(Trinidad Guardian) Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley will deliver an address to the nation tonight on matters of national importance.
Rowley’s address scheduled for 7.30 pm will be broadcast on both radio and television channels, a release from the Office of the Prime Minister announced yesterday.
It comes days after the Rowley-led People’s National Movement (PNM) celebrated its first anniversary in office.
As news of Rowley’s impending address to the nation was announced, people took to social media to speculate about what would be said as fears and concerns about crime, low oil prices and rising food prices were raised.
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister and Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General Stuart Young, however, called for calm.
“The Prime Minister after leading the country as the Prime Minister for one year is having an address to the nation. There is nothing surprising about this and we will all await what the honourable Prime Minister has to tell us,” Young said.
Rowley became this country’s Prime Minister last year after leading the PNM to victory in the September 7 general election.
The PNM won 23 seats while the People’s Partnership won 18.
On September 9 Rowley was sworn in as Prime Minister with Faris Al-Rawi and Edmund Dillon sworn in as Attorney General and National Security Minister, respectively.
The rest of Rowley’s Cabinet were sworn in on September 11.
Speculation has been rife about whether Rowley will make changes to his Cabinet tonight.
Rowley has signalled his intention to make adjustments to his Cabinet after the upcoming National Budget.
One move expected to take place when that reshuffle is announced is the return of Marlene McDonald to the Cabinet.
At least four ministers are expected to be affected by the reshuffle as Rowley is said to be unhappy with the performance of some members of his Cabinet.
Leader of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) Ancel Roget yesterday called on Rowley to remove three of his ministers in an anticipated Cabinet reshuffle.
Addressing members at JTUM’s Conference of Shop Stewards and Branch Officers at San Fernando yesterday, Roget picked out Finance Minister Colm Imbert, Works and Transport Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Public Utilities Minister Ancil Antoine to be fired, describing them and other ministers as arrogant and incompetent.
Roget, however, gave Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus a passing grade for trying to keep peace within the labour movement.
Some questioned whether Rowley would name the date for this year’s annual Budget tonight.
The National Budget must be debated and passed in both houses of the Parliament by October 31.
On October 5 last year Imbert delivered the 2015/2016 National Budget which was the first of the Rowley led-PNM Government.
This year’s Budget is expected to be presented by the end of this month.
