OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to “just go”.
On Friday evening at UNC headquarters in Chaguanas, she stuck to her claims that the Government was attempting to paint East Indians as “UNC voting thieves”.
Persad-Bissessar was speaking ahead of going before the UNC’s screening committee as the party’s unopposed nominee for the Siparia constituency in the 2025 general election.
She told supporters that Energy Minister and prime minister-in-waiting, Stuart Young “must never become the prime minister to govern T&T”.
Persad-Bissessar said ten years into office, the PNM has failed to deliver, including on infrastructure, national security and public health.
The former prime minister said Rowley and his Government had given the population “lie, cry and mamaguy” while continuing to blame the UNC.
Persad-Bissessar again addressed remarks by Rowley on Friday that fresh allegations of corruption brought by the Estate Management and Business Development Company Ltd (EMBD) against Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal and several contractors in court were not racially motivated.
She said the PM was coming up with “the same lazy points they’ve been coming up with over and over”.
Stating that Rowley’s only achievement was “no achievement”, she said the Government wanted to shift the conversation to a “bogus” case and that it could still convince a court to “rule in their favour”.
She called the PM’s news conference at Whitehall in Port of Spain on Friday to address the issue a “useless exercise”, which she said saw a “rehash of tired talking points he has been using for years”.
“His only ‘achievement’ in office has been rewarding himself with a million-dollar backpay and a 47% pension increase for life, while workers are expected to settle for a measly 4%…He has no answers, only distractions,” Persad-Bissessar said.
She said the case against Moonilal had been brought by a “PNM-appointed board” and was being fought by “eat ah food lawyers”.
Referring to the Prime Minister, Persad-Bissessar said he “gives details as part of a deliberate propaganda plan to campaign for ground troops, to use them in the election”.
The EMBD last week filed new allegations against Moonilal, several contractors and former executives, in an expansion of a multi-million-dollar cartel claim lawsuit brought against them by the State-owned company.
The court documents in the civil claim cites Moonilal as EMBD’s “shadow director”, alleging he provided instructions to two senior EMBD officials regarding the award of contracts and payment of funds.
The claim accuses Moonilal and the contractors of being corruptly involved in “cartel arrangements.”
The amended statement of claim includes a schedule listing individuals and entities allegedly associated with Moonilal and/or the United National Congress (UNC) that received “substantial payments” from EMBD contractors.
Questioning the timing of the EMBD matter, Persad-Bissessar called on citizens to reject politics based on hate and fear.
Persad-Bissessar said Indians were also painted by the PNM as “cane cutters who have no moral and spiritual values”.
“I am calling them out today,” she stated.
She said the “only person ridiculed more than UNC Indians are Afro-Trinis who oppose the PNM”.
“They vilify them,” Persad-Bissessar said.
She said the Prime Minister was also using “divisive rhetoric to distract from his own failures”.
“Rowley can rant and rave but the truth is clear, he has been a failure as Prime Minister,” she stated.
Persad-Bissessar said the communities that support the PNM “have the highest crime rates, the worst infrastructure, and the lowest opportunities”.
“Rowley has done nothing to uplift these areas. Instead, he uses hateful and divisive rhetoric to deflect from his own failures,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar went on to renew her call for international observers for the 2025 general election.
She noted that Rowley has said that Caricom observers would be present but stated that Caricom couldn’t be relied on and she didn’t trust the Government.
Following her address, Persad-Bissessar handed out red roses to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
She was greeted with a yellow bouquet on arrival, where one supporter declared her the “mother of the nation”.
Friday’s screenings included a cultural show kicked off by chutney soca star Nisha Bissambhar.
While Persad-Bissessar’s arrival was subdued in comparison, Moonilal entered the compound with tassa, East Indian and African dancers, and moko jumbies.
Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee also made a grand entrance, with tassa and a Chinese dancing dragon.
The party screened nominees for five constituencies—Claxton Bay (formerly Pointe-à-Pierre), La Horquetta/Talparo, Princes Town, Oropouche East and Siparia.
Persad-Bissessar was unopposed, while Princes Town MP Barry Padarath as well as Dave Matura were screened for that constituency.
Lee and one other nominee were screened for Claxton Bay, while Moonilal was the only nominee for Oropouche East.
The Sunday Express understands some five nominees were screened for La Horquetta/Talparo; however, the names of the nominees were unavailable.
The UNC, up to yesterday afternoon, had not released the names of any successful candidates, as its screening committee was still doing its work, a party official stated.
