Warner signed off on the contracts on the recommendation of the senior management of the Airports Authority (AATT) because there was no board. He explained that his action was legal since the constitution provides for the line minister to act when there is no board.
However Rowley disagrees. He said such an intervention is acceptable when there is an emergency and as far as he is concerned no such situation currently exists.
Rowley said the required work is not "extreme emergency," adding that "Airport lighting system don’t just shut down."
He said, "The work that is needed was normal maintenance and upgrade. That cannot be deemed to be an emergency under any stretch of the imagination. What is there is working and will continue to work for quite sometime. That is not an emergency.”
He dismissed claims made by Director General of Civil Aviation Ramesh Lutchmedial, who told Jyoti that Warner was right to authorise the work, which was considered to be an emergency.
"They are simply trying to facilitate the foolishness. I could guarantee you that there is no situation where the airports lights are about to shut down tomorrow morning," Rowley said.
He suggested that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar should take action against Warner.
“We consider that to be an aberration which now falls to the Prime Minister not to have an investigation into but to take the appropriate position on,” he added.
Rowley wondered why the Prime Minister would ask for a review if Warner had done nothing wrong. And he also launched a personal attack on the minister, stating that Warner is not above the law.
“We find his behaviour obnoxious and we find the Prime Minister tardy in reining in a minister who seems to think he is above the law,” Rowley added.
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