Other parties and many citizens had always critcised the PNM for the use of the party symbol for official state business. However up to recently, that was not an issue for negotiation or discussion; it was the PNM way and nobody challenged it.
When Rowley took over as leader he raised two critical issues that he wanted changed: dropping the tie's use for non-party events and a change of the electoral system for electing a leader from the delegate system to the one-member, one vote policy that the other main parties use.
Neither has been popular, but Rowley stopped wearing the tie and on Saturday when the issue generated heated discussion at the PNM's General council he made it clear that if people didn’t follow him he’d have to consider his position.
Former Senator Linus Rogers brought a motion calling for MPs to maintain the tradition of wearing the baliser tie in Parliament.
However Rowley argued against mandatory wearing of the tie to attend Parliament because MPs represent all persons in the constituency, not just members of a party. The PNM leader stated that members of his party must decide whether the PNM is prepared to put the party ahead of the country by choosing a party symbol over a national one.
Some members suggested that Rowley was trying to blackmail and bully the party by insisting on resolving the matter on Saturday.
PNM chairman Franklin Khan told the Guardian newspaper that members eventually decided to let the matter rest until January to give them a chance to raise the matter at the constituency levels before taking a decision.
Rowley told the council he never instructed anyone to stop wearing the tie.
Some council members said Khan’s decision to shelve the decision for now saved the day since “it was heading to defeat” of Rowley’s position.
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