FERRY: A POSITIVE MOVE

The decision by Government to provide a ferry for the Scarborough to Port-of-Spain run, which was announced on Sunday by Works and Transport Minister Franklyn Khan, is a positive one which will benefit not simply Tobago but Trinidad as well. The Central Tenders Board, Mr Khan has advised, was close to making an award for the provision of the ferry. A fast and reliable ferry not given to all too frequent disruptions of the service will mean that Tobago-grown agricultural produce and packaged flying fish among other products will reach Trinidad without the needless delays that have characterised past shipments.

In addition it will provide for the trans-shippment of goods off-loaded at Port-of-Spain and Point Lisas and bound for Tobago to reach Scarborough within an acceptable time frame. This will contribute to an effective reduction of storage charges, which in the past because of inordinate delays, led to an increase in the landed cost of goods and an increase in the cost of living in Tobago. In turn, delays at the Scarborough end have all too often resulted in the spoilage of agricultural produce and losses by farmers. These recurring negatives have been in addition to Tobagonian goods being placed at a disadvantage against similar produce from Eastern Caribbean countries favoured by a choice of regular schooner connections.

The end result has been understandable misgivings by Tobagonians about the genuineness of concerns by the Central Government for the welfare of residents of the other half of the unitary State, as well as possible adverse political consequences for the Party in power at the time. The unreliability of the ferry service has encouraged a movement to greater use of the airbridge and has provoked both a growing demand for aircraft accommodation and the natural result is an insistence for more aircraft to service the route. Many Trinidadians and Tobagonians,  who have traditionally travelled by boat to Tobago and Trinidad, have found it necessary to opt for the more expensive air travel rather than deal with the inconvenience of an unreliable ferry service. This has led to pressure on available aircraft seats and the recent decision by the Central Government at the urging of the Tobago House of Assembly to wet lease two airplanes to assist in meeting the escalating demands on the Tobago airbridge.

Minister Khan’s statement yesterday that transportation issues between Trinidad and Tobago were likely to receive special attention in the next Budget, and that the transportation link was of strategic and not just commercial importance, was diplomatically phrased. What Minister Khan carefully refrained from explaining, however, was that the link’s strategic importance was in considerable measure to the ruling People’s National Movement. Any continued failure to address that link effectively could impact negatively of the political fortunes of the Party in power in both the next THA and General Elections. Despite the above we maintain, nonetheless, that the decision to provide the Scarborough to Port-of-Spain sea run with a new ferry is a positive move.