UNC: Vote against Rowley's disdain for ethics committee

THE UNC in a statement on Friday urged voters to chide the Prime Minister's disdain for the Council for Responsible Political Behaviour by voting against his party's candidates in the August 14 local government elections.

The statement by UNC PRO Dr Kirk Meighoo was titled, Dictator Rowley does not believe he is accountable to anybody; We must show that he is.

Recently the council supported two complaints by the UNC that Dr Rowley had violated the council's code of ethics in his address to a PNM rally at San Fernando on Saturday, July 15. Firstly, the UNC had alleged Dr Rowley had alluded to them in his allegations that someone sent gunmen to shoot up Port of Spain, and secondly the UNC had complained that a PNM election flyer offering grants was allegedly an improper inducement to voters to visit a candidate's office .

Rowley, on Thursday in an online response to the council's ruling, hit, "An ethical council without ethics and steeped in bias is to be ignored for what it is."

The UNC described Rowley's remark as a "hot-headed attack on the council," saying it was extremely dangerous.

The statement said the remarks had revealed five things about Rowley.

The UNC alleged he refuseD to behave ethically and responsibly as he personally agreed to, refuses to lift the society up to higher standards, will not stand by his signature to an agreement when it does not suit him, will ignore an independent body that rules against him, and will bully and slander that organisation in the process.

"Keith Rowley obviously believes that he is not accountable to anyone, that he can break whatever law he wishes, trample on the constitution as he desires, bully whom he chooses, slander whomever he wants, incite violence and racial division whenever he thinks he needs to.

"He clearly rejects the idea that he is accountable to the Code of Ethical Political Conduct that he himself personally signed on to and agreed to abide by."

The UNC said this was dangerous for TT, and it must be condemned by all sectors of society, especially those bodies who formulated the code of ethics.

These included the main religious bodies, TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce, TT Publishers & Broadcasters Association (TTPBA) and TT Transparency Institute.

"If a Prime Minister does not feel that he must answer to churches, trade unions, and NGOs, regarding an agreement which he personally signed on to, because those bodies’ representatives have found that the Prime Minister has violated that agreement, then this is dangerous indeed."

The UNC said the council has no power to discipline political parties/leaders.

"Perhaps we should consider that the EBC incorporate the Code of Ethical Political Conduct, and institute penalties against parties who violate that code.

"Right now, we as citizens have the power to give the council’s ruling teeth. We have the opportunity to send a clear message to Keith Rowley and the PNM on August 14, that we wish to institutionalise responsible and ethical political behaviour in public life, and that they should not be rewarded for acting irresponsibly, unethically, and dictatorially."