We are appalled by comments attributed to Trinidad and Tobago Opposition leader Keith Rowley, who saw it fit on the weekend to “lambast” (according to media reports) the country’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for co-sponsoring the UN anti-terrorism bill.
Rowley, in a nutshell, suggested that by doing so, Persad-Bissessar had endangered the entire population of the country by putting them on the radar of terrorist groups like ISIS, and seemed to hint that the better option would have been to duck and run, saying the country was too small to put itself in a position to tackle a problem like global terrorism.
Clearly, Rowley has never heard the Jamaican saying: “We likkle but we tallawah,” meaning that the country might be small but it is brave and strong.
Rowley, too, seems to have forgotten that no so long ago, in 1990, “small” Trinidad and Tobago became the focus of the world when Islamic extremists tried to topple the government – days before Sadaam Hussein invaded Kuwait and put extremism on the world stage in dramatic fashion.
He also forgot, apparently, about the “dustbin bomber” who terrorized Port of Spain just over a decade ago – a culprit who has never been found in spite of his (Rowley’s) former political leader Patrick Manning claiming to know the identity of the “Mr Big” behind the terror attacks.
Manning, in his wisdom, never shared this knowledge with the population or law enforcement officials. That alone makes Rowley, as his successor, inept to comment on any matter regarding terrorism, as he, as the new PNM leader, never asked his predecessor to share this information in the interest of national security.
Had Rowley remembered these incidents, then he would know that “small” T&T is not immune to terrorism and extremism, which makes the country extremely well-placed to co-sponsor the Obama bill against global terrorism that was brought before the UN General Assembly last week.
Instead of praising Persad-Bissessar for her leadership in his regard, however, Rowley chose to turn the situation into one of local politics. The Opposition leader, therefore, has clearly demonstrated that he is unfit to lead the party he does, which is one of the grand political parties in the Caribbean, much less the country of Trinidad and Tobago.
By his comments, Rowley has shown that his vision of leadership is to take a coward’s position, to run away when the going gets hot. Last time we checked, cowards do not make good leaders.
Furthermore, Rowley made his ridiculous comments at a time when a video circulating on the internet shows a man speaking with a Trinidadian accent playing with the bodies of people beheaded by ISIS. This means, again, that “small” T&T is not at all immune – or for that matter, unknown – to ISIS, and makes Persad-Bissessar’s actions even more important.
On the international scale, Rowley has clearly demonstrated his ignorance of international affairs. As someone with the ambition to become the next Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, he should have understood that the resolution, which US President Barack Obama presented to the Security Council, compels UN member states to stop their citizens leaving their homelands to join ISIS and other militant groups based in the Middle East and block them from returning to threaten their native countries using passports already granted.
No matter how anyone with even the smallest working knowledge of global affairs looks at it, this is a good thing for all concerned.
In co-sponsoring the bill, Persad Bissessar told the Security Council: “As a firm believer in the ability of the United Nations to contribute to the resolution of international problems such as terrorism, Trinidad and Tobago has studied the text of the resolution (S/2014/688) and finds that despite some imperfections, the resolution provides a useful platform for the launch of greater international cooperation in the battle against terrorism.”
T&T was not alone in its support of the bill. More than 90 countries in the world supported the resolution, which passed unanimously at the Security Council. But the man who wants to lead Trinidad and Tobago said no – it was the wrong thing to do because T&T could have just skirted around the issue and walked away.
Rowley’s opposition to the ISIS resolution shows he doesn’t understand what it is to lead. He fails to understand that international terrorism affects everyone in this age of globalism and the way to avoid being a target is to confront the enemy. But he prefers to be hypocritical and pander to the terrorists out of fear that they might hit back.
Lead from a position of fear? That’s a unique concept, Mr Rowley. God help Trinidad and Tobago if you ever become its leader.
Rowley shows why he is unfit to lead
We are appalled by comments attributed to Trinidad and Tobago Opposition leader Keith Rowley, who saw it fit on the weekend to “lambast” (according to media reports) the country’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for co-sponsoring the UN anti-terrorism bill.
Rowley, in a nutshell, suggested that by doing so, Persad-Bissessar had endangered the entire population of the country by putting them on the radar of terrorist groups like ISIS, and seemed to hint that the better option would have been to duck and run, saying the country was too small to put itself in a position to tackle a problem like global terrorism.
Clearly, Rowley has never heard the Jamaican saying: “We likkle but we tallawah,” meaning that the country might be small but it is brave and strong.
Rowley, too, seems to have forgotten that no so long ago, in 1990, “small” Trinidad and Tobago became the focus of the world when Islamic extremists tried to topple the government – days before Sadaam Hussein invaded Kuwait and put extremism on the world stage in dramatic fashion.
He also forgot, apparently, about the “dustbin bomber” who terrorized Port of Spain just over a decade ago – a culprit who has never been found in spite of his (Rowley’s) former political leader Patrick Manning claiming to know the identity of the “Mr Big” behind the terror attacks.
Manning, in his wisdom, never shared this knowledge with the population or law enforcement officials. That alone makes Rowley, as his successor, inept to comment on any matter regarding terrorism, as he, as the new PNM leader, never asked his predecessor to share this information in the interest of national security.
Had Rowley remembered these incidents, then he would know that “small” T&T is not immune to terrorism and extremism, which makes the country extremely well-placed to co-sponsor the Obama bill against global terrorism that was brought before the UN General Assembly last week.
Instead of praising Persad-Bissessar for her leadership in his regard, however, Rowley chose to turn the situation into one of local politics. The Opposition leader, therefore, has clearly demonstrated that he is unfit to lead the party he does, which is one of the grand political parties in the Caribbean, much less the country of Trinidad and Tobago.
By his comments, Rowley has shown that his vision of leadership is to take a coward’s position, to run away when the going gets hot. Last time we checked, cowards do not make good leaders.
Furthermore, Rowley made his ridiculous comments at a time when a video circulating on the internet shows a man speaking with a Trinidadian accent playing with the bodies of people beheaded by ISIS. This means, again, that “small” T&T is not at all immune – or for that matter, unknown – to ISIS, and makes Persad-Bissessar’s actions even more important.
On the international scale, Rowley has clearly demonstrated his ignorance of international affairs. As someone with the ambition to become the next Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, he should have understood that the resolution, which US President Barack Obama presented to the Security Council, compels UN member states to stop their citizens leaving their homelands to join ISIS and other militant groups based in the Middle East and block them from returning to threaten their native countries using passports already granted.
No matter how anyone with even the smallest working knowledge of global affairs looks at it, this is a good thing for all concerned.
In co-sponsoring the bill, Persad Bissessar told the Security Council: “As a firm believer in the ability of the United Nations to contribute to the resolution of international problems such as terrorism, Trinidad and Tobago has studied the text of the resolution (S/2014/688) and finds that despite some imperfections, the resolution provides a useful platform for the launch of greater international cooperation in the battle against terrorism.”
T&T was not alone in its support of the bill. More than 90 countries in the world supported the resolution, which passed unanimously at the Security Council. But the man who wants to lead Trinidad and Tobago said no – it was the wrong thing to do because T&T could have just skirted around the issue and walked away.
Rowley’s opposition to the ISIS resolution shows he doesn’t understand what it is to lead. He fails to understand that international terrorism affects everyone in this age of globalism and the way to avoid being a target is to confront the enemy. But he prefers to be hypocritical and pander to the terrorists out of fear that they might hit back.
Lead from a position of fear? That’s a unique concept, Mr Rowley. God help Trinidad and Tobago if you ever become its leader.
Equality News
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