Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley will attend the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in Malta accompanied by a small delegation including his wife Sharon, Communication Minister Maxie Cuffie said yesterday.
The conference which takes place from November 27 - 29 in the Mediterranean island state, will be Dr Rowley’s first overseas trip since assuming office on September 9.
The Government is treating it as a high-level engagement, attended as it will be by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, the head of the Commonwealth, and heads of the more than 50 other member countries.
At yesterday’s Government press conference, Cuffie said the delegation includes the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dennis Moses, an ambassador, acting High Commissioner to the UK, protocol officer, director of trade, foreign service officer, two security officers, Government Information Service Ltd media and Mrs Rowley. He said GISL was going to record Dr Rowley’s first overseas trip.
Cuffie said the accompanying delegation was small, and quipped that Dr Rowley wasn’t being accompanied by a hairdresser or makeup artist.
Cuffie confirmed a list of ministers who have made overseas trips in the short life of the new Government. It includes Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi (France), Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe (Curacao), Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus (Guyana) and Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre (Venezuela and Bolivia).
Cuffie also earlier referred to “high-level consultative talks” on energy, security and trade between the Foreign Affairs Ministers of T&T and Venezuela which occurred last month and which continued yesterday in T&T.
Sharon Rowley’s presence on the trip opens up the Government to accusations of hypocrisy, as it has consistently accused its predecessors of unnecessary spending. Even so, opposition members were measured in response.
PAYING HER WAY
Former People’s Partnership foreign affairs minister Suruj Rambachan said there was no rule that forbade Dr Rowley from taking his wife to CHOGM, “once it’s official business, he can carry his wife on the CHOGM trip—that is my understanding of the situation. It’s a choice he has to make, whether he wishes to or not, since he’s said he’s concerned about Government spending, (so) he might want to take that into consideration,” Rambachan added. Vasant Bharath who is contesting the UNC leadership, said there was no protocol barring Dr Rowley’s wife from accompanying him, but it would be unusual for taxpayers’ funds to be used for travel on Government business.
“One would assume payment for his wife’s trip would come from personal funds,” Bharath added.
Lower spending on travel
Cuffie said he couldn’t say why the PM’s wife had to accompany him or give a cost for the Malta trip.
He told T&T Guardian that the costs may not have been quantified yet. He said he was in his constituency at the time and couldn’t access such information.
Last month Cuffie had said Cabinet had accepted a recommendation that first-class and business travel would now be restricted to only high-level public officials and the judiciary, in a bid to streamline operations and ensure efficiency.
Cabinet decided certain officers —the CJ, judges, cabinet members, minister and THA chief secretary—would be entitled to first-class travel and other officers would be asked to use the other classifications of travel available.
Also last month, Dr Rowley had told Parliament that former prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, racked up 636 hours of helicopter time, allegedly flying 415 missions at a cost of over $6 million. Cuffie was quoted as saying under the PNM Government, official travel will be undertaken only when necessary and when it can bring benefit to T&T.
Dr Rowley had also told a PNM public meeting last month that the former PP gGvernment “spent” $250 million on travel. Dr Rowley had said it was important for Government members to travel because they had business outside T&T.”
“So ministers will have to travel from time to time but we believe that travel ought not to be a perk and a junket. It ought to be done only when necessary because it is very expensive,” Dr Rowley was quoted as saying then.
He had taken a potshot at Persad-Bissessar, saying he saved the country money on election night when he became prime minister by not having a hairdresser and a powder man in his entourage.
Dr Rowley had also said then, Government would be looking at ways to cut out waste and corruption in the public sector.