PDP to sue Clerk of the THA

The Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) said it has initiated legal action against the office of the Clerk of the THA for failing to properly carry out the process of electing a presiding officer.

The PDP assemblymen, led by the party's political leader Watson Duke, slept in the assembly’s chamber on Monday night in protest against the decision by Clerk of the Assembly Myrna Mc Leod to suspend the meeting without having elected a presiding officer.

On Monday, the assembly met to elect a new presiding officer.

But the process ended in deadlock after the six PNM and six PDP members failed to agree on the candidates presented by each side.

The PNM nominated Tobago Regional Health Authority chairman Ingrid Melville and the PDP nominated Division of Sport and Youth Affairs officer Julien Skeete.

PNM assemblyman Tracy Davidson-Celestine later proposed a fresh candidate and Mc Leod suspended the meeting until Thursday.

On Tuesday, PDP deputy leader Farley Augustine also questioned the process by which the PNM nominated a new candidate. He said the party is hoping to meet with Mc Leod to address the issue.

“We want the opportunity to point out to her – and it is out of an abundance of courtesy that we want to point out to her – all of the procedural flaws and illegalities that would have transpired throughout the process,” he told reporters. “We feel that we owe it to her office to have that conversation with her, especially since there is legal action – and I am saying that affirmatively – that is supposed to commence later on today (Tuesday).”

Augustine said the PDP had deliberately asked its lawyers to hold off on legal action on Monday, “because we wanted to give the process a fair chance.

“We didn’t want to pre-empt the process. (But) after seeing how the process went yesterday, we believe we are left with no choice.”