Kamla on Darryl Smith firing; Dr Rowley does not have what it takes to lead this country and must call the elections now

Four days ago Keith Rowley had confidence in every member of his Cabinet and one day ago he still had confidence in Darryl Smith despite the swirl of allegations of sexual harassment, misconduct and incompetence reported in the national media. Today, claiming “new information” was received, Rowley finally removed Darryl Smith from his Cabinet, but failed to let the people of this country know what were his reasons for doing so.

The Prime Minister’s action today raises more questions than are answered. What is the “new information” the Prime Minister received that changed his mind on Darryl Smith?

What could be worse than what was already reported in the media? In the circumstances, such “new information” cannot be withheld.

In the interest of transparency and accountability, we call on the Prime Minister to immediately to release this “new information” to the public. We also call on the Prime Minister to explain why, in spite of the information appearing in the media, he failed to take action against Smith as he should have done immediately.

The entire sordid business remains shrouded in mystery, and yet another “Committee” has been appointed to investigate. Investigate what, exactly, Dr. Rowley? Keith Rowley cannot claim that he did not know yesterday morning that an investigation was done, the parties agreed and monies were paid.

This ongoing Darryl Smith saga represents one of the lowest points in this failed PNM administration. Keith Rowley’s erratic and unstable actions do not inspire confidence and raise very serious questions about his leadership.

We note that members of the Government must have known about the settlement agreement for months and question whether the Attorney General or any other members of Government attempted to cover up this affair.

How much longer will Government continue to hide information from the general public when sexual harassment and taxpayers’ monies are involved? Who knows how many more instances of this have been swept under the rug?

The people of Trinidad and Tobago deserve proper leadership, effective governance and better than the instability that has become the hallmark of the Keith Rowley Administration.

Keith Rowley has shown that he does not have what it takes to lead this country and must call the elections now.