- Ernesto Cooke relinquishes PRO position
- Sen. Vynnette Frederick back in as PRO
- Sen. Linton Lewis retains chairmanship after tie with MP Daniel Cummings
Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace was returned unopposed as President of the New Democratic Party (NDP) when the party held its annual convention on Sunday.
The NDP said in a release that all executive positions were open during the business session of the convention and Eustace, along with Vice-Presidents, MP for the Northern Grenadines, Dr. Godwin Friday, and MP for Central Kingstown, St. Clair Leacock, as well as Treasurer, Bernard Mills, and Deputy General-Secretary, Doris McIntosh, was returned unopposed.
The position of public relations officer (PRO) was relinquished by Ernesto Cooke, “who decided not to seek re- election, focusing instead on his role as host of the NDP’s daytime radio programme, “New Times”, the NDP further said.
Sen. Vynnette Frederick, who held the PRO post from 2006 to 2012, when Cooke defeated her in a contest for the position, was nominated as PRO and elected unopposed.
The contested position for chairman of the party resulted in a tie of 135 votes each for incumbent Dr. Linton Lewis, a senator, and MP for West Kingstown, Daniel Cummings.
Cummings conceded the position, saying he considered the tie to mean that he did not “beat” his colleague.
This decision was met with wide applause for Cummings and the internal electoral process, the release said.
The NDP said it will host a Christmas event and its parliamentary caucus to prepare for the debate on the Estimates, scheduled to begin on Dec. 9.
Mm…so after all is said and done, the NDP folks are saying, WE LIKE IT SO. CHANGE NOTHING, going into the 2015 elections. We have even gone backwards in terms of Ms Frederick being the PRO once again, interesting. But I must say, Mr Cooke has been a disappointment of the highest order; not only should he have relinquished the PRO job, he should have also relinquish the job of being the host of the NDP’s flagship radio program, “NEW TIMES”…he has been an abysmal failure in my book…but the NDP folks like it so…who is me to complain.
He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.(Harold Wilson)