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CCNTV6
  • 7 months ago
Tobago is still under pressure says Economist and Senior Policy Advisor Dr. Vanus James.

He says good governance and leadership is required to take the island forward.

Tv6's Nicole M Romany has the story.
Transcript
00:00One economist in Tobago says former ministers and MPs, Ayanna Webster-Roy and Asham Fukujo,
00:08failed to show the parliament, the state of Tobago, what it means and how to achieve it.
00:13And he remains doubtful the new Tobago People's Party representatives can accomplish it either.
00:19Dr. Varnas James says Tobago is in serious trouble.
00:23We have to have a level head and think through not only what we have to do in the country
00:31so that Trinidad and Tobago can get out of the hole it is in.
00:34This is a massive crisis Kamala has inherited here.
00:38And that Tobago could get access to fair opportunity to set up a development path for itself and for the country over here.
00:48If we can't talk through that properly, we're going to be in big trouble in a very short time.
00:53Dr. James tells the Morning Edition there is no need for the Tobago MPs to be part of the cabinet.
01:00He explains that being in cabinet means express loyalty to the party leader.
01:06That's no hand for a place like Tobago to play.
01:09Because remember, you have to persuade the government to do things that it may not want to do
01:16but would be in the national interest and in the interest of Tobago.
01:20Dr. James also says that over the past 10 years, the Tobago economy collapsed under Dr. Keith Rowley
01:27and continued to plummet under the Farley-Augustin administration.
01:32He says there is no euphoria in Tobago, as the people have not yet won.
01:37In Tobago, the pain is still there.
01:41Inflation over the last 10 years has been 6.2% in Tobago.
01:46So people feel in the pinch and they want change and they want the THA to change as well.
01:52And finally we'll have a very different experience in the THA election
01:55because now this is not about PNM.
01:58This is not, you're the incumbent.
02:00He says there may be an illusion that the people are happy with what the THA is doing
02:06but that is far from the truth.
02:09Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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