Contender for the leadership of the People's National Movement (PNM), Pennelope Beckles-Robinson, is expected to "officially" name her campaign manager later today.Beckles-Robinson and two of her supporters took an early morning walk in the Port-of-Spain market yesterday and handed out several red caps with the words "Penny for Leader" sewn along the sides."There is a team, but we will officially name the manager and the others after the meeting," Beckles-Robinson said.
The Sunday Guardian understands that former minister and PNM chairman Conrad Enill has been approached for the position.As the PNM internal election heats up, Beckles-Robinson says she was not happy with the veiled threats and victimisation levelled at her supporters since she announced her bid for the leadership chair.
"You expect the banter and the picong but some of the intimidation and some of the threats that people are saying is coming their way, I don't particularly like it. In the campaign, you cannot really tell exactly what will happen. But I am not going to let that faze me," she said.
She said the threats were not directed to the people on her slate.
"But you would have heard comments like, if you support the other side, if you don't support this one or the other one, when they get in office it could affect employment and other things. Really that ought not to be how we run the campaign." Despite those issues, Beckles-Robinson said she was not going to let herself be "distracted."
"If you have made the decision to run for leadership, you understand that you have to hit the road and you don't expect any favours. If you have offered yourself to run, you have to deal with the challenges that come your way."She said if she were to win the upcoming internal election, her first aim would be to "heal" the party and prepare for the 2015 general election.