Tobago’s autonomy debate has gained regional backing, with the Nevis Premier Mark Brantley warning that smaller islands in twin-island states are too often treated as afterthoughts. He noted that the concern was sharpened by the installation of a radar system in Tobago last year, and his government’s acceptance of third-party deportees from the US without consultation.
Brantley yesterday told Guardian Media the time has long passed for smaller islands to receive the respect of the larger ones. He was speaking via Zoom after leaving for Nevis following the opening of Caricom’s 50th Heads of Government meeting.
Tobago Chief Secretary Farley Augustine attended the conference on the invitation of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and was acknowledged during her opening address. Brantley, by contrast, was not involved in Caricom meetings beyond the ceremony in Frigate Bay, Basseterre.
The radar installation in Tobago, reportedly agreed to by the central government without prior consultation with the island’s leadership, was a flashpoint in the wider autonomy conversation.
Brantley framed the issue less as a constitutional dispute and more as a matter of political culture.
“To me, it would be a no brainer, if this is going to happen, that you speak to Tobagonian officials and let them know clearly, it’s going to be on the landmass that is Tobago, it’s going to affect Tobago. So why would Tobago not be informed?”
He stressed that even where foreign policy and national security fall under central government authority, consultation and prior notice are essential, particularly when decisions directly affect a smaller island’s territory.
Drawing a parallel with Nevis, he cited a recent federal decision to accept third-country deportees from the US.
“We had a recent scenario here where, for example, our government in the exercise of its undoubted constitutional authority, that is our federal government, agreed with the United States to take third-party country deportees. Remember now that when you land in St Kitts as a deportee, you can simply decide to jump on the ferry and say, ‘I’m going to Nevis’.
There’s absolutely nothing that I could do as the premier of Nevis to stop you because you’re in the country,” he said.
“Those are the types of decisions that have national implications that one would say, well, why wasn’t there a conversation? Why wasn’t there an effort to at least, if not consult, at least inform? Because I learned about that, obviously, through the news. And again, I don’t know whether these are willful actions. I think sometimes it’s just our people doing what has always been done and with little regard for us in the smaller island.”
Earlier this week, Brantley met Augustine to compare the constitutional frameworks of their respective islands. He described the discussion as “more about us having an open discussion about the pros and cons, the good and the bad about our relationship with the larger island.”
Under its constitution, Nevis enjoys “significantly more autonomy than Tobago does,” with its own premier, cabinet and assembly, and control over taxation and borrowing. Tobago operates under a system that guarantees it a fixed share of the national budget.
But beyond constitutional structures, he suggested the deeper issue is perception, whether citizens of smaller islands are treated as equal partners in national life or sidelined in decision-making.
Meanwhile, he praised the Persad-Bissessar Government’s move to include the THA Chief Secretary in the Caricom delegation, calling it “a huge step” and “a paradigm shift” symbolically. In contrast, he noted that although the anniversary summit was hosted in his own federation, “I’m the premier of Nevis and I wasn’t invited.”
Despite multiple attempts, efforts to obtain an interview with the chief secretary have been unsuccessful.
