PNM leadership up for grabs as Rowley hints retirement

On the eve of his 75th birthday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley gave his strongest statement on whether it would be his last year of electoral politics in Parliament last week.

“I am now in my tenth year as Prime Minister. I too may be a swan. As long as I could leave here, having done the best for the people of Trinidad and Tobago, it doesn’t matter when I leave,” Dr Rowley said, referring to a similar statement by UNC MP Rushton Paray while he made his contribution.

Turning to Bridgid Annisette-George in Parliament a short while later on Friday, the PM said, “It was a pleasure working with you as parliamentary speaker. I don’t know how much longer I would have in this Parliament. But I have done my duty, and I kept the course. I have run the race, and I look forward not for a pot of gold but for my family at the end of this rainbow.”

It’s not the first time Dr Rowley signalled that he was bowing out of the political arena—in January of this year, Dr Rowley had planted the seed of possibly retiring from politics.

During his contribution to the budget debate last Thursday, he went further and told the House, “I don’t have a lot more time in here.”

One day after Dr Rowley’s contribution in Parliament, PNM’s general secretary, Foster Cummings, issued a press release stating that the party’s 51st annual convention and internal elections, scheduled for November 17, had been cancelled.

Several names have been thrown out as potential candidates in the leadership race. Among the names being bandied about inside the party for leadership are Stuart Young, SC, Penelope Beckles, Senator Dr Amery Browne, and Cummings. In his budget contribution, Browne told the House that he would not rule out running for a seat in Parliament again.

But even as Dr Rowley’s statements have spotlighted potential candidates in the party for leadership after his exit, according to government ministers, there is no vacancy for the post of political leader or Prime Minister right now.

Dr Rowley has been hinting at exiting. At the PNM’s party conferences held in July and Augus he expressed confidence in the crop of young people who he had brought into the electoral fold for the party.

One of the major shifts in the past few months was in appointing Young to act as PM as opposed to Finance Minister Colm Imbert, who did so for the past nine years of the Rowley administration.

In her budget response, the Opposition Leader labelled Young as “the chosen one.”

Former PNM general secretary Ashton Ford told the Sunday Guardian, “From what I gather and how I know the party operates, nothing will happen until something officially happens.”

So far, Ford said, there has been no official word of Rowley making his exit from the party or politics.

“Nothing of the sort is in place. Nothing. Everything will continue as normal,” said Ford, who once served as Arima mayor and MP.

And while Dr Rowley has been busy at work the past three weeks, as well as addressing and commenting on national issues, he has refused to comment or be drawn out to comment on his health after a recent check-up abroad.

Ford recalled that the founder and then PNM leader, Dr Eric Williams, at a February 1981 convention gave a “swan song the same way, and it did not mean that he was leaving the party then.”

Unfortunately, Williams died the following month, and George Chambers became PM and political leader.

“In Dr Rowley’s case, as far as we know, he is very healthy,” Ford said.

But the PM said when he makes his exit, he would do so “with his head held high” and be proud to say that he served with certain people.

“And I hope that I don’t have to say if you want to find them, you have to look where the average citizen doesn’t live.”

In Ford’s view, Rowley’s statement in Parliament was done to document his contribution on record. While the population has a keen interest in the PNM and its operation, Ford said, “As for now, we all support the Prime Minister.”

Ford said Rowley was carded to address party supporters at the PNM’s upcoming convention, stating that “so we would have to wait” to hear what he says.

Seeking answers

Communications Minister Symon De Nobriga said the Prime Minister has a 24/7 job, and there can be and will be no distractions from the job at hand. He expressed confidence in Dr Rowley.

“There is no leadership race in the PNM.”

Kareem Marcelle told Guardian Media, “In my humble opinion, the Hon Prime Minister’s statement may have been taken out of context by some. Dr Rowley is a statesman who has proper respect for democracy. Dr Rowley’s second term of office as PM constitutionally comes to an end in 2025, and the country will have another opportunity to decide whether they wish to renew that mandate.

“There is no vacancy for political leader of the PNM. That post is competently filled by a leader phenomenal, Dr Keith Rowley. Under his tenure, the PNM has been thriving. Dr Rowley has kept our party united, and our democracy alive and created unprecedented avenues for young people to grow in our party and Government,” he said.

“I cannot think of one other person in Trinidad and Tobago who could’ve led this country back to stability and progress over the last decade as Prime Minister than Dr Rowley.”

Minister of Digital Transformation Hassel Bacchus opted not to respond in detail to Guardian Media’s questions given that “they seem to originate from a particular interpretation of his comments.”

He added, “I am sure you are well aware that tenure in the Parliament is dependent on many factors. I certainly will attempt to speculate as to any particular interpretation of his statement and certainly will not venture to answer the questions posed in that context.

“What is certain is that Dr Rowley is the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and the political leader of the PNM.”

On Dr Rowley’s comments, Senator Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal said, “Change is inevitable. And the PNM is an institution. I will start there. Change in leadership is NOT new to the PNM. We transitioned from the leadership of Dr Williams to Mr George Chambers to Mr Patrick Manning and now to Dr Rowley.

“At every transition, the party would have no doubt experienced the consequences of that change in leadership, as people are different and their style of leadership is no doubt different and was different. But every PNM leader remained loyal to the tenets of the party. Each leader remained loyal to the constitution and values of the party because the PNM is an institution with structure and organisation. And as a result, we have been able to successfully transition when our leaders changed.

“For while personalities, styles of leadership, etc, may have been different, each political leader, I believe, has been loyal to the values of the party (a movement of all the people for the people) and as a result, the party has survived. Apply this if there is a change in leadership. Regardless, we will survive and become stronger.”

She observed that the leadership of the party is not just for the spot of political leader.

“There are various executive leadership positions of the party. To name a few are Lady vice Chair, Deputy Chairman, PRO, SMO, the list goes on. And there will soon be an internal election for those positions,” she said.

Asked whether the party believes Dr Rowley is following in the footsteps of US President Joe Biden, she said, “Only the PM can answer that question. But I trust whatever he does will always be with the best intentions for Trinidad and Tobago.”

The post PNM leadership up for grabs as Rowley hints retirement first appeared on CNC3.