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  • 10 months ago
THA Assemblyman Watson Duke says he vision for Tobago is different from that of the Chief Secretary.

Duke says autonomy for Tobago is not where he is heading.

More from Nicole M Romany.
Transcript
00:00Mr. Duke says the Chief Secretary is calling for Tobago's autonomy but he does not know what he's talking about.
00:08In December, the Tobago autonomy bill failed in the Parliament after the opposition voted against it.
00:15The bill failed to acquire a three-fifths majority.
00:1921 government members voted for the bill and 16 opposition members voted against.
00:27Today, Duke tells TV6 he wants self-determination for the sister isle.
00:33Autonomy is a political choice.
00:37Self-determination is the umbrella choice of Tobago.
00:41Let me explain to you.
00:43Self-determination is an international law whereby the people of Tobago among themselves will choose four things.
00:52One, their political status which can be either independent, autonomy or an association.
01:02Three, they must also be able to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
01:12He says it is time Tobago is free to make decisions for its own development.
01:18We have been held in subjugation by the British colonial power, the French colonial power, the Dutch colonial power, the Spanish colonial power and we never had a chance to choose.
01:29Now Tobago must choose according to international law.
01:33International law says once a group of people who have been held in subjugation to a colonial power, those persons must sometime have the right to decide their own future among themselves.
01:49Additionally, Mr. Duke notes that in his view, the crime situation in Tobago is only getting worse.
01:56He says despite the numbers showing a decline, young people are being enticed by criminals.
02:02There's no decline. It's the worst.
02:04When you have youths, teenagers now, involved in criminal activity, it's your very future you are gambling with.
02:13And Tobago now has a number of youths picking up the gun.
02:17I think they might think that life is a movie.
02:20So we have lost on the crime issue and the only thing to bring back the crime issue is Tobago creating what is called Homeland Security.
02:29Tobago must create a department of Homeland Security where they work with the police to solve crime.
02:37Nicole M Romani, TV6 News.
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