Dr. Rowley has hit back at union leader Michael Annisette over accusations Annisette made about the PM being disrespectful and not caring about women and children.
See the PM’s full response he made a short while ago on his Facebook page.
PM’s response to Annisette:
Michael Annisette you are a union leader and you have a job to do to provide the best representation for those that you lead. I am a public official who, unlike you, had to swear an oath of office, to do my job “without fear or favour, malice or ill will”!
This means that a commitment was extracted from me, under the Constitution, to always put the national interest first and not to be unduly influenced by sectoral interest, whatever that might be.
I don’t think you have any such binding undertaking in your job. I notice that in carrying out your advocacy you have chosen to accuse me of being disrespectful and not caring about women and children. What have I ever done to cause you, of all people, to make such accusations against me?
I am the only Prime Minister of this country who ever appeared before a Parliamentary Committee as a witness, in the public interest. I did that because I am respectful of my oath and my responsibility to all the citizens of this country.
Incidentally, during that same Parliamentary enquiry, which involved the Port, a woman, having written to me, came before the Committee and gave her aggrieved testimony, in camera, to the Committee, chaired by Franklin Khan. She was a recently dismissed employee of the Union that you lead.
Since you care so much about women and their children have you ever cared enough to respond to that woman’s painful testimony?
In case you have lost the timeline, let me refresh your memory. It was at the same time that you were leading marches up to Angostura to make demands that Rolph Balgobin must go because he was accused by a woman.
I am available for a public discussion on caring and respect for women. Would you be interested?
Incidentally, the African ancestors to whom you appeal, are also my ancestors and there is no 4% offered to black and African people. That offer applies to all the public officers for whom the CPO is their employer, of all races, classes and creeds.
