Rowley: Vote PNM for local government reform

THE Prime Minister urged voters to come out to vote for the PNM in the upcoming local government elections so as to show support for local government reform which he said was essential to provide a steady revenue stream to councils to empower them to carry out their daily functions.

Dr Rowley's call came on Thursday night at a PNM public meeting at the Lower Malabar Community Centre, Phase Four, Malabar.

He did not use the occasion to name a date for the elections due after the Privy Council on May 18 rejecting the Government's attempt to extend the lives of incumbent councillors and aldermen by one year by a bill deemed to only apply to future office-holders.

The PM said while the UNC had won Sangre Grande Regional Corporation in the last local elections, nowadays that corporation could not carry out its simple duties, such as cutting grass on a playing field, maintaining a window, or cleaning a drain.

Rowley warned that amid this, opposition councillors could try to blame the Government for clogged drains.

Urging people to defy past trends of a low turnout in local polls, he advocated for local government reform under the PNM.

"This year we have a clear issue as to why you should vote.

"The singular issue of whether local government reform should be proceeded with is in front of you.It is about local government reform."

He urged PNM members to campaign quietly, rather than to expect any big PNM rallies.

Rowley listed council actions requiring funding.

"Do you want a corporation that could kill rats and mosquitoes? Do you want a corporation that will have the revenue stream to be able to fix the roads and keep them fixed?" Asking if people want farmers to have access roads, schools to be maintained, and programmes for residents, he said these could only be done by local government reform.

Rowley had begun by asking all to offer a minute's silence for the late Amoy Mohammed, former PNM MP for Princes Town.

He welcomed former UNC councillors Samuel Sankar and Sheldon "Fish" Garcia to the PNM.

"Based of the record of the PNM in TT, I'm not surprised we are winning more friends and influencing more people."

The PM praised Minister of Youth Development and National Service Foster Cummings's speech as showing TT's youth were in good hands.

Rowley welcomed Cummings' help to create hundreds of new young farmers and said government programmes provided youngsters with a productive path in life, away from detriment.

Accusing the PNM's political opponents of lies and personality attacks, he urged voters to examine the pedigrees or track records of political parties.

"We in the PNM have no difficulty in standing next to our record because our record is good."

Rowley said former PM the late Dr Eric Williams had faced outrage led by a few people when introducing income tax to fund schools, standpipes, health centres, public housing and education, thereby changing the quality of life in TT. Today income tax raises $25 billion.

Switching to the present he said local government provides people with services at their door step, such as local roads.

Rowley praised Minister of Local Government Faris Al-Rawi for converting the Government's vision for local government into law, but chided the Opposition for not supporting reform or the property tax, to be collected and spent by local councils. "If you have no property you have no property tax to pay."

Rowley said most property owners could afford to pay the average estimate of property tax of $1,200-1,300 per year.

He said the PNM's purpose in the election was to change local government and so improve people's lives.

"Once you have a revenue stream you can do wonders."

Rowley said a transition in local government needed time and the party had sought an extra year, although later curbed by the Privy Council.

Scoffing at opposition calls for election observers, he urged all to observe the licking the Opposition would get on election day.

He said the Piarco project had begun under the PNM at US$75 million, but under the UNC rose to an initial US$105 million plus an extra US$150 million, or a total final cost of $1.6 billion. Hitting the former government for changing the law in Parliament to try to let people evade justice, Rowley said leaders falling short must be called to account. "They were hoping we would have lost the 2020 elections and all those theft matters would have died."

He hailed Al-Rawi for staying the course as AG to win the Piarco Airport civil case in a Miami-Dade law court.

Chiding political opponents, he said, "Leadership ought not to be defending wrongdoing and defending thieves."

On the Brent Thomas affair, he accused detractors of "waging a war" against the police service and championing a person of interest to the police and so undermining .

morale in the police service, to the benefit of criminals.

Rowley asked how someone could want to represent people but only come alive to make manama, refering to criticism of his honorary doctorate.

He said today TT was elected unopposed as head of the UN General Assembly, and asked how TT got such a good reputation to be uncontested by bigger countries.

Rowley related that Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs had easily convinced him to make a bid. "Tell your children about it. Today is a proud day for TT."

The PM said the Opposition had sought to claim credit and would likely now try to denigrate it all.