The PNM’s Diego Martin Central executive vice chairman Irene Hinds has dismissed as a “non-issue” concerns that the majority of the executive’s 18 members work for the Diego Martin Regional Corporation where Diego Martin Central general election nominee Darryl Smith is corporation chairman.
She was asked about the situation yesterday prior to a 6 pm meeting where the Diego Martin Central executive was expected to begin finalising nominees to submit to the party on Monday for screening on Wednesday. Names of several personalities—including a policeman and lawyers—were circulating at yesterday’s pre-meeting.
The last batch of nominees including incumbent Amery Browne were rejected last week. PNM general secretary Ashton Ford said the nominees would be considered but wouldn’t be re-screened. A number of Browne’s supporters have protested, calling for him to be the candidate and claiming he was being sidelined since he claimed a party cabal was operating in the seat.
Browne has the backing of ten of Diego Martin Central’s 19 party groups plus its youth league, while Smith was nominated by five groups and other candidates by one or two party groups. One group reportedly didn’t nominate anyone.
In querying the process employed by the executive in selecting nominees, several supporters have noted that the 18-member Diego Martin Central executive includes about ten people who work for the Diego Martin Regional Corporation (which Smith heads) and that those corporation employees hold positions ranging from alderman (which Hinds is) to councillors, checkers and labourers. The executive also includes two people who are close family relatives and who both work at the corporation, they noted.
However, Hinds said, claims that the majority of the executive might favour Smith due to this was a “non-issue.” She said people were entitled to vote for whom they wanted and that party groups which favoured Browne had enjoyed a similar right. She questioned how supporters would know who on the executive voted for which nominee. Hinds, who is also on the PNM’s national screening team, said she saw no need to recuse herself from that team for the DMC screening. She said if a relative of hers or she was going up for screening she would recuse herself from the PNM’s national screening team.
Browne said yesterday he was encouraged and heartened by all the support and prayers from so many people in Diego Martin Central and “across T&T...let’s continue to give the process a chance.”
At Thursday’s PNM St Augustine meeting, PNM Leader Keith Rowley said though PNM nominees might have been disappointed “if they didn’t make the cut,” not everyone would have things their way. He said such people weren’t disgraced and the Parliament wasn’t the only place to serve T&T.
PNM vice chairman Colm Imbert didn’t answer calls yesterday about a visit he and Rowley paid to the Diego Martin Regional Corporation on Tuesday to examine Smith’s effectiveness following receipt of certain information.
Meanwhile, PNM San Juan/Barataria chairman Joe Ross said the unit’s nominees for submission on Monday and screening next Wednesday so far included legal consultant Hashim Al—Mujaahid, port authority employee Lorne Sandy, a female health and safety official and a female lawyer. Ross said more nominees were expected by Monday.