THE HARDER THEY COME

I have news for Dr Keith Rowley, for his chief champion, Camille Robinson-Regis and for the PNM. The allegations made Thursday in Parliament by Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh — that Government materials were being used on Rowley’s land development site — have long been circulating in the form of rumours, with all the usual hyperbole that gossip-mongering brings. Talk for months has also been that Rowley had become a mega developer, building houses left, right and centre, up and down the land.

I first heard the Ganga “corruption” claim earlier this year and from more than one person. None of these however, could provide any documentary evidence to support as serious and defamatory an accusation such as theft of State materials. I told my informants however, that in my view, there was another important problem with Rowley’s involvement in land development: conflict of interest because of his Cabinet portfolios. First, he had been Minister of Planning and Development and now he was Minister of Housing. Development on his Tobago Mason Hall project began, by Rowley’s own admission, in 2003. But when in 2003? Did work commence when Rowley was Minister of Planning and Development? If so, then it would not be obscene to suggest that Rowley granted permission to himself for his Mason Hall project. If the go-ahead was granted in Camille’s tenure, this too, looked bad because the public would still believe that office was used to attain this sanction. (Indeed, this is why no minister should be involved in land development or any private business). Rowley should have withdrawn his name from the project and let his family attend to family matters. He was elected and appointed to see about the public’s affairs.

Other crucial questions came to mind when I heard of Rowley’s land development. I wondered when I heard Rowley berating banks for their high interest rates on housing loans and when he was knocking the exorbitant price of construction materials, for whom the Minister was fighting — for his Government and for homeowners or for himself and his family?  When he was calling for an end to squatting, of whom was he thinking? After hearing Ganga Singh’s statement Thursday, I realised that even if not a single grain of sand had been transported from the Tobago hospital site to Rowley’s development, he was conducting his private and public affairs in a manner which had opened the door to Ganga’s accusations. The same contractor working on the Scarborough hospital was working on Rowley’s private development and renting from the Minister? Ganga Singh was correct; there was a definite “appearance of impropriety.” It certainly was a huge conflict of interest and nothing that Rowley or contractor Emile Elias said could convince me otherwise.  Rowley should — as I have already stated — severed ties with the family project and he definitely should not be renting his house to anyone involved in a government venture or permitting his developer to sub-contract Elias for his Mason Hall development.

He also should not have employed the same designer. Materials and machinery for the two projects should have been stored separately and it was Rowley’s public duty to ensure they were. Had all these things been done, no one would have been able to cry “foul” and he, Rowley, would not now be crying UNC conspiracy, which in itself is ironic given that the Minister went after the UNC with a vengeance from 1995 to 2001.  Rowley was the loudest accuser of all, always dramatically producing “evidence of corruption” in the form of documents and copies of cheques in the House. As for Rowley’s successor and defender Camille Robinson-Regis, she should have said nothing at all on the matter. Challenging the UNC, as she did, to make the charges outside the House is an old Government trick. When in power, the UNC used to throw down the same glove to the PNM when the Opposition PNM was alleging corruption in the Piarco, Inncogen, and the Desal projects. PNM members never made their accusations outside the House.

That’s what Parliament is for. Its privilege allows things to come to light that might otherwise remain hidden. As for Camille’s silly question about what the problem was with people in the PNM advancing themselves, the obvious answer is again: that’s not what being a Minister is for. Ministers were in office to “advance the public.”  Anyway, weren’t Ministers always complaining that they had too much work to do, particularly when they also have to serve as MPs? So, how did they justify their being able to find time for their own private business?  They could not. I have some added news for the PNM. There are more rumours about Ministers and conflict of interest. The use of PNM-owned facilities for Government conferences and private establishments owned by PNM hierarchy where the country’s businessmen can go to meet Ministers are just two. In the last case, I’ve heard that business cards are handed out and businessmen told, “Go there if you want to chat with a Minister.” There is talk of other Ministers also being involved in land development. Rumours soon become allegations, as we saw Thursday and the damage is done.

This Rowley land development issue is one of the biggest blows to the PNM since it took office. Remember, this is a Government that promised an end to nepotism and corruption and offered transparency and probity in office. Many citizens became quickly disillusioned of this dream when the PNM first flirted with the Muslimeen, delayed the filing of its Integrity forms, when Hazel Manning was appointed Minister of Education and when projects which pay millions to PNMites like CEPEP were created. The feeling of the general populace quickly became that the PNM was taking care of itself and of its people, just as the UNC had.

The Prime Minister has shown political savvy in launching an immediate inquiry into the Scarborough Hospital. It would hurt him not to investigate his old nemesis. He also gets to demonstrate that unlike Basdeo Panday, he’s prepared to do something about corruption allegations. And this Rowley charge is a fire Patrick Manning must out quickly. The mantra of an already jaded public is both the UNC and PNM serve themselves alone when in power. Many are beseeching their various gods to bring forth a third option, a coalition, and a new day for government and governance in Trinidad and Tobago. Yet others are saying that they feel like they’re caught between the devil and the deep blue sea and they’ll choose whoever will deliver most.

I end by noting that as far as I know Dr Keith Rowley has not broken a single law. However, his simultaneous involvement with contractors NH International in both a private and public capacity is a definite conflict of interest and his involvement in any land development completely untenable. Not because an action is legal, does it mean that it is ethical. Rowley must practise now what he so loved to preach.
suz@itrini.com