PM Kamla, Rowley in verbal sparring over SIA papers

Opposition Leader Keith Rowley had to apologise twice to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in Parliament on Friday and withdraw, without reservation, comments that suggested that Persad-Bissessar was not telling the truth about human resources files from the Security Intelligence Agency (SIA).

Rowley was making a presentation with respect to the government's handling of the matter of the appointment of a director at the SIA during which he said the government was caught "red handed" in manipulating information with respect to the appointment of Reshmi Usha Ramnarine to the post.

The opposition leader stated that Ramnarine was not qualified for the post and that as a technician in the intelligence organisation she was not fit for such high office. He said there were 22 positions from director down for which Ramnarine did not meet the required qualification, yet she was put into the sensitive leadership role.

Rowley said the government fired 27 members of the SIA staff, eight of whom had more than 11 years service in the agency. "They decapitated the agency and removed all the qualified people," Rowley charged. He added that the plan was to make way for those who found favour with the new administration.

During the presentation he said HR files from the SIA were delivered to the Prime Minister's home in Penal and received by her husband. He asked Persad-Bissessar to tell the House if that were true. "No," was her terse reply.

At that point Rowley said he wanted it to be recorded that the PM had denied that files were delivered to her home. Speaker Wade Mark intervened when Persad-Bissessar objected to say Rowley was suggesting that she told a lie. 

Mark advised the MP that he was making a very serious charge and that unless he produced evidence to support his accusations he would have to withdraw the remarks and apologise to Persad-Bissessar.

Rowley offered to do so with reservations but Mark insisted on a wholesale withdrawal and apology. Rowley obliged. However later he returned to the issue and read from what he said was a delivery document that proved that Dr Greg Bissessar, the PM's spouse, received the papers on October 17, 2010. He said that was his proof.

The Prime Minister rose to set the records straight, saying that as the head of government she receives all kinds of government documents all the time and she would not tolerate the "libellous allegations". Rowley was stumped. His document could not prove what documents were delivered that day.

Again Mark intervened, this time visibly annoyed. He told Rowley that he could not accept the document as evidence and reminded him that when a member wished to make accusations against another MP it had to be done through a substantive motion. 

He told Rowley that under the circumstances he would have to withdraw the document and the accusation. Mark also ordered all reference to the matter be expunged from the records.

For the second time in the afternoon, Rowley had to withdraw his remarks without reservation. But he had his last word. The opposition leader ended his presentation by stating that what happened in the Ramnarine affair was not an error. He quoted a blogger who wrote, "They knew full well what they were doing".