Duke says crime high on agenda

Speaking with reporters after yesterday’s inauguration of the new THA at the Assembly Legislature in Jerningham Street Scarborough, Minority Leader Watson Duke stated that based upon a scientific study done and data garnered, crime should be the top priority.

“Crime affects everyone and every single thing,” Duke said.

“It affects tourism, it affects agriculture, it affects education, it affects health and, for the year, we already have two gun-related murders and about six shootings. So we would really want to see a plan of the PNM (People’s National Movement) and see if we can ballast to that plan some ideas of our own.” Duke said his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), while campaigning for the THA election, had been garnering views from several people and has developed a mandate.

“We have a perspective on crime, so if we are able to unify or harness the ideas together, we would be able to come up with a good crime plan that would be able to arrest the ills in Tobago and give the people some level of comfort to now prosper.” Duke said with an opposition in the house, it signals good things to come for Tobago as there would now be balance within the Assembly.

“It is comforting to know that at least Farley (Augustine), Faith (B.

Yisrael) and myself, we are in the house representing a large majority of persons out there, who either did not vote or voted and did not get the results they wanted.

Duke added that the current term will be short because when the new act for Tobago’s internal self governance is passed, a new THA election will be called.

“The PNM you see in the Executive Council here at this time, you would only see them for a short while because we would be here readying ourselves to take over at the drop of a hat.

Both Duke and Augustine won their seats in Monday’s THA election as they defeated the PNM candidates in those areas while the PNM won 10 seats retaining control of the Assembly.