Senior Reporter
andrea.perez-sobers@guardian.co.tt
Former minister of public utilities and People’s National Movement (PNM) member Robert Le Hunte is hopeful that cancellation of the party’s convention is in no way an attempt to stifle the voice of the people.
The PNM issued a release last Friday advising of the cancellation of the 51st annual convention as well as the internal election originally scheduled for November 17.
Speaking to Guardian Media yesterday, former PNM vice chairman Le Hunte said, “The voice of the people, which we all know, is the voice of God.”
He added, “This will be very much unlike the PNM. Our founding father Eric Williams and past leaders like Patrick Manning would be rolling in their graves if this were so.”
He noted that there have been tendencies of political leaders, for example in Grenada, adopting a position of anointing potential successes. An article in Grenada’s New Today paper on Friday stated that former prime minister Dr Keith Mitchell has dropped the strongest possible hints that he will personally select the new political leader of the New National Party (NNP) and not the delegates at the upcoming convention of the 40-year-old political organisation.
Dr Mitchell said he intends to follow in the footsteps of US President Joe Biden, who handed over the baton to his Vice President Kamala Harris to contest the November 5 presidential election.
This, Le Hunte said, is definitely not the PNM way. He said it was indeed a disturbing trend, which he hopes will not find itself in this country.
“Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, by his statements in Parliament, appears to be indicating that he wants to leave the political stage. I for one will thank him for his service to both country and party and wish him well. However, I expect, having championed the one-man, one-vote concept in the party, that he will allow the members of the party to democratically select his successor. Anything short of that will be hypocrisy to the highest degree,” he explained.
Le Hunte, who has been a member of the PNM for 40 years, said he does not think anyone within the political party is anxious to see Dr Rowley’s back. “We all support our leader 150 per cent. But that being said, if for whatever reason he chooses to leave, we will also expect the democratic process that he put in place within the party, especially as I said, the one man, one vote. And that we will have a choice,” he said.
On whether he is considering throwing his hat in the ring for leadership, the former public utilities minister said not at this time, as his main focus is that the democratic process of the party prevails.
Le Hunte resigned as minister in May 2020 due to professional conflict on policy positions taken by the Government.
He said back then that due to this conflict, he felt his resignation would allow Prime Minister Dr Rowley to move ahead in a manner he (Rowley) saw fit for the Government. Le Hunte was made a senator in 2017.