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Roxborough residents concerned over future of PDP - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

ROXBOROUGH/ARGYLE residents say they are disappointed with Progressive Democratic Patriots' (PDPs) political leader Watson Duke's public condemnation of Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and the Tobago House of Assembly (THA).

Last Wednesday, Duke posted a video on his Facebook page, criticising the assembly for abandoning some 27 members of the Roxborough Folk Performers who had gone to New York to perform at several events during Labour Day celebrations. The group returned to Tobago on Monday.

Duke claimed that outside of airfare, the assembly did not provide additional funding for the group during the trip.

But Augustine told media last Thursday that the assembly did provide $400,417.50 in financial support to the group to cover airline tickets and some of their expenses.

He also said the THA did not send the group to New York but agreed to sponsor a part of the trip.

On that occasion, Augustine said he was reviewing Duke's role as Deputy Chief Secretary because he has not been fulfilling several of his responsibilities.

Duke, who has since fired Augustine, Dr Faith BYisrael (Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection) and Alicia Roberts-Patterson as PDP deputy political leaders, has also criticised the assembly for not fulfilling one of its mandates - job creation.

He warned Augustine against being consumed by the trappings of power.

On Tuesday, a resident of Argyle, which Duke has represented since 2017, said she was disappointed by his 'attack' on Augustine and the THA administration.

'When I first got on to the internet and saw what he did, I think he was so wrong for a big man. That is not how you do things. Yuh fighting against your own self. And a house divided against itself will never stand,' said the woman, who did not want to be named.

'For me, I am totally disappointed in Mr Duke. I expected better of him. But then what is in a man's heart that is what he put out to the world. So maybe that was in him so he now putting it out to the world.'

She said Augustine also should not have said publicly that he was reviewing Duke's performance as Deputy Chief Secretary.

'I definitely thought that Mr Farley should have kept his mouth shut and leave Mr Duke to rumble and rumble. because they say empty vessels make the most noise. But that has not happened.'

The woman said while she is not fully apprised of the details surrounding the group's trip to New York, 'Farley should have left the man to rumble until it have nothing else to rumble about.

'My parents always tell us that when you shake your head the world knows that your head hurt you, but when you shake your heart nobody knows. It means therefore that if you have a plan and you open your mouth and speak out that plan everybody knows what you are about to do.. How could you fight and be victorious while speaking out your plan?'

On whether she feels the two men will reconcile their differences, the woman would only say, 'Let us see how it will play out.'

The woman also said she was disappointed with Duke's representa

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