People’s National Movement (PNM) leader Dr Keith Rowley has warned voters not to accept money and other inducements from the People’s Partnership to vote or not vote in next month’s general election.
“Do not accept any money from any UNC operative because we are looking very closely and we are not going to catch all of you (but) we might be lucky to catch a few of you,” Rowley said at a political meeting at the Croisee in San Juan on Tuesday night. At previous political meetings, the PNM has urged supporters to take whatever gifts were being offered and vote against the People’s Partnership because the casting of votes were done in secret.
Rowley told supporters that bribes to vote amounted to criminal conduct and said he had written to acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams “to ask police officers to be alert because we are already aware that those persons are out there offering persons thousands of dollars to vote or not to vote.” He said as the September 7 election approaches, “a criminal conduct is going to pervade the whole society right down to the polling station.”
If anyone was charged for accepting an election bribe, “you have nobody but yourself to blame,” Rowley said. He noted that mobile phones were outfitted with cameras and the PNM “if we come across any such acts we are going to prosecute you to the hilt of the law. I am putting that on public notice.”
Rowley alleged that people were being offered up to $3,000 to vote in Moruga. “Right here in San Juan/Barataria, I understand that the fee is $5,000,” he said. Rowley said he never paid any money previously to voters and was “not paying one cent for anybody to vote for me.” He said the PNM had “no money, we have stolen no money to pay anybody but our opponents are washed with cash and are offering cash to our citizens.”
Rowley said that practice was polluting the system and fellow citizens. “If someone was coming to you to pay you to vote for them (him/her) what more proof you need to know that they are scoundrels who should stay far from the national treasury.” Rowley also said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar should explain to the nation why former telephone operator at the Strategic Intelligence Agency Reshmi Ramnarine was hired to head that body even though she was not qualified.
Rowley noted that Persad-Bissessar was playing down the issue, which was raised by former national security minister Jack Warner in a sworn affidavit. He said the promotion saw Ramnarine’s monthly salary increasing from $5,000 to $60,000. Ramnarine served in the job for one week before being terminated.
Rowley said Persad-Bissessar must explain that matter as the election approaches. Also at the meeting, were expelled Congress of the People (COP) members Kishore Ramadhar, Satu Ramcharan who said they would be supporting the country’s oldest political party. They were expelled from the COP last year after openly criticising party leader Prakash Ramadhar.
Rowley in turn welcomed them saying the door of the PNM was “wide open to all.” “We had no problem with anyone who would have supported any other political party,” he said.