The young people of Trinidad and Tobago need to be led by those who can see the positives.
According to outgoing Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, the incoming Prime Minister, Stuart Young, has demonstrated that he has the skills and dedication to lead Trinidad and Tobago.
During a special full-length interview with the media on Thursday, Prime Minister Rowley expressed his confidence in Mr. Young, saying he has proven himself capable of leadership.
“You may recall when I appointed my first Cabinet, Stuart Young was not having his own portfolio. I knew he was a very good lawyer, so I placed him in the Office of the Attorney General for a while and maintained him in the Prime Minister’s office largely on the basis that he was, in fact, a very good lawyer, and he would serve well in that suit, and he demonstrated certain qualities that propelled him along.”
Dr. Rowley also praised the longest-serving Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh, for his performance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He is a pharmacist, so his relationship with that technical team from the Ministry of Health that emerged during COVID that saved so many lives. There are people in this country who do not want to say that, I will tell you, that team led by Dr. Roshan Parasram saved many lives in this country.”
According to Dr. Rowley, crime has been a challenge even before he took office as Prime Minister. He said as the head of Government, he will accept some responsibility for not pushing it back as far. However, he acknowledged there has been some progress by moving the conversation from crime being incidental to it being a public health issue.
“I am disappointed that we have not been able to do more with respect to this societal, behavioural aspect of criminal conduct, and it is something that is not a feature of this person, that person, this race, that race, this geography, that geography.”
Dr. Rowley has confirmed that he is in good health and is not demitting office due to any health-related issues. He reaffirmed that in 2020 he remained in office due to the pandemic. He also acknowledged a sense of responsibility, having brought many young persons into Government that it would be unreasonable to simply leave at that time.