Rowley had to be ‘smoked out’

Princes Town MP Barry Padarath has slammed Government for being insensitive to the suffering of thousands after five consecutive days of flooding in large swathes of Trinidad.

In a press release, Padarath said flood victims were so frustrated and angry that they used whatever platforms available to them to, “smoke out the Prime Minister from hiding.” Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday accompanied Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan on a tour of flood hit areas in Manzanilla, five days after floods invaded several areas in the country due to non-stop rainfall which began on Divali, last Wednesday. In contrast, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar visited several flood-hit areas in Siparia, Penal and Barrackpore last week Thursday and Friday.

On Friday at a press conference, Rowley gave the excuse that he was busy in Parliament dealing with the 2018 budget which is at the committee stage, for his non-appearance in the field. He added that he was glad people were waiting to see him but assured that although he was in Parliament, he was at all times being kept fully abreast of the flooding situation.

In his release, Padarath said the flooding stress people are facing is compounded by the lack of support provided by Government. He slammed Rowley for his ‘poor excuses’ for not being in the field to assess the flooding and provide relief to citizens. Padarath claimed that just like when Tropical Storm Bret hit, the Prime Minister only acted in a knee jerk reaction manner on realising there was massive criticism against him.

He is calling on Government to ‘hit the ground running’ and send in the necessary resources to clear water courses and provide measures of relief to those affected.