Farley 'Pretty Penny' Blocked Planning
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has leveled a blistering accusation against the Central Government, claiming the transfer of Town and Country Planning services to Tobago was deliberately sabotaged by the Minister of Planning, whom he referred to as « Pretty Penny ». Speaking on a Tobago People’s Party (TPP) platform ahead of the upcoming elections, Augustine alleged that despite the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) doing all the necessary groundwork, the Minister refused to sign off on the transfer without the Prime Minister’s permission.
Augustine detailed the extensive preparations his administration undertook to facilitate the move. He noted that the THA had carried a motion in the House, secured a budget, renovated the old PRDI building, purchased equipment to digitize records, and even engaged senior state counsel to ensure legal compliance. « All we were waiting on was for them to send us Town and Country Planning, » Augustine declared.
He contrasted this obstruction with the period between 1996 and 2001, under former Chief Secretary Hochoy Charles, when planning functions were effectively managed in Tobago. Augustine argued that the subsequent removal of these powers was a calculated move by the « pseudo-Tobagonian » leadership to enforce a « neo-colonial arrangement ».
In a stinging jab at the Prime Minister, Augustine mocked his recent absence from the public eye. Referencing the « former former » who usually holds press conferences every Monday, the Chief Secretary suggested a link between his silence and recent geopolitical developments involving Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. « Since they take Maduro… he must be ‘fraid he next, » Augustine quipped, insinuating that the Prime Minister has gone into hiding.
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