THE PRIME Minister has issued a stinging condemnation of the Tobago House of Assembly's Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and his executive, saying they did not have the mandate of the people of Tobago.

Dr Rowley said if Farley and his Tobago People's Party (TPP) members wanted to be taken seriously by the Central Government and Tobagonians, he should, "make arrangements for an early election."

In an op-ed posted on his Facebook page on Sunday, the Prime Minister spoke of the behaviour of Augustine and his THA executive, saying "even at this confused stage should be of great concern to the national population."

Dr Rowley listed those "concerning" acts" perpetrated by officers of the Assembly under their warped interpretation of the country’s Constitution and the Tobago House of Assembly Act.

They included what the Prime Minister said was the "flagrant disregard" for the Environmental Management Authority Act by the Secretary for Infrastructure ; Augustine's alleged public support of the "illegal action" on the grounds that the act did not apply in Tobago; the filing of a motion by Augustine to encourage "constant and repeated breach of the EMA Act, in wilful disregard of the law;" the "childish wanton attack on officers of the Transport Division in the discharge of their duty in Tobago" and the "demand by the Secretary of Infrastructure and Transport, that licensing officers from Trinidad not be allowed to function in Tobago."

Trevor James holds the portfolio of Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport in the THA.

Rowley went on to say Augustine and his executive, being elected members of the Progressive Democratic Patriots, when the party took control of Tobago in the December 6, 2021, THA election, had "created a situation where the business of the Executive of the Tobago House of Assembly, has ended up in the hands of a self-serving group of independents, who, while under no legal requirement to resign their positions, have no mandate from the people of Tobago.

[caption id="attachment_1012604" align="alignnone" width="890"] CONCERNED: Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. -[/caption]

Augustine and several of his executive resigned from the PDP in December 2022 after a public spat with PDP leader, Watson Duke. Last week Augustine and his team announced that they formed a new party – the TPP – with him as political leader.

However, Dr Rowley said,"A brand new political party is now spawned with an intention to take its place within the walls of the THA. Should this occur without an election this resultant Executive authority without reference to the Tobago electorate would run counter to the espoused lofty “principles” being espoused, of nurturing democracy from the ground up when it is time to form a party but dispense with the basic tenets 'for the people by the people' democracy when it is time to hold on to office to the exclusion of the electorate."

Dr Rowley said the actions by Augustine's THA executive were "deliberately laying the g