August 27, 2021

PM Rowley: “I Am No Dictator”

By Newsroom

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley has rejected the narrative that he possesses the qualities of a dictator, saying he has ruled this country with the same powers as those who have gone before him.

The Prime Minister says the unflattering term has been perpetuated only by his political opponents.

“I would think that’s a waste of time in trying to paint that on me. I’ve been Prime Minister of this country for six years; I have used no power or authority that other Prime Ministers have used. I have claimed no power and authority other than what is there and what has been used and left there by other Prime Ministers,” Dr. Rowley said.

“There were two Prime Ministers who governed this country, one with every seat in the Parliament, one with 27 seats in the Parliament. And the same things I used as the basis for actions I take are what they used.  So I don’t know how I with 22 seats in the Parliament, can be accused of assuming or claiming that power,” he added.

Accepting the view that his language can at times be taken as offensive, he insisted his style is simply that he refuses to sugarcoat anything. “With me, what you see is what you get. Of course, my political opponents and those who are perpetual failures in the political arena; they would describe me in terms that are unflattering. But that doesn’t faze me because I know that there is no basis for any such thing,” he said.

Dr. Rowley was speaking in a television interview on state media on Friday morning.

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