Franklin Khan told supporters in Arima Friday the party that Dr Eric Williams founded in January 1956 must adopt change and get rid of some of its dogma.
"We have to remodel and change this party to suit the 21st century. We must seriously address the issue of change. Change like how the Labour Party in England changed under Tony Blair to create a new Labour so that they could have won the English election on two consecutive terms," Khan said.
He added that it is critical for the party to target the middle class and announced that the party has established three committees to do that and to modernize the party.
Khan said the PNM's Central Executive has already started the process and a draft report is ready for presentation at retreat the party has planned for Sunday.
The PNM chairman said the other committees are also working. One is a Constitutional Review team headed by former Attorney General Bridgette Anisette-George and the other is a constituency review team headed by former Minister of National Security Martin Joseph.
"The PNM will hit the road running with something to say and something to show the national population that the party is about meaningful change as we engage the trust of the people, all aspects of the people, all levels of society, as we particularly target the middle class in Trinidad and Tobago to revitalise the spirit of the PNM," Khan said.
However while Khan is preaching change one of the party's top advisers is dead set again targeting the middle class. Prof Selwyn Cudjoe wants the PNM to keep its focus on the grassroots.
"Any new PNM programme that talks about the middle class, forget it. The backbone of the PNM is the people at the grassroots level who have always supported the PNM," Cudjoe said.
"Let us not get away from our base. Let us have our plans and let us have our programmes."
When Williams launched the party he spoke a new political order.
"We are ... a convention of all and for all, a mobilisation of all the forces in the community, cutting across race and religion, class and colour, with emphasis on united action by all the people in the common cause.”
One of the party's deputy political leaders has been reaching out to founding members of the party like Kamaluddin Mohammed for ideas about how to recreate the party.
Rohan Sinanan has admitted that the PNM had drifted from its original principles. “Somewhere along the lines, people felt we drifted from what we stood for," he said in a recent interview.
“What I am doing is getting back in touch with the original founders of the party. We are also engaging the youths to find out what they expect from the PNM,” Sinanan said.
"We are ... a convention of all and for all, a mobilisation of all the forces in the community, cutting across race and religion, class and colour, with emphasis on united action by all the people in the common cause.”
One of the party's deputy political leaders has been reaching out to founding members of the party like Kamaluddin Mohammed for ideas about how to recreate the party.
Rohan Sinanan has admitted that the PNM had drifted from its original principles. “Somewhere along the lines, people felt we drifted from what we stood for," he said in a recent interview.
“What I am doing is getting back in touch with the original founders of the party. We are also engaging the youths to find out what they expect from the PNM,” Sinanan said.
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