It is official—Fitzgerald Hinds is out of the race for the Laventille West candidacy.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday confirmed that National Security Minister Hinds had withdrawn his consent to be nominated as the candidate for Laventille West. The PM said he had “no hand” in it.
Rowley did so at yesterday’s post-Cabinet media briefing after word that Hinds this week withdrew the consent he initially gave for nomination. Hinds will therefore not be screened when Laventille West presents its nominees to PNM’s screening team on Monday. Those to be presented may only be Port-of-Spain alderman, attorney Kareem Marcelle, and Dr Kadelle Jessamy.
Hinds has been Laventille West MP since September 2015 and was also re-elected in 2020. Prior to being MP for that area, Hinds was elected Laventille East/Morvant MP in 1995, serving in that capacity for 12 years. For the upcoming general election, Hinds had indicated interest in nomination to the Laventille West PNM executive in September. He had received nomination support from party group 69, and this was announced by the unit in October. They also announced that Jessamy was nominated by party group 25.
Marcelle was also listed as a nominee. Subsequently, Marcelle received 38 votes from a Laventille West Women’s League meeting where Hinds received one vote and three abstained. That meeting, which was leaked on social media, was later annulled. The constituency executive mandated it be held again due to “irregularities”, including a lack of notification to other units.
When it was re-held, Marcelle received 106 votes, Hinds 78, and Jessamy got one. However, Hinds received support from the Laventille West Youth League with 18 votes to Marcelle’s 14 and Jessamy’s four.
Last week, the Laventille West executive decided to recommend Hinds for the candidacy. Party executives can make their recommendation on their “pick” for a candidate, but all nominees are screened, and the PNM’s screening team led by Rowley has the final decision.
But yesterday, word was circulated by PNM activists of a meeting of PNM’s Laventille West executive held on Wednesday and that Hinds had withdrawn following “family discussions.”
The situation was aired widely on social media, including the allegation that Hinds was “spoken to.”
Laventille West chairman Richard Walcott did not comment on this. At yesterday’s media briefing, Rowley said he had heard of the withdrawal. He said Hinds was in Cabinet earlier, and they had not spoken of it, so he had no further information.
Rowley added, “But I think it’s confirmed: Minister Hinds will not be continuing to offer himself as a candidate for his constituency. No, I had no hand in it.” Rowley said he was not entirely surprised at the development.
“I’m a little disappointed because Mr Hinds has been with us for a long time. He’s been a very loyal, hard-working MP and therefore he’s coming to the end of his service. There’s usually sadness in parting. But I’m sure he’ll be around with us in the party if not in the Government.”
Rowley said he had not spoken to Hinds yet, “But I knew of his feelings along the way, but I’m not surprised that he’d have ... you see, when you come to a point sometimes, you come to a crossroad, and you have to make a decision, and sometimes the angles of the crossroad are quite sharp. I saw it somewhere in the paper, I think ... that (it’s) ‘family discussions’ or something like that. I too have a family, and I know how these things go.”
After the issue with the leaked Laventille West Women’s League meeting, Hinds said some women voting to reject him as MP was part of a “design” and that at nomination time, the best and the worst behaviour of some arise.
He said he had received feedback from some Women’s League members and the constituency executive chairman that the election was not fair. He had said that at this time in the PNM’s life, there were “different personalities with different ambitions and motivations, and it’s a very competitive environment.”
Less than 24 hours before Rowley’s confirmation, Hinds told Guardian Media he was looking forward to Monday’s PNM screening as he continued to have resounding support from his constituency’s executive, 37 party leagues, and many of his constituents. He also appeared unfazed by his competition, Marcelle and Jessemy.
Hinds did not respond to Guardian Media queries yesterday after Rowley spoke.
Guardian Media also reached out to Marcelle, who said he will not be commenting until after screening.