Rowley promises to expose saboteurs

THE Prime Minister intends to use the PNM’s scheduled public meeting in Tunapuna on Saturday to reveal those whom he claims are saboteurs bent on fuelling discord and destruction in the country.

Rowley gave the undertaking on Friday night at the Upper Malabar Community Centre, Arima, whilst responding to claims by the Opposition and others that the PNM supported the controversial sari skit, put on by the Tabaquite constituency at the party’s sports and family day last week Sunday in Chaguanas, despite its religious significance.

The skit had depicted a woman dressed in a sari, being disrobed by men dressed as gorillas.

Rowley said since the presentation, some people have been accusing him and the party of supporting rape and violence against women which, he insisted, could not be further from the truth.

In fact, at the meeting, the PM humbly apologised to the Hindu community after having learnt about the religious symbolism of the skit from senior members of the faith.

“I invite you all on that occasion to let us discuss what in our society is being advanced by its leaders is the question of rape, question of violence and the question of divisiveness, where they are looking for openings to create discord and destruction in this country.

“They are saboteurs and I will show them to you next week Saturday. I invite you to that meeting.”

Rowley’s intention to reveal the names of saboteurs came against the backdrop of a recent posting which, he claimed, was made by former Central Bank governor Jwala Rambarran, on the latter’s Facebook page.

“He claims to be a professional person in this country. He is on the UNC platform on regular basis.”

Rowley told supporters Rambarran had chosen to withhold his concerns about the skit.

“He never came into the conversation and said to us, ‘What you have done there could be offensive to these people and, therefore, Hindu people should be offended. Check yourself and see what you have done’.

“Had that been the conversation, we would have checked ourselves and we would have seen that we were wrong and we would have apologised in the way that I have done tonight.”

Instead, Rowley claimed Rambarran published on his Facebook page that the skit had depicted “the Prime Minister’s private fantasy of raping the Opposition Leader (Kamla Persad-Bissessar). That is what Jwala Rambarran published.

“So, here it is a genuine situation of an idea that was simple and simplistic, that was seen by Sat Maharaj (Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha general secretary), early as something not to go overboard about but needed to be pointed out that there is something else you must know, that was the outcome.”

Rowley said some people, including the Opposition Leader, “seem to have an obsession in painting me as a rapist.”

The PM said the society should be having civil conversations about issues affecting the various ethnicities on an ongoing basis.

“So that if and when something happens, and things will always happen, there will be a civil way of dealing with it, not to go off in glory and in glee and set about to deal with it in the way that those who call themselves leaders of the Hindu community have been doing in the last few days.”