Rowley: Kamla telling 'naked lies' that PNM supporters returning in secret

THE PRIME Minister has described an allegation by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar that PNM supporters were being secretly allowed to enter the country through the "back door" as "naked lies."

She made the allegation on Wednesday at the launch of the Moruga/Tableland campaign and Dr Rowley was asked to respond to the allegation following the opening of the Bagatelle Community Centre on Friday.

"Mrs Persad-Bissessar has a habit of saying things that are not true. And she holds the office of Opposition Leader and she really must do better than that. These things do not portray our country in a good light. And when these allegations are based on naked lies it must be hurtful to the people who run the show."

He said the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is an institution which all the country can be proud of and it is hurtful to the staff for the Opposition Leader "who somehow carries the ambition of being prime minister again" to come out and tell such "naked untruths."

He recalled that last year during the Venezuelan registration process Persad-Bissessar made the "naked lie" that the EBC was registering Venezuelans when Government was only keeping a record of Venezuelans at the National Security Ministry.

He said that Government closed the borders to keep covid19 out and said the situation in the US was "frightening."

"So when we say we closed the borders it is not to punish anybody; it is to keep the virus out. Having kept it out is no reason to play fast and loose now by telling me you crying on the TV that you want to come home. I have no problem with you not coming home. What I have a problem with is the risk level."

He said Government knew the people on the other side of the border would have been negatively affected when it was closed and therefore there were exemptions based not on how many people want to come in but on whether the health system could manage those coming in.

"It would be irresponsible on us at this stage to take advice from an irresponsible, ambitious leader telling lies about elections and embarrassing the country and talking about people are being brought in for the elections."

He stressed that as PNM political leader he has no idea who is coming in outside of National Security periodically raising it with him.

He also reported there was no feedback on letters he wrote to the Caricom Secretary General Irwin La Rocque and Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, QC, formally inviting them to send election observation missions under their respective auspices to observe the electoral process.

"As long as they are able to put personnel in, the door is open but the personnel must get here by Friday 23 I think it is.

"Once they can get in then and go through the quarantine period to be able to come out before the election they can monitor the preparations and the actual polling day then that will be fine. If the personnel...can't get here by that date well I am afraid if they come they will have to go into quarantine and they will have to do their monitoring from in the quarantine, if that is possible."

The letters were sent following a call by Persad-Bissessar.