Chamber: Tracy's win a victory for youth

A tribute to the dynamism of youth leadership.

This is how the Tobago Business Chamber described Tracy Davidson-Celestine's victory in becoming the first female leader of the People's National Movement's (PNM's) Tobago Council.

Davidson-Celestine, who competed against Kelvin Charles in Sunday's runoff, got 3,050 votes while he received 2,042 votes.

She became leader with the backing of Deputy Chief Secretary and Secretary for Finance and the Economy Joel Jack and former Tobago House of Assembly presiding officer Dr Denise Tsoiafatt-Angus, both of whom had challenged unsuccessfully the party's leadership in last week Sunday's internal election.

Tsoiafatt-Angus and Jack later agreed to support her in Sunday's runoff.

In congratulating Davidson-Celestine, the chamber's president Martin George said: "We see this as a passing of the baton in a sense and we also see this as a tribute to the dynamism of youth leadership. And we think that it can only herald a new dawn for Tobago in terms of a way forward."

George said the chamber looks forward to continued working relations with the leadership of the Tobago House of Assembly, under Kelvin Charles, who still functions as Chief Secretary despite having lost the leadership of the Tobago Council.

"We congratulate him for his graciousness and statesmanlike behaviour in terms of handling this entire process," he said.

"That is certainly a lesson that we can all learn and take from in the manner in which he has handled this with grace and dignity. Because in the midst of our victory and our defeat, we must always maintain our standards of decency and decorum. And, I think Mr Charles has exemplified that."

George said the chamber is willing to work with both Davidson-Celestine and Charles "to chart a way forward for Tobago that is progressive, dynamic and focussed on developmental issues."