Stop chasing ghosts, get constructive Moonilal tells Rowley

Roodal Moonilal advised Opposition Leader Keith Rowley on Tuesday to stop chasing ghosts and divert his energy to more constructive pursuits.

The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communications made the point in response to Rowley's latest demands calling for Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to return her Senior Counsel instruments because, according to Rowley, she is not qualified to hold the SILK status.

Rowley has been holding regular news conferences on Monday. 

Moonilal said Rowley's briefings lack substance and suggested that it is time that the opposition leader adds add value rather than offering "mystique and misadventure".

The minister said, "I expect more from the Leader of the Opposition, other than just constant reactionary diatribe, that seeks to evoke public dissonance." 

He added, "It seems that the Opposition Leader appears bent on 'chasing political ghosts' and is seemingly not sufficiently interested in issues that would really be of benefit to nation building and the national good. 

"I really expected more from the goodly gentleman, the Honourable Prime Minister is very much deserving of silk, as I recall amongst many others, she fought and won several cases against the Ministry of Housing when Rowley was Minister of Housing. Is this why he is peeved?"

Moonilal agreed with acting Prime Minister, Winston Dookeran, who said Monday it is important to allow the national community to engage in a dialogue on the matter of the award of SILK.

He said the PNM should "hold its head in shame since they refused to acknowledge the brilliance of the legal profession and one wonders whether by not granting silk they were being both punitive and discriminatory. Maybe they could not cope with the independence of the Judiciary which set out many judgments against them."