Editor’s note:
The following commentary was submitted for publication. The views expressed are those of the author.
A submitted commentary circulating in Trinidad and Tobago’s political space sharply criticizes Keith Rowley leadership, arguing that it left lasting damage to national security, economic stability and public trust.
The piece continues a line of political commentary from the same author, whose earlier submission also examined Rowley’s public posture and political messaging in the aftermath of office.
The piece also raises concerns about the current state of the People’s National Movement, pointing to internal divisions and an ongoing struggle for direction following its time in government.
Keith Rowley And The Unforgivable Betrayal That Left A Nation Stripped And A Party In Ruin
By Curtis Anthony OBRADY
Call it what it is. This was not a rough patch. This was a collapse under leadership that had full control and still produced failure across the board.
Keith Rowley did not inherit chaos. He manufactured it through years of poor judgment, weak execution, and a refusal to face reality while the country paid the price.
You carried that burden. Crime expanded and reached into ordinary life. Families adjusted their movements out of caution. The economy tightened while debt grew heavier. Businesses shut down. Young people lost confidence in the future at home. Public institutions lost credibility because they looked directionless and ineffective.
These are facts that cannot be erased.
A leader is judged by outcomes. Under Rowley, the outcomes were negative and consistent. There was time to act and authority to fix problems. Yet the same patterns repeated. Excuses replaced action. Spin replaced results. The country slid while leadership defended failure.
The damage spread into the People’s National Movement itself. Internal order broke down. Credibility vanished. The party lost direction because the leadership at the top set a poor standard. That is how an organization decays from within.
Now look at what is happening.
After leaving that record behind, there is an effort to claw back influence. Not through accountability. Not through reflection. Through calculation. There are clear moves to push aside the current opposition leader, Penny Beckles, in a scramble for control. This is not strength. This is internal desperation playing out in public.
Penny Beckles has not delivered results that inspire confidence. Even during the period when Rowley held the office of Prime Minister, her performance did not shift the direction of the country or strengthen the party. The record shows stagnation and missed opportunities. Now she stands as a weak figure in a fractured opposition, while the same leadership that oversaw failure attempts to reassert dominance.
This is not renewal. This is recycling failure.
You cannot dismantle a country’s progress, weaken your own party, and then return to settle internal scores while pretending to offer leadership. That is a direct insult to the intelligence of the population.
Let this be stated without hesitation.
The entire PNM administration that presided over that period of decline has forfeited its right to govern. They will never walk the corridors of power again. The country has drawn a line. The damage they caused is too severe and too recent for any credible return.
This is not emotion. This is consequence.
You remember the strain. You remember the uncertainty. You remember the decline in security, in opportunity, and in trust. That memory is not political. It is personal.
Trinidad and Tobago cannot afford to reopen that chapter. The nation requires leadership that produces results, protects citizens, and restores confidence.
There is no justification for a return to failure. None.
