SPEAKING on his tenure he prepares to create history as the first sitting prime minister to willingly step down before a general election, Dr Rowley says he believes he “must have done something good.”

The Prime Minister made the comment in a wide-ranging 100-minute television interview aired on March 13, during which he discussed things including his thoughts on his legacy, his reason for stepping down, the future of TT, challenges of running the country, the state of emergency and climate change.

He even revealed some personal tidbits such as why his wife paid their electricity bill and how she reacted to his decision to not step down in 2020 as they had discussed.

He said he was not concerned about what people thought of his legacy, but he believed he had done good things for TT and its people.

Rowley said while he had critics, he has also received many well-wishes.

“Some will remember me for what they didn’t get and some will remember me for what they achieved during my tenure and what I did to put them in a better position.

“I have a stack of thank-you cards in my office at St Ann’s from people who saw it fit, for one reason or the other, to buy a card, write it and send it to me.

“And the ones that I appreciate the most are the ones that tell me how the policy or how the action would have put them or their children in a better position going forward.”

He said despite years in political office and two terms as Prime Minister, he felt “very much” connected to the regular man and had not allowed the office to change him.

“Whatever I am, is what I’ve been. I didn’t become that with office. I try to be respectful, fair (and) responsible.”

Responding to claims that some people considered him abrasive, he added, “I know there are some people who would have issues with who I am, but that’s who I am. And that’s who you ask to manage your affairs. I have a responsibility now to manage it to the best of my ability and that’s what I think I’ve done.”

He said he believed he had left TT in a good place and, despite what some might say, many good things were happening.

“A handful of people will tell you about everything that’s wrong in this country. There might be a lot of things that are wrong, a lot of things that are not going well. But the sound of their voices must not always drown out all the good things that are happening.”

He said he was buoyed by the number of young people involved in positive pursuits and highlighted the level of participation in events such as Youth Panorama.

“Not all of them have a gun in their hands trying to kill you. The vast majority out there doing well, hoping to be model citizens and to contribute to our nation.”

He said those positive young people needed a positive-thinking leader.

“If you’re running your show and all you could talk about is how things bad. You’re never going to improve.

“Not every day is going to be a good day. This country is not perfect, but it is one of the best places in the world to live.”

He said TT had a good future and the w