Kamla: Rowley must apologise to Chinese government for statement on Damen vessels

Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is calling on the Prime Minister to retract what she describes as baseless, reckless and highly irresponsible attacks regarding his criticisms of Coastal Patrol vessels (CPV), which her government purchased in 2015 from China.

In a statement on October 11, Persad-Bissessar said Dr Rowley must "immediately and publicly retract his statements and apologise to the Chinese government.”

The vessels were delivered in July 2015 and manufactured by Damen Shipyards in Holland.

Then trade, industry and communications minister Vasant Bharath, along with then national security minister Brigadier Carl Alfonso, toured the CPV and said the vessels were part of the People’s Partnership Government’s initiative to combat the illegal flow of guns, ammunition and drugs into the country, which he said posed significant risks to national security.

The statement said the fleet of 12 vessels ordered by the Partnership cost $1.2 billion, less than the $1.3 billion for three Offshore Patrol Vessels ordered by the previous People’s National Movement, which were halted by Persad-Bissessar's administration.

Rowley, speaking in the budget debate in the House of Representatives on October 10, said one of the vessels purchased by the UNC government was now deemed unserviceable by a survey of experts owing to a multitude of defects resulting from a major equipment failure.

“All the systems are defective: they were never meant to be what they were thought to be: our offshore patrol vessel."

He said the shore power system, main diesel generator, steering system and the corroded suction piping of auxiliary machinery were not working.

"Radar, ship tender, heating, ventilation and air conditioning gone. The hull and deck equipment are gone.” He asked, “Who wants to go to sea in that?”

He said the government would dispose of the vessel because “it's down there banging against the pier and bad weather threatening to destroy it. We have to sell it as scrap.”

On October 11, Persad-Bissessar called the PM's remarks an attack on the Chinese government.

“Rowley’s recent attack on the Chinese Government must be roundly condemned as baseless, petty and potentially damaging to our long-standing good, mutually beneficial diplomatic relations with China.”

She believes the PM is accusing the Chinese government of producing and selling defective ships to TT and Rowley has provided no evidence to back up these scurrilous allegations.

“Given Rowley’s long-standing history of using the cover of Parliamentary privilege to lie on matters of national importance, most notoriously the E-mailgate scandal, I suggest the media formally approach the Chinese Embassy to obtain the official technical specifications of the vessel in question, plus other international seaworthiness certification,” her statement read.

Persad-Bissessar suggested the media ask the Chinese government, “When was the vessel last used and what types of repairs and maintenance have been carried out on them in the last nine years?”

She said if Rowley was serious about “these highly questionable claims,” he should also send a list of the alleged defects to the media and the Chinese Embassy.

Persad-Bissessar claimed the vessel had not been maintained in nine years and said Rowley, “as usual, is looking for excuses and convenient scapegoats for the blatant failures of his PNM regime.”

She said Rowley was attempting to use the Chinese government as the "fall guy."

“It is quite laughable since China is perhaps the biggest shipbuilding country in the world and Rowley’s only achievement has been building a goat pen.”

She said nearly every other coast guard vessel was non-functional and noted that Rowley failed to mention anything about their country of origin.

“Rowley’s classless attack against the Chinese government came a day after I received a courtesy call at the Parliament from the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Fang Qiu, on October 9.”

Persad-Bissessar believes the Prime Minister's comments were intended to embarrass the Chinese government and ambassador.