Caption: Just moments after electricity went in the room where Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had started his post-Cabinet news conference, a special branch officer opened a door for sunlight to come in. AZP News/Prior Beharry
By Prior Beharry
A post-Cabinet media briefing held by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at the Office of the Prime Minister in Whitehall was abruptly halted on Thursday due to a power disruption.
The briefing, which started at approximately 2.39 pm, was being broadcast live on major local television stations and online platforms when the incident occurred.
Just three minutes into his opening remarks about Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the lights suddenly went out. A visibly startled Prime Minister Rowley asked, “What is going on here?” The unexpected blackout surprised everyone in attendance, including several government ministers, the prime minister’s staff, and members of the media.
Paid political advertisement
Apologising for the disruption, Dr. Rowley remarked, “We can’t function like this, can we?” before leaving the podium and exiting the room. He suggested that if power did not return promptly, the briefing would need to be relocated to another part of Whitehall.
Other areas of the building continued to have electricity, and by 3.07 pm, the prime minister returned to explain that a technical issue with the breaker system in the control room was to blame.
Paid political advertisement
Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi added that a “hard restart” had been performed and that tests would be conducted before resuming the conference.
The media briefing resumed without further interruptions and continued for more than an hour.
