Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley says while he received an invitation to attend Friday’s funeral service for murder victim Andrea Bharatt, he has chosen to stay away from the ceremony so as not to make it into a political event. 

“I would love to have gone to that funeral of that child tomorrow (Friday) but unfortunately I won’t be able to make it. But the reason I was asked to go to the funeral tomorrow is because the Opposition Leader is going to be speaking there- and I said that is not a reason for me to be going to the funeral. In fact that may be a reason for me not to go to the funeral,” he said while speaking at a PNM virtual meeting in Belmont on Thursday night.

“The population may easily- and may be correctly- view my presence and the presence of my colleagues from Parliament as attempting to politicize this unspeakable sorrow which Andrea’s family, her community and the nation is experiencing.”

Speaking directly to the young woman’s family, he said “Tonight I want to say to Andrea’s family: you are not alone. We can’t begin to understand the grief that you are experiencing”

Earlier, as he began his address, he told supporters: “I must tell you that I don’ t feel good…this nation is hurting…this nation is mourning.” 

Dr. Rowley said since the news came that Andrea’s body was found down a precipice along the Heights of Aripo one week ago, he has been “filled with a kind of sadness” which forced him to ponder about how he would receive such tragic news as a parent.

“Because I am a father of two daughters, and I cannot disconnect, in the current environment…That coming together of our nation to say ‘enough is enough’ might be the first step in a divided nation and some persons make a career of dividing us.”