PNM Council silent on Rowley/Sharma brawl

The PNM General Council yesterday remained silent on the alleged brawl between Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley and UNC Fyzabad Member of Parliament, Chandresh Sharma. At the press conference yesterday following the Council’s meeting at Balisier House, PNM party chairman Franklin Khan told reporters that the issue “did not come up at all.” Dr Rowley was not present at yesterday’s meeting. Khan said that the matter, having been referred to the Privileges Committee of Parliament, was now “subjudice in terms of Parliament and they will do what they have to do.” He said the population will eventually be told of the Committee’s findings. Subjudice means that as the matter is before the Privileges Committee public comment might be seen to prejudice the outcome of the proceedings.

The heated exchange between the two MPs took place last Wednesday in the Tea Room of Parliament prior to a Finance Committee meeting. Sharma has alleged that a tea cup and other objects were thrown at him and that he was slapped in the face by Rowley. This was supported by UNC members who were present. Dr Rowley has categorically denied the allegations, stating that he did not hit Sharma. The lone PNM MP to witness the event, Stanford Callendar, Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister (Tobago Affairs), could not be reached for comment yesterday. Meanwhile, President of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), Reverend Cyril Paul, said either Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley or Fyzabad MP Chandresh Sharma is lying about the tea room brawl.

“From what they are saying, it is very obvious that one of the two is definitely lying, not telling the truth, not showing integrity,” Paul said in an address to the graduating class at the St Andrew’s Theological College in San Fernando last Saturday. He referred to last Wednesday’s alleged Tea Room brawl between Rowley and Sharma in the precincts of Parliament, and asked his audience to consider the confrontation. He declared, “We must expect integrity from parliamentarians.” He said many of the grave problems which have befallen Trinidad and Tobago and the churches over the years, have been as a result of the absence of integrity “on the part of people whom we trusted and who let us down badly.” He noted that unfortunately in our country, “integrity is often conspicuous by its absence, and a country whose leaders and citizens do not possess integrity of character, is marching to its demise.” He added that a “church whose leaders and members are not persons of integrity is heading for serious trouble.”

As a church, “we believe in no person’s infallibility, but it is wonderful to be able to believe in a person’s integrity,” he said, reminding that “while infallibility was beyond us, integrity was not.” He told of a bookstore in Canada where there are no attendants, but an open cash register where business is run on an honour system. Rev Paul said he wondered how long an integrity system like that would last in this country. He said that true greatness was within the reach of the least and lowliest. “We can all be people whose word is our bond, people who will never sell our souls for cash, people who set duties above rights, people who put self-sacrifice before self-interest, people who believe that at the end of the day what a person is, will count infinitely more than what he has, but he who is greatest among you must be marked by humility, service and integrity of character.” On Friday, Sharma and Rowley referred each other to the Privileges Committee, which is chaired by House Speaker Barry Sinanan.

Sinanan, after hearing the statements, ruled a prima facie case for a breach of privilege had been made by both Rowley and Sharma. He referred the matters to the Committee for a “full investigation and report.” He said the incident had the potential to bring the House and its members into public ridicule and the potential to erode the dignity of Parliament. The other members of the Privilege Committee are Camille Robinson-Regis, Pennelope Beckles, John Rahael, Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Subhas Panday.