Laventille West PNM party exec chooses Hinds as pick for candidate

Senior Political Reporter

The PNM’s Laventille West executive will be recommending incumbent MP Fitzgerald Hinds as its candidate when that constituency comes up before the PNM’s Screening Committee next Monday.

This was revealed after members of the Laventille West executive met on the issue last Friday.

Laventille West will be the first constituency to be screened on Monday among 14 others. On October 21, the PNM called for nominations for 15 PNM-held constituencies.

The PNM’s Screening Committee led by political leader Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley—and including the party’s four deputy leaders and four executive members—will screen nominees for those areas. This will be done at the PNM’s Balisier House head office in six batches beginning at 5 pm.

Executives of the 15 areas, who have been interviewing nominees they’ve received, can make a recommendation, but ultimately the decision is up to the screening team.

While the Laventille West constituency executive is recommending Hinds, all three nominees interested in representing the area will be screened. These include attorney/Port-of-Spain Corporation alderman Kareem Marcelle and Dr Kadelle Jessamy.

Hinds has support from party groups as well as the Laventille West’s Youth League. Marcelle has support from party groups and the unit’s Women’s League. Jessamy was nominated by a party group.

Constituency officials told Guardian Media that incumbent Hinds is being recommended since he has been serving the area, provides educational assistance and opens his office to all who want to learn and study. “When he comes to the constituency office on Tuesdays, he’s there right through and doesn’t leave til 9 pm, sometimes. It’s a lot of work—people don’t know how much. So we have confidence in him,” said officials.

The La Brea constituency executive will recommend Siparia corporation alderman Christopher Encinas as its nominee. He was the executive’s choice when the unit met last Saturday. Encinas received 17 votes from the executive while incumbent MP Stephen Mc Clashie got two, members of the executive said. Both will go before the screening team as well as Vessigny/Brighton councillor Jillon Lewis who was nominated by a party group.

St Ann’s East executive meets later this week on its recommendation. Officials said the incumbent MP Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly has the majority of party group support over nominee Lyndon Lara.

San Fernando East’s executive hasn’t yet met on its recommendation. Officials said the unit will “obviously” support incumbent MP Brian Manning. Cocoyea/Tarouba councillor Teresa Lynch is also seeking to be the candidate. In the 2020 general election, Manning won the seat which his father, former PNM leader and prime minister Patrick Manning, set a record for representing since winning it in 1971.

Arouca/Maloney’s unit meets Thursday to consider nominations received for MP Camille Robinson-Regis and one-time MP Alicia Hospedales who’s also seeking the candidacy.

Tunapuna’s constituency executive was meeting on its recommendation out of four nominees: incumbent MP Esmond Forde, TTPost chairman Dr Michael Seales, Airport Authority’s Don Isaac and businesswoman Kristle Horwood. The executive interviewed them three weeks ago.

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