Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has literally been caught with his pants down as he uploaded a video of himself changing on the roadside in Tobago East. Mr. Augustine later explained he had a busy schedule.
The opposition is however calling for the Office of the Chief Secretary to be respected. More in this Elizabeth Williams report.
00:00In the 19 seconds video recorded by the Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and uploaded to his social media, the Chief Secretary is seen in his underwear changing on the side of the roadway.
00:12But at one of his scheduled appearances, the funeral of a dear friend, Mr. Augustine explained.
00:19Today I have competing events. I stopped on the side of the road and changed clothes to get in here because I said I had to be here.
00:30Because of the work Pastor Farley did for the Lord in Tobago.
00:35Minority leader Kelvin Morris, when asked to comment, asked why did the Chief Secretary post the video to social media?
00:43I think the real issue is why would you post such a video in the first place?
00:50I mean, nobody had, if that is, you know, if he thought that he, that was the best place to change,
01:00why not just do it and go your merry way? Why it requires that being posted?
01:05Mr. Morris said the office of the Chief Secretary must be respected.
01:10I mean, ultimately, the office comes with a certain level of respect and expectation and therefore you have to always remember to preserve the respectability of the office.
01:28And I think that is my one challenge with why would you post something like that?
01:33Because from what I've seen, it appears that it was the chief himself who would have uploaded the video.
01:40Mr. Morris said the Chief Secretary could have asked a friend for help.
01:45You're an area rep with relationships. I'm sure that you would have access to friends and family close by.
01:54And the question would be, couldn't you not access, you know, some support in that regard?
02:01Former Tobago East MP Ayana Webster Roy also weighed in on the issue.
02:06She said, quote, if the aim was to show the rigors of the job, the anecdote you shared at the funeral was more than enough.
02:15That moment was human and relatable.
02:18The video, on the other hand, was unnecessary, unfortunate and frankly, unbecoming of the office of the chief secretary.
02:26Leadership demands a certain posture, especially in public.
02:30It's not about pretending to be perfect, but about knowing when not to press record, when not to share, and when to let dignity lead, end quote.
02:42She told the chief secretary he had options between Charlottesville and the Sandy River SDA church,
02:48where there were more than enough places to discreetly and respectfully change,
02:54while still conveying the fast-paced day of the life of a chief secretary.
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