UNC: Did CARICOM leaders sound like they were begging over procurement of vaccines?

Trinidad and Tobago: Trinidad-Tobago’s Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s statement, “A few of Caribbean countries have got vaccines as a gift, but asking for a gift is not a gift but begging,” made the nation’s people disappointed again.

The procurement of vaccines in Trinidad and Tobago is now a hot topic in the nation. There are upside and downs, which is expanding the distance of obtaining vaccines from people.

 UNC has again proved that they can do anything for Trinidad and Tobago. UNC leader Kamla Persad’s letter to Indian PM Narendra Modi was an action of her love for T&T.

UNC recently posted a video on social media that explained: “how asking for a gift is not begging at all.” Kamla Persad’s diplomatic relationship with India and her dedication to providing every facility to the people of T&T is commendable, which lack in the current government. They have even used a hashtag saying #AintTooProudToBeg

According to sources, the High Commission of India announced that T&T health minister Terrance Deyalsingh and foreign minister Dr Amery Browne reached out to the high commissioner separately to explore the possibility of getting Astra-Zeneca vaccines from India.

However, the PM of T&T had asserted that the Indian High Commissioner responded, “I don’t know when asked about the vaccine.”

UNC issued a statement that says GONE BEGGING –

PM Rowley has degraded our CARICOM neighbours such as Barbados implying, and they had “gone begging” for vaccines.

It would seem apparent PM Rowley expected Vaccine Manufacturers and World Leaders to look out for the interests of Trinidad and Tobago’s citizens.

Our self touted “Best Salesman” dropped the ball in seeking out vaccines and is now creating a foreign relations uproar with World Leaders.

On 22nd January 2021, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking access to 200,000 doses of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine to vaccinate a large segment of their population of 287,000.

According to the letter, “Persons who are on the front-line of our response to COVID-19 across the medical, protective services and border agencies will need to get immediate access to vaccines.

Similarly, we need it for our police and security forces, hotel workers, supermarket employees, and the elderly. This is no different from our situation here in Trinidad and Tobago.

A couple of weeks ago, we had our Customs Officers being exposed to Covid-19 and this week, and we had our Police Officers being told to Covid-19. These are our frontline personnel.

Was it so difficult for PM Rowley to write a letter to India?

Prime Minister Mia Mottley went on a week later to express her gratitude to the Indian government and the people for the “most generous” donation of COVID-19 vaccine doses.

I ask the question, “Did the PM of Barbados sound like she was begging? Or was this a responsible Prime Minister, seeking the interests of her citizens and her country?”

I am making a call to PM Rowley to stop insulting world leaders to cove rover his incompetence minister. The PM has also found himself in hot waters with the High Commissioner from India.

But I would like to advise PM Rowley that while the world has found a vaccine for the Covid-19 virus, one has not been seen for “Foot In Mouth Disease.”

Click here for more news