00:00Confusion reigning in Tobago with two THA secretaries stating that they are responsible for one division.
00:07That's how former THA presiding officer Dr. Dini Soifat Angus sums up what has transpired
00:12from the 44th plenary sitting of the Tobago House of Assembly last Friday
00:16when Councillor Tarsia Burris said she was the holder of the entire portfolio,
00:21tourism, culture, antiquities and transportation.
00:24But Councillor Zareisha Hackett was introduced the very next day
00:27as having responsibility for culture and antiquities at a press conference relating to Tobago's carnival.
00:34THA chief secretary Fali Augustin has since spoken out,
00:37saying the power rests with him to assign roles to secretaries.
00:41The timing of it isn't sitting well with Dr. Soifat Angus.
00:45The chief secretary finally broke his silence.
00:51Ten whole days to finally come to the people of Tobago and attempt to explain this debacle.
00:57Ten days enough? Ten days.
01:00Ten days of silence.
01:03Ten days of confusion.
01:06And might I say, ten days of disrespect.
01:10And while the THA Act Section 34, Subsection 2 has been called into question
01:15by progressive Democratic patriot leader Watson Duke,
01:18suggesting a breach of the Act by not first informing the THA of the decision,
01:23she says Augustin wouldn't be the only one.
01:25I don't think any chief secretary has followed this law to date,
01:33where they consult with all members, which would include the minority bench,
01:39about which secretaries they are choosing before sending the names to the president.
01:46They all broke the law.
01:48Decisions of the executive council may be implemented without the prior approval of the assembly.
02:03And that too is correct.
02:06So legally, he was within his domain to reassign as he saw fit.
02:14But here's where the problem lies, really.
02:20It's about process.
02:22It's about procedure and respect for the people.
02:28Had he followed process and procedure and respected the people to be transparent enough,
02:34accountable enough, we wouldn't be going through this.
02:37Dr. Soifat-Angus says Subsection 2 means that they are duty-bound to provide answers to the assembly when asked.
02:45As such, she says Duke, who was told to sit many times by presiding officer Abby Taylor,
02:50while seeking clarity on who was responsible for the portfolio, was within his right.
02:55And as a former presiding officer, I have to say, I feel so ashamed.
03:02The presiding officer blocked him from getting that clarity.
03:06That obstruction deprived the assembly and the people of Tobago of the clear understanding as the law requires.
03:15Dr. Soifat-Angus says confusion is the fruit of mismanagement.
03:20And she questions the reason for removing half of Burris' portfolio, including culture, so close to the October Carnival.
03:28Alicia Boucher, TV6 News.
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