Charles: Publish Dominica Report

Rodney Charles
Rodney Charles

NAPARIMA MP Rodney Charles today urged the Prime Minister to publish the report of the probe into the fiasco of TT’s objection to hurricane-ravaged Dominica’s plea for a fees-waiver at the Organisation of American States (OAS.)

Charles said three months ago Dr Keith Rowley received a report into the affair by Ambassador Christopher Thomas. “Since then we have witnessed no commitment by the Government to release its findings. In their usual fashion they have danced around a concrete date, obfuscating, possibly hoping that the rest of the country will forget about this regional embarrassment.”

Charles recalled TT was humiliated at the OAS as the only Member State to object to Dominica’s request for a waiver, given that country’s near complete devastation.

“In Parliament on May 10, Dr Rowley announced that he had received the Ambassador Thomas’ OAS report and it would be released to Parliament ‘as soon as it is appropriate.’” Further, he related that on July 3 Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat told the Senate the report would be tabled by Parliament’s Joint Select Committee on Foreign Affairs “shortly.”

“This has become a pattern for this administration. It seems as though they are reluctant to publicize reports that may implicate their ministerial colleagues.”

He said Senator Wade Mark had alerted the report on the inquiry into former minister of sport and youth affairs Darryl Smith was still outstanding. “This report was expected sometime after the Indian Arrival Day and Corpus Christi holidays. Thereafter, we haven’t heard any further updates.”

Charles said Parliament is now on its mid-year recess yet the country is still awaiting both these documents that speak to governance, transparency and ministerial accountability.

“It is time that the PM acts in the interest of TT and makes ministerial accountability and the protection of the international image of this country a priority. “If Moses was at fault we need to know. It cannot be that, like Emailgate, the country has to wait years for resolution of what should be very simple matters.”

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