Ramona Ramdial, the former MP for Couva North, is of the view that Kamla Persad-Bissesar and her entire Opposition team, missed out on the chance to finally make inroads in Tobago, with their refusal to support the Tobago autonomy bills.
Ramdial, in an interview with the Newsday, said after three years of consultation with input sourced from every possible stakeholder, academia and exploration of different models of governance, this is the best version of Tobago self-government one can get.
The UNC’s decision to not support, means the self-government for Tobago will be put on hold temporarily.
Ramdial who was one of three Opposition members when it was sent to the joint select committee over a three-year period, said she was disappointed with Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s decision.
She maintained “This was no PNM bill and it was no UNC bill. We politicians did not have any input in this bill. “Our role was to guide and to ensure that the voices of Tobago were taken into consideration.”
She said “Had they (UNC) supported the bills it would have helped politically…They had nothing to lose and everything to gain in supporting these bills.”
Ramdial also believes that Government did not want the bills to be passed but brought it at this time because of the impending THA election.
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