Charles to Rowley: For once in your life, fight both elections fair and square

Mr. Rodney Charles
Member of Parliament
Naparima

Given Keith Rowley’s abysmal record of massive job losses, a sluggish economy, out of control murder rates, an underperforming health sector, a demoralized citizenry and a virtually extinct petroleum sector, it is clear he has decided that he will not contest this election based on his performance record.

Instead he is now seeking to once again hoodwink voters using his tried and tested penchant for promoting distractions – as he did with emailgate and against former PM Patrick Manning.

Distractions, he feels, is a sure way of ensuring that voters will not notice that based on performance he is the worst PM in our history.

These distractions are usually backed up by his trademark bullying tactics against all perceived enemies.

He bullied former PM Patrick Manning mercilessly, undeservedly, without shame and with vengeful determination.

In this silly season his guns are trained on members of the UNC. Last evening in Parliament, with his sycophantic supporting cast of “pompeks” Young, Hinds, and Al Rawi, it was my turn.

This time it will not work.

Try it on others not me. Not this time.

Dr Rowley might have succeeded in his bullying tactics against his former leader Mr. Manning and others. Not against me.

It is not I who closed down Petrotrin leaving thousands on the breadline.

It is not I who gave an $840 million contract to Chinese company and had to cancel it.

It is not I who did not build one school when his predecessor built 105.

It is not I who did not provide medicines for our hospitals or food cards for poor families or laptops for our children.

It is not I who unconsciously depleted our Foreign Exchange and HSF cushion to near dangerous levels.

And it is certainly not I who presided over ever escalating murder rates that have citizens cowering in fear in their homes behind burglar proof.

We in the UNC will not be silenced by childish rants. We will continue to demand performance and accountability. We will continue to demand explanations. We will continue to point out the government’s multiple failures and continue to make recommendations and give advice.

That is what we have been elected for, and Keith Rowley’s misconduct and that of his minions will not bully us into submission. We have a job to do and we will do it. Rowley should wake up and start doing the job that our taxpayers dollars pay him to do.

Performance beats old talk anytime.