Rowley: Manning lost a gun while with me

He was answering questions yesterday during a reading of extracts from his memoir From Mason Hall to Whitehall at the Old Fire Station Conference Room, Abercromby Street, Portof- Spain. The event formed part of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest which is an annual celebration of books, writing, and writers.

Rowley said he takes a long time to writeoff people, often giving them a second chance, but when he writes-off someone it is usually forever.

Recalling an official removing his car as head of National Quarries, he said, “People behaving badly torture themselves.” Rowley said he later met the man on a golf course and the man greeted him as if nothing bad had transpired. “He passed away recently as one of my friends. I believe people can change.” He recalled an incident where former prime minister, the late Patrick Manning, lost a gun.

Asked by moderator Dr Funso Aiyejina about a reference in the book to Manning burying an unspecified item in the sand at a beach one night and whether it was a crucifix, Rowley revealed, “It was a firearm.” Rowley related that he and Manning had gone into the sea when Manning, beforehand, had buried his gun in the sand, only to be unable to recall its location when he emerged from the water.

He lamented that Manning had never written his memoirs and hopes former prime minister Basdeo Panday would do so. “Not enough people put on record what should be on record.” He said it doesn’t only have to be office-holders who record their memoirs.

Rowley hopes his book would inspire youngsters to be able to overcome similar hurdles to those that he had overcome in his life.

“I could give them hope that they could make it too. I wasn’t a privileged person. You shouldn’t put a lid on how high you want to climb.” He recalled that as a youngster in Tobago the worst thing for a child was to be told “You have no ambition” by an adult. He urged individuals to set goals for themselves and this is what his book represents.

Asked by Aiyejina about removing tax on books, he said it is worth considering, but did not commit. However Rowley lamented that after so much money is invested in education, so few people read books. He said a book store will only accept about a dozen copies of a book offered by an author for sale.

“I suspect that this contributes to the incompleteness of our society.”