Rowley’s Rants Unbecoming of PM Candidate

Dear Editor,

It’s easy to make out public figures who are not too sure whether they’re coming or going: they would accept an invitation to give a speech and then use their microphone time to ramble on about matters completely outside their scope and that of their beleaguered audiences, PARTICULARLY if the media is present.

In the process, they invariably trap themselves: by saying something stupid, because T&T newshounds very often are on the ball.

Recently, Opposition Leader, Dr Keith Rowley, was asked to deliver what was supposed to be an innocuous discourse to some of the PNM flock at Diego Martin. Newspaper reports indicate he somehow transformed his time in the spotlight into a totally inept foreign-affairs foray, one in which he fantasised drearily about what ISIS would do to T&T citizens, now that T&T has co-sponsored a UN Resolution against it.

Incredulously, he also tried to justify his ludicrousness by bending history: he claimed we are accustomed to being wimpish on the world stage, so, in taking on the role of joint sponsor, pretty soon we’d would get our comeuppance.

Clearly, not only is Rowley uncomfortable being a Trinbagonian, he has forgotten puny T&T intervened to broker an end to the major border dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over Rupunini, or when we stood up to Reagan over the Grenada rescue mission. Did T&T suffer any fallout from those assertive stances? He needs to tell us, because PNM was in power on both occasions.

But Rowley’s most eye-opening remark during the address was his declaration that, once a UN resolution is passed by a majority vote, every member-country is bound by it, whether the member-country voted for the measure or not. See what I meant, in my opening paragraph: when I spoke of trapping oneself? All the newspapers mentioned it.

In light of his solemn declaration, I ask Dr Rowley to do the honourable thing and confirm that the same binding principle applies to MPs and Senators regarding legislation passed by the T&T Parliament, e.g., amendments to the Constitution.

It’s the most logical way to ascertain whether his flip-flopping over the past years which culminated in his recent threat that, if PNM ever returned to power, it will repeal laws passed after May 2010, were just additional examples of his attempts to bypass what he truly believes, or further evidence of him being hopelessly unfit for public office.

RSVP asap, will you, Dr Rowley?

Richard Wm Thomas
via email