The People’s National Movement (PNM) has selected former chairman of the Siparia Regional Corporation (SRC), Vidya Deokiesingh, as the candidate to try for a second time to wrest the Siparia seat held by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Deokiesingh, who served as the SRC chairman during the period 2006-2010, was among four candidates selected during the PNM screening exercise at its South Regional Office on Monday night.
Screening for the constituencies of La Brea and Couva North have been rescheduled. Candidates were also selected for Fyzabad, Princes Town and Naparima.
Social worker Marsha Bailey was selected from among six candidates to contest the Fyzabad seat which is now held by fired PP minister Chandresh Sharma.
The last woman to hold the Fyzabad seat for the PNM was the late Muriel Donowa Mc Davidson in the 1960’s.
Lawyer Dons Richard Waithe, one of two candidates screened for the Naparima seat, was given the nod, while Nikolaiski Ali triumphed over three others, including Dawn Annamunthodo, to be selected as the candidate for Princes Town.
Annamunthodo is a former chairman of the National Schools Dietary Services Ltd (NSDSL) whose appointment was revoked in 2011, just six months after her appointment. The decision to terminate her appointment was taken by Cabinet, following allegations of a $50,000-plus VIP security bill and attempts to become a signatory on the company’s account.
In 2010, Deokiesingh was severely whipped by Persad-Bissessar, accumulating some 4,037 votes against her 15,808 votes.
Asked what has changed since then that would propel him to contest the seat with the hope of seeing different results this time around, Deokiesingh said he was confident.
“You know, I am very positive and we also look at divine intervention. Things can happen. You know in a horse race, sometimes the favourite just before the line things happen. So I am there neck and neck working with the constituency.”
The exercise also caused some upset on Monday night as the La Brea constituency executive were told they needed to do more work and return within seven to ten days.
This decision has left the fate of Fitzgerald Jeffrey, the incumbent La Brea MP, hanging in the balance as the constituency executive’s support for him is split down the middle.
Reports indicate that during the screening exercise, eight of the members showed support for Jeffrey while nine others favoured Germaine Bovel-Pitt, the current chairman of the constituency. Bovel-Pitt, a psychologist and social worker, said she was looking forward to becoming the first woman to represent La Brea in the Parliament.
Following his screening, the majority of supporters applauded Jeffrey as he emerged from behind closed doors, but there was one loud boo coming from constituent Weston Carrington, one of Bovel-Pitt’s supporters.
Before attempts were made to shut him up, Carrington said Jeffrey had to go because he was a poor representative.
Jeffrey, in response, brushed off this lone dissenting voice.
PNM PRO Faris Al-Rawi, speaking to journalists after the committee failed to reach consensus on the La Brea candidate, said there was nothing untoward in that. He said the committee needed to clarify a few issues and needed some time to do so.
Al-Rawi said all three candidates, including energy expert Nicole Olivierre, were excellent candidates who presented themselves well.