People’s National Movement (PNM) leader Dr Keith Rowley says the party will not condone any type of corruption if it forms the next government.
Speaking yesterday at a one-day seminar for general election candidates and campaign managers at the Ortinola Great House, St Joseph, Rowley said whereas the party would stand behind a member who made a genuine error, it would not condone any malicious corruption within the party.
He also said he was pleased with the team he had assembled for the upcoming election.
Rowley said the majority party of the ruling People’s Partnership, the United National Congress (UNC), had “mishandled” so much of the public purse that they now believed they could “buy” the next election.
“Our response to that is that the public is sufficiently well informed to reject that approach of thieving and buying election,” Rowley said.
He said the UNC also sought to denigrate people who offered themselves for public office under the PNM banner.
“They believe that since they cannot measure up, they will pull down. Me personally, I pay no attention to that, I expect to be a target, I expect to be attacked, the PNM expects to be attacked,” Rowley said.
“Everything they are expected to be accountable for, they preface it by blaming the PNM,” he said.
He cited one instance in Parliament on Friday when the Government, having admitted that a chief financial officer at state-owned Petrotrin earned a hefty salary, then compared it with how much a former Petrotrin president was paid under the PNM years ago.
“It is just the nature of the arrangement and we are not going to be bothered by that; we are just going to remain focused on establishing to the population why we should be elected,” Rowley said.
CoP selection process
Rowley said when the PNM takes office after the election, one of its first acts would be to change the process for selecting the Commissioner of Police. He told the gathering that such a move would need the support of the new opposition party.
“There is no guarantee the opposition would support it and if it cannot be done we would work with what exists now,” Rowley said.
He said the main reason for bringing in a PNM government with the next election was the contribution it would make to a better way of life for the country.
“When a government comes into office you come in to deal with what you meet there, to make it better against the background that the assignment is to improve the quality of life for all the citizens,” he said.
Rowley said even though the candidates operated under the PNM banner for election, the party would not govern as a PNM party.
“We govern as a government of Trinidad and Tobago. None of this nonsense about we time now or affirmative action, undeclared.
“The minute we win the election, we accept responsibility for all the issues and all the people of T&T,” he said.