Stay up, PM Rowley

THE EDITOR: As scenes change rapidly on the TT landscape, Prime Minister Dr Rowley must now be looking at options in terms of his political career and his life in general.

This is especially so in light of the sudden passing of Joycelyn Bodden, which would have surely hit him hard below the proverbial belt.

Bodden was a pillar of strength for the PNM, which has greatly benefitted from the outstanding leadership skills and dedication of a number of key female members.

One of the more popular projects with which Bodden was directly associated was the PNM’s new Balisier House headquarters, currently under construction at Tranquillity Street, Port of Spain.

Still reeling from the impact of the recent passing of another party stalwart in the person of chairman and energy minister Franklin Khan, Rowley today unenviably finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place even as the covid19 pandemic inflicts increasingly telling blows on both the society and economy.

On the direct political front, the Prime Minister has not been doing very well as exemplified by the six-six tie in the Tobago House of Assembly election in January, the PNM losing four of the seats it held previously.

Further, the slide in production of natural gas and oil staples has caused a number of the country’s processing plants to close or be mothballed, leading to a depletion in foreign exchange and a consequent rise in the cost of imports, especially food.

And as if to pour oil on troubled waters, Rowley is also saddled with an Opposition whose leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, has openly bared her political fangs. Her big dream, it’s obvious, is to bring down the PNM government in the shortest time at any cost.

The apparently well-intended, highly focused and very effective Commissioner of Police has also been weakened by opposition attacks and a number of media houses which Rowely and others have correctly identified as operating against the best interest of our beleaguered country.

This is the very difficult environment in which Rowley has been patiently plowing with faithful adherence to the science of covid19 protocols as followed by the international experts, while trying to hold a delicate balance between lives and livelihood.

In this regard, observers have largely commended the Prime Minister and his Cabinet for their adroit handling of the pandemic and the country in general.

And yet, while the current challenges can shake any government at its very foundations, this PNM-Rowley team still seems the most competent, resilient and visionary outfit to successfully pull the country through what will surey be remembered as one of our darkest hours.

Therefore, RIP, Joycelyn Bodden. RIP, Franklin Khan. Stay up, Keith Rowley.

RUDOLPH WILLIAMS

St James