ILP announces its shadow secretaries The Independent Liberal Party (ILP) has

ILP announces its shadow secretaries The Independent Liberal Party (ILP) has named its shadow secretaries just a few weeks after announcing it is now assuming the role of opposition in Tobago. Speaking at the announcement, the ILP interim leader, Jack Warner, said the party is dissatisfied with the conduct of the current Tobago House of Assembly (THA) administration and that was why the ILP had instituted shadow secretaries for the current THA. “Unless you have Shadow Secretaries who would be able to look after the people’s interests, who will act as check and balances for the full administration of the THA, then democracy as we know it will be a failure. Therefore it is in this context that we decided to have Shadow Secretaries and Divisions to act as a check and balance against the excesses of the THA administration,” says Warner. The list of “Shadow” Secretaries is as follows: Lionel Coker - Infrastructure and Public Utilities & Office of the Chief Secretary; Theodil McPherson - Finance and Enterprise Development; Kerry Pantin - Education, Youth Affairs and Sport; Akeil Abdullah - Community Development and Culture; Portia Powder - Health and Social Services; Glynis Gift - Settlement and Labour; Dave Raphael - Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment and Aubyn Jack - Tourism and Transportation. Each secretary will have an adviser attached to them. Speaking at the announcement, Coker stated that there is a topical issue that needs to be addressed by the ILP. “In the last meeting of the leaders, the ILP was omitted from the talks as it relates to the issue of autonomy for Tobago.” He stated that he was not happy for the reasons given by THA Chief Secretary, Orville London for omitting the ILP from the talks. “The ILP has a voice and the ILP needs to be represented in those talks. Today we are calling on the Chief Secretary to correct this oversight or contempt before the other meetings are being scheduled,” says Coker, who indicated that there were more than 2,500 registered members of the ILP in Tobago. Coker said the party was very disappointed with the course of action that was taken at the end of the last meeting and he declared that the ILP does not believe that the three leaders should be making any decisions on the future of Tobago behind closed doors. As a result of that meeting, the ILP is of the view that now that the three leaders are sitting together, they should also show some degree of unity and meet with people in Tobago as a group to hear what they have to say. “The process that we suggest will demonstrate a certain amount of good will and will move a lot of the suspicions that are now present,” says Coker, who feels that this will allow a wider cross section of Tobagonians to voice their opinions and to express their view and aspirations. “The ILP is calling on the three leaders to do more than just talk the talk and walk the walk,” declares Coker. Warner identified with the sentiments of Coker. “For me constitutional reform, especially in Tobago, is the business of every Tobagonian,” he says. Warner hopes that the sentiments expressed by Coker can be spread far and wide because constitutional reform in Tobago is in the interest of everyone in Tobago. Commenting on the appointments, the leader of the Tobago Organisation of the People, Ashworth Jack says he welcomes the ILP’s decision to adopt shadow secretaries. “The LIP as a political organisation is free to do anything in their best interest. The idea of shadow secretaries is a good one.There is nothing wrong with that,” says Jack. The ILP executive council will take their oath of office at a meeting at the Mason Hall Secondary School on February 2 at 4.30pm.