Jack shocked by THA election result; will meet with party to determine his future

Ashworth Jack: ""I would not want to become an albatross around the neck of the party" 

Ashworth Jack told reporters Monday night he does not want to be an albatross around the neck of the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP).

The TOP leader was reacting to the political tsunami that saw the People's National Movement (PNM) win all 12 seats in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), giving the PNM an unprecedented fourth consecutive term.

TOP had four of the seats in the last THA and Jack had been expecting a victory. He said he would soon meet with the executive of his party to decide on his future in the party he helped form.

"The outcome of the election was a little shocking, but that’s how democracy works,” he told reporters. "I would not want to become an albatross around the neck of the party," he added, noting that if the party has lost faith in him "I would gracefully leave it alone.”

He acknowledged that leaving may be detrimental to the party, which has two representatives in the national Parliament. "The future of the party will depend on the decision I make in the next 48 hours or so. I would not want to hazard a guess about where it goes from there," he said. 

While he accepted the result, he stated that he disagrees with the suggestion that the result in Tobago is an indictment against the leadership of the PP, of which he is a part. "The result of the THA election does not affect the general election," he declared.