TOBAGO People’s Party (TPP) candidate for Tobago East David Thomas laid bare personal details of his childhood on April 6, which, he said, prepared him for politics.
Addressing a political meeting in Speyside, Thomas said for many years he couldn’t comprehend the hardship he endured as a child, but admits it has served him well as an adult.
He said overcoming those early struggles boosted his confidence to the point he feels he can comfortably represent Tobagonians in Parliament.
“I do not regret the experiences I have had in my life because they all served to form me into this stalwart that you now have,” Thomas said.
“You cannot test my determination and if you want a man to stand up, call ‘Thomo.’ And if you don’t want the mission to succeed, do not call me. This mission will see Tobago grow, prosper. We will create an environment in Tobago that will cause all Tobagonians to flourish. Mark my words.”
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Born in Government House Road, Scarborough, Thomas told supporters his parents were young and unemployed when they had him. He was their third child.
“So I had a hard life. I hear people walking about looking for sympathy for hard life. I had a hard life, Twenty-five heads of cow in the bush to (take care of). Going Bacolet to catch crab, French Fort for bush meat. That is how we lived. It was a painful experience.”
The retired assistant fire chief recalled a particularly heart-wrenching experience.
“When my mother had to go and do her hustle, to wash clothes and iron for people. She had two daughters before me, and about a year and a half after that, my younger brother came.
“So when the lady rolling out, she not leaving the daughters behind and the baby – he can’t stay behind.”
Thomas said his mother tied him to a table with a piece of twine so he could not move.
“The house was dark, but let me let you know, I got to the point where I appreciated my mother for that because she was trying to create a livelihood for her children. I cried all day and I couldn’t understand, and when I was growing up it became a real burden to me.
“But when I faced the hardship of life, I grew to appreciate that punishment because it strengthened me psychologically and I can face any battle.”
The father of five said over the years he has observed and experienced the struggles confronting Tobagonians and is ready to make a difference.
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“I am no jokey man in this land. And if you want to know, I have been a politician since I was a teenager. Because I understand one thing about politics, and it is not going to change now and it not going to change ever. Politics is about people and if you are not on people, then get out of politics.”
Thomas believes representation in Tobago has been wanting under the PNM MPs Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis (Tobago West) and Ayanna Webster-Roy (Tobago East).
“We cannot continue to allow people to misrepresent us and sit down in our Parliament and say, ‘Parliament is not for fighting.’ You see, they can only understand things literally and we are going to go down and we are going to fight and let them decide whether their fight good or our fight good.”
He said TPP's Tobago West candidate Joel Sampson will also be a worthy representative.
“A year ago, I told particular party members that that is the man for the job. But depending on how you are viewed, it takes a long time to value statements like those.
“However, wisdom took over and now ‘Nuttsy’ is my partner to represent you in the Parliament. And if you expect failure, change your mind.”
