London Says: PM Can't Trigger THA Election.

Chief Secretary of Tobago House of Assembly, Orville London

The Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is presumptuous in trying to force the hand of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) in calling  an early THA election, said Chief Secretary Orville London. He was responding to her (Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar) call last night made at a gathering at her private residence in Phillipine, South Trinidad. 

Orville London stated that only the THA has that power. He took a political jab at the Peoples Partnership saying that the Prime Minister and her Government was only good at diversionary tactics in an attempt to sway the citizenry away from pressing issues of the country, especially as it relates to Section 34 fiasco and the public outcry that resulted. He further noted "That neither the Prime Minister, Minister (Herbert) Volney, Minister (Jack) Warner or any other member of her Cabinet has in fact said anything to convince the public that there was not some sinister motive behind the decision to have the clause enacted."

London stressed the Prime Minister has not told the country why there seems to be in her Cabinet a clear distinction between what he called the "dispensables" and the "untouchables".

"Because you get that feeling that in the Cabinet the dispensables are the people you can throw to the public to give the impression that you are firm, that you are strong, that you have integrity. The untouchables will do the same thing or worse, and nothing happens," London said.

According to the THA Act 40 of 1996, the Tobago House of Assembly has no less than two months and no more than three months in which to call the election, but the Chief Secretary reminded the Prime Minister that the election cannot be triggered by her, nor is he hoping she will attempt to impose her will on the people of Tobago and the THA.

"I think the Prime Minister is a little presumptuous, quite honestly, to be telling us in the THA that we should call elections. The election will be called when the THA as an institution believes that we will set the date, and then the President will call the election after consultation," London Said.

No Race Game:Emancipation Support Committee receives $4 Million

ESC chairman Khafra Kambon received a 2 million dollar cheque
 from the Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Sorrow has tuned to joy, as the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) received $4 million from the government. ESC chairman Khafra Kambon was presented with a 2 million dollar cheque from the Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. The committee would receive another $2 million from the  Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism. 

Earlier this week, the committee in a press conference indicated that they would returned a 1 million dollar cheque to the government as it would grossly insufficient. Kambon had charged that the Government had reneged on a promise to include funding for the Emancipation Day celebrations in the annual budget and that the committee was disappointed and angered by the lack of financial support for the Emancipation celebrations. However, speaking after the presentation of the cheque, a jubilant Kambon stated he was pleased as the $4 million was what they had asked for."We have gotten what we requested and we didn't expect more than what we requested".  

This action however, have not gone unseen by other groups within the country vying to get an increase share of a depleted treasury. Speaking yesterday, the general secretary of the Maha Sabha, Sat Maharaj, said he was happy for this group, but hoped that the same would be done for Indian Arrival Day next year.

Is This a Race Game:Emancipation Support Committee Refuses Government's Measly $1 Million

Symbolic of Breaking the Chains of Slavery

With mere days from Emancipation 2012, the typical drama have unfolded again. A 1 million dollar cheque given by the PP Government to the Emancipation Support Committee (ESC) was refused, as it is believed that the sum cannot fund the celebration. 
Khafra kambon, Leader of the ESC stated that he and his committee were beyond disappointed and angered by the lack of financial support for yet another time. An emotional Kambon further stated that the festival has profound meaning, but has been treated with disrespect along with the people of African descent. Like he did last year, he repeated that the Emancipation commemoration be a budgeted item and all "systemic obstacles" that are in the way of the committee receiving funding be removed.
He further contended that the PP Government have reneged on its promise to include funding for the Emancipation Day celebrations in its annual budget, suggesting that the group may need to "make noise" in order not to be left out.

Kamblon stated that this years production would total $7 million and have therefore refused to accept the 1 million without further commitment by the Government to the give the balance. Last year, celebrations reached the visinity of $4 million and therefore 1 million is no less than an insult. 

Moreover, Kambon noted that  when things of an African nature was in need of assistance it was blanked from both the private and public sector in terms of funding. Something, he described as an "inbuilt bias against the African" in the society.

When asked why the committee didn't seek to one day be self-sufficient,  Kambon suggested that another member present answer and education officer of the committee, Tracy Wilson, said the funding was reparation. Yes Reparation.

"It is interesting that every time we have a press conference this question comes up. We have worked for centuries to get other people rich. When we walked off the plantation it was other people who were compensated. Why it is that because we ask for what we believe is our due it becomes a problem? More importantly, we are an NGO (non-governmental organisation) that is responsible in helping organising the society," Wilson said.


History would show that on Tuesday 30, May, 2006 Kamla, then Opposition leader called on the Government then (PNM) to release more funds for Indian Arrival Day, stating that the funds received were an insult to the Indian People.  Today, she is remainded of her own words, “There must be adequate and transparent funding...,There must be equity in such funding if we are to rescue our nation.” “Their struggles and sacrifices and hard work must not be forgotten and the fruits of their labour must not be diminished, Their legacy to this country is a rich and invaluable one that deserves the utmost respect and admiration." 

Therefore, the Government should note that Emancipation celebration is a national festival done in Celebrating the seemingly 'elevated' status of "Black Slaves". The ESC wishes therefore, that the words enshrined in our anthem 'every creed and race find an equal place' be adhered to, for the benefit of all our nation’s citizens. In the words of Wilson "We cannot have good Trinidadians until we have good Indians, good Syrians and good Africans. 

Chief Secretary replies to Attorney General

Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is "insensitive and out of place" to vilify the THA Chief Secretary Orville London for his repeated requests to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for a meeting to discuss the critical issue of self-government for Tobago.

A statement today (Tuesday 24th July 2012) from the Office of the Chief Secretary said the Attorney General should be informed that Clause 31 of the THA Act No 40 of 1996 states: "The Prime Minister and the Chief Secretary shall hold regular discussions with the view to formulating administrative and legislative mechanism for the promotion of harmony in the affairs of Trinidad and Tobago."

The statement added: "There is no doubt that the present process for internal self-government is the most important 'administrative and legislative' issue facing the people of Tobago, in recent times." It said: "The process also has significant potential for either the promotion of harmony or the creation of disharmony in the affairs of Trinidad and Tobago.

"In the circumstances the Chief Secretary does not only have the right but has the responsibility to seek a meeting, or many meetings with the Prime Minister so that the issue of internal self- government could be resolved in the interest of the people of Tobago and the rest of the country.

"The Chief Secretary wishes to reiterate that contrary to the statements of both the Prime Minister and the Attorney General, he has never attempted to bully the Cabinet into accepting the Tobago generated Bills," it said.

In fact, in correspondence to the Prime Minister dated 15th December 2011, the Chief Secretary said: "The Tobago House of Assembly does not have the authority to take the process any further. However, Tobagonians are aware of your Government's stated commitment to the provision of internal self-government to Tobago; and they are confident that you will initiate and guide the necessary process for the achievement of self-government, consistent with the aspirations and recommendations of the people of Tobago."

In another correspondence dated 12th March 2012, the Chief Secretary said: "Madam Prime Minister, the Government's decision to ignore the Bills submitted on behalf of the people of Tobago is unjust and could prove to be counterproductive. I concede that the Cabinet does not have to agree with nor give support to the recommendations contained in the Bills. However, I am convinced that the views of the people of Tobago should be placed in the public domain for discussion, debate and final resolution. Any other option could only lead to unnecessary conflict and confusion, at a time when we have the opportunity to resolve this long standing issue."

The statement added that the Chief Secretary and members of the Tobago House of Assembly were elected by the people of Tobago in a transparent and democratic process and their mandate was to do all that was necessary to develop the island and to improve the quality of life of its residents. "As Chief Secretary I will be betraying this mandate if I were to allow the Office of the Chief Secretary to be deterred from carrying out this responsibility," the statement added.

Last week London forwarded copies of almost 6,000 signatures of Tobagonians to the Prime Minister, the Attorney General and the Chairman of the Law Reform Commission requesting that the Bills be put into the public domain for discussion.

 reproduce verbatim from  the Tobago House of Assembly News. 

London Delivers Petition to PM

Tobago House of Assembly, Chief Secretary
Orville London

The message to the People's Partnership from Tobagonians is stop being "Dismissive" to their expressed sentiments on the issue of internal self government, according to chief Secretary of Tobago House of Assembly, Orville London. 

This message was conveyed to the Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday after the Chief Secretary delivered a petition  to the PM's office for the Government to consider the THA's draft legislation on Constitutional reform and amendments to the THA Act. 

London indicated, at a press conference at the Hyatt Regency, that a number of 5,791 Tobagonians had affixed their signatures to the petition, and that the "people of Tobago are not attempting to force anything down the throats of the country, they are not saying that what they want should be the final thing. They are just saying these are our views and let us have a conversation."

Further, he indicated that a copy was also submitted to political scientist Dr Hamid Ghany, who is the appointee by the Prime Minister to head the Committee in ascertaining feeding back on the Green Paper on Tobago self Governance. 

Earlier this year (June 4) the PM accused London of trying to bully the Government into accepting two draft Bills on Tobago self-government, which she said was created without consulting the people of Tobago. London responded by stating that her statement was "erroneous, misleading and mischievous". Thus this move was done in an effort to preserve four years of effort by thousands of Tobagonians which was dumped or replaced with a document emanating from the Office of the Attorney General, The Green Paper. 

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Madam Prime Minister, We the Country are Hoping for the Change promised

Madam PM, it is  really a time for "Hope". The Nation is "Hoping" for Good Governance, The Nation is "Hoping" for better wages, The nation is "Hoping" to live in a Crime free zone, The nation is "Hoping" that the Big thiefs in Government get Jail Time, The Nation is "Hoping" that Nepotism would be a thing of the past, The Pensioners are "Hoping" to Get back their full pension, The Nation is "Hoping" for alot of things KAMLA. Quit yapping all day every day and Get to work you and your Piece Together Government....

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/PM__A_time_for_hope-157990275.html