TOP a Troubled Party: No response to ultimatum

Ashworth Jack, Leader of The
Tobago Organisation of the People

Political Leader of the Tobago Organization of the People (TOP) has failed to respond to an ultimatum, to meet with his members to deal with the future of the party by last week Thursday. “He has failed to communicate with us and has maintained his silence since last we held a meeting with him about two weeks ago,” stated Stanley Beard, a former Chairman of the TOP, who had been in the forefront of the revitalization of the Tobago-based party.

Speaking with Tobago News last Friday, Beard reported that a meeting planned for ‘ultimatum day’ last week Thursday had to be postponed as a few members of the TOP’s transitional team were called away to Trinidad. “We have rescheduled the meeting for next week Tuesday at the Scarborough Secondary School in Shaw Park from 5:00 pm, where we were going to take certain steps to regain our footing as a party in the Tobago landscape,” he disclosed. Questioned about the absence of MP for Tobago East Vernella Alleyne-Toppin from a previous meeting involving the TOP membership, Beard said that he had been in contact with the MP subsequently and she had indicated that she had a medical issue involving a close relative and therefore could not attend. “We have sent another invitation to her to attend next week Tuesday’s meeting,” he revealed. Beard pointed out that with the bullish attitude of the TOP leader to hold on to the leadership of the party while maintaining a very low public profile, has left the membership no choice but to move forward with or without his blessings.

 The TOP is facing a number of challenges, and with the entry of Jack Warner’s Independent Liberal Party (ILP) it is imperative that we get our house in order,” declared Beard. The TOP suffered a humiliating 12 nil whitewash at the hands of the Peoples National Movement in the January 2013 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) polls. This had led to some serious in-fighting over the way forward in terms constitutional reform and leadership of the party.

Source:tobagonews