Watson Duke (born 1965) is a

Tobago Tobago () is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger island of Trini ...

nian politician and

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist. He is the current president of the

Progressive Democratic Patriots The Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) is a political party in Trinidad and Tobago. Founded in 2016, it is currently the second-largest party in Tobagonian politics following the decline of the Tobago Organisation of the People. The party pla ...

, a political party in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. Duke was born in Tobago and educated at the Scarborough Secondary School. He later attended the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

, where he received a bachelor's degree in

Industrial Relations Industrial relations or employment relations is the multidisciplinary academic field that studies the employment relationship; that is, the complex interrelations between employers and employees, labor/trade unions, employer organizations, ...

. After graduation, Duke worked as a teacher and later as a trade unionist, serving as the President of the Tobago branch of the

Public Services Association The Public Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago (PSA) is a trade union in Trinidad and Tobago. It was originally known as the Civil Service Association but changed its name in 1971. The bulk of the PSA membership is in the public sector ...

(PSA) from 2001 to 2015. In 2013, Duke founded the Tobago Organization of the People (TOP) and was elected as its leader. The TOP is a progressive political party that advocates for greater autonomy for Tobago and the promotion of the island's economic and cultural development. In the 2015

Tobago House of Assembly elections Elections to the Tobago House of Assembly have taken place every 4–5 years since its establishment in 1980. There are twelve electoral districts, each electing one representative. The People's National Movement has been successful in all ...

, Duke was elected as a member of the Assembly, representing the electoral district of Tobago East. He was re-elected in the 2020

and currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Duke is known for his vocal advocacy on behalf of Tobagonians and his strong stance on social and economic issues. He has been a critic of the government's handling of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and has called for greater transparency and accountability in the management of public funds. In addition to his political career, Duke is also a businessman and owns several companies in Tobago. He is married and has three children. Watson Duke and the Tobago Organization of the People (TOP) have been vocal advocates for greater

autonomy In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...

for Tobago and have aspirations for

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

from

. Duke has argued that Tobago, as a separate island with its own distinct culture and economy, should have more control over its own affairs and should not be dependent on the decisions of the government in Trinidad. In recent years, the TOP has called for a referendum on Tobago's political status, arguing that the island should have the right to determine its own future. Duke and the TOP believe that independence for Tobago would allow the island to fully realize its potential and to pursue its own development goals without interference from Trinidad.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke, Watson 1965 births Living people People from Tobago Trinidad and Tobago politicians