TOBAGO People’s Party (TPP) political leader Farley Augustine says Tobagonians must win in any arrangement entered into with Sandals Resorts International.
At a post-cabinet media briefing on April 3, Prime Minister Stuart Young revealed that Sandals’ Resorts executive chairman Adam Stewart would be in Tobago on April 7 to hold talks with government representatives, THA officials and other stakeholders.
The visit comes just three weeks after the former prime minister announced at the practical completion of the new ANR Robinson Airport terminal on March 15 that he had spoken to Stewart about the possibility of returning to the island to construct a hotel.
In 2019, Sandals withdrew plans to build a hotel in Tobago, owing to negative publicity. Stakeholders had raised concerns about the project’s impact on the environment and whether proper clearance was obtained to construct it.
Addressing supporters at a political meeting in Crown Point on April 5, ahead of the April 28 general election, Augustine reiterated he had no problem with Sandals establishing its brand in Tobago.
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He claimed when the discussions about Sandals arose several years ago, Dr Rowley “heaped scorn on the environmentalists.”
Augustine said, “What the government was supposed to do was to sit down with impacted communities and have a decent conversation and then use that consultation to genuinely drive the hotels’ development. That was what was supposed to happen.”
He claimed Sandals was not coming to Tobago to spend its money.
“Sandals was coming here to spend the taxpayers of Trinidad and Tobago money. That was the model.”
Augustine said Tobago cannot be compared with St Vincent.
“Ralph Gonsalves (St Vincent Prime Minister) eh give Sandals a cent to build Sandals. Sandals used its money and invested US dollars by the millions in St Vincent. And that is what we want them to do here. Come with your US, come with your millions and invest here and invest on terms that are respectful to the people of Tobago. That’s what we want.”
He continued, “So the issue is not even Sandals because we could get Sandals, we could get Four Seasons, we could get Mandarin, you name it, you could get any luxury brand and we will welcome the development. But it must be in keeping with what the people of Tobago want.
“The people of Tobago actually want a hotel development that is mindful of its environment, that is mindful of its people, including our farmers and our fishers and giving them an opportunity to sell their goods, their services to said hotel.
“They don’t want a hotel to come here, where we spend over $1 billion building it and then you giving them tax breaks for an extended period. And on top of that, you give them buy out clauses that they could bring whoever they want especially at the managerial level to run their hotel. It must be a case where Tobagonians win.”
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Augustine said once Tobagonians can benefit fully from the arrangement, “I have absolutely no problem championing that. In fact, I will be the first man in front to champion it.”
He also told supporters that based on the fifth schedule of the THA Act, tourism is a function of the Tobago House of Assembly.
“So is not about Farley wanting to lead. It is about following the law and allowing the people who have responsibility for tourism on the island to lead the conversations and to lead the negotiations with potential direct foreign investors. That is all.
“Our tourism product build out must require that the central government respects the THA, respects the people of Tobago and ensure that the right investments go in the right places.”
