‘Don’t trouble me, I won’t trouble you’, THA Chief tells Prime Minister

Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly Orville London emerged from yesterday’s meeting with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday after telling her: “Don’t trouble me and I won’t trouble you.”
London said so in an interview with reporters at the Parliament building yesterday after a one-hour meeting with Persad-Bissessar, Finance and the Economy Minister Larry Howai and Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal.
The need for a proper system of internal self government for Tobago was one of the major issues raised, London said. “There was not too much discussion but there was general agreement on many of the issues raised,” he said.
On the issue of internal self-government, London said the bills presented by the People’s Partnership Government in parliament prior to last month’s THA election would not lead to any resolution of the matter.
He said he recommended that both the THA and the central Government appoint teams to meet and formulate a common position on the issue of internal self-government.
He said there was agreement on the need for internal self-government but the only problem was the determination of how it should be done.
London said if that process could be settled speedily then there may be no need to have the President appoint two Independent councillors to the THA.
London’s request for two independent councillors was made following the unprecedented 12-o landslide victory at the polls by his People’s National Movement slate.
London said he found agreement with the Prime Minister on the need to have quarterly meetings.
He said he expressed his discontent with the role Caribbean Airlines (CAL) was playing in the development of the tourism sector in Tobago. He said CAL was introducing “predatory pricing on routes into Trinidad and Tobago, detering foreign airlines from bringing people into Tobago.”
London said Tobago’s tourism sector was suffering as a consequence. He said he recommended that the airline’s commercial viability cannot be the only concern. London said each route operated by CAL should be examined and re-evaluated.