Rowley: We, not they, talk Local Govt issues

At a People’s National Movement (PNM) rally at Five Rivers, Arouca, on Wednesday, he refuted claims by several media houses that the election campaign had dwelt on trivia such as the cost of roti dinners, even saying he had spoken of UNC spending on other national festivals.

Citing research that says 84 percent of what a person hears is not remembered, he said that this is the local government election where the PNM has spoken most about the relevant issues of local government reform which will bring governance closer to the people.

Saying some observers are saying that in this election both he and Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar are fighting for their political futures, Rowley quipped, “My political future in the PNM is very secure. If other people have a problem, that is their problem”.

“On local government reform, they (UNC) gave no response. They have not engaged the issue, except to say that if we try to do what we have said we’ll do, they would lie in wait in Parliament to try to block us. That’s their only response to our crusade on this long standing issue of local government reform.” Accusing the Opposition of a record of obstructionism in Parliament even amid the need for a special majority to amend Local Government, Rowley said that even without Opposition support he will deliver “23 seats worth of local government reform”, and the next time he will deliver “30 seats worth”, presumably based on his hopes for the next General Election results.

Likewise, he accused the Opposition of being obstructionist towards the very Gaming Bill that the Opposition had previously drafted, using the lack of accompanying regulations as an excuse to not back the Bill.

The Bill is needed, he said, because gambling has let some persons become filthy rich, while possibly facilitating corruption and a destruction of the country’s social fabric.

He told supporters that even if they morally do not like gambling, it is better to have regulated gambling under the Bill than have it unregulated as now obtains.

Regarding the campaign, Rowley said he’d received a very warm welcome at a walkabout in Charlieville, declaring that no part of the country is off-limits to the PNM’s ambitions in this election. He even mouthed former prime minister, the late Patrick manning’s battle-cry, “We will beat them in the North, we will beat them in the South...”.

Regarding crime, He scoffed at Persad-Bissessar’s claim that crime is high because the Government has dismantled measures put in place by their predecessors.

He demanded to know what these measures were, even as he said the National Security Council is now working better under his leadership than it was under hers