(Trinidad Express) There is deep concern within the People’s National Movement (PNM) that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is paving the way for Energy Minister Stuart Young to be this country’s next prime minister.
Concerned party insiders who contacted the Express spoke under the condition of anonymity, saying that there is deep division in the party because members believe that the democratic principles of the PNM must be adhered to, and its leader—both party leader and prime minister—must have the full support of the PNM membership.
According to insiders, Rowley’s tenure as PNM leader does not expire until 2026, but he has communicated the possibility of staying on as leader without moving forward as prime minister. How is this possible? If the PNM wins the next general election, the prime minister would be chosen by the majority of elected PNM MPs, who would write to the president and name their pick.
The party’s internal election is important, as the elected members form part of the party’s screening committee that chooses general election candidates.
Long-standing PNM members are concerned that because they do not support Young, they could very well be “throat-bussed” and not be selected to defend their constituencies.
The tension in the party over Young was seen, felt, and heard last Saturday at the PNM General Council meeting at Balisier House.
PNM executive member Jennifer Baptiste-Primus voted against the decision to ratify the postponement of the party’s convention and the internal election and to hold the events at a later date.
She raised concerns that a release was initially issued announcing that the internal elections and convention were cancelled, which was ultra vires the party’s constitution. Party sources told the Express that a secret ballot was rejected for the vote at the general council meeting, and it was pointed out that of 140 members who attended, only 76 participated in the vote.
Sources said that PNM general secretary Foster Cummings directly told Rowley that he has put the issue of leadership in question with his recent comments in Parliament and emphasised that there can be no uncertainty as to who their leader is.
The Express was also told that there is no race strictly between Cummings and Young for leadership, and there are others who have not yet come forward because, at present, there is no vacancy for leadership until 2026. Other people said to have leadership ambitions include Dr Amery Browne, Faris Al-Rawi, and Pennelope Beckles.
PNM insiders said that some party group members have expressed disappointment over Rowley’s continued support of Young in the aftermath of offensive remarks he made in Parliament against Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
They pointed out that former Port of Spain mayor Raymond Tim Kee had made offensive comments in 2016 regarding murdered Japanese tourist Asami Nagakiya, which were seen as victim blaming, and he was forced to resign.
PNM founding father Ferdie Ferreira, when asked yesterday if he was aware of the problems people are having with Young, responded, “Not if it’s causing problems already. It’s no secret.” He said no former PNM leader has shown their hand in choosing a successor because the party has a constitution that allows democracy. He narrated a story where former prime minister Dr Eric Williams, on September 24, 1973, said he was leaving the PNM and the party should elect a new leader. The PNM’s General Council then wrote to Williams and asked him to reconsider.
“He wrote back; I have the document and I would show it any time. He said he will not reconsider; proceed expeditiously to elect a new leader. That was absolutely clear,” he said.
Ferreira said, in accordance with the party’s constitution, they requested the party groups to make nominations for a successor, and Karl Hudson-Phillips and Kamaluddin Mohammed emerged, with Hudson-Phillips winning the majority. He said a convention date of December 4, 1973 was set to anoint Hudson-Phillips as the new PNM leader.
“A group of party members led by certain individuals orchestrated a plan, and they came to the convention one memorable Sunday morning and started to chant: ‘We want Williams!’ The crescendo went up. No such item was on the agenda,” he said. He said then-chairman Boysie Prevatt acknowledged the chant and asked that a resolution be made to appoint a small team to go to Williams’ home.
“That memorable historical Sunday morning was one of the most disgraceful chapters in the history of my party. It was a total violation of the party’s constitution. They picked a delegation led by Daniel Reid, who went to Williams’ home, and at about 2 o’clock, Boysie Prevatt announced that the delegation had returned and he (Williams) would reconsider leaving,” he said.
He said former prime minister Patrick Manning would have never chosen Rowley, and the PNM leaders have happened by “accident.”
Former PNM member Karen Nunez-Tesheira, now deputy political leader of Honesty Opportunity Performance Empowerment (HOPE), said on Sunday that a current Cabinet minister who she had not spoken to in years thanked her for the concerns she had raised about the PNM in the past.
“There is a level of dissonance and anger; people are resistant to Stuart Young being anointed as the next prime minister,” she said in an interview with the Express. “I am quite confident that there is a lot going on in the PNM. There are persons who have been in the vineyard for 20 or 30 years but are not going to sit back and have Mr Young anointed as the leader. I think it is because he is seen as part of a very elitist group that does not resonate with the rank and file of the PNM except when it suits them,” she added.
Nunez-Tesheira said the positions taken recently by former government minister and House Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George admonishing Young over his offensive remarks are signs. She said in the past, people did not take issues with Rowley’s leadership because it was clear he was returning as prime minister—but this is not the case now. Nunez-Tesheira believes that party members will not stay quiet and allow Young to be appointed prime minister.
“I also feel sure that when it comes to the selection of Members of Parliament for the seats, if he leaves out any of the people who have been there for a long time, then there will be some upheaval in the party,” she said.
“There are many people other than those feeding at the trough who want to see the back of Rowley and that group, that clique, but they cannot show their hand because he is Prime Minister—maximum leader according to the Constitution. If he is not staying, he does not have the ability or power to hold people in line as he had in previous elections, where they knew that if they crossed him when he became prime minister, they would find themselves on the receiving end. This time around, it appears that he will not be staying, and what do they have to lose? If he’s not prime minister, he’s nobody. Ask Panday, ask Chambers, ask Patrick Manning,” she said.
