Political analyst Dr Indera Sagewan-Alli warns that the absence of information about the prime minister's health can leave room for negative speculation.
Her statement comes as Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is expected to undergo further medical tests in California, USA, on Monday.
Dr Rowley left this country on Thursday for the USA, where he is expected to check into a clinic tomorrow. This, after local and international doctors advised him that he must undergo further medical tests.
The Prime Minister maintains that matters pertaining to his health are personal, a stance that Sagewan-Alli does not fully agree with.
“The reality is that Dr Rowley is the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.
“Once you’ve entered into the public domain particularly politics and moreso if you are the captain that is steering the ship and something is happening with you, I think you have a responsibility to certainly share with the population what is happening.
“Obviously, if you’re not telling us, people are going to speculate all sorts of really bad things and the implication of that for a country, for its stability, is not very good. From that perspective I think sharing information becomes very important.”
Sagewan-Alli said the Prime Minister also needs to look into the country’s economic situation.
“The pulse of the country is not beating very strong, we’re in an economic recession,” she said.
“Therefore, people are looking to the Government and to the Prime Minister in particular to steer the ship in the direction in which it needs to go, so that knowing what is happening I think is key.”
On the other hand, Sagewan-Alli said while the Prime Minister has a responsibility to share information with the nation, his health issues are also private.