THE Prime Minister rejected Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar's claims that the state of emergency (SoE) was being extended for another three months to give the PNM an advantage in the next Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election, which could take place later this year.

Dr Rowley did so on Wednesday as he opened debate on a motion in the House of Representatives to extend the SoE by a further three months. The motion was passed without Opposition support.

Persad-Bissessar made her claim during a UNC virtual meeting on Monday.

The SoE took effect from midnight on May 15. Without parliamentary approval, the SoE would have remained in effect until May 29. The House sat on May 24 and approved a three-month extension from May 29 to August 29.

Referring to Persad-Bissessar's claims, but not mentioning her by name, Rowley said, "I have (heard) some of my parliamentary colleagues and my erstwhile parliamentary colleagues and political colleagues (saying) that this has to do with elections.

"Let the record show...that there was a general election due in 2020...and there was no SoE." Rowley added, “We went into a general election (on August 10, 2020) without using SoE for election purposes and we won it (22-19)."

At a post-Cabinet news conference at the Prime Minister's official residence in Blenheim, Tobago on July 22, Rowley announced that Tobago will return to the polls to break the six-six deadlock which arose from the January 25 THA election.

He said then, Cabinet approved the proclamation of the THA (Amendment) Bill, 2021. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on February 19 and by the Senate on March 2, and assented to by President Paula-Mae Weekes on March 16). The bill was proclaimed into law on July 26.

Within 90 days of this date, Rowley said the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) will be required to present a report to Rural Development and Local Government Minister Kazim Hosein with a report outlining the boundaries of the 15 electoral districts that the legislation proposes.

He explained the Parliament will be required to approve an order and associated statement laid by Hosein to establish the new electoral boundaries for the 15 districts.

Rowley said once approved by the House, there is a 60- 90 day window within which the THA election can be called.

He also recalled that when Trinidad and Tobago closed its borders last March to curb the spread of covid19 "all kinds of accusations were made against the Government..some ridiculous..some self-seeking and self-serving."

Rowley said, "We were doing nothing that other countries had not done."

He cited examples such as one bridge being open between the United States and Canada and Australia telling its citizens in India not to come home during the pandemic or they would be fined, to support his argument. "Up to now, Australia is still ferrying people..tens of thousands of people..outside, who could not come home for the last year."

Recalling there were people encouraging Government last year to reopen the bo