Part 2
Ed Towns, one of Rowley's infamous guest speakers at the recent PNM rally at Woodford Square, Port-of-Spain, also has a history of political controversy. According to Wikipedia, in 1992, he was named in a house banking scandal, having written 408 cheques on an overdrawn bank account.
In November 2000, Towns requested the White House to "declare India a terrorist state" because of "the pattern of Indian terrorism against its minorities." He apparently published a "list of attacks on Christians" to bolster his views. The US White House quickly dismissed his claims saying that there was "no credible evidence."
In 2011, Towns was leasing a Mercury Milan Hybrid at a cost of $1,285 per month which was one of the highest costs of a taxpayer-financed car leased by Congress.The complete cost of the two-year lease was projected to exceed the sum of money for a newly-purchased vehicle. See New York Post (Miller SA (December 27, 2011) Brooklyn Congressman overpaying for car lease.)
In April 2012, Towns announced his retirement.Many commentators have criticised the two men appearing on the PNM platform let alone commenting on the politics of T&T. "Cockroach has no place in fowl party."There has been no end to the PNM marching the streets of downtown Port-of-Spain supposedly highlighting the need to have accused ministers of the PP Government step down from office whilst investigations are ongoing.
In the case of Patterson and Towns, there are not merely accusations but findings made against them by established authorities in the United States of America.Yet Dr Keith Rowley sees absolutely no problem with them appearing on his platform notwithstanding their respective bad track records.
Even if we were to look beyond the criticisms of the two US gentlemen, it is the height of hypocrisy on the part of an aspiring prime minister (Rowley) to talk of political ethics for locals but seek to avoid same in the case of foreigners.If ever there was a time in the history of our nation where our people were viewed as a "banana republic" it is now.
In a "banana republic," banana-minded people would wonder whether Patterson was really called in or whether he could not in any event, assist PNM Deputy Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly, Hilton Sandy with the domestic violence charges which was recently brought against him by his wife.
Sandy, who made the "Calcutta ship" racist remark on a PNM platform, was brought up by his wife in early August 2015 for domestic violence.According to the Newsday (20/08/15) he disobeyed a court order and refused to vacate the matrimonial home thereby forcing his wife to initiate contempt proceedings against him and seeking to have him committed to prison.
"Banana" and "Mango people" would wonder whether Patterson whose administration was supposedly involved in witness-tampering in a domestic abuse case in New York, could not help out his friend, Sandy.
In the last local government elections, Rowley's sidekick, Jack Warner, was responsible for Jailal Kissoon, a former Minister of Agriculture in Guyana, speaking on a political platform. Kissoon said "Let me ask you, Jack Warner ever thief from Indian people in this area? He ever thief from black man in this area? Well if he make he money from white man, what wrong with that? They never used to pay them."
This statement was racially offensive and divisive in an extreme way. If Warner had won anything politically tangible in those elections, what would have been the price to be paid to Mr Kissoon?It cannot be denied that both Paterson and Towns held strong racial views and made strong statements in the absence of cogent evidence which the White House publicly distanced itself from.
Showing up here in Trinidad and appearing like jack-in-the-box characters, we are unsure as to whether their views which were rejected in the USA are in anyway reflective of what we can now expect out of the PNM Camp, if elected into government. What price has been paid or is yet to be paid to the two men. Is it purely financial or can we expect some kind of quid pro quo political arrangement.
When Rowley defends the likes of these men, is it not a real possibility that if he becomes Prime Minister, that he would defend his ministers and party officials even when they have been found guilty of misconduct or related matters.This is in distinct contrast with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC who has a track record of dismissing people from her Cabinet, once credible evidence exists of wrongdoing.
She has done this time and again without fear of political repercussions to herself and the PP Government.Reasonable-minded people have no choice but to reject Keith Rowley and the PNM in the upcoming general elections.Failure to do so would send T&T reeling and becoming a real banana republic.