By PETER GREEN
Farley Augustine, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), made it quite clear that it was he, who invited former Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, to the formal opening of the East Terminal at the ANR International Airport, Tobago, on Tuesday afternoon.
Augustine said the opening of the terminal building transcends partisan politics.
Augustine told members of the media, “He (Rowley) wouldn’t have been here if my office didn’t send him an invitation”. Augustine said the occasion rose above party affiliations. “Because this is not about politics. This is not about party. It’s about who did what. Different people contributed to making this a success and I sought to invite him because of the role he played with this, so it’s all fine”.
Augustine also pointed out that Leader of the Opposition, Pennelope Beckles-Robinson, was also invited and she attended. “This transcends politics. It’s about Tobago. This belongs to all Tobagonians,” he added.
Rowley turned up at the formal opening in company with former Tobago West Member of Parliament, Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis.
In a Facebook Post, Cudjoe-Lewis wrote, “No invitation. No problem. Came out to celebrate a development that I worked hard to deliver and defend, a facility that means so much to the people of Tobago.
“Today, I proudly attended the opening of the ANR Robinson International Airport’s East Terminal as the guest of former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley. When he heard that I was not invited he offered me to attend as his guest.”
In an interview with the media, Rowley dismissed suggestions that the East Terminal building defined his political legacy. He responded, “My legacy is in Mason Hall behind my grandfather’s house.”
Augustine described the milestone as a ‘once-in-a-generation thing’, Augustine noted, “I don’t think another generation in Tobago will see a new airport terminal. Certainly not in a hurry. The last one was in what, ’87, and I was still a very, very small toddler in arms and didn’t get to experience [it]’. He noted he was pleased another generation gets to experience it ‘in a digital age.”
On intergovernmental cooperation, the Chief Secretary said, ‘Today is symptomatic of what respect looks like between the central government and the THA, and together we were able to get this to a state of readiness.”
While acknowledging that there are still items still being installed, he confirmed “the airport is fully functional, and we are happy for that”. Asked if the terminal will bolster tourism, he affirmed, “those are conversations we have been having and certainly post-today we will have those conversations.”
