Dear Editor,
The announcement that Dr. Keith Rowley would be keeping his word to bow out of electoral politics this year might have come as a surprise to some, but not me. Because it was evident that Dr. Rowley was planning his retirement when he announced that it was his intention to adopt the latest report of the Salaries Review Commission and accept an increase in salary just months before his term in government was coming to an end. From a purely political standpoint, such a move in the last term of a government made no sense, because there is no guarantee that the PNM would continue in government, and therefore you run the risk of approving and increasing for your opponents to enjoy without any backlash for accepting it. But in the case of the Prime Minister, especially one on the verge of retirement, an increase in salary also means an increase in pension, and the legislation currently guarantees that he will have his largest salary in the office as his pension in perpetuity until he dies. And what makes it funny is that at the very same time that he was making arrangements for his increased pension plan, his administration was considering attacking the pension of ordinary citizens “unbeknownst to him”.
What did catch me a little off guard during his announcement, however, was the fact that he intends to retire as Prime Minister before the end of his term, and install a person who will lead the PNM into the next general election. And it was surprising because only two months ago the PNM cancelled its annual convention and internal election which would have allowed the party to make the decision based on a more democratic process. Instead, this decision now lies firmly in the hands of the combined government bench in Parliament, which seems to suggest that Dr. Rowley does not have confidence in the internal party structure to support this appointed successor. And as a political leader who has enjoyed a 100% success rate in the two general elections in which he has led the PNM, the fact that Dr. Rowley is still circumventing the internal party convention might be an indication of why he has to leave in the first place.
It is interesting that the same week Akash Samaroo posed the question to the National Security Minister of whether an admission of failure should lead to their resignation, the Prime Minister would be the one to seemingly answer with a confirmation. But knowing this, it is also disappointing to see him retain Fitzgerald Hinds in the position despite the rejection that the MP has already received from his constituents, and knowing that he too is being forced into retirement from politics. And make no mistake about it, Keith Rowley is being forced into this resignation, despite his outward appearance, because it is clear that if he cannot command the trust of his own party, he is never going to convince the electorate to give him a third term in office. Keith Rowley is merely taking front before front takes him in a desperate attempt to evade the embarrassment of being voted out of government. Moreover, while he has avoided calling an early election and admitting that his government has collapsed from the monumental mismanagement and incompetence over the past ten years, the fact is that his swansong demonstrates that has fared no better than Patrick Manning, as neither of them were able to remain in the Office of Prime Minister for the entirety of their term.
Best regards,
Ravi Balgobin Maharaj