Diego Martin West MP Dr Keith Rowley says he and Works and Transport Minister Colm Imbert do not ’stand for the same things’ any more.

Rowley made the comment yesterday, when asked about Imbert’s response in the Parliament to his criticism of Government spending during the House of Representatives 2009/2010 budget debate on Monday.

’I will not engage in any debate with Minister Imbert. He has his own salvation to work out and I have mine,’ Rowley said.

During the Lower House debate just after midnight on Tuesday, Imbert said he had ’difficulty’ in listening to Rowley’s contribution and said it was ’unsustainable’ and ’inaccurate’.

Yesterday, Rowley said Imbert had advised him on his conduct ’both as a Minister and as a PNM member’ and he (Rowley) had rejected it.

’He has given me advice before and I have rejected that advice and that is why I have taken the position that I have taken. We don’t stand for the same things,’ Rowley said.

Saying he knows his role and oath of office as an MP, Rowley added he has always been responsible on taking his position on matters of national interest, based on the facts and the documents before him.

’Whenever I do that and draw the conclusions from those documents, I find myself the subject of attack and vilification,’ Rowley said.