Jesse Ramdeo
Senior Reporter
jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has declared that he has “no regrets” about his tenure as he looks toward retirement on Sunday.
And as he prepares to exit the political landscape, the Prime Minister says he has put his “life to service” and jokingly shared, “I sometimes sing in the bathroom and my favourite tune is from the Sound of Music, somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.”
The comment came in a candid final wide-ranging interview with journalists from Guardian Media, CCN TV6 and TTT at Whitehall, Port-of-Spain, on Tuesday, which was broadcast last night.
Rowley reflected on his time in office with a sense of fulfilment, even as he acknowledged the challenges faced by successive governments in steering the nation through complex social, economic, and political issues.
“You would have heard at least one Prime Minister I can think of, I think possibly two I know of, who would have said Trinidad and Tobago is a difficult country to govern and it is largely because we are a free people, who enjoy significant freedoms, freedom to even waste your time, freedom to play the fool, freedom to make good when you can do better,” Dr Rowley said.
He maintained that contrary to the belief by some in society, he had acted in the country’s best interest, even if it meant making unpopular decisions.
“I am not in the legacy business, you see thing about legacy and legacy and legacy, I’m not in that. I was in the business of saying this country has been good to me. When I got into the political arena, it was what I can do because other people before me sacrificed.
“I wasn’t about running to get the best-paying job in the country because I had offers to work for oil companies, I chose not to do that, I worked for the state.”
He said as he prepared to bow out of the country’s leadership, he accepted there would be mixed memories of him.
“Some will remember me for what they didn’t get and some will remember me for what they achieved during my tenure and what I did to put them in a better position.”
He added, “This country has a good future and the whole question of leadership is something that needs to be fairly assessed as part of the national conversation because leadership is not easy. Anybody could follow and not even be noticed but once you are in a leadership position, you become a target for everybody, some for good, some for evil and if you are afraid of that, don’t accept leadership. I have accepted leadership and that is why I am not angry except with one person, who did one thing but every thing else I have no regret.”
Rowley was also clear about his desire to ensure a seamless handover of leadership.
“What we are experiencing now is something you haven’t experienced before and something ... people are trying to anchor it in the Constitution. I am ensuring that the country, as far as I am able to within the law of the country and the PNM constitution, I am trying to ensure there is a smooth transition, so that when I move out of this office, that whoever moves in, that the country will not be disadvantaged and that it might even benefit and that is done within the Constitution of the country.”
After stepping down as the country’s leader on Sunday, Rowley will still serve as the PNM’s political leader. He said similar provisions will be made internally to ensure party operations are not adversely affected.
“When I move out as political leader, I don’t scatter the pearls. I ensure that the PNM, if I am able to, is strengthened and not weakened because a strong PNM makes a strong Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.
While he did not say exactly when he will step down as party leader, he assured there will be no clashing of heads with prime minister-elect Stuart Young.
“I am not holding on to anything, we are in transition and that transition is to ensure that the PNM is not disadvantaged and the country is not disadvantaged.”
Addressing claims of a “dictator-like approach” in the appointment of Young as his successor, and that his action had placed party members on edge and almost caused an implosion within the PNM, Rowley said, “If I am the only dictator that dictates by a secret ballot, then I could live with that. The selection of a member of the parliamentary caucus to lead when I turned down the offer was done by secret ballot and you could jump high or you could dig low, that is a fact.
“It might have been the first time, it may not be the last time in the history of this country, but certainly it was the first and for those who thought it was the only way we could live is the way we lived like toddlers, when we are in fact geriatrics, that is not logic. You are talking about messy, have you seen a smoother transaction?”
The PM provided further insight into why he did not step aside before now although he had promised to do so before.
“As the engaged Prime Minister in the middle of the pandemic, I could not just walk away from the country and secondly, I had brought a lot of young people into politics and into government and I thought it was going to be unreasonable of me in 2020 to go off in my own comforts and leave them in a pandemic and fight a general election and on that basis, to the surprise of my wife, I announced I was continuing to contest in 2020.”
The PM, who has served as the head of Government since 2015, noted that while his administration has faced its fair share of criticism, the one incident during his period in office which drew his ire was when rape allegations were levelled against him and his father in Parliament by former People’s Partnership minister Vernella Alleyne-Toppin.
“If your conduct is such that I don’t require to respect you, I just wouldn’t disrespect myself. That Opposition Leader, facing a difficult election with me as Opposition Leader, you know what she did? She organised for members of her Cabinet and Speaker of the House to come to the Parliament and put on the Hansard that my father is a rapist and I am a rapist. That is on the Hansard, character matters.”