Senior Reporter
kay-marie.fletcher@guardian.co.tt
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is once again standing his ground when it comes to how often he travels. During the Budget debate yesterday, he addressed past criticisms by the Opposition and said he could account for every hour he is out of the country.
Accounting for past trips, Rowley explained that he attended Caricom meetings, which are held twice a year, and visited Ghana with hopes of securing deals in its energy sector.
Rowley also visited Ghana in 2020, when he was invited by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to be a special guest of honour at the nation’s 63rd Independence celebrations. This year, he was invited to the celebration of His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene’s 25th anniversary of his ascent to the throne.
He said he had to visit countries like Jamaica and Ghana to rekindle relations because of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s poor leadership.
Rowley said he visited Jamaica to prevent a boycott of T&T goods after Persad-Bissessar used offensive language towards the Caricom neighbour.
He added: “You know why I had to go to Ghana? The Ghanaian president sent an emissary to Trinidad and Tobago to invite us into the Ghanaian energy industry that they were just discovering, wanting to give us the business of gas processing.
“The emissary came to Trinidad and for three days could not see the prime minister. Eventually, the then-prime minister (Kamla Persad-Bissessar) agreed to see him in her constituency office. When he got there to see her in her office, she was not very lucid, so he had to go back and report to the president his experience in Trinidad and Tobago. Ghana then called in the Chinese and gave them the business. But, they still wanted to talk to us, so I had to go there now and recreate that contact in Ghana.”
He added, “Coming and wasting time talking about the Prime Minister’s travels. I can account for every hour. I want to put on the record that I have never met an oil company executive when I was not appropriately dressed, never in my pyjamas.”
Rowley revealed he has two more trips planned this year—the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa later this month and a high-level Caribbean forum hosted by the International Monetary Funds (IMF) in Barbados.
“The forum will involve and facilitate a dialogue addressing the challenges relating to transitioning to green energy Should I go, or should I not go? I am asking for your permission,” he told the Opposition.