Duke completed the journey in a boat due to rough seas
The Minority Leader of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Watson Duke on Monday completed his protest 25-mile swim to Trinidad but had to revert to a small boat for most of the journey, after strong currents and rough seas began taking a toll on him.
“We are here to prove a point, we are not trying to make any Guinness World record. We are amateur swimmers as you can see, but I think we did damn well,” Duke told reporters following his arrival in Toco, the most northeasterly village in Trinidad. He said the “swim” was aimed at highlighting the “many problems” on the air and sea bridge between Trinidad and Tobago.
Duke, who is also president of the Public Service Association (PSA), was accompanied in the water by members of his People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as well as members of the Tobago Fisherfolk.
Duke was undertaking the swim despite a warning from the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) that such an exercise is “inherently dangerous” due to the natural currents between the two islands.
The TTCG said that it provides a tireless service to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and that due to these circumstances and other operational commitments, it cannot provide any “dedicated resources or give any assurances for a voluntary expedition of this nature at this time.
Duke, told reporters prior to starting off on the journey, that the exercise is in protest against the ongoing inter-island ferry service woes faced by Tobagonians, as well as the fiasco surrounding the procurement of cargo vessel Ocean Flower II.
The Trinidad and Tobago government earlier this month said it had appointed businessman Christian Mouttet to be the sole investigator into the circumstances surrounding the procurement of two vessels to service the sea bridge between the two islands.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said that Mouttet had up to 30 days to submit a report and that he would “be provided with support from the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs”.
The Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago said it had canceled the agreement with the owners of the Ocean Flower 2 after the ferry failed to arrive here in keeping with the date originally agreed to begin servicing the bridge.
The other vessel, Cabo Star, is providing both passenger and cargo service between the islands.
The procurement of the vessels has become a major issue with the main United National Congress (UNC) and some sections of the private sector here calling for an investigation into the matter.
