The national community, Tobago and Trinidad, both collectively and individually, has and have been playing around for decades with the potential of Tobago being a serious economic component of the nation.
Party politics, individual political ambitions and the accompanying inability of politicians to hold together and make the best of the island’s resources and potential have blocked the way forward.
It’s been almost 50 years since the rebirth of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) and the accompanying objective of every administration to achieve internal self-government for the island as part of the nation.
The net result has been no matter which party is in government in Port-of-Spain and in the THA, the generation of jobs, spending, grants and the like continue to be totally dependent on expenditure by the Assembly; which in turn is reliant on allocations by the central government. Left waiting is meaningful spending to spur and stimulate economic activity, growth and development by the private sector.
At the same time this has been happening, succeeding governments, THA leaders, tourism officials, hoteliers and economists in Tobago and Trinidad have written extensively about tourism and its potential for attracting investment to the island.
Yet, over the decades, both in terms of policies and actions to achieve the kind of success the natural environment holds, Tobago remains way behind what has been achieved by comparable Caribbean destinations.
The latest attempt to stage a Tobago Carnival separate and apart from that of the Trinidad festival got caught up in the usual back and forth between Scarborough and Port-of-Spain.
It should always be remembered that this political divide once prevented the Jamaican international resort chain, Sandals, from establishing a beachhead for tourism in Tobago; the owners did not want their brand to be muddied by political mudslinging.
Since then, the issues surrounding the establishment of a full, productive tourism industry, with links to agriculture, agro-industry, an entertainment centre, handicraft and duty-free shopping, among other industries, have all but died. In place have slid allegations of corruption, political dog fights and aggravated calls for fresh elections one year after they were held.
Absolutely needed is engagement with thorough-going discussion and participation by the people of both islands to achieve economic expansion and development of tourism and linkages to create new sectors. Unlike many other tourism destinations in the region, Tobago has a manufacturing base in Trinidad which can be expanded to the sister isle to prevent the leakage of tourism earnings.
The very focus on economic and human development matters will of itself reveal the political and administrative structures which demand change. Driven by the economics, people getting jobs, healthy returns to investors, and contribution to national development, attention will be diverted away from frivolous political issues; it may even put empty politicians and their rhetoric in context.
Not to be misunderstood, this newspaper is not saying that the call for internal self-government must fade; what is quite possible is that with a focus on economic and as a result, human development, the internal self-government being sought will become a compulsion to be achieved.