Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley says he is confident that the police will investigate threats to his life. Rowley said so in a brief comment to reporters following a meeting of the PNM in Sangre Grande on Tuesday night. Police have been investigating reports of a plot to kill him. He said he was not prepared to say much more on the matter.
Earlier, in his address, he was critical of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for being in love with office. He said Persad-Bissessar even insisted that she be addressed as Prime Minister during a Leaders Debate being organised by the T&T Debates Commission. “Imagine she is going to a debate and will write the commission and (say) that she must be called ‘Madame Prime Minister’ in the debate,” he added.
Rowley also said the PP Government had already taken measures to ensure land and building taxes would be reintroduced following next month’s election. He said that would happen regardless of which party won the September 7 polls.
He added, “In case you don’t know they have fixed the land and building tax to come in force after election. It is already in place. It was put in place two years ago when they started with business properties and then agricultural properties and the last one to come, they make sure they put that after the election.”
Rowley added, “So win, lose or draw, after the election you would begin to pay the land and building taxes.” Rowley also said he was not prepared to assist the commission of enquiry into the controversial Las Alturas Housing Project. The commission is investigating the reasons why two apartment buildings collapsed after construction. Rowley said he could not assist the commission and would not be attending. He said if he was summoned the commission would have to pay his legal fees.
He insisted that he was not the minister of Housing when the project was done. He admitted that he did not have a Rowley Plan but said the PNM had a plan to advance the country. He said he was the leader of the PNM and it “has all the plans that T&T wants for its good order and governance.”
He said if the PNM was to form the next Government there would be significant local government reforms to give it “breadth of authority and a body of resources to serve you in a way like never before.” He said funds would be provided to local government corporations from the finance minister and there would be no local government minister.
He further criticised the Government, saying it had taken Caribbean Airlines from a position where it had money in the bank to one where it was now losing millions. He was referring to reports that the airline was discontinuing its London route. He said the former PNM Government fixed the airline but the PP Government had now broken it and recreated the problem.