SEAN DOUGLAS AND JOEY BARTLETT
ON March 16, the Prime Minister will step down, paving the way for Energy Minister Stuart Young to assume office as the new Prime Minister.
Dr Rowley had previously delivered his swan song, but he made the official announcement during a speech on February 26 at the Ministry of Works and Transport in Arima commissioning of the O’Meara Road upgrade project, which has now been renamed the Lisa Morris-Julian Boulevard.
“I too am ending my tenure in public service, thankfully not with sadness but with a certain amount of satisfaction. Many people in public life do not believe or forget your service in public life is for a period. It doesn’t matter how good or how important you think you are: it’s all about a specific period.”
Reflecting on challenges he encountered during his tenure, particularly in managing national projects, he spoke on the difficulty of overseeing such initiatives with limited resources. Rowley said the national budgetary process often falls short, as there is never enough funding to accomplish all projects.
“The national budgetary process is one where there is never enough when you want to do them at the same time.”
He compared governance to a conveyor belt, saying as one project is completed, another begins.
“The conveyor belt keeps pushing these challenges to you, and as it comes forward, the Cabinet, with limited resources. We have to do some, leave some for later and come back to them, but it’s a continuous process.”
Before his announcement, Rowley said the Central Block of Port of Spain General Hospital would be officially opened on March 10. He described the project as one that is particularly meaningful to him and one he is deeply passionate about.
The Central Block construction project began in 2019 with an official sod-turning ceremony. It is part of a larger initiative to enhance healthcare delivery and efficient hospital facilities.
Work on the project was temporarily halted owing to the covid19 pandemic construction resumed in 2022. The new Central Block will be integrated into the existing hospital campus, expanding health-care services provided by the North West Regional Health Authority. It will have a 540-bed capacity.
Additionally, the day before his resignation, on March 15, Rowley will open the new ANR Robinson Airport. This project began in 2020, and the airport was originally commissioned in December 1940.
Young to be next PM
To transition from the leadership of Rowley to Energy Minister Stuart Young, the Government has opted to first transfer the title of Prime Minister, then call a general election, surely with the calculation that a sweeping victory for Young at the polls would earn automatic nod from the PNM faithful to ascend to party leadership. While the first method set down in the TT Constitution says the PM is the person who leads the party commanding a majority of MPs in the House of Representatives, the elevation of Young will instead rely on the second method set down, that is, the person commanding support
