Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley yesterday promised sweeping changes if the People’s National Movement (PNM) is voted into office on September 7.
Among the initiatives Rowley said the party would introduce if elected were a new curriculum for the primary school system, a code of ethics for parliamentarians, cabinet reform, a new Integrity Commission (IC), 1,400 police officers to be deployed at the 14 municipal corporations, industrial expansion, open discussions with the trade union movement, establishment of a road network from Valencia to Toco, local government reform, and internal self-governance for Tobago.
These changes will form part of the PNM’s manifesto which will be launched at the Radisson Hotel, Port-of-Spain, on August 20.
Rowley said the PNM would also “cut out waste and corruption” which, he said, had become the hallmark of the United National Congress (UNC) since 2010.
Addressing hundreds of supporters at Woodford Square, Port-of-Spain, where the party announced its 41 candidates for the general election, Rowley first touched on the education system saying that while the UNC had been focusing on building new schools across the country, the PNM would focus on what went on inside the classrooms.
“Notwithstanding all they are doing now in the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, we will refocus our resources and attention on the primary school systems and make some significant changes to our curriculum and teachings at the primary school level.”
Rowley said he would ensure that MPs who violated Parliament’s code of ethics faced consequences.
He said the duty of an MP was to work for the people.
“If you are dissatisfied with that person you have to beg to get rid of them. What you have to do is put in place in Parliament a code of ethics, where if such an MP is found to violate that code, the Parliament will evict that person.”
Under the PNM, Rowley said, a code of conduct would be introduced for all MPs to uphold integrity and morality in public life.
He said the IC refused to investigate the Beetham wastewater contract where “$400 million of your money went into the wrong pocket.”
A few days ago, Rowley said, he received a letter from the IC saying “that in the face of all of that I have not provided them with enough information for them to start an investigation (on the Beetham project). Now if that is what the Integrity Commission is, then we don’t need an Integrity Commission.”
Rowley promised reform to the IC “to deal with those who steal from the public purse” because, he said, the IC was not working “but driving people away from public service.”
Dissatisfied with the performance of the Community Comfort Patrol, an initiative of the National Security Ministry, Rowley pledged to recruit 1,400 police officers to work in the municipal corporations to restore confidence in the Police Service.
“The police service will get back its eyes and ears again.”