Diego Martin West MP Dr Keith Rowley attempted to sell Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) chairman Calder Hart a plot of his family property in Tobago. And on two separate occasions ’somewhere between 2003 and 2004’, Rowley and the UDeCOTT chairman drove around the sister isle in the same car.

So stated Minister of Public Utilities Mustapha Abdul-Hamid yesterday, as he delivered a blistering attack on the Tobago-born Rowley during debate on the Validation and Immunity Bill.

’I am advised that somewhere between 2003 and 2004, the same Calder Hart, about whom comments were made as being responsible for bid-rigging, that the Member for Diego Martin West on two occasions escorted Mr Calder Hart to view property in Tobago which was the member for Tobago West’s family business...once as Minister for Planning and Development and once as Minister for Housing,...with a view to Mr Calder Hart purchasing a plot of land in that property,’ Abdul-Hamid said.

Noting that Rowley had stated on Monday that he went to see Prime Minister Patrick Manning in August 2003 about bid-rigging at UDeCOTT and about Hart’s involvement, Abdul-Hamid asked: ’Mr Speaker, where was the moral high ground on which the member for Diego Martin West is now perched? Where was all the righteousness that I heard on Monday. I am sorry but it seems to me that the words of the member for Diego Martin West are the words of a self-serving hypocrite.’

This provoked desk-thumping.

Stating that he was defending his Government against a ’vicious, treacherous and treasonous attack’, Abdul-Hamid said Rowley spent 52 months in the Government after his alleged complaint to Manning about bid-rigging.

’There were five months in 2003, 2004 came and pass, 2005 came and pass, 2006 came and pass, 2007 came and pass. That is 52 months... Not a word to the public about bid-rigging... If you were so upset...so offended as you proclaim to be, how come for five years you cannot find an opportunity to make even the smallest comment to the media... about bid-rigging at UDeCOTT?

’For those five years, wasn’t the bid-rigging smelling to high heavens? Were the wrong-doers not prospering? How many times worse than Piarco was UDeCOTT (during that period)? Five times, four times? Where was the voice of the member for Diego Martin West between 2003 and 2007?’

Abdul-Hamid said furthermore, there was an election in 2007 and Rowley had an opportunity to exit. ’Why did you come to fight an election under the leadership of somebody who is supporting bad behaviour? More than that, he fought for that right to contest, alleging that somebody was conspiring to keep him out. Was it (the Manning administration) not smelling then? (Again) more than that, he accepted a ministerial position (becoming Minister of Trade in the new administration),’ he said.

’All that time, not a word of bid-rigging,’ he added, asking where was Rowley’s voice.

Abdul-Hamid said Rowley had now deployed opposition strategy in partnership with Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Jack Warner. Saying that Maharaj had a history of bringing Governments down, Abdul-Hamid said to desk-thumping: ’So when I see the member for Tabaquite in partnership with the member for Diego Martin West, I have to get concerned.’

He referred to PNM MPs Vincent Lasse and Rupert Griffith, who crossed the floor, attending a General Council meeting and swearing allegiance, only to join the UNC Government days after. He said he had no confidence that Rowley believed what he was saying, but that Rowley was now on a political campaign.

Abdul-Hamid said there were 25 MPs and not one of them will share the view held by Rowley that this Government was supporting corruption.

’Not one shares the view that the Prime Minister is out of order. And none shares the view that the country is going to hell in a hand basket.’

To desk-thumping support, he said he wanted to advise the country that the Government stands firm against corruption.

Mustapha said all of those in the Opposition, ’including the member for Diego Martin West’, want Government to abandon the process of the Commission of Enquiry and engage in a ’hang them in the square now’ lynching.

’And the reason they are taking that view is that they have all hooked and attached their political fortunes to the collapse of UDeCOTT. And so their political fortunes are at risk. They would not like the commission to complete its work. What they would like... is for the Government to conspire with them to lynch UDeCOTT in the absence of due process,’ he said.

Abdul-Hamid recalled that Rowley said that if UDeCOTT was proven to be right he would resign his seat. ’So he cannot take the chance that the commission would send a report that UDeCOTT might be without blame. Because his political career is on the line, by his own words,’ the Minister said.

He assured the country that ’our Prime Minister is fit, able and competent to lead’ and that the country ’is indeed in good hands’. He urged Rowley to ’manage’ his political ego.

’Sometimes you have a situation where there is a house and there is a throne and they cannot get to sit on the throne. And they would burn down the house,’ he said.