Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley took to his Facebook page in the early hours of Thursday morning to respond to Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, criticising her recent comments on Venezuela and his decision to retire.
Persad-Bissessar suggested Rowley’s decision to step down was not about retirement but about fleeing from the consequences of his actions, linking it to Donald Trump’s election. She accused him of supporting a "dictatorial and corrupt" Maduro regime with ties to drug trafficking. She also criticised his leadership, calling it a failure in crime, healthcare, infrastructure, and the economy, while accusing him of destroying the education system, agricultural sector, and democracy within his party. She insisted that the priority now is to call a general election and move past Rowley’s “wretched” leadership to rebuild Trinidad and Tobago’s future.
Rowley dismissed her claims and accused her and MP Roodal Moonilal of previously urging the US government to sanction him and National Security Minister Stuart Young while they worked to secure a gas supply deal with Venezuela and an OFAC licence from the US. "Well, this is an even more unpatriotic act!" he said.
He described Persad-Bissessar’s remarks as "an ill-advised, direct attack on the Maduro Government," arguing that she intended to provoke Venezuela into abandoning favourable agreements with Trinidad and Tobago. He warned that her call for US action against Venezuela could threaten the country’s future gas supply. "How unpatriotic can this cabal get!" he asked.
Mocking her use of the term “kleptocratic,” he said, "The only good thing about this is that we now know that she knows the word." He added, "It means stealing from the public purse. Imagine UNC persons using that word against Maduro, or anybody for that matter."
Rowley accused Persad-Bissessar and her party of trying to harm the country. "What will this kleptocratic cabal not do in an effort to harm the people of Trinidad and Tobago?" he asked.