Dr Rowley Praises SVG

by Renwick Rose

Trinidad and Tobago has a new Prime Minister, the eighth since that country’s independence in 1962. Stuart Richard Young, who had not even been born when his country achieved independence in 1962, was yesterday, Monday March 17, sworn in as Prime Minister, succeeding Dr Keith Rowley. The new Prime Minister who held important ministerial portfolios under Dr Rowley, reached his 50th birthday just last month. Dr. Rowley demitted office on Sunday, March 16,2025 having served two full five-year terms. In Caribbean terms his resignation from office is rather strange. Caribbean Prime Ministers have traditionally been reluctant to demit office unless forced to do so either for political reasons or ill-health. The outgoing Prime Minister was never far from controversy and right up to his departure became the object of the wit of several calypsonians during the recent Carnival season. Indeed, the first runner-up in the Calypso Monarch competition, former Monarch Kurt Allen (The Last Bard John of Calypso) devoted his song to Dr. Rowley, entitled “Your Turn Now”.

In the last weeks of his time in office, the departing Prime Minister, seems to have developed an affinity for our country, being quoted by several reputable news sources for expressing positive views about events in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). Thus, the leading newspapers referred to Dr Rowley about three weeks ago, in lamenting the slow process for project approval in his country, noting that when speaking with his counterparts in Grenada, Barbados and SVG about their experiences, “there was a clear sense of urgency”.

He expressed concern about the risks of his country missing out on foreign investments because of this laggard approach. Dr Rowley expressed particular concerns about the lack of new hotel rooms in Tobago, the main tourism centre in the two-island state while stating his admiration for projects in SVG (the Sandals Resort) and Barbados. Specifically, in SVG he said that the Sandals project moved from planning to completion and operation during the same time that Trinidad spent discussing approvals for a Sandals project for Tobago.

The former Prime Minister, who is Tobago born, was quoted as saying, “now Sandals is well underway, I can’t stop hearing the regional news in my car, talking about how wonderful it (Sandals) has been for the economy of SVG. They are about to embark on another $250 million expansion, while we still discussing approvals for Tobago”.

Good publicity for SVG. Perhaps the government should thank Dr Rowley.