ROWLEY’S TOBAGO CAMPAIGN FIZZLES

ONE of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley’s major general election campaign themes for Tobago has collapsed.

And the other subject is riddled with controversy.

The legislation aimed at affording limited administrative autonomy for the sister isle has failed to provide the People’s National Movement (PNM) with political dividends.

Rowley was planning to declare on the election campaign trail that the PNM had resolved the long-outstanding issue of Tobago’s self-governance.

But the defeat of the legislation in the House of Representatives was coupled with hard-hitting criticisms from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.

Ms. Persad-Bissessar branded the Constitution Amendment Tobago Self-Government Bill as “election mamaguy.”

Augustine said the proposals were not far-reaching and that there was no meaningful consultation.

Rowley is now expected to blast Persad-Bissessar and Augustine but is not likely to score any political points on the matter.

That is a major setback for the Prime Minister, who brought the legislation to Parliament virtually on the eve of the election.

The PNM Government has also been frustrated on the matter of reconstruction of the terminal of A.N.R. Robinson International Airport.

There are diligent moves to complete the project within the next few months to give the give the Government pre-election bragging rights.

But this is overshadowed by multi-million-dollar cost overruns and the Government’s all-out attempt to cover up the additional spending.

The Rowley regime has taken a lot of heat on the issue.

In his last general election, Rowley wants electoral victory in Tobago, the island of his birth.

He has to overcome powerful anti-PNM sentiment which gave Augustine’s party an historic 14-1 victory in the January 25, 2021 THA election.

That result followed 21 consecutive years of PNM island rule.

The PNM is hoping to hold onto the two Tobago electoral seats, but is in danger of defeat in light of the current political mood on the island.

The party won the Tobago East seat by 1,321 votes.

At least one of the incumbent Members of Parliament is expected to be replaced.

The current MPs are Ayanna Webster-Roy (Tobago East) and Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis (Tobago West).

Ancil Dennis, who was appointed a Government Senator in October, is a likely replacement candidate.

Rowley is also expected to seek to portray Augustine’s Tobago People’s Party as being aligned to Persad-Bissessar’s United National Congress.

Augustine has challenged Rowley to call the general election, an indication of his confidence of success.

In an emotional declaration, Augustine last week labelled Rowley “a house slave.”

Rowley, who was born in Mason Hall, began his political career in unsuccessfully contesting the Tobago West constituency in 1981.

He is the only PNM politician to fight in both Trinidad and Tobago.

With his two major campaign issues fizzling, Rowley is expected to face one of his toughest electoral fights to place the Tobago seats in the PNM’s column.

He would face a gritty Augustine who has continuously argued that the PNM failed to develop the sister isle.

At age 39, compared to Rowley’s 75, Augustine could also pitch the campaign as the future versus the past.