Opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley says the PNM will not waste time on bringing any member before the disciplinary committee for comments made during the party’s internal elections campaign. In fact, Rowley thanked his sole challenger for the party’s leadership former senator Pennelope Beckles-Robinson for contesting. He was speaking on Monday night at Team Rowley’s final campaign meeting at Plaza Siparia in the constituency of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Rowley asked party chairman Franklyn Khan to give party treasurer Mariano Browne and others who might have brought the party into disrepute a “bligh.” Moments before Khan had criticised Browne for comments he posted on his Facebook wall over the weekend and threatened to take him before the disciplinary committee after the internal elections.
At a previous meeting in Moruga, Khan had also threatened to take the same action against Danny Montano for telling people not to vote for a Rowley-led PNM in the general election. Rowley said it was satisfied with the membership list comprising of 80,000 members. Referring to comments made by Beckles-Robinson and Browne, Rowley said those who wanted to make the list an issue and say the PNM worse than the UNC, “That’s all right.”
He added: “This party is not going to spend any time, especially now, dealing with comments of Mariano Browne and…I do not want the PNM to be distracted from the assignment ahead. I want to ask the chairman to give them a bligh…I think the members know how to deal with that even though we have the right to bring them in for questioning for bringing us into disrepute, some people have done worse.”
Despite being categorised as a Mugabe, Hitler and Stalin by his opponents, Rowley said: “When you have no campaign you gotta say something…and I got to tell you something I want to thank Mrs Penny Beckles-Robinson for offering herself as a contestant in this fray because it has energised the party and the contest, it has energised and mobilised this party.”
Khan—Browne committed political treason
Khan recalled that Rowley, at a meeting in Guaico, had asked Browne to produce the party’s account at the general council meeting last Saturday to determine whether Beckles-Robinson accusation that Rowley was using party funds to fund his campaign had any merit.
Khan said he also called Browne about the matter, but Browne said he would be out of the country. Browne is contesting the treasurer post as an independent.
Responding to a Facebook posting on Browne’s wall regarding the issue on Saturday, Khan said: “Dr Rowley is in charge of the party and as treasurer you have to follow his directive otherwise that is tantamount to insubordination and you could be disciplined for that.” But, it was a Facebook posting by Browne on Sunday that really prompted Khan to accuse him of political treason. Browne, he said, stated that the PNM was in a race to simply oust the UNC and based on current evidence was no better than the Government.
Noting that Rowley and the PNM have been saying since 2010 that the Government is the “worst and most corrupt Government in the history of T&T,” he said: “Mariano Browne is saying we are no better.” “Like Danny Montano that is political treason, like Danny Montano I intend to take Mariano Browne to the disciplinary committee after the elections because he has to answer.” Despite comments made by their opponents, however, Khan said the Rowley team held no animosity or vendetta against anyone.
Extending an olive branch, he said they love all PNM members. “There is room for all whosoever is willing to work with us is bring victory in the 2015 general election.” Asking for all hands on deck, he said, the real enemy is the PP government.