CCJ member PNM’s choice for President (with CNC3 video)

Former Appeal Court judge Rolston Nelson, a member of  the Caribbean Court of Justice, is the proposed nominee of the People’s National Movement for the post of President. Opposition whip Marlene Mc Donald wrote to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday proposing Nelson’s nomination by consensus.

Public relations officer of the PNM Senator Faris Al Rawi said the letter was copied to Leader of Government Business, Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal. He told a hastily arranged news conference at his law office in Port-of-Spain yesterday that the party had selected a nominee.

He did not name the PNM candidate, saying only that the proposed nominee was “a suitable person for consideration, for consensus,” was an official from the judiciary and would only accept the nomination if it was on a consensus basis. Al-Rawi said the nominee had served “very high in the country, from the judicial sphere, someone who is truly and properly non-political in orientation,” and had never had any political affiliation.

“We have written to say this is the person with the type of calibre we think survives any political affiliation, stands as truly independent in our society, who we think would have support from the broad society,” Al-Rawi said. He said the PNM would like the People’s Partnership Government to “consider whether they can have consensus on this proposed nominee.”

PNM's presidential nominee

Al Rawi said the Government had ample time to consider the proposal before the February 5 deadline for nomination. The electoral college meets on February 15 to elect a new President. The Government said it had a nominee but he or she will not be confirmed until after Monday’s special Cabinet meeting. The Opposition has been seeking to have the new President appointed by consensus.

Al-Rawi said he was hopeful the Government would seek to do the right thing  “so that the larger elements of our society, the population as a whole will believe in the process of independence.”

About Nelson

Justice Rolston Nelson attended Queen’s Royal College, where he was a house scholar and national scholar, and Oxford University. He was awarded the degree of master of laws (LLM) from the University of London and was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1970. He was appointed a tutor at the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica in 1973 and was admitted to practise at the Jamaican Bar the same year.

He was sworn in directly from the Bar as a  Justice of Appeal in 1999 and became a judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice in 2005. He is a former chairman of the Unit Trust Corporation and a director of Republic Bank Ltd.