Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke has issued a public apology to Tobagonians for the job losses and economic hardship he says were caused by his decision to hand power to Chief Secretary Farley Augustine.
“That was the biggest mistake I ever made in my entire life,” Duke said during a spot meeting in Goodwood. “The effects of that is that Tobago was thrown into chaos. People are now without jobs.”
Duke accused Augustine of betraying both the PDP and the people of Tobago.
“He even went and got baptised and was identified as an elder, and we trusted him. I trusted him with power, great power. I said, ‘Sir, you lead the THA.’”
Now, Duke says it is time to fix what was broken and rebuild Tobago as a land of opportunity.
“Every single person in Tobago will have a job, because we will control the Treasury, and when we control the Treasury, we will spend the money on the people, so the thieves will have nothing to steal.”
He promised that CEPEP, URP and development workers would earn a minimum salary of $5,000.
“The first major project we going to do is to ensure that persons who are working, the CEPEP worker, the URP worker, the development worker, those picking up cash on the road, will collect a salary of nothing less than $5,000.”
Duke also pledged to increase pensions from $3,500 to $4,500, and announced plans to hire 500 full-time workers in every district to beautify communities and repair homes.
“We will provide labour and we will provide materials. The young men from Goodwood will go to Goodwood, and they will fix and repair every single home in Goodwood,” he said.
“Every single house will have toilet and bath, every single house will have kitchen cupboard, every single house will have a concrete footpath. No longer mud on your shoes.”
Duke said his mission is to improve the quality of life for all Tobagonians.
“We want to improve your standard of living. We are building a Tobago for Tobagonians.”
