Camille McEachnie
The People's National Movement (PNM) candidate for Belle Garden East/Roxborough/Delaford Neil Beckles is ready to wrest the seat away from the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) "absentee" leader Watson Duke on January 25, 2021, in the Tobago House of Assembly's (THA) elections.
Beckles made his intentions clear at a PNM public meeting at the Roxborough Secondary School on Tuesday.
Speaking to party members seated in the school's hall, Beckles said to rid Tobago of the PDP, the PNM must first rid the THA of Duke.
He said Duke did not represent the district properly over the past four years as he had missed many Plenary Sittings.
"I will not be the kind of absentee representative or the type of representative you will see sometimes," Beckles said.
He said his training as a soldier and on the football field prepared him to battle Duke and the PDP.
Battle For Tobago
"I can tell you one of the easiest ways to win your battle is sever the head. But I believe the opposing side has already committed suicide," he said to applause and laughter from the crowd.
Sharing similar sentiments, the Tobago Council leader Tracy Davidson -Celestine, who also addressed the crowd, said Beckles would be present at Plenary Sittings, unlike Duke.
"If you were to go back to the Hansard (reports) ...one of the things you would find is that the immediate former representative ...was hardly present in any of the Sittings."
Adding: "Since I was there, I could count the number of times he was in the House to represent you the people Roxborough/Delaford, and the thing about that Sitting is that it is held once per month."
She said the PDP had shown it could not represent the constituents, but the PNM offered representation and stability.
"All other political parties are sinking sand. The PDP has no structure. They have no systems, and most importantly they have no leader at this time," Davidson- Celestine said.