In a recent article, a TOP "Pygmy Scribe" set about confusing himself and misleading the readers in connection with the Magdalena Grand.

The fact is that the former Hilton Tobago was owned by Angostura, Guardian Life, TIDCO and Hilton International who all refused to inject additional funds to refurbish the hotel when repairs and refurnishing became necessary after less than ten (10) years of operation. The Bondholders that comprised a consortium of banks in Trinidad and Tobago held the title to the property as collateral for the funds that were expended to construct the Resort. In order to recover the outstanding funds, the Bondholders contemplated placing the property on the open market. However, recognizing the purpose for which the hotel was built and its value to the tourism industry, they advised the Tobago House of Assembly of their intention. The Assembly asked and secured the Bondholders' agreement to suspend its option to sell so as to allow the THA to persuade the then PNM Central Government to pay the outstanding sums owed to the Bondholders; thereby giving the Government full ownership of the property.

This column is reminded of a sunny Sunday morning in May at the Coco Reef Resort and Spa when the Chief Secretary and the Secretary of Tourism and Transportation convinced the late Minister Ken Valley that the Vanguard property could be sold by the Bondholders for purposes other than tourism and therefore it was vitally important that the State should purchase it to ensure that it was not used for any other purpose.

Dr Keith Rowley who was then Minister of Planning and Development was subsequently persuaded to take a Note to Cabinet to pay the Bondholders the US$22M (approximately) to acquire full control of the property. At the same time, the Cabinet also approved a further TT$40M or thereabouts to pay the severance to the employees who up to that time were not paid what was due to them by way of severance. This sum was also used to replace the badly leaking roof and to repair the fire alarm system and other air conditioning in parts of the hotel.

This column also recalls that E-TecK , under whose purview the property fell, undertook an estimate of the cost to refurbish the property. Canadian experts and consultants were brought to undertake the exercise. As a result, a Note was again taken to Cabinet and was approved in 2009 for the full refurbishment of the property. The PNM lost the elections in May 2010 before commencement of the refurbishment. It is clear that but for the intervention of the THA, the current Magdalena may well have been in use as a set of condominiums, a super market or worse, as a massage parlour accompanied by the negatives associated with such an activity.

We also recall that Minister Cadiz in his first budget speech condemned the PNM for purchasing the hotel. He vowed not to involve his government in the improvement of the property. The Chief Secretary and his team, at a meeting held at the Chief Secretary's Office spoke about the need to continue the initiative the PNM began regarding the then VANGUARD. Later, a meeting was convened at the office of the Minister of Tourism in Trinidad at which Mr Cadiz, the Tobago Tourism Stakeholders, the Chief Secretary and other members of the Tobago House of Assembly were in attendance. Mr Cadiz took the position that he would have nothing to do with the refurbishing of the hotel since he was not convinced that the property was as important to Tobago's tourism as had been purported by the Assembly. In the face of compelling arguments advanced by the Chief Secretary and other participants at the meeting, he agreed to reconsider his position.

This column understands that as a consequence of a subsequent meeting with Virgin Atlantic, it was confirmed to Minister Cadiz that, as pointed out by the THA, Virgin Atlantic Airways was seriously considering withdrawing its services if the work on the hotel was not urgently undertaken. Mr. Cadiz finally relented and obtained the approval of his Cabinet to continue the work that was initiated by the PNM. e-TecK that was originally entrusted by the PNM to refurbish the property was also mandated by the current government to undertake the works.

Given the foregoing facts, it is clear that the Tobago House of Assembly played a major role in ensuring that the property remained as a tourism resource and that it was renovated. The "nancy story" advanced by our "pygmy scribe", not unlike the rest of his story, is simply one of his usual "fairy tales" which we are accustomed to reading.

We are very disappointed that a Tobagonian, albeit a Pygmy Scribe has advocated that the people of Tobago should accept a hospital that is unfinished and in contradiction of the terms and conditions of the Memorandum of Understanding established between the Ministry of Health and the Tobago House of Assembly. Even the Minister of Health has publicly apologized for the delay in completing the works at the Scarborough Hospital. But our Pygmy Scribe insists that it is a completed facility and that the THA should take delivery of it. Is this the way this TOP proposes to run the island should, God forbid, they gain control of Tobago? Will they instruct Tobagonians to receive crumbs thrown to them by Kamla and the rest of the UNC? It is scandalous that the TOP would agree to take possession of an unfinished hospital facility while at the same time condemning the THA for the delays in the delivery of some of its projects. We remember Minister Cadiz at the naming of the Magdalena Hotel promising that on November 15th, when the hotel is opened, he will take personal pride in lifting from the taxi, the suitcase of the first guest to stay at the resort on November 15th, 2011. As this article is written on January 19th, 2012, the hotel is still not finished. In fact, this column understands that less than 30% of the rooms are complete and there are issues still to be sorted out at the hotel. It is also understood that, as a result, Virgin Atlantic Airways has cancelled its flights on January 23rd and 30th as well as flights on March 1st, 15th, 26th and thereafter to the end of the winter season. But not a word is being said about this by the Pygmy Scribe.

This column acknowledges the apology offered by the management of the Magdalena Grand to the Tobago House of Assembly for what they agreed was a "mis-step" and which they vowed will not recur ever again. This is in stark contrast to the feeble attempt by the "Pygmy Scribe" to justify the Magdalena's acknowledged "mis-step". He has written irrelevantly about "break-out" rooms that have no bearing on the nature of the issue that was involved.

But that is par for the course. If one would genuinely believe by presiding over the withdrawal of all but one of Tobago's international flights in 2001 constituted the establishment of a platform by the previous administration for a record level of arrivals to Tobago in 2005, then I must concur with Mark Twain that "public opinion of a nation is created by a horde of ignorant, self-complacent simpletons" – and that is so, so, sad.

THE Tobago Council

OF THE PNM