Rowley deserves high grade for leadership

THE EDITOR: The mid-year review has brought some mixed reviews from various quarters. Truth be told, the last two years had their fair share of economic challenges which any government would admit were less than favourable conditions.

While there were those who graded the Government with a four, five, six, seven and even a “D,” Trinidad is fortunate to have leadership which has kept the ship steady as we move forward. These reviews are to be taken into consideration as the Government continues its mandate.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s leadership is having a positive impact on reducing corruption in the public sector which no commentator can deny after reflecting on the recent Global Corruption Index. The drive towards efficiency and eliminating waste and mismanagement with the use of public funds are successes of the Prime Minister with the mantra of “doing more with less.”

The Prime Minister continues to make himself available to the public with addresses to the nation, conversations with the public, radio and television interviews etc. In this regard, Rowley can clearly be defined as the most accessible Prime Minister, both to the media and the public. There is one commentator who must “declare her hand” because the comment of Rowley being an absentee Prime Minister is an unfounded and unfair statement.

Progress in the energy sector has been a direct result of Rowley’s leadership. Taking a stand for TT with our energy partners and renegotiating the terms for exploration will yield an average of $2 billion in revenue annually moving forward.

There continues to be increased investor confidence as expressed recently by energy partner EOG. This company has committed to ramping up investments in TT to the benefit of citizens.

The Government has challenges to overcome in terms of its revenue position which is expected to improve as of this year. Therefore the sentiments expressed by some members of the public who believe the economy has not improved over the last two years have some merit because the revenues just were not there.

Everyone knows when the PNM Government has money, because it spends it on people, projects and programmes. The record is there to show the prudent fiscal and monetary policies that the Government has implemented.

Rowley must be commended for his stand on keeping public servants employed even in the midst of measures to eliminate inefficiencies. The record will also show that the Government has managed to keep jobs in the public service throughout the economic struggles of the past couple years, even in the midst of criticism by some political commentators.

The journey ahead looks brighter as some of our worst economic years are behind us and we are on a steady path to recovery. The Government has its struggles with two particular areas – crime which continues to pose a challenge and the sea bridge which will soon be sorted out with the arrival of the Galleons Passage.

Rowley’s leadership therefore deserves a high grade because of the merit of his achievements given the economic circumstances.

RONALD HUGGINS, social media officer, PNM