Tobago Civil Society Network (CivilNET)Tophill Street, Speyside, Tobagowww.tobagocivilnet.orgTobagoCivilNET@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/TobagoCivilNET PRO: Xavier Edwards +1 (868) 487-9722

PRESS RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 25, 2025

Re: TOBAGO CIVILNET HOSTS GROUNDBREAKING CANDIDATE DISCUSSIONS

SCARBOROUGH, TOBAGO — Tobago made regional history as Tobago CivilNET in collaboration with Tobago Channel 5, staged the highly viewed and accepted “Conversations with the Candidates” of Tobago East and Tobago West, on April 16th and 23rd, 2025 respectively. Broadcasted live from the auditorium of Bishops High School, these landmark forums, where all candidates from the same district are invited to a well-moderated conversation, represents CivilNET’s signature mode of presenting candidates to the electorates, and marked a significant step forward for democratic engagement in Tobago.The events provided a structured platform for parliamentary candidates to address specific issues crucial to Tobago’s development. Topics covered included economic diversification, tourism enhancement, job creation, education improvement, autonomy considerations, and effective parliamentary representation.”Our goal was to move beyond traditional political rhetoric and create substantive dialogue on issues that matter most to Tobagonians,” said Dr. Ryan Allard, Project Lead for the Tobago CivilNET initiative.

“The enthusiastic participation from both candidates and the public demonstrated the strong desire for this type of focused policy discussion”, he further said.Each candidate was given equal opportunity to outline their vision and specific plans for addressing Tobago’s challenges. The format allowed voters to directly compare approaches to issues such as Tobago’s proportional share of the national budget, land title formalization, youth unemployment, and the inter-island transportation system.Particularly notable was the depth of discussion around Tobago’s autonomy, with candidates offering perspectives on amendments to the THA Act, maritime boundaries, and the balance of power between central government and the Tobago House of Assembly.The events attracted significant attendance through live streams, with active engagement from diverse segments of the Tobagonian community. Tobago Channel 5 provided extensive coverage, amplifying the reach of these important discussions.Tobago CivilNET plans to make this a permanent feature of Tobago’s electoral cycle, with expanded formats potentially including more specialized topic sessions and broader community participation mechanisms.”

These discussions have set a new standard for political engagement in Tobago,” said Mr. Rodney Piggott, Tobago CivilNET Chairman who added, “By focusing on specific policy proposals rather than personality politics, we hope to contribute to a more informed electorate and ultimately, more responsive governance.”Here is what some facebook viewers had to say “Thank you for creating this platform!”, “The population of Tobago just took 100 steps forward…well done to the organizers…well done to the political leaders and candidates …Tobago I envy you over there”Recordings of both events are available on the Youtube page of Tobago CivilNET, and the Facebook page of Tobago Channel 5.About Tobago CivilNETTobago CivilNET is a non-partisan civic NGO dedicated to strengthening civic engagement through public initiatives in all areas of people activity, such as, governance, public education, and community engagement in Tobago.

Contact: Tobago CivilNET: Xavier Edwards – PRO