PNM Tobago: Defeat is part of political cycle

PNM Tobago Council political leader Ancil Dennis has said the party will shift focus to the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections, constitutionally due this year.

He spoke to reporters during a news conference at the PNM’s campaign office, Pump Mill, Scarborough, on April 28, after the party’s loss of the Tobago seats in the general election.

The Tobago People’s Party (TPP) claimed Tobago West and Tobago East, which PNM had held since 2015. The United National Congress (UNC) won the general election with 26 seats while PNM claimed 13 and the TPP had two,

Dennis, who was accompanied by PNM Tobago Council chairman Learie Paul and THA Minority Leader Kelvon Morris, said the party will do some introspection.

“We, of course, in the PNM, as we always do, we will go back, restrategise, we will regroup and we will definitely prepare for the next election, which is due very soon, the THA elections,” he said.

Dennis, a former PNM senator, said defeat is not new to the PNM.

“I want to indicate to the supporters that as a party this is not new to us. This is part of the political cycle where you win some and you lose some.

“This reminds me of 2010 (when the PNM lost the election to the People’s Partnership) and I want to indicate to our supporters that five years after 2010 the country was calling for the PNM again.”

Asked what he feels accounted for the party’s crushing defeat nationally and specifically in Tobago, Dennis said, “It is difficult to say at this point. There were a number of factors.”

But he observed that the party’s opponents had “campaigned with a promise of a ten per cent back pay, campaigned on the SRC (Salaries Review Commission’s) report and the acceptance of that by the government.”

Dennis added the TPP, whom he described as “representatives of the UNC,” campaigned on the basis that they are going to the Parliament to negotiate for the people of Tobago.

“So very soon we will see some negotiations taking place.”

He said there were several factors that contributed to the loss “but it is difficult for us to identify those factors at this point in time.

“Following this election result, we will begin our post-mortem as of tomorrow (April 29) and, as we normally do, we will regroup and we expect to bounce back as we always do as a political party.”

Dennis scoffed at the view that former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley’s comment about Tobagonians behaving like "crabs in a barrel," at the commissioning of the ANR Robinson Airport terminal building on March 15, may have contributed to the loss.

He said, “It is something that all of us say from time to time. I did not consider it an insult. I consider it a response to sometimes our realities here in Tobago. So I don’t think it had anything to do specifically with comments coming from the prime minister.

“And if we are honest with ourselves, this current Chief Secretary in the THA has made some of the most disparaging and disrespectful comments to Tobagonians and to the Prime Minister himself. So I really don’t think that was a major factor.”

Dennis observed their opponents in Tobago had used Rowley’s statement as the basis of their campaigns.

“Perhaps it worked for them. But again, it is difficult for us to really draw any conclusions as to the reasons for the results of the elections. Anything right now would be speculation.

“But we will do our assessments, we will do our post-mortem and we will examine the reasons as to why persons voted the way they voted, which are always numerous.”

Congratulating the two incoming TPP members of Parliament – Joel Sampson (Tobago West) and David Thomas (Tobago East) – Dennis also thanked the PNM’s former MPs Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis (Tobago West) and Ayanna Webster-Roy (Tobago East), for their ten years of service.

“I think they have done a tremendous job representing the people of Tobago as part of a PNM government that delivered to the people of this country and more specifically, to the people of Tobago.”

He also thanked Rowley and outgoing Prime Minister Stuart Young for their service, even though the latter’s stint was short.

“I think he (Young) did distinguish himself as a capable and effective leader to the people of TT. I wish to thank Dr Rowley as well as a Tobagonian in whom all of us are proud, for his service over the last ten years as Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.”

Dennis said notwithstanding the results of this election, the PNM is proud of its track record in Tobago.

“We have delivered. We have done our very best where Tobago is concerned. So we look forward to the future with great expectation.”