The Tobago People’s Party (TPP) has announced 48 nominees who have been submitted for consideration for the upcoming Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election.
Political Leader Farley Augustine made the announcement on Wednesday during the ‘Good Morning Tobago’ show.
All sitting THA-elected Assemblymen under Mr Augustine’s executive have thrown their hats into the ring once more, with hopes of this time representing the Tobago People’s Party in the upcoming THA elections.
In four districts, the nominees, all of whom are sitting Assemblymen, were unopposed. These included Parlatuvier/L’anse Fourmi/Speyside, Lambeau/Lowlands, Bagatelle/Bacolet, and Belle Garden/Glamorgan.
Mr. Augustine noted this may have been the case for various reasons.
“It might be a case of satisfaction. It might be a case of intimidation, meaning that I just feel that this person is a powerhouse it ain’t go work out for me, but one of the things I want to be clear on is that you could be nominated, you could be the only person nominated, and the party can decide to go back to the action group and say, ‘Send us more nominees,’ so there is no guarantee that because you are now the only person nominated in that district that you will get the nod.”
The Bethel/New Grange seat now held by Assemblyman Terrance Baynes saw the greatest number of nominees, with ten persons vying, while the Mt St George/Goodwood seat held by Assemblyman Megan Morrison trailed behind with six nominees. All other districts ranged from two to four nominees.
“The Political Leader, based on the constitution, has a final say in it, but I tend not to veto. I tend to send back to the community if I am not satisfied that we have a winning candidate. I think all of those who have offered themselves are in fact worthy candidates, worthy prospects. All have contributed to Tobago’s development and to the development of their respective communities.”
The TPP Leader stated that a Screening Committee will be installed later this week, and the selection will include two layers of screening.
“We do send our names to the intelligence community to see if they are in fact any issues, if anybody is a person of interest. We do that all the time in every election and we also ensure that we try to gauge public perception not just in the action group but among people who are not in the action group, just ordinary fishers, ordinary housewives, people who make comments on Facebook.”
The TPP’s screening will begin next week, and according to the party’s leader, it is expected to be an exciting process.