FORMER prime minister Dr Keith Rowley sounded a warning against the incoming UNC government over the threat of eventual national bankruptcy and its likely tolerance of public corruption. He was addressing reporters at Balisier House, Port of Spain, on April 30, having earlier announced his resignation as PNM leader.

Rowley said he was "very disappointed" at last Monday's general election result where the PNM's tally dropped from 22 to 13 seats and it lost government to the UNC coalition of interests.

"We accept the will of the electorate," he said. Rowley decried as "a whole lot of hogwash", the UNC's claims of the government trying to steal the election, and lamented their criticism, of the Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

Saying his government had been very careful about spending in light of falling earnings, he said of the incoming government that he was very worried about TT's ability to fund its operations.

"The UNC government is dangerous to this country.

"That populism is dangerous."

He recalled his government having to manage its spending carefully so as to avoid the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but said the pain caused by governmental actions had not made it popular among some people.

He hit the UNC's vow to cut corporation tax saying the business sector had never demanded that.

"It is pure political populism. It is for the benefit of the few."

Questioning the UNC's plans for public revenue streams, he said that could lead rating agencies like S&P and Moody's to treat TT in a particular way that could make loans become more costly and could put TT on the pathway to bankruptcy.

"If you are downgraded, your borrowings cost you more."

Recalling bp in 2015 telling him TT had no revenues to get from them for a decade – owing to overly generous incentives by the former UNC regime, which he had subsequently renegotiated – Rowley said TT must demand to know exactly which contracts the new UNC government was planning to renegotiate.

On corruption, he said many individuals linked to the new UNC government "have questions to answer with regard to white-collar crime and criminality."

He warned, "They will use the government to evade responsibility."

Rowley said the former UNC government had said it would use Parliament to protect its friends.

Saying the UNC was not committed against corruption, he said the old UNC government had refused to pursue a court case in Florida relating to the Piarco Airport expansion.

"The media has a responsibility to ensure new ministers do not delay that."

He recalled that only when the PNM got into office in 2015 had it discovered that the former UNC government's claim to have settled the Clico bailout had been untrue.

He said some $15 billion had still been outstanding. He noted the Point Fortin constituency was won by the UNC on April 28 despite that party having jeopardised funding for the Point Fortin Highway, in an apparent reference to a clause being removed just before the 2015 general election that would have held the Brazil