Chief Secretary and Tobago People’s Party (TPP) leader Farley Augustine says next month’s Tobago House of Assembly election is a fight to keep the island “out of the hands of Satan and his children.”
He has also asked supporters to treat January 12 election as the most decisive vote in modern Tobago history.
Speaking at a meeting in Bon Accord/Crown Point on Tuesday night, Augustine framed the election as a turning point for Tobago, calling on voters to protect the island from forces he said were determined to “pull Tobago backwards.”
He warned supporters not to underestimate what is at stake.
At one point in his almost hour-long address, Augustine said the campaign went far beyond party loyalty.
“This is not just an election because we want to win. We need to win to keep Tobago out of the hands of Satan and his children,” he told the crowd, although not referring to anyone specifically.
Augustine pressed the point that the TPP sees the January poll as a battle over Tobago’s dignity, identity and future direction.
Throughout his speech, Augustine said Tobago had suffered greatly under previous administrations and that the island could not risk “going back.” He described what he called years of mistreatment, neglect, and disrespect, saying the TPP had been working to correct long-standing problems across the island.
He told supporters Tobago was “now in a place where it is ready to launch forward,” and insisted the TPP was the only political institution equipped to keep the island stable in a time of uncertainty.
Augustine insisted the TPP’s leadership was grounded in faith, community service, and clean governance. He said the island needed leaders who were willing to “fight against them that try to fight against us.”
He also described a Tobago that had been historically punished for choosing its own political path. He encouraged residents to remember how they were treated when the island last rejected the People’s National Movement decades ago.
He told supporters that Tobago had to stand firm.
“You have to protect that. You have to protect that in a world where as an island, we continue to fight against high levels of crime.”
Augustine said the TPP’s record over the past four years showed it was capable of rebuilding Tobago, stabilising the economy, and delivering progress despite what he described as pressure from Trinidad and multiple attempts to “persecute” his administration.
He said Tobago’s future depended on discipline, unity, and commitment from every resident, not just politicians.
“This election has to be more than that. It has to be more than a selfish desire for what’s in it for just me. It has to be what’s in it for all of we,” he said.
