Long Dead De PNM
……..it shall no longer prevail
The Rum Posse held its regular end of week lime, this time by Shirley, Big Bottom Beverly’s younger sister. As usual, everyone was present – Of course, Shirley’s big sister, Big Bottom Beverly; Alfred; Barman; Balkie; Ramesh; Roshan; Sunil; and Rihanna and her husband, Anand.
In true Posse fashion, Shirley went all out to please her guests both in choice of menu and bar offerings. As starters, she provided boil corn, boil chataigne, and chicken foot souse.
For the main course, she had prepared Christmas rice, pigeon peas, macaroni pie, cheesy potato and baked chicken.
There was a ham she baked specially for the occasion, as well as baked pork, and for those who were tired of all the meat eaten over the just-ended holiday season, there was some fried fish and a huge bowl of tossed salad.
As if that was not enough, there was some curried cascadoo in coconut sauce especially made for her sister, Beverley.
In the bar were the usual array of beverages – premium whisky, premium brandy, White oak rum, two types of vodka, Campari, chasers and beers.
She didn’t forget to bring out some freshly made sorrel juice, flavoured with the usual spices and which was always a hit with the Posse members.
There were several topics of discussion from which to choose, most if not all involving President Donald Trump – his desire for Greenland to come under the control of the United States; his support for the Iranian protesters and threat to the Iranian government, and the decision to impose sanctions on countries trading with Iran and Russia.
The arrest of Nicolas Maduro and his wife paled into insignificance when President Trump announced a decision to place an indefinite embargo on visas for nationals of some 75 countries.
Some of these countries like Brazil and Cameroon have already qualified to participate in the FIFA 2026 World Cup, part of which is scheduled to be played in the USA.
World Cup ticket holders and match officials are all in a quandary. Apart from the countries playing in the FIFA World Cup, the Posse members also lamented over the fact that several Caribbean countries are included in Trump’s ban – Antigua/Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts/Nevis and St Lucia.
All asked themselves and each other as to what madness was taking place, at the same time noting that Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana had gotten away by the skin of their teeth.
While these topics were all serious and worthy of further discussion, the Posse members decided to not let Trump be the focus, but instead to talk about Farley Chavez Augustine TPP’s demolition of the PNM in Tobago, improving its former record from 14:1 in the 2021 THA Election to 15:0 in the recently concluded election of Monday, January 12th.
This is one day they felt that will never be forgotten by the people of Tobago, whether living in Tobago or not. It was humiliation of the highest order for the PNM, one from which it will be almost impossible for the PNM easily recover.
It was so embarrassing that former media-hungry Prime Ministers, Dr Keith Christopher Rowley and Stuart Young had to make a hurried departure from Eddie Hart’s funeral that took place on the Tuesday after the elections just to avoid talking to the media.
Opposition Leader Penny Beckles-Robinson however did face the media and answered all the questions asked about the THA election..
Shirley: Welcome one and all to my home and this time I will ask my big sister Bev to initiate pleasantries before we start de talk.
Big Bottom Beverly: Shirls, you know that is not a problem; so, on behalf of de members of de Rum Posse as well as on my own behalf, thank you for welcoming us in your home.
Thank you especially for the meal you have prepared; which, just from the aroma emanating from the kitchen, I for one cannot wait to start and eat. Give me a chance and I will even say best we start with de starters while we talking.
Shirley: Thanks Bev, but you will just have to wait on that one. Best we start de talk one time. What allyuh think about be “blue wash” Farley and he TPP put on de PNM in Tobago? From 14:1 to 15:0.
That is one election result that will go down in de Guinness Book of Records, at least for Trinidad and Tobago. Up to now de PNM and dem don’t know what hit dem. It sad to see where the great party founded by Dr Eric Williams reach from what it was in 1956 and even after.
Barman: Shirley, I feel you of all people didn’t expect de PNM to lose de THA election last week. Dey lose in Trinidad; dey lose in St Vincent and the Grenadines; dey lose in de US. You self eh see a pattern emerging?
Rihanna: But Barman, de least I was expecting was for PNM Minority Leader in de THA, Kelvon Morris, to win he seat in Darrel Spring/Whim. Is true he did win it by a mere three votes in 2021, but he was always attacking Farley and dem in de Assembly.
And I feel he was doing a fairly decent job. But he end up losing de seat and to add insult to injury, by more votes than he win by in 2021. He lose by 17 whole votes. I sure Farley heself didn’t expect to win all 15 seats and was just as shocked by the outcome like de rest ah we.
Ramesh: What that saying to you Rihanna? Any sensible person could have predicted a PNM loss in Tobago. PNM is viewed by most Tobagonians as a foreign party, while the TPP, by its very title, is viewed as an indigenous party.
And besides, the PNM and dem in Tobago miss de boat when they decided that Ancil Dennis should lead their campaign. Dennis has a lot to answer for in a previous PNM administration.
The leader of the de PNM campaign in Tobago should have been Minority Leader Kelvon Morris.
Single-handedly Morris held the 14-TPP members in THA to account over de last four years. What make me laugh is when Dennis gave his concession speech, saying that his pending resignation would “make a lot of people more happier”.
De man doh even know good English otherwise he would ah know it have no such thing as “more happier”.
Alfred: Ram boy, you on a roll. But yuh know what I find strange? In 2012 when de PNM won all 12 seats in de THA, I can’t recall hearing anybody talking about significant governance issues in the absence of a formal opposition.
PNM was allowed to run Tobago as a fiefdom for the entire four-year period. But suddenly, TPP win is an issue. What Ramesh say is true. Dennis concession speech suggests that all was not well within the PNM Tobago Council.
There were divisions and concerns about Dennis’ leadership. Since the time when Tracy Celestine Davidson run Kelvin Charles, then Chief Secretary of Tobago PNM, it was never de same.
It survived from one kuchoor to another. The PNM loss is no big thing for me. I is ‘Gonian by birth and what de PNM sow in Tobago, it now reaping.
Balkie: Allyuh missing a critical point here. Although TPP won, the voter turnout was real low. In 2009, the voter turnout was 51.84 percent.
In the December 6 election, the turnout was 58.04 percent. In January 21, 2013, the turnout was 70.08 percent. Now in January 2026, the turnout was 50.69 percent.
It would therefore be right to assume there must be some reason why people in Tobago didn’t turn up in their large numbers this rounds.
The total number of registered voters Tobago’s 15 electoral districts was 53,239. TPP got 16,240 votes; PNM got 10,456.
The other parties like the Innovative Democratic Alliance (IDA) and the Unity of the People (UOP) get 181 and 8 votes respectively. Something wrong, but is not my business to find out why.
Anand: Balkie, I want to suggest that you stay out of Tobago people business. Lloyd Best said that this country has three races – Africans, Indians and Tobagonians.
Tobagonians are different from we in Trinidad. So, if de turnout for de THA election big or small, that is none ah we business. What I could say is that as far as I can see, PNM dead in Trinidad; it dead in Tobago.
All because of de Rowley era. I will borrow a phrase from Eugene Reynald and say, “Long Dead is de PNM; and it shall no longer prevail”.
Shirley: And with that, I say, let good food and drink prevail.
Until next week.
