Tobago PNM to unveil manifesto on December 13

PNM Tobago Council leader Ancil Dennis -

TOBAGO Council leader of the PNM, Ancil Dennis, said the party will launch its manifesto on December 13, just about a month ahead of the January 12 THA polls.

Dennis, the candidate for Buccoo/Mt Pleasant, said the party will also present the 15 candidates selected at a public meeting.

Commenting on the defection of former PNM Tobago West constituency chairman Keigon Denoon, who joined the Tobago People’s Party (TPP), Dennis said he wished him the best.

“We in the PNM respect democracy and people’s freedom to choose, so we respect that. We thank him for his service to the party over many years as a youth and someone who was able to grow and develop in the party, and we wish him the best,” he said.

Denoon was named as the TPP's candidate for the Buccoo/Mt Pleasant on December 1 by TPP political leader Farley Augustine.

Dennis said the PNM preparations for the January 12 THA elections have been excellent.

“We have been at it since August, and we have selected our candidates by the end of July, so we have been preparing for this process. We are looking forward to a successful campaign and returning to office to bring back decent and responsible governance for the island and the people of Tobago.”

In the December 6, 2021, January election, the PNM was ousted by the PDP, led by Watson Duke. PDP dominated the election, securing 14 out of 15 seats.

However, eight months after the victory, a rift between Duke and several members of the party led to the majority of the PDP’s executives resigning from the party and declaring themselves independents. Duke also resigned from his post as Deputy Chief Secretary.

The former PDP members subsequently formed their own political party, the TPP.

Dennis said people on the ground have told him that they are dissatisfied with the leadership of the TPP, but that still doesn’t mean the Tobago PNM does not have a hard road ahead.

“People are convinced that the island is worse off under these people. However, we realise that we have a case to make. We have to demonstrate that we are ready to do better than we did before.

“We have to demonstrate that we have listened, we have learned, and we have to do a lot better.”

He described the Tobago PNM team as a “good team.”

“They will give Tobagonians the confidence that the PNM is the way to go and that they don’t have to accept a situation where the island has been mismanaged in some serious ways for the past four years.”

He also commented on recent changes to boundaries by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), saying it made little difference to the PNM’s plans or its campaign.

“The EBC is empowered by law to review the boundaries from time to time, and based on that review, they made a recommendation to move one polling station from one district to the next and also to change the names of two of the districts.

“It is neither here nor there for me. At the end of the day, I don’t think the changes are significant enough to change the picture, per se. We are looking forward to an effective campaign, and I believe that once we do that, we can rescue Tobago after January 12.”

Newsday also contacted the political leader of the PDP, Watson Duke, who said he plans to hold a media conference on December 9 and declined further comment.