There are now calls for Public Services Association (PSA) president Watson Duke to step down after capturing the minority seat in Monday’s Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections.
Former PSA secretary Oral Saunders made the call yesterday, as he said some members have indicated they will want Duke removed from office if he doesn’t step down when the PSA election is called later this year (November 25).
“The membership has indicated to me that they would like us as leaders to collectively come together and put a machinery in place to have him (Duke) removed from office, come November 25 when the PSA election is constitutionally due,” Saunders told Guardian Media Limited. He explained that the current constitution does not debar an executive from participating in politics but noted that its framers “never envisaged that a sitting president could be occupied with any other job than being president, hence the reason why there is no provision in the PSA constitution that speaks about Duke’s situation.” He said what the PSA constitution does not have is the enforcement powers.
“Hence the reason we have to look at the representation of the people’s act in Tobago and see how it applies to this situation and if it facilitates Duke to be on part-time or is it a full-time position,” Saunders said.
But Saunders said the second highest decision making body in the PSA is the general council, which could give Duke permission to proceed on leave to be the minority leader in the THA.
Saunders said Duke took no pay leave from the Water and Sewerage Authority to perform the PSA job and will again have to take eave from the PSA to do another full-time job in the THA, which he said should ring alarm bells to PSA members and those in Tobago.
He referred to comments by Duke in the build-up to the election of putting a succession plan in place.
“Duke also said that he was going to put someone to manage the affairs of the PSA, but they have recognised that that has not materialised. Now, persons would be asking why would he want to even think about doing the two jobs,” Saunders said.
“All they have to do is to look at the compensation package for the minority leader and weigh it against the compensation package as the PSA president and that will be their answer.”
Saunders said there were several times Duke’s leadership was contested and he did not budge, but this time “it is a matter for the membership to stand up and say we demand better of our leaders.”
GML understands that Duke’s salary as PSA president is in excess of $35,000 plus perks for his residency at One Woodbrook Place, his b Mercedes Benz, entertainment, travelling and other expenses—all paid by the PSA. On Monday in the THA elections, Duke’s People’s Democratic Party got two seats—Duke’s Roxborough/Dalaford and Farley Augustine, Parlatuvier/L’anse Fourmi/Speyside.
Contacted last night in Tobago, Duke reiterated that he was not stepping down as PSA leader. Her referred to former trade unionists Basdeo Panday and James Lambert, who both held political office while they were high-ranking members of their unions.