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| File: Keith Rowley: "He (Gordon) had no idea what I wanted to see him about" |
“I told the Parliament that I communicated with the Integrity Commission before I brought the matter to Parliament," Rowley told the Express newspaper.
"Had the Commission indicated to me that the Commission was investigating the matter then that would have guided my approach and my patience. I told that to the Parliament. My contact with the Commission was never a secret,” Rowley advised the paper in a text message.
“I told the Parliament that I gave the document to the President expecting that it would be investigated by the IC. Having confirmed from the IC that it was not investigating the matter the way was now clear for me to tell the people of the existence of this unattended issue in the Parliament,” he said.
He said Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal and Attorney General Anand Ramlogan are “desperate for a distraction and are hopelessly clutching at straws...There was absolutely nothing secretive about the meeting.”
Rowley explained his version of the events, noting that he did not make direct phone contact with Gordon during the working day on May 15.
“When he did get through, I told him that I was on my way home. Since I was then only two minutes away from his home he accommodated me by asking me to stop at his home since I confirmed to him that the matter was still urgent.
“He had no idea what I wanted to see him about until I got there. Any attempt to portray these events as secret and sinister is nothing short of wrong and self serving on the part of Government functionaries who see the IC as some threat to themselves,” Rowley said.
In the Parliamentary Hansard of that no-confidence motion, Rowley was recorded as saying that he called on the Integrity Commission to “discharge its responsibility and oversee the conduct of public officers”. However there is nothing specific about any meeting or contact with the chairman of the commission.
“I told the Parliament that I gave the document to the President expecting that it would be investigated by the IC. Having confirmed from the IC that it was not investigating the matter the way was now clear for me to tell the people of the existence of this unattended issue in the Parliament,” he said.
He said Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal and Attorney General Anand Ramlogan are “desperate for a distraction and are hopelessly clutching at straws...There was absolutely nothing secretive about the meeting.”
Rowley explained his version of the events, noting that he did not make direct phone contact with Gordon during the working day on May 15.
“When he did get through, I told him that I was on my way home. Since I was then only two minutes away from his home he accommodated me by asking me to stop at his home since I confirmed to him that the matter was still urgent.
“He had no idea what I wanted to see him about until I got there. Any attempt to portray these events as secret and sinister is nothing short of wrong and self serving on the part of Government functionaries who see the IC as some threat to themselves,” Rowley said.
In the Parliamentary Hansard of that no-confidence motion, Rowley was recorded as saying that he called on the Integrity Commission to “discharge its responsibility and oversee the conduct of public officers”. However there is nothing specific about any meeting or contact with the chairman of the commission.
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