Rowley: I have roti bills

It was there that an exchange during Prime Minister’s Question Time, grew hotter than a ‘chulha’ (traditional East Indian mud oven or fireside) between Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Opposition MP for Princes Town Barry Padarath. It resulted in Padarath being later ejected from the House by deputy Speaker Esmond Forde (Tunapuna MP).

Earlier, Rowley threw the Opposition into disarray with the revelation that his predecessor Kamla Persad- Bissessar hosted a Divali function at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on October 16, 2014 which cost taxpayers $1,677,719.79.

The Prime Minister made this disclosure in respone to a question from Persad-Bissessar’s former aide Padarath (now the Princes Town MP) about a $350,000 bill for roti.

As Rowley gave his answer, Padarath shouted across the floor at him three times, prompting Deputy Speaker Forde to eject Padarath from the Chamber for 15 minutes.

“We want the bill!” Padarath shouted as he left. Later during the sitting, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young showed reporters a thick file laden with invoices and other documents outlining all the expenditure for the October 2014 function, which Rowley spoke about earlier in the House.

The documents showed that catering for the event cost $394,568.75. The cost spent by the former People’s Partnership (PP) government on decorations and entertainment for the event were $487,400 and $98,200 respectively.

The event’s other costs for printing and packaging ($128,752.50); shuttle/ parking ($69,750); tents/infrastructure ($454,116.54) and ushering/ambulance/ cleaning ($44,932) were also shown in the documents which Young showed reporters.

As he countered Padarath’s demand to make the roti bill for the PP Divali function public, Rowley promised to show the documents to reporters once the names of groups and persons to which these costs were paid, were not made public.

Declaring that Padarath and the entire Opposition did not understand the issue at hand, Rowley quipped,”It is not about roti. It is about profligacy in its general sense.” Opposition MPs thumped their desks as Padarath continued to shout at Rowley, “Do you have a bill to show $350,000 in roti?” The Prime Minister countered, “I am not surprised that the Member for Princes Town is behaving like that.” Government MPs pounded their desks as Rowley declared, “The profligacy of which I speak is similar to an employee in the Prime Minister’s Office...carrying a handbag for $1.5 million and $600,000 in overseas travel allowance to carry a scarf!” Stating that he had seen documentation (including invoices) which showed the catering cost for the October 2014 Divali function was $394,568.75, Rowley said, “The actual roti on the plate was a quarter million dollars.” Young later reinforced the Prime Minister’s point that the meal served then was “a vegetarian diet.” In contrast, Rowley explained that a Divali function held under his administration at the Diplomatic Centre, “cost us under $300,000.” Opposition Leader Persad-Bissessar was not in the Chamber when Rowley gave his response to Padarath or when Padarath was told to leave for 15 minutes. She appeared in the Chamber after Padarath returned.

Persad-Bissessar was cautioned by Deputy Speaker Forde about having her back to him and speaking to Padarath, while Finance Minister Colm Imbert was speaking on the Gambling Bill.

The Siparia MP apologised to Forde and left the Chamber before the House adjourned at 4.30 pm.

Rowley first made the disclosure on the roti issue at a PNM public meeting in Cocoyea on Wednesday night.

When Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh later questioned why the House was adjourned to December 2 and there was no Private Members Day sitting, Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis indicated that the Opposition had failed to file a single matter on the Order Paper for debate for Private Members Day.