An election promise fulfilled, as the long-awaited Electoral District Fund for the Tobago House of Assembly is now a reality.
THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine acknowledged that the rollout of the Electoral District Fund took longer than anticipated but said the delay was necessary to ensure a robust system is in place to support it, regardless of changes in future administrations.
He said the Electoral District Fund makes funding available to each electoral district for small-scale community projects.
“At the heart of this is an understanding that if you are elected to represent an electoral district, then you must now have a responsibility to provide goods and services to that district, whether or not you are in the government or more so in the executive.”
Mr Augustine explained that the fund will allow for quick fixes and simple solutions to problems within communities that do not require a lengthy bureaucratic process.
“This is to ensure that the football group that just needs five balls or 10 balls and some cones or some vests for training can get that without having to be bogged down by a system that can take five months before they get a response.”
He warned all area representatives that the Electoral District Fund can be used as a tool by voters to determine the effectiveness of their leadership.
“Now, you, like every other area rep, is being given stewardship, some measure of stewardship over the same amount, and your ability or inability to demonstrate management skills could lead to your demise, or it could lead to your further success as a politician.”
Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary for Community Development and Social Protection Ackel Franklyn cautioned area representatives against using the fund to serve party members’ interests.
“I continue to stress fairness. It is not for those who waved a blue jersey, wore a red jersey, donned a black jersey. It’s for everyone in our local community.”
He said the fund will be dispatched annually. In the first instance, it is worth TT$150,000 for each electoral district. The value of the fund is expected to grow based on each budgetary allocation for the fiscal year and would be managed by a committee.
“The EDF Unit will provide the oversight and the accountability necessary to ensure that this programme operates with transparency.”
The Electoral District Fund is the first of its kind in the country, modelled after a similar initiative used in Jamaica by its Parliamentarians.