Things took an ugly turn in the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) internal elections meeting on Tuesday night, with claims that workers in the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP), who are members of the PNM, are being threatened with losing their jobs if they do not vote for the URP programme manager Indar Parasram in the upcoming election.
Parasram, however, has strongly denied the accusations calling the claims an act of desperation by his opponents.
Parasram is contesting the post of Election Officer on the Red & Rowley slate which is being led by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
On Tuesday, several independent candidates contesting the upcoming internal election visited the Sangre Grande constituency office to advance their case for election.
Darian Marcelle, who is also contesting the election officer post, was one of them.
Marcelle sent a WhatsApp voice note to PNM members addressing the situation.
“I was shocked and surprised when the chairman (of the Sangre Grande constituency) indicated that calls were made to members of the executive and the constituency, who are URP workers, and they were instructed to stay away from the meeting and threatened about their job security as tenuous as it already is and temporary, that if they attended their jobs would be in jeopardy,” Marcelle stated.
“I saw another message out tonight which suggests that what happened this evening in Sangre Grande may very well be true. Well let me just say this, our leader, our party leader and prime minister has democratised this party more than it has ever been and every member of this party is entitled to vote and participate in the democratic process without fear and therefore I am disappointed by what I am picking up and hearing,” Marcelle said.
Marcelle said the PNM must not tolerate such behaviour.
Parasram, however, denied using his position in the URP to intimidate and threaten workers to vote for him.
“If you go to any of the regions that URP governs no one will ever tell you that Indar Parasram says don’t go to anything they have, what I have told them is that this is a democratic election, there are many candidates in the race, all of us are members of the PNM, somebody will win, somebody will lose, but at the end of the day all of us will have to work together so that we can ensure that we remain in government. That was it full stop,” Parasram said.
Parasram said as a candidate for the internal election he has canvassed for votes outside of work hours.
“I am a candidate, it is my job to seek support, but what I can safely tell you is that I have never, ever told anyone (they will lose their jobs if they don’t vote for me)....I have told them search your conscience and spirit and vote for who you feel you want to support,” he said.
“I am on a campaign trail. I’m going to be in Belmont and Laventille after 4 pm today, after work is finished, and I am a speaker on those platforms. Am I not to speak because I am the programme manager of URP? I am speaking as a candidate when I speak after 4 pm and before 8 am,” Parasram said.
Parasram said he believes “desperation” was what has lead to this information being circulated.
“It’s an election and desperation is seeping in now and when people desperate they say anything,” he said.
The internal election is carded for September 30.