PNM Tobago stays in election mode

KINNESHA GEORGE-HARRY

Having captured both Tobago seats in Monday’s general election, the PNM Tobago Council will stay in election mode ahead of the 2021 THA elections, constitutionally due in January.

PNM Tobago Council political leader Tracy Davidson-Celestine made the statement on Monday evening after the results of the general election.

Davidson-Celestine said the party has its eyes set on another victory and capturing at least one of the two seats held by the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP).

“What’s next on the card is for us to start again the planning and the preparations for the Tobago House of Assembly elections. As a matter of fact, our systems have already been set up and tested for this...elections and we would just continue to revise and to tweak as the time draws nearer,” she said.

The PNM currently holds 10 of the 12 electoral districts on the island, however, Davidson-Celestine is confident of adding the electoral district of Parlatuvier/ L’Anse Fourmi/ Speyside which is currently held by the PDP’s Farley Augustine. PDP political leader Watson Duke is the electoral representative for Roxborough/Delaford.

“The People’s National Movement has been working very hard in all of the electoral districts throughout Tobago. When you look at the results in Tobago West, if you’re looking at it via or through the electoral district representation, I think we have won in almost all of the seats in Tobago West.

“When you look at the breakdown of the numbers in Tobago East, let us look at Parlatuvier/ L’Anse Fourmi’/ Speyside electoral district, we have a PDP Assemblyman currently holding that seat but we have won that electoral district for the People’s National Movement. And so, if you are to do the math, you would observe that if a THA elections would have been held now, we would have been able to walk away with about 11 out of 12 of the electoral districts.”

In the general election, the PNM’s Ayanna Webster-Roy won the Tobago East constituency by some 844 votes. A preliminary count from the Elections and Boundaries Commission showed Webster-Roy got 6,573 votes and Duke 5,729.

She thanked the people of Tobago East for the confidence bestowed.

“We have been working hand-in-hand with them, we have been developing their communities. They have indicated that they would want to see greater representation and they felt as though that was given to them from the PNM, so they came out in full support of our candidate Mrs Ayanna Webster-Roy in this particular election.

Commenting on the party retaining the two seats under her leadership with by a difference of 844 in the East and 4,470 in the West, she said: “I feel very gratified.”

Asked whether she felt the party had lost any ground, Davidson-Celestine said: “I cannot safely say that any ground was lost. Whether you have won by 500, 2,000, 10,000...what is needed is one (more vote than nearest rival) and at this point in time, we have won by several thousand both in the East and in the West and I am very happy with the results to date.”