A campaign promise by Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) leader Watson Duke to pay a $1,000 “jus because” bonus to all employees of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) could cost upwards of $20 million, money that the THA just does not have.
Addressing Duke’s promise made during a PDP meeting over the weekend yesterday, current THA Chief Secretary Ancil Dennis said Duke’s promise was just not feasible.
“He has said and I don’t think his figure is correct, but he has said that there are some 20,000 public servants on the island. If he gives each of them $1,000, then that is $20 million. If it is $5,000 each, then that is over $100 million. He has to explain what is the authority, basis and justification for that and also where is the funding coming from,” Dennis said.
On Sunday, Duke, who is vying for the Roxborough/Argyle seat, promised the payments to THA workers once the PDP wins the December 6 THA elections.
Yesterday, however, Dennis queried where Duke would get the funding to fulfil his promise.
“I am not aware that we have other funding sitting around for Watson Duke to come and make payments to all public servants as he promises,” Dennis said.
He noted that some $50 million had already been spent and said there was another $50 million in the THA coffers to continue helping the whole island deal with the current economic situation.
Dennis said the THA has spent some $10 million on food cards and food support programmes which helped the most vulnerable and those impacted by the COVID-19 shutdown and another $20 million on business grants and loans to small businesses. The THA, he said, also helped the tourism sector at a cost of $30 million.
“And we have another $50 million available and that would allow us to give further support to smaller businesses and further support to the accommodations sector.
“And we are also going to give support to persons who are unemployed as a result of the pandemic, so we have that money and there is the clear justification for us to utilise that money in that way,” Dennis said.
He said the THA is currently focused on paying up all gratuities.
“As a matter of fact, last year we began an exercise to clear up all gratuities, especially those dated before 2017,” he said.
He said so far, hundreds of outstanding gratuities have been regularised and they are treating with outstanding payments to workers.
“Public servants must be paid, any monies owed to them,” he said.
Dennis also warned Duke that the THA was not the Public Services Association (PSA), the union Duke has headed since 2008.
“Well clearly, Watson Duke believes that the THA is the PSA, where he can go in there and be Lord and God and pass whatever foolish, senseless orders and that they are going to be carried out,” he said.
“Even if, God forbid, the PDP is to win and he is to get anywhere near to the Executive Council, there are a group of professional and experienced public servants who are administrators and whenever you coming to them, you must come correct.”
“If he feels that the THA would be a place where he can just pass orders and lease Range Rovers and other high-end vehicles and lease buildings and residences and utilise public resources for his own personal and selfish interest, then he better think again,” Dennis warned.
He said for Duke to make such a “haphazard” promise, showed the type of leader he would be.
“That half-baked idea just pulled from out of the clear blue sky, where he thinks that he can just go in there and order the THA to pay all public servants, contract or otherwise, a bonus, just like that. No idea of where the money is going to come from,” Dennis said.
Guardian Media also attempted to reach the head of the PNM’s Tobago Council, Tracy Davidson-Celestine and PDP deputy leader Farley Augustine for comment yesterday.
While Davidson-Celestine promised a response, it was not provided up to press time and Augustine did not respond to calls or messages.
