Corey Connelly
PNM TOBAGO COUNCIL politician Ancil Dennis has actually implicated the Farley Augustine-led administration of trying to “scandalise” his name in the hope of winning the next THA election, constitutionally due in 2025.
“They think that if they can scandalise and propogandise the leader of the PNM, then it will make it simple for them to win the next election to continue their tyranny in Tobago. I will not permit it,” he stated in a video on his Facebook page on March 22.
Dennis was the PNM assemblyman for Buccoo/Mt Pleasant from 2013 up till 2021, when the celebration suffered a squashing 14-1 defeat to the Progressive Democratic Patriots in the December 6, 2021, THA election.
In the video, Dennis implicated the administration of utilizing the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) as part of its method to perform this program.
“Even in the URP we now have actually paid propogandists. Simply picture that.”
He played an excerpt of a video in which a guy, declaring to be an employee in the URP’s furnishings workshop, grumbled about the calibre of work at the Buccoo boardwalk.
The male declared the boardwalk was expected to have actually been made from teak however rather pitch pine was utilized.
He stated, “Watch wah we come and satisfy here. Enjoy wah we need to sculpt out, pitch pine. The cross pieces is pitch pine.”
The guy even more stated he did not understand the professional that got the task.
“Is not my company. I not into the politics. We simply fixing …”
Declaring the guy was a “paid propogandist” of the administration, Dennis stated the boardwalk, which cost simply over $7 million, was carried out in 3 stages.
He stated, “You see those rails that paid propogandist spoke about because video, it was done by URP. The railing element of the boardwalk advancement was done by the exact same URP that he belongs of and I make certain he knows that.”
Implicating the THA of trying to ruin and revile the track records of Tobago professionals, Dennis stated the male’s claim that teak was expected to be utilized on the boardwalk and not pitch pine was “definitely incorrect.”
He declared, “The factor to utilize pitch pine involved the accessibility of a better suited and solidified product at the time due to the fact that we remained in the middle of a (covid19) pandemic. I desire individuals of Tobago to keep in mind that.
“In a pandemic we were having problem sourcing proper products for jobs at that time. Even asphalt to pave roadways was a significant difficulty throughout the pandemic.”
The URP, Dennis stated, decided to utilize a more affordable product that was offered.
“Even with making use of that more affordable product, if routine upkeep was done, that it would last longer than it did. In fact, it lasted practically 4 years.”
Stating the URP built the rails on the boardwalk, Dennis stated throughout his period as chief secretary, the administration had actually sole chosen a Tobago specialist to fix the jetty– the 2nd stage of the job.
He discussed, “We got up one early morning and found that due to bad weather condition and rough seas, the Buccoo Jetty ended up being practically unusable.
“It was substantially harmed by the bad weather condition throughout that duration in September 2020. Offered the nature of that circumstance, we sole chosen a specialist rapidly to fix the jetty. That specialist was not needed to change the rails.”
Dennis included the specialist was likewise needed to do landscaping, signs, painting, bench repair work and lighting for the center, which was done using solar power.
He stated the 3rd stage of the job was the repair of the Buccoo Beach Bar.
“That was done by a various professional through a public competitive tender.”
Dennis remembered there was another professional at that website when he ended up being chief secretary. He stated he, the then primary administrator and other THA authorities went to the website however were disappointed with the quality of work.
He stated he later on advised the primary administrator to take all of the suitable and legal actions to fire that professional from the task.
“She concurred which was done, based upon sound legal recommendations and we re-tendered the job openly and competitively and another Tobago specialist, a completely various professional, not the exact same one that was sole picked for stage 2, however a various Tobago specialist won the quote and he provided on the 3rd stage of that job.”