The deputy political leaders who make up Dr. Keith Rowley’s People’s National Movement have undergone revisions.
At the PNM General Council meeting last Saturday, former party chairman Colm Imbert and vice chairman Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly were named as deputy leaders.
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Officials from PNM yesterday provided the Guardian press with confirmation of this.
The duties of the new deputy leaders have also changed.
The four deputy leaders of PNM are ordinarily chosen by the party’s political head. However, none were declared at the PNM convention in December of last year since the results of the party’s internal election were still being tallied.
Following the convention, when all votes had been cast and tabulated, Rowley was declared the winner.
Finance Minister Imbert, Education Minister Gadsby-Dolly, and Works Minister Rohan Sinanan were named as the PNM’s representatives in the General Council last Saturday. Ancil Dennis was one of the Deputy Leaders initially (PNM Tobago Council).
Longtime deputy leaders Joan Yuille-Williams and Fitzgerald Hinds are replaced by Imbert and Gadsby-Dolly. Since the 1990s, Yuille-Williams has served as the PNM of Patrick Manning’s deputy leader (for party and election concerns).
In place of former minister Marlene McDonald, who is presently in court on suspected corruption allegations, Hinds was named deputy leader (legislative matters) in 2019.
According to estimates made by authorities, Sinanan is now serving in his most recent term as deputy leader (policy matters).
The sectors that deputy leaders are in charge of have also altered, according to officials. Election and party-related affairs will be under Sinanan’s control. Legislative issues and Gadsby-Dolly policy issues will be handled by Imbert.
Imbert presided over the PNM from 2018 to 2017. In the party elections held in December of last year, he chose not to run for the position, and Energy Minister Stuart Young (Minister in the OPM), who did, took his place.
Gadsby-Dolly won the election for vice chairman of the PNM. She reportedly quit her position as vice chairman to become the deputy political leader, according to officials. They claimed that the General Council may pick someone to fill the position in accordance with the PNM Constitution. 2026 will mark the PNM’s following internal election.
Faris Al-Rawi, the PNM’s public relations representative, didn’t respond to questions about the modifications yesterday. Al-Rawi didn’t show up for the General Council last Saturday, according to other PNM leaders.
At today’s “Mix and Mingle” media event at Port-of-International Spain’s Waterfront Centre, the new deputies are anticipated to be revealed. The last similar event occurred in 2020, although pandemic restrictions were in place afterward, reducing such public events by half.
Rowley reportedly said he will step down from office at the conclusion of the term, according to a recent media story. If so, Rowley will finish the remaining 35 months of the term.
He said in the report that the PNM’s executive would have undergone “significant changes” following the most recent internal election and that this strategy will be maintained. This month, he stated that the PNM will put its new executive into place and “prepare ourselves going forward.”
