Tobagonians angry over Rowley affair

Many Tobagonians have dismissed accusations of impropriety on the new Scarborough Hospital project levelled against Minister of Housing Dr Keith Rowley as part of a “political war” between the Opposition UNC and the ruling PNM. In last week’s Budget debate in the  House of Representatives, Tobago-born Rowley was accused by Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh of siphoning materials from the Scarborough Hospital project to his own family development at Land-Date, Mason Hall.

Several Mason Hall villagers yesterday said they were angry at the charges. They told Sunday Newsday that the charges were part of a political war between the two major parties — PNM and UNC  —and that there was a link between the attacks on Rowley and the upcoming THA elections. Some villagers are  questioning the validity of the allegations. One villager told Sunday Newsday: “It is not Rowley, you know. It is a war between the parties.” Another villager however pointed out: “When you are in politics high up, you have to know what to do and what not to do, because you could get “wood” from any side. Whether it is true or lie, he (Rowley) has to take it. If people see NH International trucks passing with material going up by the Rowley development, and they know NH is building the hospital, what do you expect them to say?”

The Rowley family development consists, at present, of road construction with a brace wall. No building works are in progress on the site. With reference to allegations that Dr Rowley’s home was being rented or occupied by NH official(s), several villagers in Mason Hall insisted that some NH officials are renting an  apartment from a Mason Hall resident, located about 75 metres from Dr Rowley’s home. The owner confirmed that several NH officials were staying at his  apartment, and said that as far as he knew those NH officials were working on a housing project at Blenheim, near Mt St George, and were not connected to the Rowley development. However among the documents released by Ganga Singh in Parliament was a copy of an e-mail which indicated that NH International was renting an apartment from Rowley. It could not be ascertained if other NH official(s) were staying at Dr Rowley’s home at Mason Hall. Yesterday no one was seen there.

Some Tobagonians are treating it as a non-issue. Others are saying it is  the start of a campaign of “dirty tricks” by a particular party “on the ground” in Tobago. NH International, which is owned by Emile Elias, has been contracted by the Government to build the Scarborough Hospital. In his statement in Parliament last week, Singh produced documents which he claimed showed that truckloads of materials were leaving the hospital site for the Rowley development at Land-Date. Both Rowley and Elias have denied any impropriety. Prime Minister Patrick Manning, minutes after Singh made his statement, announced that he would hold an immediate investigation into the whole matter. At a press conference on Friday Elias said several documents were stolen from his Tobago office and that the police had been called on to investigate.