Office of the Prime Minister orders $2 million vehicle for Rowley’s fleet…
Published on Apr 3, 2016, 12:01 am AST
By Anna Ramdass and Camille Hunte
A new Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W222) valued at $2 million has been purchased for the official use of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
The Sunday Express understands the vehicle was acquired through local dealer Sterling Services (Battoo Brothers) Ltd and was at the company’s Sackville Street, Port of Spain, garage up to yesterday, being customised for official use.
Interviewed by the Sunday Express at the Hyatt Regency (Trinidad) hotel in Port of Spain yesterday, Rowley told the Sunday Express he presumed if the Office of the Prime Minister orders a new vehicle, it would be for official use.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160403/news/new-benz-for-pm
Rowley: Car cost $.9m*
Published on Apr 3, 2016, 10:15 pm AST
By Ria Taitt
THE stench and stains of vomit and other effluents rendered one of the official vehicles of the Prime Minister unusable.
This was one of the inferences in statements made by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley as he commented on the decision of the State to purchase a new Mercedes Benz at a cost of $900,000.
Speaking yesterday at a party convention at St John’s Ambulance Association and Brigade headquarters, Fitzblackman Drive, Wrightson Road in Port of Spain, Rowley said he saw a headline (in the Sunday Express) suggesting that he had brought a car for two million dollars.
“The last time I bought a car, I paid $400,000 for it, I still have it,” he stated . “The Government has bought a vehicle. It didn’t cost $2 million, it cost $900,000. Fantastic price for a very good vehicle, I am told,” he remarked.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160403/news/rowley-car-cost-9m
“THE stench and stains of vomit and other effluents rendered one of the official vehicles of the Prime Minister”
This coming from the Prime Minister who has used the PM car for the past 7 months. I have seen pics of Rowley drinking at Skinner Park, having a beer in Tobago and even during a carnival wine on an underage girl with beer in hand. Word is last carnival (2015)after a drunken stupor Al Rawi had to hide him after he vomitted all over himself. I have never seen any pics of the former PM drinking. But that type of talk plays well with his arrogant base.
The cost of the car is $900,000 but add in all the security features and it can easily rise to $2 million. $2 million at a time of recession is a lot of money.
“I have seen pics of Rowley drinking at Skinner Park, having a beer in Tobago and even during a carnival wine on an underage girl with beer in hand. Word is last carnival (2015)after a drunken stupor Al Rawi had to hide him after he vomitted all over himself. I have never seen any pics of the former PM drinking.” With a statement like that Mamoo, I think you stand a good chance of getting a star reporter job with the Express. Seems like the election results were not enough, now you guys are using smear reporting to change what the people have decided is the best thing for Trinidad and Tobago at this time. You do have many friends of like mind at the Express, Guardian and of course Newsday, but seriously Mamoo, we are much more intelligent than you and the rest of the PP crew give us credit for. As an ex-teacher Mamoo, I suppose you did not study Civics or better yet, have no idea of general knowledge of government. You obviously think good government means putting Kamla and her PPP goons in charge and all will be well. But that is OK!
Those of us who happen to know better know for fact that Kamla employed her sister as her ‘private nurse’, making international trips with her everywhere she went. We also know for fact that as Prime Minister, she used her private house as her official residence, where marijuana was found and is yet to be accounted for. We know that her favorite means of transportation was the use of helicopters at the people’s expense. At last count, I am told that she wasted at least four of those. Even though she did not occupy the Official home of the Prime Minister, when the new Prime Minister took office, after using some of the liquors that Kamla left there, an official inventory of the remaining liquors showed that over $400,000.00 worth of the substances was still remaining from Kamla’s purchase. While she (Kamla) was busy accusing Marlene employing family in her office, she too had her niece and nephew employed in her’s.
Is this kind of morality – Hindu morality? It is not bad when hundu do it but bad when christians do? You may be right about the eventual cost of the vehicle, but I would rather have my prime minister being protected from the evils that lie in his paths, than allow him tyo use vehicles that does not protect him. In this case my friend, cost does not matter. Protect the man at any cost because there are too many Mamoos who want him to fail.
Take ‘vomit speech’ in context, says Cuffie
Published on Apr 5, 2016, 1:00 am AST
By Joel Julien – trinidadexpress.com
PRIME Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s inference that one of the prime minister’s official vehicles previously used by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was rendered unusable because of vomit and other stains must be taken in context, Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie has said.
Cuffie said politics is neither a “tea party” nor “church” and “picong” and “reviled exchanges” are par for the course.
As a result Cuffie said he does not believe Rowley’s comments would affect the working relationship between Persad-Bissessar and the Prime Minister.
He made the statements during an interview on CCN TV6’s Morning Edition programme with host Fazeer Mohammed yesterday.
CUFFIE: The context is he (Rowley) is speaking at a party convention. The context includes he is speaking after having been vilified at a very personal level by the current leader of the Opposition and the party including matters involving his family.
MOHAMMED: So he lacks Statesmanship then and he cannot rise above that kind of narrow-minded politics?
CUFFIE: No I think he did. I think he did but what was said yesterday must be taken in that context and politics is not a tea party. There is picong, there is a kind of reviled exchange between protagonists so it is par for the course.
MOHAMMED: But the Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on the night of September 7 made it clear he is the prime minister of all of Trinidad and Tobago.
CUFFIE: And he is
MOHAMMED: And when he descended into that picong when surrounded by his fellow PNM (People’s National Movement) fanatics because it is heard by the entire nation, it is broadcast to the entire nation. It is not just the PNM fanatics who hear that. So do you really believe that the wider population including opposition supporters will say ‘oh that is just part of a reviled exchange within the to and fro of politics?
CUFFIE: Yes I do
MOHAMMED: Do you really believe that?
CUFFIE: Yes I do because Fazeer we are accustomed to politics, we are accustomed to the kind of exchanges that go on between leaders at party forums. This is not church
MOHAMMED: Correct. Then is it not wholly unrealistic of you to then expect the opposition given what would have been said in the usual cut and thrust of politics, the picong and whatever else it is…then you will now turn and expect those same opposition politicians who have either been ridiculed or whatever to support legislation?
CUFFIE: I do and I will tell you why when there were bitter exchanges between former prime minister Patrick Manning and Basdeo Panday when it came to the Police Authority Bill they came together and arrived at a compromise. Despite the bitterness between the opposition leader Keith Rowley and the Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration he came forward and offered to support the Government in what ever was required to pass certain legislation and I expect that as Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar would be willing to engage in anything that deals with a societal problem and brings benefit to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Source: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160405/news/take-8216vomit-speech8217-in-context-says-cuffie
UNC chairman: PM justifies luxury vehicle with character assassination
UNC Chairman, Dr David Lee, has described as “character assassination” statements made by Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley, in which he, (Rowley), sought to justify the purchase of a luxury Mercedes Benz by the Office of Prime Minister by demeaning former Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
PCM 1 to be auctioned
MEMBERS of the public could soon have the opportunity to purchase the PCM 1 vehicle, which Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he no longer uses because he was told that vomit is very difficult to wash out.”
Conduct unbecoming
Dr Keith Rowley needs to understand that he is the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and no goading by his opponents or inaccurate stories or comments in the media about him should cause him to descend into conduct unbecoming of the leader of the nation.