Four days after election officer in Toco/Sangre Grande constituency executive John Mason called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to resign as the political leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM), the executive unanimously voted in favour of him appearing before the party’s disciplinary committee for publicly speaking out.
The move follows Mason’s call, in an interview published in last week’s Sunday Guardian, for Rowley to not offer himself as a candidate for the post of PNM’s political leader in the party’s internal elections later this year.
Mason, 61, felt the PM had served his time and should step down. He also cited the party’s losing streak as another reason.
Mason said he was summoned to an emergency meeting on Thursday which was attended by chairman of the executive Gillian Edwards, former Sangre Grande Regional Corporation chairman Terry Rondon and Toco/Sangre Grande MP Roger Monroe.
Mason said the meeting was called based on instructions “higher up” to deal with him for voicing his displeasure. He said he was given an opportunity to explain why he aired his concerns in the newspaper.
“I told them everything I mentioned in the article is true... those sentiments I expressed is what we all have been hearing on the ground but because all yuh eating ah food you all don’t care about nothing and nobody else. But I standing up,” he said in a telephone interview on Friday.
Mason said at that point a motion was proposed by Anthony Arosco “to refer me to the general council discipline committee. I say I don’t have no problem with that.”
With the exception of Monroe, 16 members voted that Mason be referred to the committee.
“I also voted in support of the move,” Mason said, who has been a PNM member for 18 years.
“I am not going to see wrong things taking place and not say anything to appease people in charge.”
He said the committee has the power to suspend or expel him from the party.
“I would be glad for that. Let them give me a reason. Everything I said was factual in that story If they ask me to resign I will do so in a heartbeat.”
Rondon said the vote taken should serve “as an example for all of us that we keep our business inside and when the time is right with the permission, you go out and do it (talk).”
He said Mason was wrong to speak on behalf of the executive.
“That is the decision we took, that no member of the executive should speak unless matters are discussed with the executive,” he said, adding that it is clearly outlined in the party’s constitution.
