Rowley: Seats earned, not bought in PNM

THE Prime Minister says people earn seats in the PNM through discipline, hard work and commitment to national service.

Dr Rowley, who is also PNM political leader, made that statement when he addressed the 51st annual PNM San Fernando West constituency conference at San Fernando City Hall Auditorium on July 13.

He reminded PNM members the party had called for the nomination of people to be screened as potential candidates for seats which it did not have in the House of Representatives.

At a news conference at the Southern Academy for Performing Arts, San Fernando on June 21, after the party's general council meeting there, PNM general secretary Foster Cummings said the party would begin accepting nominations for Mayaro, St Augustine, Chaguanas East, Fyzabad, Pointe-a-Pierre, San Juan/Barataria, Moruga/Tableland and Caroni East.

All of those seats are currently held by the Opposition UNC.

On July 13, Rowley said those nominations should begin towards the end of August.

Since the PNM returned to office in 2015, he continued, the party has held the San Fernando West and San Fernando East constituencies.

The respective incumbent MPs, Faris Al-Rawi, SC, and Brian Manning attended the conference. Also present were Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Randall Mitchell and Agriculture Minister Kazim Hosein.

Mitchell, now a government senator, served as San Fernando East MP from September 2015 to August 2020.

Rowley hoped that all PNM MPs had earned the trust of the people who they served.

But he added, "If they don't meet your satisfaction, you (the people) know exactly what to do."

Rowley repeated that the PNM was a superior political party to all its rivals, past and present.

"Nobody buys or owns a seat in the PNM. You have to earn it. I trust the ones I lead have been earning your trust."

Throughout its 68 year history, he continued, everything which is good in TT can be attributed to the PNM.

Against that background and positive strides being made by government in several areas of national development, Rowley was confident as he looked ahead to next year's general election.

"We are going to be the government again."

With specific reference to San Fernando, Rowley said it was evident that during a period of greatest financial difficulty, the city had enjoyed its greatest period of development.

Earlier in the conference, Al-Rawi thanked Rowley for giving San Fernando its fair share of development as he announced he would stand for re-election as San Fernando West MP next year.