Feature: Changing political tune - Rowley and Ramesh

File: Newsday photo of Ramesh L. Maharaj and Keith Rowly

Keith Rowley, the leader of the Opposition People's National Movement (PNM), literally endorsed former Attorney General Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj recently as an ally.

This is what Rowley said during the recent campaign in the Tobago House of Assembly Election:

"I hear them saying that the PNM is financing Hochoy Charles to oppose, so that Hochoy can split votes and the PNM can win. I want to say one thing on this PNM platform tonight, I have been in Opposition to Hochoy Charles since 1980 and the one thing I can say about Hochoy Charles, if there is any Tobagonian who deserves the name Tobagonian, it's Hochoy Charles. 

"And I want to end on this note, if Kamla Persad-Bissessar could get together with Jack Warner to ruin this country, I can get together with Hochoy Charles and Ramesh Maharaj to run this country."

That comment might have undressed the former Deputy Leader of the United National Congress (UNC) who conspired with the PNM to try to overthrow the democratically elected government led by Basdeo Panday.

Coming from Rowley, that suggests that Ramesh, who still holds a lifetime membership in the UNC, is again working with the PNM against his own party. And recent pronouncements from Ramesh himself suggests that he has clearly adopted an anti-government position.

But does Rowley trust this man with whom he wants to team up to run Trinidad and Tobago. The Hansard records of 2007 suggest otherwise and leaves one wondering if you can trust Rowley.

This is from the Hansard record. The Speaker is Keith Rowley:
"When they were about to implode, I was in Tobago and got a call from a high ranking UNC official who told me that Ramesh wants to talk to me because he wants to bring the government down. I said: “Talk to me? I will not speak to 
Ramesh.” 

"If he wants to talk to the PNM, it has a leader, it has a party headquarters and he can go there because I will not speak to him. So today when he talks about he is best friend of who and who, they know who they will tell that to. The next thing I knew, I saw him in certain situations and clearly I knew he spoke to people, not to me because I do not trust him as far as I can throw him."

So now that Rowley is facing a defamation law suit he has hired Ramesh as his lawyer ... the same man he said he could not trust. Why would anyone hire a lawyer when you have stated categorically you don't trust the man?

Politics is indeed strange!