Introducing the one-man, one-vote for the selection of party executive officers was a progressive step by the PNM, but the same cannot be said for the removal of the veto of the political leader in the selection of candidates for the general elections.It sounds democratic and it looks good on paper but who on the screening committee will dare to challenge Dr Rowley if he votes for or against any candidate?
Let's get real folks. It's not going to happen. Breaking with tradition, General Secretary Ashton Forde publicly stated, particularly in the case of the candidacy of Dr Amery Browne, that he did not receive a single vote from the constituency executive committee although he was recommended by the majority of the party groups and the members of the Youth League.
Didn't the members of the constituency executive committee come from the party groups or are they a separate entity?Forde's insistence on sticking to the process may be correct but if the process is convoluted, and it would appear to be so, because the screening committee has to consider other reports from the constituency then it's reduced to a "he say and she say" usually to the detriment of the candidate.
This seems to be exactly what led to the rejection of Fitzgerald Jeffrey the incumbent for the La Brea seat.It's therefore patently clear that Dr Rowley wanted neither of the candidates and who don't like it could...
Annette Singh