PNM will work to promote Romain in Malabar/Mausica

GILLIAN LEWIS, chairman of the Malabar/Mausica (formerly D’Abadie/O’Meara) PNM constituency, was very confident that PNM candidate Dominic Romain will inject fresh ideas, despite claims that he is an unknown.

She spoke to Newsday on the evening of January 27, after Romain was announced the winner out of a field of seven nominees screened at Balisier House, Port of Spain by the PNM central screening committee and the constituency executive.

Also screened for the seat were Kim Garcia, Jeniece Scott, Luanne Pamphille, Derek King, Sanjeev Boodhu and Brittany Pierre. Lewis withdrew her own nomination.

The seat became vacant  after the death of incumbent MP Lisa Morris-Julian in a fire on December 16.

Lewis told Newsday, "We got a new prospective and he is fresh, in terms of he is not a councillor and he is not an alderman.

"He is really new, yet he lives in the constituency. So we are getting somebody to go in there new, and work with the people.

"Fresh ideas and continuation of ideas, because he worked with the MP for a little while, so we are getting some continuity that we could move on for Malabar/Mausica, bringing better (ideas) and bringing the seat home."

A PNM-insider who spoke on the basis of anonymity said Romain was a relative unknown in the PNM and the general public. The insider said Romain had contested the post of social media officer for the party.

"He has been an influencer with his own set-up and with a lot of followers. He has been defending and promoting the government."

Asked if he anticipated any backlash among PNM activists and voters for bringing in a green-horn, the insider said, "No, no. None at all. At one point, we were all green to politics, you know."

Another PNM source also expected no backlash from PNM voters, but admitted, "He was a (PNM) member only for a little while, although he never used to attend meetings."

Asked if Romain's selection reflected the popular will of PNM members in Malabar/Mausica, the source said, "They are okay with it. I'd say the constituency will rally around him."

The source acknowledged there was work to be done to return Malabar/Mausica to the PNM in the election.

"We need to raise his profile. We know he had some podcasts going and we are hoping that will help him."

In the 2020 general election, Morris-Julian won a resounding mandate for the then D'Abadie/O'Meara seat, tallying 11,864 votes, beating the UNC's Maurice Hoyte, who mustered 5,783 votes.