Commentary: It's time for Keith Rowley to get serious and stop the pappyshow

Keith Rowley - the "wajang" and "raging bull" that Patrick Manning fired - has had his revenge and now wants to be Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. But the way he has been behaving lately suggests that he is working very hard at ensuring that it never happens.

For a long time now he has been trying to sway public opinion in his direction with some  success. That is part of the political game and his right in a free and democratic society, so nobody should fault the PNM leader for that.

However there is a big difference between political posturing and misinformation. And what Rowley did this week with his declaration about the property tax borders on mischief.

He summoned the media to raise the alarm that he had learned that the government was bringing back the property tax and making it more oppressive than the one it fought against - the hated tax that the Manning administration tried to inflict on citizens.

The "Axe the Tax" lobby was so strong it shook Manning's confidence and might have helped him decide to call an election two and a half years ahead of schedule.

Rowley told reporters the government would try to "sneak" the tax in during the Carnival festivities on "unsuspecting citizens". And he conveniently left out the point that the valuation upon which the homes would be taxed would be based on older rates.

Prakash Ramadhar, the justice minister who was previously the principal flag bearer for the "Axe the Tax" movement, had to clarify the matter. 

The Manning PNM was basing its tax on new inflated property values while the present government is using old values, he explained. In that context a lower percentage in the PNM tax was still higher because of simple maths.

Three per cent of $10 is much higher than 7.5 per cent of one dollar. Simple. Not for Rowley. He didn't go there. That would not give him the required headline and face time on TV.

His mission was to create mischief based on misinformation. If he has seen the bill as he claimed he has then he would have known that he was not telling the whole truth. He was engaging in what Basdeo Panday famously called "lies, innuendos and half-truths".

Read the Land Tax Bill 

As if that wasn't enough, later in the week he demonstrated a lack of leadership when he decided to kill the "hanging" bill while saying his party is fully committed to executing convicted killers.

When Attorney General Anand Ramlogan introduced the bill the opposition objected, saying that it was wishy-washy and unlikely to cause anyone to hang.

That was and continues to be a point of debate depending on a person's point of view. But it has become irrelevant because the government "bent over backwards", according to Ramlogan, to amend the bill in line with what the opposition was demanding.

In effect it changed the agenda and caused the government to dance according to music of the PNM band in order to get the crucial opposition support needed to pass the bill. But that was not good enough for Rowley.

Rowley wanted more than his ounce of flesh. He got all he wanted but he is still not happy, so on Monday he is going to vote against the bill and kill it.  It doesn't matter that a majority of citizens want to hang killers.

That defies logic especially since the PNM is saying all over the place that it supports hanging. Political expediency, it seems, is more important for Rowley than the welfare of the people.

Just Friday, Penny Beckles was expressing optimism that the opposition would join the government to do what is best for the country. It looks like she didn't speak to her boss because while she might think the opposition wants to do what's best Rowley has a different agenda.

Rowley's behaviour is downright irresponsible. As leader of the opposition people expect him to be an alternative national leader. But he has to get serious about his job and end the weekly pappyshow. 

He seems to have missed the whole point about the role of the opposition. The opposition is an integral part of the governing system and is expected to act responsibly to be the chief watchdog for citizens, keeping checks and balances on the government.

The opposition's role is not to be obstructionist. It's role is not to knock down every single thing the government does, challenge every appointment and denounce every government move.

That's not how you win political points and it's not way you conduct the business of Parliament. And it certainly is not the way for a leader to behave. 

Democracy demands a strong and resonsible opposition. It is time for Rowley to get serious about doing his job. He owes it to himself, his party and the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

Jai Parasram - 26 Feb. 2011