ELECTION OBSERVERS?

The media has reported Dr. Rowley as saying that the reason that Commonwealth observers cannot come to Trinidad & Tobago to oversee the general elections due here in two short weeks from today is because there isn't enough money to pay for them to come. The problem with this story is that it doesn't seem to be true. You see, I have checked the published accounts for the Commonwealth Secretariat for the years ending in 2018 and 2019 and there seems to be more than enough money for the Secretariat to have sent an observer mission to T&T for our elections. Obviously, they can't come now (too little time), but the excuse of there being no money sounds ... how shall I say? ... very thin and not really true. You see, observer missions for elections are never paid by the particular State, but by the organization that is sending the observer mission. You have only got to look at it to understand why. I haven't seen the Caricom accounts so I don't know whether or not there are available funds there. But certainly, the Commonwealth Secretariat seems to have the funds to send a mission.

Several questions arise from this: first of all, if it is not true and there is money available to send aa observer mission, then why would Dr. Rowley lie? Very ugly and most unnecessary suspicions arise from this that are probably better left unexpressed at this time.

Secondly, if it is true then why can't we see the letter from the Commonwealth secretariat saying that they have no funds?

Thirdly, why has the Guardian newspaper simply reported what the Prime Minister has said and not checked for itself whether or not this (i.e., there are no available funds to send a mission) is true? You see, it is either that this newspaper is completely incompetent, has incompetent reporters and incompetent editors who don't have a clue, or it has another reason (bias?) for not reporting properly.  If there is a third possibility then it completely eludes me.

And if I appear to be on that newspaper's case it is because I consider it the height of dishonesty for a newspaper to pretend to be neutral when it really has a bias. I've said it once and I'll say it a thousand times: the newspaper has every right to be biased, BUT it must declare it's bias.