A tribute to Dr Rowley

STANFORD CALLENDER

I MET the farmer more than 50 years ago when I was a sales clerk at what was then Gordon Grant Co Ltd in Scarborough.

This young man, Dr Keith Rowley, came to the store to buy a few rolls of sheep wire. I was the person who attended to him, and I wrote a cash bill for him to pay; he wrote a cheque to cover the cost of the wire.

In those days we had to get a director or senior member of the company to authorise cheques. The director to whom I gave the cheque for authorisation took the cheque, looked at it, then looked at Rowley. They had a brief conversation and the farmer left with his sheep wire.

I never saw him again until early in 1981, when I was an assemblyman in the House of Assembly. The chairman of the Tobago West constituency, the late Lloyd Thomas, came to introduce Rowley to me as the prospective candidate for Tobago West in the 1981 general election.

Thomas said to him, "Dr Rowley, meet this young man, Stanford Callender. I would advise you to keep him close to you, as he would be of great help to you in the election campaign." That was the beginning of our lasting friendship.

Although Rowley was not successful in that election, it was the beginning of his long and outstanding career in politics and service to the people of TT. Subsequently, we worked together in every THA election and general election from 1984, and continued our strong collaboration.

Over the years we grew as friends who celebrated significant milestones and accomplishments within our respective families. On June 29, 1985, Rowley married Sharon, and I was a guest at his wedding. When he was leaving the church, he looked at me and said, “You next.” As it turned out, I got married in December 1985.

We also share the pride of having children who followed their passions, and we both have daughters who earned doctoral degrees and are experts in their respective fields of psychology and mental health.

I celebrated his appointment as an opposition senator after the PNM lost the general election in 1986. From his entry into the Parliament, Rowley became a force to be reckoned with, a clinical researcher, debater, and orator par excellence. I knew then that he had a future in the political landscape of TT.

He was the campaign manager for the 1988 THA election. We were both invited to appear on the Issues Live programme on TTT, representing the PNM and Hochoy Charles, and Benedict Armstrong representing the DAC. It was an intense debate, and we took them for a run, but it was not reflected in the election results.

Rowley contested the 1991 general election, this time as the candidate for Diego Martin West. He won his seat, and the PNM won the election, putting the party back in government.

I was appointed a government senator after that election and served as the parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Co-operatives from 1991 to 1992. In 1992 I was reassigned to the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Affairs, where Rowley was the minister. As we worked together in the ministry, our friendship deepened as I got to know him both professionally and socially. A true limer and the life of any party.

When I hear people describe him in all sorts of ways, I know they don’t know or understand him.

He represented Diego Martin West from 1991 to 2025, and had nine election victories to his name. I watched him function in the Parliament and as a minister of government in several important portfolios with high commitment and dedication.

I know the opposition saw him then and now as a dagger in their hearts, and therefore they did several things in their efforts to try to undermine, destroy, and discredit him. All their attempts to discredit a reputable and respectable man failed. For example, they accused him of:

* Removing materials from the Scarborough Hospital to his private development – false.

* The teacup fracas in the tearoom of the Parliament to which the police were involved and he referred to the Privileges Committee of Parliament – false.

* The move to suspend him from the Parliament – failed.

* Several matters referred to the Integrity Commission accusing him of all sorts of things – failed.

* The worst of them all is when vile statements were made in the Parliament by the opposition against him and his father – failed.

Rowley became Prime Minister in 2015 because of his strong faith and inner strength and “some good Tobago bad mind.” He had a true sense of commitment to and for the people of this country and a strong will to survive and achieve his goals.

As prime minister, he set out from the very beginning to repair the image and credibility of TT, both within the region and the world. While doing this he had to act quickly to address the economy after being informed just a few days into his term by the governor of the Central Bank that he would not be able to pay public servants. He sought new terms and conditions for our oil and gas revenues while also expanding our revenue base.

While some may argue that his government did not do anything for the country, under Rowley’s leadership we have five new hospitals, including the Roxborough Hospital in Tobago, as well as a general upgrade to our health institutions.

His management of the covid19 pandemic has been recognised in the country, region, and by the WHO. New administrative buildings, new police stations, including two in Tobago, and two brand-new fast ferries built to order to service the seabridge between TT.

A new terminal building at the ANR Robinson Airport at Crown Point has been established. His efforts to have a Sandals resort built in Tobago were opposed by those against him and, by extension, Tobago.

He was not successful in seeing the long-standing issue of greater autonomy for Tobago achieved; while all members of the PNM in Parliament supported the bill, it required a special majority, and the opposition did not support it.

As he has concluded this chapter of his lifelong service, I express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to an outstanding son of the soil for his tremendous achievements and service to the people of TT.

You, Dr Rowley, have left a rich legacy on the landscape of this nation and a special love for Tobago. Thank you for allowing me to know you, to work with you, and for being a friend. God richly bless you, and all the best to you and your family.

Stanford Callender is a former assemblyman, a former senator, a former Tobago West MP, a former chairman of the PNM Tobago Council