Moonilal: Reshuffle signals time to go back to the polls

OROPOUCHE East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal said Wednesday’s Cabinet reshuffle, which saw the resignation of Clarence Rambharat as Agriculture Minister and Faris Al-Rawi's demotion from Attorney General, is both a farce and a distraction.

Moonilal said it is a “most curious” reshuffle which would yield no positive results and felt the Prime Minister should call a general election now.

In an interview with the Newsday shortly after the announcement, Moonilal said, "The Prime Minister must seriously consider returning to the polls in the aftermath of his confession that he interfered and that he had communication with the Police Service Commission (PSC) that caused the undermining and the violation of the Constitution.

“What is amazing is that the Prime Minister reshuffled his Cabinet and kept Fitzgerald Hinds – who is a proven incompetent – as National Security Minister. He kept the Minister of Health after more than 3500 persons died from covid.

“He is really moving old scrap iron from one side of the yard to another side of the yard. “

Moonilal said it was "fascinating that after six years as AG, he now puts Faris Al-Rawi in charge of CEPEP.”

The Com­mu­ni­ty-Based En­vi­ron­men­tal Pro­tec­tion & En­hance­ment Pro­gramme (CEPEP) Com­pa­ny is an agency of the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government, to which Al-Rawi has been reassigned. CEPEP is involved in the "beautification" of the environment.

Moonilal observed that reshuffle or no reshuffle, the real problem facing this country will continue.

“We will continue with high crime, we will continue with poverty, we will continue with the collapse of independent institutions.

“Keith Rowley is just trying to distract the population away from the hot waters that he is in as regards the PSC and his public confession that interfered with a process (selection of a CoP), along with Bliss Seepersad (former head of the PSC) when the matter was settled by the PSC.”

He said Seepersad must now tell the country why she unilaterally withdrew the police service merit list when the PSC had already agreed on it, since Rowley is saying he never interfered, although he had communication with her.

“That is the fundamental issue. The reshuffle is a farce and a distraction, and I think the Prime Minister has lost faith in many members of his Cabinet.

“Clarence Rambharat has sneakily withdrawn himself or has been fired. I don’t understand what he (Rowley) meant by 'Clarence Rambharat resigned.' He did not resign, he was fired. When you revoke an appointment, you are fired, you never resigned. Clarence Rambharat has been fired.

Rowley had also fired his AG, he went on, "and it is really a mass distraction away from the problems he faces, of course with the PSC and with the divers disaster, where the full commission of enquiry has not even been appointed as we speak."

This in reference to the February 25 incident when five divers working on a 30-inch pipeline belonging to Paria Fuel Trading Co at Pointe-a-Pierre were sucked in. Four of the divers, who were employed by sub-contractor LMCS, died; one survived. The Prime Minister has ordered a commiussionof enquiry to uncover what happened.

On Al-Rawi’s replacement by attorney Reginald Armour, Moonilal said Armour is well-known in the legal fraternity, but it would take time for him to settle down and come to terms with the challenges before him.

“So it looks like the CoE will be at the back burner.”

Moonilal also expressed curiosity over the appointment of former Senate vice president Nigel De Freitas as a junior minister to Kazim Hosein, new Minister of Agriculture, when Avinash Singh serves as parliamentary secretary in that ministry.