And she made it clear that the sudden opposition upheaval is not about the controversial section 34. "If you believe that is simply what this is all about, then you would have failed to understand who the enemy is and the context within which all of this is framed."
She said it is no coincidence that certain members of the labour union who have vowed to form themselves into a political force have now joined the PNM, singling out David Abdullah, the leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ). She said he has now been "unmasked", exposing his "naked quest for power" through any means necessary.
She also stated that there was no coincidence in former PM and PNM political leader Patrick Manning making a statement against Rowley and that "so many key PNM Members of Parliament did not join Mr. Rowley on his march."
Persad-Bissessar said the unprecedented spending on political advertising coming from the PNM is because "there is an election in the air". However she quickly made it clear that it was not the general election that Rowley is "asking us to call Manning style" well before it is due. "That will not happen," she said. "There is a significant election on our sister isle in Tobago, the battle for the THA.
"It is the final jewel in the PNM crown to be held. The battle for the THA HAS BEGUN AND AS YOU KNOW London Bridge will come following down.
She said the PNM must explain why after decades of support the average Tobagonian still feels he doesn’t belong and is without basic needs are lacking. "Why is it Tobago has always treated like the step child, the orphaned child?" she asked.
"They cannot blame the People’s Partnership for Tobago’s underdevelopment since the PNM controls the THA through its PNM Chief Secretary Orville London who spends billions of dollars the results of which are not seen in ways that make much of a difference to what Tobago and Tobagonians need and deserve."
She said there is no march for democracy or protest against a Section of legislation for which the PNM voted. "This is about using Section 34...as a platform now upon which to build the Tobago election around in the hope that the noise created there might help drown out what every Tobagonian knows and feels everyday - that he is simply not better off today than when the PNM controlled THA."
Persad-Bissessar said the reality is that the PNM knows if they lose Tobago all is lost and Rowley’s leadership will become under threat. She said Rowley's huffing and puffing won't blow away the house that the PP has built of stone, despite the help from "many willing special interest groups...that are no longer benefiting from the feeding trough that used to exist under Rowley’s PNM."
She said the people are not concerned about Rowley's demonstrations because they have seen concern and compassion from the government all across the country.
"We are there with you. When floods come relief arrives. We are there with you when criminal activity hits and joint service units arrive and are stationed there. We are there with you when a child needs lifesaving surgery and the parents can’t afford it," she said.
She outlined a list of government projects completed and delivered to make the lives of citizens better. She said THA Chief Secretary Orville London has to go because he is blocking major development projects in Tobago.
She outlined a list of government projects completed and delivered to make the lives of citizens better. She said THA Chief Secretary Orville London has to go because he is blocking major development projects in Tobago.
The Prime Minister spoke about the four per cent reduction in the number of persons living below the poverty line from about 18.7 per cent in 2009 to 14.7 per cent.
She said it is critical that the people understand where the battle lines are drawn and who the enemy is.
"They will use whatever is at their disposal, the media, the lobby groups, the so called political commentators, any and everyone who is willing to be bought and traded and negotiated and paraded in an unrelenting, vicious and vile campaign of destabilisation and lies and innuendos. They will use everyone," she said.
She challenged the armchair critics to walk into areas where water flows for the first time or where children no longer walk miles to a school or speak to a parent whose child received lifesaving surgery and see the evidence of the change voted for by the people on May 24th 2010.
She spoke about Rowley's platform of integrity and accountability that was absent while he was a willing member of a corrupt administration who only found his voice then when he was accused of corruption and fired from the cabinet.
"Where was Rowley’s voice when billions were being squandered and his party was negotiating with gang leaders and entertaining them in hotels? Where was Rowley’s voice when bombs were going off killing innocent civilians?
"Where was Rowley’s voice when his leader flew around in private jets, drove to radio stations and got radio journalists fired, where was Rowley’s voice when the nation endured an attack on the judiciary with his leader threatening the Chief Justice to resign or else, where was Rowley’s voice during the infamous scholarship scandal?
"Where was Rowley’s voice when local terrorist organisations mounted their platform and campaigned beside him for the PNM? Where was Rowley’s voice when his government declared a limited state of emergency to place the Speaker of the House under house arrest?
"Where was Rowley’s voice when his leader called a police station to release his driver who was held on criminal charges?" she said, noting that Rowley and the PNM have no moral authority to speak about accountability.
She called Rowley a man who would destroy anything to advance his political ambition. "That is his pedigree. One who would seek to rabidly destroy even his own party or country to advance his own cause," Persad-Bissessar said.
She expressed admiration for those who marched against Section 34, which should never have been passed. "It shows me how healthy our democracy is and I feel good that people today expect better of us and expect that we will act when something is happens here," she said.
"That is what I have demonstrated upon each and every occasion. I never promised that things will not go wrong that people may not fail but I promised that it will never be condoned no matter what the political cost.
"I believe that the tough decisions taken by me have strengthened both our democracy and the political institution of the People’s Partnership.
"In the past no one would have expected anything to be done about everything that was wrong or improper or corrupt...Today’s demonstration or discussion on anything that goes wrong is your victory...it is the reason why the People’s Partnership governs today...
"We must never forget yesterday’s wolves of arrogance and corruption that are today dressed up in sheep’s clothing of deception and duplicity. We must unmask the impostors."
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