Moonilal: PM’s call for an apology from Kamla a distraction

Deputy UNC political leader Dr Roodal Moonilal says Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s call for an apology from Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is nothing but a distraction.

In fact, Moonilal said if anything the Prime Minister’s behaviour warranted further “rebuke.”

On Friday, the Prime Minister broke his silence on the “hot mic” incident involving Port-of-Spain North/ St Ann’s West MP Stuart Young. The Energy and Energy Industries Minister was reprimanded for his “derogatory,” “homophobic” and “misogynistic” comments by House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George in Parliament last Thursday after the Standing Finance Committee completed its business and Parliament reconvened to pass the 2025 Budget. He was instructed to apologise and Deputy House Speaker Esmond Forde accepted it, allowing him to escape the Privileges Committee which the Opposition had called for.

The Prime Minister said Friday that while that matter had been dealt with, he was hopeful for an apology for allegations of rape made against him and his father by the Opposition when it held the seat of government in March 2015.

Rowley said, “It has raised my hopes that one day, the Member for Siparia will apologise to me and my family for her role in placing on Hansard that my father and I are rapists, and my political colleagues, senior members of the PNM, are engaged in paedophilia, the heinous crime of sexually abusing children.”

While efforts yesterday to contact UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar were unsuccessful, her deputy Moonilal hinted that an apology may not be forthcoming.

He questioned why the Prime Minister remained silent on Young’s comments for so long. He said this spoke volumes.

“He now chooses to distract attention by raising a ten-year-old matter that everyone under the sun commented on before. It is left for the reasonable onlooker to believe that Rowley condones Young’s statements. In fact no elected PNM member or party official has condemned Young’s diarrhoea of words.”

Moonilal noted that the incident should not be viewed lightly by the population.

“The PNM Women’s League supported Young and focused on Dragon Gas. It was left to the unelected Speaker to chide MP Young while the Prime Minister fumed in a corner. They wiggled him out of the Privileges Committee. Soon Young will partner Rowley for their next global jaunt and laugh at the electorate,” he said.

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