Rowley: Pullout is a conscience vote against PM

Leader of the Opposition Dr Keith Rowley says the withdrawal of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) from the People’s Partnership Government was “nothing more than a conscience vote” against the Kamla Persad-Bissessar-led coalition. Abdulah said the labour-based MSJ had decided to leave the Government because the social contract with the people was not being met. Rowley said yesterday the MSJ’s move “clearly makes nonsense of Prime Ministerial bravado which so often proclaims they are more united than ever.” Rowley added: “It now puts an end to the frequent futile assurances (from the PM) that she has all that it takes to keep the partnership together.”

He said T&T was being governed by “a thinly disguised UNC cabal hiding behind an embarrassed veil of disposable facilitating groups.” Rowley said it was only the “desperate desire”of  St Augustine MP and Legal Affairs Minister Prakash Ramadhar to hold on to the UNC constituency, which he occupies, that is delaying the COP’s “departure from the wreck.” Rowley said governance under the PP was “a stream of stifling confusion, overwhelming incompetence, runaway corruption, lack of national confidence and a general feeling of chronic disappointment.” Rowley said the wider population would “divorce itself from the UNC.” He said Persad-Bissessar was finally admitting “all the partnership talk is a sham and it was a UNC cabal which remains unaffected as the disillusioned political neophytes withdraw in deep disappointment.”