Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 04/Oct 08:46

Muddled THA tourism shake-up

FARLEY AUGUSTINE has often seemed unwilling to adjust his executive council. Twice did he promise, in 2023 and 2024, to usher in changes; twice did he fail to deliver. When a reshuffle finally came last May, it was underwhelming, dealing in large part with assistant secretary portfolios and only touching two substantive posts, one of which Mr Augustine had held since beginning his term. So, the abrupt September 18 announcement that the entire portfolio for tourism, culture, antiquities and transportation, held by Tashia Burris, was being temporarily handed over to Zorisha Hackett rightly raised eyebrows. The timing of this move, mere weeks before Tobago’s carnival, added a disconcerting layer of intrigue. Only days prior had Ms Burris presided over the carnival’s launch, announcing $30,000 grants and millions in loan funding to support it. It later emerged, from Ms Burris herself during a heated plenary sitting of the Tobago House of Assembly, that she still held the tourism portfolio; the portfolio has been split, with culture and antiquities shuffling over permanently to Ms Hackett’s education, research and technology duties. So far, so confusing. Instead of bringing clarity and calm, Mr Augustine only fanned the flames of speculation and conjecture on September 29 when he belatedly addressed the portfolio split at a virtual media conference. In explanations long on rhetoric and short on logic, he said, “I can give duties to anybody temporarily for any length of time, any amount of duties – I am so authorised to do in law. There is nothing illegal about that.” Yet, nobody questions Mr Augustine’s authority under the law. Rather, it is the decision to tear off culture and antiquities from tourism and transport that baffles. Not only is this decision on its face a poor one given the clear connection between Tobago’s tourism product and its rich heritage, but astonishingly ill-timed is this reassignment. Mr Augustine says Ms Burris requested a leave of absence; she apparently took time off to mark her birthday. But in a cryptic social media post on September 20, she stated, “Life brings battles every day.” When Mr Augustine was contacted by this newspaper last month on all these developments, he gave no hint a portfolio split was coming, simply saying, “When a secretary takes leave, either the chief secretary acts or he appoints.” As the clock ticks down to this month’s carnival, this all paints a picture of an overwhelmed administration prone to disorder. Adding culture and antiquities to Ms Hackett’s duties places a heavy load on her, while consigning Tobago’s tourism product to being just about sun, sand and sea. If this muddled shake-up is anything more than temporary, Mr Augustine needs to explain it better or else scrap it. The post Muddled THA tourism shake-up appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.