00:00I've seen the public reaction to it, particularly from our friends in Trinidad.
00:06I want you to know that Tobago remains extremely safe.
00:10I want you to know that the THA does not support or endorse a free-for-all at all.
00:18The Chief Secretary, Efalle Augustine, lamented a lack of lawmaking policies by the Tobago House of Assembly.
00:25Section 25 of the THA Act says, the THA can make policies.
00:30And we make those policies in areas where there exists no policy.
00:34So if there is a cabinet policy, then the cabinet policy takes precedent over the THA policy.
00:40But if there is no policy, the THA must make the policy,
00:44which is what the court essentially endorsed in that famous court case, the Blasio court case.
00:52So the policies have been made.
00:54We put up the signs.
00:56We have been warning people.
00:57We publicly have been talking about it, saying not to do it.
01:01But because the THA doesn't have lawmaking function,
01:05the truth is the police does not respond on our policy to actually hold the people to account.
01:13Mr. Augustine said on several occasions,
01:16the police have failed to respond to calls from the Pigeon Point Heritage Park Limited
01:21on matters affecting the area.
01:23I could go at the records in Pigeon Point and show where Pigeon Point have called the police,
01:29who police officer answer, the fact that they never turn up when we call,
01:34because you can't charge them for breaking a THA policy.
01:38That is why the Marine Park bill went down to the parliament,
01:41but it got to the parliament just before the parliament went on recess in July.
01:46So it will come up in this first quarter in the national parliament.
01:50And once that is passed,
01:52then we will have the legal teeth to police the very policies that we have.
01:57Mr. Augustine said it is not a case of the THA being reckless.
02:01So it's not a case where the THA doesn't care or the THA doesn't want to enforce its policies.
02:09It's a issue where the THA does not have the legal remit to enforce its own policies right now.
02:16And we have to depend on other agencies of state who are not always willing to support,
02:21or sometimes they don't have the capacity to support,
02:24including Coast Guard, who might tell her they are no boats, which is a normal thing.
02:29Augustine said the situation is most unfortunate.
02:32What happened is unfortunate.
02:34We are monitoring the situation.
02:35I want to join the chorus of those commending the Scarborough General Hospital,
02:41the EMTs and the lifeguard for their rapid response.
02:45We have been doing some training and retooling so that we could treat these issues.
02:50The truth is, even with the policy in place,
02:53even when we get the legal teeth that we could get people charged and so on for misbehaving in the
03:01area,
03:02the truth is, I don't know that you could 100% stop people from playing the fool of their self.
03:08And they leave us a stronger language than nothing.
03:10I have to remember.
03:12Liz and them probably watching this.
03:13Sure, right.
03:14Right?
03:16So, people have played the fool.
03:17You know how they play the donkey of their self?
03:19Yeah, yeah.
03:20It's just like we have road traffic laws.
03:23Yeah.
03:24People breach them all the time and create accidents.
03:26It doesn't mean the state is responsible for it happening.
03:30Augustine said the rules instituted by the THC are not being followed.
03:35People just not following the rules.
03:38And when I stress that we have to follow rules down there and then, there are, well, there is a
03:46particular village idiot running about trying to tell the people that, well, no, ignore the THC, ignore the THC policy.
03:53Do what you want.
03:54Do what you want.
03:55You're doing it to your own disservice.
03:56You're mashing up your own industry.
03:58So, we'll continue to appeal to them.
04:01I was last across on no man's land on my birthday.
04:04I didn't go there to party.
04:06I went there to work and to sit and to reason with them.
04:10That was my birthday gift to myself.
04:12I want to reason with them.
04:14So, me are no enemy with them.
04:15Me and them good friends now, right?
04:18But, I need them to understand that if we don't manage a thing properly, we will end up throwing away
04:24the thing.
04:26And it's part of our price position.
04:28We have to manage it well.
04:29Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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