Duke demands apology from Rowley

President of the Public Service Association (PSA) Watson Duke is calling on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to apologise for claiming that the PSA and its members are responsible for guns coming into the country.

During a talk show last week, Rowley alleged that the PSA was part of a committee that disallowed the use of scanners for containers at the Port of Spain port.

However, Duke said the Prime Minister was not being truthful about the situation.

“I have a letter that came from the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Works,” he said yesterday during a news conference at the PSA’s head office, Abercromby Street, Port of Spain.

Reading from the letter dated January 18, Duke said: “On behalf of the chairperson and members of the fixed scanner implementation committee I wish to extend sincere thanks to your organisation for its participation in the consultation on the standard operating procedures for fixed container scanners which commenced on December 20, 2016 and terminated on November 7, 2017.”

“This operation took place a long time ago. The Prime Minister going on a talk show, as though he has nothing more more than foolishness to talk, saying we are participating in bringing guns into the country by not allowing scanners. I debunk the idea and I call upon him to apologise to the PSA. It was totally uncalled for,” Duke said. He also slammed the PNM members in the Tobago House of Assembly for their behaviour during a no-confidence motion against Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles. “What we saw on Thursday was the worst dissent of the THA in its history, all done by the PNM team. They tried to degrade a female, one that belongs to the Minority Council, about her inability to have children.

“They descended into a type of level that was totally against the Standing Orders. They even spoke about matters I have before the court and every time we raised our hands to the presiding officer, she said continue. She never at no point in time caused them to apologise or to withdraw the statement. All of those statements are on the Hansard and we intend to bring several motions next month,” Duke said. He said Tobago has suffered a serious bout of defeat courtesy the Government and it was time that Tobagonians rose up, adding that they have been made the veterans of suffering by the PNM Government.

“They always promise and never deliver. They always get the vote and then disregard those who voted for them. The time for that must come to an end. Public servants must learn to revolt against bad governance,” Duke said.