Keith Christopher Rowley MP, (born 24 October 1949) is a Trinidadian politician serving as the seventh prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, first elected into office on 9 September 2015 and again following the 2020 general election.[6] He has led the People's National Movement (PNM) since May 2010 and was Leader of the Opposition from 2010 to 2015. He has also served as the Member of the House of Representatives for Diego Martin West since 1991.[7] He is a volcanologist by profession, holding a doctorate in geology, specializing in geochemistry.[8]
Keith Rowley | |
|---|---|
 Rowley in 2024 | |
| 7th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago | |
| Assumed office 9 September 2015 | |
| President | Anthony Carmona Paula-Mae Weekes Christine Kangaloo |
| Preceded by | Kamla Persad-Bissessar |
| 8th Leader of the Opposition of Trinidad and Tobago | |
| In office 4 June 2010 – Present | |
| Prime Minister | Kamla Persad-Bissessar |
| Preceded by | Kamla Persad-Bissessar |
| Succeeded by | Kamla Persad-Bissessar |
| 4th Leader of the People's National Movement | |
| Assumed office 26 May 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Manning |
| Member of Parliament for Diego Martin West | |
| Assumed office 1991 | |
| Member of the Senate of Trinidad and Tobago | |
| In office 1987–1990 | |
| Chairman of the Caribbean Community | |
| In office 1 January 2021[1] – 30 June 2021[2] | |
| Secretary-General | Irwin LaRocque |
| Preceded by | Ralph Gonsalves |
| Succeeded by | Gaston Browne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Keith Christopher Rowley 24 October 1949 Mason Hall, Saint George, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago[3] |
| Political party | People's National Movement |
| Residences |
|
| Alma mater | University of the West Indies |
Early life
editRowley was born in Mason Hall, Tobago,[9] raised by his grandparents, who were prominent Tobago farmers.[10] He was a pupil of Bishop's High School in Tobago, and graduated from the University of the West Indies (Mona) from where he graduated with a BSc. Geology (First Class Honors).[11] He then went on to earn an MSc (1974) and a PhD (1978) from the University of the West Indies at St. Augustine in geology, specializing in geochemistry.[12][13] At the university, as researcher, he held the positions of research fellow and later as head of the Seismic Research Unit. Rowley was general manager of state-owned National Quarries Company Limited as well.[10]
Political career
editRowley entered politics in 1981, where he unsuccessfully contested the Tobago West seat in the general election of that year. To date he has the distinction of being the only People's National Movement candidate to have contested a seat in a General Election in both Tobago and Trinidad. He first served in Parliament as an Opposition Senator from 1987 to 1990 (3rd Parliament). Subsequently, he was appointed as Minister of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources (4th Parliament), Minister of Planning and Development and Minister of Housing (as cabinet reshuffled) (8th Parliament) and Minister of Trade and Industry (9th Parliament) until he was fired by then Prime Minister Patrick Manning.
Leader of the Opposition
editFollowing the People's National Movement's defeat in the 2010 general election, Rowley was appointed as Leader of the Opposition on the 1st June.[14] He was then elected political leader of the People's National Movement as he was seen as the most capable to lead the party. As political leader he advocated implementation of the one man, one vote system within the party. Rowley has served on several parliamentary committees. In 2004, he chaired the Joint Select Committee of Parliament which examined and made recommendations for the live broadcasting of parliamentary debates. He served as the representative governor of Trinidad and Tobago for the Inter-American Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank.[9]
Prime minister
editRowley led the People's National Movement in the September 2015 general election, in which his party secured 23 out of 41 seats in the House of Representatives to form the government, defeating the previous People's Partnership coalition government. On 9 September 2015, Rowley was sworn in as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago by President Anthony Carmona.[15] He becomes the seventh Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and the second Tobago-born Prime Minister. Rowley again led the People's National Movement to victory in the 2020 Trinidad and Tobago general election for a second term in government under his premiership. He was sworn in as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago on 19 August by President Paula-Mae Weekes at the President's House in St. Anns after the opposition party asked for recounts to be done in marginal constituencies.[16]
During his tenure, on 5 February 2022, the Trinidad and Tobago coast guard fired upon a vessel with Venezuelan migrants while attempting to stop it, killing a nine-month-old baby and injuring his mother. The coast guard claimed that the shots were fired "in self-defense".[17] Rowley deemed the action "legal and appropriate"; the Trinidadian police and coast guard opened an investigation of the event.[18]
At the PNM convention in August 2024, Rowley announced his support for the Caribbean Court of Justice to replace the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council as Trinidad and Tobago's final court of appeals. He also announced his government would legislate to remove Christopher Columbus's ships from the national coat of arms and replace them with the steelpan drum, which had been declared the official national music instrument a few months earlier. He stated that the changes would "signal that we are on our way to removing the colonial vestiges that we have in our country".[19]
Cabinet
editHe appointed the following people as his cabinet:
| Official | Position |
|---|---|
| Faris Al-Rawi | Minister of Rural Development and Local Government |
| Kazim Hosein | Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries |
| Nyan Gadsby Dolly | Minister of Education |
| Stuart Young | Minister of Energy and Energy Industries |
| Colm Imbert | Minister of Finance |
| Amery Browne | Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs |
| Terrence Deyalsingh | Minister of Health |
| Camille Robinson-Regis | Minister of Housing and Urban Development |
| Steve Mc Clashie | Minister of Labour |
| Reginald Armour | Attorney General |
| Fitzgerald Hinds | Minister of National Security |
| Pennelope Beckles | Minister of Planning and Development |
| Allyson West | Minister of Public Administration |
| Marvin Gonzales | Minister of Public Utilities |
| Donna Cox | Minister of Social Development and Family Services |
| Shamfa Cudjoe | Minister of Sport and Community Development |
| Randall Mitchell | Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts |
| Paula Gopee-Scoon | Minister of Trade and Industry Enterprise Development |
| Rohan Sinanan | Minister of Works and Transport |
| Foster Cummings | Minister of Youth Development and National Service |
| Avinash Singh | Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries |
| Lisa Morris-Julian | Minister in the Ministry of Education |
| Brian Manning | Minister in the Ministry of Finance |
| Adrian Leonce | Minister in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development |
| Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal | Minister in the Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs |
| Ayanna Webster-Roy | Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister |
| Stuart Young | Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister |
| Symon de Nobriga | Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister |
| Hassel Bacchus | Minister of Digital Transformation |
| Richie Sookhai | Minister in the Ministry of Works and Transport |
| Ref:[20] | |
Personal life
editHe is married to attorney-at-law Sharon Rowley and has three children.[9]
References
edit- ^ "2021 must be the Year of Caricom — Dr Keith Rowley". Jamaica Observer. 30 December 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "Rotation Schedule for the Chairmanship of the Conference" (PDF). CARICOM. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "Office of The Prime Minister - Republic of Trinidad and Tobago". www.opm.gov.tt. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ "Office of The Prime Minister - Republic of Trinidad and Tobago". www.opm.gov.tt.
- ^ "$18m for PM's official Tobago residence". www.guardian.co.tt.
- ^ De Shong, Dillon (11 August 2020). "Rowley on course for another term as T&T Prime Minister". Loop News. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "Current Members of the House of Representatives > The Honorable Dr. Keith Rowley, MP". Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ "Political Leader - Dr. Keith Rowley" Archived 26 July 2019 at the Wayback Machine, PNM.
- ^ a b c "Dr. Keith Rowley | PNM: Diego Martin West". Trinidad Express. 16 July 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Office of The Prime Minister". Office Of The Prime Minister. Retrieved 26 February 2022.[non-primary source needed]
- ^ "People's National Movement Trinidad and Tobago - Political Leader - Dr. Keith Rowley". www.pnm.org.tt. Archived from the original on 8 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
- ^ Rowley, Keith C. (1974). The late-pleistocene pyroclast fall deposits of Soufriere, St. Vincent (MSc Thesis). Seismic Research Unit, The University of the West Indies at St. Augustine. OCLC 861504744.
- ^ Rowley, Keith C. (1978). Stratigraphy and geochemistry of the Soufrière Volcano, St. Vincent, West Indies (PhD Thesis). Seismic Research Unit, University of the West Indies at St. Augustine. OCLC 861505021.
- ^ Julien, Joel (1 July 2010). "Manning skips Rowley swearing-in". Trinidad Express Newspaper. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
- ^ "Rowley sworn in as T&T PM", Stabroek News, 9 September 2015.
- ^ "Trinidad's PM Keith Rowley tests positive for COVID-19". 6 April 2021.
- ^ "Un bebé venezolano muere por disparos de la guardia costera de Trinidad y Tobago". La Vanguardia. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ "Trinidad califica de "legal y apropiada" acción de guardacostas que asesinaron al bebé venezolano". El Estimulo. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
- ^ "PM: Steelpan to replace Columbus's ships, new coat of arms in 6 weeks". Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ McLeod, Sheri-Kae (19 August 2020). "Prime Minister Of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley Sworn into Office for Second Term". Caribbean News. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
External links
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