Rowley names election slate Monday; Penny waiting until Friday

The international election of the People's National Movement (PNM) moves into full gear on Friday at the close of nominations.

So far there are only two people running for the leadership - the incumbent Keith Rowley and former senator Pennelope Beckles-Robinson. There are still a few days for a new challenger to make an entrance but that is highly unlikely.

Beckles-Robinson and Rowley are yet to announce their respective teams. She has said she would wait until Friday to do it.  

"The team is going to be announced by Friday. I am still having a couple discussions with people. There is a dry run sometime this week. I have not completed the discussions. I don’t have a slate, I have a team of people around me," she told reporters Saturday at a function to commemorate International Women's Day. 

She added, "I believe I can’t do it alone and as you prepare for leadership, part of your strength will be the team around you, so that my team will be announced very shortly." 

Beckles-Robinson used to be the MP for Arima and still has strong support there. However the vice chairman of the PNM’s Arima constituency John Joseph said she should be be "too buoyed" by the apparent support she is getting there. He was commenting on a recent meeting at which the majority of people attending said they support Beckles-Robinson. 

“Yes, 90 per cent of the people who were here voted for Penny, but they represented less than 50 per cent of the whole voters list here,” he said. Joseph, who is backing his current leader, said Rowley has the support of more than 60 per cent of the Arima constituency. 

Beckles-Robinson is hoping the new one-member, one-vote system would give her the edge over Rowley. She explained that in that system members are not handicapped as they did in the delegate system and members can choose the person they believe is "the best man or woman for the job."

For his part Rowley is well organised and expects to announce on Monday who will be running with him. Media reports say he will do it a non-traditional manner by going to a constituency meeting at the Chaguanas East Secondary School.

Some members of his team are incumbents Franklin Khan (Chairman), Ashton Ford (General Secretary) and Faris Al-Rawi, (PRO).
Former Senator and Rowley ally Fitzgerald Hinds is also expected to stand with Rowley. Others include:

• Anthony Garcia (Education Officer) 
• Indar Parasram (Field Officer)
•  Foster Cummings (Election Officer) 
• Senator Camille Robinson-Regis (Lady vice chair)

The election will be held on May 18.