Chief Secretary and Tobago People’s Party political leader Farley Augustine has told what he described as “paid bloggers from Trinidad” to keep their “stinking opinion” and influence in Beetham and Laventille, saying Tobago does not want it and will decide for itself.Augustine made the comments while speaking at a TPP political meeting in Mt St George on Sunday night.
“And I want to say to all their paid bloggers from Trinidad, we don’t care what you say,” Augustine said. “No Trinidad blogger will determine how we vote. Tobagonians are smart enough. We don’t need an influence.”
He continued: “Keep your influence down there for Laventille and Beetham. But this is Tobago, and Tobago for Tobagonians. We will decide for ourselves. Keep your stinking opinion to yourself. We don’t care about your opinion.”
Augustine repeated the point later in his address.
“So they could pay all the bloggers they want in Trinidad. We don’t care about your opinion,” he said.
During the meeting, Augustine accused his political opponents of running a campaign driven by fear and falsehoods.
“They are running a campaign based on fear. We are running a campaign based on hope,” he said. “They are running a campaign based on allegations. We are running a campaign based on aspiration. They are running a campaign based on fiction. We are running a campaign based on facts.”
He also referred to claims surrounding the cargo boat.
“And so they try, and have been trying, to drive fear about cargo boat,” Augustine said. “And I came out and I said that very night.”
Augustine also claimed that Trinidadians attend PNM meetings in Tobago to give the impression the party has major support. He said TPP meetings, however, are attended by Tobagonians.
“When I look here, you don’t have a single Trinidadian in this audience,” he said. “This is an authentic Tobago audience, an indigenous Tobago audience… These are authentic Tobago crowd.”
