Duke: THA presiding officer must resign
Written by Corey Connelly on January 24, 2025
PROGRESSIVE Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke has called for the resignation of THA Presiding Officer Abby Taylor.
He made the call on January 24 during a news conference at the party’s headquarters, Port Mall, Scarborough, Tobago.
It came a day after Taylor instructed police officers to escort the Belle Garden East/Roxborough/Delaford assemblyman out the House for allegedly disobeying her orders during the first plenary sitting for 2025 in the Assembly Legislature.
Responding to questions from Newsday about Duke’s call, Taylor said in a WhatsApp message, “Unfortunately, I can’t comment on something I’m not aware of.”
At the sitting, Taylor had asked Duke to leave the chamber after he strongly objected to the language used by Bethel/New Grange assemblyman Terance Baynes to criticise Minority Leader Kelvon Morris’ contribution to a motion. Baynes spoke after Morris, dismissing his contribution as “latrinated talk,”
The motion, moved by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, called on the Ministry of National Security to establish a Memorandum of Association with the THA to address certain security issues in Tobago.
At the briefing, Duke made no apologies for the stance he took in criticising Baynes’ language.
“What spewed out of his (Baynes’) mouth was vitriolic hate. What spewed out of his mouth was crass and without class. What spewed out of his mouth was unbecoming for a man who holds the title of assemblyman on one hand and pastor on the other hand.”
He said Baynes “provoked a type of spirit within me, a reasonable thinker, by saying that they (Tobago People’s Party assemblymen) have a tolerance level for the stupidness people speak on the other side.”
Baynes, Duke said, had violated several aspects of the Standing Orders in his contribution and Taylor did not reprimand him seriously.
The post Duke: THA presiding officer must resign appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
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