In a decisive campaign address, People’s National Movement (PNM) Tobago Council leader Ancil Dennis has committed to generating 7,000 new jobs if his party secures victory in the upcoming January 12 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections. The former chief secretary delivered this employment guarantee during a PNM gathering in Roxborough/Argyle on December 11, directly confronting what he termed the “unfortunate and deliberate” actions of the current Tobago People’s Partnership (TPP) administration.
Dennis positioned unemployment as the central issue facing Tobagonians, alleging that the TPP government had systematically diverted over $300 million in development funds to contractors in south Trinidad rather than investing in local workforce. He highlighted a specific $30 million road project on Lammy Road that remains stalled under a Trinidad-based contractor as emblematic of this problematic pattern.
The PNM leader unveiled a radical policy shift that would mandate all THA contracts be awarded to Tobagonian companies whenever local capacity exists. “No contractor from outside of Tobago could come into Tobago and build roads,” Dennis declared. “We have local contractors right here in this community that can build the roads and that can employ you the people right in this community.”
Simultaneously, PNM candidate Shonae John outlined her vision for transforming the Argyle Waterfall into a premier tourist destination. Describing the current site as “covered with bush” without proper facilities, John proposed integrating tourism with agricultural development through a innovative farm-to-table food hub. Her plan involves collaborating with Lammy Road farmers to supply fresh produce for culinary tourism experiences, complemented by trained tour guides and lifeguards at the waterfall site.
John appealed directly to constituents who she claims have been “abandoned for the past eight years” under current representative Watson Duke, urging them to embrace her candidacy as a vehicle for renewed representation. The electoral landscape has shifted significantly with Duke’s Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) announcing it will not contest the election but instead support the ruling TPP, whose candidate in Roxborough/Argyle is Orlando Kirk.