Gail Alexander
Senior Political Reporter
Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales is the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) new chairman following Sunday’s internal election, which was won by the One PNM slate led by the party’s first female political leader Pennelope Beckles.
Senators Foster Cummings and Faris Al-Rawi also retained the posts of general secretary and public relations officer.
The One PNM’s victory was officially declared yesterday when the party’s Elections Supervisory Committee released the results of the one-day election in which 102,300 members were eligible to vote. However, less than 10,000 members actually voted.
In a statement issued yesterday, the ESC said, “At the close of the poll, the ESC confirmed the participation of over 7,000 members in this year’s internal election. Due to the number of votes cast, the ballot counting exercise continued well into the early hours of (yesterday).”
In the PNM’s 2022 internal election—when eligible members were around 101,000—the number of people who voted in that three-day polling exercise was 9,903.
Beckles was elected unopposed as political leader when nominations closed on June 2. The One PNM team contested 14 of the 15 posts.
Incumbent welfare officer Maxine Richards, who contested as an independent candidate, retained the post. She was the only one of the 30 independent candidates who won. The One PNM slate did not put up a candidate for the welfare officer position.
The People’s Champions team did not win any of the posts up for grabs.
Couva businessman Nal Ramsingh, who contested the post of treasurer for the One PNM team, obtained the highest number of votes—5,555.
Elections officer Indar Parasram, who retained the post with 3,441 ballots, received the lowest number of votes.
One PNM’s Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly defeated former minister Donna Cox for the post of lady vice chairman.
Boynes: Scandalous event
Former Toco/Manzanilla MP and minister of sport under the Patrick Manning administration, Roger Boynes, wrote the ESC yesterday saying he had no communication on the status of the count and the polls were under serious scrutiny, “given the abject absence of communication, reporting, and sharing of information.”
He was defeated by Cummings for the general secretary post.
“Initial reports coming to me are that several independent candidates were successful in over 30 constituencies, however, in Laventille/West, Arima and La Horquetta/Talparo, the One PNM slate is in the lead. It is noteworthy that a vast number of irregularities have occurred in these said polling stations. This fact, combined with what can only be described as incompetence on the part of the ESC, specifically as it relates to the failure to (1) report to the candidates in a situation where more than 14 hours have elapsed since the commencement of counting, and (2) announce the means by which ballot boxes are to change hands in these circumstances, have the effect of causing the potential for serious scrutiny to say the least.”
Boynes, an attorney, added, “Suffice it to say, I’m considering all options currently open to me, to be exercised in the best interest of the PNM in a situation that has turned out to be a scandalous event conducted in plain sight of the public bringing the party, not only into odium, but causing even further questions to be raised about the integrity of certain players.”
Independent candidate, attorney Sanjiv Boodhu, who unsuccessfully contested the post of elections officer, congratulated Beckles and the One PNM slate.
Boodhu said, “As a member of the PNM, I look forward to what has commonly been labelled the “rebuilding” process.”
Outgoing interim vice-chairman Colm Imbert, in a social media post, yesterday described the results as a “conclusive mandate.” He hoped “the anonymous, faceless mischief makers and their proxies who spent the last month bashing Penny Beckles and her team will now disappear.”
PNM INTERNAL ELECTION RESULTS
CHAIRMAN
- Marvin Gonzales - 4,392
- Chinua Alleyne - 2,401
- Farai Hove Masaisai - 422
VICE-CHAIRMAN
- Dr Amery Browne - 4,469
- Paula Gopee Scoon - 2,427
- Muhammed Yunus Ibrahim - 333
- Esau Mohammed - 187
LADY VICE-CHAIRMAN
- Dr Nyan Gadsby- Dolly - 4,454
- Donna Cox - 2,912
GENERAL SECRETARY
- Foster Cummings - 4,122
- Roger Boynes - 2,620
- Tova Lin Sandy - 687
ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY
- Patricia Alexis - 4,565
- Malika Blair - 2,736
TREASURER
- Nal Ramsingh - 5,555
- Anthony Davis - 1,670
EDUCATION OFFICER
- Dr Jelani Reid - 4,394
- Dr Hilary Bernard - 1,925
- Clayton Blackman - 558
- Curtis Toussaint - 451
PRO
- Faris Al-Rawi - 5,045
- Lisette Weekes - 1,538
- Christopher George - 722
SOCIAL MEDIA OFFICER
- Symon De Nobriga - 3,769
- Dominic Romain - 2,833
- Shawn Dube - 388
- Runako Williams - 273
- Krystale Horwood - 149
ELECTIONS OFFICER
- Indar Parasram - 3,441
- Sanjiv Boodhu - 2,048
- Terrence Beepath - 815
- Leslie Lynch - 743
FIELD OFFICER
- Curtis Shade - 3,674
- Richard Thompson - 1,880
- Nyron Bayne - 787
- Eric Hopkins II - 642
WELFARE OFFICER
- Maxine Richards - 4,979
- Alicia Legere - 1,861
YOUTH OFFICER
- Kareem Marcelle - 4,871
- Aben Phillips- Brooks - 2,065
- Josimar James - 392
OPERATIONS OFFICER
- Irene Hinds - 5,010
- Eber Steele-Attong - 1,182
- Stern Barnes - 1,058
LABOUR RELATIONS OFFICER
- Kenneth Deoraj - 3,688
- Andrew Alves - 1,588
- St. Clair O’Neil - 752
- Natasha Mohammed - 458
- David Taitt - 406
- Wayne Gransam - 288