Two officials of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) had to be cautioned by police during a public meeting held by Tobago Affairs Minister Dr Delmon Baker at Egypt Junction, Bethel, on Saturday night.
According to reports, public relations officer Joseph Frederick and mobilisation officer Dave Raphael went to the meeting hoping to collect a hardcopy of Baker’s letter of resignation from the party. The minister had signaled his intention to resign after Parliament was dissolved on June 17, but has not yet done so.
At around 8.30 pm, while Beverly Ramsey-Moore, co-ordinator of the Community Liaison Unit in the Ministry of Tobago Development, was at the podium discussing some of the completed projects and programmes implemented by the ministry when Raphael arrived dressed in a TOP jersey and began greeting some of the supporters.
This led to some angry exchanges, disrupting the meeting and adviser to Dr Baker, George Stanley-Baird, immediately went to the podium and attempted to quell the situation. “You do not go to another grouping’s meeting, you give the respect to all and that behaviour is uncalled for and I’m asking the gentlemen to desist or I will ask the police to deal with them. It is a very orderly meeting and we will not accept the order by the two gentlemen” Baird warned.
Police officers eventually spoke with Frederick and Raphael who left the meeting about one hour later without Baker’s resignation letter. Baker has not been an active member of the TOP for some time and said he plans to leave the party by the end of June. Commenting on the actions of the two TOP officials, Baker said their actions were disrespectful.
“They were welcome to come to the meetings and listen, they are welcome to post on their walls, they are even welcome to bear their placards, but it is disrespectful to come in the middle of a meeting and try to disturb the meeting while it is in progress,” he said. Contacted for a comment yesterday, Frederick said the TOP would be holding a press conference tomorrow to give their side of the story.