Bills to try to get them passed, as is the method of Parliamentary procedure, because they didn’t want them passed. To be clearer, the “Rowley Administration” introduced two Bills to try to get them passed because they didn’t want them passed; the UNC MPs had nothing to do with these Bills not passing even though they voted against them thus causing them not to be passed. Seriously, that is what Kangal is saying. And it gets worse.

  5. “Self-governance must be economically self-sustaining and less dependent on the Treasury of Trinidad. Tobago has all the economic and political means to fuel and develop its proposed self-government model including:”

    As a small island Tobagonians are receivers of the riches from Trinidad. They may not to want to make the bold step forward, because of economic reasons. The PNM has poured in billions into Tobago. Tobagonians on various occasions have said they would prefer for Trinidad not to interfere in their business. They like the money without accountability.

    The Tobago House of Assembly can well manage Tobago business. Tobago can go it alone. The air bridge to North America is a huge bonus for tourism. Many Calcutta ship people from North America prefers to come and vacation in Tobago. With Sunwing making Tobago a destination the revenue for self government will come in.

    The collapse of Trinidad energy economy with a debt of over $130 billion and growing daily will mean a higher tax burden on all. I would assume that if Tobago decides to go it alone they will also take their fair share of the national debt. With possible undiscovered natural gas along it’s coast, there is an enormous opportunity to sell to the US or Trinidad. As we exchange for debt load.

    Trinidad has run its course economically we can see decline ahead. This is the best time to begin serious negotiations with Tobago. It will probably take at least 3 years of negotiations to raise Tobago independence flag. I would suggest the PM can begin the process by inviting prominent Tobagonians to the table of brotherhood. The Parliament of Trinidad would have no bearing on this except at the final stages. After all it have to be a Tobago driven initiative.

  6. According to Kangal, the cunning of the “Rowley Administration” knows no bounds. By manipulating and controlling the mouths of the UNC MPs to vote against the Bills that would have given autonomy to Tobago the PNM would then be able to blame the UNC for non-passage of the Bills since nine UNC MPs did not vote for them. In other words, the PNM would be able to blame the UNC for not voting for the Bills because they didn’t vote for them. By the UNC not voting for the Bills the PNM would then be able to “intensify the underlying negative/antagonistic image of the UNC held in Tobago”. In other words, by the UNC not voting for the Bills, the PNM would be able to hold the UNC responsible for not voting for the Bills and make Tobagonians dislike them more in Tobago. You see the cleverness of the Rowley Administration. They could hold the UNC responsible for not voting for the Bills because they didn’t vote for the Bills. Worse of all, that would make Tobagonians vote against the PDP (because I guess everybody knows the PDP is the UNC?) and lose the elections because the UNC voted against the Bills that would give Tobago autonomy and Tobagonians, not knowing that the PNM made them do it, would be antagonistic towards the PDP/UNC. If only Tobagonians would know the diabolical cleverness of the Rowley Administration that could make the UNC vote against Bills that could make people hate the UNC and make them lose elections, they would understand that it’s not the UNC fault that they voted against the Bills that would give Tobago autonomy. Could they not see that the UNC are just zombies and puppets and that the PNM made them do it? And can you not see a better argument for electing a political party – please elect us, we are just zombies and puppets. By the way I see a way the UNC could have given Tobago autonomy, be liked in Tobago, win the elections under the PDP banner and outsmart the cunning Rowley Administration – all they needed to do was to vote yes for the Bills that would have given autonomy to Tobago. But that darn cunning Rowley Administration fooled them again.

  7. Would commentators please concentrate on what I have written in the article posted and not introduce some irrelevant extraneous matters to build a weak and unconvincing scenario that I am a racist. I am an uncompromising realist and call a spade and spade. Find fault with what I have written on the Tobago self-governance issue. Do not make a fool of yourselves with this racist garbage. It is like water on a duck’s back. It will not work to deter me from writing. I have had enough of this unfounded racist talk because when Indians write it unsettles some because they want to tell me how and what to write. This is an expression of a false and rejected unfounded superiority complex that I reject completely out of hand because it is dotish, quite ignorant, patently stupid and also racist. I do not target readers/bloggers with warped minds and racist intellect. Nobody going to stop me!

    1. LOL!
      Blah Blah Blah Blah…I’ll focus on what i damn well please and deem relevant. Stephen Monohar Kangal is unsettled that he doesn’t get to dictate what the public agenda is. I’ll keep focused on your mindset towards african people’s issues and how that contextualizes the political party and politics you rally behind. Others could focus on how Kamla and the UNC/COP behaved 2010-2015!

  8. So the main reason Kangal thinks that the UNC was dissatisfied with the Bill and would therefore vote against it is that there wasn’t enough “requisite inter-active consultations with the Tobago constituency of principal stakeholders”. This shows to me the clear strategy of the UNC/PDP since 2015 when they lost the elections. It is a strategy of obstruction. Obstruct the Government from being able to do anything by whatever means possible and then blame the Government for not getting things done. Such a strategy means that you can have no commitment to the interest of the people, the interest of the nation. You will do anything to sabotage and obstruct the national interest, just to gain political power. The UNC has shown this over and over. A good example is Watson Duke saying that the vaccines do not work although tons of data show that the vaccines can save your life and we are in a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Duke is just trying to obstruct and sabotage the Government’s vaccine program so that he can blame the Government for not vaccinating people. That’s how they operate. So getting back to Kangal’s false information. There is a long history of Tobago seeking self-government and autonomy and the PNM has been in the leadership of that campaign. The latest campaign for self-government started in 2013 after the PNM won all the seats in the THA elections. Discussions between the THA and the Tobago Platform of Truth and the PNM led to the formation of the Form of Political Parties. The latter went on to lead the autonomy campaign, holding extensive consultations with stakeholders in T&T before arriving at the draft bill. The final draft bill was formally accepted by the THA on October 27, 2016 and sent to Parliament for debate in 2017. So there have been consultations for years about the Bill for autonomy. But that is the well used playbook of the UNC, delay and obstruct by claiming not enough consultations, even though the people are clamoring to get on with the business, enough talk, action. The Kangal explanation is just another form of obstruct and sabotage and then blame the PNM for the consequences of that obstruction and sabotage.

  9. So to sum up the argument: The UNC voted against the Bill that would give Tobago autonomy, the Bill needed nine UNC MPs to vote for it in order to pass, it didn’t get any. Kangal and other UNCs are worried now that Tobagonians will think that the UNC prevented Tobago from getting autonomy, so they are looking for an excuse to place the blame elsewhere (They could have just voted for the Bill and saved themselves all the trauma). Anyhow they are desperately looking for an excuse. So Kangal comes up with one. The “Rowley Administration” thought out this devious plan that they would introduce a Bill to give Tobago autonomy, the UNC would not support it (not enough consultation even though consultation had been going on since 2013, i.e. since 8 years ago), and then the PNM would claim that the UNC did not support the Bill and the UNC would be blamed for not supporting the Bill. Tobagonians would hate them for that, vote against them and eventually the UNC/PDP would lose the elections. In other words the PNM thought out this devious plan that they would introduce a Bill for the autonomy of Tobago, the UNC would not support it, and then the devious PNM would blame the UNC for not supporting the Bill. And by the UNC not supporting the Bill, the PDP would lose the election. Let me say that again. The devious PNM figured that they would introduce a Bill for the autonomy of Tobago, the UNC wouldn’t support it and the devious PNM would blame the UNC for not supporting the Bill. You know this story sounds like Alice in Wonderland. And Kangal sounds like the mad hatter.

    1. Both Bills are at the Committees of the Whole and were not voted on. The UNC did not vote against the Bills.

  10. “The objective of Government was clearly to get the Bills to fail……………….” ………………………….the author
    Since this opinion was never established as fact by the writer nor can it be proven as fact, unless it is affirmed by the party who brought the motion. We MUST assume this statement by Stephen Kangal purely as conjecture. The narrative as presented was purely fictionalized because there is no conformity with what was presented in parliament. The author has asked that we judge or contextualize our response purely based on the subject matter and that is what anyone based purely on the English language will established. How can you establish fact by saying ‘the government’ want you to fail by asking you to vote affirmatively on a motion? This is clearly what Kangal is basing his case on. He goes on to predetermine that the UNC WILL NOT VOTE IN THE AFFIRMATIVE because
    “It was premised on and driven by the expected and orchestrated failure of the Bills to obtain the requisite three-quarters/two-thirds majority without the support of at least nine UNC MP’s because of its eleventh-hour submission and without consulting Tobago.” Where is his proof of that pre-determination? Let me establish for you what he predetermines as his “proof”. HE KNOWS the UNC will not support the PNM in any juncture the PNM deems important, so he , in essence is saying that since the PNM knows that, they should not present the bill for a vote. May I remind Kangal that we are a democracy, in order to establish intent in the people’s forum, you must ask the intention of the opposing party. If they answer “yes”, then they affirm what is before them. Alternatively, if they answer “no” then we are informed (officially) that they are not supporting. Any government worth it salt CANNOT ‘assume’ how any number of individuals will vote. That intent MUST be established by bringing the matter for their consideration. Kangal based his whole theory on the ‘predetermined fact’ that the UNC will not accede to the wishes of the PNM. And that is his idea on how democracy in Trinidad and Tobago must work. Dr. Selwyn Cudjoe writes articles on this blog all the time and I am at times critical of some of the opinions he expresses. But, as a professional educator and writer he has never tried to belittle my opinions of his written articles. Kangal, on the other, says that he is a ‘diplomat’ but none of his writings has ever shown that he has any professionally as a diplomat. He is ‘raw’ as a diplomat, he writes as a UNC contributor and expects us to accept him offerings as ‘unaffiliated’. This man offer no dimensions to his vision, he is purely political and should accept it as such.

  11. Now let’s go to another level of thinking (like in a video game) about this argument that Kangal is presenting. The “Rowley Administration” introduced the Bill for autonomy of Tobago knowing that the UNC MPs wouldn’t vote for it, the UNC MPs didn’t support it therefore the PNM could blame the UNC for scuttling the Bill. So in level 2 the familiar is changed, things are different. Let’s ask as if it is a possible question – how could the Rowley Administration know that the UNC wouldn’t or couldn’t vote for the Bill? The disinformation that there wasn’t enough consultation can be discarded, what else is there? Well it is very practical and Machiavellian politics. If the Bill was passed through UNC support, the PNM would get the lion’s share of the plaudits for finally introducing and getting the Bill passed. If, on the other hand, the Bill was not passed because of lack of UNC support then the UNC would be blamed for having the Bill and hence autonomy for Tobago scuttled. So in practical political terms, the UNC was damned if they did and damned if they didn’t. That is if they were thinking in plain political terms. But if they were thinking about Tobago and the continuous agitation for autonomy by Tobagonians, they would have no hesitation; they would support the Bill for autonomy. So what this level of argument shows is that the UNC was not thinking about Tobago’s interests, they were thinking of their own political interests, about their own political power no matter what it means for Tobago. They just couldn’t get out of their obstructionist strategy.

  12. So now on to level 3 of Kangal’s argument, the “Rowley Administration” introduced the Bills because they knew the UNC would not, or could not or plain not vote for the Bill that would give autonomy to Tobago. So there are a number of reasons or explanations that the Rowley Administration would think this way.
    1. Maybe the UNC MPs are hardwired to not support autonomy for Tobago, so as soon as a Bill comes up for autonomy for Tobago, UNC MPs will be like R2-D2 in Star Wars and say (in a robotic voice) “negative vote on autonomy bill”.
    2. Maybe the UNC MPs are genetically programmed not to support autonomy for Tobago. So that as soon as a Bill comes up for autonomy for Tobago, UNC MPs genetics will rise up and like a genetically caused illness or genetically caused bow leg, make them shout out hoarsely, stretching out their hands in salute, “final solution, no support for Tobago’s autonomy.”
    3. Or maybe like zombies falling victims to powerful obeah when the Bill comes up, they jump to the floor, with eyes blank and fearful, screaming “No support, no support”.
    I don’t know which one it is. But apparently according to Kangal, one of those things happened. Personally, I think the UNC MPs need a good bush bath oui.

  13. To cede from Trinidad, all the THA have to do is hold a referendum and if they get 51% of the votes to cede they can move ahead.

    Something like that Constitutional or not will put extreme pressure on the central government to act. On 30th October 1995, the referendum on Québec sovereignty was settled by a narrow victory for the “No” camp. 50.58% vote to stay in Canada.
    https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/mar/11/referendums-who-holds-them-why-and-are-they-always-a-dogs-brexit
    Countries have referendums to determine independence.

    The Parliament in Trinidad if they receive a clear direction from the THA can certainly act. The PNM did not want to lose their 2 seats advantage so the scuttle the debate.

    1. Yes! Keep All Advantages…UNC aryans wants the two tobago seats lost, and for that reason alone it should be kept. Give debe and chaguanas independence from trinidad. Have a referendum.

  14. Autonomy for Tobago does not mean independence, the bills introduced to Parliament seeks autonomy for Tobago, not independence. That is what has been agitated for since 2013 in Tobago, autonomy not independence. But let’s get back to Kangal’s argument. To recap: Kangal is saying that the Bills for Tobago’s autonomy were introduced because the PNM knew that they would fail and hence the Bills for Tobago’s autonomy were part of a devious plan to “deny Tobago Self-Governance”. They would fail because to pass they needed at least 9 UNC MPs to support them. So because they wouldn’t get that required UNC support, the Bills were designed to fail. So, according to Kangal, the UNC MPs not supporting autonomy for Tobago was the PNM’s fault. Kangal’s main argument is that Tobago wasn’t consulted. But as I have said “The latest campaign for self-government started in 2013 after the PNM won all the seats in the THA elections. Discussions between the THA and the Tobago Platform of Truth and the PNM led to the formation of the Platform of Political Parties. The latter went on to lead the autonomy campaign, holding extensive consultations with stakeholders in T&T before arriving at the draft bill. The final draft bill was formally accepted by the THA on October 27, 2016 and sent to Parliament for debate in 2017.” So consultations have been on since 2013 and Kangal is using the usual UNC obstructionism strategy – not enough consultation. Kangal’s logic is the “Alice in Wonderland” type of logic. That the UNC didn’t support the Bills for Tobago’s autonomy means one thing, they didn’t support the Bills for Tobago’s autonomy. Kangal’s argument can give rise to a videogame “Alice in Wonderland: Trinidad style” which would try to find out how could the PNM predict the UNC wouldn’t support the Bills for Tobago’s autonomy? Examples that would explain this are: the UNC are hardwired to not support Tobago’s autonomy; the UNC are genetically made up not to support Tobago’s autonomy; the UNC has been influenced by obeah so that they would not support Tobago’s autonomy. Of course the obvious answer to the question – why does the UNC not support the Bills for Tobago’s autonomy? – is that the UNC does not support autonomy for Tobago, but that is too obvious and logical. So join the Kangal game, figure out why the UNC does not support autonomy for Tobago other than what is obvious and clear.

  15. A lot of reasoning, arguments, race talk ,debate etc. etc. etc.
    It is not that complicated. The long term goal of the UNC is to facilitate Tobago independence. The goal of the PNM is to hang on to the two Tobago seats.
    The UNC realizes that it would be easier to form government without the two Tobago seats on which the PNM relies on in every election.
    The UNC already enjoys the advantage of the popular vote in Trinidad. No love lost if Tobago should go. There is no doubt that there is a racial element here.
    Neither Party is approaching Tobago affairs with honesty and clarity. Political games are being played out in Parliament.
    Watson Duke might be considered an eccentric but he is correct in many of his determinations on Tobago affairs.

      1. Yes they always win in Tobago. As one Tobagonian said the PDP was winning and boom another uncounted ballot box show up. Strange how these boxes appear in closely contested seats…..hmmmm why Linda?

      2. “The UNC already enjoys the advantage of the popular vote in Trinidad…” – LIES! – Tman

        Once again Miss Inconvenient is rushing to judgment. My statement states that the UNC won the popular vote in TRINIDAD, not in TRINIDAD & TOBAGO.
        In 2020 the PNM won 322,250. The UNC won 309,188.
        This is the total count for T&T.
        The PNM vote advantage was mainly from Tobago votes.
        I stand corrected.

  16. I have another thought on this matter. The PNM is not Houdini so they can’t predict how the UNC will vote. I can assume though that a reason why the UNC don’t want that autonomy is because it will limit the UNC’s ability to govern with impunity if they were to hold the reigns of government again. Remember in the last Kamla administration they appointed their own “administrator” for Tobago. Such position gives them the ability to both overseer and override on Tobago affiars. This could be the long shot. Watson Duke is our “Donald Trump”.
    Our past is filled with “anancy stories” and he has found an audience to fool with that. When people like Watson Duke and Stephen Kangal gain the ears of our voters, we know we are in serious troubles as a functioning democracy.
    Duke, the court jester and Kangal, the great pretender. Boy, are we in trouble!!!!

  17. “Watson Duke might be considered an eccentric but he is correct in many of his determinations on Tobago affairs.” Yeah right. I guess he is correct in telling Tobagonians that the vaccine is killing people. It seems that Duke would do anything his UNC masters want him to do, even to the point of having hundreds of Tobagonians die. According to the newspapers, Duke said he can’t take a vaccine which he believes is killing people. Watson Duke is spreading misinformation and lies that will get Tobagonians killed, because as scientists and medical experts all over the world are now saying that we have a pandemic of the unvaccinated, because it is the unvaccinated who are now dying and getting seriously ill because of Covid. All the data confirms that. But Duke, as if to please his UNC masters, is spreading misinformation that would get Tobagonians killed. That’s worse than opportunism, that’s plain evil.

    1. The UNC and Watson Duke probably have the same goal: Independence for Tobago.
      Can anyone come up with concrete proof that Duke is linked to the UNC?
      Or once again are idle speculation and rushing to judgment dominating the thinking of the loyal PNM disciples?

      1. “Can anyone come up with proof that Duke is linked to the UNC…” – Tman, Liar, Loyal UNC disciple

        PSA heads joins UNC in fight against new T&T revenue agency
        http://jyoticommunication.blogspot.com/2010/02/psa-heads-joins-unc-in-fight-against.html

        “The PSA executive discussed several plans and realised the most effective approach would be to join the UNC…”
        – Watson Duke, PSA President February 2010
        Trinidad Express?

        “I already told the members of the PSA that if any of them want a political career, they would have to resign from the union. i have no intereset in any politics other that the politics of the people.” – Watson Duke, PSA President February 2010
        Trinidad Express?

      2. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is a damn duck, and Watson Duke is sure quacking like a UNC duck. Anyhow looks like Tobago will be eating curry duck after the next THA elections. From Persad-Bissessar’s “sunlight will kill Covid” to Watson Duke’s “vaccines will kill people”, you can see the same lack of concern for people’s lives – the disinformation, the parroting of Fox news delusional lies. Disinformation is killing people. No responsible person who aspires for leadership should be so callous towards the lives of people he wants to represent. And as for independence for Tobago – let Tobagonians decide that. That is the problem that is driving the desire for autonomy, everybody wants to speak for Tobago and few want to listen to Tobago, let Tobago decide what it wants – autonomy, independence, the PNM, the UNC’s puppet/duck, whatever it wants, let Tobago decide.

  18. Kangal’s article on “PNM’s strategy” is such a fecund invitation for making fun of his mad hatter’s logic that I just can’t stop myself. So on to level 4 of Kangal’s video game “excuses for the UNC not supporting autonomy for Tobago”. Level 1 was all about “it’s the PNM fault, they made we do it.” The next level 2 was about “the PNM read our minds, and plotted a plot”. Level 3 was about “how come the PNM knew we were not going to support the Tobago autonomy bill?” Level 4 is when everything is exposed; I call it “don’t believe your thinking mind”. So let’s get to level 4. After we have done all the preliminary work, succeeded in going to more and more expository explorations, we reached a space where a bright light shines and everything seems crystal clear. The light comes in the form of an analogy. There are two groups of people voting to decide if to free this person who is bound by chains and who wants to be free. One group, call them the self-government group, empathizing with the bound victim, decided to bring up a vote to decide on the person’s freedom. The other group, call them the lying, thiefing, corrupt group (no disrespect intended, that’s their good points), decided not to support freedom for the bound victim. Not wanting to incur animosity for not supporting freedom, they picked a slippery, slopery, logically inept columnist to try to dupe his audience with a duping. It’s the other side’s fault, the cunning mad hatter cried, if they didn’t bring up this vote, we wouldn’t have not supported your freedom. They brought up this vote just to show us not supporting your freedom. It’s an insidious plot to make you know that we do not support your freedom. In other words, if you didn’t bring up the vote, we wouldn’t have to reject it or not support it. Whereupon level 4 ended with hoots of raucous laughter by those who saw through the inept logic of the slippery columnist and mad hatter and couldn’t believe that the UNC would expose their logical incompetence like this.

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