The Office of the Leader of the Opposition Dr Keith Rowley today issues a statement, claiming that Government had committed a series of embarrassing protocol breaches during the State visit of the President of China Xi Jinping.
President Jinping arrived in Trinidad on Friday and left on Sunday.
At the Piarco International airport, he was welcomed by President Anthony Carmona, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Chief Justice Ivor Archie and Dr Rowley.
On Saturday, the Chinese president paid a courtesy call on President Carmona and his wife, Reema, at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain. He then met Persad Bissessar at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s.
President Jinping also hosted a luncheon at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, and that night attended a State banquet at the Hilton Trinidad, hosted by President Carmona.
According to the Statement from the Opposition Leader’s office, “It is with some disappointment that the Opposition People’s National Movement has observed serious and continued breaches of protocol on the part of the Prime Minister and her administration. We have witnessed in the past, the Prime Minister making her arrival at major events after the arrival of our Head of State, the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Also on occasion, the Prime Minister has seen it fit to address major gatherings after His Excellency had spoken. These actions are wholly unacceptable and we feel the Prime Minister needs to be reminded of her role and function as prime minister and that of the president as Head of State”.
The release stated “Last weekend, we observed in dismay even more serious breaches in protocol with the visit of the Vice President of the People’s Republic of China to Trinidad and Tobago. Splashed on the front pages of our newspapers were photographs of the Vice President of China and his contingent being welcomed by the President of Trinidad and Tobago along with the Prime Minister and other dignitaries and state officials. It was most appalling to see our Head of State trailing behind, not only the Prime Minister, but also behind lesser dignitaries, almost lost in the crowd. The Opposition is hereby calling on the Prime Minister to acknowledge that she is not the head of state.
Moreover, protocol errors of this nature ought not to occur since they fall within the ambit of the public service and it calls into questions whether the requisite public service functions are being exercised by public servants or are being usurped by persons unknown to the embarrassment of the nation”.
Source-TEN
