Analyst: Young acting as PM means nothing

JUST because Energy Minister has been given a third consecutive stint as Acting Prime Minister, does not automatically mean he has been anointed as the next political leader of the PNM.

However, political scientist Dr Bishnu Ragoonath – who made this observation – believes the decision by the party's general council to hold a convention at a date to be announced, could be the result of Dr Rowley overestimating his power within the party.

Ragoonath has also ruled out any snap election being called by Rowley. Ragoonath was contacted to give his insights into the PNM's internal affairs and how they could influence other political developments.

Rowley left the country on October 21 to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa. Young is acting as PM until Rowley returns.

Young, a Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister who is also the PNM's chairman, first acted as PM in July when Rowley was attending a Caricom heads of government meeting in Grenada.

Prior to this, Finance Minister Colm Imbert has acted as prime minister in Rowley's absence over the last nine years of the PNM being in power. Imbert was out of Trinidad and Tobago on vacation in July, around the same time that Rowley was in Grenada at the Caricom meeting.

Young's appointment to act as PM, for the third time, came days after he received national criticism and condemnation for making crass and misogynistic comments in the House of Representatives, as Imbert was preparing to wind-up debate on the budget.

Despite the Opposition requesting Young be sent to the Privileges Committee of Parliament over his comments, and despite his conduct receiving a sharp and detailed condemnation by Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George, Young escaped censure after Deputy Speaker Esmond Forde ruled that no further investigation and/or punishment was warranted because Young had apologised to the House.

On Young's third stint as Acting PM, Ragoonath said, "Clearly the prime minister did not take the "hot mic" issue with Mr Young as a negative for the party." He could not say whether this was how PNM MPs spoke about their UNC counterparts, in general.

Ragoonath said Rowley viewed the matter as a non-issue and as nothing to prevent Young from acting as prime minister in his absence. Does this mean Young is Rowley's successor as PNM political leader, and potentially, Prime Minister?

"I will not go that far. But it is clear that in the past, he (Rowley) has made it quite clear that Mr Young is his 'Garry Sobers'," Ragoonath said. Sir Garry is a highly-respected former WI cricketer.

On decisions taken by the PNM's general council to hold a convention at a date to be announced, Ragoonath said, "Therein comes the complex part."

He noted former party vice-chairman Robert Le Hunte's hope that the PNM democratically elect Rowley's successor, rather than Rowley choosing that person himself.

"That I think is the real big question that the PNM faces.

"I think Rowley overestimated his power within the PNM, in that he really believes that, for instance, 'I could cancel the convention'."

In a statement on October 11, PNM general secretary Foster Cummings said the party's annual convention and internal election, scheduled for November 17, has been cancelled.

On October 18, after the general council meeting at Balisier House in Port of Spain, Cummings said the party's constitution grants Rowley as political leader, authority over the party's political direction and the general council ratified the leadership's decision to set a new date for the convention.

He said the council approved the decision, adding, "We await further updates on the matter."

Young, the PNM's chairman, on the same day, said on the cancellation of the convention, "The PNM is strategic and does not make decisions impulsively. The council trusted the leadership's decision and I won’t disclose specific PNM strategies."

Ragoonath said no date being announced for the convention was interesting.

He said it opens the door for Rowley to announce an election date and pre-empt the holding of a convention.

Ragoonath added that with no date being decided by the general council for holding its convention, suggests a level of interplay in the PNM's leadership about calling an early election.

He said there is no chance of a snap election because the PNM is now in its fifth and final year in office.

Snap elections, Ragoonath continued, only apply to those called ahead of this time (such as the elections of 1995 and 2010). The PNM lost both of those elections. Ragoonath said the PNM is not haunted by that political bogey this time.