PM wants UNC leader to follow Stuart’s example and atone for rape allegationsWhere’s my apology, Kamla?

Senior Reporter

jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday expressed hope that Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar would apologise to him for her party’s allegations of rape against him and his father.

Rowley gave the response to Guardian Media yesterday, in the wake of a backlash following deputy Speaker Esmond Forde’s decision to accept Energy Minister Stuart Young’s apology for his salacious comments about Persad-Bissessar during the Budget debate last week.

Young was reprimanded for his “derogatory,” “homophobic” and “misogynistic” comments by House Speaker Brigid Annisette-George in Parliament on Thursday, after the Standing Finance Committee completed its business and Parliament reconvened to pass the 2025 Budget.

Young subsequently apologised and this was accepted by Forde.

Addressing Young’s matter firstly, Rowley said, “The matter was an unfortunate, unnecessary, unintended distraction. The matter has been extensively and comprehensively dealt with by members of the House and the full chair!

“I trust that the members for Siparia and Couva North are satisfied with Minister Young’s apologies relating to the substance of matters, which must have been shocking to them all in hearing such serious allegations from a Member of Parliament for the first time. I am happy that the House rules were used to bring justice and relief to the offended members.”

However, he added, “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.”

He was referring to an incident in Parliament in March 2015, when then People’s Partnership Tobago East MP minister Vernella Alleyne-Toppin alleged that Rowley was born as a result of rape during a no-confidence motion against the PNM leader, and another allegation that members of the PNM were engaged in paedophilia brought up by the UNC.

Reflecting on the Alleyne-Toppin statement in the House in relation to the current discussion about Parliamentary behaviour, Rowley said, “I support the call for reaffirmation of dignity in the House as I await the apology to my family and the outcome of the police investigation into all reports of human trafficking.

“Until then, let’s all strive to be better persons in our own conduct and trust that the crimes mentioned here are not joined by extortion and blackmail.”

PNM Women’s Arm defends Young

PM Rowley was not the only PNM member to address the issue yesterday.

PNM Lady Vice Chairman Camille Robinson-Regis came out in defence of Young in the face of suggestions that he should have faced stiffer penalties for his comments.

“I take this opportunity to express our unwavering support for Minister Stuart Young. His apology reflects his integrity and commitment to respectful discourse,” Robinson-Regis told Guardian Media in a WhatsApp response.

“However, I am fed up with the blatant hypocrisy from certain quarters in the media and from so-called activists. How can they remain silent on the serious allegations of human trafficking involving state assets like PTSC buses used to transport vulnerable women? Devant Maharaj brought these shocking claims to light, yet the Leader of the Opposition has completely ignored them, raising serious questions about her belief in accountability.”

She added, “Jack Warner was the first to question the Opposition Leader’s apparent double standards but those who know the truth have now chosen to stay silent.

“What infuriates me is how the media overlooks the slanderous accusations made by her and her allies against Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, including outrageous claims of rape, for which the Opposition Leader has never apologised. The consistent hypocrisy is stunning.

“Let’s not forget Mrs Persad-Bissessar’s budget contribution followed by a press conference, where she accused “senior PNM officials” of paedophilia without a shred of evidence. This is not the first time that as a party and a Women’s League, that we have condemned and refuted these baseless, reckless and irresponsible allegations and behaviour and we do so again.”

She made it clear that the PNM would not let anyone drag Young into the mud.

“The Opposition Leader needs to clarify her statements about the PNM, especially since we’ve already publicly rejected these unfounded claims. It’s time for accountability and to stop the double standards.”

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