Leader of the Opposition Dr Keith Rowley has rejected Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s offer to join in talks to determine what assistance T&T will provide to Caricom states affected by Hurricane Tomas.Persad-Bissessar extended the invitation to Rowley on Monday, asking that whatever assistance to be provided must result in some benefit to T&T nationals.
She said if the Caricom states wanted houses constructed, then T&T nationals must be hired to construct the units.But Rowley, in a statement yesterday, said he “totally rejects this backward, colonial policy and will have nothing to with such discussions or concept.”
He said he would have nothing to do with “humanitarian relief from the people of T&T to Caricom that is tied to conditionalities of self-interest as outlined by our Prime Minister.”He said he wanted to remind citizens that it was Persad-Bissessar who “insulted” Caricom citizens recently, when she said T&T was not an ATM machine for the region.
Rowley also said the infamous “teacup” affair involving Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma and himself, years ago, began when Sharma “accused me of being a racist for supporting the Manning administration’s aid to Grenada which was devastated by Hurricane David.”
Rowley, in his statement said: “We believe that in situations like these, we are unconditionally our brothers’ keeper, to the best of our ability.”He said the People’s Partnership Government, in its attempts to be different and to change our country, “is recklessly attacking everything PNM created, supported or stood for.”
Rowley added: “In this quest to be so different, this action as advocated by the Prime Minister can only serve to bring us shame and cost us our valuable leadership role in Caricom, which is so vital to our own economic existence.”
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