PNM General Secretary Ashton Ford made it clear yesterday that the party’s executive would not grant the San Fernando East constituency executive’s request to postpone the deadline for nomination. The executive had asked for an extension from December 22 to January 3.
After Ford wrote to them on Monday repeating the December 22 deadline, San Fernando East PRO Anthony Clarke said the constituency office closes on December 19 for Christmas and no one would be available to do business until it reopened on January 2.
Clarke said all of that was pointed out in a letter sent to Balisier House last Friday and this was why the executive had proposed the extension to January 3. MP Patrick Manning had also suggested the January 3 date, saying he was seeking advice from his doctors on his fitness to contest and would address the unit on January 2 on whether he would or not. Clarke had hoped Balisier House would receive the letter by Monday, and said the executive was still hoping for a change of deadline.
Asked yesterday if the PNM had received the letter late, and if the leadership would consider a postponement or agree to January 3, Ford said the deadline remained December 22. He declined to say whether he would contact the San Fernando East chairman on the issue or ask the unit to keep its office open after December 19. He said he did not want to say much more on the matter.
Other PNM officials said the executive would not want to make a change at this point, since the “situation is getting out of hand now...” Yesterday, Clarke said San Fernando East was awaiting a reply from the PNM executive, and if it came before December 19, the executive might have to have a special meeting to decide on the way forward. PNM PRO Faris Al-Rawi, speaking to Parliament reporters, said the situation was a very workable one and the PNM was against the PP only.
