MR. EMAILGATE CRIES FOUL

FARLEY Augustine has some fancy political footworks.

Only in his mid-thirties, Augustine worked his way into one of the prized political posts in the land, and then outfoxed his self-loving leader, taking his soldiers with him.

Just over 18 months in the chair at the Tobago House of Assembly, he has weathered textbook PNM dirty tricks and is facing up to his self-inflicted political wounds.

In a land in which the PNM has perfected whisper campaigns (remember the so-called Baptist letter of a couple of decades ago?), propaganda crusades are a sure thing, especially during election seasons.

The leaked audio recording of a planned propaganda offensive against the PNM hardly warrants police attention, especially in a land riddled with unsolved bloody crimes.

But the PNM casts a wide net over the police service, despite its furious denials.

On top of that, Keith Rowley is conscious of the implications of losing the Tobago seats in the general election, due in just over two years.

And now there are the explosive claims of a hatched PNM-Police malicious attack on Augustine.

There are gaping loopholes in the narrative.

But, on the other hand, there is an identified person making the allegations and a supposed trail of money transactions.

Now, that is a matter deserving a full-scale police probe.

Whether or not Farley’s dark revelations have merit, they are no more reckless than Rowley, using the cover of parliamentary immunity in 2013 to deliver “emailgate” accusations.

All the claims were debunked in a subsequent, drawn-out police enquiry.

But by that time, they had long served their purpose of destabilising the then-government.

The Prime Minister’s assertion on Thursday that Augustine abused the “sanctity” of the House of Assembly is hypocrisy on steroids.

In fact, what Augustine did was straight from the Rowley playbook.

More than most anti-PNM politicians, Farley understands that Rowley is an unorthodox, take-no-prisoners operator, a moving target.

And he is meeting the aging warlord in his gayelle.

Indeed, Farley is emerging as this generation’s “ah wee boy” A.N.R. Robinson, whom he has described as his mentor.

The THA leader is suave, calculated and mercurial, all at once.

He is resolute and has street smarts.

Rowley may have met a skilled boxing opponent with a frustratingly similar fighting style.

Several more heated rounds lie ahead, during which Rowley is likely to indulge in his typical bombast.

But for now, savour the bizarre moment of Mr. Emailgate crying foul.